The dark clouds hanging over Belfast have not dissipated.
Although with the arrival of dawn, the strange fog retreated into the deep sea, and the strange things wandering in the fog no longer appeared on the streets, only the smoke formed by burning all night made the city hazy.
But the crisis remains.
A large number of strange things did not disappear with the strange fog. They hid in dark alleys or deserted houses, waiting for opportunities.
The carnival will continue for several more days, until there are not many surviving humans left in the city.
Anna could feel the turbid atmosphere of strange people gathering in the sky above the city. This city was like a city of monsters.
So she didn't think it was a good idea for Lu Li to go back and take a look.
"Elm Street is on the edge of the city. It won't be too dangerous there." Lu Li, who was being held in Anna's arms, answered.
The ingredients Anna brought back were handed over to Remi for processing. Anna was a little regretful that she couldn't cook by herself, but she had a more important thing to do: protect Lu Li on his way to Elm Street.
Not far from Elm Street, Lu Li could vaguely see the ruins of what was once the most glittering and prosperous city on the Allen Peninsula in the mist.
In the northeastern part of the city, near Elm Street, there are many stranded ships. Some have collapsed on a group of houses, some have broken, and many are stuck straight into the earth, like tombstones dozens or hundreds of meters high.
"The survivors called that shipwreck area and said there were many monsters from the bottom of the sea in that area." Anna, who had been paying attention to Lu Li, replied.
"Have you seen them?"
"There are many survivors. When they saw me, they would run away and hide in fear. Some of them would be too weak to run and beg me for mercy... I asked some questions about what happened last night."
This is what Lu Li wants to know: "Tell me about it."
"Even if you don't ask."
This carnival was not just something that existed in the strange fog. Evil spirits and even evil gods also appeared in it. For example, the shadow of the fire thief that Lu Li knew was an uninvited guest.
Although the suffering tortured the city all night long, there were still quite a few lucky people who escaped by chance. If we ignore that Belfast, which once had a population of nearly one million, now only has a few thousand people alive.
Most of them hid under the bed, in the closet, in the basement and attic all night long. They didn't dare to come out until dawn when the fog receded and the wandering weirdness disappeared. They gathered together and planned to escape the city and go to the back of the mountain.
So what the survivors know is very little. Most of it is fragments they heard and saw while hiding or information they got from other survivors after they got together.
The city is simply divided into danger zones by the survivors who left their hiding places. Although there are weirdos wandering around the city, danger zones are particularly dangerous.
The shipwreck area that Lu Li saw was one of them.
The poor guy who lived there was the first to suffer misfortune. When the church bells rang last night, countless ships on the sea or in the harbor were thrown into those streets by incomprehensible beings.
More than half of the residents were turned into flesh as soon as they were awakened by the ringing of the church bells. Then many monsters with fish characteristics, a strong fishy smell, and like visitors from the bottom of the sea rushed out of the fallen ship and occupied the place.
Only some residents who reacted quickly escaped from the wreck area before they came and found a place to hide.
There should be no living people there now.
Another dangerous area is called the Ember Zone, and its original name is familiar to both Lu Li and Anna: the Nameless Block.
Before everything happened, Lu Li had faced the strange things there - ash like snowflakes occasionally falling from the sky.
Now the nameless block and several surrounding blocks have been slowly falling into ashes like snow, endlessly.
The Ember Zone does not have any weird outlines. Some survivors who have nowhere to hide want to hide in to escape the weird, and the result is obvious. The weird will not actively enter that area, and anyone who enters the Ember Zone will disappear into the streets with falling ashes.
Deep inside, it never appears again.
"There may be more than just these two dangerous areas, and those survivors don't know many things."
"Yeah." Lu Li also thought the same.
The Wreck Zone and the Ember Zone are just what they know.
Anna has learned to take the initiative to get in touch with things around her. If Lu Li was not so indifferent, he might be pleased with Anna's growth.
"Also, many people saw that during the strange rampage last night, some figures covered in black robes chanted strange prayers and walked through the streets."
"A cultist?" Lu Li thought thoughtfully.
"Nothing goes wrong. Only those who believe in monsters can avoid being attacked."
To a certain extent, the harm caused by people with weird beliefs is more serious than the weirdness itself.
It has nothing to do with intelligence. There must be existences far smarter than humans among the weirdness.
The real danger of those cultists is that they were once humans and know everything about humans.
Human structure, human character, human... gathering place.
The scary thing is that their minds are polluted by the consciousness of evil gods. They will not feel mercy or feel guilty - everything they do is as a matter of course and for their master.
"Don't let them know where we are hiding, don't come into contact with them unless they find us."
Lu Li had dealt with the evil god and knew that every servant and family member was the eye of the evil god. When Lu Li was exposed to his servants and family members, he was also exposed to the evil god.
Lu Li would not underestimate any evil god, and the battle between the Swamp Mother and the Old Mother still left a deep impression on him to this day - he could not even look at the sealed and petrified body of the Swamp Mother for too long.
Anna's tone was faint and filled with chillness: "If any weirdos dare to approach the forest, I will send them to where they should go."
The dead trees receded, and the roads of the Elm Street neighborhood appeared in front of them.
What appeared in Lu Li's eyes was a charred ruin.
Last night, a fire in a nearby neighborhood spread to Elm Street. No house was spared. At this time, smoke was still rising from the collapsed ruins of several buildings.
There were no living people in the entire street, and there was no sound.
Silence prevailed.
Not far away, the "home" Lu Li prepared for his children was not spared.
Anna hugged Lu Li and approached the burned warehouse. A rustling sound sounded from the collapsed gap. After a while, a small, blackened, ugly silhouette crawled out of the gap.
It resembled a human skeleton, but it was as short as Lu Li's waist. The bone seams were filled with a scorched black substance like silt, and the lower jaw of the head protruded, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
If its body shape was similar to that of an ordinary person, its row of sharp teeth would definitely be very ferocious and terrifying.
More charred little figures crawled out of the gap. They tilted their heads, as if sensing Lu Li's presence.
Suddenly, the largest one came closer, and was shocked by the charcoal that he accidentally kicked away. He shrank back to his companions, wanting to get closer to Lu Li, but he was afraid of something.
Children's fear of strangers seems to be engraved in their instincts.
But it was also mixed with his closeness to Lu Li.
"What are you going to do?" Anna asked the silent Lu Li.
These... children obviously won't hurt Lu Li, even if they become monsters.