Warlock Apprentice

The Puppet Hospital was converted from an abandoned stone processing plant. Upon entering the hospital, rubble could be seen everywhere. Some stones were unpolished raw stones, while others had been processed. However, even the processed stones piled up around the hospital did not present a good sight. Combined with the gray stone buildings covered in moss, it resembled a gathering of abandoned dangerous buildings.

Ruins enthusiasts might find joy here, but ordinary people would only feel desolation in such a scene.

Angel moved through the hospital swiftly and soon followed Lord Rhein into a small building about three stories high.

In the cold and long corridors, many rooms were sealed with iron mesh, and through the mesh, one could see that the rooms were full of patients incarcerated for madness.

Most of these patients were silent, sitting dumbfounded on iron beds, seemingly pondering something like normal people.

It wasn’t until they heard footsteps in the corridor and looked over that one could notice their abnormality.

Each person had a different expression: some were blank, some were frantic, some were strange, and some were innocent, just like actors in a stage play displaying different facial expressions.

They stared unblinkingly at the people in the hallway with eyes filled with bizarre emotions.

Despite not speaking, the eerie silence still sent chills down one’s spine.

”Their ability to capture information hasn’t decreased due to infection, and their sensitivity to sound and perception of thermal energy far exceeds that of ordinary people, as if they’ve gained a kind of extraordinary perception out of thin air.”

Speaking was Rhein, who walked at the front, gently tapping the ground with a cane as he walked.

The first tap sent an energy ripple from the tip of the cane, and as the waves diffused, their figures all vanished. Yet, the patients in the rooms still stared intently in their direction, proving that invisibility couldn’t hinder their ability to capture information from living beings.

The second tap not only concealed their figures but also instantly covered the entire Puppet Hospital with an incredibly powerful force field, making everyone unable to hear any sound. Even Sanders and Angel were powerless in Rhein’s silencing field.

But even with their figures and sound concealed, the patients’ gaze was still not obstructed. They continued to stare.

It wasn’t until Rhein tapped the cane for the third time, blocking all thermal energy around them, that the patients turned their heads, once again becoming ponderers.

This perfectly matched Rhein’s statement that these patients had far superior information capture capabilities than normal people.

Rhein: ”Based on current research, they lack the ability to think, and their sole purpose is to infect other creatures.”

This means their desire to infect others is extremely strong. Coupled with their powerful perception, it can be foreseen that if these people enter ordinary cities, it won’t be long before the entire city succumbs.

”So what provides the energy for them to survive?” Greya asked.

Even if they’ve become mad, they still possess mortal bodies. Therefore, they require energy from food to maintain their body’s activity, but these madmen don’t seem to be eating regularly? This was what puzzled Greya.

Rhein glanced at Greya and said blandly, ”The active line.”

”As for what the active line is, you’ll know soon enough.” Rhein didn’t elaborate and continued walking. Soon, they arrived at an open doorway.

Inside was still a cramped room, similar to the ones imprisoning the mad patients earlier, with no windows, a bed, and a chair, as well as glowing clusters on the ceiling.

Rhein motioned for them to lock Yva inside.

After locking Yva, they continued to the next empty room, where they locked old Hanmu following the same procedure. Rhein then led them to the central hall of this floor.

After they sat down, Rhein said, ”If you have any questions, you can ask them now.”

Sanders was the first to speak: ”Why did Lord Rhein suddenly come here? Did something happen at the ruins again?”

Rhein: ”There was a change yesterday, with a massive eruption of the active line. But with the help of Tree Spirit, everything is still under control. Based on previous experience, it’s estimated that there won’t be another eruption for a week, so I came back.”

Of course, another reason Rhein returned was for Angel.

He knew Angel would return to the Barbarian Cave in these two days and deliberately rushed back. He had some things to explain to Angel, and at the same time, Angel’s personal value had been fully demonstrated. Not to mention his abilities, just being a member of the Research and Development Institute is crucial for the future development of Barbarian Cave. Yet, Angel’s achievements, abilities, and future growth have never been highly reliant on Barbarian Cave. So Rhein also wanted to take this opportunity to understand Angel’s attitude towards Barbarian Cave to make some future decisions.

However, Rhein kept these thoughts to himself, not needing to articulate them.

”Does the active line have a timeframe? So this has been ongoing for a while?” Sanders continued to ask.

Rhein nodded: ”That’s right, it started two months ago.”

”So what exactly is the active line? I remember last time I went to that ruin, there was no sign of an active line?” Sanders had visited the ruin that trapped Rhein before, where many went missing, but there was indeed no issue of an active line.

Where exactly did this active line emerge from? This was not just Sanders’ confusion but also what everyone present besides Rhein wanted to know the most.

Rhein pondered for a moment: ”The active line doesn’t have much to do with the ruin itself. It originates from those magical creatures that invaded from the Eternal Night Country.”

Sanders: ”Magical creatures from the Eternal Night Country? From the Nightmare Realm?”

Rhein nodded heavily: ”Yes.”

Sanders slightly furrowed his brows. That peculiar ruin was located at the edge of the Pamiji Plateau, near the Eternal Night Country, so he knew there were Nightmare Realm creatures invading back then.

Furthermore, Sanders was aware that the ruin was the first stronghold occupied by creatures from the Nightmare Realm on the Pamiji Plateau.

But if Sanders remembered correctly, the creatures in that stronghold from the Nightmare Realm were things like colorful dragonflies. Even if there were things similar to a brood that could spit out parasitic organisms that once ravaged Night Demon City, the parasitic organisms were vastly different from what Rhein described as the active line?

This was when Angel spoke: ”Lord Rhein, are the current infected all related to the active line?”

Rhein nodded: ”Yes.”

Angel didn’t specifically ask what the active line looked like but furrowed his brow: ”If the active line arises from the Nightmare Realm creatures, then why can’t I perceive any Nightmare Realm aura from these people?”

Last time, those parasitized in Night Demon City had a faint Nightmare Realm aura.

But Angel had walked through this hospital for half a day without sensing any Nightmare Realm aura, which puzzled him.