Kaleidoscope of Death

CHAPTER 57: THE BLACK HAT

Once they had informed the mayor details about the child they found, the three of them headed towards the cannery.

But once they arrived at where the body was found yesterday, Lin Qiushi discovered that the corpse was gone. The hollowed out tree trunk was the only proof that what they had seen yesterday was not their own imagination, and that everything truly did happen.

Watching all these, Ruan Nanzhu frowned. Just as he was preparing to explain himself, the mayor behaved as though this was within anticipation. He sighed and said, "The truth is, we've never been able to find them..." Never been able to find the children, never been able to find their corpse. The children from this town disappeared without a trace, never to return. Thus, it wasn't strange for their corpses to disappear. Moreover, a night had passed since it was first found.

Ruan Nanzhu stared at the tree, sinking into deep thought.

Even when the mayor had left, he did not show any signs of leaving. Lin Qiushi knew that he still wanted to investigate the area inside the cannery, and so, he quietly stood beside him.

"Say, why did this creature suddenly change?" asked Ruan Nanzhu, "Is it really because it has grown stronger?"

Lin Qiushi shook his head, indicating that he wasn't quite certain.

"Let's go. Let's take a look at what's inside." Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi entered the cannery through a door from the side.

The cannery had stopped its production for a very long time.

The machineries were all corroding. Lin Qiushi confirmed that power had been cut off from the whole factory. Neither the machinery nor the lighting systems could be operated.

Ruan Nanzhu's gaze was focussed on the canning machine. Lin Qiushi followed his gaze, and although he didn't see anything out of place, he knew that something must have caught Ruan Nanzhu's eye. Ruan Nanzhu walked over to the machine and said, "This machine had been recently operated."

Lin Qiushi, "...are you certain? There are signs of corrosion, though."

Ruan Nanzhu, "I don't know how they operated it." He looked around, "Something feels off."

Something indeed felt off. As soon as they had entered, Lin Qiushi felt someone's gaze on him. It's just that he couldn't figure out where exactly it was coming from.

Ruan Nanzhu seemed to recall something, "Say, that person with the hat, what do you think will happen to him?"

Lin Qiushi, "Perhaps disappear? Or die?"

Ruan Nanzhu smiled in response and did not reply.

Liu Qiushi had thought he was smiling at whim. Only when afternoon came and he saw that man with the hat again, only was he aware of what Ruan Nanzhu was smiling at.

The man with the hat had undergone a very strange change of physique.

The man's limbs had begun to grow thinner and elongated, and he seemed to have grown taller, as well While his facial features were still present, they appear to be indistinguishable and it was difficult to clearly see what he looked like.

If it was someone who did not know the hint, they may have felt a mix of bewilderment and horror. But Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu knew clearly what the changes signified: his body was morphing into one akin to that of the slendermen.

His arms and legs were long and thin, similar to a snake. He was slowly growing taller and finally, his face turned completely white and all facial features seemed to have disappeared under his skin.