The monitor’s light was still on everyone’s faces.
The frozen image of the tall creature with red eyes was still visible on the screen.
No one said anything for a few seconds. A heavy silence filled the room. Everyone was still analyzing Lian’s reasoning.
A reasoning that, if correct, could change everything. It could change all existing logic and beliefs and show that everyone had been wrong until now.
"What do you mean?" Finally, Liana was the first to speak.
All eyes turned to Lian. Lian stared at the image for a few seconds.
"You guys didn’t see it, but Cassian, Marcus, and Claire did." He then said quietly, gesturing toward Selina and Liana.
"All the monsters we’ve faced so far had one thing in common."
"What?" Selina frowned.
"Hunger. They were hungry." He answered without rush.
"You’re joking? How can monsters be hungry?" Liana asked in disbelief.
"He’s right. We were surprised ourselves when we first saw it." Claire quietly nodded.
"Those Bloodfang Hounds should have been much stronger than what we saw, but most of them looked like animals that hadn’t eaten for months... Skin and bones." Marcus stood with his arms crossed and confirmed.
Selina looked at them in disbelief.
"Monsters dying of hunger? Is that even possible? And what does that have to do with your reasoning?"
No one had a clear answer, because until a few days ago, none of them had even considered such a possibility.
"But look at this." Lian pointed to the image on the screen again.
Everyone looked at the red-eyed creature.
"It’s thin, yes, but that’s its body structure. This creature is not hungry. Not weak. Not emaciated." Then he paused for a few moments.
"On the contrary, it looks healthier than all the monsters we’ve seen so far."
Slowly, everyone understood what he meant.
"You’re saying that white-eyed creature and these Stalkers are a group? And they’re ruling over the other monsters?" Cassian said quietly.
Liana almost laughed.
"A dictatorship government among monsters? Isn’t that too ridiculous?"
But her laugh quickly faded, because no one could really say such a thing was impossible.
"Monsters shouldn’t be that smart... right?" Claire said with worry.
Even a Fallen monster is not that smart, unless at least facing an Unholy... And if that were the case, the government would have figured it out by now with the various tools they have.
"According to Commander Gareth, we’re dealing with an unknown. Maybe the usual rules don’t apply here at all." Marcus shrugged.
"But that doesn’t explain why the monsters still didn’t come back here after that Stalker left... Unless we say this is the Red-Eyed Stalker’s territory and that’s why the monsters didn’t come." Liana still felt this reasoning was incomplete.
"It’s just a theory. It could be completely wrong. We have no evidence right now. Even if it’s right, we still haven’t understood what the origin of that white-eyed creature and the Stalkers is, and what exactly they’re doing in this city." In the end, Lian also shrugged.
"Right. For now, let’s continue on our path." Cassian nodded.
And the rest also nodded. Everyone felt this theory was very logical, but none of them wanted to believe it.
Because then it would mean they were facing a very smart unknown creature, and that was not a good thing at all.
The rest of the day was spent in the southern part of the city. Empty streets, residential complexes, schools, parks, shops, alleys.
Every point where they thought they might find information, but they found nothing new.
No survivors, no monsters, and no signs of battle. No bodies, no dried blood. As if this part of the city had never fallen.
And that was scarier than anything else, because it didn’t make sense. A city where thousands of monsters lived shouldn’t be this empty, and there was no logic to them abandoning this area.
This only made Lian’s reasoning seem even more logical.
The sun was slowly setting on the horizon. The orange light of dusk fell on the silent buildings.
The group took the return path. For the first time in a while, the group’s atmosphere had become a little lighter.
"I think my presence brings you good luck." Liana suddenly smiled.
Everyone looked at her.
"Since I came, we haven’t seen a single monster."
"If the same thing happens tomorrow, I’ll officially give you the title of anti-monster spell." Marcus laughed.
"Better keep your delusions in check." Selina said sarcastically.
"Don’t be jealous." Liana immediately replied.
For a few moments, even Cassian gave a brief smile. At least after what happened yesterday, the group still had a chance to joke.
But this calm didn’t last long.
"So what about that child’s voice? Wasn’t it a monster? I thought they were waiting for us outside." Claire suddenly said.
Everyone fell silent again. They had forgotten about that.
Lian thought for a few seconds and then said.
"There were no monsters around us. I’m sure yesterday we were only surrounded because of that survivor."
"But today... it seemed like the monsters were keeping their distance from us. And that sound might have been just to scare us."
No one else had an answer. They could only hope that the monsters had been too afraid of Lian to come close.
It was fully dark when they left the city. The base gates closed behind them again. They went straight to the command building.
Gareth and Rina were waiting for the report. The security camera was placed on the table. A few minutes later, the image of the red-eyed creature appeared on the screen.
The room fell into silence. Gareth said nothing for a few seconds. Rina also no longer had her usual calm expression.
"This needs to be sent to the Federation immediately." In the end, Gareth just said one sentence.
That was it. And that was enough for everyone to understand that this matter was much more important than they had imagined. After hearing Lian’s reasoning, the commander’s face became even more serious.
"I’ll send your reasoning to the Federation’s experts and analysts as well. When they respond, I’ll let you know."
"Thank you for your efforts. You can go back and rest."
Everyone nodded and returned to their tents.
The next morning.
The group members gathered again. The A-rank armors shone under the morning light. This time, the destination was different.
The industrial sector of the city. The largest area of the entire city, where the factories, power plants, and massive warehouses were located.
Cassian stopped everyone before they moved.
"Unlike the southern sector, it’s dangerous there. The chance of engagement is very high." His gaze fixed on Selina and Liana.
"Especially you two. This might be the first time you really face monsters."
Both girls became serious.
"If things go bad, don’t think about fighting... Run. At full speed." There was no joking this time.
Both quietly nodded.
The group left the base gate. They entered the city again. They passed through the familiar streets of the commercial sector.
The same place they had walked on the first day. The same place where everything had seemed normal back then.
It was close to noon when they reached the edge of the industrial sector. And at that moment... everyone stopped.