Between the small hole that was created by mr. rhino, Caeson moved forward, holding Hawker in his hands, covering their path to escape the prison. It was dark inside the cave, but they kept moving in different directions, following the rhino.
Caeson, who had just experienced a near-death moment, thought,
It was good that Hawker told me before about someone was coming to help and I followed the instructions of hawker. Gather in a closed room, hit the emo-circle, and get a mask like the factory workers use through the transmission cloud.
The transmission cloud is a white, cloud-like structure—more like a thought or thinking process that connects the mind palace to the real world.
At that time, Hawker got in contact with an item. I didn't know it was the fluffy rhino.
How does it move? If I glanced at it. From behind, it looked like it was leading me.
But where should I go? Even if we escape this place, it is not safe.
"Hawker, what are you planning? Where are we going?"
Hawker thought for a moment and said, "I don't know. We have to get out of this place, but outside there is the danger of zombies, as you said before."
"Well, your technique of reading the emotional book to hit the emo-circle was good. That lady and the prison guard who listened to your last wish of reading were completely stunned."
Caeson smirked.
"You also did a pretty good job and got me a proper mask. And wait—how did you get the location that I was in the library?"
Hawker's secret of seeing through Caeson's eyes was now on the verge of being exposed. His eyeballs rotated, and his face twitched.
"Ahh… that—it was the rhino's smelling ability to find you and me."
Caeson glared, then let it go.
Hawker felt relieved, thinking that Caeson didn't ask about the lady and the prison guard.
After covering too much distance diagonally, because the library was in the basement, Caeson—who was holding Hawker in his hands—felt tired and was perspiring. Then a ray of light appeared. The rhino, who was in front of him, got outside through the hole, and so did they.
There was bright daylight, wind blowing freely.
Caeson, relieved, lay on the ground and glanced at his surroundings. Hawker disappeared—seems like he went back to the mind palace and the little rhino was roaming around.
I am feeling hungry. I want to eat at least a bowl of noodles… huh? I have to move now. Don't know when a zombie or warrior might come and kick my ass.
Caeson stood up and said to the rhino, "Hey, can you understand what I am saying?"
The rhino didn't respond but came beside him.
It seemed like a signal that it understood.
They started moving, guided by the rhino's sniffing ability.
After some hours, it was almost night, they got far away. The zombie threat was now cleared.
After forest which was filled with figs trees.
In a village, there was an unknown quietness. The village seemed to be protected by large wooden borders, but the gate was open.
Caeson, who badly wanted food, decided to go through the gate. It was risky, but there was no other option.
With slow and steady footsteps, they moved to the gate and entered.
But there was no one at the entrance.
There were many wooden houses, with lanterns burning.
Caeson entered a house, went through its wooden stairs, and opened the door—it was unlocked.
Bright light—
There was a dining table, and on it were noodles, spaghetti, and burgers placed on plates, with knives and forks. He sat on the chair in joy and started eating—eat, eat, eat.
With a sudden shock, he felt darkness in his consciousness.
What is wrong with me?
His vision blurred, and he felt dizzy.
He collapsed from the chair onto the floor.
The rhino was missing—seems like it was in another house.
After some time, Caeson woke up.
I collapsed… maybe there was something wrong here.
After standing up, the table still had food—but it was different.
There was a corpse of a human, covered in blood, ripped into shreds on the table.
Caeson's eyes darkened. His breath stopped.
Legs and hands were separated, dipped in blood.
But the more breathtaking thing was on the plate—what Caeson had eaten.
A half big pink walnut, covered in blood, gnawed by somebody. There was a red pipe, too long, fist-shaped, with blue and red threads coming from it. It was contracting and relaxing, making a sound like a beating heart.
It was also half gnawed.
It looked like a wild animal had eaten it.
Caeson, who had almost lost all his senses, finally saw his hands—stained with blood. In his mouth, there was a chunk like the burger he had eaten before collapsing. His mouth was covered in blood.
He spat it out—it was flesh.
Blood filled his mouth—he spilled it.
Caeson fell to his knees.
I just ate… a human.
"How hungry was I?"
Tears came to his eyes. He shouted, "Ahh! Ahhh!" while holding his head and ears with his palms, continuously thrashing and writhing on the ground.
Inside the darkness of his mind, there was a person whose mouth and hands were covered in blood.
Looking closer—it was Caeson.
He was smiling and saying, "What did you like? Belly? Brain?"
Toying with a heart in his hand.
"It was delicious… like the last time you ate your own friend."
Strange fragments of images flashed in his mind.
Two little boys holding hands.
Then another fragment—inside a house, one boy holding something in a transparent pouch, filled with blood.
A man and a woman saying, "You have to choose… what do you want to do?"
"I will eat him. He will be delicious… huh."
The thoughts kept carving into his mind.
No… no, I didn't.
I didn't eat—
Suddenly, pain occurred in Caeson's neck. Something was choking him.
Tears streamed down.
He grabbed his neck, trying to remove whatever was tightening around it—but nothing worked.
Am I going to die…
like this…
becoming a criminal…?
The darkness surrounded him.
There was a voice—but it was too faint to reach.
Slowly… slowly… it became louder.
"Hey, Caeson… Caeson…"
Caeson opened his eyes under a dense fig tree in a forest.
Where am I?
He slightly opened his eyes. It was almost night, but not completely.
Hawker was there.
And a zombie—with tentacles, covered in dark blood and flesh, eyes popped out.
The rope—Pinion—was tied around the zombie's neck, dragging it slowly into the air.
Caeson asked, "What have you done here?"
Hawker said, "You and Mr. Rhino almost died. Mr. Pinion, the rope, saved you from the Dream Slugger zombie."