The ghouls climbed onto the wagon, their eyes lighting up when they saw the bloodied severed limbs and mangled arms.
They twisted their bodies excitedly, emitting muffled roars through their tongues that lolled from their mouths.
Compared to the arena ghouls, these ones were not only smaller in size but only half the height of an adult man, resembling thin monkeys or dwarves.
A row of tiny, sharp teeth lined their mouths, capable of easily piercing blood vessels.
Their hands were equipped with razor-sharp claws perfect for tearing flesh.
Though small in stature, they were indisputably dangerous predators.
About twenty or thirty ghouls had emerged from the cave and taken over the wagon, jumping and howling with excitement.
The strong scent of blood had turned their four eyes an intense shade of red, their fierce hunger driving them to feast ravenously!
However, it was as if they had found a treasure chest full of gold and silver but lacked the crucial key — they were tormented by their desire.
Though occupying the wagon, the ghouls made no further moves.
They tore open the curtains of the carriage wildly, exposing the cold corpses to the moonlight.
The sharp scent of rust filled the air, prompting them to scream in excitement.
A wagon full of fresh “food” lay before them, within easy reach!
Yet all they did was drool a pale yellow saliva, sometimes baring claws and teeth as if to attack, only to painfully retract them at the moment of contact.
The “food” was so close, and they were so hungry that they even had the urge to devour their own kind.
This hunger was slowly eating away at the little sanity they had left.
Before them lay a sumptuous feast, but the ghouls could only stare fixedly at the blood-soaked corpses, their throats emitting pained howls.
Something was restraining them; they were bound, tortured by desire.
It was a powerful restraint, strong enough to suppress even instinct.
The threat it contained was enough to contain their wildness and amplify their reason.
Given the current situation, this was the only plausible explanation.
The ghouls’ blood-red eyes bulged as if about to burst.
Some could no longer control their urges; suddenly, they let out a roar and pounced on their nearby kin, opening their jagged mouths wide and biting viciously.
Even in their loss of control, they did not attack the corpses.
The restraint on them could only be described as terrifying.
“Hu, xia, hu, xia.”
At this moment, the ghouls abruptly stopped fighting and froze in an awkward stillness.
It was as if they sensed something; dozens of crimson eyes rapidly darted towards the corpse-filled wagon.
Their gazes swept over the mangled bodies again and again, desperately searching for any sign of discord.
“Hu, xia, hu, xia.”
It was the sound of living breath! Among the corpses, there were still living humans!
The ghouls shrieked excitedly, scattering a flock of crows in the forest.
They slowly curled their lips into terrifying smiles, their serrated tongues flicking around like agile whips, cracking through the air.
It was unclear which ghoul moved first.
Within two or three seconds, all of them descended upon the bodies.
They tore flesh with their claws, gnawed with their sharp teeth!
The wagon became a chaotic scene of frenzied ghouls and mutilated corpses.
The splattering of blood and the sound of gnawing formed the saddest lament for the dead.
The ghouls had completely lost control—or rather, this was their true nature.
There was only one reason the ghouls broke their restraint: compared to fresh corpses, living humans were an even more delicious feast!
They were, after all, low-level demons.
Even with restraints, their feeble reason was defeated by overwhelming desire.
Their long-suppressed savagery erupted, magnified several times over.
“There’s a living person in the bodies! Find her! Eat her!!” This was the strongest thought in their minds and one of the driving forces behind their savage attacks.
Judging by the situation, it would only take a few minutes for the ghouls to devour every bone in the wagon.
Unlike before, their feeding speed was several times faster, growing ever more violent as flesh and blood filled their mouths.
Five minutes later, the ghouls, covered head to toe in fresh blood, sat dazed in the now empty wagon.
They seemed collectively unable to think, remaining motionless in posture and expression.
It wasn’t the relaxed daze of a satisfied meal.
The ghouls were utterly at a loss, confused.
They had eaten every corpse in the wagon, yet found no sign of the living person.
They couldn’t have missed her; the difference between the taste of the living and the dead was enormous!
They could distinguish it with just a lick of their tongues.
Had the living person died during their feast?
Had she become a corpse, making every body in the wagon taste the same?
After the frenzy faded, the ghouls mustered their faint intelligence and reached this conclusion.
They had tried their best.
But the answer was wrong.
After another five minutes passed, the ghouls finally shook off their stupor.
Looking at the wagon, now only stained with blood, a sudden realization dawned on them.
Their terrifying faces twisted in fear; their four bloodshot eyes trembled.
Only now did they recall the restraint.
Screaming, they jumped off the wagon, scrambling to escape back into the cave.
Judging by their haste, they had no intention of coming out again, forever hiding inside.
Attacking the corpses had been an unforgivable sin, an offense against an untouchable force.
They were now awaiting the cruelest punishment.
Ten minutes passed again, and the wagon, silent for so long, was once more filled with faint breathing.
“Sorry… ghouls… such troublesome monsters, think carefully… their weakness is… something… maybe useful later…”
A small figure struggled out from beneath the wagon, propping up her trembling body.
Step by step, she made her way into the dark forest, leaving a trail of blood dripping behind her.