Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

As Lyndon ventured deeper into the forest, the stench of blood in the air grew ever stronger.

The ground was not only covered in blood, but also pieces of flesh and rags of all sizes.

"Gentlemen, let's not go any further in, I'm scared."

Robin Hood was just a thief. Although he had fought and broken other people's heads, he still felt fear when faced with such a bloody and bizarre scene.

Suddenly, Robin Hood stopped in his tracks, as if he had stepped on something.

He lifted his foot and saw a long, thin object quietly soaking in the blood, just like a caterpillar.

But when Robin Hood looked closely, it wasn't a caterpillar at all! It was clearly a bloody severed finger!

"what!"

Robin Hood had barely uttered a shout when Alastor, who had turned around, covered his mouth.

"Shh! Be quiet!"

Alastor had a strong grip, almost crushing Robin Hood's jaw.

Despite the pain in his jaw and the shock of his severed finger, Robin Hood pointed with terror at the sole of his shoe.

Alastor looked down and then kicked the severed finger away.

"It's just a finger! Don't make a fuss! If you're scared, then get lost!"

Alastor snapped at him, then released his grip, turned around, and continued following behind Lyndon, ignoring Robin Hood and leaving him standing there.

Robin Hood watched Alastor's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

A gust of wind blew through the woods.

The wind carried the leaves and branches together, creating a rustling sound that echoed throughout the forest.

It sounded like the grinding of teeth by some wild beast.

Robin Hood felt goosebumps all over his body.

He dared not stay where he was, much less return alone by the same route.

It felt as if something would suddenly appear from somewhere unseen and tear him apart, turning him into the shredded flesh on the ground.

"Wait...wait for me!"

Robin Hood clenched his fist and then let it fall. He took a deep breath and resolutely chased after Lyndon and Alastor in the direction they had gone.

At this moment, he can only rely on them.

If we really encounter danger, at least we won't have to face it alone.

The three walked further and further away, and Lyndon finally stopped. He raised his hand to signal the two behind him not to move.

"It's nearby, I can feel it."

Lyndon closed his eyes, concentrating on discerning the scents in the air.

"They're mutants. I can smell their scent."

Lin Dengshun pointed in a direction, took a few steps in that direction, and then quietly parted the grass a little.

Not far ahead, several monsters were lying on a blood-covered corpse.

The monsters were the size of a pack of large dogs, but their heads were smaller than those of ordinary dogs, and were triangular in shape.

Their fur is red, a blood-red color.

There is also a row of short bone spurs on their backs, extending from the cervical vertebrae all the way to the tailbone, like rows of nails nailed to their backs.

The monsters first used their claws to tear the flesh off the corpses, then used their teeth to bite it off and swallow it.

The scene was extremely bloody.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Robin Hood covered his mouth, almost vomiting from the horrifying scene.

"It's a living badger."

Alastor recognized the monster's species and whispered in Lyndon's ear.

"What are its special features?" Lyndon asked.

"Their fur is quite valuable; it can be made into defensive magical artifacts."

"We asked about their attack characteristics."

"Watch out for backstabs! They'll launch the spikes on their backs to ambush enemies. Be careful if they arch their backs!" Alastor warned, pointing to the spikes on the back of the zombie badger.

"Is that all?"

"That's all," Alastor said seriously.

Lyndon nodded, plucked a thin blade of grass, held it in his hand, and then quickly pulled it out.

With the added speed, the tough grass blades acted like daggers, slicing a gash in Lyndon's palm.

Fresh blood flowed from his palm.

With a thought, the blood in Lyndon's palm instantly transformed into a short spear.

Upon seeing this, Robin Hood's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Sir, are you perhaps a superhuman?"

Lyndon did not answer; he merely glanced at Robin Hood before fixing his gaze on the zombie badger.

The living badgers were unaware of the impending danger; they remained on the corpse, feasting on it.

Lyndon gripped the short spear and held his breath.

He identified his target, then his gaze sharpened.

Whoosh!

A sudden gust of wind arose, and Lyndon abruptly stood up, throwing the short spear in his hand.

In the blink of an eye, the spearhead pierced through the topmost living badger.

The zombie badger let out a miserable cry and then fell straight to the ground.

Seeing its companion perish, one of the living badgers called out a few times into the air.

Upon receiving the order, the remaining zombie badgers scattered and fled in an instant.

Their figures then disappeared into the forest.

"They ran away already?"

Robin Hood looked up and asked.

"It should be. Let's go check." Lyndon reached out and beckoned the short spear back.

Lyndon, holding his short spear, walked at the front.

Alastor and Robin Hood followed behind.

Looking at the corpse that had been eaten beyond recognition, Lyndon shook his head helplessly.

"I wonder who was so unlucky to die in this desolate place."

Then he walked over to the pierced, dead badger.

Fresh blood gushed from the wound, staining the already blood-red fur even darker.

The zombie badger's eyes were open, seemingly still staring intently at Lyndon.

"brute."

Lyndon cursed and kicked its fat belly.

Even through the leather shoes, Lyndon could still feel how tough the exotic fur was.

One step down felt like stepping on a board of nails.

"If we cut off this skin and gave it to Alastor, he would be very happy."

Lyndon thought to himself.

Just then, Alastor suddenly shouted to Lyndon, "Hey! Come quick! There are marks on the body!"

Upon hearing this, Lyndon turned his head to look.

But in that moment of distraction, the zombie badger, which had just been dead, suddenly came back to life. It raised its head, twisted its body, and bit down on Lyndon's calf.

"Well!"

Lyndon felt the pain in his leg and instinctively thrust his short spear into the zombie badger's body again.

But the zombie badger remained firmly in Lyndon's grip, biting even deeper into his mouth.

At the same time, low growls echoed from all around.

The scattered badger zombies have returned in a whirlwind.

They began to attack the group of people frantically.

Seeing this, Lyndon had no choice but to cut off the head of the living badger on his leg.

But to Lyndon's surprise, the zombie badger could still move even after its head was cut off.

It arched its back and launched all the bone spurs from its back.

Lyndon quickly transformed his short spear into a long spear, and with a swing of his spear, he knocked all the spikes away.

However, Alastor and Robin Hood were not so lucky.

Alastor was able to handle it, but Robin Hood, an ordinary man, was practically powerless against the attack of the zombie badger.

More importantly, these zombie badgers seem to be invincible.

No matter how Lyndon attacks them, even if he cuts off their heads, they still have the ability to fight.

The three of them were soon covered in wounds.

He was about to lose his life here.

In a daze, Lyndon actually saw a pure white cat perched on a tree branch.

The white cat sat quietly in the tree, watching Lyndon.

Suddenly, Lyndon felt his head spinning.

The zombie badger climbed onto Lyndon's body, its sharp teeth piercing his flesh.

Under the dual pressure of death and pain, Lyndon roared in anger.

The power of the nightmare within him was released once again.

This force pulled all living beings on the scene into Lyndon's consciousness space.

It was pitch black all around.

Faced with this unfamiliar scene, the zombie badger huddled together involuntarily.

And Alastor and Robin Hood stood unharmed behind Lyndon.

"Where...where is this?"

So many strange things happened today that Robin Hood felt his worldview was being shaken.

Alastor remained calm; he glanced at Lyndon and knew what had happened.

Despite his headache, Lyndon casually waved his hand, creating an area that trapped the group of zombie badgers.

Since we cannot destroy them physically, we will break through their spirit.

Lyndon stared coldly at the group of beasts.

"I refuse to believe that your spirits can die a thousand times over."

Lyndon suddenly made his move, and with a forceful squeeze of his five fingers, the space began to shrink.

The living badgers rolled and struggled.

Amidst their screams, their spirits were compressed into a single point, and then completely vanished in this space.

"God!"

Robin Hood could hardly believe what he was seeing.

What Lyndon did was nothing short of a miracle in his eyes.

At this moment, Lyndon was carrying the two of them on his back.

They did not see Lyndon's face contorted with pain.

Strange whispers began to appear in Lyndon's ear.

"That's right, that's exactly it. Don't hide your killing intent. If there's anything you don't like, just kill it."

The whispers kept stirring up the dark thoughts deep within Lyndon's heart.

"And those two guys behind you, don't you find them annoying? A thief, a swindler. You'd be happy to kill them. Come on, turn around and kill them!"

Under the influence of the whispers, Lyndon actually turned around.

"Hey, Lyndon. Stop spacing out."

Alastor grabbed his hair and walked toward Lyndon.

"You created this space, didn't you? Now that you've killed those alien species, hurry up and send us out."

As he spoke, he put his hand on Lyndon's shoulder, completely unaware that Lyndon's gaze had changed.

Lyndon's eyes were no longer clear; instead, they became clouded.

A hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he looked at Alastor.

Alastor was still talking to himself, but Lyndon's fingers were already itching to pierce Alastor's stomach with just a little force.

"Hey! Did you hear me?!"

Alastor slapped Lyndon on the back of the head.

Lyndon was taken aback, and the pain in the back of his head calmed his chaotic thoughts.

"Alastor..." Lyndon murmured.

"Yes, I am Alastor. Now, take us out of here!"

Alastor yelled and slapped Lyndon on the back of the head again.

After two slaps, Lyndon nodded blankly.

As Lyndon's consciousness relaxed, the entire space collapsed with a roar.

The next moment, the group opened their eyes and found themselves back in the forest.

The corpse was still lying next to him, and his own body was still covered in wounds.

However, the group of living badgers all lay lifeless on the ground.

"Ugh... gentlemen, my body hurts so much! I feel like I'm going to die!"

As soon as Robin Hood regained consciousness, he discovered that a living badger was still biting his kidney and wouldn't let go.

Even though it is dead.

He pried open the mouth of the zombie badger and then tossed it aside.

Seeing the blood flowing from his body, Robin Hood fell backward to the ground, howling in pain.

"Alright, alright. This little injury won't kill you."

Alastor stood up and tidied his messy hair.

Lyndon was sitting blankly on the ground, looking lost in thought.

Looking at the corpses of badgers scattered all over the ground, he felt a mix of emotions.

He didn't understand why he had suddenly felt murderous intent towards Alastor and Robin Hood.

"Could it be because of that voice...?"

Lyndon felt he was not in good shape.

"The search for the Dream Moth needs to be intensified..."

"Are you feeling unwell?" Alastor asked.

Lyndon shook his head: "I'm alright, but I feel a bit listless."

Linden struggled to his feet.

"I wonder what's wrong with these mutants, why they're so hard to kill?"

"Linden said dejectedly."

The physical aliens he had encountered before, whether they were ghouls or monsters from the pump station, might all have their strengths, but none of them were as troublesome as this thing.

If it weren't for his ability to launch mental attacks, they would probably be dead here today.

"Oh, right, the corpse, what happened to the corpse?"

Lyndon remembered that Alastor had asked him to look at the corpse.

He was bitten by the badger that was pretending to be dead.

After hearing this, Alastor beckoned Lyndon over.

"You'll know once you take a look; look at his wrist."

Lyndon stepped forward and finally saw the corpse clearly.

The deceased appeared to be very young.

He's probably about the same age as Lyndon.

His handsome face was covered in blood, and he died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

The living badger emptied his internal organs.

The white robe he was wearing was also torn to shreds, and blood stained the area.

Lyndon gently turned his wrist.

The string of runes on his wrist came into view of Lyndon.

Even though the person was dead, the runes still emitted a silver light.

"They're from the church!"

Lyndon was horrified.

"Yes, I never expected that someone from the church would die."

Alastor picked up a piece of cloth from the ground.

He shook himself a couple of times and said, "Earthy-colored, looks like a newbie."

"But why did he die here?"

Lyndon lowered his head and pondered.

Suddenly, he remembered the overturned carriage on the road.

"There must be clues there!"

Thinking it over, Lyndon dragged his injured leg back the way he came.

Where are you going?

Alastor called out as he watched Lyndon's retreating figure.

He glanced at Robin Hood, who was still lying on the ground, and felt quite helpless.

"Come on! Let me help you walk."

……

"I see, I see..."

Lyndon found the roll of parchment among the scattered luggage on the ground.

"So your name is Philip."

Lyndon stared intently at the location of the sanctuary in the stucco corner on the parchment scroll.

"For the first three months, we will conduct training, which includes a purification ritual..."

The pastor's words echoed in Lyndon's mind.

In an instant, an idea popped into Lyndon's mind.

"Perhaps I can do this..."

Lyndon gripped the parchment tightly in his hand.

Since the purification ritual is not to be passed on to outsiders, and only church members can learn it, could I impersonate this person, enter the church, and learn this skill?

A young man who had just become a superhuman was assigned by the church to a place called Gray Corner. Before he even reached his destination, he died in the wilderness.

And no one else but Lyndon would know these things.

It all seemed to be prepared for him.

"But... what should I do about the runes on my wrist...?"

Lyndon discovered the flaw in the plan. He touched his smooth wrist, his brow furrowing even more.

At this moment, Alastor helped Robin Hood back onto the path.

"What are you looking at?"

Alastor saw the parchment in Lyndon's hand and asked curiously.

So Lyndon handed him the paper.

Alastor's reaction after seeing it was exactly the same as Lyndon's earlier.

"What should we do with his body?"

"Dig a grave for him. It's already unfortunate enough that he died here all alone. Don't let him become a wandering ghost." Linden thought for a moment, his expression becoming solemn.

Since Lyndon is going to impersonate a dead person, he should at least be given the respect he deserves.

"I personally collected his body and buried him..."