Combined with what Ben had mentioned earlier about the old man with the detachable head, that meant there were at least two of these creatures in town!
At that moment, several nearby residents walked past casually, glancing at the backflipping old man without the slightest hint of surprise. Instead, they seemed mildly annoyed by the inconvenience.
"Why did you turn on the water pipe?" one complained.
"Get to work and figure out a way to bury all the water pipes underground," another chimed in.
From their casual reactions, they'd clearly grown accustomed to such bizarre behavior!
As the Rust Bucket drove farther down the street, Asher followed Ben's example and pressed his face against the window, carefully observing the resident's every move. What he witnessed confirmed his suspicions, they displayed extraordinary strength as they effortlessly dug up sections of the road with their bare hands!
At this point, he could be certain of one disturbing fact:
In this town, more than half the residents, or perhaps even everyone, had been transformed into these creatures!!
No normal humans could possibly live here under these circumstances!
His thoughts turned dark as he considered his aunt and uncle. Could they have been affected too?
Asher's expression grew increasingly solemn as he analyzed their situation. "If there were only one or two of these creatures, they'd be easy to handle," he thought grimly. "However, in a town where at least thousands have been transformed..."
Numbers matter. Even as Four Arms, punching through crowds one at a time, it would take at least ten minutes to defeat thousands of these beings, and that assumed they didn't fight back effectively or coordinate their attacks.
This situation was beyond tricky. It was potentially catastrophic.
"So, Asher? Did you find anything?" Ben looked at his friend expectantly, hoping his only ally could validate his observations.
"Gwen, this town really is abnormal," Asher said seriously, turning to face her. "Everything Ben said is true."
"What?" Gwen looked at Asher in surprise, her skepticism finally cracking.
Ben pumped his fist victoriously, a relieved smile spreading across his face.
See? My best friend always has my back!
"..."
Asher proceeded to reveal everything he'd observed along with his analysis of the situation. His conclusions wiped the triumphant smile from Ben's face, replacing it with stunned disbelief!!
You've got to be kidding me?!
Thousands of people throughout an entire town were these humanoid monsters?
"Asher, your theory is that at least ninety percent of the population has been transformed into creatures like that headless old man, Ben saw earlier?" Max asked carefully while driving, his hands gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter.
"That's correct Grandpa. How about we turn around and leave?" Asher suggested tentatively, though he already suspected what Max's answer would be.
"But..." Max hesitated, his expression conflicted. "Vera and her husband, they might not have been transformed! We need to check on them first, and if possible, bring them with us. Then we can work on uncovering the truth behind these transformations and find a solution."
It made sense.
They couldn't abandon family without at least trying to help.
"Understood," Asher replied simply.
From that point forward, instead of maintaining his usual relaxed posture, Asher remained at full alertness. Even Ben and Gwen spontaneously joined him in keeping watch, all three pairs of eyes scanning their surroundings for any signs of danger.
Fortunately, the humanoid creatures they passed seemed remarkably restrained. They only glanced briefly at the Rust Bucket before returning to their activities, showing no obvious differences from ordinary town residents going about their daily business.
Eventually, the Rust Bucket pulled up to Aunt Vera's house.
Aunt Vera and her husband, Frank, stood waiting at the door. Aunt Vera's build resembled Max's stocky frame, while her husband was tall and thin. Both wore warm smiles as though they'd been anticipating their arrival for quite some time.
"They look normal, at least," Asher muttered as he unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out with the others.
The moment they met, Max exchanged pleasantries with Aunt Vera, catching up on family news. She greeted Ben and Gwen warmly and had even prepared small gifts for them, all perfectly ordinary behavior for a doting elderly relative.
"Perhaps they haven't been infected?" Asher thought uncertainly, though he remained cautious.
"And who is this?" Aunt Vera's attention shifted to Asher, her expression showing pleasant surprise at the unexpected guest.
"This is Asher," Max said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and giving him a meaningful look.
Taking the cue, Asher produced a gentle, polite smile. "Hello, Aunt Vera. Hello, Uncle Frank."
"Well, what a courteous young man!" Aunt Vera said kindly, her smile widening.
Frank spoke up gruffly beside her, "Alright, enough chatting out here. Everyone's been standing in the sun long enough, and must be hungry. Vera, we should start preparing lunch."
"Oh my, yes! I nearly forgot!" Aunt Vera patted her forehead with an apologetic expression and turned to open the door. "Sorry, my memory isn't what it used to be. Please, everyone come inside and make yourselves comfortable."
"Haha, Vera, your cooking is legendary! I can't wait for my grandchildren to taste your food!" Max said with genuine anticipation as he followed her toward the entrance.
Ben's body trembled slightly. "Cooking that Grandpa praises enthusiastically..." He suppressed a groan. "Ugh."
I'm going to be sick.
"More importantly, I need to know whether Aunt Vera and Uncle Frank are monsters or not," Gwen whispered, looking to Asher as their de facto leader in crisis situations.
"As of right now, no signs of transformation," Asher replied, though his tone carried uncertainty.
"Why haven't you three come in yet?" Aunt Vera called from the doorway, her eyes narrowing with mild confusion.
"Nothing, we're coming!" Asher immediately resumed his humble, courteous demeanor and strode confidently into the house as though everything were perfectly normal.
Seeing him enter, Ben and Gwen followed one after another.
SLAM!
After everyone had crossed the threshold, Aunt Vera gently closed the door behind them.
The instant the door clicked shut, several dark shadows emerged from the tall grass in the distance, watching the house with inhuman patience.
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