Prologue
A child who appeared to be around two or three years old, with dark skin and large eyes, sat dazed in front of two corpses. He neither cried nor shouted, remaining completely still as if he were stunned by fear. He didn't even notice when someone entered the room
It is strange, why has everyone in the village died, yet this child remains alive?" The man in gray, feeling somewhat puzzled, gazed at the boy sitting on the ground and asked, "Child, what is your name and what book do you have?"
"Lying on the ground are your parents, aren't they? They are all dead; why aren't you crying?" asked the man in gray
The boy did not look up and answered in a numb, low voice with his tender tone: "Egg."
It seems that this village has just suffered from a sudden and terrible plague, with no one escaping.
Even so, the Gray Man still decided to seek a place to take shelter from the rain in the village ahead. His ghostly and bookish figure flickered and swayed, and he soon arrived at the village entrance. However, his footsteps involuntarily slowed down.
Fourteen years ago, in a remote mountain area, in a desolate village, on a certain evening when heavy rain was pouring down.
No, there should still be some who escape disaster. Suddenly, through the howling wind and rain, the man in gray heard a faint breathing sound coming from a thatched cottage with a slightly ajar door on the left.
The egg still sat there foolishly, slowly raising its head and innocently and * pictorially * asking, "Uncle, aren't they all here?"
The man in gray sneered coldly, saying: "They will not wake up. A foolish child like you has little meaning in living; it would be better to let the uncle take you to see your parents!" As he spoke, he stepped forward, closing in on Dandan, raising his right hand.
Because he keenly sensed an unusual presence, as if a breath of death was concealed within the misty rain drifting through the sky. The mountain village and the books in the evening were unexpectedly tranquil, so quiet that it resembled a dead city
Egg gently said: "They have fallen asleep, and they will wake up when the sun rises"
He quietly gathered his energy and took precautions as he pushed open the door. The room was pitch black, and the bodies of a middle-aged couple at the table had been cold for some time. On the table, there were still the dishes from the family's lunch.
A piercing flash of lightning streaked across the dark sky, illuminating a figure in gray, who was swiftly traversing the stormy winds amidst the heavy rain. It seemed as if he were cloaked in a transparent raincoat, for not only were his clothes and shoes untouched by the rain, but even his hair remained dry.
He walked into the village and was struck by the sight of bodies lying everywhere in the houses, courtyards, and along the roads. Each corpse had skin that shimmered with a sinister indigo hue, and the deep purple congealed blood flowing from their mouths, noses, and ear canals had long since dried and turned cold, resembling terrifying little worms crawling on people's faces, impervious even to the rain.