Dean returned to his room at five a.m., "Wake up, man. ”

"What did you find?" Cayden yawned and sat up from the bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes,

"Some of the townspeople have a strange disease, and the symptoms are a bit like werewolves." Dean described his findings again, "Will the person you bite in our werewolf form turn into a werewolf?" ”

Cayden shook his head very decisively, "Most of the people I bit were also torn to shreds, and there were no ready-made samples, but the voice in my head told me that a simple bite would not transform a werewolf. When I first started to mutate, I didn't have any symptoms similar to the townsfolk getting up at night to eat raw meat, and I didn't have a strong craving for blood in my human form. ”

"I'd suggest I ask Ivana about this strange illness tomorrow at breakfast, she communicates with the townsfolk often and is the most informed."

"Good idea, just do it, you go back to sleep." Dean knelt on the bed, bent back as hard as he could, touched his heel with his back, and began the Red Dragon meditation routine.

"Wait, don't be busy sleeping, do you think I can find my relatives?" Cayden pillowed his hands, a hint of trepidation on his face, "From North Carolina to Arkansas, four months, this journey is like a dream. ”

"We've reached the end, as long as you don't drop the chain at the critical moment and don't hide anything from me, you can see the light of day."

“OK。”

……

Two hours later, at seven o'clock in the morning, the warm morning sun blankets the town's red rooftops with golden crumbs, like red velvet cakes dotted with powdered sugar.

A refreshed Dean led Cayden into the bar downstairs.

Chairs were buckled upside down on the table, and Ivana, draped in a blue apron, hummed a song and mopped the floor between the tables.

"Hi Ivana."

"You two are here on time," Ivana put down the mop, her sweaty red hair on her hands, her soft curves looming under her apron, "the bread is just baked, eat it while it's hot... A super size for big stomachs. ”

"Virtuous and considerate, whoever can marry you in the future will be happy for a lifetime." Dean tore off a piece of bread and gave the woman a thumbs up, "But then again, why is it that you're the only one in the bars and hotels, are you too busy to come over and not think about hiring a few waiters?" ”

"There was originally Haisha and Nina helping out in the store." A hint of worry crossed Ivana's eyes, "They are in trouble and have taken a leave of absence for the time being. ”

Di An'an moved his head, cleared his throat and asked, "Is their family sick?" ”

Ivana's face froze when she heard this, and she looked at her in surprise, "Where did you hear that?!" ”

"I went out and walked around town last night and noticed something interesting." Dean chewed on the lamb salami in the bread, stared at the woman and asked, "Some of the townspeople even run into the kitchen at night to steal raw meat, are they sleepwalking?" ”

"Eating raw meat, sleepwalking? I don't understand what you mean. The muscles on Ivana's pretty face trembled and shook her head, "Are you hallucinating after drinking too much?" ”

"I never drink alcohol, and I can see even a fly a kilometer away, and I can't be wrong." Dean pointed to his eyes and said, "Can Lady Ivana answer me, are these townsfolk sick?" ”

Ivana turned her back to the two of them and looked away, shook the mop, her knuckles turned white,

"This is an internal affair of Dog Town, and it has nothing to do with outsiders, so you just travel honestly and don't get involved."

"If you don't tell us, we'll go ask the other townspeople. They can't all be as tight-mouthed as you are, and they're always going to say something. And in my opinion, the current situation in Dogtown is very bad, is the frequency of patients appearing faster and faster? Dean stared at the nervous woman and said exaggeratedly, while mobilizing his mental power to exert psychological suggestion, "Keep dragging on, in less than a month, all the townspeople will be infected and become primitive people who drink blood!" ”

Less than 1 month!

Hearing this, Ivana closed the door of the bar with a disgraced face, walked to the table between the two, and glanced at them angrily and resentfully.

"Why do you have to ask me a woman?"

"I can see that you are a kind, warm-hearted, and beautiful girl who truly loves Dogtown." Dean complimented sincerely, "You definitely want to improve this situation, right?" ”

"Flim Flam! I can tell you everything I know, but you have to make sure you don't mess around, and you have to let me know before you do anything! ”

Dean and Kayden exchanged a look and nodded in response, "How long ago did this condition start?" ”

Ivana took a cigarette from her apron, lit it, took a deep breath, and recalled slowly,

"More than two months ago, little Chris in the east had a physical problem and went to the town hospital to see a doctor."

"The doctor was chatting in the bar and told everyone about his strange illness: the moon rose in the evening, and after the family rested, they ran to the kitchen to eat uncooked beef, mutton, venison... He was in a horrible state of eating, and would grin at the slightest disturbance, as if—"

"A dog that guards food." Kayden interjected,

"That's right," Ivana continued, "and little Chris returned to normal after eating, quietly communicating with his family, and even remembering the scene of his own eating." But he just explained that he was starving and wanted to eat something raw. ”

"Cakes, boiled meat?" Dean asked,

"Only raw flesh with blood can satisfy him." Ivana shook her head, "And after the examination of the town center hospital and the big hospital in Fort Smith, little Chris is very healthy, there is no rabies attack, and there are no parasites or sleepwalking..."

Reflecting on his pre-metamorphosis symptoms, Cayden asked, "Did he have nightmares, or auditory hallucinations, or hear some strange sounds in his head, like wolf howling?" ”

"Sorry, I don't know that." Ivana held a cigarette between her fingers, stared at the sun outside the window and said worriedly, "I only know that since Chris was sick a little, similar patients have appeared in the town one after another, eating raw meat after nightfall and when the moon rises, everyone is discussing." ”

A hint of surprise flashed in Ivana's eyes,

"But the amazing thing is that the physical fitness of these 'patients' is better than before they were sick, and they are more energetic, except for having to eat something raw every night and need to be dewormed regularly, everything else is normal."

Dean and Cayden exchanged glances, "Is there such a kind disease in the world?" ”

"Uh-huh. So some of the townspeople thought it wasn't a big deal to get sick. The last thing that Dogtown lacks is poultry and livestock, which can easily meet the patient's demand for raw meat. ”

"The other part of the townspeople, led by Connor and his sheriff's father, and the mayor, thought the illness was terrible, some kind of bad omen, meaning something evil, dirty, was at work in the town. They began training townsfolk who shared the same concerns, organizing nightly patrols to be ready to defend their hometowns. ”

"Where do the mayor and sheriff live?" Dean asked, wondering if the managers of these towns should know something inside.

"They've been out looking at something lately." Ivana said, "I probably only came back before Halloween." ”

Dean swallowed a fried egg and nodded, "Have you investigated the origin of the disease?" ”

Ivana shook her head and sighed,

"Doctors couldn't find any bacteria or viruses in the patient's body, and the sick people ranged from strong young people to old people and children, and there was no pattern to speak of."

"There is no direct contact or contact between patients, so this is not a routine infectious disease."

"But the symptoms are spreading at an alarming rate, and the patients are getting faster and faster, starting with one every few days, and then several a day."

"Because they became as fond of raw meat as wolves, Connor and his gang insisted that it was the wolves from the mountains who had sneaked into the town and spread the mysterious plague."

"Ahem, ahem," Cayden retorted, grinning at the corners of his mouth, "with all due respect, wolves don't have the magic to spread disease. ”

"I don't think it's the wolves either," Ivana snuffed out her cigarette butt and got up and circled around the two of them, "wolves have been around in our town for hundreds of years, and if they had carried strange pathogenic factors, they wouldn't have erupted today." In the past two months, hunters have also hunted a few wolves in the mountains, and there is nothing abnormal after examination. ”

"Maybe it's not your average wolf that's doing it..."Dean put down the empty plate and held his chin with both hands, "Ivana, your ancestors have lived in Dogtown for generations?" ”

The woman nodded heavily, her expression heavy, "My grandparents are buried in the cemetery in the north. ”

"Did they mention to you that there are other special beings besides wolves in the mountains?"

"What do you mean, wild boars, grizzly bears, cougars?"

"A monster with fangs and claws, covered in thick fluff, who loves to haunt on full moon nights, and walks like a man, this monster has planted a bane for the sick." Dean described it vividly.

Ivana opened her red lips slightly and was stunned for two seconds, then laughed deliciously,

"Werewolves? Your imagination is so rich. If there were werewolves in our dog town, it would have been in the New York Times because of the large number of deaths, right? But there hasn't been a homicide in the town in decades. ”

"Are you sure you haven't?" Cayden asked reluctantly, he didn't think that werewolves could coexist peacefully with the townsfolk for decades if there were werewolves on the mountain.

Ivana clasped her chin with her hands clasped and straightened her face, "I've never seen a werewolf in more than twenty years of life, but I've heard from experienced hunters that there are alpha wolves in the wolves that haunt the mountains, and they are relatively large, even larger than cougars, and they look scary." ”

Dean raised his eyebrows, "Alpha wolf? ”

"That is, the best and strongest male and female leaders of the large wolf pack, who can suppress the other members of the pack by defeating all opponents, and have the power to distribute food and their respective responsibilities."

Both Dean and Cayden were lost in thought.

"Well, that's all I know about the mysterious disease." A hint of expectation appeared in Ivana's eyes, "Aside from unreliable werewolves, what else do you think?" ”

"It's too early to draw conclusions, we have to investigate and collect evidence, and we will definitely make a breakthrough within half a month." Dean said confidently,

Ivana breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this, walked to the side of the sink and took a glass of water, and drank it with a grunt.

"Then I'll wait and see, if you can find out the truth about the villagers' illness, I will waive your rent and food expenses for a year."

"Ma'am, you're going to lose a lot."

"Then I'm willing. But remember, don't spread the word of the day, Connor won't allow outsiders to meddle in this matter, and he'll kick you out of town if he hears the news. Don't trespass into the mountains..."

"Don't worry, we don't want to feed Alpha Wolf." Dean glanced at the progress of the investigation, which had risen to eighteen percent, "I have one last question, why isn't there a Catholic or Protestant church in Dogtown?" This is rare in the United States. ”

Ivana smiled without thinking,

"There is no reason, there are not many believers in God in the town, most of the villagers only believe in their hard-working hands, living by farming and raising, naturally there is no need for a church, and the tradition has been maintained since the town was built more than a hundred years ago, and a church has never been built."

Dean rubbed his temples, "Okay, thank you for your cooperation, let's talk about it here today." ”

……

Bidding farewell to the bartender, Cayden recalls the analysis of the contents of the supernatural encyclopedia given by Dean,

"It's not an ordinary disease, I suspect it's a supernatural force at work, such as a curse? There should be an answer on the mountain. ”

Dean nodded, "Don't rush up the mountain, let's go around town first and look for other clues." ”

……

The two left the bar without driving, but hiked along the river through the town.

The early morning mist filled the orchards, wheat fields, and vegetable fields on both banks, and the early townspeople were already tending to the dew-covered vegetables in the fields.

At the riverside shooting range, Connor is leading a group of townspeople to practice target shooting, using a variety of weapons: AR-15, shotguns, sniper rifles, submachine guns, and the sound of thumping shooting suppresses the noise of the river and wakes up the whole town.

"I get up early in the morning to practice guns, how do I feel that they are preparing to start a war?" Kayden said worriedly,

"Connor didn't always think that wolves brought the disease," Dean muttered, "and they might take the initiative to hunt the wolves in the mountains at some point to kill the source of the disease. ”

"Then we'll have to hurry!"

The two left the shooting range and passed by a spacious courtyard, when a happy voice suddenly stopped them,

"Good morning!"

The middle-aged man lying on the rattan chair basking in the sun suddenly waved his hand enthusiastically at Kaiden, with a hint of humility and flattery in his red face.

"Good morning, and have a great day." Kaiden replied with a distant greeting, a smile on the corner of his mouth, and his mood couldn't help but be happy, "The residents of Dogtown are very friendly. ”

Dean couldn't laugh, and subconsciously looked at the record of God's perspective last night, comparing the appearance of the man who greeted him just now.

"Good morning, sir." Less than 200 meters away, a lady who was still watering flowers in the garden greeted Kayden again, "You just arrived in Dogtown, right?" ”

"That's right, we're here for a tour." Kayden smiled,

"Have fun," the lady said, staring straight at Cayden, her eyes looking at her husband as if she were looking at her own husband, "if you need help, please come to me, my name is Xue Na, and I live at 58B." ”

Kayden suddenly felt that something was wrong and forced a smile, "Okay, I remember." ”

……

"Mr. Ri'an, can you come over for a moment?" A kilometer out, a little girl with braided hair and delicate features like a doll lay on the edge of the wooden fence covered with verdant vines and shouted,

"Me?" Cayden pointed to his nose suspiciously, his face numb,

The little girl nodded, shook the box of building blocks in her hand, and her dark eyes were full of adoration, "Mom and Dad are not at home, I'm too bored to be alone, can you come in and play with me?" ”

"I'm sorry, I don't know this," Cayden approached the little girl, gently touching her little head that had come over on her own initiative, and the soft braid of her hair squinted in comfort, and her face snorted with intoxication.

The doubt in Kaiden's eyes intensified, "Kid, what's your name?" ”

The girl smiled sweetly, two dimples appeared on the baby's fat face, and said coquettishly with a slightly nasal voice, "Luna, my name is Luna, and I'm eight years old this year." ”

"Luna, why did you let me play with you, not that guy?" Cayden pointed to Dean who was watching the scene with a frown wrinkled in the distance,

The little girl glanced at Dean timidly, "I don't know this big man, my parents don't allow me to talk to strangers!" ”

Cayden bared his teeth, "And you know me?" ”

The girl's face tensed, as if she had said in a natural sense, "I haven't seen it before, but at first glance I knew that you were a great person worthy of respect..."

"Why?"

"I felt in my heart, come and play with me." The girl pushed open the wooden fence and took Kayden's hand affectionately, like a puppy eager to bark at his master to throw a frisbee.

"I'm not free now, I'll accompany you next time I have a chance."

……

In the next half hour, Cayden heard no less than ten "Hello" from the side of the road,

"Man, I swear I haven't been this popular since I left school, but it's obviously my first time in Dogtown, so how do these townsfolk seem to have known me for a long time?"

"It's not ordinary townspeople who greet you." Dean withdrew his gaze from the record, his face condensed with thoughts, "They're all 'patients' who get up at night to eat raw meat, and they have some connection to you. ”

"You mean these patients can sense who I really am?"

"Maybe if you get a little closer to them, they'll react. And they treat you like a loyal subordinate, like an ordinary wolf obeying an alpha wolf. ”

Kayden fell into deep thought.

"It's a huge advantage, and you can take whatever you want from these patients," Dean advises, "and ask them about their symptoms and see if there's anything in common?" They obey you and may reveal some big secrets. ”

Cayden gritted his teeth and nodded, and began to walk around the houses on both sides of the river, chatting enthusiastically with the patient.

Half an hour later, Cayden returned to Dean with a blue face,

"Most of these patients can hear wolf howls... Especially after the moon rises. Their tempers are also gradually becoming irritable, but they have been forcibly enduring and pretending to be normal people to their families. ”

"It sounds like a wolf-turning process," Dean's face turned ugly, if a small town produces dozens of werewolves, then it will turn into purgatory in one night.

"It's also a little different, the first sick Chris Jr. has changed for more than two months," said Cayden, "and still hasn't developed claws, fangs, fluff... The physical fitness is also far inferior to that of the werewolf... Their wolfing is slight... It's amazing. ”

Dean pondered, "Did you ask about the root cause of your illness?" How did the disease spread in the town? ”

Kayden shook his head, "It's not clear, the only thing these patients have in common is that they all live in Dog Town. ”

"But I also made an unexpected discovery," Cayden moved his nose and looked not far behind him, where a sneaky figure instantly hid in the alley, "This guy has been following me while I'm investigating." ”

"Let's go." Dean hooked his hand and walked towards the alley not far away, "Let's have a good chat with him!" ”

(End of chapter)