Mob Yandere

Chapter 197-4

[Part 4/4]

They spotted her and came to a sudden halt.

"Hey, look over there."

"Yeah... looks like a cultivation type. Not looking good. Burn damage?"

"Easy. Don't get careless. If it turns on you, you're dead."

They approached slowly, weapons ready, keeping the grass dolls close as shields.

For a long, tense moment, they just stared at each other.

Then, when it became clear she wasn't about to attack, they gave her a curt nod.

"So... you're one of the cultivated types? Got caught in the fire? Can you move? What about the other one?"

One of them—probably an officer—called out, but there was no reply.

She didn't have the strength to answer.

Instead, she gave them a faint, tired look, then slowly lowered herself to sit beside Kaya.

It was over.

There was nothing left.

"Tsk. Ignored, huh? Typical. Just a tool in the end."

"Cut it out," another muttered. "We're not here to start anything... Just let us through."

The name "Juuyaku" meant nothing now.

They were always disposable—designed that way from the start.

The officer clicked his tongue in annoyance but motioned for his team to move on.

It wasn't mercy.

It was fear.

No one wanted to be the one who triggered a final, violent outburst.

They gave her space, slipping past cautiously, weapons half-raised.

And then—

A sound echoed from the far end of the hall.

"...Huh?"

"What the hell is that?"

They stopped.

So did she.

The noise was getting louder.

Something was coming.

No—many things.

Too many.

She narrowed her eyes, watching the darkness ahead.

Shapes were moving.

And then she saw them.

...A swarm of massive earthworms, tearing through the corridor.

"...Wha—what the hell!?"

"Hey! What is this!?"

"Evacuate! Evacu—AAAAAAHH!!"

Screams echoed down the corridor.

Shouts of panic.

The pounding of boots.

And then—

A sickening crunch.

Too late.

In an instant, it was over.

Right in front of her eyes, they were swallowed whole.

One of them was dragged away before he could even react.

The grass dolls rushed in to block the way but were torn apart like paper, swept along in the surge.

Even the officer who gave the order to retreat was caught up, along with two more who hesitated for just a second too long.

All of them disappeared into the writhing mass of earthworms, leaving behind only the sounds of tearing, crushing, and the faint, wet squelch of bodies breaking apart.

"......!"

She could barely catch her breath.

It was nothing but sheer luck that she and Kaya hadn't been dragged in with them.

They'd just happened to be standing at the edge of the corridor, outside the path of the initial rush.

'Scratch, scratch, scratch...'

'Rustle, rustle...'

Her ears twitched at the unsettling sounds creeping toward them.

It didn't take long before they were noticed.

The mass of earthworms at the front suddenly twisted and thrashed, ripping apart the wreckage in their path.

Like claws peeling away bark.

Exposing them.

Cornering them.

Her body locked up, tense as a wire, but she knew it was useless.

Fighting wouldn't save them.

Killing a few wouldn't matter.

In this narrow corridor, they'd be overwhelmed in seconds.

There was nowhere to run.

Nowhere to hide.

The white streaks smearing the ground—the remains of those who'd tried to escape—were a clear warning.

And then, from deep within the red-and-black tide, a voice called out.

It rang through the air with a hollow, eerie clarity that froze her blood.

'Now, now. You mustn't do that. You'll get Mother in trouble... won't you?'

A calm voice.

Soft.

Almost soothing.

And yet, twisted with something monstrous.

"...!?"

A profound shock struck her soul.

Like a divine revelation—

And with it came an overwhelming terror.

She knew she shouldn't meet their gaze.

But at the same time, she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Contradictory urges churned inside her, twisting her thoughts into knots.

She couldn't think.

Her mind was on the verge of shutting down entirely.

Her thoughts felt like they were dissolving, slipping through her fingers.

White and black consumed her vision, until the only thing she could do was hold still.

Frozen.

Even breathing felt like a risk.

Clutching Kaya, still unconscious in her arms, she prayed for their fate in mute desperation.

'Hehehehe. Such beautiful sisterly love, isn't it? Ah, it's precious... What a shame. The older sister was borrowed, you see. A pity. The reunion with your siblings will have to wait for another time... won't it?'

She bit back a gasp.

A faint silhouette emerged in the center of the writhing mass.

It lifted a finger to its lips, a quiet gesture that froze her in place.

She dared not move.

A few of the creatures slithered closer, their featureless maws tilting toward her and Kaya, inspecting them like curious beasts.

She stayed completely still.

To move... to fight... even to react was far too dangerous.

She didn't know what might set them off.

'Well then, dear little girls,' the voice cooed.

'Until next time... were we friends and family, perhaps? Shall we have a nice meal and a long chat together, hmm?'

And just like that, the words, heavy with mockery and curses, vanished.

Carried away by the swirling tide.

The monstrous swarm that had filled the corridor like a living storm faded, retreating just as suddenly as it had come.

Silence crashed down.

A crushing weight lifted from her chest, leaving behind an emptiness—

Like her bones had been yanked out, or the floor had disappeared from under her feet.

"H... ah..."

She let out a shuddering breath.

And then her legs gave out beneath her.

Tears streamed down her face as warmth spread between her thighs.

The sudden, humiliating wetness told her she'd lost control.

But she didn't care.

The shock of still being alive overwhelmed everything else.

Her entire body trembled with relief and disbelief.

She wanted someone to hold her.

Someone strong.

Someone safe.

She wanted to cling to them, to cry, to beg for comfort.

"U... u...uah... ah...!"

But there was no one here.

No one but her 'sister.'

Kaya couldn't protect her.

Not like this.

She was the one who had to be strong.

But how?

How could she do this alone?

"Hhng... u... let's go."

Kaya trembled in her arms, her scorched body convulsing weakly.

Still half-conscious.

Still too fragile.

But Hana forced her legs to move.

She shifted Kaya onto her back and stood, staggering forward.

The puddle beneath her feet, the trail of water running down her legs—none of it mattered.

None of it meant anything.

She just wanted to see him.

Her brother.

Her family.

To be near him.

To be safe.

The calm acceptance of death she'd felt earlier had shattered.

This was a nightmare.

But she wasn't ready to give up.

The despair that had rooted in her heart was now burning, reshaped into raw, desperate determination.

"Quickly... quickly...!!"

Tears clouded her vision as she moved, dragging herself forward.

Urine-stained, crying, exhausted—

None of that mattered.

She had to get to him.

To her family.

That was enough.

That was all she wanted.

Just to be together again.

Just that—

That was her only wish.

'You can't do that, you brute? A foolish child has no place here. Be gone!'

"...!!"

Immediately after that, with the cold denunciation echoing from behind, Hana's consciousness faded dark...