If that was the case, as the town chief, he would certainly eat the most.
Nan Yue didn't have Gu Xiang Kai's sensitive sense of smell. The last time she noticed something was off, it was because the soup was overly fishy, and at that moment, she felt the same fear emanating from the thing inside her body.
However, the thing inside her body was an enemy, not a friend, so she couldn't rely on its warnings.
Therefore, the safest bet was not to eat at the town chief's house and not to touch things indiscriminately.
"Then let's go eat first."
Zhu Xi Ning thought for a moment. "Should we go to Evermercy Restaurant? Would it be bad to keep freeloading?"
Nan Yue glanced at the people in the courtyard. "Let's go check; I bet some people are already eating."
While it was normal to eat dinner a bit late, no one on a mission wanted to wander around a strange town at night. So, a few of the more timid scavengers had already gone to eat.
Nan Yue's hunch was correct; they saw Jiang Ningning and two others at Evermercy Restaurant.
They had already ordered and were whispering to each other, indicating that living together had formed them into a small group.
Nan Yue and her companions sat at the table next to Jiang Ningning's. Bai Jun offered a friendly smile. "You're here for dinner too? Why don't you join us? We ordered a lot."
The two girls spoke less but smiled shyly.
As they spoke, the dishes arrived. They had ordered four dishes and one soup, which was a bit much.
"I also asked, and they don't charge anything; they're quite enthusiastic."
Bai Jun looked at the only male at their table and invited, "Brother, want to try some?"
Gu Xiang Kai made himself at home, plopping down beside them. "You're eating well, but didn't you order Milk-stewed Fawn Soup?"
Bai Jun pursed his lips. "The owner said there was only one serving of Milk-stewed Fawn Soup, enough for six or seven people, and the three of us couldn't finish it."
Gu Xiang Kai patted his back. "That stuff is too fishy; it's good you didn't drink it."
Bai Jun subconsciously replied, "But it really tasted good."
Gu Xiang Kai stood up, looking meaningfully at the three clueless scavengers. "But this is a mission."
After he spoke, Nan Yue and her two companions got up and left, leaving the three bewildered individuals behind.
"Huh? Why did those three leave again?"
Jiang Ningning looked puzzled. "I thought they were quite approachable, not as fierce as they were with Uncle He. I was hoping to build a good relationship."
"Maybe they didn't want to eat here. I think they had breakfast at a town resident's house."
More concerned than Jiang Ningning, Pu Yuan focused on Gu Xiang Kai's warning. "What's wrong with the Milk-stewed Fawn Soup? Do you think something's off? His warning made me feel a bit uneasy."
"Me too, I drank a lot yesterday..."
"I think he's right. In a mission, you have to be careful about everything, especially things that are unusually tempting."
As the only male in their trio, Bai Jun considered himself more stable than the two girls, and he even regretted not thinking of it sooner.
"So, these dishes, are we still eating them?"
Pu Yuan looked hesitantly at the appetizing dishes on the table, her stomach rumbling uncontrollably.
"No one said these dishes have a problem. Besides, it's not good to leave now. Let's eat."
...
"Are the dishes problematic?"
Nan Yue knew something was wrong from Gu Xiang Kai's words, and sure enough, he replied, "Yes, more or less."
Evermercy Restaurant was likely the first choice for outsiders. If the food there was problematic, the malice was evident.
However, Nan Yue couldn't think of anything that outsiders couldn't eat but locals treasured.
Could ingredients be regionally discriminatory?
Nan Yue took them to the home of the woman who peeled corn. The woman greeted them very warmly, brewing tea in a small thermos and serving green vegetables and a fish.
"Don't mind that the meal is simple."
Nan Yue politely exchanged a few words with a smile, her gaze fixed on the fish. As expected, she saw Gu Xiang Kai nod subtly.
"Sister, the three of us haven't been feeling well these past two days, so we just want something light. You can have the fish; we'll just have some vegetables to fill up."
The woman's home had no men, only a sister of similar age. Nan Yue noticed their dishes were the same as hers, but without fish, suggesting it was served for guests.
Indeed, after Nan Yue's words, the woman, though slightly hesitant, happily took the fish. It seemed that in an ordinary farm household, this item was generally considered a meat dish.
"Shouldn't we warn them if the food at Evermercy Restaurant is problematic?"
Zhu Xi Ning was still thinking about the three scavengers. They all looked like children, naive and clueless, and she wondered how many missions they had completed.
"It's useless. If they can't figure it out themselves, can you save them once and then a second time?"
Gu Xiang Kai had always been uninterested in saving people. In a mission, everyone had to rely on themselves; he was very pragmatic about it.
"Besides, everything is just our speculation. If they tell others, we'll become targets and it will hinder our progress."
Zhu Xi Ning felt a little embarrassed and explained, "I didn't think of that. I just felt this mission was too difficult, and they might..."
Before she could finish, she gave a wry smile. If the mission was difficult, anyone could fail to survive. With someone like He Jiang around, it was indeed important to be cautious in what they said and did.
Zhu Xi Ning immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, my thinking just now was flawed."
Nan Yue waved her hand. "If it weren't for those troublesome characters in the mission, I wouldn't mind sharing clues."
Gu Xiang Kai, having been on a mission with her before, knew she was telling the truth. Especially since Nan Yue was obsessed with high completion rates, her reluctance to share was entirely due to the presence of troublemakers.
"But then wouldn't you be the troublemaker yourself?"
Zhu Xi Ning expressed confusion at Gu Xiang Kai's statement.
"Shut up."
After dinner, they thanked the woman, and the three slowly ambled through the town.
It was sunset, and the golden glow coated the small town with a golden edge. If not for being on a mission, such a sight would have kept Nan Yue, who had seen little of the world, captivated for days.
"Those few places, did you go?"
It wasn't convenient to talk at the woman's house, so Nan Yue asked once they were outside.
Both nodded. Zhu Xi Ning sounded a bit deflated. "I went to all three places, but I didn't hear anything."
"I also inquired, and they said everyone in this town is related, and many children were born with disabilities, so gradually they stopped having children."
Inbreeding indeed easily leads to fetal deformities, a reason Zhu Xi Ning could accept.
"But... I think it's not strange for some people to do it, but for an entire town to do it, then..."
Zhu Xi Ning's expression was grim. "When I was in school, I saw some people born from inbreeding; some looked like monsters."
"I hope this mission doesn't involve those kinds of monsters."
Zhu Xi Ning clasped her hands in prayer.
"I went to the other two spots."
Gu Xiang Kai stood downwind and lit a cigarette, then spoke after a moment. "I heard something."
"There was indeed movement, but it was too faint. I couldn't make out what it was, but something was definitely crying."
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