Faint?
If Nan Yue could hear it last night, Gu Xiang Kai's hearing wouldn't be described as 'faint'.
"I figure it'll probably be clearer at night, so I'll make another trip after dark to confirm."
Gu Xiang Kai showed no awareness of the danger in his words, his chiseled face full of indifference. He held a cigarette between his lips, hands in his pockets, the scar above his brow bone tinted golden by the setting sun.
Zhu Xi Ning whispered to Nan Yue, "He's so full of himself."
Gu Xiang Kai:!!!
"Be careful."
Nan Yue frowned. She hadn't considered Zhu Xi Ning's direction before; if there really were such monsters in the town, and during a mission, they would be difficult to deal with.
"I know."
Gu Xiang Kai extinguished his cigarette, wrapped it in paper, and tucked it into his pocket, planning to dispose of it later.
On the way back, Nan Yue brainstormed. If Zhu Xi Ning's conjecture was true, then the monsters in this mission were the boss.
The monsters that slaughtered Gao Suqi last night likely hated being born that way, and had returned for revenge.
The absence of children in town also made sense; such children would scare away outsiders, so they naturally wouldn't be allowed to roam freely, but their cries could be heard at night.
Both points Nan Yue was concerned about made sense, but what was that mysterious additive?
Could it be... something from the monsters?
Nan Yue couldn't fathom why the townspeople would eat such a thing, or why they would offer it to outsiders.
Her mind remained muddled until they returned to the courtyard.
By then, it was dark, but many people were still in the courtyard; no one seemed to be sleeping.
Especially those from the inner residence, because Gao Suqi had died last night, everyone else was now very panicked, especially Li Maocai.
"Brother He, I've always followed your lead. I want to stay with you tonight; I don't want to watch them anymore."
It turned out Li Maocai hadn't stayed with He Jiang yesterday because He Jiang didn't trust the other two, so he sent a confidant to ensure no information was missed.
Nan Yue was quite impressed by those who played mind games and formed cliques even during a mission.
"Say no more. Tonight, you, Tan Hao, and I will stay together. I'll figure out what's going on today."
He Jiang's words were so definitive that everyone else around them looked over.
Only then did Li Maocai sigh in relief. He then looked around, puzzled, "Hey, where's Tan Hao? Still not back?"
Jiang Ximing had a grim face. "Originally, he and I left together, but he insisted on going to the town chief to argue, claiming the house he gave us was haunted."
"I didn't want to go with him, so we split up."
Nan Yue and her two companions exchanged a knowing glance without speaking. He Jiang's expression was also rather intriguing.
"When did he go?"
Jiang Ximing stroked his small mustache, thinking. "After dinner."
"He was normal during the day, but the later it got, the more panicked he became. He kept rambling about not wanting to stay here tonight, a grown man chattering on, as if it wasn't his first mission."
He Jiang pondered for a moment. "Since he just left, he might be back soon. Jiang Ximing, you come stay in our room. When Tan Hao returns, tell him to find Old Zhao."
Jiang Ximing naturally had no objections. Nan Yue watched coldly as they sealed the hole Gao Suqi had made in the window last night, then returned to her room.
"Tan Hao actually went to find the town chief?"
Zhu Xi Ning sighed. "I can't believe such a big guy is so timid. Desperate times shouldn't call for desperate measures."
"Who knows what he actually went to do."
Nan Yue wasn't too concerned. Gu Xiang Kai gave her a look, indicating he would go into town to listen for activity while everyone else was distracted.
Many people were carrying stools, chatting in the courtyard, and finally, someone noticed the absence of children in the town.
But when Lu Jiao voiced her strange observation, Zhao Dekai interrupted her with a sneer.
"You women always obsess over strange little things. No children? That's perfectly normal. There isn't even a hospital here, let alone a school. Whose child would be in this town?"
Lu Jiao lifted her head and retorted coldly.
"Then have you seen any pregnant women? There must be newborns, right? Or children returning to their hometown for holidays? Are there any?"
Zhao Dekai, flustered by her retort, snapped, "What does doing a mission have to do with whether there are children? Or do you just want to have one yourself?"
With that, he, Li Maocai, and He Hongyun burst into laughter. Lu Jiao's face flushed red, and her fists clenched tightly in anger.
"Don't argue with an idiot."
Nan Yue, who had been lost in thought, was interrupted by the laughter and, seeing Lu Jiao about to lose her composure, offered a quick reminder.
"What did you say?!"
Zhao Dekai, glaring with bull-like eyes, walked up to Nan Yue. He disliked her the most, not understanding why He Jiang was so afraid of her. If it were him, he would have long since used various methods to make her spill what she knew.
He knew some girls were good fighters, but women were just women; how could they possibly beat men?
He Jiang might be intimidated by her because of his age, but he wasn't.
"Pah, I'll stand wherever I damn well please. And I'm telling you, I heard you guys whispering today. You have clues, don't you? Spill it to everyone; don't hide things in a team mission."
Even those who were initially displeased with Zhao Dekai's bullying fell silent; they also wanted to know Nan Yue's clues.
Humans are inherently selfish.
"W-why don't we just tell them," Pu Yuan's timid voice piped up. "Don't go against him. Besides, if we tell everyone, we can all discuss it together."
Jiang Ningning stood beside her teammates, nodding repeatedly. "Exactly! Exactly!"
Zhu Xi Ning, unable to hold back her anger, sneered, "How is it that only we have clues after a whole day? Are you all useless? If you want to share, there should be reciprocity. Why aren't you saying anything? Trying to morally blackmail us and get something for nothing?"
"And after we even warned you today, you turn around and stab us in the back? Doesn't your conscience bother you?"
Pu Yuan and Jiang Ningning had only intended to voice their opinion, but Zhu Xi Ning, who appeared gentle, spoke with a sharp tongue. Their faces flushed instantly, unable to utter a single word.
"Hm? What did she warn you about today?"
He Jiang, however, had heard it. He didn't stop Zhao Dekai's actions but walked over to the two girls with a smile.
Both girls had a very poor impression of He Jiang, but now that they were targeted, and no one else was speaking up for them, they could only answer grudgingly.
"It was... about not drinking the Milk-stewed Fawn Soup."
Before He Jiang could speak, Li Maocai exploded. He had drunk the most soup.
"What's wrong with the soup? Hurry up and tell us! That kid Gu isn't here now; no one can back you up!"
Rate on N.U.
