Blood gushed out, and Gu Xiang Kai wanted to curse in pain, but he neither struggled nor resisted. Ignoring the woman’s ferocious glare, he cursed back with shared indignation.
“I knew there were no good people in this town! Sure enough, they’re all murderers!”
“Sister, don’t worry. I’ll get justice for you. Tell me who killed your child, and I’ll make them pay with their lives!”
The woman seemed surprised by Gu Xiang Kai’s reaction, appearing somewhat at a loss. A moment later, she released her teeth, glanced at Gu Xiang Kai, and then turned back to look for her toy.
“They’re all bad people! All… all deserve to die!”
The woman hugged her toy and walked deeper into the dense forest. Gu Xiang Kai didn’t dare to follow her anymore. He checked his injury; it wasn’t deep, but he wondered if the woman’s teeth might be venomous.
How unlucky. He had been careless; the woman’s speed was inhuman.
When he looked back, Chang’an was already gone, having left at some unknown point.
Gu Xiang Kai became even more annoyed.
...
He Hongyun walked alone through the town. He Jiang had taken Li Maocai to find someone to set Zhao Dekai’s bone, sending him out to look for clues.
He Hongyun was a man in his thirties, pot-bellied, with average abilities but good discernment, which had allowed him to survive this far by aligning with the right people.
He had initially doubted whether he had misjudged this time, as He Jiang’s performance over the past few days had been truly poor.
But just now, He Jiang had quietly shared the clues from last night with them, and He Hongyun, while shocked, realized that He Jiang truly seemed to be the most capable scavenger in the mission.
He hadn’t misjudged him.
Given this, He Hongyun was even more determined to cling to this powerful figure.
Zhao Dekai was almost useless, He Hongyun could tell. So, if he just listened to He Jiang, he would soon become one of He Jiang’s inner circle, without having to risk his own life to search for clues.
Perhaps… he could even team up with He Jiang.
He Hongyun grew happier the more he thought about it. He lived in constant fear every day. He currently resided in City State 13, in the worst living conditions, eating the cheapest food.
Yet, even so, he had to enter missions every 10 days, without fail.
If he could have a reliable teammate to guide him through, he would gladly work like an ox or a horse; he’d even be a dog.
He was younger and more obedient than Zhao Dekai and Li Maocai, and unlike them, he wouldn’t provoke Nan Yue. He was sensible; he seemed a better fit in every way.
He Hongyun was lost in thought when suddenly, something flashed before his eyes, seemingly darting into an alley ahead.
It looked like… a child!
That’s right!
Although Nan Yue had been asking why there were no children in town, she never knew the truth.
But the clues He Jiang obtained last night made He Hongyun realize that he had indeed just seen a child.
Nan Yue’s idea was wrong.
Now the question was whether to follow and investigate. He Hongyun hesitated, but if he went back empty-handed, He Jiang would question him.
The sun overhead was still warm. He Hongyun hesitated for a moment, then walked to the entrance of the alley.
Inside the alley, the light was abundant. A boy stood not far away, looking like he had just learned to walk, still a bit unsteady.
The boy wore exquisite ancient children’s clothing, as if he had stepped out of a century ago.
He Hongyun didn’t dare to go forward. He heard himself ask softly, “Little one, whose child are you? Where are your parents?”
The boy’s voice was soft and sweet, “Daddy… Mayor…”
He Hongyun understood. This was the Mayor’s child, no wonder his clothes didn’t look ordinary. So Xu Defu had a son; he wondered why he hadn’t mentioned it to them.
“Looking for Daddy…”
The boy began to stumble forward. Because he could communicate, He Hongyun’s fear somewhat dissipated.
He was a bit reluctant to follow, but seeing the boy run further and further, and recalling last night’s scene, he was certain that a child was the key.
Thinking of what He Jiang had told him privately today, to be clever, that he thought highly of him… He Hongyun gritted his teeth and followed the little boy ahead.
The little boy’s pace wasn’t fast, so He Hongyun maintained a safe distance. Seeing that the boy kept going through alleys and didn’t venture into any strange places, He Hongyun’s apprehension gradually eased.
He didn’t know how long he followed, but the little boy stopped in an open space.
He Hongyun paused, panting, and surveyed the area.
This seemed to be the Mayor’s house. That’s right, because he had once complained that a Mayor would live in such a dilapidated place.
But now, the surrounding residential houses were closed, and the Mayor’s house also seemed empty.
The boy stopped in the open space in front of the Mayor’s house, seemingly waiting for someone. He Hongyun cautiously approached and peered through the door crack.
Xu Defu wasn’t home.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since Tan Hao hadn’t returned last night, he hadn’t really wanted to meet the Mayor.
Even a fool would know there was something wrong with this town.
“Child, are you waiting for your father? He’s not home.”
He Hongyun thought for a moment, then walked behind the boy and squatted down. “Why don’t you come back with me first? When the Mayor returns, I’ll bring you back.”
If he could just take this child back directly, that would be ideal.
The boy, however, seemed not to have heard him at all. His head, adorned with a gold-threaded blue melon cap, turned slightly, as if searching for something.
“What are you looking for? There’s no one here.”
The little boy’s voice was a bit confused, “Which way… which way to go…”
He Hongyun realized something was wrong. This child wasn’t looking for Xu Defu; he had simply gotten lost before reaching his destination.
He Hongyun felt a bit speechless, lamenting that he had wasted half a day. This child was just running around and playing.
Now, only by bringing him back would it be meaningful.
“Come back with me first…”
As He Hongyun spoke, he reached out and took the little boy’s hand. But as he grasped it, he felt something was off; the little boy’s hand was very soft.
He Hongyun knew children’s bones were soft, but this was too soft; it was as if there were no bones at all, just a hand full of skin and flesh.
Instinctively, he felt a bad premonition and was about to let go and run, but the little boy had already turned to look at him.
The boy’s delicate face was sickly pale, his eye sockets hollow and dark, revealing some nerves and dried blood.
His eyeballs had been gouged out.
The boy opened his mouth, revealing a gruesome tongue root. His tongue had been cut off, but for some reason, he could still speak.
“It hurts so much… I can’t see… I can’t find my way…”
“My body… it’s gone.”
Nan Yue met up with the others at the old house in the afternoon. As soon as she entered, she smelled blood, and her heart tightened. She quickly took two steps forward and saw the open wound on Gu Xiang Kai’s hand.
The wound had already been simply treated, and Zhu Xi Ning was bandaging it for him.
“Who did this?”
Nan Yue’s eyebrows furrowed, and the pressure in the room dropped. Gu Wild Dog felt, for the first time, a sense of being protected, weak, pitiful, and helpless.
“...The madwoman. It was my fault, and it’s not that deep.”
Zhu Xi Ning finished bandaging the wound and let out a breath. “It’s quite deep. That woman is like a dog, biting so hard.”
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