The hunchbacked old man slowly turned around and walked into the village, one step at a time.
Step by step, he vanished from everyone's sight.
The survivors exchanged looks. For a moment, the silence was terrifying.
"Ye, stay close to me!"
Iron Lion spoke in his deep, rumbling voice, then strode into the village.
Chen Ye gripped his hand crossbow tightly and followed the big lug, not bothering to object to the change in how Iron Lion addressed him.
A makeshift quiver hung at his waist, filled entirely with bolts soaked in black dog blood.
He carried a large backpack. It had originally been strapped to the back of his bicycle, but Chen Ye had taken it off and put it on his back.
As for Iron Lion, the big lug had more empty bags of all sizes hanging from him than anyone could count.
The roads in Longevity Village were too narrow for vehicles to pass through.
That meant they would have to carry any supplies they collected this time by hand.
Looking in from outside, they could see the Big Willow Tree in the center of the village. It did not seem very far away.
Chen Ye followed behind Iron Lion, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
The young sword immortal also carried an enormous backpack. Her right hand gripped the longsword at the back of her waist, and her long legs moved with a peculiar rhythm.
Soon, others began following the three of them.
The first to catch up was a sleazy old man.
Back in Apricot Blossom Town, this old man had also been the first to act.
Most people in the convoy were young, after all. There were very few elderly people.
This old man was one of them.
Surprisingly, he was still alive.
At the village entrance, many survivors exchanged looks, the greed and hesitation in their eyes particularly obvious now.
There was clearly something wrong with Longevity Village. No one could guarantee that anyone who entered would come out alive.
But if they did not go in, they would probably get no supplies.
In this apocalypse, supplies were everything.
"Sis, hurry up! Let's follow them!"
"We'd better stay close to them. It's safer!"
Zhou Xiaoxiao hurried after them with an enormous pack on his back.
Zhou Lan hesitated, but followed him anyway.
"Xiao Xiao, we..."
Zhou Lan tried to say more, but Zhou Xiaoxiao interrupted her. "Sis, don't overthink it. If something really goes wrong, I don't believe Chen Ye would refuse to save us."
"Even if he won't, aren't there still those other two?"
"I don't believe they'd just watch us die. Sis, you're a big star!"
Zhou Xiaoxiao whispered into his sister's ear.
By now, Zhou Lan deeply regretted having sent her brother to demand that bucket of gasoline back.
If they had not taken it back, they might have been a little safer in a situation like this.
But what was done was done. The two siblings had already offended Chen Ye.
If they wanted Chen Ye's protection now, they were unlikely to get it.
Zhou Lan was not as optimistic as her brother.
She kept glancing at Chen Ye, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
"My grandson, don't worry. Grandma... Grandma will go find you something to eat!"
"Be good and wait outside until Grandma comes back!"
The brat clung to his grandmother's leg and cried, "Grandma, I don't want you to go! I don't want you to go!"
"Silly child, if Grandma doesn't go, what will you eat?"
"This is the apocalypse. These bastards won't take pity on you!"
These were the same grandmother and grandson Chen Ye had taught a lesson before.
It was something of a miracle that throughout their travels these past few days, neither of them had fallen behind or starved to death.
But as time passed, many people in the convoy had come to recognize their true colors.
Especially the brat's.
Whenever anyone had supplies, the brat would reach out and snatch them. If they refused, he would spit at them, or steal instead.
Whenever he was caught, the old woman would appear and say, "He's just a child!"
The entire convoy was utterly sick of them.
Little by little, everyone stopped offering the grandmother and grandson any help.
"Grandma can only rely on herself to find food for her good grandson!"
"My good grandson, remember this. If Grandma doesn't come back, everyone here is a murderer."
"When you grow up, remember to avenge Grandma!"
"If they hadn't refused to give us food, Grandma wouldn't have to take this risk!"
"Especially that Chen Ye. Make sure you remember his face!"
"Do you hear me?"
"Grandmaaaa... Waaah..."
The brat's wailing made the nearby survivors frown.
Captain Chu looked over from a short distance away, then reached out and draped a blanket over the radio beside him.
Nothing that happened in the convoy escaped the eavesdropping radio's surveillance.
Captain Chu had heard every word of the conversation between the grandmother and grandson.
"Bring disaster on yourself, and there's no saving you..."
Captain Chu sighed.
Not far away, a woman with a round face and pointed chin stood with her head lowered, her loose hair hiding her expression.
Not everyone had the courage to enter Longevity Village to gather supplies.
More than half the convoy remained standing at the entrance.
Most of them were women.
Anyone who brought supplies back could enjoy a life of privilege in the convoy.
Chu Che did not forbid this arrangement.
It was all a fair exchange.
Chen Ye lit a cigarette to ease the tension weighing on him.
This was not his first time entering a place like this.
But whenever he faced this kind of situation, he still could not stop his heart from pounding.
He held the cigarette between his teeth and gripped his hand crossbow, with his machete hanging at his waist.
The instant Chen Ye entered the village, goosebumps rose on the backs of his hands.
It had been a bright, sunny day, but now it felt as though he had stepped into the dead of night.
The sun was still overhead, but it looked as though a layer of black gauze had been draped over it.
Inside and outside the village were two different worlds.
"Be careful. This is a ghost domain!"
The young sword immortal tightened her grip on the longsword at the back of her waist. Her small face was tense, her expression grave.
"A ghost domain?"
"A special domain formed by a certain kind of power. Inside a ghost domain, supernatural entities are more likely to appear, even during the day."
The young sword immortal offered that explanation.
Chen Ye's face darkened.
Seriously? Even Apricot Blossom Town didn't have a ghost domain. How did tiny Longevity Village have something like this?
Or was Longevity Village even more dangerous than Apricot Blossom Town?
After entering the village, Chen Ye kept feeling as though something was watching him from the darkness.
But whenever he looked closely, he could see nothing but murky shadows.
The hunchbacked old man had already vanished without a trace.
Some survivors had already set their sights on the two houses by the village entrance.
The houses were small, built from mud bricks.
The dilapidated buildings looked as though no one had lived in them for a long time.
Two survivors crept toward one of the houses, each carrying a steel pipe. If they could find half a sack of rice or flour inside, they would have hit the jackpot.
The two survivors carefully pushed the door open.
Perhaps because of corrosion, the lock had long since rusted beyond recognition. A gentle push was enough to open the door.
A pitch-black opening appeared before them.
They swallowed and exchanged a glance, then entered the house side by side.
Their trembling legs made it clear that they were terrified.
Chen Ye noticed them too.
But his group's destination was the Big Willow Tree in the village center, not these houses.
Chen Ye watched the two men enter the house, and that was the last he saw of them.
Like the gaping maw of some enormous beast, the house swallowed them without a sound.
"No! I don't want to die! I want to get out!"
A man wearing glasses could no longer bear the pressure. He turned and ran toward the village entrance.
At the sight, Zhou Lan and her brother Zhou Xiaoxiao felt their hearts pound with fear, and could not help taking another two steps forward.
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