Chapter 35

Moving the villagers somewhere far from other people would, for one thing, keep them from coming into contact with other infected natives after Lu Heng and Su Cheng left the instance one after another.

For another, they would not have to worry about encountering vicious apartment residents.

If the natives ran into apartment residents unprepared, and the other party possessed high-tech weapons, the natives would have no way to survive.

As long as they survived, they could always start over.

The village chief was already stunned speechless. He undoubtedly trusted Su Cheng a great deal. "Thank you for telling me about this, Divine Envoy. I'll arrange the move immediately!"

"Mm."

Seeing that he had taken her words to heart, Su Cheng left with her mind at ease.

When someone had enough credibility, the words they spoke with the backing of their status carried more weight than an ordinary person's, without any need for proof.

That made getting things done much more efficient.

Not long after Su Cheng returned to her room, Lu Heng came to see her.

"You found a body on the mountain?"

Su Cheng spoke to him from a distance. "Yes. I suspect someone from the apartment killed a native."

Human nature was utterly unpredictable. There were neutral people like Su Cheng, people like Lu Heng who helped the natives for some reason, and naturally, people who acted ruthlessly.

Lu Heng said, "No wonder you suggested that the chief move the village... Actually, moving is a good idea. Farther away might be safest."

"What do you plan to do with the people at the village entrance after you cure them?"

Once Danlise and her group returned, news of the divine envoys would probably spread everywhere...

Then wave after wave of people would come looking for the "divine envoys in white."

Lu Heng remained composed. "I'll have them leave before I exit the instance. By the time another group arrives, this place will just be an empty shell."

Su Cheng nodded and took out the herbs she had just gathered, sighing softly. "If we have to follow the villagers out of the village, looking after them seems like it'll get harder."

Lu Heng: ...

Two days later, Lu Heng left the instance at noon.

After Lu Heng's treatment, no one in the village was still infected with the plague.

Lu Heng's departure caused considerable panic in the village, but fortunately, Su Cheng was still there. She described his departure as a "return" to reassure them.

Danlise and her group also went back the day after Lu Heng left the instance.

They had barely left when the chief led the remaining villagers into the mountains.

After Su Cheng brought up the move, the village had already arranged for half its people to enter the mountains and find a suitable place to live.

Now that Danlise and her group had left, anyone else who came looking would find only an empty village. The "divine envoys in white" would become a legend.

The chief had chosen a grassy area not far from a river as their new home. Towering trees surrounded it on all sides, and the hastily built houses were extremely crude.

Rather than comfort, cleanliness and sanitation came first. The villagers cleared away every weed around their new home and enclosed it with a wooden fence...

The villagers busied themselves putting their new homes in order.

Until the plague disappeared completely, the villagers would spend some time cut off from the world.

Su Cheng took a few villagers into the forest to hunt wild rabbits and chickens.

"The Divine Envoy is amazing..."

After Su Cheng raised her hand and shot an arrow straight into a rabbit, a female villager could not help praising her.

With practice, Su Cheng had become much more proficient, though she still could not hit every shot. When she focused, she could hit her target seventy to eighty percent of the time.

Su Cheng smiled modestly and was about to reply when she suddenly heard Mu Ling relay a message. "I see such dense death energy..."

Su Cheng immediately activated Shared Senses and saw through Mu Ling's eyes.

Black mist gathered in the sky to the upper right, contrasting starkly with the azure sky and looking especially ominous.

Human eyes could not see this black mist. Only supernatural entities could see it.

"Go take a look."

Mu Ling floated out of the bracelet and headed toward the place where the death energy gathered.

Su Cheng split her attention between two tasks, switching freely between the two perspectives. While discussing hunting tips with the villagers, she could also check what was happening on Mu Ling's end.

Mu Ling soon reached the place beneath the gathering death energy. It was a small village.

Bang, bang!

Before she even entered the village, she heard two gunshots.

Su Cheng instantly thought of the male corpse that had died from blood loss.

The village gates stood wide open. A body with a bullet wound between its brows lay at the entrance.

Farther inside, apart from bodies strewn across the ground, there was not a living person in sight.

"Aaah! Don't kill me!"

"Aaah!"

Mu Ling immediately pinpointed the source of the screams and floated into the house.

When she reached the backyard, she saw a woman in protective clothing climbing out of a cellar.

"Stay away from her!"

The instant the woman's head appeared, Su Cheng told Mu Ling to hide.

This woman gave her an intense, intangible sense of danger.

Mu Ling immediately floated more than ten meters away from the woman.

After rinsing the sacks with a water gun, the woman swept all the supplies into her storage slots with a wave of her hand.

She suddenly raised her head, slowly turning to look in a particular direction.

Following her gaze, there was only a water vat.

"Tch."

The woman wrinkled her nose slightly and aimed her gun at the vat.

Bang, bang!

After the two shots, cries of pain came from inside the vat, and blood flowed out through the holes...

Behind her protective goggles, the woman's eyes were bloodthirsty and cold, holding a lofty contempt for the natives.

Su Cheng was slightly startled.

How did she know someone was in the vat?

The person inside hadn't made a sound, yet the woman seemed able to see through it...

And those supplies might well have carried fleas infected with plague bacteria. Why was the woman confident enough to store and use them after rinsing them...

All of this had to be related to the woman's ability.

The first thing Su Cheng thought of was the ability "X-Ray Vision," which allowed someone to see through obstacles and view what was inside.

But this "X-Ray Vision" skill should have a range limit, or she would already have seen Mu Ling floating ten meters away.

Of course, it was also possible that her ability did not work on supernatural entities.

"Come back. Don't let this woman get close."

"Okay."

"This woman is really hateful."

Killing intent stirred in Mu Ling's eyes.

She reminded Mu Ling of Lin Jie on the train.

The woman and Lin Jie shared the same disregard for other people's lives.

To them, killing seemed as simple as eating and drinking, and other people's lives seemed like toys for their amusement.

Was it highly likely that the woman was slaughtering people at will to obtain supplies...

Su Cheng carefully memorized the woman's build and exposed eyes. Given her ruthless way of killing without leaving survivors, if their paths crossed in the future, she would have to be extremely cautious and vigilant.

Author's note:

We're heading back to the apartment next chapter. Can any of you sweeties guess what the woman's ability is? It isn't X-Ray Vision that lets her see through obstacles~ It's a little more advanced than X-Ray Vision.

Chapter 35

After Su Cheng cut off Shared Senses with Mu Ling, she turned and met the female villager's sparkling eyes. The girl held a freshly woven flower crown.

"I want to give this to the Divine Envoy..."

Su Cheng paused. Faced with those clear, expectant eyes, she really could not bring herself to refuse. "Thank you."

Seeing Su Cheng accept it, the girl broke into a radiant smile. "You're welcome!"

Su Cheng and the villagers brought back the wild rabbits and birds they had hunted, leaving the cooking to the other villagers with deft hands.

Su Cheng first went to the thatched hut to check on the villagers who had recently recovered, whom Lu Heng had asked her to look after.

They lived together in a separate thatched hut. After seeing that they were doing well, Su Cheng reminded them once more to take their medicine on time before leaving.

"Divine Envoy, this is your portion. Thank you for your hard work today."

The chief placed a bowl containing a freshly roasted rabbit leg in Su Cheng's hands.

The roasted rabbit leg was crisp on the outside and tender within. Its aroma alone was enough to whet the appetite.

"Thank you."

Su Cheng sat down on a chair at random and began enjoying her meal.

She picked up the rabbit leg and took a bite. The browned outer layer was especially crisp and fragrant, but the meat inside still tasted a little gamey, perhaps because it had not been marinated long enough.

If it could be marinated with modern food science and additives, this rabbit leg would definitely be more flavorful and fragrant!

Over the next day, Su Cheng occasionally had Mu Ling watch the outer edge of the mountain for any sign of that woman.

She also traded the birds and rabbits she hunted with the villagers for dried meat and some sauces.

Su Cheng selectively told the chief part of what had happened with the woman, telling him to keep away from people in white protective clothing after she left.

"Not everyone dressed in white is a divine envoy. Some evil people often wear disguises too..."

The chief had sunk into sorrow over the two divine envoys leaving one after another. Hearing Su Cheng's words, he nodded firmly.

He bowed to Su Cheng. "Thank you for coming..."

Su Cheng hurriedly helped him up. In her mind, her relationship with the villagers was simply one of mutual help and benefit.

She had helped the villagers, but she had also gained benefits and conveniences.

Besides, the biggest reason she had been willing to interact with the villagers was that Lu Heng, a healer, was there.

She was not the noble "divine envoy" the villagers imagined.

As the evening clouds arrived, Su Cheng heard the system's mechanical voice. She took off her protective clothing, not planning to wear it back.

[Instance exit countdown]

3, 2, 1...

[Calculating instance results]

[Congratulations to the owner of Unit 1216 in Apartment No. 1167, Street X, District E, for successfully completing the mission. Total points earned: 400]

[You may choose to take items within the surrounding 2 m² with you]

Su Cheng placed several large bottles of boiled spring water into her storage slots.

This was all natural mountain spring water. Su Cheng had boiled it ahead of time, cooled it, and bottled it, ready to place in her storage slots when she left the instance without taking up space in her smart bag.

There were at least 50 liters here. With it in the apartment, Su Cheng would not need to worry about drinking water for a long time.

[Teleporting...]

[Ding~ Dear owner of Unit 1216, welcome back! The apartment will now provide you with one free medical treatment]