168: Jiang Fei: I really didn’t hide the toilet!

Yin Jing frowned: "I remember at the slaughterhouse we went to, there was also a red cloth strip tied outside the door."

"Could it be their special way of communication?"

"Communication my ass!" Xu Qianyao uncharacteristically swore.

"At first, I thought the red cloth strip was some kind of clue. When I was collecting evidence, I found a confined survivor and asked them about it."

"There's a folk custom that says red cloth can ward off evil and ensure safety. The villagers are afraid of vengeful spirits claiming lives, so they tie red cloth strips in places where people have died!"

Xu Qianyao's tone was mocking: "Afraid of death, yet they kill and eat people. I really don't know if they're cowardly or bold!"

Yin Jing and the others showed expressions of disgust, all repulsed by what was happening in the village.

Jiang Fei took out the ID she found in the granary and handed it to Xu Qianyao: "Is there anyone named Hao Xuan in the Rescue Team?"

"I don't recall. I'll check once we return to the Safety Shelter." Xu Qianyao put the ID away and added:

"The evidence collected tonight is enough to prove that Huaiyuan Village is slaughtering its own kind."

"Tomorrow, we'll try to trick the villagers and the village chief into talking, find out who the mastermind is, and ideally record videos of them brainwashing the refugees."

"Jiang Fei, you're far away, I'll take you back."

"I can go by myself." Jiang Fei politely declined Xu Qianyao and returned to the west side of the village.

Lu Yu had left the door open for her.

The mud on her body was washed clean by the rain, and she changed into the old clothes Aunt Hua had given her.

He also fetched a bucket of rainwater and placed it on the ground for Jiang Fei to wash up.

Jiang Fei told Lu Yu about her findings from the night.

After listening, Lu Yu's hands, which had been hanging down, clenched into fists: "The villagers in this village can no longer be considered human."

Jiang Fei: "We don't know what will happen tomorrow. Get some rest early. We'll share the kangs. I'll go change over there; don't look back."

Lu Yu, who had been indignant a second ago, was startled by Jiang Fei's words and stammered, a rare occurrence:

"I, I'll go outside. Call me when you're ready."

The brick house didn't even have curtains for privacy. It would be inconvenient for his neighbor if he, a man, stayed inside.

Lu Yu walked out of the brick house with an umbrella, closing the door tightly behind him.

Since the person wasn't there, Jiang Fei simply took the old clothes Aunt Hua had given her and entered the Supermarket.

She quickly showered, disinfected her clothes with alcohol, and then put them on.

Jiang Fei exited the Supermarket, threw the dirty clothes into an empty bucket, and pretended she had used water.

"I'm done."

Lu Yu opened the door and came in. Jiang Fei got onto the kang.

The weather was humid and hot, and the brick house had no air conditioning. Covering herself with a blanket would be even more stifling, so Jiang Fei only slept in a T-shirt and long pants.

Lu Yu extinguished the kerosene lamp with its cover and lay down at the other end of the kang.

After thinking for a moment, he carefully sat up and draped a corner of the blanket over Jiang Fei's stomach.

To prevent his neighbor from catching a cold.

Then, Lu Yu returned to his original spot to rest.

Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, a knock sounded.

Aunt Hua's voice came from outside.

"Da Ni, Xiang Qian, are you awake?"

Lu Yu, who was already up, went to open the door.

Seeing Lu Yu, who looked handsome even in an old man's shirt, Aunt Hua's eyes flashed with admiration.

Following behind him was Jiang Fei, with fair skin and a delicate, beautiful face.

How had she not noticed yesterday that the new refugees were so good-looking?

No wonder they were in the mood to think about *that* kind of thing!

Handsome man and beautiful woman, who could resist?

Aunt Hua spoke with a smile: "The village chief has organized a welcome banquet for you. I'm here to tell you to eat less this morning and save room for the big feast at noon."

"I'll come pick you up when it's time."

"Thank you, Aunt Hua." Jiang Fei exchanged insincere pleasantries, watched Aunt Hua leave, and then called Xu Qianyao on the walkie-talkie.

The small walkie-talkie had a subtle vibration alert. Without opening the talk button, no one else could hear any sound.

Xu Qianyao quickly replied.

Fatty had also informed them about the welcome banquet.

"I don't think the welcome banquet will be simple. Everyone, be flexible when the time comes. Remember to eat your fill beforehand and don't eat anything from the villagers."

"Understood." Turning off the walkie-talkie, Jiang Fei took out two bags of compressed biscuits and two bottles of water from her bag, giving them to Lu Yu.

"Make do with these."

Lu Yu took the biscuits and lightly pursed his lips: "Were these hidden with the walkie-talkie yesterday?"

Jiang Fei hummed in affirmation, then added, to prevent Lu Yu from overthinking like Xu Qianyao and the others:

"I hid all the food and items by the roadside."

She really didn't hide them in the outhouse!

Lu Yu silently put the walkie-talkie, which he had cleaned and left to dry by the kang, into his pants pocket.

So, it wasn't what he had thought.

He had misunderstood.

—

At noon, Aunt Hua, holding an umbrella, came to pick up Jiang Fei and Lu Yu to attend the welcome banquet.

The location was the village square.

A plastic shelter had been erected in the square to block the rain, and several round tables were set up underneath.

At the very front was a 10cm-high platform with a floor-standing microphone stand.

Normally, villagers came here to listen to the village chief's lectures.

Today, the microphone wasn't needed, so there was no generator on the platform.

The villagers were already seated.

Seeing Jiang Fei and Lu Yu's faces, now clean of mud, everyone showed surprise and shock.

These two refugees were so beautiful, unlike them, who were sallow and dark.

If only they could taste them.

With such delicate skin, they must be more delicious than the meat on the table.

The village chief, on the other hand, surveyed the two with satisfaction.

Yesterday, he had felt a bit of regret that the young refugees he had finally encountered were not 'clean'.

But looking at their appearances, even if they were a couple, it didn't matter.

That person liked to eat what was beautiful and pretty.

"Guests are welcome. Just treat this place as your own home. Eat and drink as you please."

The village chief enthusiastically invited Jiang Fei and Lu Yu to sit down.

They shared a table with Xu Qianyao and the others, plus two villagers.

The table was laden with various stir-fried and stewed meats.

There was only a pitifully small plate of green vegetables.

The villagers focused on eating meat, and no one touched the plate of green vegetables.

Jiang Fei and the others dared not eat a single bite, merely holding their chopsticks for show.

Suddenly, Yin Jing, sitting next to Jiang Fei, gripped her hand tightly.

In Yin Jing's bowl was a poorly prepared pinky finger, stewed so soft it was almost falling off the bone.

Jiang Fei helped Yin Jing remove it, secretly pulling out the bone, and throwing the meat on the ground to be collected into the Supermarket warehouse.

Immediately after, she placed the bone on the edge of her own bowl, pretending she had eaten it.

This action gave Xu Qianyao and the others an idea.

Lu Yu was in charge of chatting to distract the villagers, while the others, while keeping watch, quickly picked up dishes. In reality, they were tearing off meat and hiding it in their pockets, leaving only the bones.

After all, if they kept not eating, it would easily arouse suspicion.

Xu Qianyao also secretly prepared Lu Yu's portion.

Before long, various sized bones were scattered around the edges of their bowls.

Jiang Fei put on a show of praise: "The food in your village is too good. Not only are all the dishes meat, but they also taste delicious."

Hearing this, the villagers, whose mouths were glistening with grease from eating, proudly raised their heads: "The food bestowed upon us by heaven, how could it not be good?"

Xu Qianyao quietly activated the video recording function on the camera in his pocket.

It wasn't suitable for video recording now, but he could use this function to record audio.

"What is the food bestowed by heaven?"

"It means that the heavens couldn't bear to see us suffer, so they gave us a way to fill our stomachs."

The villager, naturally, couldn't tell Xu Qianyao directly that it was human flesh, so he chuckled:

"If you ask me, there's no need for you to brave the rain to go to the Safety Shelter. It's so much better to stay in the village. You get meat every day, and you don't have to work. This is the life people should live."

"Besides, you need an ID card to enter the Safety Shelter. Do you have that?"

Jiang Fei and the others all shook their heads, and the villager tried even harder to persuade them.

Villagers at the next table also came over to brainwash them.

"Without an ID card, you can only be blocked outside. The Safety Shelter has so many rules. How can it be as free as in the village, where no one bothers you, and you can do whatever you want?"

"Our Huaiyuan Village is the only pure land in the apocalypse. If you miss it, you'll never find another place like this where you can eat your fill and stay warm."

"And you are very lucky. The Purification Ceremony is approaching. If any of you are chosen by the True God to become a Saint Son or Saintess, you will never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of your life."

Jiang Fei and the others had the same thought.

This 'True God' was probably the One-Eyed Dragon's mastermind.