Ye Xihe nodded and returned to Ye Huizhou’s side.
Facing the remaining villagers, Ye Huizhou said in a deep voice, “The safe zones have rules and order. It’s a lot better than staying here and living like someone else’s dog.”
“Of course, whether you go or not is your own decision,” he added.
Gu Zhuoye followed up, “We’re only passing through and staying for two days. We won’t take your supplies, but this man…”
He raised a hand and patted Brother Hu’s face.
“This man, along with the supplies belonging to the short guy who just died, belongs to us.”
An older man climbed to his feet from the crowd. Judging by the way people looked at him, he seemed to be someone with some authority in the village.
He glanced around at the villagers before speaking in a hoarse voice.
“Alright, we’ll think about it. There’s an empty house nearby, you can stay there.”
After saying that, he called the villagers over and limped away with them.
Xu Wen let out a mocking laugh as he met Brother Hu’s resentful gaze.
“Looks like you’re not exactly popular in this village.”
Brother Hu’s mother was still refusing to give up.
“I’ll bring you food! Please let my son go!”
“We’re not staying there.” Ye Xihe sidestepped the woman’s attempt to grab her. “Take us to your house.”
“This…”
The woman, who had been frantic moments ago, suddenly hesitated, her eyes drifting toward Brother Hu.
Brother Hu turned his head away.
“Fine! I’ll take you there! But don’t hit my son anymore, his wrists are already red!”
The group followed Brother Hu’s mother to a house with a courtyard.
It was a typical rural layout, with rooms on the east, west, and south sides. A small shed stood to the north, where chickens and ducks were being raised.
The woman led them into the room on the eastern side.
“This room has a kitchen. I’ll get some vegetables for you. Just let my son go already, those ropes are leaving marks!”
Before she could finish speaking, a sudden clattering sound rang out from somewhere nearby.
It sounded like metal striking metal.
Ye Xihe’s eyes immediately fixed on the woman.
“W… what’s wrong?”
Clearly, she had heard the sound as well, but she pretended not to and tried to cover it up.
Then the clattering sounded again.
Following the noise, Ye Xihe walked toward it.
The woman quickly moved to block her.
“Oh my, it’s just the dog we keep!”
Concerned there might be danger, Ye Huizhou followed Ye Xihe.
The sound was not far away. Standing in the middle of the courtyard, Ye Xihe listened carefully.
It was coming from the room on the western side.
Ever eager to be helpful, Xu Wen rushed ahead and opened the door for her.
The room contained almost nothing except a bed.
Beside the bed sat a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She was completely unclothed, one leg shackled with a chain as thick as an arm, and a dirty rag had been stuffed into her mouth.
The moment she saw people enter, muffled sounds escaped her throat, and tears streamed down her face.
Xu Wen took one look before immediately turning away.
Ye Xihe walked over and pulled a bedsheet over the young woman.
Seeing that she could no longer hide the truth, the older woman twisted her worn clothes nervously in her hands.
“She’s my Huzi’s wife. She won’t behave…”
Ye Xihe removed the rag from the woman’s mouth.
The woman immediately burst into tears.
“I’m not! I was just passing through! They’re human traffickers!”
It seemed she was one of the people from the previous group that had come through the village.
The older woman became anxious.
“You’re already my Huzi’s woman! How are you not his wife?”
The young woman appeared to be triggered by those words and let out a piercing scream.
“Unlock her!” Ye Xihe gritted her teeth. “What you’re doing is illegal!”
Brother Hu, standing behind them, sneered.
“It’s the Apocalypse. You think I’m afraid of breaking the law?”
His tiny eyes locked onto the young woman.
“She’s damaged goods after I’ve already had her. Where else can she go? The fact that I’m willing to keep her alive is already generous. Don’t forget, there are monsters everywhere outside!”
Gu Zhuoye kicked him straight into the corner of the wall.
A flicker of killing intent surfaced in his eyes.
The older woman let out a shriek and threw herself toward her son to check on him.
“Don’t be afraid. We’ll get you out right now.” Ye Xihe turned to the woman. “Give me the key. You can go to a safe zone afterward.”
“No!”
The older woman spun around.
Clutching the key in her pocket, she declared firmly, “She might already be carrying my grandson! She can’t leave!”
“Give me that.”
Xu Wen snatched the key away and handed it to Ye Xihe.
The chain around the young woman’s ankle was unlocked.
It was as though her emotions had been released along with it.
She collapsed to her knees on the floor and broke down sobbing.
She had thought she would spend the rest of her life trapped inside this dark little room, reduced to nothing more than a breeding tool for a thug.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Ye Xihe asked softly,
“What’s your name? Did you have any teammates?”
The woman’s face was covered in tears.
“My name is Lin Xue… The two men who came with me were both killed by that beast!”
Ye Xihe found a set of clothes and handed them to her.
The group then confined Brother Hu and his mother inside a room.
They were unfamiliar with the village, and keeping the two alive might still prove useful.
As expected of the village chief’s son, Brother Hu had stockpiled quite a bit of food in the cellar.
Ye Huizhou rolled up his sleeves and began preparing ingredients. His tall frame looked somewhat cramped inside the small kitchen.
Ye Xihe naturally moved to help him.
Before long, delicious aromas drifted out from the kitchen.
Ever since the Apocalypse began, they had practically lived like monkeys in the mountains for half a month. No matter how they cooked wild chicken and fish, the meals barely filled their stomachs. As for the sour forest fruits and the unpleasant dew water they had boiled to drink, they were even harder to endure.
Braised pork.
Spicy wolf-tooth potatoes.
Green peppers are stir-fried with eggs.
Chinese cabbage and pork stewed with glass noodles.
One dish after another was brought to the table, and everyone’s eyes practically turned green.
Meanwhile, Brother Hu and his mother looked heartbroken, continuing to shout and protest until Su Nian stuffed cloth into their mouths and finally silenced them.
“Captain Ye! Dad!”
Xu Wen shouted as his chopsticks blurred with speed.
Not to be outdone, Su Nian immediately joined the battle for food.
Seated on either side of Ye Xihe, Ye Huizhou and Gu Zhuoye continuously placed food into her bowl.
They were even kind enough to give Lin Xue, the young woman who had been chained up, a bowl of rice as well.
Everyone buried their heads and ate.
In the end, they even mixed rice into the remaining sauce and soup.
Rubbing his swollen stomach, Xu Wen let out a satisfied burp.
“It’s hard to imagine what kind of heavenly life Little Sister Xihe used to live.”
Ye Xihe had eaten quite a lot herself and was stuffed beyond belief. Slumped against her chair, she felt slightly dizzy from all the carbohydrates.
Wuwu, getting to eat a proper human meal was really not easy.
After resting for a while, the group began discussing their next route.
Their final destination was the Central Protection Zone.
Five hundred kilometers away.
Before the Apocalypse, even a high-speed train ride would have taken more than two hours.
Not to mention that they currently had no transportation.
“There are two vehicles parked outside their house. We can just take one.”
Ye Xihe felt absolutely no sympathy for a village bully like Brother Hu. She intended to squeeze every bit of value she could from him.
Su Nian looked down at the map.
“Can we go this way?”
Her fingertip landed on a red dot labeled F City.
Given their current location, going through F City would require a detour.
Ye Huizhou wanted to refuse.
“We need to reach the Central Protection Zone as quickly as possible. The longer we delay…” He paused. “The longer this drags on, the more dangerous it will be for Xihe.”
“Why do you want to go to F City, Sister Su Nian?” Ye Xihe asked.
Su Nian’s expression dimmed.
“My… family is there. I want to go take a look.”
Ye Huizhou frowned.
The reason he had originally allowed Su Nian to join them was because he valued her speed ability. If necessary, she could take Xihe and escape danger.
That had been the basis of their agreement from the beginning. Su Nian needed a powerful teammate, while Ye Huizhou needed another layer of protection for Ye Xihe.
“Big Brother, let’s go.”
Ye Xihe grabbed Ye Huizhou’s hand and spoke in a spoiled tone.
“You promised to take me to F City to see the maple leaves before, and you still haven’t kept that promise.”