The room was different from what Aunt Shi had imagined; Lu Mingming was not asleep.
She connected her mental wave to the herb that had been “kindly left behind,” confirmed there were no issues with the connector, and excitedly awaited the recording results.
The herb had not been used, whether out of caution or for other reasons, causing it to remain intact. This allowed Lu Mingming to easily hear any sound from where the security guard uncle went.
The background noise was a bit noisy, with people’s conversations and children’s scuffles mixed together. The sound of plastic bags rubbing against each other was heard from time to time. The vibrancy of life and human voices formed a melody, showing no sign that it was the epidemic-stricken area known as the death zone.
After passing this noisy checkpoint, the security guard uncle’s heavy footsteps became exceptionally clear. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by the crackling sound of electricity, making the once audible sounds increasingly blurred.
It was likely due to a magnetic field designed to restrict the spiritual sea.
Lu Mingming thought, her curiosity about the secrets of the epidemic zone deepening.
After a few seconds, the security guard uncle stopped and stood still.
During the magnetic field interference, Lu Mingming heard the security guard uncle say, “You’ve decided… three days later… *static* —”
“I… take this opportunity… counter…”
The voice of the respondent was slightly distorted, vaguely familiar to Lu Mingming, but she couldn’t place anyone for a moment.
The initial flash of inspiration was fleeting, and the mysterious person’s name vanished just as it was about to be uttered.
“Alright, I respect your decision.”
The security guard uncle sighed.
“By the way… little girl… what about you? You left her… with good…”
“I know… arrangements…”
The busy signal covered almost the entire conversation. The fainter their voices became, the harder it was to hear them.
With a “beep,” it indicated that the recording range of the bugger had ended.
Everything returned to a quiet atmosphere, and Lu Mingming, having heard the conversation, was filled with questions.
She felt as if she knew everything, yet understood nothing clearly. It was like being in an exam where the test paper provided no specific article, and the examiner instead gave fill-in-the-blanks that were completely perplexing.
Lu Mingming finally decided to give up for now and go to sleep!
Meanwhile, in a secret base somewhere.
A attendant sent on a mission at the auction house was hung high up, his limbs spread in a “big” shape. Thick, flexible vines tightly constricted his neck, gradually increasing the pressure.
The attendant’s eyes were tightly closed, as if he were lost in a dream. His face visibly turned rosy, finally settling on a dark purple, almost devoid of any sign of life.
“Useless thing, can’t even get things done.”
With a furious roar, the vines flung the attendant into a huge blood pool, splashing a thick liquid.
The blood pool, at a rough glance, contained about dozens of corpses. Each one had a large hole cut from its chest, with deep red blood flowing out eerily, resembling a newly born hell on earth.
“I want the ghost ginseng! I need the ghost ginseng to extend my life!! If you can’t find the ghost ginseng, go capture people from the slums and bring me three every day to provide fresh blood!”
At the high platform, a withered old face was contorted, like tree branches covered with skin, appearing old and wrinkled, its specific human features indistinguishable.
“Yes, this subordinate will go do it now.”
The people below were sweating profusely, daring not to resist in the slightest.
In recent years, the City Lord’s temper had become increasingly strange, coupled with the loss of his youthful appearance. He watched step by step as the other person transformed into a demon who killed without blinking.
The City Lord of Sin City let out a cold laugh.
“You’d better hurry, especially the one who got the ghost ginseng. Make sure you capture her, otherwise…”
The City Lord of Sin City’s dim yellow eyes stared at his subordinate, a deep greed rising in their depths.
“Guess who will be the next one lying in the blood pool?”
…
In the blink of an eye, three days had quickly passed.
“I’m going to dig for herbs. Breakfast is on the table. Eat if you’re hungry.”
Early in the morning, Aunt Shi packed her belongings as usual and headed to the forest outside the city again.
She carried the same bag every day, leaving early and returning late.
It was unknown when she would return today.
Lu Mingming watched Aunt Shi’s retreating figure.
Over these three days, Aunt Shi went out earlier and returned later each day. Yesterday, she didn’t return until two in the morning.
If Lu Mingming hadn’t been a light sleeper and hadn’t coincidentally heard the crisp sound of Aunt Shi’s herb-digging tools colliding with the ground, she probably wouldn’t have realized anything.
Even though she knew the other party’s behavior had been unusual lately, she couldn’t ask too much, as it was someone else’s privacy.
Lu Mingming quietly finished her breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, and hummed a tune from Blue Star.
“Judging by the time, the law enforcement team should be here soon, right?”
Lu Mingming stopped what she was doing and muttered to herself.
In the past three days, apart from Orlanar and Lu Yan sending people to give her gifts continuously, Lu Mingming had hardly set foot in the so-called Chamber of Commerce.
Everything could be attributed to the terrible infectious disease the little boy had mentioned three days ago.
A middle-aged man’s soft cough was suddenly heard from outside the window.
“The law enforcement team is here for inspection. Everyone, pay attention and see if you have drawn your house’s number plate.”
Unlike the usual announcements by children, these past few days, any adult from any household made the announcement. The mischievous little ones were decreasing by one each day, gradually disappearing from public view.
Lu Mingming put away the washed bowls and chopsticks and leaned against the doorframe, gazing at the empty street.
Those children… perhaps they had contracted the epidemic and were dealt with by the law enforcement team, or they were taken to the epidemic zone, hence they couldn’t move freely.
After all, the virus had spread on a large scale, and even some neighbors Lu Mingming was familiar with had fallen victim.
Accustomed to the children shouting “Death is coming,” Lu Mingming found it hard to adjust to this formal announcement method for a while.
“I guess they’re here to check if anyone is concealing infectious diseases today? The previous dangerous inspection hasn’t expired yet.”
The law enforcement team had come up with a new way to torment the slum dwellers. It was more severe than the usual inspections, and no one who was dragged away had returned yet, making it as if their bodies couldn’t be found even after death.
Perhaps the problem with the horses last time had left too deep an impression on the team leader. This time, they uniformly adopted automatic vehicles to enter the slums. The arrogant demeanor on their faces was still undeniable, heading straight towards people.
The automatic vehicle drove to the street where the law enforcement team had encountered problems last time. The leader of the law enforcement team sat in the small car without speaking, his gaze drifting towards Aunt Shi’s house.
Lu Mingming was caught off guard, her eyes meeting the man’s. She frowned and sidestepped, retreating a step into the house to avoid the man’s infatuated gaze.
At the front of the automatic vehicle, a small, thin man held a loudspeaker, his voice like a booming bell:
“The households currently being inspected are number 3673, 5822, and 6444. These households please prepare yourselves.”
As the small, thin man was about to retract the microphone, the captain of the law enforcement team stopped him and called out, “Add number 166, the Shi family.”
“Yes, yes.”
The small, thin man quickly responded and picked up the loudspeaker again: “We missed one just now, and there’s also number 166. Please, the above families, prepare for inspection.”
Damn it, what did this person mean?
Lu Mingming looked at the bright red number 166 painted on the room door.
Her expression remained unchanged, but a defensive line was raised in her heart, constantly observing the actions of the law enforcement team.
With a legitimate reason, the leader of the law enforcement team looked at Lu Mingming openly.
He lifted the luxurious car chains hanging on both sides of the car door. Amidst the clinking of jade and gold, he put on a noble air, straightened his back, and strode step by step towards Lu Mingming.
When the law enforcement leader composed himself, he looked somewhat refined and handsome.
However, the moment Lu Mingming saw him, she was reminded of the law enforcement team’s arrogance that day and their blatant disregard for human lives.
Let alone any goodwill, not kicking him in the street was Lu Mingming’s last bit of restraint.
“Hello, Miss. I am the leader of the law enforcement team. You can call me Cain. I have been ordered to inspect house number 166, so please come with me.”
After speaking, Cain extended his hand in a very gentlemanly manner to invite her.
He had been coveting this young lady for a long time and had been unable to find an opportunity.
Disturbed by a mountain of tasks the day before yesterday, and now looking at the graceful young girl before him, a hint of greed appeared in Cain’s eyes.
A beauty like this, who would act according to orders like those fools?
Of course, he wanted to take her back to enjoy.