Buried with these dead people, it wouldn't feel so lonely.
Xu An whispered "Okay."
They waited for Wang Mang to carry his friend's body into the small hut. During this process, Wang Mang found some things too heavy to move.
Xu An went to find some combustible materials, while Zhou Haimei helped Wang Mang move the bodies.
This took some time.
Once everything was ready, Wang Mang looked at the small girl's body lying on the ground and hesitated.
He didn't want to bury this child with his elder brother.
But if they left the child's body alone,
Someone might find it and eat it again.
This was something they didn't want to see. kan shu wu . ξà
As he hesitated, a roar came from behind them.
"What are you doing?"
A sharp female voice echoed, sounding not of sorrow but of anger.
The proprietress had appeared at some point and, seeing the scene, knew she could no longer hide it.
She looked at them warily.
"Since you already know, and you've found your things, just leave. Why are you meddling in other people's business?"
"What do you plan to do with the wood? Are you trying to burn down the house?"
Her voice grew louder, filled with feigned shock and disbelief.
The woman cast a cool glance at the small girl lying on the ground, her body already stiff. There was no hint of pain of losing a loved one in her eyes.
Only a faint...
Pity.
"Shut the hell up, I'll kill you, you slut!"
Wang Mang seemed to be losing his mind. It was this woman. If not for her, his elder brother wouldn't have died. It was all this slut in front of him.
Their group was originally heading directly to the southern base.
If it weren't for this woman appearing halfway and begging them with tears, looking pitiful, they wouldn't have stayed at this black inn.
If they had gone directly to the southern base,
None of this would have happened.
"It was because you, carrying a child, knelt down to us midway. We took pity on you and gave you food. Then you said there were thugs in the shop bullying you, an orphan and a widow, so we decided to help you."
"Damn it, I was blind to encounter such an ungrateful wretch! Are you even human?"
"You had food to eat, why did you do something so monstrous? The southern base isn't far from here. Why are you doing this here?..."
Wang Mang's voice rose higher and higher.
It was as if he were questioning the woman, and also questioning himself.
"Why?" the woman's withered face held a mocking smile.
"What reason is there? Do you think the southern base is such a good place?"
"Hahahaha, it's truly laughable."
"This world has long been in chaos. Damn it, whether I eat grain or people is none of your business."
"Stop pretending to be a saint and lecturing me? Are you worthy? That little bastard ate your brother, and you killed her. Isn't that settling the score?"
"You want to burn his body, fine. But this is my daughter, and you are not allowed to burn her."
A sinister gleam flickered in the woman's eyes, as if she were looking at a fat sheep she had raised for a long time.
She had finally raised it to maturity, but before she could taste it, it had died.
Although there was a hint of pity on her face, there was also an unwillingness to let go.
Xu An's inner thoughts were confirmed at this moment. She seemed unable to hold back any longer.
The infant-sized skeleton she had just seen flashed through her mind.
A terrible thought took shape.
Ze Yuan appeared at the opportune moment.
"I suggest you don't ask."
"If you already know the answer, asking will only make you feel worse."
Xu An seemed not to hear, but continued to speak, word by word.
"The infant's skeleton in the room, it is..."
She couldn't finish the sentence.
The woman recalled, smacked her lips, as if savoring the child's taste.
"Oh, you mean that degenerate? She was born to me, but she arrived too late."
"But, well... the taste was good."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Haimei's bullet had already hit the woman's calf.
"Stop talking. You're not human. Even a vicious tiger doesn't eat its cubs. What the hell are you?"
No one stopped Zhou Haimei. She vented her anger, emptying all the bullets into the woman.
Bullet hole after bullet hole, blood gushing forth. The woman's expression as she died was one of almost perverse enjoyment.
The woman was dead, but Zhou Haimei continued to shoot, as if she had gone mad.
The gun was out of bullets, but Zhou Haimei was still pulling the trigger in vain.
Xu An stepped forward, snatched the gun from Zhou Haimei's hand, and held her tightly.
"Mei Jie, Mei Jie, it's okay, it's okay."
"That woman is dead."
Xu An had always thought Zhou Haimei was the strongest woman on the lighthouse, that nothing could possibly defeat her.
She always had wild red hair, confident and flamboyant.
This was the first time Xu An had seen Zhou Haimei lose her composure, as if she had been pushed to the breaking point.
Zhou Haimei looked utterly dejected. Without the support of her imposing exterior, she seemed to have reverted to being that ordinary girl, a little shy and vulnerable.
At this moment.
She was no longer the "Mei Jie" on the lighthouse, who struck fear into the hearts of men.
She was just Zhou Haimei, weeping on Xu An's shoulder, unable to bear the cruelty of the apocalypse.
Xu An, like Zhou Haimei's mother, gently patted her back, stroking her softly.
She didn't know if the truth of this place would be good or bad for Zhou Haimei.
But the people on the lighthouse should open their eyes.
And see what kind of truth this world held.
...
Finally, the remaining few people, working together, carried the proprietress and the girl's bodies into the thatched hut.
Xu An set the place ablaze.
With crackling sounds, the stench of burning bodies and black smoke spread into the sky.
They had finally put an end to this farce.
Following Ze Yuan's instructions, Xu An took out the fish from the well. Zhou Haimei and Wang Mang were puzzled.
But Xu An didn't explain to them. While the others weren't paying attention,
She quickly retrieved the small mushroom hidden in the fish's belly.
As usual, Ze Yuan was the first to absorb the consciousness, letting out a satisfied belch.
Xu An was so annoyed she could have choked.
By this time, the others had also regained their senses.
Xu An had left with Wang Mang for this reason. The fish's cries would drive people mad, causing them to attack others indiscriminately. But once they died or were exhausted, they would stop attacking.
She alone couldn't stop nearly twenty people from going crazy.
Looking at the mess on the ground, Xu An didn't intend to care about the fate of the remaining people.
Whether they had taken benefits from the proprietress and acted as her accomplices, or were simply bored and morally blackmailed others.
These onlookers, who enjoyed watching the chaos, had also received their just deserts.