Sixth Brother was also startled by the agreement. He hadn't expected this couple to have gone to such lengths.
However, he didn't relax his vigilance towards Liu Jinhua because of this threat. Instead, he wore a sinister smile.
"I may not have a way, but that doesn't mean Shen Zhi doesn't. Your husband may be plain-looking, but your daughter is truly as beautiful as a jade flower."
"You kidnapped my daughter? Impossible! My daughter clearly..."
Before she could finish, the man interrupted her.
"Clearly what? Clearly hidden by you?"
"I've told you, Liu Jinhua, Shen Zhi has betrayed you. Why are you still so naive? Do you really think you and Shen Zhi are partners?"
"Don't you understand yet? Shen Zhi only treats you like a dog wagging its tail for scraps. You really can't see your own status."
As the woman's eyes faded, Sixth Brother seemed to have lost all patience.
"One last time, where is the location? Choose whether to exchange the secret recipe for your daughter's life, or for both mother and daughter to embark on the journey together."
Liu Jinhua could no longer come up with any excuses. She knew she was destined to die here today.
She could die; she was almost fifty.
She had lived more than half her life, but her daughter was only eighteen this year.
After much hardship, she had finally gotten this daughter in her old age, and she was still so young.
She couldn't just die with her so inexplicably.
Liu Jinhua gritted her teeth, as if making a decision. After a long pause, she spoke.
"If I give you the secret recipe, will you let my daughter go?"
Sixth Brother looked into Liu Jinhua's eyes for a long time, lost in thought.
Just as Liu Jinhua was about to lose her temper, Sixth Brother slowly spoke.
"I can only guarantee that she will get out of Shen Zhi's hands safely, but I cannot guarantee her safety afterwards."
Yet, even this promise made Liu Jinhua feel content.
She knew Sixth Brother was a man of his word. It was with his help that their initial grilled meat stall had gradually taken off.
Furthermore, Sixth Brother looked at the woman on the ground with cold eyes. "I'm not like people like you who betray others. I will keep my promises. Now, you can hand over the secret recipe to me with peace of mind."
Liu Jinhua said nothing, but got up from the ground herself, dusting herself off.
She walked directly towards a dark and narrow alley.
...
Zhou Haimei followed behind, "Why did you suddenly stop?"
Xu An stared at the movement ahead, "They seem to be discussing something. We can't get too close."
"You can hear that? An'an, not only is your eyesight good, but your hearing is also so good?"
To Zhou Haimei, she could only hear the wind around them, and the sounds made by herself and Xu An.
Only by following behind Xu An did she know which direction to go.
Xu An listened to the conversation ahead, every word entering her ears.
It was then she realized the benefit of enhanced senses.
She didn't even need to sneak to eavesdrop; she could just stand here and hear it openly.
After listening, Xu An became very curious about this Shen Zhi.
She had initially thought that this couple had ambitions, but after seeing them,
She knew she had been overthinking.
There must be someone else behind them. As expected, a person named Shen Zhi was now involved.
She just didn't know if Chu Yu knew this Shen Zhi.
However, all of this was Chu Yu's future trouble.
It had nothing to do with her.
She just wanted to find Little Mushroom and then slip away with Zhou Haimei.
"Let's go."
Xu An gave the command, and Zhou Haimei followed Xu An's steps, continuing to follow her forward.
Xu An followed them through an alley and then turned several times.
They ended up in a place that looked like an underground secret passage.
It was filled with a strong smell of blood and was pitch black.
Xu An was curious how the two people in front managed to get through this passage.
After all, there wasn't even a light.
However, this wasn't a problem for her.
Xu An had discovered long ago that she could see in the dark.
They walked through a long and deep passage.
They arrived at a spacious underground chamber.
As soon as Xu An followed them in, she heard the sound of gurgling water.
"Is this a water dungeon?"
Zhou Haimei looked at the torture instruments placed around, and the sunken pool filled with foul water at the bottom.
"A water dungeon?" Xu An asked curiously.
As a law-abiding citizen, Xu An didn't even understand the process of operating a sewing machine.
Let alone a water dungeon.
But Zhou Haimei was different. She came from a military family and had some understanding of these things.
"It must be a pre-apocalypse building. These water dungeons were generally used to imprison heinous criminals, but this form of punishment has long been abolished. I don't think this looks like an official prison."
"I suspect it was privately built for punishment or something similar."
Xu An looked at the dark and damp walls, with scattered red rust stains.
It made Xu An suspect that these were all bloodstains.
Suddenly, the place felt eerie and terrifying. The body that had been rushing forward also instinctively moved closer to Zhou Haimei's side.
Zhou Haimei noticed Xu An's small movement and couldn't help but want to laugh.
"But these things were illegal before, weren't they?"
Zhou Haimei looked at everything in front of her and said helplessly, "It was definitely illegal, but there's no point in dwelling on these things now, especially since it's already the apocalypse."
As she spoke, the atmosphere between the two suddenly became heavy.
Talking about legality or illegality now was indeed useless.
After all, there was no law anymore.
Xu An composed herself and continued to follow the two inside.
Just as they were about to get closer.
Xu An's investigative expression suddenly turned extremely solemn.
Even her breathing became slow.
Upon seeing that thing, Xu An felt as if the surrounding air had become thin.
Zhou Haimei also keenly noticed Xu An's abnormality.
She held Xu An's hands and found that Xu An's hands had become extremely cold.
"An'an, what's wrong?"
"An'an, don't scare me."
At this moment, a long memory in Xu An's mind surged out like a floodgate opening.
The memories of her death in her previous life washed over Xu An like a tide.
The first time she learned that people had started cannibalizing each other, she hadn't felt this much fear, this much... disgust.
But when she saw those familiar faces.
Those memories she thought were forgotten were instantly awakened.
It was as if she had never been reborn, and she had not escaped the clutches of those beasts.
It was as if in the next moment, Gou Dan would be thrown into a boiling pot.
They, mistress and servant, would become someone's dinner tonight.
Xu An endured the fear in her heart, gritted her teeth, and questioned Ze Yuan in the center.
"Didn't you say that the ones whose flesh was taken were a group of mutated monsters! Didn't you say they weren't human!"
"Then what are those things crawling on the ground!!!"
Ze Yuan's chilling voice seemed to come from another hell.
"Take a good look, An'an. They are no longer human."
"You can't possibly not see it, can you, Xu An."