Xiao Wei handed the fist-sized egg to the third man and told him to take it to the breeding room to look after it carefully. Only then did she gingerly take the compressed biscuit and start nibbling. A faint, blissful smile appeared on her face.
Wen Jun quietly wiped away his tears and turned his head, pretending not to be seen. Jing Shu caught the entire scene in silence. Really? It was just a biscuit, why make such a big deal out of it?
Then again, she remembered how she'd nearly cried over a single egg after she was reborn. Fair enough, she could understand.
Still, the way everyone treated Xiao Wei felt so cautious, like she was some fragile treasure. But thinking about it, it made sense. She'd lost both her legs, and her whole family had died in the disaster. Pitiful didn't even begin to cover it.
Jun Bao couldn't stop staring at the egg as it disappeared from sight, a hint of regret flickering in his eyes. Then, as if switching gears, he said, "You all live in such harsh conditions, and it's dangerous too. On the way here, I noticed more and more swamps forming around this area. If you stay here, it won't be long before this place gets flooded."
He smiled earnestly. "Why don't you come with us? Seek refuge with the government. There's hot water, salt, vitamins, even winter supplies. With your own food sources, you'd have no trouble surviving outside. It's got to be better than staying trapped in these mountains."
Xiao Wei froze for a moment, then nodded slightly. "That sounds good. Wen Jun, Gou Tou, go find Aunt Third and Grandpa Liu. Ask who's willing to leave. Staying trapped here isn't a solution. You two should go too."
Jun Bao blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to agree so easily.
Gou Tou scratched his head. "Xiao Wei, if you're not going, then I'm not going either."
Xiao Wei's expression dimmed. "Someone like me wouldn't survive out there. I'll just stay here. I won't starve anyway."
"Then we're not leaving either," Wen Jun said firmly. "Everyone already agreed, our lives were saved by you. Wherever you are, that's where we'll be."
"But... someone finally made it into the mountains..." Xiao Wei tried to protest.
Wen Jun cut her off. "The old are old, the crippled are crippled. Even if the government gives subsidies, they're not gonna feed us for free. Remember last year? When we went down to join the town, they made us work or trade for everything. Might as well stay in the mountains, live free. As for how long we'll last, well, living one more day is already a blessing."
At that moment, Jun Bao's voice broke the heaviness. "Wait, food? What do you eat here?"
The villagers' faces darkened instantly.
"Look," Jun Bao said with a disarming smile, "you robbed us of all our food, yet we're not even mad. We even want to help you, to bring you out of here. There's no one kinder than us in this world, right? So, maybe you could share a bit of your food in exchange? You don't want us to starve, do you? Don't worry, we're not here to steal your food. Do I look like that kind of person?"
He chuckled as he pulled open his filthy, mud-stained cloak and started rummaging inside.
Jing Shu frowned. Ever since they'd entered the house, her bugs hadn't dared to get close. Was it because of Xiao Wei? She studied the girl again. Nothing special stood out, except that the quilt over her legs occasionally twitched, just a faint movement—but why?
More importantly, the moment she neared the bed, her Cube Space reacted faintly. That could only mean one thing: it had something to do with the black liquid.
Jun Bao pulled out his most precious stash—a handful of fruit candies—and placed them in Xiao Wei's hands. "I get hypoglycemia if I don't eat. This is the last of my food. In exchange, I really want to know how you've managed to survive for more than half a year here. These mountains are cold and barren. What's even edible?"
The mountains outside were nothing but mud. No grass, no bugs, nothing that could be grown. Were they talking about the monster?
Xiao Wei sighed softly. "I know food outside's scarce too. Since last year, even the towns have had fewer worm patties. Our village starved a lot of people to death. You want to copy our method, right? Sorry, that's impossible. But since we robbed your food, I'll tell you the truth. There's nothing to hide anymore. It's the end of the world, after all—there's nothing left we can't eat."
Even Jing Shu leaned in, curious.
"Gou Tou, bring out some of our food and let the guests take a look," Xiao Wei said.
Gou Tou grumbled, "Such a waste," but went anyway. He came back with a large bundle and handed it over carelessly. "We don't have fire here, so we eat them raw. You can decide how you want yours, but I'd suggest roasting them with some salt. The taste's barely acceptable that way. Oh, and I don't know which part you like, so I brought some legs, pincers, bellies, and organs."
A rank stench filled the air. Jing Shu gagged but forced it down.
Gou Tou smirked. "Knew they'd be disgusted. Still, having something to eat is already a blessing."
Jun Bao carefully accepted the bundle like a treasure. To him, food was food. Everything made him want to throw up anyway. Well, except when he ate with Jing Shu—somehow, her cooking always went down fine.
He was right. Judging from the look and smell, the "food" was some kind of giant bug. If the place hadn't been so eerie, he would've started dissecting it on the spot. But the village wasn't that big, and they hadn't seen any bugs along the way. So where had these come from?
Xiao Wei kept chewing her biscuit and gestured for Wen Jun to explain.
"This is a new kind of creature," Wen Jun said. "We call it the gastropod bug. It has thirty-six legs and a huge belly. The whole body's edible. They're easy to raise too. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae can be released into the swamps to feed themselves. They mature in about a month. A grown gastropod bug's about a meter long, and some combat types can grow up to two or three meters."
Jun Bao's eyes lit up. That was big enough! Which meant plenty of food. The smell was awful, sure, but if these things could breed in large numbers…
Before he could finish the thought, Wen Jun saw the spark in his eyes and crushed it immediately. "Forget about breeding. We only have one."
He gave Xiao Wei a pained glance. She was still chewing her biscuit, smiling as she blinked playfully at him.
Wen Jun sighed. "We only have one queen gastropod. All her offspring are males, just like an ant colony. Only the queen lays eggs, and the rest protect her."
Jun Bao looked disappointed. "Only one queen, huh? That's a shame. But…" His expression shifted slightly, the gleam in his eyes returning. "Could you give us one of the males? We could take it back for research. Oh, and by the way, we're here looking for someone. Once we find them, we'll have plenty of food to trade."