Xiao Wei handed the fist-sized egg to the third man, her fingers lingering briefly on the smooth, cool shell before she 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. It was dry and crumbly, but a faint, blissful smile appeared on her face as she tasted the salt and grain.
Wen Jun quietly wiped away his tears with the back of a grime-streaked hand 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 had nearly cried over a single egg after she was reborn. That memory was sharp, the phantom taste of yolk lingering in her mind. Fair enough, she could understand.
Still, the way everyone treated Xiao Wei felt so cautious, as if she were some fragile treasure made of spun glass. But thinking about it, the behavior made sense. She had 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 while his stomach gave a quiet, traitorous growl. He cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "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, his expression open and hopeful. "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 would have no trouble surviving outside. It's got to be better than staying trapped in these mountains."
Xiao Wei froze for a moment, the biscuit paused halfway to her mouth, then she nodded slightly. "That sounds good. Wen Jun, Gou Tou, go find Aunt Third and Grandpa Liu. Ask who is 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, his rough fingers digging into his scalp. "Xiao Wei, if you are not going, then I'm not going either."
Xiao Wei's expression dimmed, the light leaving her eyes as she looked down at her lap. "Someone like me wouldn't survive out there. I will just stay here. I won't starve anyway."
"Then we are not leaving either," Wen Jun said firmly, his jaw set in a hard line. "Everyone already agreed; our lives were saved by you. Wherever you are, that's where we will be."
"But... someone finally made it into the mountains..." Xiao Wei tried to protest, her voice trailing off into a whisper.
Wen Jun cut her off. "The old are old, the crippled are crippled. Even if the government gives subsidies, they are not going to 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 and live free. As for how long we will last, well, living one more day is already a blessing."
At that moment, Jun Bao's voice broke the heaviness that had settled over the small room. "Wait, food? What do you eat here?"
The villagers' faces darkened instantly, a collective shadow crossing their features.
"Look," Jun Bao said with a disarming smile. "You robbed us of all our food, yet we are 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 are 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 the inner pockets.
Jing Shu frowned. Ever since they had 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 the girl's legs occasionally twitched. It was just a faint movement, but why was it happening?
More importantly, the moment she neared the bed, her Cube Space reacted faintly. That could only mean one thing: the reaction 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 have managed to survive for more than half a year here. These mountains are cold and barren. What is even edible?"
The mountains outside were nothing but mud. No grass, no bugs, and nothing that could be grown in the acidic soil. Were they talking about the monster?
Xiao Wei sighed softly. "I know food outside is 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 is impossible. But since we robbed your food, I will 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, her curiosity piqued by the grim admission.
"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 wrapped in coarse, stained cloth 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 would suggest roasting them with some salt. The taste is 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, iron-like stench filled the air the moment the cloth was unwound. Jing Shu gagged, the smell hitting the back of her throat like a physical blow, but she forced it down.
Gou Tou smirked as he watched her reaction. "Knew they would be disgusted. Still, having something to eat is already a blessing."
Jun Bao carefully accepted the bundle as if it were 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 have 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 is edible. They are 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 is 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! It meant there would be 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 is 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 are here looking for someone. Once we find them, we will have plenty of food to trade."