Just then, Jeanne saw an Inspection Team soldier place a plate of hot soup, potatoes, and a slab of meat before the Infected man. He then sliced a chunk of bread, creating a feast fit for common folk.
Next, Jeanne watched as the soldier placed the plate before the Infected. The man instantly knelt, kowtowing in gratitude while muttering something inaudible.
"Hurry up and eat," the soldier snapped. "Your gratitude means nothing. When the snow stops and we head to Kaluo Village, prove yourself useful. Don't disappoint us. Remember, as long as you obey, you won't be thrown into the Mining Camp."
The man spoke in a gentle tone, but to Jeanne, his hypocrisy was nauseating.
The Infected, oblivious to any semblance of decorum, lay sprawled on the ground, devouring the food with ravenous speed, like a starving ghost. Even when choking, he pounded his chest frantically, forcing the food down. The ferocity with which he tore at the meat suggested that such meals were a rare treat for him.
"Why are you giving him meat and bread? Soup and potatoes would be more than enough. Are you going soft on him?"
Clearly baffled by his comrade's actions, the man grilled the colleague who had delivered the food. The Infected, mid-bite into a meat patty, froze as if someone had hit the pause button.
"The weather's been terrible these past few days. Giving him some meat will help him get through it. If he freezes to death, where else are we going to find such a good tool? Besides, can't we spare a bit of meat?"
The Inspection Team seemed remarkably wealthy. They not only had meat and cream for making rich soups, but also high-quality Vodka! This wasn't the kind of drink an ordinary inspection team would have access to, yet these men drank it as casually as water. Where did they get so much money?
Jeanne turned to inspect their large truck. It was a peculiar vehicle, resembling the livestock carriers that transport pigs on the highway, even down to the cages.
However, these cages were clearly not meant for livestock like pigs, cattle, or sheep. They were composed of individual two-meter-tall iron cages, the thick steel bars ensuring that whatever was inside couldn't possibly jump out and escape.
The bizarre truck and the strange behavior of the figures inside raised Jeanne's vigilance to its highest level.
A terrifying thought surfaced in her mind: Could these iron cages... be meant for humans? But where would they get so many people to fill them? Even if they rounded up every Infected in the Snowfield, they'd still need around five hundred people to fill a truck like this.
Judging by this, we absolutely can't let these guys go. We need to find out exactly what's going on.
Jeanne slowly crept back to the attic and recounted everything she had seen to the two. Talulah was equally baffled by the group's plan. What plan could they have that makes them so interested in this Infected?
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Under the influence of the high-grade vodka, the men quickly drank themselves into oblivion. Meanwhile, the Infected man remained by the stove, tending the fire to keep it from going out.
The two women crept downstairs, finding the men utterly defenseless, sleeping soundly like dead pigs. Talulah quietly approached the Infected man, intending to cut his chains.
"Hello, my friend," she said gently. "Don't be afraid. I'm here to save you. I'm an Infected too."
Talulah smiled reassuringly, hoping to ease the poor man's fears. But upon hearing her words, the man froze for a moment before erupting into frantic shouts:
"She's Infected! Master, someone's invaded the house! She's an Infected! She's trying to steal my job!"
As the piercing cries echoed through the house, Talulah was baffled. Why would this man call for the Inspection Team? What did he mean by "steal my job"?
In that moment, Talulah had countless questions she wanted to ask this strange Infected man. But under the circumstances, she had no choice but to quickly knock him unconscious, draw her Great Sword, and glare warily at the approaching Inspection Team.
Perhaps the alcohol had numbed their senses, or perhaps the dreadful weather had lulled them into complacency. Instead of waking up, the men hurled a bottle at her, muttering curses as they drifted back to sleep.
Jeanne walked over and used the shackles stored at the back of the truck to bind them. Any who stirred were promptly knocked unconscious and secured. Before long, the entire group was tightly restrained.
The Infected, however, proved uncooperative. Left with no choice, Jeanne knocked him unconscious as well and tossed him with the others. A quick search of their bodies yielded little beyond the Inspection Team's standard equipment, but they did find a considerable amount of gold coins and a map marking the locations of several villages and a mine.
According to the map, the village they were currently in had already been crossed out, along with three other villages.
This meant their group was almost certainly responsible for the villages' fates.
Jeanne hauled a bucket of ice water from outside and dumped it directly over the men's heads. The sudden chill jolted them awake, and they cursed drunkenly, demanding to know what 152 was doing.
They cursed for a while, but received no response, gradually sobering up. When they saw they were bound together, cold sweat broke out all over their bodies, and the alcohol's effects nearly vanished.
"Who are you people? Do you even realize that tying us up means making enemies of Ursus? Your entire village will be destroyed because of your recklessness! Untie us immediately!"
Though securely bound, the man roared defiantly, his voice filled with bluster but lacking real substance. He immediately recognized the plain clothes his captors wore as the attire of commoners.
This meant they were likely refugees from a nearby village seeking shelter here, and their decision to bind him might stem from a desire for revenge. Such naive young women could easily be intimidated into compliance with a few threats.
But this time, their experience backfired. Talulah confronted them directly, her voice sharp:
"Who exactly are you? What's going on in this village? You'd better start talking—and fast!"
"Little brat, who do you think you are?"
"Trying to play the adult and scare us? Save your breath!"
"Just the two of you? You wouldn't happen to be Infected who escaped, would you?"
Ignoring their taunts, Jeanne showed no mercy. She doused them with two buckets of icy water, paid no attention to their foul language, and threw them out of the house.
"I'm giving you fifteen minutes to reconsider. If you still don't talk, next time it'll be thirty!"
With that, she slammed the door shut and left, ignoring the five shivering Inspection Team members. True to her word, she would return in fifteen minutes to assess their cooperation.
Soaked to the bone from the icy drenching, the Inspection Team members found their clothes frozen stiff by the wind and snow. Regret gnawed at them, but it was too late. All they could do was silently pray they would survive the agonizing fifteen minutes.
Inside the house, Talulah and Alina, who had come downstairs, were comforting the Infected man.
"Mr., don't be afraid. Those bad people can't hurt you anymore. We're here to save you! We're Infected too—we're your comrades!"
The man erupted in a hysterical scream: "You're the bad guys! You're the ones who came here to ruin my happy life!"