Chapter 24: The Sickly Sweet Scent of Flesh

Looking at the items Wang Yiyi had dropped, Gu Xi’s first reaction was that something must have happened to her. Judging by the situation, she had likely been ambushed. After all the warnings not to wander off, why did she go and do just that? Gu Xi felt a wave of distress as this crossed her mind. She should have forced Wang Yiyi to sleep upstairs; she shouldn't have let her guard down just because she felt there was no immediate danger.

Gu Xi crouched down halfway. If the perpetrators were still nearby, then besides Wang Yiyi, she herself could easily become a target. A chill ran down her spine at the thought. Finding cover, she quickly concealed herself and accessed her system to summon the Winchester rifle she had prepared earlier. She truly couldn't afford to lower her guard for even a second! Since Wang Yiyi had gone missing, Gu Xi was determined to find her. She had finally found a "living map," and it would be lost right at the start? She couldn't tolerate that. Absolutely not.

Gu Xi stayed crouched, remaining hyper-vigilant. She hid in a patch of tall grass, her eyes scanning the surroundings like a hawk for clues. Logic dictated that given Wang Yiyi's weight, there should have been footprints near the hat. She searched for a long time, but found none. Looking from near to far, she noticed the grass where she herself was crouching seemed to have been pressed down. If she looked from this angle, it couldn't have come from the direction she had arrived from, so the answer must lie in the opposite direction.

Gu Xi suddenly remembered Wang Yiyi teaching her how to use the radar. She couldn't master the complex hacker equipment, but the radar? That she could manage. Right there on the spot, she activated Wang Yiyi’s device and turned on the radar.

*Beep, beep, beep, beep.*

As the radar sounded, Gu Xi didn't just see a few people—she saw a whole group of them, only two kilometers away! Furthermore, as she moved, the number of signatures on the screen increased. But if she stood perfectly still, the radar remained static, and no figures appeared. So that was the trick. Fortunately, she had successfully pinpointed their location.

"You're all dead," Gu Xi seethed, consumed by rage. She wasn't certain of her prowess in a direct confrontation, as she didn't know the strength of the opposition. Hours had passed, and she had no idea how Wang Yiyi was faring or if her life was in danger. Gu Xi picked up her Winchester and began to jog, crouching low toward the direction indicated by the radar. She paid close attention to the terrain along the way, fearing traps; it would be a disaster if she were taken out before even reaching Wang Yiyi.

After running for about twenty minutes, the radar showed she was very, very close to the group. She slowed her pace, held her breath, and found a ridge to use as cover, carefully poking her head out to observe the environment.

[System Notification: Please complete the side quest, "The Vanished Villagers." Additionally, if you seize a vehicle during this process, you may claim the highest-tier version upon settlement.]

This notification would have been too much for even a seasoned sniper to handle, let alone Gu Xi. When a person is highly focused, hearing such an unexpected prompt can cause panic. However, she noted that this was a side quest. This meant that before she reached Taolin Town, if she completed this task, she could obtain a vehicle. With a vehicle, reaching Taolin Town would be much faster. Regardless, she had to rescue Wang Yiyi first.

She surveyed the hillside. A village with architecture reminiscent of the Middle Ages came into view. Wisps of smoke curled from chimneys, as if every household was cooking. A scent of roasted meat wafted over—no, it was a cloying, sweet, meaty smell. It was different from the savory aroma of meat stewed or stir-fried in her own experience; it was the kind of sickly-sweet stench that hit one right in the brain the moment it was inhaled. Something was very, very wrong.

Gu Xi continued to watch. Aside from the cooking, there were men guarding the perimeter, likely one squad at each corner of the compass. Inside the town, uniformed patrols were walking about, while women and children moved through the streets with a furtive, timid air, as if walking in public were a crime. The sounds of cats and dogs were also unnaturally loud.

The shops along the streets all had signs hanging above them, the text of which Gu Xi couldn't read. She had to rely on her immersive holographic equipment to translate them. Squinting, she made out the contents: "Babes Meat Recycling Shop," "Mutton Bread Bakery Recycling Shop," "Savory Broth Recycling Shop," and so on.

*Wait,* she thought, *if they are shops, why not just call them shops? Why call them 'recycling shops'???* And all the doors to these shops were tightly shut. Did they not need to sell their goods? And if they were "recycling," who were they selling to? A series of questions swirled in Gu Xi’s mind.

Just then, a man returning from a hunt came riding toward the town gate on horseback. Gu Xi’s hearing was sharp, and she heard the sound of the horse from far away. She stopped pondering and quickly dove into a nearby haystack! It all happened in the blink of an eye. She parted the straw to peek out, leaving only a few stray stalks on the ground.

A moment later, the rider arrived at the gate. A coarse-looking man jumped off the horse, holding three or four helmets in his hand. The key detail was that the helmets were still stained with blood.

"City Lord!" the guards at the gate called out to him.

"Well done. Keep a tight watch tonight," he replied before heading into the town.

*City Lord? Helmets?*

Just as Gu Xi was mulling this over, the man suddenly turned back! He stared directly at the haystack where Gu Xi was hiding. It gave her a real scare; her heart rate must have spiked to 200. Had he discovered her? The danger was looming. If she had to face this man alone, given the difference in stature, she would definitely lose.

"You lot, clear away these haystacks at the gate," he commanded.

The guards immediately bowed and scraped. "Yes, yes, sir! Those two rowdy boys from the Fang family were capable enough to hunt down some 'outsiders' last night. When they came back this morning, they asked me if they could take the haystacks for firewood at their place. I hadn't agreed yet. City Lord, I'll clear them away now."

"Oh? They hunted some outsiders? That capable, are they? I'll check on them tomorrow morning." The City Lord flicked his sleeves and strode away, not even glancing at the guard—his eyes filled with utter disdain. Perhaps as a City Lord, he didn't need to know the faces of the lower classes.

The guard was clearly disappointed; he hadn't succeeded in currying favor, and on top of that, he had to clean up these wretched haystacks himself! He was furious at the thought.