1TWITF[C Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The little girl reached out and patted the dog’s head, “Go back quickly!”

Lu Yanli followed behind Lili, running back and asking, “What’s wrong?”

Lili’s face was grave, “Something’s coming.”

Her expression wasn’t like a little girl’s, but rather like a beast of prey, fierce and sharp, with a glint of ferocity in her eyes.

So, what Lili sensed just now, was it a Tasker, or something else invading this village?

“Wandered off?” Lili’s face puffed up with anger, her eyebrows raised, “What was it?”

Aunt Zhang shook her head, “I don’t know. According to the village chief, something called her name, the old lady opened the door, and then she was gone.”

“I’ll go take a look!” Lili was still full of displeasure.

“But…” Aunt Zhang clearly had concerns, “The village has been in chaos lately. If you’re not here, what about those things in the back mountain?”

Usually, it would be fine for Lili to leave to play, but now she was clearly going to deal with something. If those things from the back mountain were to run out…

Lu Yanli took the bone whistle, “Okay.”

Lu Yanli: “Yes, we caught one.”

Aunt Zhang’s change of subject made Lu Yanli vaguely understand that “fishing” seemed to be a test as well.

Under Aunt Zhang’s gaze, Lu Yanli didn’t rashly resist, showed an introverted smile, and obediently went into the house.

Before entering the house, he could still see Aunt Zhang’s head peeking out of the kitchen door, looking outside.

Lu Yanli sat in the room, looking around.

The orientation of this house was very strange, facing the back mountain sideways. The window where the black shadow appeared last night faced the back mountain.

What exactly was in the back mountain?

Luo Ying’s goal was that thing that the village was guarding.

Could it be related to the back mountain?

Lu Yanli held the bone whistle, the icy touch was sobering.

He wanted to go to the back mountain to take a look, but…

Time rewinded to three days ago.

To be precise, they were looking at maps of this area from the past few decades.

Lin Chu was thoughtful, “Speaking of which, this Shangxian Village is really strange. Other villages know to go out, but they are moving deeper and deeper into the mountains.”

When she first entered this society, Lin Chu extracted many item samples, quickly read through this world’s history textbooks, and browsed popular film and television dramas on major video platforms. In the end, she had to admit that this world was like their world, but with a few twists in certain directions, similar in many ways, yet different in many ways.

The others had long been stunned by the newcomer’s fierce action, and unconsciously followed her train of thought.

Yu Xianguang looked at the pile of things Lin Chu had brought back on the table with a tangled expression.

“What are you bringing these for?” An Xingyu pointed to the dozens of storage bags on the table.

Her eyes were full of interest, “I wish I could get some zombie tissue this time.”

The others retreated one after another.

Yu Xianguang immediately said to her, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

An Xingyu also said, “We’re not worried about being dragged down.”

“You…” Yu Xianguang wanted to stop her, but Lin Chu waved her hand, “Okay, okay, I won’t say it.”

“It really looks more and more desolate here.” Lin Xueyuan, another tasker, sighed as the car spiraled along the narrow mountain road.

The deeper they went into the mountains, the colder it became. Jagged rocks stood on the side of the narrow mountain road, and on the other side was a deep forest. Although it was close to winter, the trees were still lush and green. The winter shade and this green made people feel cold in their hearts.

Lin Chu sat in the back, looking at the screen in her hand.

She was operating a drone flying above the car, but perhaps because the signal was bad, the transmitted picture was always lagging. When it flew up to a certain height, the picture would shake violently. Lin Chu had to lower the drone a little and let it fly slowly in front.

Although the straight-line distance wasn’t far, it was lengthened by the winding mountain road.

Just then, the picture Lin Chu was receiving instantly turned black.

She suddenly looked out the window and happened to see her drone falling from the sky, falling into a rolling green sea of trees.

“I…”

“What’s going on? Why are we getting further and further away? Did we take the wrong road?” Xie Ziqing, another tasker, wondered.

Yu Huan, who was driving, was also strange, “There’s only one mountain road here, how could I take the wrong road? I’m following the navigation.”

Combining Lin Chu’s drone crash just now, everyone guessed what was happening, and one by one they closed their mouths and didn’t speak. Only the car continued to drive, and the voice broadcasted the fluctuating distance from time to time.

After a while, Lin Chu said, “At this rate, we won’t arrive until tomorrow afternoon.” What she didn’t say was that although the car was full of gas, if this situation continued, perhaps by the time the gas ran out, they still wouldn’t be able to reach Shangxian Village.

*

Inside the village, Lu Yanli sat in the room. He opened the curtains to look outside, but found that the glass used for the windows was all frosted, and wooden strips were nailed outside, making it impossible to open.

He tentatively pushed the door open and walked out. Aunt Zhang immediately poked her head out of the kitchen and asked him what he was going to do.

Lu Yanli pretended to wander around the yard.

Luo Ying sent him a message, saying that her plan had succeeded, and that someone from the village chief’s family had died in advance. She required Lu Yanli to replace a member of the funeral procession and find the burial site of the villagers.

Without her saying anything, the Zhang family couldn’t wait for Lu Yanli to go.

Lu Yanli was puzzled.

It was still believable that Zhang Huixuan was weak and couldn’t carry the coffin, but if he couldn’t even join the funeral procession, it was too far-fetched.

Looking from the yard, Zhang Huixuan’s doors and windows were still tightly closed. He seemed to stay at home all day and never went out.

Lu Yanli came to the kitchen.

Lu Yanli said, “Anyway, I’m idle, I’ll help out.” After speaking, ignoring Aunt Zhang’s dissuasion, he rolled up his sleeves and started working, helping to cut vegetables on the side.

He lied without changing his expression, “I was also weak when I was a child, but my family often let me come out to run and jump with other children, and I slowly got better.”

Aunt Zhang shook her head repeatedly as soon as she heard it, “No, he can’t come out often.”

“Then, on the day of the old lady’s burial, he won’t go?”

Aunt Zhang was about to pick up a chicken when she heard this. With a word, she swiped the kitchen knife across the rooster’s neck, letting the thick chicken blood flow into the bowl. Her face darkened, “Don’t ask so much!”

Lu Yanli always felt that she wanted to put the knife across his neck, so he closed his mouth and didn’t ask any more questions.

At noon, Uncle Zhang came back, but Lili was nowhere to be seen. He said that Lili was still helping at the village chief’s house.

Uncle Zhang shook his head, “I don’t know, anyway, it’s almost the New Year, it’s not peaceful, it may have run out of the back mountain.” As soon as he finished saying this, he was gently pushed by Zhang Huixuan, who gestured with her eyes: Lu Yanli was still here, and Uncle Zhang immediately changed the subject.

Aunt Zhang followed with a click of her tongue, “In that case, shouldn’t Old Lady Qian be buried quickly?”

“Of course, Lili said that she has to be buried tonight and sent there.”

“Tonight?” Aunt Zhang was also surprised.

Lu Yanli agreed.

He also wanted to know what exactly that “place” they were so secretive about was.

The night wind was cool.

With the whole village working together, the funeral was quickly organized in a decent manner. The mourning hall was set up, and the old lady’s body was placed in a coffin in the main room.

What surprised Lu Yanli was that the heavy wooden coffin lid was tightly sealed, and a circle of nails was nailed tightly. Chicken blood was smeared several times around the outside, as if to prevent it from running out.

After a room full of men and women in mourning clothes wailed one by one, the suona horn blew deafeningly, loud and shrill in the dark night in the mountains.

“The time has come—”

The crying became louder.

Her command was very effective. For a moment, all the wailing in the mourning hall stopped, and pairs of eyes stared at Lili.

“Now everyone go out first, let the old lady be quiet for a while. After midnight, come in again to bury the old lady.” Lili said in a serious manner, “Remember! No one is allowed to come in!”

At her order, everyone retreated outside and moved to the other side of the yard to eat a banquet.