Chapter 145: The Unsettling Fields of Happy Town

The road to that mysterious restricted zone was turning out to be longer than Lu Xin had expected.

He carried his trusty coarse cloth bag. It wasn’t pretty but it was thick and sturdy, maybe even knife-proof. Inside he packed food, a gun, bullets, drinking water, medicine, Ability User restraints, even some cash and a piece of gold. All things that might come in handy. Besides, in a pinch he could just swing the bag at someone.

The only downside was its weight. He shifted it from his shoulder to his hand then swapped from his left hand to his right until his arms ached.

But the small road ahead still stretched on endlessly.

The weather was overcast. Even though it was morning the sky looked gray and dim.

Looking back he could see he was in a desolate area. Not far off there seemed to be an abandoned village.

The village was shrouded in a thin mist teeming with all sorts of vines and lush trees. It looked like these unnaturally vigorous plants had practically consumed the settlement, crouching on the horizon like a green monster.

He was certain the path underfoot led straight to Happy Town.

There were fewer weeds on the small road and faint tire tracks almost too faded to make out.

But looking ahead or behind there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

Weirdly enough it felt like many eyes were secretly watching him from the desolate fields bordering the path.

Yet whenever Lu Xin stopped and looked towards where he felt the gazes coming from, the feeling vanished.

…

…

“This place feels really off…”

Lu Xin muttered to himself glancing at his sister perched on his shoulder, “Don’t you think?”

“Nope.”

His sister swayed back and forth on his shoulder munching on candy, “I like it here.”

Lu Xin then remembered his sister’s taste was a bit different from most people’s.

He sighed and looked around for Mom but realized she wasn’t beside him anymore.

She had been following him when they first entered but disappeared after they’d walked for a while.

Maybe her feet hurt from walking on this path in high heels…

But Lu Xin was used to it. Mom was the most reliable one.

Whether she was physically present or not she’d definitely show up to help him when it mattered.

…

…

“The Puppet-type ability user was dealt with but there are still two ability users left plus four fully armed men. They won’t be easy to handle. And Happy Town itself is dangerous, we might run into other trouble…”

Lu Xin disliked the oppressive silence so he started talking softly, using his conversation with his sister to break the strangely eerie quiet, “Plus before we left we promised Father we’d let him help.”

“So we might really have to let him out this time. Sister, are you scared of him?”

…

It was a completely natural action for him.

But to anyone else it looked like Lu Xin was talking to his own shoulder asking for its opinion.

Sister leaned down from Lu Xin’s shoulder looking at him upside down, “Of course not! Why would I be scared of him?”

She shook her little fist, “When I grow up I’m definitely gonna turn him into a toy and beat him up every day…”

“Huh?”

Lu Xin was a bit puzzled, “Haven’t you always been afraid of him?”

Sister stopped talking. Her eyes just stared quietly at Lu Xin for a long moment before she giggled.

“It’s not him I’m scared of…”

…

“Not scared of him?”

Lu Xin didn’t quite understand, “Then who are you scared of?”

Sister didn’t answer. When he looked up he saw she had sat up straight and was slowly pointing into the distance.

“Brother look quickly…”

…

Following his sister’s pointed finger Lu Xin looked ahead and felt a slight headache.

It was like a skip in a recording. His mind seemed to echo with the shouts of many people.

The scene before him flickered like an old TV screen flashing static and ghost images.

After steadying himself for a moment he regained his footing and the view began to clear.

…

…

He saw a vast expanse of farmland stretching out in the distance.

The land was divided into neat square plots like a Rubik’s Cube.

Crops grew in perfectly aligned rows within the fields.

The farmland seemed endless yet each plot was unnervingly distinct and clear.

The oncoming breeze carried the fresh scent of seedlings mingled with a strange faint sweetness.

“Have I arrived?”

Lu Xin wondered slowly as he continued walking forward.

Undoubtedly people lived here. He hadn’t seen such large-scale farming anywhere except Qinggang’s farms. Moreover the neatness of the fields suggested a large population resided here.

He perked up slightly and kept following the path.

Without realizing it the sky had already darkened.

Lu Xin looked up and saw a blood-red moon rising from behind the mountain peak.

He remembered it was still morning when he parted ways with Gecko. Now just a short while later it was already night.

“Have I been walking all day?”

Lu Xin thought subconsciously feeling bewildered.

Why had he walked for an entire day without even feeling hungry?

“Felt a headache and dizziness upon entering but it was mild passed quickly…”

“Walked another ten minutes or so encountered neat farmland. Seedlings growing well wonder what fertilizer they use…”

“Night falls quickly here…”

“The moon also seems redder than elsewhere…”

…

Stopping by the roadside Lu Xin took out his small notebook and meticulously recorded his observations.

As mentioned this exploration was also a mission so notes were required.

He just didn’t know what the payment would be.

Gecko had forgotten to ask at the time and Lu Xin didn’t want to push him lest he seem too eager.

…

…

After walking another ten minutes or so Lu Xin noticed the surrounding fields were no longer growing crops but some kind of medicinal herb with small pink flowers. The strange fragrance he smelled earlier must have come from these. The herb fields were also divided into perfectly neat dense blocks almost satisfyingly orderly.

While passing a flower field Lu Xin saw someone.

It was a rather sturdy-looking man wearing light blue coarse cloth overalls. He was diligently weeding head down in the field. From afar his body was hidden among the pink flowers; Lu Xin only noticed him as he got closer.

His attire looked very similar to the Happy Town residents described in the materials Lu Xin had seen earlier.

“Hello…”

Lu Xin stopped and greeted him.

The man in the field stopped working slowly straightened up and looked at Lu Xin.

He wore a kind smile on his face.

So Lu Xin offered a kind smile in return asking, “Is this Happy Town?”

The man in the field didn’t answer still just smiling at Lu Xin.

Lu Xin waited a moment but he remained silent. His smile seemed a bit stiff as if fixed onto his face.

“Thanks!”

Lu Xin thanked him anyway and continued walking forward.

By now he could see the end of the farmland. Shrouded in mist a massive shadow loomed indistinctly.

Within the shadow he could make out some white walls. It seemed he had finally reached a town.

Overhead the red moon had risen fully its faint crimson light cascading over the flower fields creating a mysterious beauty.

As Lu Xin walked towards the town more and more people appeared in the surrounding fields.

Even though it was night they were still farming and all in silence. He didn’t hear a single word exchanged.

Because they were so quiet he often didn’t notice them until he was right upon them.

And regardless of whether Lu Xin greeted them or not they would straighten up turn quietly and smile at him. Their smiles were identical as if cast from the same mold. If smiles could be measured their curves would likely be exactly the same.

Reaching the edge of the town Lu Xin stopped.

He turned his head and looked back. One after another the people in the fields watched him silently and uniformly like scarecrows.

“Working so late what a diligent group of people…”

Lu Xin watched them quietly for a moment too.

Behind him lay the town. But now that he was closer he realized the entire town seemed to have no lights on. Although Qin Ran and the others might be here Lu Xin had no idea where to start looking for them under these circumstances.

So after some thought he walked towards the person nearest to him.

It was a young woman standing in the field watching him quietly apparently in her twenties.

Her features were originally quite pretty but her skin looked rough perhaps due to years of labor exposed to wind and sun. There were two deep red patches on her cheeks. She also wore a set of light blue overalls. Getting closer Lu Xin could smell a pungent sour odor from her. This young woman must have sweated a lot from work and hadn’t bathed in a long time.

Lu Xin looked at the young woman and she looked back at him.

She wore a smile on her face revealing neat white teeth.

“I’d like to ask you about someone…”

Lu Xin looked at the young woman and asked softly.

The young woman looked at him with a blissful smile unmoving.

“This person looks like this…”

Lu Xin took out a photo. It was a picture of Qin Ran taken after his death his face ashen and stiff.

The young woman looked at him with a blissful smile unmoving.

“Alright…”

Lu Xin remembered what Gecko had told him before setting out: two things are essential when dealing with people in the Wasteland.

One is weapons the other is money.

So he took out a fifty-yuan bill and offered it to the young woman, “Can you tell me?”

The young woman looked at him with a blissful smile and took the cash.