Chapter 263: The Slumped Village

“Hello folks, I’m just passing through from Qinggang. Mind if I stay the night? I’ll be gone tomorrow.”

Looking at the villagers, Lu Xin explained himself in a friendly manner.

When you’re out and about, politeness goes a long way.

Although the people in this village looked rather odd. Their shoulders slumped, waists twisted, one leg propping them up while the other dragged behind, leaving them slightly hunched. Even their gazes were strange; they’d tilt their heads back slightly, looking askance.

But Lu Xin didn’t let their appearance cause him to look at them differently.

Living in the Wasteland, they were probably just malnourished.

As he spoke, he caught the scent of cooking meat wafting from deeper within the village, making his smile even more sincere.

The difference between stewed meat and canned stuff couldn’t be starker.

…

Met with Lu Xin’s friendly smile, the villagers just watched him in silence.

Lu Xin kept smiling back at them, his expression unwavering.

Eventually, it was the silent, somewhat listless villagers who started to feel uncomfortable.

Many subconsciously turned their heads away.

“Just you?”

An old man slowly emerged from the crowd. He wore a tattered down jacket, his wrinkles dark and deep.

“Yes.”

Lu Xin looked at him earnestly. “Don’t worry, I’m just looking for a place to stay.”

As he said this, the aroma of meat drifting from nearby seemed to grow stronger, and his stomach noticeably growled.

He added, “It’d be even better if you could spare some dinner. I’ll pay, of course.”

The old man silently looked Lu Xin up and down, then slowly shook his head. “Alright, follow me.”

“He agreed just like that?”

Lu Xin relaxed.

No wonder this settlement was marked as having the lowest danger level after being scouted by previous caravans and reconnaissance teams.

Settlements like this were generally popular with caravans and reclamation teams.

Although they usually preferred to set up camp in the Wasteland, they often traded food and salt at these ordinary settlements. Over time, they’d figured out the habits of these scattered Wasteland communities.

That incredibly detailed military map was compiled from just such information.

As Lu Xin pushed his motorcycle, following the old man forward, the people on either side slowly parted to make way. However, their gazes remained somewhat vacant and slow, fixed on Lu Xin, devoid of any emotion.

Lu Xin felt a bit uneasy under their stares and looked back at them friendly.

They didn’t blink, so neither did he.

Usually, when faced with his earnest attempt at friendliness, people would be the first to look away.

…

“You can stay at Old Lady Meng’s place. She has an empty room there.”

The old man led Lu Xin to the center of the village, pointing towards a dark, dilapidated house by the roadside, his voice raspy.

“Folks here sleep early. If our guest has no other business, best turn in early too. Don’t wander around…”

“Okay.”

Lu Xin agreed readily, then added, “About dinner…”

But before he could finish, the old man waved his hand dismissively, his voice raspy, “Everyone go back!”

Whether they had been following Lu Xin, watching him from afar, or peeking from behind dark windows, upon hearing the old man’s words, they suddenly dispersed.

Some ducked into adjacent rooms, some slammed their windows shut. One squatted in the shadows by the roadside, staring at Lu Xin for a moment. A slow, eerie smile spread across his blank face before he backed away, crawling slowly into an alley.

…Yes, he literally crawled into the alley on all fours.

…

“He might have been injured, and the village doesn’t have good treatment options…”

Lu Xin sighed sympathetically for him, pushed his bike to the designated house, and carefully locked it.

“Creaak…”

He pushed open the ajar door, only to be met with pitch darkness.

A musty odor filled the air—a blend of old furniture, dampness, unwashed clothes, and something faintly rank.

Lu Xin stood quietly in the doorway for a moment, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before looking around.

By the faint light filtering in from outside, he saw what looked like a large kang bed near the window.

Piled on the kang were dark, indistinct bundles, the main source of the room’s musty smell.

Leaning against the head of the bed, an old lady seemed to be sitting there. She watched him in silence, her gaze heavy in the darkness.

If he hadn’t seen her, Lu Xin wouldn’t have known someone was watching him.

Even stranger, Lu Xin sensed that the old lady wasn’t the only one watching him in the room.

“Hello, Auntie…”

Lu Xin paused for a moment, injecting some warmth into his voice. “Is there a lamp in here?”

The old lady by the bed watched Lu Xin silently, not uttering a word.

Lu Xin chuckled, “No worries, luckily I have one.”

Saying this, he closed the door behind him, crouched down, and pulled a black cylinder, about ten centimeters long, from his bag. He gently twisted a ring on it, and a blinding beam of light shot out from the end, illuminating a stark white spot in the room.

“Rustle…”

Lu Xin heard something scurry frantically within the room.

“Don’t be scared, I’ll just adjust it.”

Lu Xin explained with a smile, twisting another ring below the first one.

The harsh, bright light began to soften, eventually turning into a warm, pale yellow.

Then Lu Xin slowly slid a button down the cylinder. The light stopped focusing on one spot and spread out evenly. After placing the flashlight flat on the floor, it looked like an unshaded desk lamp.

This was one of the supplies Han Bing had prepared for him: a multi-functional flashlight developed by the Special Cleaning Department.

It had both a battery and a solar charging ring. Fully charged, it could maintain high-intensity light for over three hours.

There was a slot at the head. Pushing it up refracted and focused the light, turning it into a flashlight.

Pulling it down scattered the light, turning it into a desk lamp.

…

The room filled with soft light, instantly revealing its layout clearly.

Lu Xin saw that there was indeed a large kang bed by the window to the right of the entrance.

Piled on it were heavy, damp bedding, either originally black or faded to black from some other color.

An old lady with disheveled hair, wearing a thick cotton jacket, leaned against the window frame, watching him coldly.

Looking closer at her, Lu Xin couldn’t help but be surprised.

Only then did he realize where the other pair of eyes he’d sensed had come from.

The old lady was actually holding a small child in her arms.

It was hard to tell the child’s age, huddled as he was in the old lady’s embrace.

Judging solely from his exposed head, his face was clearly deformed.

The left side of his face and forehead bulged unnaturally. His eyes, seemingly sensitive to the light, had shrunk to pinpricks, their focus unsettlingly intense. His upper lip curled upwards, revealing a row of uneven, blackened upper teeth.

One of his hands was also outside the covers, curled unnaturally, as if spasming.

Lu Xin thought back, feeling the child somewhat resembled cases of Down syndrome he’d read about in the library.

He had once crammed knowledge about mental and strange illnesses, trying to figure out if he was experiencing dissociation.

…

Under the gaze of the old lady and the strange child, Lu Xin offered them a friendly smile.

Meeting Lu Xin’s smile, the old lady turned her head away and closed her eyes. The strange child, however, continued to stare straight at him.

Lu Xin pulled a small stool out from under a table, sat down, and asked, “Is there anything to eat in the house?”

The old lady remained silent, seemingly deaf to his words.

The strange child just kept staring blankly at him.

Lu Xin chuckled, “No worries, luckily I have some.”

With that, he went outside the room door and took out a large pack of instant noodles and the half-eaten can of beef from his case.

The can was already open, its smell drifting out.

On the bed, the strange child nestled in the old lady’s arms twitched his nose, then suddenly leaped off the bed with a ‘swoosh’.

He moved with startling speed. Lu Xin was sitting on the small stool over two meters, nearly three, from the bed, and the child had to throw off the covers and climb down. Yet, in an instant, he was right in front of Lu Xin, snatching the can away.

“Swish!”

Lu Xin reached out, grabbing at empty air.

By the time he reached, the strange child had already scrambled back onto the bed, clutching the can.

“It’s okay.”

Lu Xin’s hand remained suspended in the air, palm loosely curled as if holding something, while he gently shook his head.

He was speaking to his Sister.

Seeing the strange child snatch his things, Sister had been about to rush forward, but Lu Xin quickly held her back.

…

Sounds of ravenous eating came from the bed.

Lu Xin sat on the stool watching. He saw the strange child pull aside the half-torn metal lid of the can, then reach in and scoop out the beef with his hand. Juice trickled down from below his everted lips, soaking his chin.

The already small amount of beef in the half-eaten can was quickly devoured, until only a tiny bite remained. Then, he stopped.

He picked up the last small piece and held it to the old lady’s mouth.

Lu Xin finally looked away, offering a gentle smile. “It’s alright, I have more. Besides, this canned beef is a bit salty. It’s much better cooked with instant noodles. I brought several packs of noodles, each pack has five blocks.”

He looked around, asking, “Is there any water?”

This time, the old lady didn’t remain silent. Chewing the beef in her mouth, she looked somewhat blankly at Lu Xin.

As if moved by the warm smile on Lu Xin’s face, she slowly raised her hand and pointed behind the door.

Lu Xin brightened up. “Great!”