Chapter 86: A Village Without Humanity
The little boy lay buried beneath the overturned tables and broken chairs inside the main house.
He clutched his stomach, unable to stand.
His face had turned deathly pale from the pain.
"Dad..."
"Mom..."
His weak cries echoed pitifully through the courtyard.
Mohan dusted off his hands with a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with his kick.
Behind him, Taishan frowned.
Although he had followed Mohan’s lead, he still looked hesitant.
After a brief pause, he bent down, grabbed a heavy wooden bench with both hands, and raised it high over his head.
"Captain..."
"Are you sure?"
Mohan didn’t even look back.
"Do it."
Bang!
The solid bench came crashing down onto the little boy’s face.
The impact echoed throughout the house.
Wood splintered.
Blood sprayed across the cracked floorboards.
The child’s head slammed violently against the ground before going limp.
This time...
He lost consciousness completely.
Taishan slowly lowered the shattered remains of the bench.
"...Captain."
"Is this really alright?"
His brows knitted together.
"I still don’t understand."
"It feels like you’re planning something."
Mohan merely smiled.
"What are you afraid of?"
"This village is full of deception."
"I’ve already heard the future."
His eyes narrowed as they drifted toward Shen Yu.
"From now on..."
"We simply do whatever Shen Yu does."
"If he survives..."
"There must be a reason."
"As long as we follow him, our chances of living increase."
Taishan scratched the back of his head.
Although he still didn’t fully understand Mohan’s reasoning, he reluctantly nodded.
At that moment—
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Rapid footsteps approached from outside the courtyard.
A furious roar followed immediately.
"You outsiders!"
"Where did you come from?"
"What have you done to my son?"
A dark-faced middle-aged farmer rushed through the entrance carrying a heavy hoe.
Beside him was a stout village woman whose face was twisted with panic and rage.
The moment they saw the unconscious boy lying inside the house, both froze.
"My son!"
"My son!"
The woman screamed and rushed forward.
Meanwhile...
The trembling little girl buried in Shen Yu’s arms suddenly stiffened.
Her tiny body shook uncontrollably.
She clutched Shen Yu’s clothes so tightly that her fingers turned white.
"Dad..."
"Mom..."
"I..."
"I want to go home..."
The terror in her voice made Shen Yu’s heart sink.
He gently patted her back.
"It’s alright."
"I’m here."
"No one’s going to hurt you."
Then...
He slowly lifted his head.
His cold eyes landed on the approaching couple.
"So..."
"You aren’t her parents."
His voice became colder with every word.
"The boy called her his wife."
"You bought her..."
"...didn’t you?"
Silence.
For just a second...
Neither of the villagers answered.
That silence alone was enough.
The dark-faced man finally exploded.
"You bastard!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Put down my daughter-in-law!"
Without another word, he raised the hoe and swung it directly at Shen Yu’s head.
Whoosh!
The iron blade cut through the air.
Shen Yu stepped sideways while keeping the frightened little girl securely in his arms.
He never loosened his grip.
Instead...
His gaze shifted toward Lucian.
Just one glance.
That was enough.
Lucian instantly understood.
She sprinted into the house.
Before anyone reacted, she dragged the unconscious little boy out by his collar.
Then—
Bang!
She planted the broken bench directly beside his head.
The heavy wood cracked the stone floor.
"If anyone takes another step..."
Lucian said coldly,
"I’ll smash his skull."
The villagers froze.
The woman immediately screamed.
"No!"
"My son!"
The dark-faced man’s breathing became ragged.
His hands trembled around the hoe.
Yet he still refused to lower it.
"You outsiders..."
"Put him down!"
"Now!"
Shen Yu stared at him expressionlessly.
"Human trafficking."
"Child abuse."
"Forcing a little girl into marriage."
"You still have the nerve to call yourselves human?"
The man’s face distorted.
"That’s our family business!"
"It has nothing to do with outsiders!"
Shen Yu almost laughed.
"So that’s your excuse."
He slowly tightened his arms around the frightened Yun Han.
The little girl instinctively buried her face against his chest.
"I’ll say this once."
"We’re leaving."
"And she’s coming with us."
The farmer’s eyes instantly became bloodshot.
"Impossible!"
"She belongs to our family!"
"She was bought with money!"
Shen Yu’s expression darkened.
Bought.
He actually admitted it so casually.
As though buying another human being was perfectly normal.
Disgust welled up inside him.
Without another word, Shen Yu turned and walked toward the courtyard entrance.
Lucian followed while dragging the unconscious boy.
Taishan stood protectively behind them.
Mohan quietly slipped over and took the hostage from Lucian.
He drew the small knife Taishan had given him earlier and pressed the blade firmly against the boy’s throat.
Blood immediately seeped from the shallow cut.
"Nobody move."
His voice was unusually calm.
"If anyone comes closer..."
"I’ll kill him."
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
One after another...
Villagers emerged from every nearby house.
Men.
Women.
Old people.
Young people.
Each held a shovel, sickle, axe, or farming tool.
Within moments...
A sea of villagers surrounded the four investigators.
Their expressions were cold.
Hostile.
Filled with unmistakable killing intent.
The dark-faced man hurriedly shouted,
"Stop!"
"My son’s in their hands!"
Some villagers hesitated.
But others immediately sneered.
"So what?"
"He’s only one child."
"If these outsiders escape..."
"They’ll report everything."
"Our village will be finished."
"That’s right!"
"We can’t let them leave!"
The crowd surged forward.
The circle grew tighter.
Mohan’s grip on the knife strengthened.
His blade dug deeper into the boy’s neck.
Fresh blood trickled downward.
"You dare?"
"I’ll really kill him."
Although his voice remained firm...
Inside...
He was gambling.
He had already decided.
No matter what...
Following Shen Yu was the safest option.
If Shen Yu chose to save this little girl...
Then there had to be a reason.
Even if he couldn’t understand it now...
He trusted that decision more than his own judgment.
Unfortunately...
The villagers didn’t retreat.
Instead...
Someone acted first.
Clang!
A heavy iron shovel swung through the crowd without warning.
The blade struck Shen Yu squarely on the forehead.
Blood exploded outward.
Warm crimson liquid ran down his face before dripping onto Yun Han’s frightened cheeks.
The little girl gasped.
"Big Brother!"
"You’re bleeding!"
Tears instantly filled her eyes again.
Shen Yu merely smiled gently despite the blood flowing into one eye.
"It’s alright."
He softly rubbed her messy hair.
"I promised you..."
"I’ll get you out of here."
"No matter what."
The words had barely left his mouth—
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Dozens of shovels descended simultaneously.
The investigators couldn’t defend against attacks coming from every direction.
A brutal rain of iron crashed down upon them.
Shen Yu’s vision blurred.
Lucian cried out as she collapsed.
Taishan tried to shield everyone, but even his enormous body couldn’t withstand so many blows.
Mohan’s knife slipped from his fingers.
The unconscious boy rolled free.
One after another...
The four investigators fell to the ground.
Their ears rang violently.
Stars filled their vision.
Blood soaked the dirt beneath them.
The villagers swarmed forward like wolves.
"You dare cause trouble in Huzzang Village?"
"Have you gone crazy?"
"Lock every one of them up!"
A scar-faced villager spat onto Shen Yu’s face.
"Keep them alive."
"In a few days we’ll sell their kidneys."
Another laughed cruelly.
"As for the girl..."
"Heh..."
"Our youngest son still doesn’t have a wife."
"No need to buy another one."
"We’ll just keep her."
"Pick an auspicious date."
"Hold a banquet."
"Then she’ll belong to our family."
Laughter erupted throughout the crowd.
Heavy boots repeatedly stomped onto Shen Yu’s back and shoulders.
Blood filled his mouth.
His breathing became ragged.
Even so...
His gaze never left the terrified little girl crying nearby.
Why...
Why had the system given Yun Han such an abnormally high favorability from the very beginning?
Why had it pushed him toward saving her over and over again?
If rescuing her wasn’t the true objective of this dungeon...
Then what was?
Shen Yu coughed violently.
Fresh blood splattered across the dusty ground.
Yet the question continued echoing in his mind as darkness slowly swallowed his vision.