Chapter 492: An Overly Generous Invitation
There was definitely something inside the water.
Leng Pan couldn’t tell whether it was dangerous, but the reaction of the spiritual spring and Little Vine was enough to make her vigilant.
However, she didn’t show anything on her face.
Instead, she smiled politely and waved her hand, causing a small opening to appear in the mist barrier.
"Chief Gao, please come inside. It is dangerous to remain out there with so many locusts."
Chief Gao’s gaze flickered when he saw the mist separate.
He had already noticed that something prevented him from entering, but he had assumed it was an ordinary barrier.
Now, seeing Leng Pan control it so easily, he realized that she was a high-level ability user.
His smile became warmer.
"Thank you. I was worried that my sudden arrival might disturb your rest."
He stepped into the house while the two men remained outside, holding the reinforced umbrellas.
Even though locusts continued striking the metal surfaces, neither man showed much fear. It seemed they had done this many times before.
Chief Gao placed the jar of water on the ground and pushed the cups closer to the group.
"Please, drink. You must be thirsty after travelling for so long."
Everyone looked at the water, but no one reached for it.
The smile on Chief Gao’s face stiffened slightly.
"What is wrong? Do you think the water is unclean?"
"How could that be?" Leng Pan asked with a smile. "We were just surprised. Clean water is more valuable than food nowadays. Your village is very generous to offer so much to strangers."
Chief Gao visibly relaxed.
"Our village may not have many supplies, but we have never lacked water. The well behind my house has been there for generations. My ancestors chose this place because of it."
"Your ancestors were fortunate," Lu Zhen said indifferently.
"They truly were." Chief Gao nodded repeatedly. "The well is unusually deep, so it wasn’t affected by the changes on the surface."
"That is strange," Su Yan said innocently. "Even underground water was contaminated by the meteorite gas. How did your well escape?"
Chief Gao’s fingers tightened around the cup he was holding.
However, he quickly recovered.
"The heavens must have protected us. We don’t understand such complicated matters. When the disasters began, we expected the water to become unusable like everywhere else. But after drinking it for so long, none of us became sick."
"Is that so?" Leng Pan glanced at the cup before looking back at him. "Then your village is indeed blessed."
"Yes, yes. We are very fortunate."
Chief Gao lifted the cup and took a large mouthful of water.
After swallowing, he turned the empty cup upside down, showing them that nothing remained.
"See? It is completely safe."
Despite his demonstration, no one drank.
The water might be harmless to him, but that did not mean it was safe for everyone else.
Perhaps the villagers had developed resistance to whatever lived inside the well. Or maybe Chief Gao had some method of protecting himself.
Lu Tao reached for one of the cups, but Leng Pan slapped his hand before he could touch it.
He looked at her in confusion.
"Your hands are dirty," she said. "Don’t touch anything before washing them."
"Oh."
Lu Tao withdrew his hand obediently.
Chief Gao’s eyes moved between them.
"There is enough water. Young people shouldn’t endure thirst unnecessarily."
"He isn’t thirsty," Lu Zhen replied coldly. "We still have water in our vehicles."
Chief Gao’s expression changed slightly at the mention of the vehicles.
The change was brief, but everyone noticed.
"You still have water?" he asked.
"A little," Lu Zhen replied.
"That is already very impressive. Most travellers passing through here barely have enough to survive for a day."
Chief Gao sighed deeply.
"The world has become too difficult. Before the apocalypse, no one would have imagined that a bottle of water could become more precious than gold."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the group’s clothes and backpacks.
Although they had deliberately carried ordinary backpacks, their condition exposed them. Their clothes were clean, their faces healthy, and none of them showed signs of hunger.
Even Shade’s fur was smooth and shiny.
They did not resemble struggling survivors.
"How long have you been travelling?" Chief Gao asked casually.
"A few days," Ouyang Jin answered.
"Where did you come from?"
"A small survivor camp."
"Is the camp far from here?"
"Far enough."
Chief Gao waited, but Ouyang Jin did not elaborate.
His smile became slightly strained.
"What brings you to such a remote place? There is nothing left in this area. The towns were destroyed and the nearby city was overrun by zombies."
"We are heading to Tayi City," Leng Pan replied.
Chief Gao’s expression changed.
This time, he couldn’t conceal his reaction quickly enough.
"Tayi City?"
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong." Chief Gao shook his head hurriedly. "It is just that Tayi City is very dangerous. Few people who enter come out alive."
"You seem to know a lot about it," Sonny said from the corner.
Chief Gao turned sharply.
He appeared surprised to discover another person in the room.
Sonny had not been hiding deliberately, yet his presence was so faint that Chief Gao had overlooked him.
"I only know what travellers have told us," Chief Gao explained. "People occasionally pass through this village. Some stay for a night before continuing their journey."
"Do they all use the dirt road?" Blaze asked.
"Yes. The main road was ruined by mutated rats. Our village chief—"
Chief Gao stopped.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
He had almost spoken about himself as if he were another person.
"Our villagers built the dirt road," he corrected. "We wanted to help travellers avoid the damaged area."
No one exposed his mistake.
The explanation Old Chen had given was likely something the villagers repeated to every passing group. He had become so used to hearing it that he almost repeated the same words without adjusting them.
"What happened to the mutated rats?" ZaiZai asked.
"They left."
"Where did they go?"
"How would I know?" Chief Gao replied impatiently.
When he realized his tone had changed, he quickly forced another smile.
"Mutated creatures are unpredictable. They appear and disappear without warning."
"That is true," Leng Pan agreed.