Chapter 490: The Clean Water
"The real question is, how is there uncontaminated well water in this village?" Lu Zhen asked sombrely.
Everyone fell silent.
That was indeed the most important question.
After the meteorites fell, the gas they released had contaminated most natural water sources. Rivers, lakes, and underground water were no longer safe. Even rainwater carried substances that could make ordinary people sick or trigger unpredictable mutations.
Some ability users could purify small amounts of water, but this village clearly lacked such a person. If they had a water ability user, Old Chen would not have been so excited over one bottle of mineral water.
Moreover, if someone in the village could produce or purify water, why was Old Chen excluded?
"There must be something inside that well," Leng Pan said.
She lowered her gaze to the green bracelet wrapped around her wrist.
"Little Vine, did you investigate the well?"
The vine moved slightly before communicating with her through their mental connection.
Leng Pan closed her eyes and concentrated on the images and emotions it transmitted.
When it had inspected the village, it had passed near the well but had not travelled far down. The opening was covered with a large stone slab, leaving only enough space for a rope and bucket to pass through.
The vine had sensed water below, but it had been more interested in searching the houses for signs of danger.
"Go back and investigate it," Leng Pan instructed. "Be careful. Retreat immediately if you sense danger."
Even though Leng Pan wanted to uncover the truth, she would not put it in danger.
The green bracelet loosened from her wrist and transformed into a thin tendril.
It slid down her arm, moved across the floor, and disappeared through a small crack at the bottom of the wall.
The vine had learned to be even more discreet.
"Why didn’t you let it investigate the well properly the first time?" Lu Tao asked.
"I asked it to investigate the village chief and determine what was happening here. It searched for people, traps, weapons, and anything that could directly threaten us. At the time, we didn’t know the well was suspicious."
Leng Pan glanced at him.
"Besides, Little Vine is intelligent, but it is still a plant. Its understanding of my instructions may be different from ours. I have to be specific about what I want it to investigate."
Lu Tao nodded thoughtfully.
It seemed that even having a powerful mutated plant was not as simple as giving it an order and waiting for the results.
"Should we go to the well ourselves?" Ouyang Jin asked.
"Not yet," Lu Zhen replied. "The villagers are watching us. If we show too much interest in the well, we might alert whoever is controlling this place."
The women who had been washing clothes were no longer outside. However, curtains occasionally moved in the surrounding houses, revealing that the villagers had not stopped observing them.
The strangers had entered the village with three modified off-road vehicles and showed no signs of starvation. They carried full backpacks and wore clean, protective clothing.
It would be strange if the villagers weren’t curious.
"There is also the village chief," Sonny added. "We haven’t seen him yet, even though Old Chen mentioned him repeatedly. He should have received word that strangers entered his village."
"He might be observing us before deciding what to do," Silk said.
"Or preparing something," Blaze added quietly.
The group became more vigilant.
Although the village appeared poor and defenceless, they had survived until now. They had clean water, food, and some unknown method of forcing travellers into the village.
No one believed they were harmless.
A loud droning sound suddenly came from the distance.
At first, it resembled heavy wind moving through a forest. However, there were no trees left in the area.
The sound rapidly grew louder until the ground seemed to vibrate.
"The locusts are coming," Lu Hao said.
Everyone looked towards the uncovered windows.
The sky in the distance had already turned black.
Millions of locusts moved together like an enormous cloud, blocking the sunlight as they approached the village.
"Secure the curtains," Lu Zhen ordered.
ZaiZai and Su Yan moved to the windows while Blaze and Lu Hao guarded the entrance. They fastened the thick curtains against the openings, ensuring the locusts could not fly inside.
Leng Pan spread an almost invisible layer of mist across the windows and doorway.
Even if the curtains were torn away, the barrier would prevent anything from entering.
The villagers had already disappeared into their homes. Doors were closed and windows covered as the first locusts reached the village.
Their sharp mandibles scraped against the walls, producing an unpleasant grinding sound.
Strangely, the village houses remained standing.
The thatched roofs trembled under the weight of countless insects, yet the locusts did not tear through them as they had other buildings.
Some attempted to bite the walls but quickly gave up and continued with the swarm.
"This village is protected," Ouyang Jin said.
"Most likely by the same type of meteorite we found in the abandoned town," Leng Pan replied.
However, she didn’t understand why the village chief had removed the doors and windows from the empty houses.
If the diamond meteorite protected the entire village, the locusts could not destroy the buildings. But anyone sheltering inside the empty houses would still be exposed through the openings.
Was the village chief intentionally making the empty houses unsafe so that travellers would have no choice but to stay in the intact house beside his residence?
If that were true, then everything had been carefully planned.
First, the villagers destroyed the main road and redirected travellers towards the village. Then, Old Chen waited beside the road and convinced them to enter before the locusts arrived.
Finally, the lack of doors and windows forced the travellers into the only guest house that appeared safe.
"What exactly is inside that house?" Leng Pan murmured.
The vine had inspected it and found nothing.
But that did not mean it was safe.