Wei Heng noticed Xiang Li's gaze and turned his head back indifferently.
His pupils were covered with a layer of gray haze, filled with the aura of death, as if he were a dying old man, hanging with his head lowered and his shoulders slightly hunched, slowly following behind the three researchers.
Female researcher: "Before the apocalypse, this was a poor mountain village, but after the apocalypse, it will be a treasured place far away from danger."
The man in the shirt couldn't wait to agree: "The air here is also fresh. If it weren't for the mission, I would have wanted to stay here all my life!"
After hearing what the two said, Buza took a puff of dry cigarette, and his eyes overflowed with joy: "I have good eyesight, our village has good scenery, good people, and is blessed by gods. Monsters from outside can't get in, so it's very safe."
"Don't go out, just stay in our village and live with us. You can live a happy life in this little life."
The female researcher smiled: "Forget it, Uncle Buza, we still have tasks to do. I'll see you again if I have the opportunity, so don't hesitate."
Uncle Buza laughed twice.
The sky was dark, there were no lights in the village, only the dancing flames in the distance and a few stars in the sky reflected each other.
The smoke from the cooking pot carries the aroma of meat and is carried by the breeze.
There were several "Gulu" sounds from the crowd.
Uncle Buza's back was turned to everyone, his old face was briefly illuminated by the burning tobacco, and his cloudy pupils instantly reflected two points of firelight, dyeing them scarlet red.
"Babys, are you hungry? Don't worry, have a good meal tonight."
…
The banquet was placed at the entrance of the village, with more than a dozen shabby wooden tables, and several large bowls with gaps placed on them.
The villagers from Amu Village were probably gathered here. The villagers were sitting on the table chatting, and a few little boys were screaming and running around.
One of the boys hit the old man on the arm while playing. The old man laughed and scolded him and rubbed his head.
As Uncle Buza said, there are very few women here.
All you can see are men——
Most of them were old men, but there were also a few middle-aged men in their forties.
There are quite a few children.
Xiang Li searched for women in the village.
It turns out to be here——
A row of women sat under a simple fence at the edge of the village.
The women in this row were between sixty and thirty years old, with disheveled hair and a slovenly appearance.
They hid in a dark corner and stared blankly at the lively scene ahead.
Xiangli suppressed her thoughts.
In the center of the village entrance, there is a wooden platform half a person's height, with earthen jars sealed with red cloth placed on it.
Under the earthen pot are two plates of meat stacked high. The yellow fat has condensed, giving off a faint smell.
An old woman with white hair squatted next to her, holding three sticks of incense in her hand. She narrowed her eyes and lit the fire tremblingly.
The fat man shuddered and whispered to Li: "Boss, what kind of custom is this? Why can't I understand it?"
Doctor: "I've never heard of it. Is this... a sacrifice to something?"
When the man with glasses heard what they said, he pursed his lips and said disdainfully: "The world is so big and full of wonders, do you know how to do as the Romans do?"
Ronye rolled his eyes aside.
Seeing that everyone was ignoring him, the man with glasses became angry and kicked Wei Heng who was standing next to him.
"Stay away from me, you loser!"
Wei Heng staggered and barely managed to steady his body. There was no expression on his face, as if he was used to his sudden madness.
Captain Huang frowned and scolded in a low voice: "Comrade, don't bully your teammates."
"What kind of teammate is he!" the bespectacled man spat, his eyes focused on Captain Huang's burly and strong body, and he barely restrained his mean expression.
"Captain Huang, don't worry about him. This man is a death row prisoner in our base. The leader asked him to help us complete the mission and avoid the death penalty. He should be grateful!"
Captain Huang was silent, as he could no longer care about other people's base affairs.
The soldiers relaxed in this atmosphere.
"Hey, there is meat to eat tonight, it smells delicious."
"I'll let you eat your fill later...yo, look at that kid, he's so energetic!"
"I'm very tired today. Fortunately, I entered the village. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to close my eyes in the mutant banyan tree territory at night!"
"..."
The old woman finally lit the incense and waved to the table. A short man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks emerged from the crowd.
The short man took the three notes of incense, and the old woman gave him a few quick instructions in his ear. He nodded, stretched his neck and looked towards Li.
The narrowed eyes swept over Xiang Li's fair face, bursting with stunning brilliance.
Buza chuckled and waved towards Li: "Good baby, go and say goodbye."
"Bless? What are you praying for?"
"Worship the gods and bless you with good health..." Buza's words were vague and could not be heard clearly.
Xiang Li frowned: "I don't believe in God, I only believe in myself."
The surroundings became quiet.
The villagers all turned to look at Xiang Li.
"Oh, sin, sin! Childish words are unbridled!" Buza spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground.
"Uncle Buza, she is disrespectful to God and asked another girl to come over and offer incense!" The short man shouted with anger on his face.
Female researcher: "I'll do it, just to experience the traditional customs of Amu Village."
She took the initiative to rescue Xiang Li and stepped forward to take the incense from the short man's hand.
The old woman grinned with satisfaction, revealing her toothless gums.
"bye!"
The female researcher held the incense high and bowed reverently towards the earthen jar three times.
The short man bowed with her at the same time.
The old woman muttered something.
Fatty: "Why does it feel so strange?"
Doctor: "Who is that man? Why did we worship together?"
Rong Ye: "In my hometown, only couples can worship their ancestors together."
The fat man and the doctor looked at him in horror.
After this incident, the villagers became even more indifferent to Xiang Li, but were a little more enthusiastic towards the female researcher.
The old woman watched the female researcher insert the three notes of incense into the incense burner and clapped her hands happily.
"The ceremony is completed! The banquet is open!"
Oh oh oh!
Several little boys screamed, rolled and rushed into the table, scooped up the meat in the big bowl with their hands and stuffed it into their mouths.
Xiang Li and others were led to the table.
A bowl was placed in front of each person, with two black-faced steamed buns in it.
There weren't many dishes on the table, but fortunately there was a big bowl of meat in the center, so it didn't look too shabby.
The small bowls around were filled with green wild vegetables.
"Eat, eat everything!" Uncle Buza picked up a piece of meat and put it into the female researcher's bowl.
The fat man picked up a piece of meat and observed it carefully: "What kind of meat is this? It smells so good."
The meat has been smoked and is crystal clear, dripping with yellow oil, exuding a peculiar aroma.
Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he heard Xiang Li say lightly: "I suggest you not eat the meat here."
The doctor next to him, Rong Ye, silently put down the slices of meat on his chopsticks.
"Why?" The fat man put down the meat obediently, picked up the black-faced steamed bun and took a big bite, "Is there anything wrong with this meat?"
"Along the way, have you seen villagers feeding livestock?"
"..."
"Fuck..."
