Sickness Village...

Healing Village...

A new term again.

Was the previous kid lying, or is this person lying?

Lu Xi'an asked, "We heard earlier that only those who are about to die would come here to jump, and he didn't mention any Healing Village. But you said those who are healed would also jump and that there's a Healing Village downstream. Whom should I believe?"

The person hurriedly said, "Believe me! Absolutely believe me!"

Lu Xi'an remained silent.

Afraid that Lu Xi'an wouldn't believe, the person explained, "I don't know why there's such a saying in the village, but people here indeed do this.

"People say there will be a savior-like figure downstream to save us, but it shouldn't be a savior—a savior wouldn't save ordinary people like us—that's a legendary god.

"He built this Sickness Village and established these rules. We can only reach a good place like Healing Village by following these rules.

"If not for Healing Village, we would just die. Why bother jumping into the river?"

Lu Xi'an said, "In the version we heard, you jump into the river to avoid being eaten by others."

The person was stunned, then looked at Lu Xi'an, suddenly realizing and laughed, "The person who told you that was just deceiving you.

"You are like a savior, so not understanding this is normal.

"For people like us, even if not in Sickness Village, being eaten is a very normal thing.

"In some places, when it's been cold for a long time or drought for a long time, not getting food and being eaten alive does happen, let alone if you're dead?

"How could we possibly care about those things?"

At this point, he strangely looked at Lu Xi'an, asking, "Haven't you ever eaten one of us?"

Lu Xi'an: "..."

The way he said it, it was as if if he hadn't eaten anyone, he would be excessively unusual in this world.

But on second thought, perhaps that's true...

Lu Xi'an suddenly recalled a story from "The Three-Body Problem."

In that, when the starship Bronze Age started the cosmic drift, the people on the ship, realizing the Bronze Age could never return home—it was their whole world at that moment—transformed into different people, completing the change.

They incorporated the remains from another battleship into their food stockpile, cooking most of the remains with vegetables and meat from the ecological cycle system.

Due to different living environments and needs, they completed their alienation in an instant and were sentenced for anti-human crimes when deceived by Earth into returning, crying out to Blue Space, "Go quickly, this is not home."

For people in this world, the environment they live in from the old world to the new world has long been completely different.

Although they can't have alienated like those space people on the Bronze Age or Blue Space, being different from people of the old world is normal, right?

So, for people in this world, eating and being eaten are considered normal things?

In comparison, it's people like me and Yao Wei who are abnormal. Earlier, when Yao Wei mentioned others eating people, she was very repulsed and resistant to those people.

Or perhaps, for this world, people like me and Yao Wei aren't normal at all...

I came from another world, and Yao Wei's parents are Yao Huo and Ye Wenxin—two people who survived from the old world to the new world.

Education from another world's civilization in my case, and Yao Wei being washed by the common sense of the old world, actually make both of us incompatible with this barren new world.

They are remnants of the old world fallen into the new world, destined to remain outside the new world, with no choice but to rely on each other...

Hmm...

After this chaotic reflection, what did Luo Ping say?

Damn, Luo Ping suddenly feels like a bug in this judgment and interpretation...

Feeling secretly annoyed, Lu Xi'an wanted to erase this person!

Lu Xi'an gently exhaled, put away the blade, and said, "Alright, I've asked all I needed. Do you need help getting into the river?"

The person hurriedly replied, "No, no, I'll do it myself."

Lu Xi'an didn't bother with him anymore and silently stepped aside.

The person hurriedly thanked him, saying that Lu Xi'an was truly a good person.

Having received enough "good person cards," Lu Xi'an felt nothing of it. Furthermore, after deducing his earlier thoughts, he had a peculiar feeling—whether the words "good person" in this world might be synonymous with "fool."

Never mind, why think so much?

Lu Xi'an stepped aside, silently watching the person take a few deep breaths, regain some strength, and then forcefully climbed to the edge of the Broken Bridge.

At the bridge's edge, looking at the rushing river below, the person seemed frightened, hesitant to jump in, hesitated for a long time, and asked Lu Xi'an, "Could you... give me a hand?"

"Of course."

Lu Xi'an stepped forward, as if treating that person like Luo Ping, venting his anger with a kick to the person's backside.

"Splash—"

The person tumbled into the river, drifting downstream, struggling continuously in the water.

With this, he's likely to drown midway, how could he ever reach Healing Village?

Lu Xi'an couldn't figure it out. He returned to the car and said to Yao Wei, "Let's go."

"Alright."

Yao Wei agreed, got off the car, and, along with Lu Xi'an, lifted the car and jumped over the river.

They put down the car, the two got back in, with Yao Wei still in the driver's seat and Lu Xi'an in the passenger seat.

After getting into the car, Lu Xi'an glanced at the big screen in the center console but saw that the map was calm and quiet, without any red dots.

"Let's go, it's not very safe here. We should head further north."

He said to Yao Wei.

"Okay."

Yao Wei said as she pressed the accelerator.

Lu Xi'an asked, "Did you hear what that person just said?"

Yao Wei replied, "I heard."

Lu Xi'an asked, "What do you think that Healing Village downstream will be like?"

Yao Wei said, "It should... probably be like everywhere else?"

Lu Xi'an thought for a moment and said, "Yeah... probably the same, how different could it be?

"Those sick and about to die go downstream, maybe to be screened by the Neo-Humans there, to see who can be eaten and who can't.

"People here swim this way, and instead clean themselves, saving the Neo-Humans downstream some effort. Or maybe the Neo-Humans downstream think that this river can wash the pathogens off those about to die?

"As for those who are healed, maybe they go down to help work. This Sickness Village is just a filter for the Healing Village.

"Therefore, he considers the Sickness Village as his own, and when we passed through the Sickness Village earlier, the Neo-Humans from downstream came after us.

"At that time, the situation was that the child floated downstream, and the Neo-Humans downstream learned about it, feared we and Yao Wei might touch his forbidden fruit, so he came upstream.

"Then he went to the Sickness Village, saw that nothing was wrong, and did not continue pursuing but decided to let it go and returned."

Thinking this way, the Neo-Humans downstream probably aren't that strong. Therefore, he—or they—choose the leftovers that others don't want and claim them.

But they're also foolish, staying here instead of going north, which is much better, with many places without Neo-Humans, isn't that better than here? They insist on staying here.

As he thought, his mind returned to those random thoughts outside the car earlier, he couldn't help but let out a breath and shared his thoughts with Yao Wei.

After hearing Lu Xi'an's words, Yao Wei couldn't help but feel a bit dazed, murmuring, "Us... remnants of the old era?"

"Focus on driving."

Lu Xi'an quickly reminded, "Or should I take over?" Maybe he shouldn't bring these topics up now, waiting for when the car stops for a rest would be fine.

But Yao Wei shook her head and said, "It's okay, I'll drive."

She suddenly turned to look at Lu Xi'an and gave him a bright smile, her smile gentle and cheerful, leaving Lu Xi'an momentarily stunned.

"This is quite nice."

Yao Wei said, "I like this idea, remnants of the old era...

"This way... it feels like we're unique, and that's why I met you, walking together.

"All I know is what Mom left for me, the civilization of a once world, is probably the most precious thing Mom hoped to regain?

"I enjoy being out of place in this world."

After smiling at Lu Xi'an, she looked ahead, speaking seriously while driving.

Lu Xi'an looked at Yao Wei's profile, sunlight spilling in from the car window, casting a halo on Yao Wei's face, making her extraordinarily captivating.

He couldn't help but watch for a long time.

"Yes, indeed."

After a while, Lu Xi'an withdrew his gaze, smiling, "Being out of place with this world is quite good, being a remnant of the old era seems romantic..."

"Yes!"

Yao Wei nodded.

But why does this Luo Ping bug exist, Lu Xi'an ultimately couldn't figure out.

Lu Xi'an simply decided not to think and planned to directly ask Luo Ping.

He had Gou try to connect to Institute 923, but after several attempts, Gou did not succeed.

Just as he was about to try again, Gou's voice suddenly sounded:

"Attention, Neo-Humans detected approaching rapidly from the southwest, please be cautious."

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei were taken aback.

Both glanced at the big screen in the center console to see a red dot suddenly appear on the map, located on the far west side, slightly southward.

That position wasn't on the highway, and that red dot wasn't rapidly approaching along the highway.

According to the red dot's movements, it sometimes moved left and right, but generally kept moving forward, not deviating from the direction.

The direction pointed straight at the Sickness Village.

—or rather, just north of the Sickness Village, at the Broken Bridge of the Guanhai River.

Is it because Yao Wei and I had stopped there?

Does that red dot also have a Resonant Gene Scanner?

Have we been detected?!

"Let's move quickly, I'll keep an eye on it."

Lu Xi'an said, "Let's watch whether this person stops at the Broken Bridge or continues to chase us, then decide."

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