Monster - Chapter 71
Chapter 71: Taiyin Village
After collecting their supplies from the logistics department, Lin Sandie and Xiang Nan pushed a handcart toward the exit Mike had designated. The cheerful Xiang Nan chattered away, explaining things to Lin Sandie.
"I've been on one mission before, but I didn't earn many points. When you join a faction in the Disorder Land, you have to hand over a portion of the points you earn. The Rose Society takes 30%, but I heard Madness Material only takes 20%."
Madness Material was the largest faction in the Disorder Land. Lin Sandie recalled what she had read in the pamphlet Kang Yi had given her.
"Madness Material is the biggest faction in the Disorder Land. They're all a bunch of lunatics," Xiang Nan said, assuming Lin Sandie didn't know and continuing his chatter.
"Are there any other factions?" Lin Sandie asked, taking the opportunity. The pamphlet wouldn't necessarily include gossip or unofficial information.
"A lot of them are just small groups fighting over territory. The most famous ones right now are Madness Material, the Rose Society, Star City, and I think there's one called Bite Mark."
"It sounds pretty chaotic here," Lin Sandie said, reminded of some post-apocalyptic movies she had seen.
"But the best thing about the Disorder Land, compared to the outside, is that there's magic here. As long as you have points, you can buy anything from the shop on the light screen," Xiang Nan said optimistically.
"Do you know why there's 'magic' here?" Lin Sandie asked a very fundamental question. Her face, which Yan Zhi had slapped earlier, was now only slightly red and mostly free of swelling after using the ice pack Xiang Nan had given her.
"I don't know about that. Maybe the laws here are just different from outside. Oh, right, Sister Sandie, there are two survival rules we have to follow when we go out. First, stay away from monsters that have harmed humans. Second, don't believe a single word a monster says."
"The doctor who installed my 'Scorpion' told me that, but without experiencing it myself, it's still a bit hard to understand."
"Hmm..." Xiang Nan paused to think. "I was sent here after I turned into a monster, but I've never harmed a human. Still, I've always had this feeling... I like being around people with intense emotions. After I came to the Disorder Land, I asked a doctor about it. He told me it's because monsters crave human heads, or you could say they crave human emotions. Once they've had a taste, they can never forget it. That's why you have to stay far away from monsters that have harmed humans."
"Is it okay for you to tell me this?"
"Everyone knows this stuff. A lot of people have already turned into monsters. Besides, after coming to the Disorder Land, you can usually tell the difference between humans and monsters with the naked eye, and between monsters that have harmed humans and those that haven't," Xiang Nan said with a nonchalant shrug.
"So you're saying some monsters can hide their true form and can't be identified by sight?" Lin Sandie asked.
"Yeah, but I've never seen one."
After hearing Xiang Nan's words, Lin Sandie fell into thought. The people she had seen before—be it Yan Ting, Kang Yi, or Zhang Jun—had all harmed others. Had they eaten people?
"What's the difference for monsters in the Disorder Land versus outside?"
"It's easier to control your impulses outside. You might still get emotional and hurt someone, but you don't get the urge to eat people. Here in the Disorder Land, with the 'Scorpion' installed, we can control ourselves and not eat people. But Sister Sandie, you're still human. That's great."
"In the Disorder Land, monsters are more impulsive and want to eat people, but they retain their human intelligence. That's why you can't believe anything they say, because they might try to trick you into trusting them." Lin Sandie once again felt like she was facing the apocalypse.
"That's right. No matter what they do, there's only one thing they ultimately want: human heads."
"I understand." Lin Sandie could even picture those monsters, with nothing left but a mouth, opening their spiraling rows of sharp teeth to devour a human head.
"Sister Sandie, why did you come here?"
"If I said it was because it's interesting, would you believe me?" Lin Sandie asked.
"Of course. I got close to you because I think you're interesting too," Xiang Nan said, breaking into a grin.
Mike's team consisted of four people. Their vehicle was a blue pickup truck. Lin Sandie drove, with Mike in the passenger seat and Yan Zhi in the back. Xiang Nan sat in the open truck bed, observing the road. Although the landscape was as desolate as another planet, it wasn't as harsh as the post-apocalyptic world Lin Sandie had imagined. Even though people on the outside were constantly being infected and turning into monsters, the vast majority of the population was unaware of it, so society hadn't collapsed, and supplies were still guaranteed.
In the Disorder Land, the resources everyone truly fought over were points and magical items.
The road to Taiyin Village was rough. Mike and Lin Sandie took turns driving. Along the way, Mike told them many things about the monsters in the Disorder Land. By the time they reached Taiyin Village, it was almost 7 p.m.
Taiyin was another name for the moon, and Taiyin Village was likely named so because it was a good place for moon-gazing. Before they even arrived, Lin Sandie could see the village perched grimly on a mountainside beneath a bright, disc-like moon. Most of the buildings were in a style from over a hundred years ago. The dilapidated, ancient village exuded a sinister and cold aura in the moonlight.
Everyone had initially thought the truck wouldn't be able to make it up, but Mike, who had been here before, made a few turns and found a hidden mountain road along the edge of a valley, leading upward from below.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Lin Sandie looked out the window. Below, the river in the valley rippled like jade, and the mountains on both sides were layered with rock. All along the way, they could see chinaberry trees with small, pale purple flowers. When the mountain breeze blew, those inside the truck could faintly smell the fragrance of the blossoms. But in the darkness of the night, the leaves of the tall, lush trees swayed restlessly, as if something was hiding within them.
Taiyin Village was now deserted. Mike drove the truck to the front of the largest courtyard mansion in the village. It was a convenient place to park, and even though the mansion had been abandoned for a long time, its stone walls were still sturdy, so there was no danger of it collapsing on them.
Once Mike parked, Lin Sandie immediately got out and, with Xiang Nan, began unloading the sleeping bags, rations, and other supplies from the truck bed. Yan Zhi was the last to get out. Staring at the desolate and gloomy surroundings, she hugged her arms and rubbed them, trembling slightly as she stuck close to Mike.
Seeing her like this, Xiang Nan mischievously said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "Sister Sandie, I heard that the dead in Taiyin Village are all buried wearing masks. Did you know that?"
"Yes, I read the files during the day," Lin Sandie replied from behind, carrying several sleeping bags, her voice as devoid of emotion as ever. "The dead don't leave the village here. Many of the deceased are buried near their homes."
"Exactly. 'Ghosts around the corner, bones beneath the soil.' They all call this place Ghost Village."
"Are you two annoying or what! Why do you have to talk about things like that!" Yan Zhi's voice trembled as she raised it to bolster her courage, practically clinging to Mike.
"Yan Zhi, if you're scared just hearing this, I suggest you go back to Center City," Mike said with some annoyance. He wasn't a babysitter and had no desire to act like one.
Yan Zhi's face flushed red with shame and anger. She stood there, at a loss. Accustomed to being treated like a princess, she had never faced such an embarrassing moment.
Lin Sandie glanced at Mike, finding it strange that he still hadn't taken off his sunglasses, even now. Could it be that his sunglasses had a special ability, just like her glasses?
Under Mike's direction, the four of them prepared to spend the night in the main hall of the old mansion. Just inside was a courtyard, and the main hall faced the mansion's front gate. The hall's original wooden doors had long since rotted and collapsed, so they had a clear view of the area in front of the gate from inside.
They tidied up the hall a bit. The mountain nights were cold, so Xiang Nan got busy boiling water while Lin Sandie put down the sleeping bags and started taking out rations from her backpack.
"In a bit, Lin Sandie will come with me to patrol the surroundings. Xiang Nan, you have experience on missions, so you and Yan Zhi stay here. Use the walkie-talkie if anything happens."
The walkie-talkies they were using had a range of three to ten kilometers in the wild, making them a convenient way to communicate.
"Roger that!" Xiang Nan, chewing on a biscuit, gave a salute.
Lin Sandie sat silently to the side, her jacket taken off and resting on her lap. She rolled up her sleeve and injected a pale green, pain-relieving liquid into her vein.
Yan Zhi had also fallen silent. While eating her rations, she secretly glanced at Lin Sandie's beautiful profile, her mind a chaotic mess. She thought about what her sister, Yan Ting, had told her when she was alive. Her decisive, powerful sister had smugly told her that she, too, had someone she loved so much she wanted to hide them away.
It was as if that lover was someone incredible, becoming a source of pride for her sister Yan Ting to show off. Her career, her wealth—none of it could compare to that person.
And yet, that person had caused the death of the sister who loved her so much.
Did she really cause her death? Looking at Lin Sandie's expressionless face, Yan Zhi felt uncertain again. A face like that just couldn't be connected to a murderer.
"Let's go." Mike's words interrupted Yan Zhi's chaotic thoughts. Upon hearing him, Lin Sandie immediately stood up and put her jacket back on.
Yan Zhi watched Lin Sandie's retreating back, her lips moved, but she said nothing.
Although the temperature in the mountains was low at night, the specially made suit she wore insulated her from the external temperature difference. Lin Sandie had even expected to be bitten by insects in the mountains, but that didn't happen either.
"Take this." Mike handed Lin Sandie a night lamp. It was a white sphere with a handle. You could adjust the brightness by placing your entire palm on it, which was very convenient.
Lin Sandie took the lamp, tested it a few times with her palm, and after quickly familiarizing herself with it, she adjusted the night lamp to a suitable brightness and walked beside Mike.
"Is it safe to leave them here?" Before heading out, Lin Sandie glanced back at the two people sitting by the campfire eating rations and asked Mike in a low voice.
"It's fine. I'm watching. No matter what we encounter later, don't go more than five meters away from me," Mike replied.
Mike has a magical item. The thought popped into Lin Sandie's head. She didn't ask any more questions and simply began to patrol the area around the mansion with him.
Most of the houses in Taiyin Village had collapsed. Creeping vines and all sorts of weeds grew wild, and ancient, strange trees filled the streets and courtyards. The collapsed houses, obscured by the shifting shadows, made anyone walking among them feel more uneasy and suspicious. The slightest gust of wind made one suspect that a monster might leap out from a dark, old doorway at any moment.
They didn't go far. Mike and Lin Sandie patrolled the vicinity once, and after confirming there was nothing unusual, they prepared to return to the mansion. However, not long after they started back, they heard a heavy footstep echo from a small path around the corner ahead in the silent, moonlit night.
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