The rest of the henchn followed suit, bowing to Yang Xiao and his team before retreating.
Thus, the two sides reconciled, and at Yang Xiao’s request, the scar-faced man left behind an SUV for them, a black off-road vehicle covered in mud, along with two mobile phones and so cash.
"Hey," Yang Xiao called out to the limping scar-faced man, frowning, "After all this, how are you going to explain when you go back?"
"I’ve got a way. You guys... take care." The scar-faced man and his group of henchn boarded the white van, revved the engine, and drove away.
"What a bunch of bizarre people." Tong Han, standing behind Yang Xiao, slightly furrowed his brows.
"It’s not strange. Their culture is like that; they admire the strong. Only when you’re strong and ruthless will they respect you." Yang Xiao refrained from making blunt remarks, especially in the presence of Qingshui Cangjie and Jiu Shan Sha Yue, maintaining his belief that these Japanese have so sort of masochistic tendencies.
Once the scar-faced man and his group had left, the team resud discussing the day’s plan, having obtained a lead from the scar-faced man about a place called Chao Wei Village.
"Enough talk, let’s split up. One group will go out to find clues while the rest will stay behind to rest." Heize Lin sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression serious.
After so discussion, it was decided that Qingshui Cangjie, Heize Lin, Yang Xiao, Nishimura Yuna, and Hasegawa Hideji would drive out to search for clues.
Jiu Shan Sha Yue, Mitsuo Takeda, Beiyu Ye, Takagi Sayo, and Sato Shouta would stay behind at the hotel.
Four of the five, except Beiyu Ye, have been involved in night inspections or service duties, requiring rest, while Beiyu Ye’s task is to carefully survey the hotel surroundings, attempting to figure out what izhen Quan Gongsi was up to.
Takagi Sayo is in poor condition; she was greatly shocked when she saw the corpse earlier, her face pale, hands and feet trembling, occasionally retching.
"Miss Takagi, are you worried Miss Sakura will co looking for you at night?" Hasegawa Hideji smirked mischievously, making an inappropriate joke.
Hearing this, Takagi Sayo was visibly more terrified, propping herself against the wall, barely able to stand.
"Mr. Hasegawa, watch your words." Mitsuo Takeda had almost reached his limit of patience with this troublemaker, who was more of a liability than a help.
Now that Kato Atsushi, Yamada Kengohei, and Sakurai Miyuki are dead, they have 13 people left, with tasks already assigned to 10 of them. The remaining Shibuki Naoko, Tong Han, and Takeuchi Tomoya also have tasks: under Shibuki Naoko’s leadership, they will head to Yasaka Swamp, the last known location of Sakurai Miyuki’s disappearance.
Despite previous information stating the road to Yasaka Swamp was destroyed by flooding, they intend to take a gamble, knowing their opportunities are dwindling.
In less than two days, they already lost three teammates, yet the identity of the Ghost remains unclear—the progress is too slow.
This arrangent satisfies Yang Xiao and aligns with their interests: three groups are deployed, each containing their mbers, ensuring no information escapes their scrutiny.
Since they aren’t sure where Chao Wei Village is located, Yang Xiao’s team decides to set their first destination at Sakuragawa Town.
Yesterday, a team explored Sakuragawa Town, a small town where they procured many supplies.
Heize Lin drove, and the five of them headed towards Sakuragawa Town. They had trekked a long way last ti, but having a vehicle now made the journey easier.
Shortly after arriving, they got the na "Chao Wei Village" from an elderly shopkeeper. According to the elder, it was a very remote fishing village, about a two-hour drive from here, but he advised against going, as it seed to be abandoned.
"No one there?" Nishimura Yuna’s face was filled with disappointnt.
"Yes, probably not. If you’re considering a seaside trip, you might want to visit Haiyu Village; it’s closer and the road is better," the shopkeeper recomnded.
"Elder, do you know why Chao Wei Village was abandoned?" Yang Xiao picked up on sothing amiss.
"They were fishern; pollution has been severe these years, and no one buys seafood or visits for travel, cutting off their inco. What else is there to do but leave—wait around for starvation?" The elder glanced at Yang Xiao, giving a stark answer.
"Nowadays, the authorities indiscriminately discharge waste into the sea. I heard Chao Wei Village encountered a strange illness—don’t know what they ate, but many died." Growing agitated, the elder banged his cane heavily.
"Strange illness..." Their interest sparked instantly, yet the elder continued ranting against the authorities with increasingly impassioned rhetoric, avoiding further questions.
Realizing they could gather no more information from the elder, they confird the approximate direction to Chao Wei Village and marked a simple map, deciding to investigate it firsthand.
The morning was delayed due to the scar-faced man’s incident, and Chao Wei Village was quite far—at least a four-hour round trip—prompting them to depart imdiately.
Hasegawa Hideji and Nishimura Yuna were left behind to purchase supplies, procure two new mobile phones and SIM cards, and further investigate Eightfold Kashi Mountain Hotel.
User Comments
0 comments from readers