Chapter 25 Diverging Point
Zhang Chenze's eyes widened, words failing her as she instinctively stepped back.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Jiajin's view was obstructed by Zhang Chenze and he had no idea what had just transpired.
He only saw the usually composed lawyer retreat several steps before falling onto the dirty ground, landing on her butt.
"You... you..." Zhang Chenze stammered, pointing at the female shop assistant.
Everyone turned toward the direction of her finger and saw the female shop assistant holding a tiny arm in her open palm. The arm was clearly not that of an adult; the fingers were small and unmistakably human.
It appeared that the shop assistant had cooked an infant.
And this infant's arm was exuding an alluring aroma at this moment.
Qi Xia observed the scene, recalling the circumstances in the staff room, and instantly grasped the horrifying reality.
"That's right," the shop assistant nodded. "You guys don’t want to have a bite?"
Qi Xia regained his composure and pressed further, "You mentioned that if we sleep with you, we can eat little piglets. These are the little piglets you were referring to?!"
"Yeah," the female shop assistant replied with a sluggish gaze. "Little piglets are delicious."
The smell of blood was overpowering. Bloodstains marred the female shop assistant's thighs and the bed. If Qi Xia's suspicions were correct, this woman had given birth recently and then cooked her own baby.
She let men sleep with her solely to have the opportunity to eat the infant.
"I can only eat a little piglet about once a year..." The female shop assistant smiled, revealing her dry, yellow teeth. "I just want to ask if any of you are willing to sleep with me? I give pig trotters in exchange..."
"We—we’re good..." Police Officer Li stammered, shaking his head.
"Since you’re good… then forget it..." The shop assistant muttered, fumbling for a moment before stuffing the boiled baby's arm into her clothing pocket and wiping the oil off her hands.
Zhang Chenze was speechless, watching the clothes she had given now stained with grease.
She had never imagined that cooking human meat would produce so much oil.
Tian Tian slowly approached the female shop assistant, her expression conflicted. "Miss, what you ate was not a little piglet, but a child..."
"Child?" The female shop assistant's lifeless eyes flickered as if trying to process the information. "It was definitely a little piglet. It suddenly jumped out and even hurt me."
Everyone exchanged glances, unable to find the words to respond.
"Heh... I'm hungry again," the female shop assistant remarked, raising her eyebrows. "I'm going to drink pork soup. It's great to be able to eat until I'm full."
With that, she turned and walked back into the staff room. Just before closing the door, she seemed to remember something and turned back to the group with a silly smile. "Please feel free to peruse around!"
Then she shut the door with a heavy thud.
The remaining people stood unmoving, enveloped in an extended silence, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.
Finally, it was Qi Xia who broke the silence.
"Everyone, even if this wretched place isn't destroyed in ten days, we won't be able to return to the real world," Qi Xia said, touching his forehead. "If we remain here indefinitely, we'll inevitably go mad like her."
This time, Police Officer Li did not disagree with Qi Xia.
He, too, hesitated. In this blatantly abnormal city, beneath the dark red sky and sun the color of dirt, how long could humans maintain their sanity?
From inside the staff room came the clatter of kitchen utensils, signaling that the female shop assistant had served herself another bowl of her peculiar ‘delicacy’ and was now gorging herself.
Just one door away, a woman was consuming her own newborn baby.
Everything in this place was profoundly abnormal.
"I want to go out and explore," Qi Xia declared. "Aren't you all curious? What is this place exactly? Who are these people? Is there an end to this city? What lies beyond? How did we arrive here, and how do we leave?"
Rather than {curiosity}, the expressions on everyone's faces betrayed more fear.
"I just feel like there are dangers lurking everywhere here..." Xiao Ran shook her head and said to Qi Xia, "Instead of venturing out to partake in those {games}, I'd rather find a safe place to stay."
"Leng-mui, there's nothing to eat or drink here." Qiao Jiajin touched his stomach. "We have to survive. We can't actually eat 'little piglets,' right?"
His stance was clear. Rather than waiting here to perish, he, too, wanted to venture out and explore.
The nine individuals seemed to be split into two sides now—some eager to depart, others preferring to remain.
Doctor Zhao glanced at Han Yimo beside him. "It's fine to explore outside, but this injured person can't come along. He's destined to stay here. As a doctor, it’s my duty to stay and attend to him."
"Then I'll stay with you two," Xiao Ran whispered.
"Do you all want to give up on life?" Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "An injured person, a frail gal, and a doctor—are you really planning to live here?"
"I'll stay too," Police Officer Li said suddenly.
Doctor Zhao and the others turned to look at Police Officer Li, acknowledging that his presence would provide added security.
Police Officer Li nodded at Doctor Zhao. "The hoodlum is right. It's too risky for the three of you to stay here alone. Besides those freaks in animal masks, even if that woman inside goes berserk, you won't be able to handle it."
Now, with four people opting to remain, all eyes turned to Tian Tian, Zhang Chenze, and Lin Qin.
The three women had not yet voiced their opinions.
"Without a doubt, I'll be staying." Zhang Chenze smiled faintly. "As a lawyer, I won't act until I have all the facts. Jumping to conclusions could lead to a misjudgment."
After stating her decision, Zhang Chenze stood up and joined Police Officer Li and Doctor Zhao.
Meanwhile, Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin appeared as the outliers. They harbored the desire to venture out and explore this world, despite its apparent dangers, like naive children who had yet to mature.
Tian Tian glanced at Lin Qin beside her, then quietly positioned herself next to Qi Xia without intending to offer any explanation for her choice.
"Hmm?" Qiao Jiajin raised the corners of his mouth. "I thought you would stay."
"Stay?" Tian Tian smiled bitterly and shook her head, then pointed to the ground and said, "Can't you all see it? There is a wall here, and this wall is giving me no option but to go."
"Wall?" Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin peered downwards, finding no such {wall}.
"On the other side of the wall are a policeman, lawyer, doctor, and writer; while on this side, there’s a swindler, hoodlum, and prostitute," Tian Tian said in a flat tone. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued, "Our {faction} have been predetermined from the start, haven't they?"
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin's expressions shifted. They grasped Tian Tian's implication.
Indeed. Even if the nine of them were ordinary individuals coerced into this situation, they each belonged to a distinct {faction}.
Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Tian Tian all reside in the gray area, destined to be at odds with the rest.
Now, the only person who had not chosen their {faction} was Lin Qin.
According to her identity as a {counseling psychologist}, she should have joined the others on the opposite side of the {wall}.
However, to everyone's surprise, she slowly walked over to stand beside Qi Xia and the others.
Qi Xia sensed that something was off about this woman, but he couldn't quite identify what it was.
"You're coming too?" Tian Tian asked Lin Qin in confusion. "You are not like us. If you stay with them, maybe..."
"But I'm very useful." Lin Qin interrupted, still covering her mouth and nose. She smiled at Tian Tian. "I understand human nature. Perhaps I can be of assistance."
Qiao Jiajin stretched leisurely and said, "Alright, with two leng-mui accompanying us, swindler lad and I won't be bored."
"Don't call me swindler lad," Qi Xia said, furrowing his brows. "And I don't need any of you following me."
"Okay, okay..." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "When do we leave? Now?"
Before Qi Xia could finish speaking, Lin Qin interjected, "It's really late now. I would personally suggest that we set out tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" All heads turned toward the window, confirming the deepening dusk outside.
The sky now bore a deeper, reddish hue, cloaked in an increasingly ominous atmosphere.