Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 223

This island is quite remote, there are not many islanders and the village is very small. In addition, there was a relocation and resettlement operation two years ago, so now you can only see some people during the busy fishing season every year.

In the center of the village there is a store with the supply and marketing cooperative sign still hanging on it. There is a lot of space inside, but it is not used very much nowadays. Only some rice, flour, grain and oil are placed near the door. As for the things on the shelves, they are covered with a layer of dust. I am afraid that many of them have expired.

An old woman was sitting inside, knitting a sweater quietly.

Tan Wenbin walked up the stairs and came to the counter.

"Grandma, call."

The old woman stopped what she was doing and gently scraped her temples with the long wooden knitting needle.

After a long time, he seemed to come to his senses. He stood up, walked over slowly, took out the telephone that was locked in a box on the counter, and placed it on the counter.

"let's hit."

Tan Wenbin picked up the phone and was about to dial a number when he found there was no sound.

"Grandma, is there something wrong with the phone?"

The old woman frowned, checked the telephone line, and said, "It's not broken, there must be something wrong with the line."

The phone call is unavailable.

Tan Wenbin took out a cigarette box and gave one to the old lady.

The old woman took the cigarette skillfully and put it in her mouth. She took out the matchbox skillfully and with a "click", she lit the match for herself first, then passed the match to Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin hurriedly lowered his head and handed the cigarette butt to her and lit it. The old woman then shook her hand and extinguished the match that was about to burn her finger.

Two people, one old and one young, were leaning against the counter, puffing away.

Old woman: "I heard on the radio that a wave is coming, why don't you leave the island?"

Tan Wenbin: "I like this place very much. It has beautiful scenery and is quiet. It is the best place to heal emotional pain."

"Young people should be more open-minded. Life is long, and there is no need to waste too much time on love affairs."

"I know, but I'm still young."

When you go out, your identity is given by yourself.

Tan Wenbin was born with the ability to talk nonsense and build relationships. When he lived in the dormitory, the dorm manager treated him as her godson and no matter how many classes he missed, his teachers always gave him full marks.

Therefore, Tan Wenbin could sense that there was something wrong with the old woman.

He couldn't say what the problem was specifically, because he didn't notice anything unusual about the old woman. In addition, the certificates posted on the wall of the supply and marketing cooperative and the old photos of the old woman that she had shown him all indicated that she had spent most of her life on this island, guarding this supply and marketing cooperative.

But when communicating with her, Tan Wenbin could feel the shrewdness and insight that the old woman inadvertently revealed.

There were two other people on the island who gave Tan Wenbin the same feeling.

One is an old man on the lighthouse. The old man looks dull and numb, but his eyes looking towards the sea reveal a deepness from time to time.

The other is a boat captain who frequently travels to this island. He is very familiar with this area. Next, he will also take money to take everyone on the island to Wuxin Island.

These three people have one thing in common, which is that they have qualities that go beyond their own work and living environment.

Although it has been hidden all the time, when Tan Wenbin uses "stereotypes" to interact with them, there is a sense of error.

"gone."

Tan Wenbin waved his hand, turned around and walked down the stairs. It didn't matter whether the call was connected or not. After all, today was the third day. If there was no news of safety, Brother Xiaoyuan must know that something happened on the island.

The old woman took the phone down and put it back into the wooden box. Then she sat back down and picked up the knitting needles.

Before I had knitted twice, the wind started to blow outside, and then the rain began to fall.

The old woman walked around the counter, took a long pole, put it on the hook on the door curtain, and pulled it down.

Halfway through the pull, there was thunder.

The old woman stuck her head out and looked into the night.

The door curtain was only half pulled down, but she dropped the long pole in her hand, walked back to the counter, squatted down, and lifted a floor tile under her feet, revealing a groove underneath.

In the groove, there was a pitch-black statue with an incense burner in front of it. There was no ash in the burner, but there was a rat with only the lower half of its body left. There was a mixture of blood and corpse water inside, and the rat's tail was shaking unconsciously.

The old woman knelt down in front of the statue, clasped her hands together, buried her head deep, and rested her forehead on the ground.

Gradually, the old woman's body began to tremble, and the friction and crisp sounds of her joints could be heard.

When the old woman raised her head again, her eyes were filled with purple.

She stood up, and her originally hunched body now stood straight.

As lightning flashed, the light bulbs in the supply and marketing cooperative flickered, and the old woman's figure changed position every time the light reappeared.

She first appeared outside the counter, and the next moment she appeared at the door. She picked up the long pole, and with her wrinkled fingers exerted force, the pole broke into pieces, revealing a long spear.

The tip of the gun is simple, but at the tail of the gun, there is a black skull embedded.

In the next roar of thunder and lightning, the old woman's figure completely disappeared.

Tan Wenbin appeared from under the eaves of an uninhabited house in the distance, a half-smoked cigarette already held between his fingertips.

Originally, he should have left, but the rain came too quickly and kept him back.

Then, he hid himself as if possessed by a ghost, hiding his body while looking in the direction of the supply and marketing cooperative.

I happened to see the old woman left the store as if she had become a different person.

Brother Xiaoyuan's "Secret Scroll of the Ancestors" records the experience summary of each wave. Tan Wenbin himself is a personal experiencer. Sometimes seemingly unconscious actions are actually driven by instinct.

"Sure enough, the more inconspicuous the existence in the waves is, the more we should not take it lightly."

Tan Wenbin did not rush back to the camp, but went to the lighthouse.

The light on the lighthouse was on, turning and flashing.

But it feels a bit too mechanical and rigid.

Tan Wenbin hid behind the reef and observed for a long time, guessing that the old man in the lighthouse should not be inside at this moment.

Necessary risks must be taken so that more valuable intelligence can be provided after Xiaoyuan and his team land on the island.

Tan Wenbin left the reef, crossed the stone bridge connecting the shore to the lighthouse, and came to the foot of the tower.

The tower door was not locked and opened with a little effort. Then he climbed up the ladder.

"Uncle, don't drink. I miss my ex-girlfriend again. We were separated by thunder and rain."

Climbing to the top floor, he saw a woman lying on the lamp, moving numbly.

When Tan Wenbin appeared, the woman slowly turned her head and looked over.

There were obvious signs of stitches on her neck and hands, one eye socket was white, and the other was empty.

The woman was wearing shackles, and the other end of the shackles were hung on an iron hook on the tower wall, and she was tied up like a dog.

In addition, the woman's entire body was wet, with thick liquid accumulating under her feet. Her entire body was soaked and turned pale, but she did not look bloated or greasy.

There is a photo hanging in the living room at the bottom of the tower. The background is the tower. There is a photo of the old man and the woman. The old man cherishes this photo very much and says that this is his daughter.

Tan Wenbin also asked the old man where his daughter had gone.

The old woman replied: She got married.

Married to the sea.

I guess most of the time, the old people are the ones who soak in the sea.

"You are busy, continue."

After a simple greeting, Tan Wenbin went down. The woman did not chase him in anger, but looked away and continued to do her numb movements.

Next is the last stop, and also the most important one.

If something happens to the captain, the journey to Wuxin Island will become extremely difficult.

Because most of the information about Wuxin Island was provided by the captain.

Tan Wenbin ran to the dock. The ship was still parked there. Before Tan Wenbin could get any closer, a chill rose up from his shoulders all the way down to his tailbone.

These are his two godsons, warning him. Many times, as ghosts, their perception is more acute.

Tan Wenbin unconditionally supports his children.

Without hesitation, he turned sideways and hid himself in a corner of the reef.

Then he wiped the rain off his face and looked at the direction of the boat through the gap.

The captain's purple eyes looked so dazzling in the dark rainy night.

He walked slowly along the shore, holding one end of the fishing net in one hand and dragging a long section behind him. The net was not filled with fish, but with people.

With occasional lightning and thunder, the vision becomes clear in an instant.

Tan Wenbin not only saw the blood constantly overflowing from the fishing net, he could even recognize the identities of the bodies inside, because the features of some people were too obvious.

One is bald. Even though the temperature on the island is low, he likes to be shirtless and even puts on some oil to show off his muscles.
One of them had tattoos all over his body, saying that they were inherited from his family. After he betrayed his family, he washed the tattoos himself, but he didn't wash them cleanly, so there was a stain all over his body.

Both of them have violent personalities. Two days ago, they teamed up to launch sneak attacks and robberies against others.

Xin Jiyue almost died at their hands, and it was Tan Wenbin who saved her.

Now, both guys are dead, along with the group of people they organized, all were wrapped up in the fishing net.

The captain faced the sea and let out a shout from his throat. Even the sound of thunder and rain and the waves could not completely cover up the sound.

Soon, some strangely shaped waves appeared on the beach. They came over, but did not hit the shore, but stopped at the shore.

The captain opened the fishing net, grabbed a body from it and threw it into the sea. As soon as the body fell to the surface of the sea, it was immediately pulled under.

They were thrown one by one, as if a keeper was feeding them.

Tan Wenbin noticed that before throwing out each corpse, the captain would take something off the corpse. It should be the object used by these people to hold their karma.

Tan Wenbin retreated silently. He was now considering whether to return to his own camp.

He has no karma, which means that he is unlikely to become a target of hunting, so if he hangs out with that group of people again, he will easily become an innocent victim.

But that group of guys was gathered together by himself after all. Although he was forced to be the boss, it seemed inappropriate for him to do nothing when he knew there was danger.

"No, we still have to go back and take a look to see whether the 'natives' are cleaning up the unstable elements or really carrying out indiscriminate killings."

The former can understand that those who do not follow the rules and rob others of their karma are obviously black sheep and need to be eliminated so that the system can continue to operate.

If it is the latter, the nature of the matter will change, and it is also what Tan Wenbin cannot understand the most.

Because the group of people who went to the island to deliver the goods were obviously organized and developed, and they must have spent a lot of energy. Even if the "natives" want to pay for their karma, can't they just stay here and take a commission? Why should they lump them all together and do such a thing as draining the pond to catch fish?

If you kill all the people this time, you will have to recruit new people next time. Why bother?

Tan Wenbin returned to his camp. The campfire was still there, and the outposts outside were still there. They took the initiative to greet him:

"Brother Bin, you're back."

Tan Wenbin nodded to him and sat back down by the campfire.

His own camp was currently safe and had not been attacked. He did not know if it was because the people here were "law-abiding deliverymen" or because they were too weak and scattered, so they were left to be slaughtered last.

"Brother Bin, here, drink it to warm your body." Xin Jiyue handed over a small pot with steaming fish soup in it.

When they first met on the island, Xin Jiyue had developed a vague liking for Tan Wenbin. She liked fishing and chatting with this man.

After being rescued by Tan Wenbin, his affection for him became stronger and clearer.

One of the reasons why this camp can gather so many people is that she took the initiative to help recruit people to join. In her opinion, Tan Wenbin should like the feeling of being the boss.

Tan Wenbin had no appetite for the soup, so he pushed it away and said, "Go and call everyone here, everyone."

"Okay, Brother Bin."

Soon, everyone gathered together, including the sentries.

Tan Wenbin got straight to the point: "Listen, this island is very dangerous now, many people have died, I value my life, I don't want to gamble anymore, I quit.

I advise you to throw away the objects containing karma in your hands, hide, and then find a way to leave this island. No matter what, life is the most important.

Well, that's all I have to say. I'm leaving now. Take care, everyone! "

Tan Wenbin stood up, waved goodbye, and left without any reluctance.

If it were to follow the normal pace, it would not be impossible for him to gather a group of people here and establish a hilltop. At least he could help Brother Xiaoyuan and the others to get on the island and provide some convenience.

Now, he didn't dare to gamble his life here. He believed that Brother Xiaoyuan would never allow him to do such a stupid thing.

Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what had suddenly gone wrong with "Brother Bin". How could they give up now?

Tan Wenbin knew that he could not disband the gang. Human greed, especially the greed for power, was difficult to get rid of. Even if he left, they would quickly elect another leader.

But what Tan Wenbin didn't expect was that two people followed him out.

One is Xin Jiyue and the other is Wu Qinhai.

"Brother Bin, I'll listen to you." Xin Jiyue chased after him, grabbed Tan Wenbin's arm with one hand, and opened her chest with the other hand, "Look, I lost my bra, there's nothing inside!"

Both his words and actions contained obvious hints, but Tan Wenbin could not avoid suspicion at this moment, so he leaned inside and took a closer look, and found that it was indeed empty.

Wu Qinhai: "Brother Bin, you saved my life, so whatever you say is fine. My tea bag is also thrown away, along with Jiyue's bra, and the karma inside, are all left to them. They are now electing a new leader."

Tan Wenbin reached out and touched Wu Qinhai, then called his two godsons to help smell it. After the godsons responded that they could no longer sense the source of karma, Tan Wenbin believed that they had thrown away the goods.

Xin Jiyue: "Brother Bin, where are you going after leaving the island? I have no home anyway, so I'll go with you."

Tan Wenbin: "Let's not talk about this for now. Come here and hide."

This place is neither too far nor too close to the camp, and is a very good observation point.

Although Xin Jiyue and Wu Qinhai didn't understand why they had to do this, they still followed the instructions and hid their bodies.

The rain was still falling. Unlike the campsite with tents and campfires, it was really uncomfortable to be caught in the rain in a ditch in the wild.

After hiding for a while, Wu Qinhai was about to ask a question, but Tan Wenbin covered his mouth.

"Shh..."

The tingling sensation from the shoulders to the tailbone came again.

"who are you?"

"who are you."

"what!"

"what!"

Screams continued to be heard, and Tan Wenbin saw the old woman in the supply and marketing cooperative and the old man in the lighthouse.

The two old men walked towards the camp from two directions respectively. Although the rain was also washing over them, the sticky feeling of blood was still on their bodies. This was because they had killed people in other places before coming here.

The people in the camp were not ordinary people who were powerless. As soon as they saw the two men appear, they started killing people and immediately began to summon spirits.

However, the effect is no different whether the spirit is awakened or not.

Every time the old woman thrust out with the spear, it pierced a person's chest; every time the lighthouse old man swung out with the chain, it smashed a person's head.

This was not a battle at all, but a one-sided massacre.

Soon, there was no one left standing in the entire camp except the two of them.

The two old men began to collect the objects that contained karma from the corpses. For them, this might be more tiring than killing people.

Wu Qinhai and Xin Jiyue both opened their eyes wide and dared not speak.

Tan Wenbin frowned deeply. It was actually a massacre. All those who held karmic objects were their targets for slaughter.

Is it impossible to live like this?
Or is it just a coincidence that by this batch, enough karma has been accumulated?

At this time, the two old men raised their heads, their purple eyes turned to the sky, and made sounds in their throats.

During the thunderstorm, a group of huge strange birds appeared. They landed and began to eat the corpses on the ground frantically.

After a corpse was eaten, the clothes were actually taken away by the big bird.

As for the bloodstains, as long as the rain doesn't stop tonight, everything will be washed away.

The old woman from the supply and marketing cooperative and the old man from the lighthouse lowered their heads and began to look at each other.

They seemed to be talking, but Tan Wenbin was too far away, and the sound of rain, thunder and birdsong was so loud that he couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

It would be great if Brother Xiaoyuan was here. With his hearing, he should be able to hear their conversation clearly.

"Karma has not been collected enough."

"This is the will of the Lord. We must quickly clear the area, erase all the karma here, and clean up the island."

"You are closer to adults. Do you know why adults want us to do this?"

"The master said: 'There is a person who is not to be trifled with, and he is about to land on the island.'"

(End of this chapter)