Before everything goes out

Perhaps it's because they've been hungry for too long.

It might be because there were so many people that the food tasted especially good.

Even a simple vegetable stew was a delightful meal for Li Fei.

Along with two or three dishes of pickled vegetables and the sound of children wolfing down their food, he drank four whole bowls of porridge.

After getting off the table, he used a gourd ladle to scoop a ladleful of cold water from the water vat and drank it.

Clear and cool.

"You don't need to pack up the table, just leave it to the children. I'll take you to see something."

Lin Wen got off the table and led Li Fei toward the door.

"Huh? Didn't they say we can't go out after eight o'clock?"

Li Fei looked at the clock on the wall.

Behind the cracked glass, the clock had just passed nine.

If he remembered correctly, the village had a curfew, meaning no one could leave their house after 8 p.m.

"Stay at the door without going out."

Lin Wen led Li Fei to squat down at the gate.

"Right at the door?"

Li Fei was stunned.

Lin Wen opened the tightly closed door a crack and then stared at the crack with a mysterious look.

"Is there something outside the door? I can't see anything here!"

Li Fei followed Lin Wen's gaze, only to find that the crack in the door was too narrow, barely half a finger's width, and he couldn't see anything at all.

"Don't look outside, it will come in by itself."

Come in by yourself?

What is it anyway?

Li Fei frowned, even more confused.

next second.

His face was full of doubt, but his pupils suddenly contracted as he stared intently at the crack in the door.

No, there really is something...

In the shaky vision, something black was wriggling and trying to crawl into the crack in the door.

It floats lightly like black mist, but upon closer inspection, it has a viscous, watery texture.

"What is this thing...?"

Li Fei's hair stood on end, and he unconsciously crouched back half a step.

It is "darkness."

Lin Wen smiled.

After gently pressing Li Fei's shoulder, she got up and moved the oil lamp behind her to a more distant position.

As the light source moved away, the darkness in the crack of the door seeped in even deeper.

"Darkness? Is this what darkness is like here?"

Li Fei swallowed.

Now he understands why his bracelet triggered the alarm.

Regardless of what this thing that Lin Wen called "darkness" actually is, it is definitely not a good thing.

Once it gets on your skin, it's very likely that...

"Come and touch it."

Under Li Fei's astonished gaze, Lin Wen stretched out two fingers and poked at the black mist seeping through the crack in the door.

Wriggle, coil, tremble.

Even more bizarrely, as Lin Wen flicked her fingers, the black mist actually began to move, as if it were some kind of strange, soft-bodied creature.

"Never played this before? It's really fun, you should try it."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Fei followed Lin Wen's example and touched the black mist with his hand.

The slippery feeling is quite wonderful.

He was certain that he had never encountered anything like it in his previous life.

He hadn't touched it a few times and was just about to enjoy it when he felt an electric shock and abruptly pulled his hand back.

"It itches so much!"

Li Fei's eyes were filled with terror.

Aside from the wonderfully slippery feeling, an intense itch arose from his fingertips and started to creep up his arm.

This was the same intense itching he felt when the bracelet alarmed.

That intense itching that felt like it was going to mutate him!

"Itchy? How could that be?"

Lin Wen looked over with concern.

"Aren't you itchy?"

Li Fei scratched his fingers vigorously a few times.

The itching only subsided after moving to a brighter place.

"It doesn't itch, so why would it itch?"

Lin Wen fiddled with the lights in the darkness a few more times.

"We want to play too!"

After the children finished tidying up the table, they ran over laughing and started playing in the dark as well.

Sometimes it rolls the darkness into a ball, sometimes it kneads it into a strip.

Seeing their cheerful expressions, Li Fei quickly realized that only he himself felt "itchy".

Why are these villagers unaffected?

Could they not mutate?

So they are immune to darkness?

I see...

Correct!

That's very likely!

Li Fei's mind raced, and he quickly filled in the blanks with some ideas.

He had seen many science fiction movies, whether it was about zombie viruses or something else. As is customary, there would always be people who were immune to them.

The villagers of Shuanghe Village were a case of "herd immunity".

This also explains why his gang of thugs kidnapped the villagers...

It is a study.

They must bring the villagers back inside the walls, conduct thorough scientific research, and then create a drug to immunize them against darkness.

Why didn't you take any people with you before? Did you just rob some cattle and sheep?

The rings didn't know before, but they only discovered it this time, and only after they discovered it did it become worth taking away.

"I see, I see..."

Li Fei muttered to himself.

Through this, he gained a clearer understanding of his situation.

"However, regardless of what these villagers are like, my primary goal is to return to my original world."

Li Fei shook his head and revised his thoughts.

He would never give up the possibility of going back.

If he were transported to the world of Pokémon, he might consider catching a couple of Pikachu and settling down there, but this world is so dangerous and bizarre that he doesn't want to stay there for even a second longer.

Say.

He is not an orphan; over there, he has family and friends waiting for him to return.

"It's getting late, time to go to sleep."

In the dim firelight, Lin Wen gave the order.

Whether they were gathered at the entrance or scattered around the earthen house, all the children inside stopped what they were doing and obediently lined up to wash themselves by the water vat.

While the children were washing up, she also made arrangements for Li Fei.

"I'll sleep inside with the kids, and you can sleep in the living room outside, so they won't disturb you."

"Your change of clothes are by the bedside, don't forget to change. Don't throw away your old clothes either, keep them for when you leave."

"I've lit the oil lamp for you. If you think it's not bright enough, you can light another one."

"Oh, and don't forget that you can't go out at night; that's the most basic rule."

"Just call me if there's anything else you need."

As Lin Wen spoke, she picked up the toddler who was still learning to walk and gently wiped his face with a damp towel.

From the corners of her mouth to behind her ears, her expression was delicate and gentle.

"I didn't expect this woman to be so capable and meticulous in her work. No wonder she can take care of so many children."

Li Fei thought to himself.

After a quick wash, he lay down on the bed.

It's called a bed, but it's actually just a corner of the living room with a makeshift bed made of bedding.

It was a bit simple, but compared to the two rooms inside that were full of sleeping children, his living room was relatively quiet.

Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, he lay down on a pillow made of clothes and began to organize his thoughts.

First of all.

What is certain is that he wants to return to his original world.

The possibility of wearing it again is definitely there; after all, animals can mutate, and darkness can take form...

Nothing is impossible.

but.

Going back in time will definitely not be that simple; it's certainly not something that can be done in just a few days.

Let's set this as the ultimate goal.

Second.

What is certain is that his immediate goal is to escape Shuanghe Village.

Firstly.

As a wicked ring spirit, he was born to be the villagers' enemy.

It's one thing to steal a few cattle and sheep normally, but now the villagers are blaming him for so many deaths.

Imagine if he hadn't been living at Lin Wen's house, and if the village chief hadn't protected him, he might have been slit in the throat in the middle of the night.

Furthermore, the village chief's protection stemmed from his "possibility of finding the missing villagers."

If he can't hand over the person in three days, Li Fei estimates he'll have to feed the dogs on the spot.

This place is too dangerous; we can't stay here long.

Secondly.

Even if this place isn't dangerous, he still doesn't want to stay here.

This small mountain village is isolated from the outside world and lacks access to information, making it difficult to gather intelligence and find a way back more quickly.

Even disregarding that, living in this dilapidated village is just too inconvenient.

Not only is there no electricity, but the food is also terrible.

One or two meals might be okay, but if he ate this every day, the villagers would get used to it, and he would eventually break down.

No matter what, he had to leave this place first.

Ideally, we'd return to the walled city where the original owner lived—that sounds like a great place.

Civilization, technology, and security.

With a government-like organization backing them, mutated monsters shouldn't be a problem.

Let's take a step back and think about it.

Even if he can't go back inside the wall for the time being, he will find another place to stay and inquire about ways to travel through time.

He felt uncomfortable anywhere in this dilapidated village.

"Prepare well during the day tomorrow, and leave tomorrow night."

Li Fei made up his mind.

Lying in bed, he picked up the bracelet and examined it once more.

This was the only clue he had. On the bright side, if it really had a location tracking function, he might soon be able to get a "rescue team" or something. After all, so many rings going missing was no small matter.

"As expected, there was no button."

After putting down the bracelet, Li Fei confirmed once again that there were no buttons on it.

Maybe the power is out?

Or perhaps he was operating it incorrectly?

In short, we'll have to wait until tomorrow when we've recharged our batteries.

His intuition told him that this bracelet couldn't be that bad; it could check the lighting environment, so it should at least be able to function as a watch to show the time.