Mutants - Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Eavesdropping
Sui Xin slept very soundly, just like she was in her own home, but she still woke up once in the middle of the night.
Cold.
Very cold.
She groggily opened her eyes and noticed some water dripping from the cave walls. It seemed to be forced out by the cold air. The Gobi rock itself seemed to have a frosty chill?
This was…
She was covered with a thick blanket, but she still felt the cold now. Her wound was very painful. In a daze, she finally remembered—it was time for the Frostfall Light Radiation.
The Light Radiation she had encountered with Ye Chen and the others in the cave apparently arrived every night. Otherwise, the mirrorstone wouldn't have changed so obviously.
If the range of the Light Radiation doesn't reach here, it's not so bad. It's just a large-scale temperature drop in the Gobi region. If it reached here directly, we'd probably all have to hide in caves. No, even with this temperature, a large number of people in the refugee camp would probably die. How did they survive?
Unless there are tunnels underground.
There are other tunnels beneath the wooden huts, earthen houses, or tents.
So, could there also be downward-leading tunnels inside this mountain? Places for Moss and these villains to hide or conceal themselves.
If the Bruces don't come, these people are well-equipped to handle the Frostfall Light Radiation. After all, they've survived here for so many years and have experience. But even though the Gobi is vast, if the Bruces had been here from the beginning, they must have come here at least once, right? After all, there are so many people here, and they like to freeze and consume organic matter…
Could it be that Red Eye has some way to repel the Bruces?
It seems those four Bruces escaped and aren't at the outpost. Have they wandered into the Gobi region?
Sui Xin's thoughts drifted, and she fell back asleep.
When she woke up the next day, she asked the person who came to apply medicine to her wound if there was any breakfast.
The person replied that it was already noon, and they didn't have the concept of breakfast here. The refugees only got to drink meat soup once every two days, with an occasional extra meal of sorghum cakes, and that was only when the Red Eye Organization had a major celebration.
Sui Xin had heard of sorghum cakes. To put it simply, they were as unpalatable as the sole of a leather shoe, with less than a tenth of the nutrients of a single nutrient solution tube.
It was hard to comment on. It was purely for filling the stomach.
But the refugees clearly considered it a delicacy.
However, isn't meat soup tastier?
So there was a problem with the meat soup.
Sui Xin didn't even need to ask about the ingredients of the meat soup. She just wanted to get some nutrient solution from Red Eye.
She waited for someone to come find her.
She waited and waited. Her stomach started to ache with hunger, and it was almost dark, but no one came to see her.
This wouldn't do.
The local gang was so impolite.
Just when Sui Xin felt she couldn't take it anymore, the door opened, and Chen Mo strolled in.
"It seems Consultant Sui is recovering well."
Sui Xin: "Can you give me a nutrient solution? I'm hungry."
Chen Mo was asked for food before he could even pull up a chair. He narrowed his eyes and smiled, "You're not very polite, are you? Are you so sure you're out of danger?"
Sui Xin frowned and said weakly, "Not killing me means you're willing to recruit me. Since you're willing to recruit me, shouldn't you pay me a salary?"
Chen Mo: "You haven't worked or created any value, and you've used up some of our medical supplies. You're practically in debt to us at Red Eye, and you still want a salary?"
Sui Xin was speechless. She touched her still slightly feverish face and said feebly, "Well, you have to give me food, right? Don't patients need to eat?"
Chen Mo: "You've been unconscious most of the time, so you couldn't feel hungry. What's the big deal? Why waste food?"
Sui Xin paused, clutched the blanket, and said listlessly, "Alright, I'll continue to rest then."
She lay down and closed her eyes, as if she were dying of old age.
This time, it was Chen Mo who frowned. He was afraid that Moss might need to use her for something… This woman was smart. If she turned the tables and framed him, that would be bad.
"I'll have someone prepare some meat soup for you. I hope you drink a lot of it to replenish your strength."
He spoke with deep meaning. Sui Xin's heart skipped a beat. She opened her eyes and said, "If someone with an inflamed and feverish wound eats something dirty containing germs, causing another fungal infection, they won't be far from death. If I die, will the boss think you wanted to silence me because I hit a nerve about some shady collusion you're involved in?"
Chen Mo's expression changed slightly.
"You're quite bold, daring to threaten me."
"But whether or not you get a nutrient solution depends on the higher-ups. I can't make that decision. I can only say that while your Mutant Ability is quite amazing, it's not as consistently useful as a combat-type ability."
The implication was that Moss would use her, but only when necessary—for example, when he suspected one of his subordinates of collusion.
Given that she had already used it once in front of Moss, he certainly wouldn't need her ability in the short term.
That also meant… figuring out how to extract the method of obtaining her ability from her was the primary objective.
Chen Mo gave her a deep look and turned to leave.
Sui Xin watched him leave, her expression darkening slightly.
This was also her biggest worry.
They weren't giving her food to keep her weak, and the medicine they applied was of the worst quality, only temporarily suppressing the inflammation, not allowing her to heal.
It was as if they were just trying to keep her barely alive.
But Chen Mo's visit, where he neither discussed business nor gave her food, seemed more like he was just checking on her condition. He should be reporting back now.
It was a pity she didn't have her mimicry and disguise ability now, or she could follow him and eavesdrop to steal some secrets.
Sui Xin glanced at the closed door, knowing someone was always watching from outside.
If she was watched this closely all the time and her body couldn't recover, as time dragged on, she would be powerless to resist when that old bastard Moss decided to try something crooked.
Sui Xin was anxious. She could only place a hand on her forehead and think of a countermeasure, but the cramping pain from her stomach was becoming more and more unbearable.
Hungry, so hungry, extremely hungry.
Just as she was feeling that life was worse than death and thought she was about to kick the bucket, after a while, the door suddenly opened again.
Chen Mo was back, and he had brought something with him.
"Here, a reward from the boss. He said you are indeed a talent and hopes you recover soon."
Sui Xin stared at the single nutrient solution tube on the plate, a little stunned. Her eyes turned red. "Thank you for the boss's gift. To think he gave me a nutrient solution. I will definitely do my utmost to serve our organization in the future."
First, was his sudden kindness in giving her food a sign that her previous speculations were wrong?
Second, what kind of boss would be so stingy as to give only one nutrient solution? Even Tianxi Group gave them out for free, albeit with worms inside.
Chen Mo couldn't tell for a moment if there was a hidden meaning in the woman's words. In any case, he pretended not to hear it and was about to leave.
But behind him, a glint flashed in Sui Xin's eyes. She had to probe their motives.
"Um, how about you give me one more? I can put in a good word for you in the future."
Chen Mo turned around, looking at her with a half-smile. "And if I don't, what will you say about me?"
Sui Xin: "What else could I say? I can only decide what I won't say about you."
Chen Mo narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he took out another nutrient solution and tossed it to her as if giving alms to a beggar.
After he left, Sui Xin immediately tore open a nutrient solution and downed it. Only then did her body feel much more comfortable… and then she froze.
There was a faint warmth in her stomach.
It wasn't obvious, but it was there. And its presence brought a moment of comfort to her pained and weakened body, which was suffering from fever and inflammation.
This doesn't seem normal. So eating things with nutritional content can also replenish my energy? In principle, the composition of ATP is related to this, that's right… Oh, do other people's Genetic Fragments also have components derived from physical matter? And the components of nutrient solution also come from compressed food liquids, all of which are transformations of biological matter. In that sense, if I just keep eating and eating… can I also fill this void?
It seems the fatal injuries I suffered before my mutation have all healed without even leaving a scar. That giant deep-sea octopus corpse was frozen for years, its skin was left, but its flesh was gone. Don't tell me I ate it.
Because I ate it, I was able to fully recover…
Of course, this direct consumption of food was definitely not as efficient as directly consuming someone else's Genetic Fragments. The latter could also enhance her own evolutionary progress and advance her Mutant Ability.
But… Sui Xin predicted that eating like this could likely accelerate the recovery of her injuries.
I can't stay in this damn place for long. From Chen Mo's reaction, it's clear he and Moss want to temporarily stabilize me, even giving me a little nutrient solution to do so. But it's also possible that letting me recover some strength is part of their goal.
Keeping me barely alive, not wanting me to just die, but with no specific work arrangements. They don't want me to get suspicious, but they still have to keep me locked up. And while they're at it, they don't mind letting my body recover, but not too quickly…
Sui Xin thought it over and over, unable to figure out Moss's specific intentions, but she was sure it had something to do with her body.
I have to escape quickly!
Eat my fill, recover, activate my ability, and escape!
But first, she had to get out and find food.
Without being able to transform, how could she get out?
As Sui Xin pondered, she suddenly noticed the other nutrient solution in her hand. Just as she was about to eat it, an idea struck her.
Speaking of which, nutrient solutions contained many components that were the product of black technology and hardcore processing. While for most people, one tube could guarantee a certain level of satiety and had higher nutritional value than some low-grade rations, that was because it had been processed into nutrients that could be efficiently absorbed by humans without much conversion. Most rations, on the other hand, were made from crops that were now difficult to grow due to the climate, preventing the production of normal food products like a century ago. The resulting food was mostly unpalatable and lacked much nutritional value, but!
If my stomach has such powerful digestive abilities, it means I can directly and efficiently absorb the nutrients from sorghum cakes. If there's enough quantity of sorghum cakes, it would actually be more beneficial for me than nutrient solution!
She did a quick calculation and figured that just three sorghum cakes would be enough to offset one nutrient solution.
But in terms of black market prices, ten sorghum cakes were only worth 1 LB, the same as one nutrient solution.
So…
Sui Xin opened her mouth and called out, specifically calling for the guard outside the door.
The guard thought her injuries were acting up. One of them pushed the door open and came in to ask about the situation.
Holding the nutrient solution, Sui Xin said bluntly, "Big brother, I'll trade you one nutrient solution for eight sorghum cakes. Deal?"
At that moment, the guard thought she was crazy.
And not just a little crazy.
The guard asked twice to confirm Sui Xin wasn't joking. Then, he and the other guard glanced to both sides. Seeing no one, he lowered his voice and asked her why.
Sui Xin knew they were afraid of getting into trouble, that there was some trick behind it.
Although they didn't understand what profit could be made from trading nutrient solution for sorghum cakes, this person was from Tianxi Group, after all, and was a suspected Mutant. Everyone knew Mutants had unpredictable abilities. If she had some special skill and escaped, they had dealt with her, and if it was discovered, they'd be in trouble.
As she spoke, she deliberately clutched her stomach, looking pale and weak. "My constitution is a bit… problematic. I can't really explain it to you, but if Boss Moss asks, I'll explain it myself. If you're worried I'll pull some trick and escape, one of you can stay and watch me while the other goes and gets it."
"Don't say I didn't warn you. I know that in organizations like yours in the ruins, nutrient solutions are a monopolized and controlled item. They're effective quickly, more useful than other food on missions, and easy to carry. Usually, only people like Chen Mo get them allocated. Normally, even if you have money, you can't buy them within the organization. You can't get them through official channels in the city, and the prices on the black market are inflated."
"Trading with me is easy and hassle-free. It's enough to cover a day's rations for an outside mission, and it might even save your life. If you don't want to trade, I'll just find someone else."
Actually, Sui Xin could have just traded with Chen Mo directly. No matter how suspicious he was, there was nothing to be suspicious about in this matter. After all, the value of a nutrient solution was far higher than that of sorghum cakes. They could rack their brains and still not find any room for manipulation.
Besides… they already had their own crooked ideas about her, so for now, they would humor her.
But Sui Xin still wanted these two guards to make the exchange because it would save time.
The two guards weren't exactly upstanding citizens to begin with. They were either fugitives from various places or thugs selected from the refugees for their ferocity. They were only driven by profit. Seeing a small, inconsequential benefit like this trade, and since the organization's rules weren't as strict as those of a consortium like Tianxi, they quickly agreed.
"But I have one condition. Don't try to fool me with any that are spoiled or smelly. I'm injured, you know."
"We won't, we won't. That stuff can't be preserved if it's spoiled anyway."
Sui Xin actually felt a bit emotional: this was why the consortiums were so powerful. They held the economic lifelines in one hand and resources in the other. The entire social system was under their control. A small thing like a nutrient solution could hold sway over so many people. And these organizations in the ruins, though they seemed fierce and vicious, even intercepting and robbing outposts, were ultimately driven by profit.
However, these organizations in the Deep Red Sector weren't actually small; they just couldn't compare to a top-tier super-consortium like Tianxi.
She had come from Tianxi from the start, so her standards were a bit higher.
Sui Xin did indeed stay obediently in her room. It was just that as the remaining guard closed the door, her fingers pressed against the collar of her thin shirt.
Because of the treatment for her gunshot wound, her outer jacket had been removed long ago. She was wearing a single layer underneath, with two or three buttons undone.
She knew those two guards had glanced at her several times just now, but it didn't matter, because they wouldn't dare.
More importantly… she suspected there must be a place within this organization for these bandits to vent their frustrations.
But she hadn't seen anything like that on the surface of the refugee camp, so it must be underground.
In that case, the space below must be quite large.
While Sui Xin was thinking, after a short wait, the guard returned.
The door opened, and Sui Xin saw him carrying a large basket filled with eight large cakes.
They were really big, and very thick and heavy.
The basket was handed over, and the nutrient solution was given to him.
Both guards were quite happy, as no trouble had come of it. After the door was closed, Sui Xin started eating the cakes.
This stuff was truly awful. It was hard as a rock and dry, with a texture like eating a plaster-flavored wooden board. With one bite, Sui Xin felt like her teeth would break. She was afraid her guess was wrong and that she had traded a nutrient solution for a pile of junk food that would choke her to death.
So after that one bite, she paused, terrified of choking. After finally managing to swallow it down her throat, she checked how her stomach felt.
Hmm… no feeling?
It went down, and then there was no sensation.
No warmth either.
So, no nutrients?
Sui Xin was lost in thought, looking at the sorghum cake before her, which was mixed with some low-quality small sorghum grains.
It was strange that she felt nothing.
She had eaten sorghum as a child, after being hungry for a long time. You could say that any creature that has been hungry for a long time could find a salt-dusted leather sole delicious, but that sorghum cake was truly terrible. She took a big bite, and not only did her teeth hurt, but her stomach also felt blocked… It was unbearably uncomfortable.
Although a child's organs are certainly more fragile and smaller, it shouldn't be to the point of feeling nothing now.
So there was indeed something wrong with her stomach.
Could it be that it was digested in the blink of an eye?
Lost in thought, Sui Xin continued to eat. She was cautious, afraid it was just an illusion. Even though she never felt that her stomach was blocked, she knew to drink water from her canteen along with it.
She finished one cake.
There was a little warmth in her stomach, but no feeling of fullness or bloating at all.
It seemed her guess was correct.
Holy crap, what mutated wasn't some ability, it was my stomach! Does this mutation change internal organs and genes together? Is everyone like this? Or did I just get a mutated glutton's stomach?
Sui Xin extrapolated from this and immediately realized her own cheat-like advantage.
In her opinion, ten mimicry and disguise abilities weren't as amazing as this stomach.
Just like that, she finished a full canteen of water and ate four sorghum cakes in a row.
The warmth in her stomach was already twice as intense as when she had consumed a nutrient solution. Not only was her physical condition much better—she could basically walk and move around—but even her gunshot wound was faintly itching, a sign that it was healing on its own. And most importantly—she could now use her mimicry and disguise ability.
Sui Xin specifically asked for two more canteens of water. She didn't actually need that much, but she asked for it anyway. She poured the leftover water into some cracks in the stone walls of the cave room.
Last night, when the cold air swept in, moisture had gathered in the mountain. After watching the dripping spots for a while, she had roughly identified the cracks in certain parts of the room.
Water in the mountain, from the mountain.
After this series of actions, Sui Xin didn't deliberately eat all the cakes at once. She had to control her pace, otherwise…
Suddenly, a woman's screams, cries, and noisy shouts came from outside.
Sui Xin, who was in the middle of gnawing on a cake, was startled.
The guards outside were also alarmed and went directly to the corridor to look towards the source of the sound. But then the door behind them opened wide, and they saw the person inside in a panic.
"What's wrong? What's happening? Did someone break in? Is someone trying to capture me? Is it Tianxi's people? Quick, cover my escape! Go find the boss!"
The frail, heavily injured person came out leaning on the wall, her face pale, shouting for them to protect her.
No, it seemed this person had really and truly integrated into their Red Eye Organization.
The two guards were speechless, but they didn't want her to leave the area, so they said a few words.
"It's not an enemy invasion, just some people arguing and fighting."
"What kind of fight makes such a huge commotion."
Sui Xin simply walked to the railing of the corridor in front and looked out.
She was keen to understand this Red Eye Organization. Looking out, she saw a commotion in a certain part of the vast refugee camp. It seemed many refugees had gathered because of the earlier disturbance. Although she didn't know the cause, what she saw now was a woman with heavy makeup being beaten and cursed at by two burly men. Other refugees were shouting from the sidelines. Soon, more and more people gathered, because the two men started tearing off the few clothes she had on.
In the filthy and chaotic refugee camp, looking down from above, a flash of white was so conspicuous, as if humanity's innate nakedness was exposed, the most primitive state of flesh and blood being desecrated.
More and more people gathered, pointing, laughing, and cursing. A stout woman even used a laundry stick to drive back the shamed woman who was trying to climb away, shoving her back into the crowd.
The man, enraged, cursed something and dragged her back by her leg.
The filth on the ground was smeared onto her.
There were too many people, it was too chaotic. Soon, Sui Xin could no longer see what was happening below. Instead, she heard a cold, indifferent voice behind her.
"You see that. Aren't you afraid?"
The voice was strangely devoid of human warmth, as chilling as a ghost. But while Sui Xin was startled, the two guards were truly terrified. They hurriedly bowed.
Everyone could see what kind of person Waka was. Basically, many people believed Sol was smarter, more cunning, and more capable. His influence was also far greater than Waka's.
His methods, naturally, were also formidable.
When these two guards saw him, they were like mice seeing a cat, trembling and not daring to speak.
Sui Xin turned to see this second young master walk up beside her. She didn't hide the shock and terror she felt from seeing that scene. It was genuine; she feared such a fate.
No matter what, she was just an ordinary person, and her female identity made her naturally anticipate the tragic things that could happen to her in the future.
How could she not be afraid?
"Young Master Sol, what do you mean by this? I don't quite understand."
Sol walked closer, stood beside her, and said lightly, "Do you know why something like that is happening down there?"
Sui Xin: "If I knew, you and Boss Moss would probably kill me."
She was locked in her room recovering. If she had such a thorough insight into the affairs of the refugees, that would be truly frightening.
Sol's eyes were like a viper's, his fingers stroking the hilt of his sword. "No need to be so guarded. I just wanted to tell you, if you hadn't given these two lads a chance to earn a little extra, one of them wouldn't have gone to that woman in the refugee camp below to get sorghum cakes… However, that woman had a deal with him and temporarily diverted the sorghum to him. This angered her other patrons, so she got beaten."
In short, this was a bloody incident caused by her single nutrient solution.
Sui Xin was silent for a long while. Just as Sol couldn't figure out if she was feeling guilty or terrified, she asked woodenly, "You call them… patrons?"
"Yes." Sol understood what Sui Xin meant. "What, you think a gang of outlaws like us is so vile as to replicate the dregs of ancient feudalism and enslave you women?"
Sui Xin gave a dry laugh. "I wouldn't dare."
Sol was unconcerned, smiling. "You think your consortiums are any better? Suppose M City is a city where a Tianxi branch company controls 80% of the economic lifeline. That's basically the Tianxi branch's private garden. Do you know how many casinos, clubs, and…"
"Is there any difference?"
He pointed directly at the brutal reality of this world, as if mocking Sui Xin.
He thought she would fall silent, but she didn't.
"Uh, they're more hygienic?"
Sol: "?"
Sui Xin said awkwardly, "Tianxi doesn't really allow uncontrolled sanitary diseases to arise in the gardens it manages. In fact, in the current state of society, the harm caused by armed conflict is actually less severe than the consequences of disease. You know, if you put a dozen types of germs in a bottle, and these germs evolve through a complex environment, then multiply and mutate within many organisms, eventually forming a super-infectious disease, no amount of wealth or resources can solve it. And the cost of investment in medical research can sometimes be even greater than in weapons and energy research."
"At the very least, I believe that any mature system would not allow such poor sanitary conditions to fester right under its nose."
She didn't mention whether these women were miserable, whether human life was important, or whether it had anything to do with her. She just tactfully reminded Sol—your den is so unhygienic, aren't you afraid of infectious diseases?
Sol truly hadn't expected this woman's angle. "Are you mocking me? Or are you mocking Red Eye?"
Sui Xin rubbed her nose. "Actually, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that while Tianxi has already invented that terrifying worm, the faction I now want to rely on will fall victim to an epidemic before it has a chance to grow strong."
Sol frowned. He wasn't sure—was this woman genuinely thinking about Red Eye's welfare, wanting to build up this organization?
At least, of all the newcomers who had joined so far, not a single one had ever truly planned for the organization's future.
Sui Xin didn't press her advantage, but she had deliberately implanted her views into this capable and thoughtful future heir of Red Eye.
"Anyway, I'll mention it to Boss Moss later. I'm going back to rest."
Sui Xin was about to go back, but Sol stopped her.
"Going back to eat your cakes?"
"I almost forgot to ask you. Does your type of Mutant Ability prefer eating cakes over nutrient solutions?"
This suspicious bastard.
Sui Xin was embarrassed. She looked around. The two guards realized something but didn't retreat until Sol gave them a look. Only then did they move away.
Only then did Sui Xin speak. "I guess I can't hide it anymore… I'll be honest. It's because I have an E-class status, and the kind of delicate constitution that needs to eat a lot to stay healthy."
She put it rather tactfully, even beautifying it a little. At first listen, she sounded a bit like Lin Daiyu.
But Sol frowned. "An E-class glutton?"
Sui Xin: "…"
"Yes, Young Master Sol. You're so knowledgeable, you guessed it right away."
She wasn't afraid of them investigating or testing her, because it was the truth.
Sol was speechless, then thoughtful. "No wonder you weren't valued at Tianxi. You're clearly a smart person, much more capable than the other mid-level staff."
That wasn't it. It was mainly because she was good at slacking off, so no one thought she was capable.
"There are plenty of capable people. Sometimes, the ones who make it to the top aren't the most capable, but the most ruthless."
Sui Xin's expression dimmed. "And because of this stomach, most of my salary was spent on food. I couldn't use money to grease palms or maintain connections. In many cases, that's equivalent to cutting off any path for advancement. In the human world, if you don't advance, you fall behind. That's just how it is."
Sol: "Nutrient solutions are less effective than sorghum cakes? I've never heard of a glutton's constitution being so picky."
Sui Xin said awkwardly, "Actually, for people like us, what we need might not be nutritional supplements, but a distinct, long-lasting feeling of fullness. Sorghum cakes are hard to digest, so as long as I don't feel hungry, it's fine. Besides, the stomach is a fickle organ. Once it gets used to a certain food, it will reject other, lower-grade foods. And I can't be sure I'll get a continuous supply of nutrient solutions in the future. All things considered, sorghum cakes are more practical."
This explanation could account for her actions.
Sol: "Sorghum cakes can't provide nutrients. You seem certain you won't need to fight anyone. Aren't you afraid of being killed?"
His tone was light, his gaze fixed on her face.
Sui Xin considered for a moment, then said, "If I weren't afraid, I wouldn't have said those things that might have offended you."
"I just don't know if Young Master Sol will be angry because of my earlier offense."
It was almost evening, the sun was about to set. The commotion below had died down. The woman, whether dead or not, had been dragged away.
Sui Xin didn't look again, just repeatedly rubbed her fingers. The light and shadow of the setting sun lingered on her face for a moment.
Sol smiled. "I only ever get angry for the dead. Consultant Sui, you're still alive, so you really don't need to have such concerns. In the future, we might even work together, serving my father. And since you're an Ability User, you'll definitely be of use."
He smilingly escorted Sui Xin back to her room, but his purpose was to glance at the sorghum cakes. He saw there were still four left.
A rather astonishing appetite. An ordinary person couldn't possibly eat that much, but an E-class glutton was different.
"I think so too. So, Young Master Sol, would you like to give me a nutrient solution first?"
"?"
Sol didn't expect this person to be so shameless. Sui Xin didn't expect this second young master to be so stingy that he actually refused!
"Young Master Sol, can you tell me where the mess hall is? When I'm a bit better, I need to go eat."
Sol was silent for a moment, gave her a location, and then left.
After closing the door, Sol asked the two guards at the corner of the corridor how many times she had asked for water.
Twice.
That was about right.
He had also heard about the severity of the glutton constitution. In short, it was a rather expensive type of useless person. Even lying flat wasn't an option; they'd starve to death.
So, while she seemed awkward in every way right now, there was actually nothing wrong.
If she had no problems at all, that would be what made one suspicious.
And her nutrient solution was given by Chen Mo?
This was a bit strange. What were Chen Mo and his father up to?
Sol thought for a moment, then turned and left. He planned to find Moss and mention Sui Xin's constitution. It wasn't a big deal, really, but for him to know and not say anything would be an offense to his highly controlling father.
However, before Sol arrived, he saw Chen Mo leaving the council hall, holding something in his hand.
Sol was thoughtful. After a moment, he determined Chen Mo's destination—he had gone to the nursery.
And he even had a small conflict with Waka.
This wasn't a rare occurrence. What Sol cared about was that Chen Mo was suddenly being sent on these private errands by his father, without going through either him or Waka.
First, this matter was definitely related to Sui Xin.
Something was fishy.
Sol suddenly recalled the scene in the corridor, the twilight glow falling on the woman whose skin was fairer than snow, who looked a bit thin and delicate.
A silhouette, different from others.
A Mutant.
She was destined to be different from any other woman here.
Just a shriveled little bok choy, clearly unrelated to lust, yet not entirely separate from it.
In an instant, he realized his father's true intentions.
Inside the room, Sui Xin sat on the bed. Her expression changed from its previous deliberative weakness to one of cold indifference. She started eating the sorghum cakes again, mulling over Sol's series of reactions as she ate.
He was very concerned about the nutrient solution, which meant he didn't know Moss and Chen Mo had allowed it before he came. This showed that Moss hadn't shared his thoughts with him. Moreover, for this man to be so clear about the connection between the guards and a minor incident among the refugees, his infiltration and control within the Red Eye Organization had already gone beyond the duties of a son. He must have plans for the organization's ownership and future development.
To put it bluntly, Moss had been effective in procreation, producing a son with some ability and ideas.
In a world where educational resources were extremely limited, even to the point of widespread illiteracy, having such a son was a huge gain. As for whether this son would kill his old man, that was another matter.
She had deliberately expressed some ideas about building up the organization, and he had taken notice.
In that case, he probably wouldn't lie to her about the mess hall's location. Because, without being certain of Moss's malicious intent towards her, and given that she currently seemed likely to join Red Eye, such a clumsy lie would be very embarrassing for him when exposed later.
Actually, Sui Xin didn't care what he thought. Her goal was to dispel his suspicions about her trading for sorghum cakes, and incidentally, to use the rift between him, Moss, and Chen Mo to make him investigate on his own…
On her end, she just needed to buy time and get energy.
Sui Xin finished the rest of the sorghum cakes. The night had grown completely dark. She caught a cockroach and an ant to sense them, discovering that the ant was easier to transform into, but both creatures were more difficult than the ironworm. However, she didn't have any ironworms on hand now.
Here, the limitations of this skill became apparent.
She had to have physical contact with a creature.
It had to touch her skin.
She estimated the energy in her stomach and predicted that a complete transformation could probably be maintained for only about three minutes.
This complete transformation consumes too much energy. An ant won't do; its climbing speed isn't fast enough. It has to be a cockroach. But in that case, the cockroach transformation can only be maintained for two minutes.
Luckily, she was prepared. Having learned the mess hall's location from Sol, she could shorten her exploration time and go there directly.
Two minutes should be enough. Once she got there, she would find food to replenish her energy.
I have to finish before the Frostfall Light Radiation arrives, or the tiny insect I become could be frozen to death in minutes.
No sooner said than done. In a moment, a small cockroach appeared, quickly crawled out of a stone crevice, and scurried away from a dark corner completely unnoticed by the night watchman.
50 seconds, straight to the mess hall.
In the dead of night, unless someone was on duty, no one would be out and about. After all, this world of ruins had the threat of the Lightburst Period.
Sui Xin arrived without a hitch.
The mess hall was large, just a stone grotto with some tables and chairs scattered about messily. After all, they were a group of uncultured and unrefined bandits. Finding no food here, Sui Xin squeezed through a crack in the door at the side and saw a filthy kitchen, which also didn't have much food.
That wasn't Sui Xin's goal anyway.
What she was looking for was… the storeroom.
Soon, Sui Xin saw a small door inside the kitchen. This door was specially made with a metal patchwork technique similar to the main gate of the lair. The iron lock was huge; it felt impossible to get in without a key.
Sui Xin squeezed directly through the crack at the bottom.
The crack was so small that even a little mouse couldn't get through, obviously to prevent stored food from being eaten by rodents and the like.
It wasn't completely dark below. They had probably used some kind of glow-in-the-dark stones or materials. There was a tunnel leading downwards. Feeling that time was running out, Sui Xin, as a small cockroach, scurried down frantically.
Soon, when she fell to the ground… her original body was restored.
Sui Xin stared at the huge storeroom before her and the abundant variety of food, stunned.
How to put it.
She knew that the misery of the refugees couldn't be equated with the food resources within this organization, but she hadn't expected that much of the food here was moldy and rotten, especially some of the staple grains… It had clearly been sitting for a long time, uneaten.
They'd rather let it rot.
Sui Xin wasn't actually surprised. The milk-dumping theory wasn't a joke. The economics behind it… didn't apply here.
It was purely the malice of Moss and these vicious bandits.
Sui Xin paid it no mind and quickly took stock of the food. She certainly couldn't eat raw agricultural products—she wasn't a mouse—but she could eat dry goods.
Sui Xin quickly found some nuts, dried fruits, and packaged foods, like sausages, canned goods, and so on.
Sui Xin observed the condition of these foods and found a layer of dust on the packaging. They weren't inventoried often. And even if they were, she would be leaving in a day or two anyway, so it would be difficult for them to suspect her—as long as she wasn't caught out of her room.
She had specifically chosen the time an hour before the Frostfall Light Radiation precisely because no one would be willing to take the risk of checking if she was in her room during this period.
Since she had found food, Sui Xin began to eat without hesitation.
All this natural food had clearly been plundered from various places. The source was, in all likelihood, merchant caravans traveling through the ruins, or exploration teams from major consortiums or companies.
The ruins were too vast. Though controlled by the consortiums, it was like a whale fall giving life to myriad creatures. The various businesses derived from the excavation of a single zone were enough to attract all the small, scrounging companies from the cities within a radius of several hundred kilometers of the Deep Red Sector, including M City.
So, in reality, the so-called wilderness of the ruins was just a geographical description. The life and activity associated with it were far greater than Sui Xin had imagined.
Looking at the food Red Eye had plundered, you could see how many lives had been lost over it.
As Sui Xin ate these things, a thought suddenly occurred to her—was she eating food, or was she eating blood?
In the end, she curled her lip. Humans were good at attaching meaningless labels to inanimate objects and loved to plunder the life from living things. They were habitually hypocritical and pretentious.
She couldn't be that kind of person.
Food was meant to be eaten. Whoever needed it, ate it. She had a clear conscience.
However…
The calories from the nuts and dried fruit are clearly higher than the sausages. Among these foods, they're the most effective.
Sui Xin initially found this unreasonable, because in her understanding, nutrients like biological proteins were the highest, and meat contained a lot of energy.
Although nuts were high-calorie foods, the nutrients in meat were, after all, a better fit for human dietary needs. For these meat products to be so ineffective…
It's one hundred percent because these food manufacturers cut corners, or used some kind of inferior meat.
As soon as Sui Xin thought of this, she suddenly made a connection to the flesh and bones being portioned out in the refugee camp.
The fresh parts were probably kept for the bandits to eat, the rest of the rotting flesh was fed to the Sahr, and the refugees ate the soup boiled from the stale bones and meat scraps…
She felt a bit nauseous and immediately gave up on these meat products, not even wanting to touch the cured meat that looked so fragrant.
Fortunately, there were plenty of snacks. She gorged on them along with the nuts.
The heat in her stomach grew more and more intense.
She felt like her stomach was truly a bottomless pit. The amount she had eaten now was more than thirty times her previous large appetite.
It proved that as long as she ate enough, the energy she obtained was comparable to that from Genetic Fragments.
Although it didn't bring the evolutionary results of Genetic Fragments, her energy was fully replenished.
After eating continuously for about 35 minutes, Sui Xin felt her stomach start to bloat.
It had reached its peak, its limit.
It seemed it wasn't infinite eating.
Sui Xin estimated that if she transformed again, she could maintain it for an hour.
She wasn't disappointed. She found another cockroach inside. After getting out, Sui Xin didn't leave in a hurry. According to her plan, she was going to investigate something else.
—What did the Red Eye Organization use to avoid the Bruces?
It must be something good!
After she finished exploring, she would prepare to escape.
Because she had scouted and speculated beforehand, Sui Xin estimated that these surface caves were definitely not the main living quarters for Moss and his people. The more secret place must be underground or deep within the mountain.
The cockroach that Sui Xin had become first ran to Moss's residence. After sneaking in, she confirmed that he wasn't sleeping here. The room was empty.
Then there must be a secret passage here.
A living person would have to find the mechanism's flaw, but what need did a small insect have for that? Just by lying on the ground and sensing the airflow, Sui Xin could see the crack under the wall panel beneath the bed.
Squeezing through, she found there was indeed a secret passage inside, leading straight down.
Sui Xin continued downwards and found the secret passage was very long. Calculating the mountain's height along with the passage's length and vertical angle, she must be below ground level by now.
The temperature was getting higher.
Noticeably higher.
Sui Xin continued down… after the secret passage twisted and turned several times.
"It seems we're being watched."
The abrupt sentence came out of nowhere.
The little cockroach immediately shrank into the shadows and paused.
Soon, she continued crawling. After passing a corner, she saw a room below.
There were lamps hanging on the room's walls, and also a stove.
Moss, wearing thick fleece pajamas, sat on the sofa smoking, looking at Triple-Gun who was speaking. He said, "The people up ahead are still at the B05 outpost. It's estimated that the people from M City will arrive the day after tomorrow. Have them retreat tomorrow. But my man at the smuggling den on the outskirts of the ruins informed me of something."
Triple-Gun: "What is it?"
Moss exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a low voice, "Lately, the number of small merchants coming to B05 is much lower than expected."
Smuggling dens. Sui Xin knew about them. The ruins were under tight control. Neither the Federation nor the consortiums were willing to let some lowlifes get a piece of the pie, so they set up checkpoints at convenient entry points on the periphery. But there were always some who slipped through the net, constantly sneaking in from different places like guerrilla fighters.
Wherever many people snuck in, a smuggling den would naturally spring up to assist them, collecting commissions to smuggle people without connections. Some powerful smuggling dens could even bribe the official control gates of the ruins to let people in, offering a higher degree of safety—for a higher price, of course.
However, some smuggling dens were very shady. They would target small merchant caravans, sell their information at a high price to bandit groups like the Red Eye Organization, and let them intercept and kill these caravans, murdering for goods—a business with huge returns.
The information Moss had received was naturally disadvantageous for Red Eye, but he was clearly worried about something else.
"You're worried the Deep Red Sector has already been blockaded by the consortiums?"
Triple-Gun's gaze was sharp, his face showing apprehension.
Thanks for the update!
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