Chapter 25

Zhang Chenze's eyes widened, and she couldn't utter a single word, only retreating involuntarily.

"What's wrong?" Qiao Jiajin's view was blocked by Zhang Chenze, and he didn't know what had happened.

He saw the haughty lawyer take several steps back and then sit down on the dirty floor.

"You... you..." Zhang Chenze pointed at the female cashier.

The others also turned to look and found that the female cashier was holding a small arm in her open palm. The arm was very tiny, not like that of an adult. Moreover, the fingers were clearly visible, and it was definitely not an animal's.

It seemed that the female cashier had indeed cooked a baby.

The baby's arm was now emitting an enticing aroma.

Qi Xia saw this scene and, recalling the strange room, instantly understood.

"Is this... a piglet?" Qi Xia asked tentatively.

"That's right." The female cashier nodded. "Aren't you going to eat it?"

Qi Xia's face darkened, and she asked again, "You said if we sleep with you, we can eat the piglet, and this is the kind of piglet you eat?!"

"Uh-huh." The female cashier looked at Qi Xia blankly. "Piglets are very tasty."

The room was heavily bloodstained, with blood on the female cashier's thighs and the bed. If Qi Xia's guess was correct, this woman had just given birth and then cooked her child.

She had men sleep with her just to eat the child.

"I can only eat a piglet about once a year..." The female cashier smiled, revealing yellowish teeth. "I just wanted to ask if any of you would like to sleep with me? I can trade pig hooves for it..."

"We... we don't eat..." Officer Li shook his head.

"Since you don't eat... never mind then..." She fumbled, stuffed the cooked baby arm into her pocket, and wiped the oil from her hands.

Seeing her coat, which Zhang Chenze had given her, now soiled, Zhang Chenze couldn't say a word.

She had never imagined that cooking human flesh would leave so much grease.

Tiantian slowly walked to the female cashier's side and said with a complex expression, "Miss, what you ate wasn't a piglet, but a child..."

"A child?" The female cashier's lifeless eyes turned. "That's a piglet. It suddenly came out and even hurt me."

Everyone looked at each other, no one knowing what to say.

"Hey... I'm hungry again." The female cashier raised her eyebrows. "I'm going to drink some pork soup. It's great to be full."

With that, she turned and walked back into the staff room. Before closing the door, she seemed to remember something and smiled foolishly at everyone. "Please feel free to choose!"

Then she slammed the door shut.

The group was silent for a long time, the atmosphere very oppressive.

Finally, Qi Xia broke the silence and spoke.

"Everyone, even if this place doesn't destroy itself in ten days, we won't be able to return to the real world." Qi Xia touched her forehead. "If we have to stay here forever, we will eventually go mad like her."

This time, Officer Li didn't oppose Qi Xia.

He was also hesitant. In this clearly abnormal city, under the dark red sky and the earth-yellow sun, how long could humans maintain their sanity?

The sound of kitchenware clattered from inside the room, indicating that the female cashier was serving herself another bowl of delicacy and eating heartily.

Just a door away, a woman was eating her newborn child.

Everything about this place was too bizarre.

"I want to go out and take a look." Qi Xia said. "Aren't you curious? What is this place? Who are these people? Does the city have an edge? What's outside? How did we get here, and how can we leave?"

The expression on everyone's face was more like fear than curiosity.

"I just feel that there's danger everywhere here..." Xiao Ran shook his head and said to Qi Xia, "Rather than going out to participate in those 'games,' I'd rather find a safe place to stay."

"Miss, there's no food or drink here."

Qiao Jiajin patted his stomach and said, "To survive, we can't really eat that piglet, can we?"

His stance was clear. Rather than staying here to die, he also wanted to go out and explore.

The nine people now seemed divided into two groups, some wanting to leave and some wanting to stay.

Doctor Zhao looked at Han Yimo beside him and said, "Going out to take a look is fine, but the injured can't go. He's destined to stay here. As a doctor, I should stay to take care of him."

"I'll stay with you..." Xiao Ran said softly.

"Are you crazy?" Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "A patient, a weak girl, and a doctor—do you three plan to live here?"

"I'll stay too." Officer Li suddenly spoke.

Doctor Zhao and the others turned to look at him, knowing that if the physically strong Officer Li stayed, it would be safer.

Officer Li nodded at Doctor Zhao and said, "The thug is right. You three alone here are too dangerous. Not to mention the animal masks, even if that woman goes crazy, you won't be able to handle it."

Now, four people had decided to stay, and everyone's gaze turned to Tiantian, Zhang Chenze, and Linping.

These three girls had not yet expressed their opinions.

"Of course, I'll stay." Zhang Chenze smiled. "I'm a lawyer. Without complete information, I won't take the initiative to act. It would lead me to make wrong judgments."

With that, she got up and walked to the side of Officer Li and Doctor Zhao.

At this point, Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin seemed to be the odd ones out. They wanted to go out and explore in this dangerous world, like children who hadn't grown up.

Tiantian looked at Linping beside her and then walked to Qi Xia's side, but remained silent.

She seemed to need no reason to join Qi Xia's group.

"Hmm?" Qiao Jiajin's lips curled. "I thought you would stay."

"Stay?" Tiantian smiled bitterly and shook her head, then pointed to the ground, saying,

"Can't you see? There's a wall here, and this wall forces me to leave."

"Wall?" Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin looked down but saw no wall.

"On the other side of the wall are police, lawyers, doctors, and writers, while on this side are con artists, thugs, and prostitutes." Tiantian's tone was calm. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued, "Our 'camps' were determined from the beginning, right?"

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin's expressions changed, understanding Tiantian's meaning.

Yes, even though the nine of them were ordinary people forced to come here, they still had their own 'camps.'

Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Tiantian all lived in the gray area, destined to be out of place with the others.

Now, the only one who hadn't chosen their 'camp' was Linping.

According to her identity as a 'psychologist,' she should also go to the other side of the 'wall.'

But to everyone's surprise, she slowly walked to Qi Xia and the others.

Qi Xia vaguely felt that there was something wrong with this girl, but she couldn't pinpoint what.

"You're coming too?" Tiantian looked at the girl in confusion. "You're not like us. Maybe it's better to stay with them..."

"But I'm very useful." Linping covered her mouth and nose, smiled at Tiantian, and interrupted her. "I understand human nature and might be able to help."

Qiao Jiajin stretched and said slowly, "Alright, two beautiful girls for company, and I won't be bored with the con artist."

"Don't call me a con artist." Qi Xia frowned. "And I don't need you to follow me."

"Okay, okay..." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "When do we leave? Now?"

"I..."

Before Qi Xia could finish, Linping said, "It's really late now. I suggest we go out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Everyone turned to look out the window, and indeed, the sky had already darkened.

The sky was even darker and more red, exuding a dangerous aura.