Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 309. Solve

Chapter 309: 309. Solve

Hua Qiang shook his head and laughed, silently sighing that he’s truly a stubborn child.

The village chief’s family doting more on their daughter while neglecting their son was nothing unusual.

But little did they know that Xiaoxiao wasn’t genuinely stubborn; he disliked the water Hua Qiang drank, and he thought the water that was taken by force tasted better.

In fact, he had a small water pouch with him, but he just wouldn’t drink it. He kept his neck stretched out, waiting for his grandfather to notice him.

Hua Jin, on the other hand, was genuinely thirsty after having walked seven or eight miles. She admired herself for being able to do this much.

Now she’s someone who can walk a long way; this stamina was something her previous self couldn’t have matched with all her might.

...Although she wasn’t bad back then, either.

She took the water pouch from her grandfather’s hands and drank heartily. As several gulps went down, the heat within her body was significantly pushed down, and she felt much more comfortable, though Xiaoxiao’s envious stare could stand to be a bit less direct.

The grandfather sure was oblivious, not noticing even then.

Then, Hua Jin softened and handed the water pouch to Xiaoxiao.

Like a sudden realization, the old man Hua then remembered he had another grandson beside him.

Following that, he gave Xiaoxiao a not-so-gentle tap on the back of the head, and Xiaoxiao’s resentful expression immediately returned to normal.

The familiar formula made it hard not to revert.

Grandpa is so mean, why can’t he play along a bit?

Xiaoxiao pursed his lips unhappily and sneaked a sideways glance at the old man Hua.

However, he was still quite pleased with his sister’s response. While grandpa might not be reliable, it was fortunate to have a somewhat dependable sister. Xiaoxiao comforted himself a little.

"This brat obviously has water but insists on taking his sister’s; even the beating was light." The old man Hua blew his beard and glared at his little grandson, causing Hua Jin to instantly lose her fatigue and start "giggling."

Knowing that with Xiaoxiao along, the journey wouldn’t be too boring was precisely why, when grandpa decided to bring Xiaoxiao, Hua Jin not only didn’t refuse but thought it was a pretty good idea.

This boy always brought joy to people unintentionally, making Hua Jin think that he deserved some kindness.

"Grandpa, you’re right; maybe give a few more spanks." She said, adding fuel to the fire.

"Sis..." Xiaoxiao looked helplessly at his sister.

"Pfft..." Everyone couldn’t hold back anymore and started giggling uncontrollably.

If not for leaving Xiaoxiao some dignity as a little man, they would probably have laughed out loud.

With the atmosphere now like this, even the old man Hua couldn’t help but smile, meanwhile recalling Hua Qiang, and finally turning his gaze to the one who’d been waiting all along.

Hua Qiang: "..."

Seems so rare, they remembered him so quickly.

"How far is the hideout of those people from Liuhe Village?"

"Village chief uncle said according to what they mentioned, it’s not far, just past the mountain behind Liuhe Village."

"Alright, let’s rest for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then move out."

"Okay," Hua Qiang understood and shouted for everyone to stay put.

The villains also felt relieved, having been severely beaten despite already being injured. Without a deep fear of death keeping them going, they might have collapsed halfway. Being able to catch a breath was indeed good.

There was no point in thinking of escape. Not only were there a dozen robust men surrounding them, but the ropes binding them were also difficult to break. Even attempting to send a message back was impossible. Their only hope now was for these people to keep their word and spare their lives in the end.

Of dozens of brothers who set out, only about a dozen of them survived. This was a significant blow, and truthfully, facing this group who was more ferocious, they lost the courage to resist from the bottom of their hearts.

Hardly had they rested before the shout came, and they resignedly stood up to lead the way again.

"We’re there," a man, his face unrecognizable from beating, bravely spoke, looking toward the mountain ahead.

This person... was the one who miraculously preserved his life, Bai Niu.

At this moment, he deeply regretted informing the gang leader about these people. Now that the leader was gone, their fate remained uncertain, and fear gripped his heart tightly.

"Village chief uncle," Hua Qiang sought confirmation with a look toward the old man Hua.

The old man Hua: "Stuff their mouths and keep going."

No matter how much they struggled, these dozen men couldn’t escape the fate of having their mouths stuffed.

By this point, the old man Hua wasn’t worried. As long as the location wasn’t wrong, they couldn’t conceal anything from his granddaughter even if they tried.

"Let’s go," he said, a lot more serious now.

As they walked, Hua Jin used her spiritual power to move along, quickly noticing anomalies. After crossing a mountain and reaching an area filled with lush vegetation, these people’s hideout appeared.

It was a cave of about a hundred square meters, cluttered with various objects. In the innermost corner lay a resting area with a wolf pelt; it was presumably the lair of their so-called leader. Beside it stood heaps of sacks filled with grains, easily weighing a couple thousand jin, along with a string of unidentified red meat hanging from the cave wall, some of it still dripping fresh with blood.

Seeing these things on the cave ceiling, Hua Jin’s breathing became heavy. Hearing about something was one thing, but seeing it was another entirely. This scene was a massive shock to Hua Jin, who grew up in a peaceful era with the principles of the Five Virtues.

Being bold as she was, she didn’t dare look any longer, her heart racing, suddenly feeling those who died earlier were indeed fortunate.

For this alone... they should be dismembered and tortured to death, and even after death, suffer the punishments of the eighteen layers of hell.

Taking several deep breaths, Hua Jin barely managed to calm her emotions and continued...

Apart from a few on night watch outside, everyone inside the cave was fast asleep. As the gang claimed, only about a dozen were inside the cave, but counting those on guard outside, there were over twenty people.

Not far from the cave wall, in a shabby shack, there were dozens of men and women, old and young, all lying on the ground, unclear whether in deep sleep or unconscious.

Near this place was another smaller cave, also housing dozens. The men were in one group, women in another; and their conditions were visibly better than those in the tattered shack, as they were not as skeletal, and they too, were deep asleep.

As she swept past this cave and onto the massive crater in the forest below, the heap of bones inside once again stirred up Hua Jin’s pent-up hostility.

Simply looking at these bones was enough to send chills down one’s spine; one could only imagine how many innocent people these beasts had harmed.

...Her hands were really itching!!

Tightly clenching her fists, she restrained her desire to kill and quietly informed her grandfather of what she discovered.

The old man Hua nodded, understanding the situation, gently patting his granddaughter on the back, evidently offering comfort.

Growing up watching this child, so close by, how could he not feel her emotional turmoil?

No need to guess, it was obvious the child had seen something she found unbearable. Thinking of this, the old man Hua’s eyes grew clouded.

Now that he was aware there weren’t many people, the old man Hua didn’t immediately inform Hua Qiang and the others, lest they start wondering if their village chief uncle had some unknown abilities.

Let Hua Qiang and the younger ones handle it, with just 20 people, speed alone was enough to prevent alarming others.