Chapter 229

Chapter 223

This island was relatively remote, with a small population and a small village. Moreover, a migration and resettlement had just been carried out the previous year, so now people were only seen during the busy fishing season each year.

In the center of the village was a storefront that still had a sign for a supply and marketing cooperative hanging on it. The space inside was very large, but the utilization rate was not high now. Only some rice, flour, grains, and oil were placed near the door. As for the things on the shelves, a layer of dust had accumulated, and it was probably expired long ago.

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

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

"Grandma, I want to make a phone call."

The old woman stopped her handiwork, gently scraping her temples with a long wooden knitting needle.

After a long time, she seemed to come back to her senses, stood up, slowly walked over, took out the telephone machine, which was locked in a box inside the counter, and placed it on the counter surface.

"Make your call."

Tan Wenbin picked up the receiver, but just as he was about to dial the number, he found there was no sound in the receiver.

"Grandma, is the phone broken?"

The old woman wrinkled her brows, checked the phone line a bit, and said, "It shouldn't be broken. It should be a problem with the line there."

The phone couldn't make calls.

Tan Wenbin took out a pack of cigarettes and gave one to the old woman.

The old woman skillfully took the cigarette and bit it in her mouth, then familiarly took out a matchbox. With a "cha" sound, she first lit her own cigarette, then brought the match to Tan Wenbin's face. Tan Wenbin quickly lowered his head and held out the end of his cigarette to light it. The old woman then shook her hand, extinguishing the match that was about to burn her fingers.

One old and one young person leaned against the counter, puffing smoke.

The old woman said, "I heard the broadcast say there are waves coming. Aren't you leaving the island yet?"

Tan Wenbin replied, "I quite like it here. The scenery is good, it's quiet, most suitable for healing a broken heart."

"Young people still need to be more open-minded. Life is very long; there's no need to be delayed by these little love affairs for too long."

"I know, but I'm not that young anymore, am I?"

Outside, all identities were self-given.

Tan Wenbin naturally possessed this ability to fabricate relationships. When he lived in the dormitory, the dorm supervisor treated him as a foster son, and no matter how many classes he skipped, the teachers usually gave him full points.

Because of this, Tan Wenbin could sense that the old woman had some issues.

He couldn't say exactly what the problem was, because he didn't detect anything unusual in the old woman's body. Plus, the certificates posted on the wall of the supply and marketing cooperative and the old photos the old woman had shown him proved that she had spent most of her life on this island, guarding this supply and marketing cooperative.

But during his conversations with her, Tan Wenbin could feel a hint of shrewdness and perception that the old woman inadvertently revealed.

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

One was the old man on the lighthouse. The old man's expression was dull and numb, but from time to time, a deep gaze would appear in his eyes as he looked out at the sea.

Another was a boat boss who frequently came and went on this island. He was very familiar with this area. Next, he would also collect money and transport the people on the island to Wuxin Island.

These three people uniformly had one characteristic: they had a quality that surpassed their own work and living environment.

Although they were always in hiding, when Tan Wenbin used "stereotype" to interact with them, there would be a sense of discrepancy.

"I'm leaving."

Tan Wenbin waved his hand and turned to walk down the steps. Whether the phone could connect or not, the effect was the same. After all, today was the third day. Without reporting safety, Brother Xiao Yuan's side would definitely know that something had happened on the island.

The old woman put down the telephone, put it back in the wooden box, then sat back down and picked up her knitting needle.

Before she could knit two stitches, the wind outside picked up, followed by the falling rain.

The old woman went around the counter, took a long pole, hooked the door curtain onto a hook, and pulled it down.

Halfway through pulling, thunder struck.

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

With the door curtain only pulled down halfway, she threw down the long pole in her hand, walked back inside the counter, squatted down, lifted a floor tile under her feet, revealing a groove underneath.

Inside the groove, a black idol was placed, with an incense burner in front. There was no incense ash in the incense burner, but there was a mouse with only its lower body remaining. Inside was a mixture of blood and corpse water, and the mouse's tail was still unconsciously twitching back and forth.

The old woman knelt down towards the idol, clasped her hands together, buried her head deeply, and pressed her forehead to the ground.

Gradually, the old woman's body began to tremble, emitting sounds of bone joints rubbing and cracking.

When the old woman raised her head again, her eyes were full of purple.

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

At the moment the lightning flashed, the light bulb inside the supply and marketing cooperative also flickered. Each time the light reappeared, the old woman's position changed.

She first appeared outside the counter, and the next moment she reappeared at the door. She picked up that long pole, her wrinkled fingers exerting force, and the long pole shattered, revealing a spear.

The spear tip was ancient, but at the tail of the spear, a black skull was inlaid.

In the next flash of lightning and thunder, the old woman's body completely disappeared.

Under the eaves of an uninhabited house in the distance, Tan Wenbin's body was poking out. The cigarette he had drawn half of had already been pinched between his fingertips.

Originally, he was supposed to leave, but the rain came too quickly and kept him here.

Then, as if possessed by ghosts and gods, he hid down, hiding his body while looking towards the direction of the supply and marketing cooperative.

He just happened to see the old woman leave the store as if she had changed into a different person.

Brother Xiao Yuan's "Zhui Yuan Secret Volume" recorded a summary of each wave experience. Tan Wenbin himself was even more of a personal experiencer. Some seemingly unconscious actions were actually driven by instinct.

"As expected, the more inconspicuous the existence in the waves, the less you can take them lightly."

Tan Wenbin was not in a hurry to go back to the camp, but went to the lighthouse.

The light on the lighthouse was bright and still rotating and flickering.

But it gave people a feeling of being too mechanical and rigid.

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

Necessary risks still had to be taken, like this he could provide more valuable intelligence after Brother Xiao Yuan and the others landed on the island.

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

The tower door was not locked and opened with a slight push. Next, he climbed up the ladder.

"Old man, do you want to drink alcohol? I'm missing my ex-girlfriend again. We just broke up on a thundery and rainy day."

Climbing to the top floor, he saw a woman lying on the light, numbly performing a movement.

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

Her neck and hands had obvious suture marks. One eye socket was white, and the other was empty.

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

In addition, the woman's whole body was wet, and a thick liquid had accumulated under her feet. Her whole person was soaked white, but she didn't appear very swollen or greasy.

In the living room at the bottom of the tower, a photo was hanging. The background was this tower, and inside was a joint photo of the old man and this woman. The old man cherished this photo very much, saying this was his daughter.

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

The old man answered, "Married."

Married to the sea.

It was estimated that usually, she was soaked in the sea by the old man.

"You're busy, carry on."

After a simple greeting, Tan Wenbin went down. The woman didn't go mad and chase him down, but withdrew her gaze and continued to perform her numb movements.

Next, was the last stop, and also the most important stop.

If that boat boss also had a problem, then the journey to Wuxin Island would become extremely difficult.

Because most of the information about Wuxin Island was provided by that boat boss.

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

This was a warning from his two foster sons. Many times, as ghost things, their perception was sharper.

Tan Wenbin unconditionally trusted the little ones.

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

Then he wiped the rain from his face and observed the direction of the boat through the gap.

The boat boss's purple eyes appeared so dazzling in the dark rainy night.

He walked slowly along the shore, carrying one end of a fishing net in one hand, dragging a long section behind him.

The fishing net was not filled with fish, but with people one by one.

Accompanied by occasional lightning, his line of sight could instantly brighten.

Tan Wenbin not only saw fresh blood constantly overflowing from the fishing net, but he could even recognize the identity of the corpses inside, because some people's features were too obvious.

One was bald. Even though the temperature on the island was low, he still liked to bare his upper body and even applied some oil to show off his muscles;

Another was covered in tattoos. He said it was an inheritance from his family. After rebelling against his family, he tried to wash off the tattoos but didn't wash them clean, making a mess.

These two people had very perverse personalities. Two days ago, they were the first to join forces to carry out sneak attacks and robberies on others.

Xin Jiyue was almost killed by them; it was Tan Wenbin who saved her.

Now, these two guys were all dead, together with the group of people they had organized, all packed into the fishing net.

The boat boss faced the sea, emitting a calling sound from his throat. Even the sound of thunder and rain and sea waves could not completely cover this sound.

Soon, some strangely shaped waves appeared at the edge of the sea. They hit over, but did not crash onto the shore, but stopped at the edge of the shore.

The boat boss opened the fishing net, grabbed a corpse from inside, and threw it towards the sea. As soon as the corpse fell onto the sea surface, it was immediately pulled down.

He threw them one by one, like feeding a feeder.

Tan Wenbin noticed that before throwing out each corpse, the boat boss would take something off the corpse. It should be the objects this group of people used to contain karma.

Tan Wenbin silently retreated. He was now considering whether or not to go back to his own camp.

He had no karma on his body, which also meant that he was unlikely to become a hunted target, so going back and gathering with that group of people was likely to get him involved.

But he had, after all, brought that group of guys together. Although he was forced to be the boss, it seemed inappropriate to clearly know there was danger and still not manage it.

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

The former was understandable. Robbing others' karma without following the rules was obviously a harmful force that needed to be cleared out so that the system could continue to operate.

If it was the latter, the nature of the matter would change, and it was also what Tan Wenbin could not understand the most.

Because this group of people who landed on the island to deliver goods was obviously organized and developed, and must have taken a lot of effort. Even if the 'natives' wanted karma, wouldn't it be okay to guard here and take commissions? Why would they want to kill everyone to do this kind of thing that drains the pond to catch fish?

You kill everyone this time, won't you have to recruit again next time? What for?

Tan Wenbin quietly returned to his own camp. The bonfire was still there, and the outer sentry was also there, still actively greeting him:

"Brother Bin, you're back."

Tan Wenbin nodded at him and sat back down by the bonfire.

His own camp was currently safe and hadn't been attacked. He didn't know if it was because everyone here was a 'rules delivery person', or because they were too weak and scattered, so they were left to be killed last.

"Brother Bin, here, drink something to warm up."

Xin Jiyue handed over a small pot with steaming fish soup inside.

Initially, when they first met on the island, Xin Jiyue just had a vague good feeling towards Tan Wenbin. She liked fishing and chatting with this man.

After being saved by Tan Wenbin, her good feelings became stronger and clearer.

The reason this camp could gather so many people was partly because of her actively helping to recruit people. In her opinion, Tan Wenbin should like this feeling of being the boss.

Tan Wenbin didn't mind drinking the soup and pushed it away, saying, "Go call everyone, all of them."

"Okay, Brother Bin."

Soon, everyone gathered, including the sentry.

Tan Wenbin went straight to the point: "Listen, this island is very dangerous now. Many people are already dead. I cherish my life, I don't want to gamble, I'm withdrawing.

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

Okay, that's all I have to say. I'm leaving. Everyone take care!"

Tan Wenbin stood up, waved his hand, and left without any attachment.

If it were according to the normal rhythm, it would not be impossible for him to gather a group of people here and establish a base. At least he could meet Brother Xiao Yuan and the others after they landed on the island and provide some convenience.

Now, he didn't dare to gamble his life here. He believed that Brother Xiao Yuan would also absolutely not allow him to do this stupid thing.

The crowd looked at each other, unclear what was wrong with 'Brother Bin' all of a sudden. Giving up now, how could that be possible?

Tan Wenbin knew it was impossible for him to disband the group. People's greed, especially for power, was very difficult to give up. Even if he left, they would soon elect a new leader.

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

One was Xin Jiyue, and the other was named Wu Qinhai.

"Brother Bin, I'll listen to you."

Xin Jiyue chased over, grabbed Tan Wenbin's arm with one hand, and pulled open her chest with the other. "Look, I threw away my bustier. There's nothing inside!"

Both her words and actions had obvious hints, but Tan Wenbin would absolutely not avoid suspicion at this point, so he poked his head inside and carefully looked a bit. It was indeed empty.

Wu Qinhai said, "Brother Bin, you saved my life. Whatever you say, I'll do. My tea bag is also thrown away, together with Jiyue's bustier and the karma inside, all left to them. They're already electing a new leader."

Tan Wenbin reached out and patted Wu Qinhai's body a bit, then called his two foster sons to help sniff. After the foster sons responded that they couldn't sense the source of karma, Tan Wenbin finally believed that they had thrown away the goods.

Xin Jiyue said, "Brother Bin, after leaving the island, where do you plan to go? I have no home anyway, so I'll just go with you."

Tan Wenbin said, "Don't talk about this first. Come, let's hide here."

This place was not far or near the camp, and was a very good observation point.

Although Xin Jiyue and Wu Qinhai didn't understand why they should do this, they still listened to his instructions and followed him to hide.

The rain was still falling. Unlike the camp with tents and a bonfire, being rained on in a wild ditch was really not a good feeling.

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

"Shh…"

That feeling of numbness from his shoulders to his tailbone struck again.

"Who are you?"

"Who are all of you?"

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Screams continued to erupt. Tan Wenbin saw the old woman from the supply and marketing cooperative, and also saw the old man from the lighthouse.

The two old people walked towards the camp from two directions respectively. Although the rain washed their bodies, the sticky feeling of blood stench on their bodies was still there. This meant that before coming here, they had been killing people in other places.

There were no powerless ordinary people in the camp. Seeing the two people start killing as soon as they appeared, they immediately began to invite gods.

However, whether they invited or not, the effect was no different.

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

This was not a fight at all, but a one-sided crushing slaughter.

Soon, within the entire camp, except for the two of them, there were no standing people.

The two old people began to collect the objects containing karma from the corpses. For them, this was perhaps a bit more tiring than killing people.

Wu Qinhai and Xin Jiyue both widened their eyes, not daring to make a sound.

Tan Wenbin's brows furrowed deeply. It turned out to be a big slaughter. All the people holding karma objects were their slaughter targets.

Doing this, wasn't it the end of days?

Or rather, it was just a coincidence that for this batch, enough karma had been collected?

At this moment, the two old people raised their heads, their purple eyes looking towards the sky, emitting a sound from their throats.

In the thundery and rainy sky, a group of strange birds with huge bodies surprisingly appeared. They swooped down and began to crazily gnaw at the corpses on the ground.

After a corpse was eaten, the clothing and other things were also carried away by the large birds.

As for the bloodstains, as long as the rain didn't stop tonight, they would all be washed clean.

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

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

It would be great if Brother Xiao Yuan were here. With Brother Xiao Yuan's hearing, he should be able to hear their dialogue clearly.

"Karma is still not enough."

"This is the adult's order; we must quickly clear the field, wipe out all the karma here, and clean up this island."

"You are closer to the adult; do you know why the adult wants us to do this?"

"The adult said, 'There is an existence that is not easy to provoke, about to land on the island.'"

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