This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 41

The night was serene, with stars twinkling in the sky.

Rarely could such beautiful constellations be observed in the city. The moon shone brightly, and the breeze was cool—a setting that should have been tranquil and delightful. Yet, no one seemed to have the leisure to appreciate this starry night.

After the ritual, Jiang Luo removed his mask. This mask made him uncomfortable; although it bore a smile, it exuded a deathly aura—rigid, stiff, and eerily unsettling.

He tucked the mask into his pocket, silently listening to the contestants' whispered conversations.

"Did you notice anything today?"

"Nothing at all, you?"

"Same here. But, I've noticed there aren't many elderly people in this village."

"Even the village chief looks to be just over fifty, not really that old."

In the countryside, it's common to see seniors in their sixties still working the fields. Thus, rural elders are robust, with many living into their seventies or eighties. In villages lacking entertainment, it's usual to find these elderly folks sitting at their doorsteps, basking in the sun.

Yet, in Shentu Village, scarcely any elders were to be seen.

After eavesdropping on the conversation, Jiang Luo ceased his act of listening intently.

Suddenly, Lu Youyi said, "Jiang Luo, isn't that the little girl we encountered earlier?"

He tugged at Jiang Luo, gesturing for him to look to the left.

Turning his head, Jiang Luo saw the little girl in red quietly distancing herself from her parents, stealthily running back from the corner.

Without hesitation, he said, "Let's go, we should follow and see."

Jiang Luo and Lu Youyi discreetly moved away from the crowd, trailing behind the little girl.

They followed her from the village to the rarely visited outskirts, and after passing through a dense forest, the scene abruptly opened up before them.

At the edge of the forest lay a vast wilderness of graves, with tombstones next to each other.

The tops of the graves resembled small hills, each with a tombstone at its head. At first glance, aside from the varying amounts of weeds on them, nearly all the graves looked identical.

Jiang Luo quickly scanned the tops of the graves and soon spotted a red figure, "There."

The little girl was digging at a grave.

Her hands were half the size of an adult's, lacking both shovel and spade. She dug at the grave with her bare, tender hands, soon chafing them bloody against the sharp leaves and hard stones.

Even as others approached, she merely glanced up at Jiang Luo and Lu Youyi, then continued digging, head bowed.

Unfazed, Jiang Luo squatted down and softly asked, "Little sister, what are you doing?"

Lu Youyi shivered as he crouched beside Jiang Luo.

The girl didn't respond initially. After Jiang Luo asked again, she slowly said, "I'm digging up a grave."

With patience, Jiang Luo inquired, "Why are you digging?"

The girl replied, "I'm looking for my mom and dad."

"Are your mom and dad under this grave?" Jiang Luo asked calmly, "Then, the mom and dad we saw during the day, are they not your real parents?"

The little girl didn't speak but silently shook her head, leaving it unclear whether she was denying Jiang Luo's question or indicating that they were not her real parents.