The car was unimaginably crowded, like a can of sardines.
Fortunately, Zhan Dundun, a large man, stood at the front like a wall.
No matter how crowded it was in front of him, he remained unmoving.
Liu Nanfeng and the other two hid behind him, finding it quite comfortable.
Inside the car, everyone chatted and laughed. They were all from the same place, mostly knew each other, and chatted incessantly like aunts and grandaunts.
Chen Dahai, who had a pleasant chat with Liu Nanfeng earlier, wanted to talk to him again. However, one was at the front of the car, the other at the back, and it was impossible to get through the crowd.
The car roof was filled with clucking chickens and honking geese, destined for sale in Yue Dong City.
After about an hour of rocking back and forth, the car plunged into a white haze. Then, they found themselves back at the market, in the same spot. The sun was high in the sky, and a few pigeons cooed as they flew over their heads.
"Holy crap, why are we back again? How long are we going to be stuck here?"
Zhan Dundun was getting a bit anxious. Even with his steady temperament, after eight or nine repetitions, starting over each time, he was starting to get annoyed.
Liu Nanfeng's eyes emitted a faint glow as he concentrated on his surroundings. The entire world slowly faded, turning into an ink wash painting. Yet, even so, he found nothing abnormal; everything remained incredibly real.
"You guys, with so many people on the street, who have we encountered the most, excluding those we spoke to intentionally?" Liu Nanfeng asked, retracting his gaze.
"The little beggar," Su Huamei blurted out.
"Right, besides those we approached ourselves, we encountered the little beggar the most," Liu Nanfeng said.
"Could it be her? Is she the one behind all this?" Su Huamei asked angrily.
Su Jinxiu sighed. Honestly, she quite liked that little girl and really didn't want to be her enemy.
"Not necessarily. Let's try to find her first," Liu Nanfeng comforted her.
So, the group walked forward again. After a few tries, they were quite familiar with the route and soon arrived at the place where they had met the little beggar.
"Are we too early?" Su Huamei looked around but found no trace of the little beggar.
"I inquired earlier. She was adopted by an old man named Yu in town. Go and find out where this Old Man Yu lives," Liu Nanfeng instructed Su Jinxiu.
He asked Su Jinxiu to go because when inquiring about something, it was best to spend some money for faster and more detailed information.
"No need. I remember her scent. I can find her," Zhan Dundun sniffed and then looked in a direction.
Alright, a panda's sense of smell was even more acute than a dog's, so it wasn't surprising that he could smell it.
Zhan Dundun followed the scent all the way. The town's streets were not long, but there were quite a few houses behind the town.
After weaving through alleys, they finally arrived at the entrance of a dilapidated house.
A low, dark tiled house, uneven dirt paths, overgrown weeds, and a general sense of desolation. It looked nothing like a place where people lived.
But they did see the little beggar here.
She was sitting on a rock, her neck craned, looking up at the eaves.
A pigeon was perched on the eaves, cooing.
The little beggar stared intently at the pigeon, a look of deep envy on her face.
"Why are there so few today?"
Just then, an ancient, cold voice came from inside the house.
A hunchbacked old man then emerged, holding a rattan cane. He walked forward and began to beat the little beggar all over her head and face.
"If you don't bring back any more money, I'll sell you to Yue Dong. You useless thing, just wasting my food..." the old man cursed and beat her.
The little beggar didn't resist, just lowered her head tightly, not uttering a sound.
She had no arms, so she couldn't even cover her head. She could only lower her head and hunch her back.
Seeing the little beggar's state, Liu Nanfeng felt a pang of sorrow. He tapped his toes and shot forward, positioning himself in front of her.
"What are you doing?" Liu Nanfeng asked angrily.
"Who are you, it's none of your..."
Before the old man could finish, he was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall. He was barely breathing. It turned out Su Huamei couldn't hold back her temper either.
"Alright, don't be afraid. We'll take you away..." Liu Nanfeng turned and picked up the little girl who was sitting on the rock.
The little girl looked at him blankly, not showing much joy in her eyes.
"Sigh~"
Liu Nanfeng sighed deeply, took a handkerchief from Su Jinxiu, gently wiped her dirty little face, and asked, "Do you know where your home is? I'll take you home."
As he spoke, he carried her towards the street. Su Jinxiu and Su Huamei followed behind.
Zhan Dundun, walking at the back, glanced at the old man leaning against the wall and kicked the rock where the little beggar had been sitting.
With a loud bang, the house behind them completely collapsed.
"Don't be afraid, we're here."
Liu Nanfeng gently rested her small head on his shoulder.
"Coo... coo..."
The little girl made a cooing sound again, like a pigeon.
"Let's go home," Liu Nanfeng said.
As soon as he finished speaking, the world turned white. Then, they found themselves back in the laboratory.
Liu Nanfeng was still in the embrace position, but his arms were empty.
Su Jinxiu and Su Huamei were the first to look around cautiously. Zhan Dundun turned to look behind him.
Only then did Liu Nanfeng snap back to reality. He lowered his arms and sighed softly. So, that illusory scene was indeed related to the little beggar. Was it all fake? Yet, it felt so real.
But when Liu Nanfeng turned to look at his surroundings, his anger began to rise again.
This was a huge underground space, brightly lit. However, the entire perimeter was lined with cages, inside which were all sorts of "people."
Or rather, not entirely human. They were half-human, half-beast, clearly experimental products.
There were lions with human faces, mermaids whose bodies had turned pale from being submerged in water, people with dog heads, and tigers covered in spikes...
The intrusion of Liu Nanfeng and his companions did not alarm them, nor did it bring them joy. They simply squatted in their cages and watched silently.
"Truly insane," Zhan Dundun said in a low voice, unable to hide his anger.
This laboratory not only experimented on animals but also on living people. The monster with a dog's head and a human body, the pale mermaid, the boy with sheep horns, and so on.
Not only adults but also many children.
"Damn it, Great Xia..." Zhan Dundun couldn't help but want to curse.
"That's enough," Su Jinxiu interrupted him.
"Let's think about how to arrange for these people now."
"How else can we arrange them? Notify Section Nine to handle them," Su Huamei said.
But they all fell silent. The products of these laboratories seemed unsuccessful, and their final outcome was likely death. Thinking of this, Liu Nanfeng's heart suddenly stirred. What if he collected them all into the [Guan Shan Hai]?
The more he thought about it, the more feasible this method seemed. Guan Shan Hai had the characteristic of nurturing demonic creatures. Collecting them into the painting might even benefit them.
Just then, a sigh suddenly reached their ears.
The group looked forward in surprise. At some point, a middle-aged man dressed as a priest had appeared in the center of the laboratory.
"Coo... coo..."
A low pigeon coo sounded. Liu Nanfeng's face lit up with surprise as he looked towards a corner.