Chapter 184 A Test of Strength

About ten minutes later, the female rabbit-person reported the "Elder's" opinion and "invited" the Hell Front four into the village.

Jue-ge and the others readily left the two motorcycles at the village entrance and followed the villagers into the gorge.

Although it was called an "invitation," the villagers' hostility toward the players was evident. They neither lowered their weapons nor their guard.

Of course, this was only to be expected. For these people (rabbits) living in the apocalypse, accustomed to lies, violence, and death, trusting others likely meant a grave.

"Jue-ge, according to your divination, there should be at least one super-strong NPC in this village..." While walking through the village, Xiao Tan lowered his voice and said to Feng Bujue, "Do you think it might be the Elder?"

"Perhaps," Feng Bujue replied softly. "Whether it is or not... we'll have to meet him to know."

"Oh..." Xiao Tan suddenly remembered something and added, "Right! Is there a possibility..." he asked quietly, "like... there aren't any particularly strong people in this village, but the village's location happens to be between us and our destination?"

"No." Jue-ge denied Xiao Tan's conjecture. "This is precisely the destination I divined." He paused for half a second, adding, "Because the terrain of this village is completely consistent with the 'hexagram' I saw before."

"Huh?" Xiao Tan was stunned to hear that. "You mean on Kaka Lu's body..." The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't help but recall the scene of Feng Bujue "divining," "Oh... at that time..."

"That's right." Feng Bujue continued, "Although methods like tossing sand can also calculate 'direction' information, to obtain more precise information, it's best to use something more complex." He began to recount some extremely terrifying facts and experiences in a calm tone, "And corpses are a good choice. Whether it's skin, muscle texture, blood flow, or internal organs... they can all present various unique and distinct patterns. This is far richer than the hexagram one can obtain by drawing a bamboo stick, throwing a few copper coins, or writing a character."

"So in that case..." Xiao Ling, who had also been listening to their conversation, interjected, "...three possibilities?"

This sentence seemed nonsensical to others, but Jue-ge understood its meaning.

"Yes." Feng Bujue nodded in agreement, then explained to Xiao Tan, "The calculation result of [Prophecy] should be correct, so there are three possibilities... First, a Boss-level NPC lives in this village; Second, the Shidao Second Squad is here; Third... this village hides some kind of secret, and this secret points to an extremely powerful existence."

"Oh..." Xiao Tan replied thoughtfully.

As they spoke, the four of them had already arrived outside the "Elder's" cave.

According to the female rabbit-person, this Elder "Pi Pi An" was the leader of the village, equivalent to a "village chief." However, judging from the current situation... this village chief seemed to be living a rather poor life. His home (the cave entrance) was even more dilapidated than the homes of the average villagers next door. If the villagers hadn't led the way, no one would have guessed that this was the village chief's residence.

"Go in yourselves. The Elder said he wants to see you alone."

When the NPC leading the way said these words, Feng Bujue immediately gave his teammates a look, telling them to be vigilant.

Ruoyu, Xiao Ling, and Xiao Tan naturally understood Jue-ge's meaning.

It seemed that... what awaited them might not necessarily be an "Elder."

"Okay, thank you for leading the way." Feng Bujue turned around and said to the NPC with a smile that was not a smile. Then, he took the lead in pushing open the door made of wood and scrap metal and walked into the cave.

A few seconds later, the other members of Hell Front also filed in.

Then...

Bang—

Before they had gone far, the door behind them was closed by the rabbits outside.

Immediately afterward... there was another muffled "bang," sounding like something heavy had fallen outside the door.

"Hey... what does this mean?" Xiao Tan's fright value immediately increased. His first reaction was to reach into his bag to find lighting equipment.

"It means... you've been tricked too..." In the next second, a low voice came from the darkness ahead.

"Who? Who is it?" Xiao Tan hurriedly looked in the direction of the voice and asked loudly.

"Heh..." Feng Bujue seemed calm. While taking out the [Composite Anti-Gravity Catapult] from his bag, he smiled and said to the source of the voice, "Let me guess... they also told you to come here to see the 'Elder,' right?"

Before he finished speaking, the spotlight on the front of the catapult lit up, and the scene inside the cave was revealed to the players.

Clearly, the cave they were in was not a "residence" at all. There was no furniture, no lighting, and no Elder... All that was there were solid walls and a rabbit-person wearing a coarse cloth cloak, sitting in the corner.

"Oh?" When the rabbit-person saw the appearance of Jue-ge and the others, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and replied, "You are... aliens, right?"

"Earthlings," Feng Bujue replied.

"I see..." The rabbit-person said indifferently, without asking anything further.

"This rabbit brother... what's the situation?" Xiao Ling also took out lighting equipment and said to the rabbit.

"The situation..." The rabbit-person thought for a few seconds and said thoughtfully, "About... five days ago, I accidentally discovered this remote village. At the time, my car was running out of fuel, so I entered the village, wanting to exchange some goods for food and fuel. After some negotiations, they told me to come here to see the 'Elder'..." He shrugged his shoulders. "You can guess what happened next... They robbed me of everything, and I was locked up here to wait for death."

"Sigh... you're really miserable, brother," Xiao Tan said, shaking his head and sighing. "The people in this village are really too much."

"When the door opened just now..." At this time, Ruoyu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke to the rabbit-person, "Why didn't you run out?"

"Heh... would it have made a difference?" The other party gave a bitter smile. "I, 'Tu Aotian,' am at least considered a martial artist. Five days ago... I was fully confident that I could retreat unscathed from the villagers' siege, otherwise, I wouldn't have rashly entered this unfamiliar village." He shook his head. "But now... I'm so hungry that I don't have any strength at all. Even raising my voice to talk to you feels strenuous... In this situation, let alone rushing out, even if they opened the cave door and let me go, I wouldn't be able to walk."

"Xiao Tan." Hearing this, Feng Bujue turned his head and called out to Xiao Tan without saying anything.

"Yes." Wang Tanzhi also responded quickly.

Jue-ge looked at Xiao Tan, snapped his fingers, and pointed his index finger at Tu Aotian, saying, "Feed him."

"Understood," Xiao Tan replied.

The two of them didn't know why they started speaking in classical Chinese to each other... but this didn't affect their actions.

Before long, Xiao Tan strode up to Tu Aotian and handed him a bag of snacks and a bottle of water.

The originally listless Tu Aotian's eyes lit up. He didn't stand on ceremony with them, grabbed the water bottle, and gulped it down. After drinking half the bottle, he suddenly stopped and looked deeply at the remaining half with a rather regretful and nostalgic expression... Then, he tore open the snack package and began to stuff food into his mouth.

The four players watched him like that, waiting for a full three minutes, watching him finish eating and drinking those things.

Three minutes later, Feng Bujue took a few steps forward, squatted down in front of him, and asked with a smile, "So... now, can you take us to see the 'Elder'?"

As soon as these words came out, Tu Aotian's expression changed drastically: "You..." His surprise lasted for several seconds, then turned into a smile, "Heh... hahahaha..." After laughing a few times, he stood up. "From what point did you start suspecting me?" He paused. "Could it be because... my reaction to the 'you're aliens' thing was too bland?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with that part of the performance..." Feng Bujue also stood up and replied with a smile, "Your flaws... were revealed from other aspects."

"Oh?" Tu Aotian's face showed doubt, and he signaled Jue-ge to continue.

"First... it's the light." Feng Bujue said, raising the catapult in his hand and waving it, "When we came in, the cave was almost completely dark. For someone (or rabbit) who's been in this environment for days, it should take a long time to adjust to the light. But you... after I turned on this bright light, you were quickly able to look at us without any trouble. This shows that... you haven't been in this cave for very long, but... you then said that you've been locked up for five days."

"Hmph... it's amazing that you were able to perceive and associate it with that aspect." Tu Aotian snorted coldly. "But... that alone doesn't qualify as a flaw, right?" He was actually discussing it with Jue-ge with great interest.

"That's right." Feng Bujue replied, "I also thought about whether it was because some light leaked in when we entered the cave, allowing you to adjust to the brightness in advance. Or maybe you're just a gifted guy with amazing eyesight." He slowly recited, "Going deeper... the physiological structure of you rabbit-people is different from that of us earthlings. Maybe you're a race that can instantly adapt to changes in light." At this point, he changed the subject, "Therefore, my suspicion of you obviously has other bases..."

"Please speak," Tu Aotian said, folding his arms across his chest, looking at Jue-ge, and replying in a deep voice.

"If the story you told earlier about 'being imprisoned after entering the village' is true, then the problem arises..." Feng Bujue continued, "Since you're now so hungry that 'even if others opened the cave door and let you escape, you wouldn't be able to walk,' then why didn't the villagers just come in and kill you? Deceiving us to come over while you're still alive... is obviously very unreasonable. As long as you yell in the cave, wouldn't their plan be exposed?"

"They didn't come to kill me... maybe because they were afraid of me retaliating in a near-death state?" Tu Aotian replied, "Isn't it safest and most reliable to wait for me to starve to death and then come in to collect my body?"

"Then when they come to collect your body, aren't they afraid that you'll be lying on the ground pretending to be dead?" Feng Bujue asked again.

"This..." Tu Aotian was momentarily speechless.

"Given the environment of this cave, to confirm whether the person locked in the cave is dead or alive, you have to bring lighting equipment and walk in." Feng Bujue continued, "And you're not wearing any restraints like handcuffs or shackles at all. In other words... the risk of coming in to 'collect your body' and coming in to 'kill you' is no different; if you were really a prisoner, then they would have no reason to let you live until we came." He concluded in a summarizing tone, "So... the conclusion is that the villagers knew from the beginning that you wouldn't send us any warnings until we were all locked in this cave. Even if your acting is good and you don't forget to add things like 'even raising my voice to talk to you feels strenuous' when making up the story, it can't hide this obvious flaw."

"Heh..." Tu Aotian smiled, "You're right, I should have asked someone to tie me up. Too bad... time was limited..."

"It's useless," Feng Bujue interrupted, "Whether it's metal products or ropes and belts... the difference between being tied up for five days and being tied up for a few minutes is obvious. If you really had someone tie you up, that would be redundant."

"Hmm..." Tu Aotian nodded, seemingly convinced, but after thinking for a few seconds, he added, "Is there anything else?"

"There is indeed one more thing." Feng Bujue said, revealing a rather strange smile as if he had recalled something from the past, "I think... you've never been hungry for five days, nor have you ever seen how people who have been hungry for more than five days eat, right?"

"This..." Tu Aotian's expression changed slightly, "Now that you mention it... I really haven't experienced that."

"I've also seen the stomachs of you rabbit-people (he had indeed "seen" them). At least in my opinion, they're no different from ours earthlings." Feng Bujue said, "A few years ago, for certain reasons (writing), I used myself as experimental material to study the physiological state of prisoners..."

"I can testify to that... he even asked me, someone who hadn't graduated from medical school at the time, to help..." Xiao Tan added appropriately from the side.

Feng Bujue smiled at Xiao Tan and continued, "I still have a deep impression of the 'hunger experiment'... The stomach is an organ that expands or contracts depending on the situation. If you don't eat for a long time, it will shrink, and when you go to eat again, the stomach will be filled quickly." He paused, adding, "Many people have misconceptions about the concept of 'hunger,' believing that people who haven't eaten for a long time should devour everything they see... But this is actually a big mistake. The most typical example is that some people will skip a few meals and then go to challenge those 'eat within a certain time and you don't have to pay' gluttony challenges, but they don't know that they'll actually get full very quickly in this state." He tilted his head, looking at Tu Aotian, "So... it wasn't meaningless for me to let my companion give you food, nor was it out of sympathy... It was a kind of test. Frankly speaking, just based on the way you ate just now, I can conclude that you're lying."

Hearing this, Tu Aotian was stunned for several seconds. Then, a smile appeared on his face: "Good... admirable." He really wanted to applaud Jue-ge, but rabbits don't clap very loudly, "It seems that you're indeed not ordinary people. It's only reasonable that you were able to defeat Kaka Lu..."

"Oh?" Feng Bujue's eyes moved slightly, "We never revealed to you... that the motorcycle was snatched from 'Kaka Lu.'"

That's right, they only said "slave trader"...

"Hmph..." Tu Aotian sneered, "I'll explain that to you later, but before that..." As he said this, he untied the coarse cloth cloak he was wearing over his shoulders, "I... want to try your skills again..."