Chapter 96

Through initial observations and listening to Granny Chicken’s words, Yi Chen temporarily concluded that she was [harmless]. He decided to try communicating with her to obtain critical investigative information. However, before starting the conversation, there was another issue to address—Jin. Yi Chen looked upward but didn’t see Jin sliding down as expected. “Strange, based on Jin’s personality, she should’ve followed down right away.” At that moment, Granny Chicken, stroking the golden round chicken in her arms, said: “Your friend has been sent to the other side. She doesn’t seem to like interacting with people and prefers slaughter instead… Why not let her help me deal with the villagers I’ve captured in recent times?” “Villagers?” “I had my children set up many traps around here. Any villager who comes near, if they’re not careful, will fall into one of them. But this only catches a few foolish, viviparous villagers. As for those from the Church, I still wouldn’t dare make a move on them. That lot is quite dangerous.” “With so many villagers disappearing in your area, aren’t you afraid of being discovered?” “So many? No, the viviparous villagers I’ve caught don’t even account for [1%] of the total population. Besides, these villagers are rejects in the Church’s eyes—trash they wouldn’t care about losing or having disappear.” “Hmm...” Yi Chen nodded slightly. It seemed like his upcoming conversation with Granny Chicken could indeed yield valuable information. At this moment, Granny Chicken’s deeply wrinkled forehead began to undergo a bizarre transformation. The once-normal wrinkle lines gradually evolved into dozens or even hundreds of tiny “strips.” To be precise, they became [eye slits]. Soon after, the interiors of the slits began to squirm, one after another opening up. Countless yellow-black chicken eyes appeared all over Granny Chicken’s forehead, each blinking at a different frequency. At this moment, the little grape inside Yi Chen’s body became instantly excited: “Wow! A whole bunch of chicken grapes! I want to eat them so badly. If I skewer them with bamboo sticks and blanch them, they’ll definitely taste amazing. РåΝŏᛒЁs̈ Once this old hag is no longer useful, let’s eat her up!” Yi Chen didn’t respond, silently observing Granny Chicken’s transformation. It seemed that her chicken eyes could visually link with the chickens outside. After a series of rotations, all the chicken eyes finally closed again. “It seems no one from the Church followed you here... We can have a proper conversation now. However, we need to limit our exchange to ten minutes. Otherwise, the Church might start suspecting your whereabouts and could track you to my location. Let’s keep this brief. The reason I brought you here is simple—I hope you’ll eliminate all the infected in Shepherd Village, especially those Church members deliberately guiding us to infection. If you’re willing to help, I’ll provide as much information as possible and have my children assist you in secret.” “Wait… what do you mean by ‘deliberately guiding you to infection’? Are Church members spreading pathogens?” Granny Chicken shifted her tone: “They’re not spreading pathogens but rather leading us to break the rules.” “Break the rules? Can you elaborate?” Yi Chen’s initial suspicions seemed to align with this. “A gentleman like you should already understand the rules of our village. The rules strictly regulate [birth control] within the village, which, to some extent, also limits our primary livestock development. However, thanks to these rules, we’ve significantly reduced the chances of villagers contracting diseases. Everyone manages to scrape by. But a few months ago, a group claiming to be from the [New Life Church] arrived... They claimed to have a completely new set of rules, capable not only of eliminating illnesses but also of ignoring reproductive limitations and promoting the development of the village's livestock industry. Somehow, they directly convinced the village chief and established a church on a small hill to the east of the village. Sёarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. —Yi Chen carefully noted this critical piece of information. "At first, the villagers didn't trust these outsiders. However, under the persuasion of the village chief, a group of young villagers began visiting the church. When they returned, their thinking had completely changed. One female villager, who had been infertile for many years, became pregnant shortly after returning from the church. She gave birth to a healthy and lively baby in just one month, bypassing the usual rules of reproductive timing. Additionally, an elderly couple even older than me, after visiting the church, seemed to regain their youthful vigor and soon became pregnant as well. Even a white pig that was taken to the church became pregnant without any contact. In less than half a month, it gave birth to over twenty healthy piglets. These events were regarded as by the villagers. Gradually, more and more villagers stopped following the rules and flocked to the church for baptism. After returning, they began to allow their livestock to breed and reproduce recklessly. But I have always dismissed this as nonsense and viewed these outsiders as a cult. Of course, there were a few others in the village who shared my views and refused to have any contact with the church. Then one day, as my old bones often kept me from sleeping well, I accidentally saw the village chief dumping a basin of murky liquid containing a dead infant into the village’s only well during the early hours of the morning. Before we could escape the village, the chief began his final purge. He didn’t forcibly pour the well water into our mouths, nor did he tie us up and drag us to the church. Instead, he simply deemed us incurable—stubborn ones unwilling to embrace a new identity—and executed us by beheading. I was dragged by my hair to the backyard by the village chief. Under the watchful eyes of the 'children,' I was beheaded..." At this point, the Granny Chicken smiled as she tilted her head back, revealing a clear scar across her neck. "When my consciousness returned, the children had dragged me to an open field outside the village. My head had been reattached. The forest was shrouded in a gray mist I had never seen before, fluid-like and strangely comforting to the touch. I knew very well it was this gray fluid that brought me back to life. Since then, I’ve been able to communicate directly with the children. With their help, I’ve avoided patrols by the villagers and the rare but dangerous church members. Eventually, I found this sturdy tree and formed a symbiotic agreement with it, building my chicken coop beneath it alongside the children. All I need to do now is eliminate the sick villagers and the church members, and I’ll finally be at peace." "Understood," Yi Chen nodded slightly. While listening to the Granny Chicken's story, he kept his eyes on hers the entire time. Although he detected no anomalies, there were still some doubts in his mind. First, the story had a ‘critical gap.’ The events surrounding the Granny Chicken's death and rebirth conveniently skipped over the most significant aspects of the forest turning gray and the formation of the high walls. What exactly happened during that time was crucial for the investigation. Moreover, the Granny Chicken had never directly interacted with the church, so related information still required further probing. Lastly, the claim of her survival seemed a bit far-fetched, and her reason for staying here remained unclear. "I have a question. Since the village has changed beyond recognition, why do you insist on staying here? With your current abilities, you should be able to burrow through the tree walls and leave the area, even escaping the forest entirely to find a safer place to settle. Why would you risk sacrificing these children to confront the church? Why take such a great risk to seek cooperation with us?" Still smiling, the Granny Chicken stroked the golden-feathered chicken in her arms as she replied: "Because when the village chief dragged me to the backyard, I wasn’t the first to be beheaded. There was a good child in my family... The chief first chopped off this child’s head right in front of me. These old bones of mine have long stopped caring about life or death. The only thing I care about is that child." As she spoke, all the eyes on her forehead opened, and her expression grew increasingly menacing, exuding a terrifying aura akin to that of a severely afflicted patient. The golden-feathered chicken in her arms began to stir. Its golden feathers slowly parted, revealing a beneath its round body. No, this was no chicken—it was a human head, with golden hair resembling feathers. A young girl’s head, Her murky eyes devoid of any emotion. This was the only family member the Granny Chicken had left—a niece who had just turned nine years old.