Chapter 155 Deduction

Inside the official shelter, panic and anxiety filled the air.

The tense atmosphere even drove Sun Xiaoqiang to eat his very last apple.

"There are monsters inside the shelter... What if someone steals my apple?"

He had just wiped out quite a few lizard monsters in the food warehouse and transported back a large amount of supplies, which counted as a major contribution and meant he would receive a reward once more.

With a swaying gait, he stepped out the door.

Outside, a large crowd was currently gripped by nervousness, preparing to undergo screening. Yet, with tens of thousands of people in the shelter—including nearly ten thousand Awakened individuals—and only a handful of testing instruments available, checking everyone was simply impossible.

Furthermore, the number of researchers capable of operating the equipment was limited, and the process consumed a massive amount of electricity and energy. It was a massive undertaking for them, one that could not possibly be completed within a few days.

The shelter operated on a principle of distribution according to labor; the greater the contribution, the more supplies one received.

Sun Xiaoqiang walked into a building constructed from military-green canvas. It was quite spacious, bustling with noise and overflowing with a lively atmosphere.

Some people gathered in groups of three or five, recounting their experiences while executing missions, spitting as they talked with exaggerated expressions.

When a few people spotted Sun Xiaoqiang, they waved and greeted him repeatedly.

Though Sun Xiaoqiang did not know them, he responded to each one in turn.

A moment later.

He arrived in front of a room—this was the place where supplies were registered and collected.

Sun Xiaoqiang lacked the habit of knocking; he simply pushed the door open and walked right in.

A desk came into view, flanked by a few wooden chairs. The ledger on the desk lay open, and a pen had rolled off to the side, but the person responsible for keeping records was nowhere to be seen.

"Eh? Where did the big sister go?"

Sun Xiaoqiang scratched his head, scanning his surroundings with a gaze of profound wisdom.

The "big sister" he muttered about was a woman in her thirties named Gu Wei. Her husband had died when the apocalypse descended, leaving her a young widow.

After being rescued and brought to the shelter, she took charge of the record-keeping duties.

Sun Xiaoqiang continued further inward. There was an inner suite inside the room, and before he had taken more than a few steps, a strange noise drifted out from within.

It sounded like someone smacking their lips, as if devouring something.

"Is she sneak-eating something delicious?"

After earnest analysis and careful contemplation, Sun Xiaoqiang arrived at this conclusion.

He could not help quickening his pace, wanting to see what she was secretly eating without even inviting him along.... But as he reached the doorway of the room, the sound abruptly stopped.

A sense of puzzlement washed over Sun Xiaoqiang, and just as he reached out to push the door open, with a crisp snap, the door swung open on its own.

A woman appeared before him. Her figure was slender and exquisitely proportioned. Despite the apocalypse, her skin remained fair, her face breathtakingly beautiful, and she exuded the captivating charm of a mature woman.

"Xiaoqiang, here to register?"

Gu Wei smiled, pursing her lips. She was quite familiar with him.

Yet Sun Xiaoqiang just stared at her blankly.

"What were you sneak-eating in there? Let me take a look!"

"Eat what? There's nothing in there."

Gu Wei was quite generous, stepping aside to let him peer into the room.

Sun Xiaoqiang hurriedly swept his gaze across the space, discovering a bed, a desk, chairs, and some women's clothing hanging up, but apart from that... truly nothing at all...

"Huh? That's not right!"

A look of surprise flickered in Sun Xiaoqiang's eyes. He had clearly heard a sound just moments ago.

He sniffed the air through his nose.

A faint, fishy scent lingered in the atmosphere.

"Something's off.... Extremely off...."

Sun Xiaoqiang resumed his serious contemplation.

Right at that moment, another group of people walked in from outside—precisely Chen Ming, Sun Yuhang, and their companions. Having transported supplies, their contributions were by no means small.

Among them, Chen Ming even held a rose, which he had plucked by the roadside on his way back from the outskirts.

Beaming with smiles, he walked up to Gu Wei.

"Hehe, Xiao Wei, this is for you."

"Oh, thank you..."

Gu Wei nodded and accepted it. "Are you guys here to collect your supplies too? Let me register you."

"No rush, no rush! Register them first."

Chen Ming hurriedly said.

He had long been coveting this young widow and seized the opportunity, hoping to linger a little longer.

Sun Yuhang and the others cooperated readily as well.

"Hahaha, Uncle Chen, then we won't stand on ceremony."

"Mm-hmm."

Chen Ming nodded repeatedly, then glanced over to find Sun Xiaoqiang still standing nearby, staring intently into Gu Wei's room as if pondering something.

"Hey! Xiaoqiang, what are you looking into your Sister Wei's boudoir for? How impolite, come over here!"

Chen Ming quickly pulled him aside and made him sit down on a chair.

Then, he cast his gaze toward the diligently registering Gu Wei.

A simpering expression spread across his face.

"Hehehehe~~~"

Meanwhile, Sun Xiaoqiang pinched his chin with two fingers, still deeply pondering what on earth was wrong.

Before long, Sun Yuhang finished his registration first and obtained a slip of paper, which served as a voucher to collect supplies directly.

However, to wait for his companions, he pulled a chair over and sat down beside Chen Ming. Noticing the other man's simpering expression, he could not resist teasing him.

"Uncle Chen, do you like Sister Wei?"

"Yes."

Chen Ming nodded generously.

Sun Yuhang chuckled.

"Sister Wei is certainly pretty, and her personality is great too, but after all, she's been married before!"

"Isn't that a bonus?"

Chen Ming replied with blunt honesty.

"......." Sun Yuhang was left speechless, feeling a trace of admiration, while lowering his voice to ask, "I see you constantly bringing her flowers. How far have things progressed?"

"Hehe, almost there. We'll reach the final step in no time!"

Chen Ming said with absolute confidence.

Yet, as the two of them chatted, Sun Xiaoqiang's brows furrowed tighter and tighter as he fixed his unblinking gaze on Gu Wei's every move.

Given that Sun Xiaoqiang's strength was not weak, that he spent his days hanging around Cheng Luoyi, and that he had received special care from Lin Dong, he had racked up quite a few merits.

He frequented this place for registrations and was quite familiar with Gu Wei.

At this moment, he noticed that while Gu Wei seemed no different from usual on the surface, her movements possessed subtle discrepancies, resembling someone deliberately imitating another person.

To be more precise... this was a disguise!

Coupled with the fishy stench in the room and the smacking sounds from earlier, the truth could only be one!

"She has been parasitized by a monster!"

Sun Xiaoqiang blurted out. Through a series of logical deductions and analyses, he felt he was truly brilliant—a genuine genius.

Both Chen Ming and Sun Yuhang beside him froze.

"Xiaoqiang, what monster are you talking about?"

"I said, Gu Wei has been parasitized by a monster!"

Sun Xiaoqiang raised his voice, emphasizing it once more.

Instantly, absolute silence descended upon the entire room. Everyone turned to look at him, instinctively putting some distance between themselves and Gu Wei.

Monsters of this kind... were things that filled people with terror at the mere mention!

Gu Wei also lifted her bright eyes, her gaze filled with bewilderment and an aggrieved expression.

"I haven't even stepped out of the shelter; I've stayed right here the whole time. How could I possibly be parasitized by a monster?"

"Exactly, exactly."

Chen Ming nodded repeatedly. "Xiaoqiang, have you been working too hard lately? Why are you talking nonsense?"

"I am not talking nonsense! Have you forgotten? My eyes are a ruler!"

Sun Xiaoqiang insisted stubbornly.

"........" Chen Ming was even more speechless, thinking to himself that his eyes were nothing of the sort!