Chapter 538: Chapter 538

Jing Shu did not deny it. "If I had known things were , I definitely wouldn’t have bothered you... Wen Jun said it was you who saved everyone. I was wondering how a girl who had lost her legs managed to do it. Now I see where your food comes from; we were too presumptuous. It’s our fault. You... you weren’t born , were you? Do you want to come out with us to find a Doctor to have surgery and restore your original appearance?"

"Yes, yes, with today’s advanced technology, even conjoined twins sharing one heart can be separated. You can also be helped in the same way. If you’re willing, I can find someone to do the separation surgery for you and fit you with prosthetics. Of course, after you recover, as a condition of the exchange, the lower half of the insect body must be handed over to us for research," Jun Bao said from the side. He still hoped to study the real Snail Queen and breed more to solve the human food problem.

This deal was not a loss for him. What he would get was a breeding insect queen.

"Recover?" The insect woman, Xiao Wei, laughed mockingly. "How is that possible? We’ve already become a symbiotic entity. Without me, it would be like a creature without a head. How could it survive? Without it, I would be like a person without a heart. How could I live?"

Jun Bao sighed softly, feeling a little regretful.

Jing Shu asked with a complex expression, "What exactly happened to turn you into this? Tell us, maybe we can help you."

First impressions are very important, especially when encountering such creepy matters. Neither of them screamed ’monster’ or ’demon,’ which made Wen Jun feel much better. Moreover, Jing Shu and her group bore no ill will. After shouting to Guo Tou outside to remain calm, Wen Jun turned back to Xiao Wei and, with her consent, began to speak,

"It all started over half a year ago when a great disaster befell our village. The mountains swallowed up more than half of our village. At that time, the casualties were countless... The village chief’s home was right in the center of the village, so of course, it was completely devoured. Xiao Wei’s family was also gone. At that time, we had no idea Xiao Wei was still alive. We found her on the fifth day after the village was swallowed."

"With no food left in the village, it was decided to clean up all places once more to see if there was any food left. Finally, we cleaned up this half-swallowed house, and here, in this hole, we found Xiao Wei, unconscious... Without much thought as to why Xiao Wei from the center of the village would appear here, we were very happy to drag her out. But halfway through, we realized something was wrong, as below there was this insect body."

Xiao Wei’s hands trembled. The memory of the event still terrified her. She slowly said,

"Below the village was occupied by Abdominal Foot Worms, with a maze of worm tunnels. The area where the Snail Queen was happened to be right beneath my house, so we weren’t crushed into meat pies; we just fell down... And many other bodies that were crushed into meat pies in the village were dragged to the Snail Queen’s mouth and eaten... I was no exception, only... something unexpected happened while the Insect King was eating me halfway."

Jing Shu perked up her ears.

Jun Bao’s eyes widened. "What kind of accident?"

Xiao Wei slowly closed her eyes. "I woke up in pain. I wished I had been eaten cleanly like my family... but it really hurt. The pain made me struggle on the ground, and the stone I grabbed randomly seemed to liquefy into my body. After that, I passed out, and when I came to, I saw Guo Tou and Brother Wen Jun who were dragging me... I found that I had become a monster."

"This monster might have eaten my entire family, my relatives, and friends. And now that I’m fused with it, does that mean I, too, have eaten those people?"

"No, Xiao Wei, don’t think like that!" Wen Jun held Xiao Wei, stroking her gently, and turned his head to say, "Xiao Wei was about to commit suicide at the time, saying there was no point in living... but how could that be true? She is the savior of all the survivors. Without her, we would have died long ago. She is our lifesaver. If it weren’t for her, the Snail Queen would eventually have sent two or three-meter-long Abdominal Foot Worms to kill and consume us all. The combat strength of the Abdominal Foot Worms is fierce, a new species evolved in the apocalypse."

"Right, my reason for living is all of you... Guo Tou said I must survive, to avenge the whole village. These insects ate the people of our village, didn’t they? So now, they have to eat all these insects! An eye for an eye!" Xiao Wei smiled lightly, finding her reason to continue living. Even if she had become a monster, these people still needed her, and that was enough.

If there comes a day when she is no longer needed, she’ll perish along with all the insects, dying clean. If Wen Jun and Guo Tou lead people away, maybe then she would finally rest at ease and leave this world; she had long since lost the desire to live.

Xiao Wei’s lower body, her abdominal mouthparts, continued to feed nonstop, incessantly supplied with meals by the insects.

Jing Shu approached Xiao Wei excitedly. The reaction from her space grew more obvious. "Was it a black crystal stone?"

"At that time, I couldn’t see anything, only that a monster was eating me. Later, in the cave, I never found such stones again. However, I did find a pool of black liquid that the numerous Abdominal Foot Worms seemed to fear immensely, so I think it’s probably not anything good," Xiao Wei said.

Jing Shu’s eyes shone even brighter, and even Jun Bao’s eyes lit up. Could this be the substance they had been researching these past few days?

Just then, from the outside came the voice of Guo Tou, "Wen Jun, have you decided how to deal with these outsiders?"

Wen Jun ground his teeth. "Xiao Wei’s situation must not be known to the outside world. Since you already know so much, you might as well stay. Who knows if you would bring people back to destroy our village and take Xiao Wei back for research like a specimen."

Jun Bao nodded seriously. "You’ve thought this through very well. Indeed, it’s a hidden danger, and Xiao Wei’s condition really can’t be brought back to the city, at least not now..."

Jing Shu felt that Jun Bao was scheming something. Speaking of which, doesn’t this person have some kind of anorexia? Why then is he so interested in matters of livelihood and increasing the food supply during the apocalypse?

"We really have no malice. How can you trust us to keep your secret? How about this, I do have a way," Jing Shu said.

Xiao Wei blinked. "Actually, I believe you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have said so much. I know food is scarce now, and I know you have your own reserves. But still, you gave us Compressed Biscuits. You’re just like the aunties. You also feel sympathy for me."

"Xiao Wei! First, let’s hear what this lady has to say," Wen Jun frowned, putting Xiao Wei’s interests first. He really could not guarantee what outsiders might do after learning of their situation.

"Actually, it’s quite simple..." Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩