Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Wanting to Stay
Suddenly, something bizarre happened. The insects swarming around the man began to surge together at a visible speed, coalescing into one enormous mass that immediately caught the Vulture’s attention.
The instant Zhang Aihua fired, the Vulture dove toward the massive swarm of insects. BANG! In a flash, the swarm dispersed, and the Vulture slammed headfirst into the snow, killing itself on impact.
The scene had unfolded too quickly, too suddenly, too bizarrely. Before Zhang Aihua could even process it, the man before him slowly raised his eyes. His hollow gaze was inhuman and utterly terrifying.
Zhang Aihua instinctively took a step back, tightening his grip on the gun in his hand.
But when the man’s gaze fell upon the dead Vulture, his hollow eyes suddenly lit up with an earth-shattering joy. He dropped to his knees without warning, grabbed the still-warm bird, and began to savagely tear at it with his teeth, feathers and all, like a wild beast.
Seeing this, Zhang Aihua actually let out a sigh of relief.
’He’s probably just a starving man who happened to be there during that bizarre incident.’
’All the anomalous environments caused by mutated creatures they had encountered before were the work of animals.’
Zhang Aihua looked at the man, who had already torn open the Vulture’s neck and was gulping down its blood, and asked tentatively, "Brother? Are you okay? Do you need us to cook that vulture for you?"
’If this man still has his wits about him, I can help him. If he’s gone mad, I’m not going to bother.’
The man instantly stopped what he was doing. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but perhaps because it had been so long since anyone had talked to him, he just gave a stiff nod.
Zhang Aihua exchanged a glance with his men. "Why don’t you stand up first?"
The man obediently got to his feet. Looking dazed and foolish, he didn’t seem so frightening anymore.
Back at the hot spring camp, after they had carried the Vulture over, Zhang Yiwen ran up and happily hugged Zhang Aihua’s leg. "Dad, you actually got a Vulture! You’re amazing!"
Zhang Aihua rubbed his nose and said, "This Vulture belongs to the uncle behind me. We’re just helping him bring it back to roast it."
Zhang Yiwen looked at the disheveled man but didn’t find him particularly strange. He had seen people in much worse shape before.
At least this guy’s clothes were neat, and he even had a hat.
He smiled and greeted him, "Hello, Uncle! Since we’re helping you roast it, you’ll definitely share some with us, right?"
Zhang Yiwen had inherited Zhang Aihua’s cleverness; he believed that if you put in the work, you deserved a reward.
He was sick of eating fish and eggs these past few days. He wondered if vulture tasted like chicken, and he was very much looking forward to finding out.
Every day, he was trying to figure out ways to make their ingredients taste even better.
He had even taught himself how to prepare oysters from the local shellfish, which greatly impressed Song Yufang.
The man paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
He spoke with a standard French accent, which gave him an unexpectedly gentlemanly and noble air.
Zhang Yiwen cheered and said enthusiastically and expertly, "Quick, quick! Get the big pot ready! We’ll use the hot spring water to pluck the feathers."
Seeing his mild attitude, and then his filthy clothes, Zhang Aihua asked, "Brother, what’s your name? We can get a set of clothes for you. Would you like to take a bath and change?"
When asked his name, the man seemed to freeze for a moment. After a long pause, he replied, "I am Bo Xi. Thank you. If it’s possible, I would like a bath and some clothes."
Zhang Aihua nodded. ’Good, his mind is sound.’
’Another able-bodied worker for the team. That’s great.’
They didn’t have many clothes to spare from before, but Song Yufang and the others had managed to fashion some strange, mismatched, yet surprisingly warm garments from the vulture feathers and down, along with some snakeskin.
Bo Xi went to a cave where hot spring water had been diverted, took off his clothes, and slipped quietly into the water.
A protrusion on his spine suddenly detached and rolled around his body until it crawled into the palm of his hand. It was a raised, insect-like shape, wriggling beneath the skin of his palm.
Bo Xi glanced at his palm and began to scrub it in the hot spring water. As if afraid of the heat, the insect-like thing shot from his palm up to his forehead—a bizarre and horrifying sight.
’This place is wonderful. A warm hot spring with the perfect water temperature. If I weren’t so hungry, I wouldn’t want to get out at all.’
He put on the clothes Zhang Aihua had prepared for him. By now, the huge Vulture had been plucked, chopped into many pieces, and prepared into a variety of dishes.
His eyes were immediately drawn to two enormous vulture wings roasting on a rack.
The enticing aroma and golden-brown color made the rumbling in Bo Xi’s stomach even louder.
’It may be more primitive than any house I’ve ever lived in,’ he thought, ’but perhaps this is all that’s left of human civilization.’
He walked over, sat down on a small wooden stool, and waited patiently, watching Zhang Yiwen carefully baste the wings with sauce by the fire. He really wanted to stay.
’But I don’t know if they’ll let me stay. I’m a monster now.’
The fire was blazing, and the roasted wings were ready in no time.
A piece was cut off for him, and Bo Xi snatched it up, devouring it ravenously.
It had been so long since he’d eaten cooked food.
Zhang Yiwen was also enjoying himself. The vulture meat was a bit tougher than chicken, but the wings were tender and incredibly fragrant.
Besides the roasted wings, there was also stir-fried offal, kelp and thigh meat stew, charcoal-grilled vulture skin, and cold-tossed tendon...
From this one Vulture, everyone managed to eat their fill.
After eating, Bo Xi wanted to stay even more.
He hesitated, wondering how to ask, yet afraid that if he stayed, they would discover the abnormality of his body.
To his surprise, Zhang Aihua took the initiative and asked him, "Bo Xi, do you want to stay? To live here with us?"
Overjoyed, Bo Xi nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
Zhang Aihua smiled. "In that case, I’ll go speak with Mr. Qin and Miss Jiang tomorrow. If they approve, then you can stay."
Bo Xi was taken aback. "Who are they?"
’They sound like the managers of this place.’
Bo Xi felt a little scared.
Zhang Aihua explained, "This territory originally belonged to them, but they allowed us to stay and even gave us some supplies and help. So, to have a new member stay, we have to ask for their permission, no matter what."
Bo Xi breathed a sigh of relief. ’It sounds like Jiang Si and Qin Shen are good people. They probably won’t make things difficult for me.’
He took the initiative and said, "Should I go with you?"
Zhang Aihua thought for a moment. "That would be for the best."
The words had barely left his mouth when Qin Shen and Jiang Si appeared, riding on moose.
The sounds of everyone’s greetings came from outside. Bo Xi went out with Zhang Aihua and was immediately pinned by Qin Shen’s sharp, eagle-like gaze, causing him to nervously clench his fists.
He followed Zhang Aihua and hurriedly greeted them, "Hello, beautiful miss, handsome sir. I am Bo Xi. I humbly request to stay."
Jiang Si saw that Qin Shen had no reaction, which probably meant the man wasn’t dangerous. She asked a few questions: "Where are you from? Where did you come from? Do you have any family?"
