Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 116: Chapter 108: Hit-or-Miss

Soon, the boy who had opened the door for Tang Mo ran back.

This time, he opened the door completely and enthusiastically welcomed Tang Mo inside.

”The Sect Leader invites you in.”

The boy said to Tang Mo, his eyes still fixed on the jar in her hands.

Tang Mo followed him through the door and continued straight ahead.

The layout of the buildings in Wuxi Village was vastly different from Yunshui Town. Compared to the haphazard disarray of Yunshui Town, the houses in Wuxi Village were arranged much more neatly; you could even discern a pattern.

Beneath the eaves of every small house were numerous jars and pots, and the walls were painted with many incomprehensible symbols and characters.

Tang Mo silently committed these details to memory.

The village head of Wuxi Village wasn’t called a village head, but a Sect Leader.

Just as others had described, this was indeed a very mysterious place. ’I need to be extra careful with my words later,’ Tang Mo thought.

The place where the Sect Leader lived was completely different from the other villagers’ homes. It wasn’t a small, dark house, but a bright and spacious place that resembled an ancestral hall.

The building even had a small courtyard, and at the courtyard gate stood two rows of able-bodied young men who looked like guards.

Having been to Taoyuan Village and Yunshui Town, Tang Mo had visited a few settlements in this post-apocalyptic world, but this was the first time she had seen a leader live in such an impressive style.

To avoid any unnecessary trouble, Tang Mo stuffed Jingjing into the backpack on her back, then walked into the main hall holding the box.

”Sect Leader, I’ve brought the person.”

The person who had led her here was extremely respectful to the Sect Leader. His choice of words also surprised Tang Mo somewhat, as it didn’t seem like the attitude of a villager toward their village head.

It was more like...

Tang Mo temporarily suppressed her thoughts.

”Bring the box here for me to see.”

The Sect Leader of Wuxi Village was very different from what Tang Mo had imagined. Perhaps it was because the images of Uncle He and the head of Taoyuan Village were so positive that she felt a little unsettled seeing this Sect Leader.

’I thought the leader of such a mysterious village would have a mysterious and rustic air about him,’ she mused.

But in reality, the Sect Leader of Wuxi Village was a very pale and fat middle-aged man. One might even call him... a bit greasy.

In this day and age, you had to admire someone who could ”maintain” himself so well.

Tang Mo stepped forward and handed the box to the Sect Leader.

The Sect Leader gestured for someone beside him to place the box inside a wide-bellied, narrow-mouthed jar. They then opened the box inside the jar and immediately sealed the opening with a layer of transparent steel mesh.

Only when the prepared jar was brought before him did the Sect Leader begin to examine its contents.

Inside the jar were, of course, the ten insects Tang Mo had Jingjing catch.

Tang Mo had seen most of the insects before. She took a look at the few she hadn’t, and although they looked unusual and bizarre, they were actually just ordinary bugs.

Insects like these had extremely weak attack power and held no value.

Tang Mo knew that the people of Wuxi Village would never be interested in these insects. She was just using them as a pretext to get inside.

Now that she was in, the insects had fulfilled their purpose, even if the Sect Leader deemed them worthless.

”Not bad. There’s a Medicinal Insect in here. Young lady, what’s your price for this Medicinal Insect?”

The Sect Leader observed the contents of the jar for a long while before reaching a conclusion.

”Medicinal Insect?”

Tang Mo, who had been preparing for a cold reception, was taken aback. ’Did that clever little Jingjing really catch a useful insect?’

Tang Mo followed the Sect Leader’s finger to look at the so-called ”Medicinal Insect,” wanting to see if it was one of the bugs she didn’t recognize.

But when she saw it, her expression changed slightly.

The insect the Sect Leader was pointing at was, coincidentally, one Tang Mo was very familiar with: a Mutant Winged Insect.

These insects were rare. Compared to other insects that appeared in swarms, Mutant Winged Insects always appeared alone.

However, while rare, they weren’t unheard of. Tang Mo had seen them many times, but she never knew they had any special value.

This type of insect was too small to have a Crystal Core, had no valuable body parts, and wasn’t even enough for a mouthful.

”Excuse me, Sect Leader, but what is a Medicinal Insect?”

When in doubt, ask. Tang Mo figured ”Medicinal Insect” was probably a term unique to Wuxi Village, perhaps related to all the pots and jars under everyone’s houses.

”That, of course, is our secret. I can’t say, I can’t say. All you need to do, young lady, is name a price.”

The Sect Leader, who looked to be around forty, stroked his chin with a profound look on his face, which clashed completely with his obese figure.

”Well, in the Sect Leader’s opinion, how much is this insect worth?”

Tang Mo really had no idea about the prices in Wuxi Village. After all, at the Alliance Exchange, a Mutant Winged Insect couldn’t even fetch a single Basic Crystal Core.

The Sect Leader thought for a moment, then held up one finger.

”One Crystal Core?” Tang Mo asked.

’If it’s one Basic Crystal Core, the price isn’t that high. Maybe a Mutant Winged Insect is really worth that much here,’ she thought.

”Correct. One Intermediate Crystal Core. Are you selling, young lady?”

An Intermediate Crystal Core?

The Mutant Winged Insect was the most common type of Basic-level Mutant Beast. If it was worth an Intermediate Crystal Core, then Tang Mo wouldn’t bother with anything else. She would just go into the jungle every day and catch them.

She would guarantee that not a single Mutant Winged Insect would be left wherever she went. This was too easy a way to make money.

”Deal.”

Tang Mo nodded immediately. ’Never mind what’s really going on. If I don’t take this money, wouldn’t I be an idiot?’

The Sect Leader was very prompt. He plucked the Mutant Winged Insect from the jar, placed it in a separate small container, and settled the payment with Tang Mo on the spot, giving her one Intermediate Crystal Core.

”Alright, we’ve collected the Medicinal Insect. You may leave now, young lady.”

The Sect Leader was already starting to show her out.

”Wait.”

Having gone through so much trouble to get in, Tang Mo certainly wasn’t going to let herself be kicked out so easily.

”Insects like this... I know a place where there are many more. I wonder if the Sect Leader is interested in knowing where?”

The moment Tang Mo spoke, the eyes of everyone in the room lit up with immense, pleasant surprise.

But one person’s gaze was different from everyone else’s.

Tang Mo had been watching the Sect Leader’s expression. She clearly sensed that after she finished speaking, his face had turned considerably uglier.

’Just as I thought,’ Tang Mo concluded. ’There’s something wrong with this Sect Leader.’

The concept of a ”Medicinal Insect” was something that even the Alliance’s research institutes hadn’t figured out. How could a small, isolated village possibly have developed it?

Wuxi Village didn’t have a centuries-old legacy. Back in Yunshui Town, she had heard from Uncle He and his wife that Wuxi Village had only become well-known in the last ten years or so.

A decade or so... ’That should be the time this Sect Leader has been in power,’ she thought.