CHAPTER 318: CHAPTER 3: BANKNOTES

Sun Hang picked up the container with the corrupted meat once again and held it up in front of the rearview mirror.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that the corrupted meat wasn’t that disgusting... he even had an urge to taste it.

"I must be losing my mind."

Sun Hang sighed, put the container aside, took a bite of a compressed biscuit, and forced himself to swallow it down.

But just as Sun Hang swallowed the biscuit, he suddenly realized that the "old woman" walking in front had vanished.

The high beams were on, illuminating a hundred-meter range in front of the car. This barren land was not only infertile, but it didn’t even have a large stone to hide behind...

"Where did she go?"

Sun Hang couldn’t help but think of scenes from horror films. He jumped out of the car, checked it inside and out, even looking under the car and in the trunk, but he still didn’t see any trace of the "old woman."

"This is really like ’seeing a ghost.’" Sun Hang concluded.

The paper money was still there, and so was the "rice cake," at least proving that none of this was an illusion.

But why did the "person" who gave him these things disappear right in front of his eyes?

Sun Hang gripped the steering wheel tightly and closed his eyes with force.

He began to ponder every detail of his recent contact with the "old woman," every word she said.

Sun Hang could not find any valuable clues...

The only thing she repeatedly mentioned was not to let himself "go hungry"...

Which meant, in this place, "hunger" was a very serious issue?

"Could this be some sort of ’rule-type deceitful entity’?" Sun Hang muttered to himself, forcing down another bite of the unpalatable compressed biscuit.

The good news was that the compressed biscuit, although hard to swallow, did fill the stomach once ingested... otherwise, Sun Hang might really have eaten the "rice cake" made from the corrupted meat.

"Wait a minute... If ’hunger’ is dangerous, then why did she share food with me?" A ridiculous thought popped into Sun Hang’s mind...

Could it be that the "old woman" is really my great-grandmother?

Sun Hang had no memories of the past; he couldn’t remember if there were any other relatives left in the world...

Assuming this place is indeed the surrendered area of the Yundian Region...

He was attacked near a small town close to Tianfu City, but Tianfu City was unfamiliar to him... meaning he wasn’t a native of Shuzhou.

Could it be possible... he was a descendant of refugees who fled to Shu from the Yundian Region’s fall?

Putting aside the strange memories of Nameless Island, Sun Hang thought there was some logic to this guess of his.

Not all refugees could escape to Shuzhou; a considerable number were left in the surrendered area... and among those left behind, there might be his ancestors...

But... if that "old woman" really was his ancestor, then why did she show no excitement upon seeing him?

Reuniting with relatives after a long separation shouldn’t be this calm, right?

Or is it that he only resembled the "old woman’s" descendant, so she showed such kindness to a stranger?

"Damn... could I have turned into that form too?" Sun Hang was startled.

He looked at himself in the mirror, his features and body still appeared human—yet it was useless. When he interacted face-to-face with the "old woman," the mirror also reflected a human form, only showing the "true appearance" when she turned away.

"I can’t see it in the mirror myself... I need another method."

Sun Hang pondered, then turned his head, pulled out his phone, opened the camera function towards the rearview mirror, and closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all distractions, then pressed the shutter button.

"Click."

Sun Hang slowly opened his eyes and immediately looked at his phone screen.

In the photo, the rearview mirror still reflected a human, not a monster made of distorted flesh.

Sun Hang breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although he wasn’t sure of the photo’s authenticity, given the current circumstances, this was the most he could do.

It was better than seeing a monster reflected in the photo.

"You can’t even be sure if their intentions were good..." Sun Hang scrutinized the "rice cake" in the container. "If I ate this thing and died, perhaps they would conveniently come back to collect my body... then I would become their food instead."

"No, that’s still not right."

"They didn’t just give me food but also money... wait! Money!"

Sun Hang jolted, suddenly sitting upright.

He suddenly realized there was a very important message hidden in this!

The other party gave him money to buy something he liked to eat... Does this mean, in this place, there’s a place where this currency can be spent?!

Immediately, Sun Hang thought of the regular guest in various strange and suspenseful works, the "Ghost Market"—though in this world view, "Deceit Market" would be more fitting.

Sun Hang imagined in his mind a group of deceitful entities gathering together, using decades-old currency to trade goods...