A Mao's eyes flashed with surprise when she heard this, evidently not expecting Zuo Feng to so directly state her gender.
She knew her disguise wasn't perfect, but she didn't deny it, still speaking in a hoarse voice, 'No, it's just me. Everyone in this town left for E City. I stayed because of a leg injury, unable to travel long distances. The supplies in town were long since scavenged, not even a few rats left, and usually, no one comes here.'
Zuo Feng nodded, secretly amused, 'This little girl is quite good at acting, but she's easy to see through.'
She claimed there were no supplies, probably afraid others would covet her food.
But the phrase 'usually, no one comes here' contradicted her previous statement. If no one came, how did those clear tire tracks at the entrance get there? Either there were other people, or this little girl drove the car. Zuo Feng leaned towards the latter.
Because the tire tracks were relatively new and in a single direction, they clearly appeared recently.
Furthermore, the tire tracks disappeared not far behind the house, where an old sedan was parked, still covered in fresh mud, clearly having just returned from outside.
Since she could drive, she wasn't staying in town because of a leg injury.
Zuo Feng had made his judgment but showed no change in expression, asking gently, 'Then do you know of any recent developments in E City? For example, have any new organizations appeared, or is there any special news?'
A Mao frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and slowly said, 'I don't know. I've been staying in the town and haven't left, so I don't know the situation in H City.'
Zuo Feng's eyes flickered, and he mused, 'This little girl's answer is cautious, but it's hard to hide the loopholes in her words. The tire tracks went out of town, yet she says she hasn't left.'
Zuo Feng didn't plan to expose the little girl, only smiling and saying, 'Alright, do you mind if I rest here for a moment?'
A Mao hesitated, but finally nodded, pointing to a simple bed in the corner, 'You can rest there, but don't touch anything.'
Zuo Feng smiled and nodded, walked to the simple bed, sat down, took off his backpack, and pulled out two meat patties and two cans of beef stew.
Although he had the kongling crystal, it was better to expose its abilities as little as possible unless necessary, so Zuo Feng carried a backpack.
Zuo Feng opened a can, and the aroma filled the air. A Mao's eyes flashed with a hint of undetectable longing.
Zuo Feng handed A Mao a meat patty and a can of beef stew, 'Hungry? Have some with me.'
A Mao looked at the food in Zuo Feng's hand, a trace of surprise and hesitation in her eyes.
Evidently, she hadn't expected this newly acquainted stranger to generously share food.
In the apocalypse, food was a scarce resource, and people often resorted to any means for survival.
A Mao even suspected the food might be drugged, but then she thought: 'I'm disabled, and all dirty, so my original appearance can't be seen. For one meat patty and one can of beef stew, what kind of woman can't be found in E City? Why bother with such effort?'
Seeing her hesitate, Zuo Feng chuckled, 'Don't worry, I'm not that bad.'
A Mao bit her lip, took the meat patty and can, but her guard remained up.
The two ate in silence. A Mao greedily absorbed the aroma of the food, chewing in small bites, each mouthful bringing her a long-lost sense of satisfaction.
While eating the meat patty, Zuo Feng casually asked, 'Which is the biggest power in E City?'
Perhaps because she hadn't eaten such delicious food in so long, A Mao's mind was entirely on the food, and she unconsciously replied, 'It's Mo Wentianya.'
As soon as the words left her mouth, A Mao immediately realized her slip. She abruptly looked up, a flicker of panic in her eyes, then quickly lowered her head, hiding her embarrassment.
Zuo Feng's lips curved into a smug smile, secretly pleased, 'Little girl, you're still a bit too green.'
Zuo Feng didn't rush to ask further but slowly ate his meat patty, as if the previous question was just a casual remark.
The meat patties were made by Xiao Chu Niang herself, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and fragrant.
Only after A Mao finished eating did Zuo Feng speak, a hint of playfulness in his tone, 'Mo Wentianya? Sounds interesting. Can you tell me about it?'
A Mao kept her head down, her hands tightly gripping the empty can, her fingers slightly white from the effort.
She was silent for a long while before gathering the courage to look up, a hint of determination in her eyes, 'Ask whatever you want.'
This time, she didn't deliberately hide her voice, her tone revealing a hint of helplessness and compromise, her voice clear and ethereal.
Zuo Feng raised an eyebrow, looking at her with interest, 'How many powers are there in E City now?'
A Mao drooped her head and slowly said, 'There are only two powers in E City: one is Mo Wentianya, and the other is Junlin Tianxia. Mo Wentianya's founder is from the political sphere, while Junlin Tianxia's founder is from the military. The two powers balance each other, seemingly peaceful on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents are surging.'
Zuo Feng nodded, a flicker of deep thought in his eyes, 'Then do you know how many Mutants each of them has?'
A Mao hesitated for a moment, then softly replied, 'I'm not very clear about the affairs of the Mutant adults, but I heard they both have over ten thousand.'
Zuo Feng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Over ten thousand Mutants—this strength was completely up to the standard of an Overlord Power, stronger than any single one of H City's Three Overlord Powers. It truly lived up to its former status as a first-tier city.
Zuo Feng nodded thoughtfully, no longer pressing the question about Mutants.
This little girl evidently knew limited information, and continuing to ask her about Mutants might not yield more useful information.
He then asked, 'Are you familiar with E City?'
A Mao nodded slightly, a hint of helplessness in her tone, 'Fairly familiar. I grew up there since childhood.'
She knew her disguise had been seen through, and there was no point in continuing to pretend, so she might as well answer honestly.
Zuo Feng's gaze was deep, and he slowly said, 'Then why are you here? You don't look like a Mutant, more like an ordinary person. An ordinary person in such a remote town is extremely dangerous.'
A Mao bit her lip, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, 'This town was my grandparents' home before the apocalypse. I only came to this town three days ago. I came here to wait for death.'
Zuo Feng frowned slightly, his tone softening, 'Wait for death? Why would you think that?'
A Mao's eyes reddened slightly, and she slowly pulled up her pant leg, revealing a leg that looked like withered wood, with dry, pale skin.
Her voice choked, 'I used to live in the jurisdiction of Mo Wentianya. I had no special skills and could only do odd jobs, barely able to make ends meet.'
Later, Mo Wentianya recruited volunteers for an experiment, providing food and drink, so I signed up.'
After the experiment, my leg became like this. They said I wouldn't live more than a month, that I was a failed experiment, and they abandoned me.'
I didn't want to be discarded casually after I died, so I came back here, thinking at least I'd have a place to be buried.'
My grandparents' graves are nearby. I want to be with them; it would be a resting place.'
Upon hearing this, Zuo Feng's gaze sharpened, 'What kind of experiment were they doing?' Zuo Feng was now wary whenever he heard about experiments, hoping it wasn't another New type of symbiotic zombie virus.
A Mao shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes, 'I don't know the specifics. They just gave me an injection, and then I fell asleep.'
The next day, I became like this. After that, they just kicked me out, without even an explanation.'
I didn't even get a sip of water there. I tried to reason with them, but they ignored me, only saying I was a failed product and didn't deserve their food.'
A Mao's voice grew softer and softer, as if all hope had been exhausted.
Zuo Feng's face darkened. The experiment A Mao underwent must be related to research on turning ordinary people into Mutants. A Mao's leg was clearly showing signs of lignification, which is a Mutant's ability.
These people better not be messing around with something similar to the New type of symbiotic zombie virus again, or the consequences would be unimaginable.