Chapter 128: Blood Skull

Chapter 128: Blood Skull

"What exactly is wrong?"

Chen Jian asked.

Xie Liu shook her head and replied:

"I can't see; the delivery room is sealed, I'm just judging from the sounds inside that she's in labor."

"The process should be smooth, but I always feel that the people inside aren't... very happy."

"Their tone seems somewhat regretful?"

"I heard someone say that the baby is sick."

"But what exactly the situation is, it's still unclear."

"Understood. And you?"

Chen Jian turned to Ji Xing, who after a moment of thought said:

"The smell of blood is off, with a hint of rot."

"You can smell that?"

Chen Jian asked, surprised.

Ji Xing nodded and replied:

"My sense of smell is relatively sharper than other Holy Blood bearers—this isn't the point."

"The point is, I know how blood should smell."

"Different blood has different smells; massive bleeding differs from oozing, red blood from black blood, and Holy Blood bearers' blood differs even more from ordinary people's."

"But the bloody odor I smelled outside that room is unlike any blood odor I've ever encountered."

"It's mixed with the scent of a rotting wound—like the smell of a wound several days after injury."

"In short, it's strange."

"Shen Yue, is this normal?"

Chen Jian turned to Shen Yue, who after a brief thought replied:

"Honestly, it's quite normal."

"Under poor sanitary conditions, blood—especially the blood of childbirth—naturally carries a foul smell."

"But Xie Liu said the people inside reacted strangely; that's the real issue, right?"

"Childbirth, wherever in the world, is a cause for celebration, regardless of how reluctant one may be before it truly begins; after the new life arrives, joy follows."

"This is human instinct, not something reason can oppose."

"If there is no joy in the birth of new life, then perhaps, as Xie Liu heard, this newborn truly is ill."

"And it's an illness visible to the naked eye."

"But we can't do anything about it—we're not running an orphanage."

Chen Jian gave Shen Yue a white eye, then said:

"What does an orphanage have to do with it? We're worried she'll give birth to a monster, just like the descendants of those converts."

"Oh, I was just jumping to conclusions."

Shen Yue gave an embarrassed smile and defended himself:

"It's a doctor's basic competence—no matter what comes out, we won't treat it as a monster."

"Otherwise, those babies with cleft lips, conjoined twins, congenital anencephaly, and similar deformities would all have been treated as monsters."

".Your political correctness is truly impressive. Forget it, I can't be bothered to argue with you."

Chen Jian paused briefly, then said:

"He Shuo launched the drone, monitoring the building in real time."

"If anything unexpected happens, we'll have time to react."

"Understood."

He Shuo, upon hearing this, walked to the window and quickly launched the drone.

The footage captured by the drone from low altitude swiftly appeared on the smart goggles of the few of us.

Chen Jian saw someone open the door and slop out a basin of dirty water stained red with blood; through the doorway, the drone happened to capture the cramped room where the laboring woman lay on the bed.

She held a baby in her arms, nursing; outwardly, the baby showed no abnormality.

But somewhat eerily, the baby's activity level seemed... too high.

His tiny arms flailed constantly in the air; even while feeding, there was no sign of calming down.

The mother's chest had been stained red in a small patch, likely from uncleaned blood that hadn't been tended to yet.

Chen Jian zoomed out the image and then spoke:

"For now, it looks fine."

"There's a problem."

Lei Jie interrupted:

"Where is the baby's father? This room is full of women!"

The words fell, and Chen Jian stared for a moment.

Then he realized, this really wasn't a minor issue.

"During such an important event as childbirth, the father's absence is indeed strange."

"Although one could explain it with various 'ethical tales,' Chen Jian felt the matter couldn't be that simple."

"Let's just see what happens."

Chen Jian said solemnly:

"Following the preset rotation schedule for watch duty, tonight is destined to be sleepless."

"Understood."

Everyone answered in turn, after assigning the watch posts and completing the first shift, Chen Jian didn't even take off his exoskeleton, simply leaned against the bed and fell asleep.

When he woke again, the sky was already bright.

"That night, nothing happened."

"The previous night's little incident eventually faded away, as if all our suspicions were merely an overreaction by the squad. The dawn of Hostong Town presented an ordinary face no different from any other human settlement—cooking smoke curled upward, the air filled with the aroma of food, and those who rose early had already left their dwellings, heading for the lakeside, boarding wooden boats, intending to catch as many fish as possible before the temperature dropped to unbearable levels, to store up provisions for winter."

"Under Zeng Yi's lead, the squad came to the center of Hostong Town, raised a small flag according to merchant custom, and laid out some items from their personal belongings on the ground."

"They actually had little to sell; at most they could spare some ammunition, hastily presenting it as the caravan's 'proof.'"

"Fortunately, high-quality 7.62mm rounds are hard currency wherever they are, and before long locals approached voluntarily to trade."

"Chen Jian exchanged a dozen rounds for enough food to feed the squad for a day, then traded one of Ji Xing's hand grenades for a still-functional battery."

Once the first deal was struck, the rest of the trade flowed easily.

More and more residents gathered around, eagerly asking if there were any more goods for sale.

Chen Jian explained to them that this trip's cargo was limited, promising to bring more on his return.

Yet it was clear that, having finally attracted a caravan, the locals would not let it slip away so easily.

Not long after, the ammunition Chen Jian had brought sold out completely; the crowd stared longingly at the weapons slung over their shoulders, wishing to barter something, though they knew they could not afford a fair price.

Consequently, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Apart from a few idle children watching from afar, the little stall fell utterly silent.

Chen Jian loaded all the acquired goods onto the wagon and then sighed:

"Trade here is still quite brisk; judging by their eagerness to barter, their lives are hardly harsh."

"They have surplus food, surplus fuel; what they truly lack are productive tools."

"Perhaps, once the trade routes are secured, we can bring them what they need."

"Although profits will be modest, the very act of opening a route brings communication and exchange that are valuable in themselves."

"We must spread our ideals far and wide, and the trade routes offer a fine means to do so."

"Indeed."

Zeng Yi nodded, adding:

"In fact, the Scarlet Blood Hall and the Machine God Cult operate the same way."

"But they focus mainly on large cities; these small towns are hardly ever on their radar."

"That is our opportunity."

Chen Jian continued:

"We take what they reject, we accept those they turn away."

"The less they visit a place, the weaker the hold of religious dogma there."

"Just as Huangshi City venerates its ancestors and Suzhou Town worships wind turbines—though absurd, it is easily corrected."

"Indeed."

Lei Jie said with conviction:

"Given the chance, restoring a couple of wind turbines would bring them directly under our sway—a fine prospect."

"That assumes you have the skill; you think wind"

"Captain."

Chen Jian hadn't finished his sentence when Zeng Yi suddenly interrupted.

He pointed toward the distance and said:

"Someone is coming."

"It's the woman from yesterday who just gave birth!"

Chen Jian followed the indicated direction and indeed saw the woman cradling her newborn as she approached.

The child lay quiet, as if already asleep.

Yet the woman's face was etched with sorrow.

She stepped before the small group, hesitated a moment, then dropped to her knees and lifted the baby high.

In Chen Jian's astonished gaze, she spoke:

"No matter the price, please take him away!"

"Let him live, let him live!"

The woman burst into tears, and from the street behind her, armed men suddenly surged forward.

The squad instantly went on alert; as Chen Jian's weapon rack unfolded, everyone charging forward instinctively halted.

The pure, oppressive weight of slaughter frightened them, robbing them of the courage to act rashly.

Chen Jian lowered his eyes to the woman and said:

"We do not want infants."

"If you have difficulties, perhaps we can offer some help."

"I have no trouble; I only wish for him to live"

The woman sobbed:

"Look at him—he is healthy! He deserves to live!"

As she spoke, she flung open the cloth wrapping the baby.

"See, his limbs are whole, he is strong, he—"

"Wait!"

Chen Jian cut her off.

His expression grew grave, and the other squad members mirrored his seriousness.

Yes, the baby was sturdy.

But he was far from healthy.

A terrifying crimson stain marked his chest.

The mark of blood seeping from a ruptured herpes sore.

Chen Jian drew a deep breath, gripped his weapon tightly.

Meanwhile, Xie Liu crouched beside him, examined the infant closely, then said:

"A typical skull‑shaped herpes."

"It is the blood‑skull!"

(End of chapter)