"Sacrifice? Are you talking about the kind they used to show on TV, where they sacrificed virgin boys and girls?"
Zhou Haimei's eyes held a hint of revulsion, as if she couldn't quite believe it. "You mean Qin Chuan and the others were sacrificed?"
"Isn't it obvious? The other party has already given you the answer."
Zhou Haimei froze.
She had initially thought that sacrifice was just a casual remark from that woman, and the sequence of events was that Qin Chuan died first, and then was sacrificed to the sea god.
But now, after Xu An's reminder, she realized she had reversed the cause and effect.
It must have been that someone sacrificed Qin Chuan and the others as offerings to the sea god, which was why Qin Chuan and the others died.
Once she understood the cause and effect, Zhou Haimei felt terrible.
"What time is it, and people are still engaging in these feudal dregs?"
Clearly, she was referring to the act of "sacrifice."
"Such things will always exist, especially when facing great changes or natural disasters. When humans realize they cannot resist these disasters with their own strength, they will naturally crave miracles."
"But we Chinese have always believed in reciprocity," Xu An said with a sarcastic smile, bringing this up. "They think that if they want to ask for something from the gods, they can't go empty-handed. How would the gods agree to protect them?"
Hearing this, Zhou Haimei nodded with understanding. "So, we believe that we need to contribute something to get something in return."
Xu An nodded, and then Zhou Haimei looked at the woman in the distance with a wary expression. "You suspect that Qin Chuan was sacrificed by this woman?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Just then, a dark-skinned, thin little boy emerged from a wooden hut nearby.
He spoke to the woman in dialect with an impatient tone. Upon hearing him, the woman immediately nodded and bowed, following the boy. Even though the boy had a conceited look on his face the entire time, as if everyone owed him five million, the woman remained submissive, as if trying to please him.
Shortly after the two returned to the house, a faint fragrance wafted from the simple wooden hut.
Almost immediately upon smelling it, Zhou Haimei's expression turned serious.
She would never forget this smell, even in her next life.
"An'an, I'm now certain that Qin Chuan and the others' disappearance is related to this woman."
Under Xu An's probing gaze, Zhou Haimei continued, "This is the smell of nutrient solution. I'll never forget this stuff, even if I die!"
If she hadn't been fooled by the smell of this nutrient solution back then, she wouldn't have bought so much like a fool.
However, unlike the fragrant and refreshing smell of the nutrient solution, the taste of this stuff was simply a hellish sensory impact.
As expected, a moment later, hoarse curses from the boy could be heard from the wooden hut.
This was followed by the sound of bowls and chopsticks smashing on the ground, accompanied by shouts of anger, punches, and kicks.
Xu An couldn't understand the dialect and looked at Zhou Haimei in confusion. "What are they saying in there?"
Zhou Haimei's expression was a masterpiece, changing like a palette. Gritting her teeth, she said, "This little brat is cursing his mother because he finds the food too unpalatable."
Xu An: "..." She felt that Zhou Haimei was even angrier than the mother inside.
Seeing Xu An's confused look, Zhou Haimei's anger did not dissipate; instead, it intensified.
"Forget it. You don't know how foul-mouthed this little brat is. If it weren't for... I really want to go in and punch this little brat a couple of times."
Xu An could understand Zhou Haimei. Her mother had passed away early.
Zhou Haimei grew up under her father's strict, often violent, upbringing.
Many times, when she saw other children crying and acting spoiled in their mothers' arms, she could only stand posturing for extended periods, dry her own tears, and return home to face a cold, unfeeling father.
Therefore, Zhou Haimei had always longed for a mother's affection.
These were things Zhou Haimei had told her on the lighthouse.
"Don't get angry just yet," Xu An's gaze moved past the woman's wooden hut toward the distance.
Finally, under Zhou Haimei's urging, she said, "I'm afraid it's not just this woman who wants to harm Qin Chuan, but this entire village."
As soon as Xu An finished speaking, the houses whose doors had been tightly shut seemed to have their switches flicked, becoming active.
They all pushed open their doors and walked towards the sea in front of them.
The clothes these people were wearing were suspicious.
Some wore brand-new tops but paired them with trousers that were already ripped.
Even more, some wore a pair of brand-new shoes that looked spotless, only to step into the mud with one foot.
In the bitter cold of midwinter, everyone was wearing only single layers of clothing.
The few jackets they had were haphazardly layered on top.
Xu An found the clothes all too familiar; they were the combat uniforms of Qin Chuan's team.
Yet, they were now openly worn by these villagers, and the meaning was self-evident.
Clearly, Zhou Haimei also found the clothes familiar. The initial anger in her eyes turned into resentment, and she now regarded these villagers as murderers.
Xu An grabbed Zhou Haimei, who was about to charge forward.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to kill them for revenge!"
"There are so many of them, can you kill them all? Besides, Qin Chuan might not be dead."
Hearing Xu An's words, Zhou Haimei calmed down slightly.
"Not dead? But their combat uniforms have been taken off. How can they not be dead?"
Xu An shook her head helplessly, pulled Zhou Haimei's arm, and hid behind a large reef. "Look carefully. Only the leaders are wearing combat uniforms. But Qin Chuan's unit has a hundred people, and their official combat uniforms are even better than the protective suits we're wearing."
"If they had really wiped out Qin Chuan's troops, they would have all switched to those clothes. It's impossible that only a few people are wearing them. It's so cold now. Look at the man on the left; the way he wears long sleeves over short sleeves shows he has no clothes. Even if some people have indeed been persecuted by these people."
"I believe Qin Chuan and the others will definitely preserve the strength of the main force."
Xu An didn't say the rest. She understood Qin Chuan.
He was definitely not a saint who would be so heartbroken over the death of one or two people that he would risk everyone for revenge.
Qin Chuan would only quickly organize the situation and decisively abandon those who had no hope of rescue.
Although such a person was cruel, he was undoubtedly the most suitable to be a leader.
Xu An: "Have you noticed anything strange about this sea?"