Chapter 294 The Mysterious Village
Chen Yu briefly inspected the herbs in front of him and, after confirming there were no issues, he promptly pulled out a contract from his person.
"Boss Niu, although I was referred here by someone else, I'm conducting legitimate business, so we still need to go through the necessary formalities!"
Boss Niu laughed heartily, "I never expected Mr. Chen to be so particular. No problem, just sign here, it's easy!"
With that, Boss Niu immediately signed his name on it.
After making sure there was nothing wrong with the contract, Chen Yu paid the money and then had someone take all the herbs away.
However, according to the regulations, Chen Yu could not leave immediately after the transaction was completed; he had to stay with Boss Niu for three days.
This was also one of the rules of these guys, intended to prevent possible undercover agents from infiltration among the buyers of herbs!
It was equally a means to assess the buyer to see if further cooperation was feasible.
Chen Yu was well aware of all this, so he didn't leave and instead swaggered to the restaurant outside, clamoring for them to serve up a feast.
Boss Niu didn't say much, immediately instructing his men to make the arrangements. Before long, a lavish banquet was laid out.
Chen Yu didn't care too much and sat down to eat heartily.
"Mr. Chen sure has a good appetite! I heard that besides being in the herbal medicine business, Mr. Chen also runs a restaurant, so you must have done some research into gourmet food. I know of a little village inn, it's quite remote but incredibly delicious. Would you like to go taste it with me?"
A hint of caution flashed in Chen Yu's eyes. The usual village inns were simple guest houses run by honest folks—who could expect delectable dishes there?
If Boss Niu was talking about such a place, he must be planning to take Chen Yu to their hangout to look around.
Feigning ignorance, Chen Yu immediately put down his chopsticks.
"Why didn't you mention the good food earlier? You made me order this big spread for no reason."
Boss Niu signalled to someone beside him: "This meal is on Mr. Chen; you all should thank him."
A group of burly men immediately became excited, as they had been busy around here for many days without a decent meal, not to mention a banquet.
After thanking Chen Yu, they hurriedly sat down at the table and started eating.
Chen Yu then followed Boss Niu into a Maybach.
Before long, the two of them arrived at a very remote little mountain village.
When he got there, Chen Yu felt that something was off. The place was too desolate, not at all like a place for humans to inhabit.
After driving down the petite mountain road for what seemed like quite some time, Boss Niu finally stopped the car and urged Chen Yu to hurry out.
"Mr. Chen, just follow this road straight ahead, and when you see a house with a red roof, stop there. That's the place I was telling you about."
Chen Yu couldn't help but frown, "Aren't you coming with me, Boss Niu?"
Boss Niu waved his hand: "I've got some business to attend to, so I can only drop you off here. I'll come back for you in two days. I hope you have fun, Mr. Chen."
After speaking, Boss Niu drove off, leaving the area.
Chen Yu suddenly felt uneasy. In such a wilderness, if someone killed him, nobody would know.
Letting out a deep breath, Chen Yu turned and slowly walked forward. Soon enough, he indeed saw a house with a red roof.
But just as he was about to approach, a sharp scream suddenly erupted from within the house.
Four burly men charged out like madmen, followed by several fully armed men.
As the four strong men rushed out, they immediately threw grappling hooks and pulled them back.
Chen Yu immediately stopped in his tracks, watching warily ahead.
The fully armed individuals paused upon seeing Chen Yu, then quickly took out their electric batons and charged at him.
Chen Yu didn't want to get entangled with these people, so he turned to leave, but just after taking two steps, several masked men suddenly sprang out from the nearby woods.
"Young man, do you know where you are? How dare you barge in like this? Anyone who comes here should never leave."
Without saying much, these several men immediately attempted to subdue Chen Yu.
Chen Yu had been ready to resist, but as these men approached, he suddenly smelled the scent of the plague.
"Wait a minute, has a plague broken out here?"
Chen Yu shouted, stopping the armed personnel in their tracks.
The individuals exchanged glances, and one older person slowly approached.
"How do you know there is a plague here, are you someone sent from above?"
Chen Yu frowned, unsure of how to respond.
Boss Niu had suddenly sent him to this place, and he wasn't sure whether it was to test him or for some other purpose.
If he claimed to be someone sent from above, his identity would surely be exposed, and Boss Niu would then escape without a trace.
After a moment's thought, Chen Yu took out his medical license.
"I am a doctor, if there is indeed a plague outbreak here, I can help you cure it."
The armed individual looked at Chen Yu skeptically.
"Kid, don't talk nonsense. This plague has been here for eight years. We've had countless experienced experts come and go in defeat, and even some of the supporting doctors have died here. You think you can cure the plague here? I'm afraid that's a bit premature."
Chen Yu didn't say much, just took a mask he carried with him and put it on his head, and walked into the village on his own.
The armed personnel, seeing Chen Yu's confident demeanor, did not stop him.
After all, they too hoped the plague could be brought to an end sooner.
Once Chen Yu entered the village, he was shocked by everything before him.
The village was in utter disrepair, some bodies were carelessly discarded on the streets without even a coffin.
The few who were still alive sat like zombies at their doorsteps, holding broken bowls and muttering nonsense.
Seeing this, Chen Yu's heart clenched, and he wasn't sure what to do.
"Do you still have any medicinal herbs here?"
At this question, the armed personnel were taken aback. They had been here for seven or eight years. Although they had seen some medicinal supplies, such items were practically useless in this place.
Medical supplies that could be used for several years in other places were plundered empty in less than a month here.
Everyone wanted to survive, so they would desperately snatch any medicinal supplies delivered here, then consume them recklessly.
More people died from taking the wrong medicine than from the plague itself.