The bumpy mountain road felt as if it would shatter everyone's bones, and going downhill was no less unsettling, as each person in the car was jolted around once more.
Xu Ke sat in silent contemplation next to Chen Lei.
Finally, the silence was broken by the man seated next to Xu Ke. "Did any of you feel like something was odd while staying in the village yesterday?" He patted his stomach and spoke slowly, in a way that sounded like casual conversation, but Xu Ke knew it was anything but that.
The atmosphere in the car tightened immediately; unlike the earlier quiet, this tension carried a foreboding sense of an impending storm.
Just as the man sighed, thinking no one would respond, Xu Ke spoke up, "I also noticed something strange in the village. I thought I was the only one who found it odd, but I didn't see a single woman in the entire village."
"Yeah, I noticed it too. How can a village without women sustain itself over generations?" the driver chimed in.
