Chapter 77 Sunset Town (2) The Woman Who Mops the Floor at Midnight…

Chapter 77 Sunset Town (Part 2) The Woman Scrubbing the Floor at Midnight...

As she walked, Yu Xing couldn't help but shiver—it was so cold, a damp chill, just like when she first stepped into that thick fog.

She rubbed her arms with her hands. Was it this cold just from the nighttime chill?

Yu Xing looked up at the sky, where two bright moons hung overhead like giant eyes. In this world, anything could change—everything except those two permanent moons overhead.

As she walked, she passed by a house with its lights on, indicating someone was still awake. In fact, most houses she'd passed were dark, with very few still lit.

A question popped into her mind: life here seemed decent, but with no internet, phones, or TV, what were people doing awake so late at night?

Once the question arose, it was hard to suppress.

Yu Xing hesitated between morality and curiosity before finally convincing herself that this place wasn't normal—she was doing this for everyone's survival. With that justification, she quietly slipped into the yard and crouched beneath the lit window.

She listened for a while, but the inside was dead silent.

Maybe they just slept with the lights on?

After waiting a bit longer, she cautiously straightened up to peek through the window.

The curtains were drawn, so at first, she saw nothing. Fortunately, they weren't fully closed, leaving a small gap. She tilted her head and squinted through it.

A statue-straight figure suddenly came into view, startling her. Pressing a hand to her chest, she held her breath and kept watching. She soon made out it was a guy in pajamas sitting perfectly straight on the bed. What creeped her out was how unnaturally still he sat—like a mannequin.

His hands rested on his knees, his face blank-faced as he sat there. Yu Xing watched for several minutes without seeing him move even slightly.

Sitting awake at night made sense, but why wouldn't he move at all? Was he in some kind of trance?

After observing for a while longer and finding nothing else weird, she quietly left.

Not until she was back on the road did it hit her—she hadn't seen the guy blink the entire time. Jesus, do sleepwalkers' eyes stay open like that?

As she wondered this, she spotted another house with its lights on ahead. This time, Yu Xing didn't hesitate—she climbed over the wall into the yard.

She crouched beneath the lit window again, and this time, she heard sounds from inside. A steady swish-swish sound, though she couldn't tell what was causing it. At least it wasn't someone sitting motionless in bed. Adjusting her position, she peeked inside.

The sight startled her again.

Yu Xing's hand flew to her chest—she saw a long-haired figure crawling on the floor.

Looking harder, it wasn't crawling. A woman was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor.

Scrubbing the floor in the middle of the night?

Yu Xing could relate. Back at the psych ward, she'd had a friend who lived on reverse hours—sleeping during the day, waking at night to eat and work, often mopping floors at 3 AM.

Was this woman the same?

But that didn't make sense—without internet, why would anyone live like that?

She watched as the woman finished scrubbing the floor and left the room. Yu Xing debated whether to go inside and talk to her. So far, she'd only interacted with the town mayor—she wanted to learn more about Sunset Town from someone else.

But sneaking into someone's room in the middle of the night? That was way too creepy.

While she hesitated, the woman returned. Yu Xing assumed she was done cleaning and would go to bed now.

Instead, the woman got back on the floor and started scrubbing all over again—with the same focus as if it were her first time.

Seriously obsessive, much? Scrubbing the floor twice?

Yu Xing watched as she finished the second round. Just when she thought the woman would finally sleep, the woman left and returned once more—only to start scrubbing the floor again.

"..."

A cold dread slithered down Yu Xing's spine, raising goosebumps all over her skin.

If only Miao Yuanjin were here—she could cast Purify Holy Light on the people inside. If there's something wrong, it would reveal it immediately.

Yu Xing quickly left, half-running to the clinic.

Light glowed through the clinic's glass doors. She entered to find rows of chairs, each with an IV stand beside it.

But no people. A side door stood ajar, so she pushed through and found two rows of hospital beds. Here, finally, were people—seven or eight of them, all passengers who had escaped the train.

The giveaway? Their clothes were completely different from Sunset Town's residents.

Slumped in a corner chair, Shen Tanrong was dozing. She walked over and nudged his shoulder.

Shen Tanrong opened his eyes and looked up, revealing a pale face.

Yu Xing frowned. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No," he shook his head, though he seemed oddly wary around her. "Did you need something?"

She eyed him. On the surface he seemed fine, but something wasn't right. He'd been fine earlier—why was he so pale now?

Yu Xing's nose twitched. "Do you smell something?" she asked Shen Tanrong.

Shen Tanrong blinked and also sniffed. "Disinfectant?" he asked.

"No..." She inhaled again. The scent was familiar—she'd smelled it before, more than once.

Then she placed it. "You don't smell blood?"

Shen Tanrong went still, glancing at the sleeping passengers. "Maybe it's from them. They're all injured."

Yu Xing nodded. "Come with me."

They slipped out of the ward into the empty clinic. "Where's the doctor?" she asked.

"No idea," Shen Tanrong rubbed his temples tiredly. "Probably resting—it's late."

Yu Xing pulled him into the shadows outside the clinic and whispered, "We're out of here at dawn."

She gestured toward the ward. "Can they walk?"

Shen Tanrong frowned. "Doubt it. Two can barely move."

In the shadows, his eyes searched her face. "What's spooking you? Why the hurry? Do you still think there's something off about this place?"

"Yeah," Yu Xing nodded.

"Like what?" Shen Tanrong pressed.

The trouble was, Yu Xing couldn't put her finger on it. She confessed honestly, "I don't know."

Shen Tanrong didn’t say anything more. After lowering his head in thought for a moment, he said, “At daybreak, I’ll gather the others and meet you. I’ll bring as many as I can. Anyone who can’t be moved will have to stay here. Once we get out and find help, I’ll come back for them.”

His immediate agreement caught Yu Xing off guard. “You trust me just like that?”

Shen Tanrong’s expression suddenly turned serious. Locking eyes with Yu Xing, he spoke in a very earnest tone, “Because you’re the Bull Warrior.”

Yu Xing’s eyes widened slightly. Did he… have a thing for the Bull Warrior?

Someone actually liked the Bull Warrior, even dressed like *that*?

Now it all made sense to Yu Xing. Of course he’d trust the words of someone he loved unconditionally.

“Okay, okay, I got it,” Yu Xing quickly stopped him from continuing. “Remember to meet up tomorrow morning!”

With that, she turned and ran, worried she’d hear Shen Tanrong’s love confession if she lingered.

Watching Yu Xing’s hasty escape, Shen Tanrong frowned slightly in confusion. He’d meant to say that he trusted her because the Bull Warrior was a top-tier Divine Chosen, but why had Yu Xing suddenly run off?

Back at Mayor Chen’s house, the table was cleared. The mayor’s wife was nowhere to be seen, and only the mayor was waiting for Yu Xing. When she returned, he asked with concern, “Did you get the medicine?”

“Yes,” Yu Xing replied, faking a smile before hurrying upstairs.

In the room, Miao Yuanjin was still asleep, while Zhao Lan and Da Ya were waiting up for her.

“What happened?” Da Ya whispered.

“I’ve already informed Shen Tanrong,” Yu Xing said as she sat down beside them.

Zhao Lan and Da Ya had laid out bedding on the floor—tonight, they’d all be sleeping there.

Just as Yu Xing was about to mention the weird stuff she’d seen outside, Zhao Lan and Da Ya both sighed in relief. Da Ya couldn’t wait to say, “You’re finally back. I’m dead tired—couldn’t sleep till you got back.”

With that, Da Ya face-planted onto the bedding and was asleep in an instant.

“Same here,” Zhao Lan yawned. “Today wiped me out. Let’s sleep early—we have to get up early tomorrow.”

She lay down as well, falling asleep side by side with Da Ya.

In the blink of an eye, Yu Xing was the only one left awake in the room. She was baffled. Were they really that tired? Why didn’t she feel the same? If anything, she was wide awake.

A few minutes later, Yu Xing lay down beside Zhao Lan, listening to the steady breathing around her. She replayed the day in her head—so much had happened on her first trip outside the city. She wondered if her Broomstick Star curse was kicking in.

Sighing, she pulled the blanket over herself. No use overthinking it. Better to sleep early and get out of here first thing tomorrow.

After checking the time on her terminal, Yu Xing closed her eyes.

Then the cold jolted her awake. Shivering violently, covered in goosebumps. She curled up tightly and checked her terminal—less than half an hour had passed.

So cold…

Why was it so cold?

Yu Xing looked at Zhao Lan and Da Ya beside her—they were sleeping soundly.

Were they passed out from the cold?

Yu Xing quickly shook Zhao Lan. “Zhao Lan, Zhao Lan, wake up.”

Zhao Lan opened her eyes, drowsy. “Xing? What’s wrong?”

“Aren’t you cold?” Yu Xing asked.

“No?” Zhao Lan adjusted her position. “I feel pretty comfortable.”

Yu Xing was floored. Seeing her expression, Zhao Lan reached out and touched her face. “You’re cold?”

She lifted the covers. “If you’re cold, come here. We can share.”

Yu Xing slipped under Zhao Lan’s blanket, the warmth making her feel much better. But why was *she* the only one freezing?