The passageway inside the cave is not narrow. Some villagers held up flashlights, and the beams of light swayed in the darkness, illuminating the rocks on both sides of the passageway with intermittent light and shadow.
Using these light sources, Xu Xinghe maintained a safe distance and followed with great ease.
Even after several turns, their direction can be precisely locked by the movement of light and shadow.
At the end of the passage was a wide open space, about half the size of a basketball court. Several simple niches were carved into the rock wall, with oil lamps inside illuminating the entire open space.
The villagers stood scattered, their formation loose, and fell silent as if a village meeting was in progress. There was no extra conversation; it was very quiet.
A moment later, a tall man wearing a black short jacket stepped forward. He appeared to be a key figure in Shiwa Village.
He cleared his throat, his voice low and deep, "This time, an outsider accidentally wandered into our village. Although it has been handled properly, it has served as a reminder to us. In the future, there may be more outsiders passing through, and there may even be outsiders marrying into our village."
“To ensure our base remains undiscovered, we must make some preparations to make the village appear more normal.” He paused, then continued, “First, I will have someone bring over a few children. Any family that wants to raise a child can sign up now.”
After he finished speaking, the open space fell into a deathly silence, and no one responded.
Xu Xinghe hid in the shadows at the corner of the passage, carefully observing by the dim light of the oil lamp.
The villagers stood apart, and even the couples who looked like husband and wife showed no affection for each other; their eye contact was distant, clearly indicating they were not a real couple.
After a moment of silence, a man raised his hand and asked hesitantly, "If we raise the child, does that mean we won't switch partners?"
“Yes.” The man in black nodded. “Families raising children will no longer rotate spouses and will maintain a fixed status.”
“Then I don’t want to keep one!” another man immediately spoke up, his tone tinged with impatience. “I don’t want to keep the same wife forever, it’s so boring.”
Xu Xinghe's heart skipped a beat, and she was greatly surprised.
It turns out they weren't actually a married couple, and they even changed spouses every now and then!
She instantly understood the reason.
If they are all spies, long-term, fixed partners can easily develop feelings for each other, and these feelings can become a weakness in their mission.
Rotating the equipment back and forth can precisely avoid this situation.
But this practice of treating marriage and partners as tools is truly disgusting.
Seeing that no one was willing to sign up, the man in black added, "If you don't want to be paired with someone else and want to live alone, you can raise a child. Don't worry, the organization will not treat you unfairly. Anyone who raises a child will not only have their monthly allowance doubled, but their mission achievements will also be calculated extra, and they will have priority to return to their homeland."
With such a generous reward, someone finally decided to take the plunge.
A woman dressed in coarse cloth with a calm expression raised her hand. "I am willing to live alone. I will tell others that I am a widow. I want to raise a child."
“Okay.” The man in black nodded in agreement.
With the first person taking the lead, several others followed suit and raised their hands.
Some wanted to live alone, while others were couples who were originally paired up temporarily but were willing to settle down permanently.
Xu Xinghe roughly counted that there were more than a dozen families who had signed up to raise children. Assuming that each family had at least one child, they would need at least ten children.
Her brows furrowed instantly, and a strong sense of unease rose within her.
These people are spies on missions and it's impossible for them to have children on their own in a short time. Where are they going to get these dozen or so children?
Could they have been kidnapped from outside?
Or was it purchased through illegal channels?
The thought that innocent children might be taken to this secret hideout and used as tools for them to disguise their identities sent chills down Xu Xinghe's spine.
Seeing that enough people had signed up, the man in black nodded in satisfaction. "I will arrange things for the children as soon as possible. When you get back, prepare well and make your home look more presentable. Don't give anything away. Also, keep a close eye on the two strangers who wandered in this time. Make sure they don't do anything strange before letting them leave."
"Yes!" the villagers responded in unison, their voices perfectly synchronized.
The man in black then went on to explain some key points of the mission.
It simply emphasizes the details of daily disguise, vigilance against outsiders, and timely delivery of intelligence.
During this time, one of the men couldn't help but speak up, "Boss, it's time for the rotation now, why don't we arrange the rotation first?"
Before he could finish speaking, the man in black glared at him fiercely. "What's the rush? The mission takes priority! Once you've explained everything that needs to be explained, we'll make the arrangements."
The man immediately lowered his head and dared not utter another word.
About half an hour later, after all the instructions had been given, the man in black raised his hand and gestured, "Those dozen or so people who signed up to raise the children, stay and stand aside. I have other arrangements for you later. The rest of you, men and women, stand facing each other and start taking turns."
Those who signed up to raise children immediately stepped out of the queue and stood on one side of the open space, while the rest quickly split into two rows.
The men stood in one row, the women in another, facing each other, their eyes blank and devoid of any emotion.
Xu Xinghe noticed that the man who had hosted them during the day and his wife hadn't moved, probably because they still had to deal with him and Yi An, and had been temporarily exempted from this rotation.
The rotation process was simple yet cold, like allocating goods.
The man in black called out names one by one from a pre-arranged list to form a couple. The man and woman whose names were called then came together to form a new married family.
Most of the men looked pleased, clearly enjoying the novelty.
The women looked gloomy and their brows furrowed. Although they were unwilling, none of them dared to resist.
These are the rules; they have no right to refuse.
Soon, all the new pairings were completed.
The man in black waved his hand. "Go back now. Remember your new identities, maintain good communication with outsiders, and don't make any mistakes."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison, then turned around and left along the passage they had come from.
The footsteps gradually faded away, and soon only the man in black, the dozen or so people who wanted to raise children, and Xu Xinghe, who was hiding in the shadows, remained on the open space.
The man in black gave some instructions on raising children before waving his hand to signal that they could leave.
Soon, the dozen or so people also left.
The man in black didn't leave. Instead, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the dust off his hands, and then picked up a flashlight from the corner of the wall.
He pressed the switch, and a beam of bright light pierced the darkness. Then he strode deeper into the cave.
Xu Xinghe's heart stirred.
There must be an even greater secret hidden deep inside the cave. Perhaps it's an intelligence hub, a place where people are imprisoned, or even... Jiang Linchuan is inside!
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