Saving Cannon Fodders with the Villain

An old camper van swayed on the empty road. Streets and houses gradually gave way to bushes and weeds, and the sun became increasingly scorching from the coolness of the morning.

After lunch at a rest area by the roadside, a group of five people set off on their journey again. Jin was still sleeping, so they didn’t disturb him.

The excitement of the trip had gradually faded, and the atmosphere inside the vehicle had become somewhat dull. Each person was quietly doing their own thing, except for the hoarse female voice on the radio, which was still singing tirelessly.

The driver had been changed from Martin to Allen. Martin and Diane were resting at the back of the car, Ellie was sitting by the window reading a book, Jin was still sound asleep, and Zheng Wei was sitting at the table, looking out at the scenery flying by and twirling the whistle hanging from his chest absentmindedly.

This was his only reliance, and although it didn’t have much practical use, it still made Zheng Wei feel a little bit more at ease holding onto it.

“Ah~” Jin lying there murmured and slowly sat up.

Jin’s shoulder-length curly hair had been swept into a mess. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, then sat there dazed for a while before asking slowly, “Where are we?”

“We still have over three hours until we reach our destination,” Allen, who was driving, looked at Jin through the rearview mirror and said, “You finally woke up, I thought you were going to sleep all the way.”

Jin didn’t answer. He stood up and rubbed his stomach, asking, “Is there anything to eat? I feel like I haven’t eaten anything in a long time.”

“When we had lunch earlier, we packed a burger for you and put it on the cabinet over there,” Ellie said, “But it’s probably cold now, you should heat it up in the microwave.”

Jin stood up, but instead of getting the burger, he walked to the refrigerator, opened it, and took out a can of beer. “Ah, I’m alive again,” he said, taking a big sip of the cold beer, then squinting his eyes and smiling.

“Do you guys want some?” he asked Ellie and Zheng Wei, holding up the can of beer.

“No, thank you,” Ellie shook her head and declined.

“I don’t need it either,” Zheng Wei looked at him and couldn’t help but advise, “You should eat something first before drinking, it’s not good for your body.”

Jin shrugged, walked to the cabinet and took the burger without heating it up, then ate it in big bites. After being full and satisfied, Jin sat back in his seat, lounging lazily.

“Ellie, you should put down your books.” Holding a can of beer in his hand, legs crossed high, Jin said to Ellie, “This is a trip, we should put aside everything from school and enjoy ourselves.”

“For me, this is my pleasure,” Ellie raised the book in her hand, “and it’s just a novel.”

“Anyway, I don’t want to touch any paper with words now. I’ve read enough.” Jin shrugged.

“What’s the name of this novel?” Zheng Wei asked casually.

“The Hunting on the Farm,” Ellie said, showing the cover to Zheng Wei. The black cover is printed with red letters, with a background of a farm surrounded by thick fog.

Zheng Wei, “…. ” He seemed to see a fluttering flag.

“The cover doesn’t look so good,” Zheng Wei laughed awkwardly, “what’s the story about?”

“It’s a story about several college students staying overnight on a farm, and then being caught by the farmer and offered to an evil god,” Ellie smiled suddenly, “speaking of which, the beginning of this book is quite similar to us.”

Zheng Wei, “…… ” Please, sister, stop it! Don’t jinx us!”

“What, are you afraid?” Ellie noticed Zheng Wei’s strange expression and couldn’t help but laugh, “Don’t worry, it’s just a novel. There are no evil gods or demons in the real world.”

“Ha!” Jin, who was drinking beer next to them, let out a disapproving scoff. He looked at Ellie with a slanted eye and said, “How do you know they don’t exist?”

Jin’s words drew the attention of Ellie and Zheng Wei. However, Ellie’s eyes showed surprise and amusement, while Zheng Wei’s eyes showed some curiosity.

“Oh, Jin, don’t tell me you believe in this. You don’t even believe in gods,” Ellie laughed and said to Jin, “I thought you would believe in science more.”

“Of course, I believe in science,” Jin took a sip of beer.

“But there are too many things in this world that cannot be explained by science. And, not believing in gods and believing in non-human entities in this world are not contradictory,” Jin continued.

“But there is no evidence to prove that their existence is real, right?” Ellie didn’t believe in these things, “So far, all the supernatural events that have occurred have been found to be just mental illnesses and human factors. If these things really existed, humans would have discovered them by now.

“Because those with evidence are all dead. Those non-human entities are not friendly at all, and humans are no match for them.” Jin raised an eyebrow. “And the government also helps to cover up the truth. They won’t let the facts be exposed.”

“Are you trying to scare people with conspiracy theories again?” Ellie sneered and dropped her book. “If there really is such a thing, let it appear in front of me. I’ll only believe it when I see it with my own eyes.”

Zheng Wei, “…”, You’ll be able to see it soon.

“Whatever.” Jin shrugged. “I hope you won’t scream and run away like those brainless big-breasted women in movies. Those things won’t be lenient with you just because you’re a beauty.”

“Thanks for the compliment.” Ellie rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Zheng Wei watched the two of them go back and forth, making all sorts of claims and increasingly felt that this was a dangerous business.

But Jin was an interesting person. It seemed that just like in horror movies, the more seemingly unclear a person was, the more clear-headed they actually were.

“Zheng.” While Zheng Wei was pondering about how to deal with the evil spirit, Ellie turned to him.

“What’s up?” Zheng Wei looked puzzled when he met Ellie’s light-colored eyes.

“Do you believe it?” Ellie asked, “Do you believe that there are non-human beings in this world like what Jin said?”

“Well…” I certainly believe. I met one not long ago. Of course, this is something that cannot be said. Even if I say it, no one will believe me.

Zheng Wei replied ambiguously. “Although I believe in science, I think there are some forces in this world that science cannot reach. Just like what Jin said, there are indeed some phenomena that cannot be explained by science.”

“Hahaha.” Hearing Zheng Wei’s words, Jin laughed. He raised the beer in his hand and made a toasting gesture to Zheng Wei. “Good bro.”

Looking at Ellie, who continued reading her book and ignoring them, Zheng Wei and Jin glanced at each other and shrugged at the same time.

The car left the wide road and turned into a twisted and winding small road. The car window was occupied by an endless expanse of greenery, and the traces of civilization slowly disappeared before Zheng Wei’s eyes.

“There’s a gas station up ahead.” Allen, who was driving, said, “We need to refuel the car.” As he spoke, he slowed down the car and parked it in front of a building.

“I’ll go check if the owner is there or not. You guys can stay in the car or go to the restroom or something,” Allen said, before jumping out of the car.

“I want to stretch my legs a bit.” Ellie stood up and yawned. “If I sit any longer, my joints will rust.”

She looked at Zheng Wei and Jin. “Are you guys getting out?”

“No.” Jin lay back on his seat and declined. “I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“Okay.” Ellie nodded and then turned her gaze to Zheng Wei. “What about you, Zheng?”

Zheng Wei looked out the window at the gas station for a while. In the wilderness, the gas station’s existence was quite abrupt. In horror movies, such small gas stations usually have a quirky old owner who knows something about the supernatural. He might be able to gather some information about the evil spirit from him.

“I also want to get out and walk around,” Zheng Wei said, nodding at Ellie.

As for Diane and Martin, they were still resting at the back of the car. They didn’t want to disturb the young couple. So, only Ellie and Zheng Wei got out.

“This looks like a junkyard.” As soon as she got out of the car, Ellie exclaimed in a low voice, “Can we really get gas here?”

Ellie’s words were not exaggerated. The gas station was littered with piles of metal and plastic, as well as some broken wooden boards. The two shabby gas pumps were standing alone in the garbage pile, looking like they were part of it.

“Afternoon, young lady.”

Just as the two were observing the gas station, a white middle-aged man walked over. He greeted Zheng Wei and Ellie with a friendly smile.

“I’m Landon, the owner of this gas station.” The man said with a grin. Then he winked mischievously at Ellie.

“Although this place looks more like a garbage dump, I assure you that every liter of oil is genuine.”

Ellie understood that Landon had overheard her words just now and felt a bit embarrassed, so she lowered her head.

“I’m going to the restroom.” Ellie made an excuse and left awkwardly, leaving Zheng Wei alone to face the gas station owner named Landon.