As Xu Feng slowly guided the previously captive women out, they began to notice that the hideout was really quiet.
The previous chattering of those vile men could no longer be heard.
"Where are all those people?" The same brave woman took a deep breath and inquired.
"I'm called Lin Feng, and you don't have to worry about those people anymore." Xu Feng introduced himself and explained the situation.
And in an attempt to lessen their tensed emotions, he continued with a more subtle description, "They have all become one with nature, never capable of harming you women anymore."
Despite saying so, there was no longer a response from the brave woman, almost as if she was still suspicious of him.
Not surprised by the lack of response, Xu Feng kept advancing at a steady pace, ensuring that these women could keep up with him and wouldn't fall behind.
They were malnourished after all, so it was evident that their stamina would be inadequate.
"Right, you should be thirsty for being the sole communicator." Xu Feng suddenly said, retrieved a water bottle, and handed it to the brave woman.
Baffled, the brave woman glanced at the glistening blue liquid silently.
Her mouth may have kept quiet, but her tiny actions betrayed her. Her mouth twitched a bit, and her eyes clearly held a longing for a refreshing drink.
"I'm not thirsty," The brave woman finally responded after a long internal struggle in her mind. As thirsty as he might be, her trust in men had long dropped to the negative. She refused to take anything for free without believing it wasn't done with a nefarious motive.
Despite the rejection, Xu Feng remained calm and smiled, "If you tell me your name, then this water bottle is yours. Consider it a transaction."
Startled by the comment, the brave woman was once again dazed.
"Just my name is enough payment for the water bottle?" She asked in a tense tone.
"Not just this water bottle, but enough water bottles for your fellow inmates as well. I'm sure they have been dehydrated long enough." Xu Feng threw out the final temptation offer.
"Clara…" The brave woman muttered.
"Huh? What was that again?" Xu Feng didn't manage to catch her name in time.
"Clara, now give me the water bottles." The brave woman, identified as Clara, demanded fiercely.
"Very well, Clara, right." Nodding, Xu Feng handed the water bottle to her as well as retrieving more from his inventory to share among the other women.
Luckily, he had stocked up enough water bottles. Otherwise, it would have been really awkward if he couldn't rehydrate them all after giving his words.
As the women rapidly drank the water, Xu Feng decided to pause for a bit.
"If you're still thirsty, there's more water here that you can take for yourself." He calmly said, putting more water bottles out.
He had some food in his inventory as well, but it wasn't enough to feed them all. Thus, he refrained from taking it out to prevent an awkward situation between them or a situation where they must fight one over another to eat.
A few seconds later, Clara walked forward, grabbed a water bottle, and asked, "Did you kill all the rebels?"
Smiling, Xu Feng shook his head and put one finger up. "There's still one rebel left, and I'm sure it's someone that you all want to end personally."
"Rolph!"
Instantly, Clara uttered that name with a fierce gaze on her face.
Nodding, Xu Feng turned his attention to the other women, "Indeed, it's Rolph. So unless you want to stay weak in front of that man, then you might want to drink to your fill to have enough strength once we're out of here."
As soon as he finished his statement, the women who didn't have the courage to take another water bottle initially, rushed forward and grabbed another to quench their thirst.
While doing so, they would occasionally sneak a glance at Xu Feng, seemingly questioning his intention. It appeared as if they didn't quite understand his meaning of letting them have enough strength.
"By the way, which town are you from?" Xu Feng carefully approached Clara and asked, taking this opportunity to inspect her closely.
She looked frail and emaciated, her skin clinging to her bones, revealing every rib and joint. Her eyes, sunken and hollow, held a haunted look, and her once lustrous hair hung in thin and lifeless strands.
Despite her weakened state, there was a strong resilience in her gaze, hinting at the strength that had kept her alive. Additionally, her braveness didn't dampen slightly despite what she had undergone.
For this aspect, she had earned Xu Feng's respect for her resilience to survive.
"I don't have a town…" Clara softly muttered after she finished chugging a large amount of water.
"You don't have a town?" Confused, Xu Feng knitted his brows. "Is your town an abandoned one?"
Clara shook her head. "I don't come from a town, but a small village in the middle of a forest."
'So it's a camp of those with no identity.' Xu Feng quickly deduced.
Everything began to make sense now on how these women were captured, but he received zero information regarding these missing people from Receptionist Sandy.
Since they aren't a citizen of any town, then there are naturally no records of them, which made these women the perfect prey for the rebels to target.
Not only do they need to be wary of the town's guards chasing after them, but they can also do as they please without any repercussions.
Such was the life of those without any citizenship status.
They are no different than refugees who have been abandoned.
"Apologies for asking such a sensitive question." Xu Feng promptly apologized and put his mask back on, realizing his question was somewhat overboard.
"It's fine," Clara smiled bitterly and shook her head. "Sensitive or not, people like me are bound to be discarded and mistreated anyway without anyone caring."
