The monk lowered his gaze and replied, "Yes."
"What is there to eat?"
The young monk sneered.
"What can we eat? With so many people on the island, all the edible things are gone. Only roots and leaves remain, and now even the leaves are almost finished."
Xu Qian's eyes narrowed slightly. They would rather eat tree bark than resort to cannibalism.
This, perhaps, was the difference between people: some good, some evil.
"What's with the bridge outside?"
The young monk answered truthfully, "We didn't want to defile Buddha, so we took it upon ourselves to blow up the bridge. There are no zombies.
But... we can't get out either. How did you get in?"
Xu Qian said faintly, "We naturally have our ways."
The young monk's eyes lit up, his breathing quickening.
Heaven knew he was going mad on the island, starving and freezing. He had almost died during the last cold snap.
"Can you take all of us out? In a little longer, we'll truly starve to death."
Xu Qian's eyebrows rose slightly as she retorted, "Do you think there's food outside?"
The young monk asked curiously, "Then where did your apple come from?"
Xu Qian didn't answer his question, but instead said, "Besides lacking food, you're actually safe here. There are no zombies or mutated beasts on the island. If you leave now, it's a dead end."
The young monk trembled, startled. Was the outside world that terrifying?
Xu Qian narrowed her eyes and suddenly asked, "Is there a laboratory on the island?"
A flicker of terror crossed the young monk's eyes, and he lowered his head, shaking it.
*No, Master said I can't tell anyone about this.*
A light gleamed in Xu Qian's eyes. It seemed she had found a key person.
"Since I could come here, I have proof. I'm not interested in you. I only care about the laboratory."
"If you can help a little, I guarantee everyone on this island will have enough to eat for three days."
The young monk looked up, his eyes instantly sparkling. He asked excitedly, "Really?"
Xu Qian's eyes curved slightly as she softly tempted, "Of course. What benefit would I get from lying to you?"
She suddenly felt... like an old witch luring a princess with a poisoned apple.
However, this child was truly starved.
The young monk pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, no one knows about any laboratory. It was the former abbot who agreed to let them onto the island. Later, the former abbot was bitten by a zombie and died. They are still here.
After that, my Master discussed it with them, and they promised to give us five bags of rice a month. So, we let them be."
Xu Qian was stunned. Five bags of rice a month for over a hundred people?
Wouldn't they starve to death?
"So, you don't know what they're doing?"
The young monk nodded.
"Do you know where the laboratory is? How many people are there?"
The young monk rolled his eyes and recalled, "It should be to the southeast. I don't know the number of people; I rarely see them coming out.
They only come from there when they deliver the rice. Our current abbot should know the specifics."
Xu Qian frowned. Unfortunately, he didn't know the exact location.
"Who is your abbot?"
Mentioning his Master, the young monk's tone became excited.
"It's Master Tong Wu!" He paused, his face pleading.
"Can you please not tell Master that I told you this? Otherwise, Master will really spank my bottom."
His wronged expression suggested the sky was about to fall.
Fearing they wouldn't look for him, he deliberately added, "My Master is very good, very good indeed. He will definitely be willing to help you."