“What do you think it is?” the old man inquired.
“I don’t think it is anything significant at the moment,” Qiu Shi replied, tapping the display screen. “Delete this section from Li Datou’s file, and also remove the part where I am recorded.”
“Didn’t you say not to delete your part?” The old man questioned as he began the process.
“That girl is quite perceptive,” Qiu Shi remarked. “She might remember the duration of the footage. If only a small section is removed, she will immediately suspect something.”
The old man shook his head and said, “People generally cannot be that meticulous without prior preparation.”
“I intend to use this as leverage with the Security Bureau,” Qiu Shi leaned back in his chair and rocked gently. “We must ensure that before this is handed over, no one but myself is aware of its contents.”
The old man paused his actions and turned to look at him.
“Just don’t consider yourself human,” Qiu Shi gestured dismissively.
“Not being human is fine; being human is meaningless anyway,” the old man replied. “But I want a share of the benefits.”
Qiu Shi frowned.
“Then you might as well kill me,” the old man said.
“What do you want?” Qiu Shi asked.
“A map,” the old man replied.
“Get out,” Qiu Shi stood up abruptly. “Li Feng wants a map, so now you want one too? Why get involved?”
“My needs are different from his,” the old man explained. “Just get me a railway map, any kind will do.”
“A railway map?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Exactly.” The old man took out a fragment of a plastic map from a nearby iron box and handed it to him. “See? It’s different from what Li Feng is after.”
Many were collecting pre-catastrophe maps for various reasons, mostly for their value as collectibles, and some in hopes of finding new shelters.
To Qiu Shi, this seemed enigmatic, as even some refugees had used maps to locate Yun City.
The maps Li Feng wanted were different, detailing the locations and structures of various special underground facilities. However, Li Feng had corrected him, stating that these should not be called maps, but Qiu Shi was uninterested in their proper nomenclature.
Since his earliest memories, he has lived here; the sky, the wind, the mountains, the world, and the rules have always been the same.
As for other things…
“Who cares?” Qiu Shi remarked, “They’re all relics of a bygone era.”
As he descended the stairs, he looked up and met Li Datou’s eager gaze. Qiu Shi tossed the storage device he was holding.
Li Datou, truly an inept inner-city inhabitant, failed to catch it with both hands, and the storage device struck his face before landing in the girl’s hands.
The girl turned around and extended her hand to him, “Deng Yeye, you can call me Lao Deng.”
She seemed to want to give him a high-five.
Qiu Shi generally avoided engaging too much with people who seemed likely to cause trouble. He merely glanced at her hand and turned towards the bar.
After drinking a few glasses, they left the tavern.
As they were leaving, the proprietor gave Zhao Lü two bottles of wine, claiming they were quality goods from the inner city.
When the proprietor died, he wished to be cremated rather than discarded into the endless pit outside the city like garbage. This request could only be entrusted to them, the corpse collectors.
“Cremate me too,” Hu Xiaoling said.
“Alright,” Zhao Lü nodded, then turned and asked, “What about you, Brother Shi? Do you want to be cremated?”
“Turn me into a specimen and place me by your bedside for worship,” Qiu Shi replied.
When they returned to the corpse collectors’ shelter outside the city, the horizon was already starting to lighten.
Everyone else was still asleep, but Captain Xiao Lei was standing on their path, accompanied by two men.
“Do you often stay out all night like this?” Xiao Lei asked before Qiu Shi could speak.
“Are you infatuated with me?” Qiu Shi responded.
Xiao Lei was taken aback.
“How long have you been waiting for me?” Qiu Shi continued, walking inside. “Come on, let’s go to my room.”
“Qiu Shi!” Xiao Lei’s frustration was evident, his voice rising. “Can you and your people cooperate with my work? Do you really think you’re in charge here?”
Zhao Lü sighed.
Before Xiao Lei could interpret the meaning of Zhao Lü’s sigh, Qiu Shi had already kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Hu Xiaoling tried to catch him but missed.
Before Xiao Lei could catch his breath, Qiu Shi yanked him up from the ground and slammed him against a nearby rock.
The combination of kicks and throws left Xiao Lei struggling to stand.
“Here, I am the leader,” Qiu Shi said calmly, standing over him, his breathing unaffected. “But I am reasonable. Don’t bother me, and I won’t hit you.”
Xiao Lei remained silent.
Qiu Shi turned and entered the shelter. Only then did Xiao Lei’s two companions dare to help him up.
“What’s wrong with that guy?” Zhao Lü wondered. “Why send such an incompetent person to such a complex place outside the city?”
“He’s probably an enemy of Li Feng,” Hu Xiaoling speculated. “Sent here to get beaten up.”
“Is he really here to investigate something?” Zhao Lü frowned. “What could he possibly discover?”
“Maybe he’s investigating us,” Qiu Shi said.
“Why?” Zhao Lü suddenly became anxious. “We’ve been doing the dirtiest jobs, living the hardest lives for years. We can’t even comfortably go to the outer city, let alone the inner city, and they haven’t managed us at all…”
“Precisely because we’re not under their control,” Hu Xiaoling said.
“Is that so?” Zhao Lü looked at Qiu Shi.
“Hmm?” Qiu Shi looked back at him.
“Are you pretending to be ignorant?” Zhao Lü asked.
“Sometimes I’m genuinely ignorant,” Qiu Shi said.
–
After the “Jungle” disaster, damage reports from various parts of Yun City were compiled and placed on the table. The Security Bureau needed to prioritize these areas for resources and manpower, a task for Li Feng.
Li Feng called his secretary and said, “Process the ones I’ve already signed first. I’ll be in the warehouse later, and I won’t be in the office all afternoon.”
“Meeting the corpse collectors? I see it on the schedule,” the secretary asked.
“Yes,” Li Feng nodded. “I’ll also check on the situation outside the city from yesterday.”
The secretary glanced at the files in her hand and said, “There’s a significant shortage of workers in the woodland area.”
“Recruit from the outer city,” Li Feng said, “Single individuals preferred. Check the specific numbers with the company’s engineering department.”
“Understood.” The secretary left.
Li Feng checked the time. Qiu Shi was usually punctual and should be arriving soon. He got up and left the office.
Qiu Shi changed his clothes and stood at the inner city gate, waiting for the guards to verify his pass.
For many refugees, the gate of this Yun city was the Dahei Mountain, a barrier against all disasters and dangers, also blocking everyone out.
However, the real gate of Yun City was in the inner city, at the rear side of Dahei Mountain. It could be seen from afar through the tunnel but disappeared upon close approach due to the three statues marking the gate standing on the cliff.
The initial area of Yun City was just the inner city. As more refugees arrived, the outer city gradually expanded.
Qiu Shi looked up.
These three were the founders of Yun City: the first head of Yun City Mining on the left, the first general in the middle, and a hidden guard on the right, whose statue had its head chopped off.
Yun City, which did not allow the presence or entry of bioroids (Humanoid Robots/Synthetic Humans), had one of its founders as a hidden guard.
Qiu Shi attended school for a few days, where the main focus was on various skills with brief historical introductions. Qiu Shi took his studies quite seriously.
According to the books, bioroids were assigned important tasks due to their abilities and resistance, which far exceeded those of humans. Some of them were betrayed during the disaster. After destroying most of the rebels, a few were kept as guards, known as hidden guards.
However, the uncontrollability of bioroids could never be solved. Their almost-human yet non-human nature led to their ultimate eradication, as they posed a threat to human survival. Yun City no longer allowed any bioroids.
But the true nature of the conflict between humans and hidden guards differed between official and unofficial accounts.
For Qiu Shi, the unofficial account was the old man’s version.
The old man firmly supported the hidden guards and distrusted the company.
“Because we’ve been through it,” the old man had said.
Qiu Shi believed a bit of both sides, but not entirely, as he lived only for the present. The company was inherently untrustworthy, and none of the old man’s peers could verify his stories.
To enter the inner city, Qiu Shi needed an official “summons” from the Security Bureau, and his movements were restricted. Typically, he was allowed only to travel from the inner city gate to the Security Bureau warehouse to collect miscellaneous items like car repair tools, non-lethal weapons, and basic protective gear.
Essentially, he was a certified beggar.
The guard quickly checked his pass. This guard, surnamed Lu, was familiar with Qiu Shi, so the inspection was fast. The delivery truck from the warehouse was already waiting.
As Qiu Shi was about to proceed, another guard glanced at the scanning machine and remarked disdainfully, “A corpse collector, huh?”
Qiu Shi turned to look at him.
“What are you looking at?” the guard returned his gaze.
“Are you new here?” Qiu Shi asked.
“You can go.” Guard Lu gestured for him to proceed.
“What are you looking at? Does it matter if I’m new?” the new guard demanded.
“Just trying to remember a face,” Qiu Shi smiled, “I’ll collect your corpse tonight.”
The new guard’s eyes widened as he prepared to confront Qiu Shi, but Guard Lu stopped him and said, “He’s Qiu Shi.”
Then he turned to Qiu Shi and repeated loudly, “You can go in!”
Qiu Shi turned and entered the gate, boarding the delivery truck.
Today, he wasn’t just going to beg Li Feng for some supplies; he didn’t want to waste time. Normally, his routine would involve assaulting the new, foolish guard and then spending three days in the dungeon.
He was well-versed in this routine, having done it countless times.
The Security Bureau’s warehouse was in the center of the inner city, inside a single-peaked mountain with several levels extending underground, originally a mining company’s mine.
Though the warehouse was centrally located, the delivery truck didn’t take the main roads but went through the Tansha district at the edge of the inner city. As the truck drove along the narrow path, the distant roar of waterfalls could be heard.
The truck drove into the warehouse, then into the transport bay, all the way down to the bottom level. Li Feng was already waiting.
Seeing Qiu Shi get off the truck, Li Feng turned and walked inside, asking, “What do you need?”
“A gun,” Qiu Shi said.
Li Feng glanced back at him and said, “Corpse collectors aren’t allowed to carry guns.”
“Why not?” Qiu Shi asked.
“In the outer city, even company personnel don’t have guns; only the military does. It’s the rule,” Li Feng explained.
Qiu Shi didn’t respond.
Li Feng stopped, turned around, and said, “Use the ones you have for now. If I ignore it, you should know better than to push your luck.”
Qiu Shi smiled and leaned against a nearby shelf, saying nothing.
“What do you need?” Li Feng asked again.
“Bullets,” Qiu Shi replied.
Li Feng almost lost control of his expression, his eyebrows twitching in anger, “People say corpse collectors should be incorporated. I think they’re right.”
“So Captain Xiao Lei’s job is to do just that?” Qiu Shi asked, “Claiming to be inspecting, but he stayed in the shelter all day, just watching my people.”
“Where’s what I asked for?” Li Feng didn’t answer his question directly.
“I didn’t bring it,” Qiu Shi said.
Li Feng’s face darkened, the previously mild look in his eyes turning sharp, “Qiu Shi, you need to understand why you’re able to stand here and talk to me…”
“Take a look at this,” Qiu Shi took out a storage device and tossed it onto a nearby cargo box.
Li Feng stared at him for a while before picking up the storage device and inserting it into his portable reader.
The projected video on the cargo box was blurry, but the clip Qiu Shi provided had been zoomed in and extracted by the old man. Though fuzzy, Li Feng’s reaction showed he could immediately recognize what it was.
“It’s a hidden guard, right?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Where did this come from?” Li Feng asked.
“From the later part of the video,” Qiu Shi replied.
Li Feng watched the next part of the video.
“Hello everyone, I’m Li Datou; I’m fine…”
As Li Datou’s face appeared in the video, Qiu Shi saw Li Feng freeze, then furrow his brows.
“You know him?” Qiu Shi smiled.
“This Li… Datou,” Li Feng turned off the video and pocketed the storage device, “What’s in his hands…”
“I’ve already cleared what’s in his hands,” Qiu Shi said, “Now there are only two copies, one for each of us.”
“You want a gun, right?” Li Feng asked.
“At first, I only wanted a gun,” Qiu Shi said, taking out a piece of paper from his pocket, “But I suddenly realized that this Li Datou must be somewhat significant. You could do a lot with this, so…”
He handed over the paper, “Now I’ve changed my mind. I want these too.”
“Changed your mind?” Li Feng glared at him, “Wasn’t this prepared long ago?”
“Well, yes,” Qiu Shi said, “but I didn’t think I’d actually get to use it.”
Li Feng took the paper and looked at it, “A mobile phone? What kind?”
“The old kind,” Qiu Shi gestured, “a rectangular one.”
“What do you need that for?” Li Feng asked, “It’s useless now.”
“For fun,” Qiu Shi said, “it can still take photos and videos.”
“And this counts as corpse collecting equipment?” Li Feng asked.
“What I gave you can only be exchanged for corpse collection equipment.” Qiu Shi asked, “Have I ever called you greedy to your face?”
“Yes,” Li Feng said, putting the paper in his pocket, “There’s a lot on the list. I’ll have someone deliver it tonight. Have your people meet at the tunnel entrance.”
“Alright.” Qiu Shi nodded, preparing to leave.
“Qiu Shi,” Li Feng called out to him.
Qiu Shi stopped.
“You’re not as strong as you think you are,” Li Feng said, tossing him a pack of cigarettes.
“Oh,” Qiu Shi responded.
In the meeting room, the playback device showed a clear image of the fleeting hidden guard and the repeated “Hello everyone, I’m Li Datou” on the screen.
Three people in the room silently watched the footage.
When Li Datou said “Hello everyone” for the twenty-seventh time, Director Zhang of the City Defense Bureau turned off the video with a grim expression, ending the repetitive cycle that seemed almost brainwashing.
“If Sihai were to release this video directly,” Li Feng said, frowning with concern, “it would cause significant trouble…”
“Did you cut off the video source?” Director Zhang interrupted abruptly.
“Which source?” Li Feng asked calmly.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Director Zhang lowered his voice, “I mean Zhang Sihai!”
“There’s no need to silence Qiu Shi; he won’t speak.” Li Feng glanced at the person who had been silently sitting in the corner of the conference room and said, “He still has a lot of uses.”
This person was named Wu, the Curator of the Historical Exhibition Hall.
The exhibition hall preserved various objects and documents related to the history of Yun City for public viewing and education.
Of course, that was its surface function; if it were only for these purposes, Curator Wu would not be sitting here.
“Lao Wu, any thoughts?” Director Zhang turned to look at him.
“I still hold my original opinion,” Curator Wu began, “The situation cannot be resolved by a lower-level hidden guard. The longer it drags on, the more unexpected incidents will occur. This time Li Feng stopped it; otherwise, you might not be able to keep your position.”
“The problem in the woodland area is severe,” Li Feng said, “Currently, we are bringing people in under the pretext of repairing the ‘Jungle’ damage. Once those from the outer city realize that none of the newcomers have returned, it will be difficult to manage.”
Director Zhang glanced at Li Feng without speaking.
“Replace him,” Curator Wu suggested.
“Xing Bi?” Li Feng asked.
When the name was spoken, both Director Zhang and Curator Wu looked at him simultaneously. Even though all three knew they were referring to Xing Bi, saying it out loud made even Li Feng hesitant.
“We can’t guarantee he’s completely controllable; the General won’t approve,” Director Zhang said.
“He must be completely controllable,” Li Feng insisted.
Curator Wu bowed his head and remained silent for a long time, seemingly contemplating, before finally raising his head and saying, “At least another 24 hours are needed.”
“Can we visit?” Director Zhang glanced at Li Feng and said, “I need to be sure.”
Li Feng understood his meaning and added, “I second that.”
“I need to get permission,” Curator Wu said.
Perhaps due to the urgency of the situation, the company and the General approved their request three hours later.
This was Li Feng’s second visit here since joining the Security Bureau, the first time being as an assistant to the Director.
–
The Historical Exhibition Hall, heavy weapons storage area.
The transport pod descended continuously, making creaking noises and swaying slightly.
If it weren’t necessary, he wouldn’t want to come here; this place gave him an extremely uncomfortable, suffocating feeling. Spending a few hours here blurred the distinction between morning and evening.
Leaning against the wall of the pod, Li Feng said, “Curator Wu, repairs for the transport pod can be requested through the Security Bureau and approved within two hours.”
“Hm?” Curator Wu looked at him.
“This thing should be repaired,” Li Feng said, “It’s not worth it to have three important personnel die from a fall.”
“It involves security issues,” Curator Wu said, “Repairs can’t be done arbitrarily.”
Security issues.
Probably there were other confidential spaces outside the walls of the descending pod.
“I’ll write a will,” Li Feng took out a piece of paper from his pocket, opened it, and realized it was the list Qiu Shi had given him. Clicking his tongue, he put it back in his pocket.
“We’ve arrived. Write it before the return trip,” Curator Wu said.
Exiting the transport pod, they entered a tunnel. Unlike the common transit tunnels in Yun City, this one had not been smoothed out but was reinforced with special materials, giving the entire space a metallic sheen. With three thick protective doors requiring on-site authorization to open, whatever was locked inside seemed to be held in a fortress.
Beyond the protective doors, the space was spacious and laboratory-like. A corridor on the side had two rows of rooms housing those controllable hidden guards, as seen in Zhang Sihai’s video.
“Hello everyone, I’m Li Datou…”
Li Feng quickly shook his head to clear it.
In the center of the laboratory, under a glass dome resembling an exhibition platform, was the hidden guard that needed to be made completely controllable within 24 hours.
There were no physical restraints; the man simply sat in the central chair, relaxed yet upright, head bowed as if asleep.
“He can’t see us; the glass is one-way,” Curator Wu said, approaching the control panel and tapping the microphone to greet the person inside, “Xing Bi.”
Xing Bi didn’t respond.
After a moment, as Curator Wu leaned in to speak again, Xing Bi suddenly stirred, slowly raising his head.
Though the glass was one-way, his gaze was accurately fixed on the three of them as he looked up.
This “eye contact” made Li Feng instantly uncomfortable, feeling a strong sense of oppression. He moved aside, standing behind Director Zhang.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Xing Bi said.
His slightly hoarse voice carried no hint of menace.
