A massive, vertical rock slab was detaching from the steep mountainside on the right. Dust and a cluster of withered shrubs flew into the air with the scattered stone fragments, like a slow-motion fireworks show, cascading down into the valley.
Soon, the first of the loosened stones fell onto the roof of the vehicle, producing a sharp clatter.
The view ahead was quickly becoming clouded with dust.
“Don’t slow down,” Qiu Shi stood behind the driver’s seat, watching the rock slab that was about to completely separate from the cliff. “Charge through.”
The bottom of the rock slab had been sharpened by wind erosion, resembling an ax without a handle. Given its speed and weight, if it hit the vehicle, they’d all be crushed. If it landed in front of them, they’d be trapped in the narrowest part of the valley, leading to an unavoidable confrontation. Even without heavy weapons, the onslaught from above would still be enough to overwhelm them.
“Blow it up,” Qiu Shi ordered without hesitation.
There was a mini-cannon next to the front passenger seat. Qiu Shi had noticed it earlier but hadn’t figured out how it would fire while pointed at the windshield.
As soon as Qiu Shi spoke, Zhao Yi grabbed a lever beside the passenger seat and pulled it. The entire seat ejected from the vehicle, dangling outside in mid-air.
Without much need for aiming, Zhao Yi fired at the descending rock slab.
With a loud bang, the slab shattered into several pieces. Fragments scattered in all directions, and larger chunks of rock rolled and crumbled down the mountainside. At this size, the rocks posed little threat to their vehicle, but to a person, the impact would be lethal.
Only after the rock slab was blown to pieces did Qiu Shi realize, to his shock, that the passenger seat couldn’t return automatically once ejected.
Without thinking, he grabbed onto the door frame and prepared to reach out and pull Zhao Yi back inside.
But with the passenger seat so far out, even if Qiu Shi could reach it, it would be difficult to muster the strength in such an awkward position…
Just as Qiu Shi hung by the car door, racking his brain for a solution, Xiao You, one of the secondary symbionts, rushed over, grabbed the door, leaned out, and effortlessly pulled Zhao Yi and his seat back into the car.
As the door slammed shut, a rock the size of a head smashed into the spot where Zhao Yi had been just moments before.
“Shit,” Qiu Shi cursed, his heart still racing. He then turned to look at the rear of the vehicle.
The other team members were still keeping a watchful eye on the cliff above.
Sang Fan and Xiao Zuo were both standing.
Xing Bi, however, remained seated, with a black tendril-like mark creeping from his left collarbone up to the side of his neck.
Qiu Shi knew this must be the sign of Xing Bi controlling Xiao You.
After Xiao You returned to his seat, they all sat down together.
It was the first time Qiu Shi had seen Xing Bi in this state, controlling a symbiote so calmly, as if nothing had happened.
“Doesn’t this thing have an auto-return function?” Qiu Shi asked Zhao Yi, turning to face him.
“No,” Zhao Yi replied, still looking shaken. “It wasn’t designed for this kind of combat.”
“Then it’s just a half-finished product,” Qiu Shi commented.
“You can’t be that dismissive…” Zhao Yi started to say.
“This was your first time using it, right?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Yeah,” Zhao Yi nodded.
“Well done,” Qiu Shi said.
“Was that a Symbiont attack?” Long Hao, the driver, kept his eyes on the road, not daring to let off the gas as the vehicle sped ahead.
“No, it was humans. Symbionts…” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi, “wouldn’t use such a cumbersome and imprecise trap. As for the reason behind it, I don’t know.”
No one spoke after that. Everyone’s focus remained on the outside.
Xing Bi was handling the rear guard, so Qiu Shi stayed near the front, observing from behind the driver’s seat while keeping an eye on the map.
Although he was particularly curious about how Xing Bi felt when controlling the symbionts and whether it had any side effects, he knew that as the team leader, he couldn’t slack off. He was probably the only one among them who had been outside, dealing with all sorts of wanderers and symbionts. In such unexpected situations, he couldn’t afford to relax.
That said, the team’s reaction and performance earlier had reassured him. Zhao Yi knew that the passenger seat was a one-way ejection device, yet he didn’t hesitate to send himself outside. This was something Qiu Shi hadn’t expected.
Back when Zhao Yi had led people to the shelter, there hadn’t been any indication that he would be this fearless in a crisis.
The vehicle soon made it safely out of the valley, turning onto a rocky path heading southwest.
“There’s a lone boulder up ahead,” Qiu Shi said. “Stop there for a few minutes to check the vehicle. I heard something strange from the chassis.”
“Got it,” Long Hao responded, listening closely before glancing back at Qiu Shi. “You have sharp ears, Captain.”
Well, that was true. After all, when you live in the wild, any sound could be a matter of life and death. Those with poor hearing didn’t survive long.
The lone boulder was Qiu Shi’s usual landmark whenever he returned to Yun City from Xima Town. Seeing this rock on the return trip meant they were close to home.
This would also be a good opportunity to introduce Xing Bi to their first sightseeing spot on this journey.
Long Hao parked the vehicle beside the boulder for cover, and everyone got out.
The first to exit was Lu Yu, who crouched down to inspect the vehicle’s underside. He immediately raised his gun and shouted, “There’s someone here!”
“What?” Qiu Shi was stunned. There was no indication on the map.
He jumped out of the vehicle and bent down to take a look, only to say, “He’s dead.”
Years of experience collecting corpses allowed him to tell with just a glance that it was a person who had been swept under the car along with the rocks from the recent landslide, and the body was in pieces.
Qiu Shi instinctively leaned under the car, ready to extract the body, which was twisted and wedged underneath.
But Xing Bi crouched down and pulled him back.
When Qiu Shi turned around, he saw Xiao Zuo and Xiao You getting out of the car.
“Let them handle it, Captain,” Xing Bi said.
“…Alright.” Qiu Shi stood up.
Xing Bi remained crouched by the car, while Xiao Zuo and Xiao You swiftly crawled underneath. Without much effort, they removed the body from under the car and dragged it to the side.
Seeing the scattered remains, Long Hao turned his head and retched a couple of times.
Qiu Shi glanced at him but said nothing. He crouched next to the body, tugged at the clothes, examined the face and the back of the neck, and then checked the body again.
Apart from a bracelet on the corpse’s wrist, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
The bracelet didn’t look special at first glance, just a string of white stones strung together. The stones had a slightly porous texture, similar to the handmade trinkets found in refugee markets.
But when Qiu Shi held it in his hand for a closer look, he realized something was off.
“Bone,” Xing Bi, standing beside him, whispered.
Yes, it was bone. But it was hard to tell if it was animal or human bone… As Qiu Shi examined it closely, he suddenly noticed that the smallest bead was not round.
It was a tiny tooth, much smaller than an adult’s tooth.
“Goddamn,” Qiu Shi felt a wave of nausea, tossing the bracelet back onto the scattered body parts.
Apart from the person crushed beneath the car, the vehicle itself was mostly undamaged. After a brief rest, they would continue heading toward Xima Town.
Qiu Shi grabbed a bottle of water and was drinking when Li Feng’s voice came through the headset, “Second Squad.”
“Here,” Qiu Shi responded.
“Have you stopped moving?” Li Feng asked.
“Ran into what might be a few drifters, not sure,” Qiu Shi replied. “Shook them off.”
“Is it safe now?” Li Feng asked.
“Safe for the moment.” Qiu Shi glanced around. The sky was overcast, much darker than it should have been for the time of day, and it looked like it would snow again. “We’ll rest for a bit, then head out. We’ll try to reach the campsite before the snow starts falling hard.”
“Alright,” Li Feng said.
“How are the other squads doing?” Qiu Shi tilted his head towards Xing Bi and walked over to the rocks.
Xing Bi followed him.
“So far, everything is smooth,” Li Feng lowered his voice. “Shidi Town and Zhuyuan Town—have you been there?”
“Never been, but I know the direction,” Qiu Shi said. “Why?”
“Nothing, just asking.” Li Feng paused. “Qiu Shi, Second Squad is the only team I don’t worry about.”
“Being deputy team leader has made you soft,” Qiu Shi said. “Your words are sweet.”
Li Feng chuckled but said nothing more, ending the call.
“This is…” Qiu Shi patted the rock, looking at Xing Bi. “The first stop of our journey.”
“Does this landmark have a name?” Xing Bi also patted the rock and found a relatively smooth spot to rub against.
“I call it the ‘Lone Stone’,” Qiu Shi said, glancing at the side of Xing Bi’s neck where the black mark extending from his collarbone had disappeared.
“No effect,” Xing Bi said, rubbing the rock again.
“Sharp senses,” Qiu Shi mimicked the motion, rubbing the spot Xing Bi had touched. “What are you rubbing for?”
“Every time we pass by here, we rub it. Eventually, it’ll become smooth,” Xing Bi said.
“…And then?” Qiu Shi asked.
“There’s no ‘then’. It just becomes smooth,” Xing Bi replied.
Qiu Shi looked at him.
“The ancestors really loved doing this,” Xing Bi said. “Like the statues at the gates of Yun City. If they were still around, the feet and heads would definitely be polished smooth.”
Qiu Shi found it hard to understand.
“For good luck, I guess,” Xing Bi said.
“That means they were living well enough,” Qiu Shi said. “People actually believed they could pray for good luck.”
Some people still believed in good luck.
Qiu Shi rarely heard the word “luck” anymore. The last time was at the refugee market, when someone got a job opportunity in the inner city, and people mockingly said, “Good luck to you.”
Qiu Shi rubbed the stone again.
The statue at the Yun City gates that had its head chopped off—do you know who that was? You should know, right?
He wanted to ask Xing Bi.
But he didn’t. The statue’s head must have been removed after the Great Purge, right after Xing Bi personally wiped out all the bio-beings in Yun City.
“For good luck,” Qiu Shi rubbed the stone again. “For all those who want to survive.”
Xing Bi rubbed it too.
After a brief rest, the squad got back into the vehicle and continued their journey.
Heading south, the mountains grew fewer, and the range extending from Mount Damo disappeared after passing the “Lone Stone,” leaving behind more gentle slopes with the occasional hill.
This kind of terrain made it easy to spot danger, but if there was danger, it would also mean being fully exposed to it.
The snow had started falling ten minutes earlier, and it was getting heavier. At this point, they could barely see the road ahead.
“Head slightly west and keep going,” Qiu Shi said, looking at the map. “There’s less than a kilometer left. After the big slope, there’s a pit where we can park.”
Following his instructions, Long Hao finally reached the spot through the near-blinding snowstorm.
It was a large sinkhole caused by a dried-up underground water source. The area was already low, and hiding in there would make them hard to detect.
“You even know about places like this?” Zheng Yu remarked, impressed.
“You guys…” Qiu Shi trailed off, realizing that they would be together for many days. He held back the sentence: “Not only do you have no combat experience, but have you ever even left the inner city?”
“You don’t usually come this way, do you?” he asked instead.
“Our training is usually up in the northwest,” Zheng Yu replied.
“Rest for two hours,” Qiu Shi said after getting out and checking the surroundings. He patted the car door. “Once the snow lightens up, we’ll move. If we stay on schedule, we should reach Xima Town by nightfall.”
“Do we really need to rest for that long?” Zhao Yi asked.
“If the snow doesn’t stop in two hours, we’ll have to wait even longer,” Qiu Shi said. “In the past, we rarely ran into anyone here except refugees heading to Yun City, but now it’s different. We have no idea where those people we saw just now came from or what they’re up to.”
“I wonder if the other two teams are resting,” Zhao Yi said.
“Now isn’t the time to rush into competing,” Qiu Shi couldn’t help but remark. “This is the real world, not your usual non-physical training.”
Zhao Yi frowned and gave him a glance.
Qiu Shi stopped talking and got back into the vehicle. “Eat, drink, and when the snow lightens up, we’ll keep moving.”
Xing Bi and Sang Fan stood up, with Xiao Zuo and Xiao You following behind them as they got out of the car.
In this weather, only the bioroids could stand guard during breaks.
Qiu Shi ate a canned meal in the car, wrapped himself up in a scarf, and then got out again.
But in the wind and snow, he couldn’t see where Xing Bi and the others were.
Just as he was about to open the map for a look, he heard a whistle from the right rear.
Qiu Shi turned his head and saw Xing Bi, half-buried in snow, leaning against a slope.
“Damn, hiding so well.” He ran over and threw himself down next to Xing Bi, lying prone. From this angle, he could clearly see the open space ahead, but for now, all he could see were snowflakes swirling madly.
“Why did you come out here?” Xing Bi asked. “Couldn’t find a place to wipe your hands?”
Qiu Shi laughed. “Why do you sound like you have so many complaints?”
“When no one’s around, where do you wipe your hands?” Xing Bi asked.
“On myself,” Qiu Shi replied. “Where else?”
Xing Bi smiled without saying anything.
“Cold?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Not cold,” Xing Bi said, looking at him. “But if you lie here for two more minutes, you’ll freeze stiff.”
“Are you controlling them now?” Qiu Shi glanced around but couldn’t see Sang Fan or the twins.
“No control,” Xing Bi said.
“Aren’t you worried they’ll…” Qiu Shi opened the map, showing that besides the two of them, there were bioroids in three other directions.
“It gets tiring,” Xing Bi said. “I’ll take control if I sense something wrong.”
“Tiring?” Qiu Shi frowned.
“Yeah,” Xing Bi said. “You sense more information, but you still have to sort it out.”
“That little brain of yours hasn’t been used like this in a while, huh?” Qiu Shi said.
“Right,” Xing Bi said, glancing at him again. “Go back to the car.”
“I’ll keep you company for a bit,” Qiu Shi said. “People might think bioroids are strong, not afraid of wind or snow, can’t feel hot or cold…”
“Well, they’re not wrong,” Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi clicked his tongue.
“Head back to the car first,” Xing Bi said. “You’re already shivering when you talk.”
“Am I?” Qiu Shi said. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… happy birthday…”
Sure enough, his voice was a bit shaky, and the sound he made while clenching his teeth wasn’t exactly natural. After holding out for a little longer, he said, “Alright, I’ll head back to the car.”
“Okay.” Xing Bi smiled in response.
When Qiu Shi got back to the car, he realized he was completely frozen. His legs were so stiff when he got in that he nearly fell to his knees.
“Captain.” Lu Yu handed him a coat.
“Thanks.” Qiu Shi glanced around. Everyone had already put on their coats, so he did the same. “Those who can, sleep for a bit. I’ll keep watch until Zhao Yi wakes up and takes over.”
“Alright.” Zhao Yi nodded.
Qiu Shi sat in the front passenger seat, staring blankly at the heavy snowfall outside.
The snow kept falling intensely, showing no signs of stopping.
About an hour later, Zhao Yi came over to relieve him.
Qiu Shi moved to the back of the car and sat down, switching to Xing Bi’s communication channel. “Xing Bi.”
“Here,” Xing Bi answered.
“Anything going on?” Qiu Shi asked.
“No,” Xing Bi said. “It’s quiet.”
“I’m going to sleep for a bit,” Qiu Shi said. “Zhao Yi’s on watch now.”
“Okay,” Xing Bi replied. “Good afternoon.”
Qiu Shi smiled.
The snow finally stopped three hours later. When Qiu Shi opened his eyes, the sky had brightened, and everything outside was covered in white, with no other colors in sight.
Zhao Yi woke him up, and Xing Bi and the others had returned to the car as well.
“Let’s go.” Qiu Shi put on his sunglasses and sat in the back with Xing Bi. “If nothing unexpected happens, we should reach Xima before dark. They have a turret in the middle of town, the highest spot. We can stay there for the night.”
Lu Yu took over driving. Seemingly well-rested, he drove energetically, kicking up a cloud of snow behind them.
This stretch of road returned to the calm Qiu Shi remembered, without any further incidents. Though he still couldn’t figure out what those people with bone bracelets were about, they didn’t encounter them again.
Before reaching Xima Town, they passed through a small abandoned village whose name was long forgotten, as the sign at the entrance had been gone for ages. Qiu Shi had named it “Xiniu Village.” To the south of Xima was another village Qiu Shi called “XiyangVillage.”
“Are we there yet?” a team member named Cao Shu asked with some excitement as he saw the small brick houses outside.
“We’re at the village,” Qiu Shi said. “Half an hour more and we’ll reach Xima Town. Stay alert; it’s a good place to hide people and makes for a perfect stronghold.”
The team in the car immediately went into alert mode, with their weapons pointed outside.
The village, originally filled with small, collapsed brick houses, now looked almost nonexistent, covered by snow.
“Footprints,” Zhao Yi whispered.
Qiu Shi stood up and aimed his gun through the firing port, spotting some messy footprints on the path leading into the village. They were fresh, untouched by snow.
“I’ll check it out,” Xing Bi said as he jumped out of the slowing vehicle, quickly heading towards the footprints.
Qiu Shi kept an eye on the map, but there were no signs of anything unusual.
Xing Bi soon returned to the car. “The footprints belong to four human males, armed.”
“Was there anyone here before?” Zhao Yi looked at Qiu Shi.
“No,” Qiu Shi said, “Be careful.”
“We’ll get out of the car, and the car will follow us.” Xing Bi nodded toward Sang Fan.
Sang Fan and Xiao Zuo, Xiao You stood up.
As they got out of the car, Qiu Shi noticed a thin black line extending from Xing Bi’s collarbone upward, then branching out like a growing plant, thickening as it crawled up the side of his neck.
Several team members noticed it too, their eyes showing obvious shock and barely concealed fear.
After Xing Bi got out, he and Sang Fan took the lead, with Xiao Zuo and Xiao You on either side. The four of them spread out in a fan shape as they moved forward.
Qiu Shi stood behind the driver’s seat, keeping an eye on both the road ahead and the map in front of him.
The snow was quite thick, covering up any old tracks. If there had been any traps before, the only way to discover them now would be through Xing Bi and his team.
“Do you hear anything?” Qiu Shi asked.
“It’s very quiet,” Xing Bi replied. “No sounds at all.”
“This road is the only one that vehicles can use to reach the town,” Qiu Shi said. “If anything happens, this road is the most likely place for it.”
“Got it,” Xing Bi responded.
The bioroids moved quickly, almost at a half-run, with the vehicle following behind. Before long, they could see a steel pillar standing at the entrance of the town from a distance.
“We’ve arrived,” Qiu Shi said.
Just then, Xing Bi suddenly stopped and signaled for the car to halt.
Qiu Shi climbed up to the shooting position in the middle of the vehicle, poking his head out of the roof. Through the scope, he saw a patch of footprints fifty meters ahead, all of which stopped at the same spot.
From their distance, it was hard to make out what was ahead without equipment.
Lu Yu stopped the vehicle and quickly set up his gun at the shooting port, aiming ahead.
“What’s there?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Let me try something.” Xing Bi said as he walked to the roadside, brushed away the snow, and pulled out a dead branch. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the branch forward.
The moment the branch hit the ground, a cloud of white mist burst from the snow, and the ground seemed to suddenly spring up an entire wall. A dense array of cold, gleaming spikes surged toward them.
In shock, Qiu Shi saw that these were nearly meter-long metal spikes mounted on a wooden frame.
And hanging from the spikes were two bodies, each pierced by seven or eight of the sharp points.
At the moment the spiked wall shot up, Xing Bi and the other three leaped backward, dodging the strike. While in the air, Xing Bi and Sang Fan each tossed two grenades over the wall.
After the successive explosions, Qiu Shi heard low groaning sounds of pain from the other side.
But the map showed nothing except their own squad.
__
Author’s note:
Brother Shi! All the good spots have already been taken!
