Chapter 91: I thought you were really strange.
Bai Xiaoyuan and the others were all startled. They hadn’t expected there to be a bear in the duty room in addition to the person.
But the bear looked slightly different from a regular bear; its head was smaller. Upon closer inspection, it didn’t quite look like a bear anymore.
The bear’s face retracted, and the middle-aged man continued to look at the three young people outside. “Who’s looking for me?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Hello, are you Teacher Qin Yeshi?”
“I am.” Qin Yeshi walked out of the duty room, still holding two packages. “What is it?”
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo stated their purpose: “We work under Qin Ge and have come specifically to find you.”
Hearing the name “Qin Ge,” Qin Yeshi was visibly stunned. He then waved at the sentry, allowing Bai Xiaoyuan and the others to enter.
The Western Office’s building was very quiet. Qin Yeshi didn’t lead them towards the main building but stood directly in the courtyard and asked them, “What’s wrong with Qin Ge?”
Qin Ge was Qin Shuangshuang’s adopted son, and he was Qin Shuangshuang’s biological younger brother. Qin Ge would call him “uncle” whenever they met. Qin Yeshi was very fond of Qin Ge, always feeling that Jiang Xiaochuan was too young and couldn’t get along with him, whereas Qin Ge suited his tastes perfectly. He would often coax Qin Ge to come and play with him. It was just that in recent years, his work had become increasingly busy, and he spent most of his time away, so he saw Qin Ge and his family much less.
Bai Xiaoyuan took off her backpack, took out the small search and rescue robot made by Jiang Xiaochuan, and explained their purpose to Qin Yeshi.
“Work with me?” Qin Yeshi sized up the three young people before him. He could easily tell that all three had very little combat experience. The only one who might be useful was the female Sentinel in front of him.
“Bai Xiaoyuan, right?” he asked. “What’s your spirit body?”
Bai Xiaoyuan answered, “Sand cat.”
Qin Yeshi immediately frowned.
He had seen too many formidable female Sentinels. There was one among his old colleagues who, if not for taking a break due to pregnancy and childbirth, the championship of the Sentinel division in the national special human skills competition those few years would not have gone to him, nor to Gao Qiong.
His spirit body came up beside him, stood up, and revealed a crescent-shaped patch of white fur on its chest.
“Wolverine.” Seeing the curious looks from Tang Cuo and Gao Shu, Qin Yeshi casually pointed to the animal beside him and said, “That Sentinel, what’s your spirit body?”
Gao Shu: “Sword-nosed shark.”
Qin Yeshi: “Are you guys the only ones under Qin Ge? Not a single useful one.”
The three of them looked embarrassed. “But the Luquan incident…”
Qin Yeshi raised his hand, stopping Bai Xiaoyuan’s words. “No need to say more. Although my team also belongs to the Crisis Office’s criminal investigation field team, my personal position is now with the Special Management Committee. If you people from the Crisis Office want to join my team for a joint operation, you must obtain permission from the Special Management Committee.”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Teacher Qin…”
“Don’t call me Teacher.” Qin Yeshi’s face was stern. “Don’t try to get close. This is not a joking matter. Taking the three of you to work would be adding trouble for myself.”
As he was about to turn away, he glanced at Tang Cuo. “Hey, what about you? What spirit body?”
Tang Cuo: “Panda.”
Qin Yeshi froze. A strange smile appeared on his face. “Panda?”
Seeing his interest, the three of them quickly nodded in unison.
Qin Yeshi: “Have you met Zhang Xiao? The one who signed the Harmonizer certificate Qin Ge tested for.”
Tang Cuo: “I have. He really likes my panda.”
Qin Yeshi: “What about Zhang Xiao’s partner? Have you met him?”
Tang Cuo: “Captain Gao Qiong, of course I’ve met him too. He seemed rather unhappy. I don’t know if he dislikes pandas or dislikes me.”
Qin Yeshi was full of schadenfreude. “Both are correct.”
He seemed to be in a very good mood. Holding a package in each hand, he turned and walked towards the office building. There were sentries at the bottom of the office building as well. The three wanted to follow him in to persuade him a bit more but were helplessly stopped.
The next morning, Qin Ge and Xie Zijing finally arrived at the Western Office. Bai Xiaoyuan and the others had already told him Qin Yeshi’s intentions. Helpless, Qin Ge could only go himself. He contacted Qin Yeshi and went straight to Qin Yeshi’s temporary dormitory in the Western Office with Xie Zijing.
The sentry at the office still recognized Xie Zijing. Seeing him appear, he was both surprised and delighted. “Lao Xie, you’re better?”
Xie Zijing: “I’m better!”
The dormitory was behind the office building. As the two walked forward, Xie Zijing greeted several people. He said he was sent from Headquarters to assist Captain Qin Yeshi. His former colleagues saw him alive and kicking; some were very surprised, while others eyed him with suspicion.
“Your social connections aren’t bad,” Qin Ge said. “I see these people all seem to like you.”
Xie Zijing: “I work hard, so of course they like me. But that’s a work-related liking. In terms of private relationships, I have no entanglements with them.”
Qin Ge: “What do you mean, ‘entanglements’?”
Xie Zijing: “That kind of entanglement. Don’t be jealous.”
Qin Ge: “…You’re overthinking it, Comrade Xie Zijing. My mind is full of the Luquan incident and Zhou You right now. I have no mind to think about what kind of entanglements you had with people here before.”
But he actually still thought of the Guide who had once forcibly invaded Xie Zijing’s “Sea Area.” Qin Ge held an inexplicable hostility and curiosity towards this Guide.
The two walked up the stairs and looked up to see Qin Yeshi waiting in the corridor.
“My sister told me, this is your boyfriend?” Qin Yeshi glanced at Xie Zijing a few times while opening his dormitory door. “Looks decent.”
Xie Zijing smiled warmly at him. “Hello, Uncle.”
Qin Yeshi: “Who’s your uncle? Has your partner application been approved?”
Xie Zijing: “…Hello, Captain Qin.”
Qin Yeshi asked again, “What’s your spirit body?”
Xie Zijing: “A lion. A Barbary lion.”
Qin Yeshi, who had just been looking impatient, suddenly turned his head, his voice changing pitch. “A Barbary lion?! You’re that legendary Sentinel from the Western Office?!”
Xie Zijing smiled. “Legendary…? Perhaps.”
Qin Yeshi’s attitude towards him changed drastically. He pulled him to sit on the sofa. “I rarely come to the Western Office, but I’ve heard a lot about you this time. You’re Qin Ge’s potential partner, right? That’s great. What kind of trash are those people under Qin Ge…”
“Uncle, they are all very good.” Qin Ge quickly added on the side, trying to salvage Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo’s poor first impression. “My department is the Spiritual Harmonization Department, not a field team. Don’t use field team standards to judge my people.”
Only then did Qin Yeshi quiet down, turning to pour tea for Xie Zijing and Qin Ge.
The dormitory was very small. Xie Zijing was very familiar with this building. He used to live here too, sharing a room with another Sentinel. Qin Yeshi, after all, was from Headquarters. He lived alone. In the small room, apart from the slightly tidy bed, the desk and sofa were piled high with paper documents.
Qin Ge glanced at the room’s furnishings, feeling a sense of familiarity. “Uncle, the way you arrange your documents is very similar to Teacher Yuan’s.”
Next to Xie Zijing was the bedside table. On it were a charger, a Kindle, and a palm-sized photo frame. The photo was of Qin Yeshi and another man, standing in front of the Arrow Pavilion in the Forbidden City. There was snow on the glazed tiles, and behind them were the iconic five bronze oxen in front of the Arrow Pavilion square. Qin Ge had taken Xie Zijing there, and Xie Zijing recognized that behind them was the third ox.
The third ox, he remembered, symbolized “health and peace.”
Qin Yeshi and the man beside him were wearing red scarves. Their noses were red from the cold, and both had joyful smiles on their faces.
“My partner, Yuan Yue.” Seeing Xie Zijing staring at the photo, Qin Yeshi took the initiative to introduce him. “Taken a few years ago. It was the Year of the Ox, so everyone had to take a picture with an ox. Your Teacher Yuan works in the Forbidden City. I went to pick him up from work, and he insisted on taking a picture with me and an ox in front of the Arrow Pavilion.”
Qin Ge was bewildered. “That’s not right. Teacher Yuan said you were the one who dragged him to the Arrow Pavilion. He can see the oxen whenever he wants. You were the one who said it was Teacher Yuan’s birth year, so he had to take a photo with an ox to have the Ox God bless his health.”
Qin Yeshi seemed to choke, pausing for a moment before raising his hand. “He told you that too?”
Qin Ge: “Was Teacher Yuan lying to me?”
Qin Yeshi: “No, no, in our family, Teacher Yuan is always right. You must remember this principle.”
He himself turned to look at the photo and, thinking of something, couldn’t help but smile at Xie Zijing. “He’s a very nice person.”
Xie Zijing grinned foolishly at him, indicating he understood.
Qin Ge was already used to the dynamic between Qin Yeshi and his partner. He quickly interrupted his urge to confide and began to talk about Xie Zijing’s situation. He told Qin Yeshi in detail everything that Xie Zijing himself had suffered, as well as the nightmare Xie Zijing had witnessed in Luquan that night.
Bai Xiaoyuan and the others hadn’t been so detailed. Qin Yeshi looked at Xie Zijing, then at Qin Ge, his face full of astonishment. “You all know there’s a Warehouse No. 0 under Luquan?”
“You’ve been there?”
“I haven’t, but I know such a place exists.” Qin Yeshi said in a low voice, “After my sister was transferred from the Crisis Office and Gao Tianyue took over as director, I was also moved. The Special Management Committee directly took my file. Although I still belong to the Crisis Office’s field team, my personnel file is with the Special Management Committee, so my team and I are very special. In necessary situations, we directly take orders from the Special Management Committee, and the Crisis Office cannot interfere. I only found out about Warehouse No. 0 later.”
He looked at Xie Zijing and, after a long time, said one sentence: “It hasn’t been easy, Little Xie.”
He took out a palm-sized tablet and turned it on. Qin Ge recognized it as an imager.
A moment later, the imager lit up, projecting a three-dimensional structure of a place.
“This is Warehouse No. 0,” Qin Yeshi said. “The overall construction plan and cell distribution of Warehouse No. 0 were completely mapped out by the Wolf Fang Squad led by Gao Qiong after the Luquan incident.”
Back then, as the captain of Wolf Fang, after discovering the bodies of the entire Falcon Squad at the Western Office, Gao Qiong was immediately dispatched by the Special Management Committee to investigate the incident. People from the Western Office couldn’t interfere; the entire process was completed by Gao Qiong and his team. Gao Qiong and his team entered Warehouse No. 0 and obtained firsthand information about it.
“…Wait. Are you saying that before Gao Qiong entered, the Special Management Committee had no information on Warehouse No. 0?”
Qin Yeshi explained in detail to the two of them.
Warehouse No. 0 was an extremely special warehouse under the management of the Special Management Committee. It was established very early on, and the initial batch of data had been lost over the long process of power transfers. In the late 1990s, the Special Management Committee sent a special survey team to investigate Warehouse No. 0. At that time, there were still more than ten administrative personnel in Warehouse No. 0, but most of the prisoners in the silo had already died.
The Special Management Committee reassigned the old administrative personnel and completely cleaned up the bodies and cells in Warehouse No. 0. Due to the significant reduction in prisoners, there was controversy within the Special Management Committee about the continued existence of Warehouse No. 0. In the end, the administrative personnel sent to Warehouse No. 0 were just a pair of very young brothers, codenamed “Elephant” and “Rat.”
“Elephant and Rat were from the Special Management Committee. They lived inside Warehouse No. 0 thereafter and would periodically return to the surface for daily supplies and reporting.” Seeing the surprised faces of Qin Ge and Xie Zijing, Qin Yeshi said in a low voice, “They were both very young at the time, but both were agoraphobics. They couldn’t live normally in a crowd, but their abilities were extremely strong, so they were eventually assigned to Warehouse No. 0.”
Xie Zijing turned to look at Qin Ge.
“A type of social anxiety disorder. They would be very afraid of others’ gazes, fearing social interaction and contact with others.” Qin Ge thought for a moment. “But they weren’t afraid of each other, so guarding Warehouse No. 0 was the most suitable job. These two were the controllers of Warehouse No. 0; the prisoners had to obey them.”
He also remembered what Jiang Yong had said. All the prisoners in Warehouse No. 0 were regularly injected with tranquilizers. To Elephant and Rat, these were not people, just sleeping, unconscious objects.
Qin Ge suddenly realized that the way Elephant and Rat were placed was essentially the same as how the prisoners in Warehouse No. 0 were handled: people who had value but whom they didn’t know how to properly utilize were first placed somewhere to ensure they didn’t cause trouble.
“At that time, the investigation report given by the Wolf Fang Squad showed that both Elephant and Rat were injured when the Luquan incident occurred.” Qin Yeshi recalled the report’s content. “The Luquan incident was triggered by an escape attempt by some of the prisoners in Warehouse No. 0. Warehouse No. 0 didn’t just hold Sentinels and Guides; it also held many special humans we haven’t even heard of. Some of them united through some means and, taking advantage of Elephant and Rat’s unpreparedness, caused a commotion and broke through the top level of Warehouse No. 0, returning to the surface.”
Coincidentally, the Falcon Squad’s campsite was right on the surface. The Falcon members fought with the escapees but were ultimately defeated and all perished.
“The public report said that there were no wounds on the bodies of the Falcon Squad; they were drowned by a sudden surge of underground water,” Qin Yeshi said. “That’s not true. Every body of the Falcon Squad had signs of battle. Captain Bai Fan’s injuries were the most severe; he died from excessive blood loss.”
Qin Ge’s face was pale, staring at Qin Yeshi.
“Yang Chuan’s cause of death was a broken rib piercing his lung. Wen Xuan’s was suffocation,” Qin Yeshi said calmly. “Your parents both died after a struggle.”
Xie Zijing’s heart jolted. He suddenly realized that since his memory returned, he had been immersed in the harm he had suffered and his parents’ disappearance. After the mermaid’s song brought back all his feelings for Qin Ge, he hadn’t immediately remembered that Qin Ge’s parents were members of Falcon and had also died in the Luquan incident.
And after learning the truth of the Luquan incident, Qin Ge had not shown a single bit of sadness or anger in front of him.
Xie Zijing looked at Qin Ge. Qin Ge’s face was too pale, as if all the color had drained from it, but he seemed to hear Qin Ge’s fierce heartbeat.
His Guide, even when tormented by intense emotions, could perfectly control himself and not show any signs of losing control.
Xie Zijing held Qin Ge’s hand. Qin Ge asked, “What about those escapees?”
“Dead. All their bodies were dragged back to Warehouse No. 0 by Elephant and Rat,” Qin Yeshi said. “In the Wolf Fang investigation report, Gao Qiong used a long passage to express his doubts and confusion. Although all the evidence was complete, he suspected that there were problems with the testimonies given by Elephant and Rat. There were indeed people imprisoned in the remaining cells in Warehouse No. 0, but all the data was in Elephant and Rat’s hands. Gao Qiong couldn’t access it.”
After Gao Qiong and the Wolf Fang Squad completed the investigation and submitted the report, the Special Management Committee did not continue to investigate. They tacitly accepted the report as correct and assumed everything in Warehouse No. 0 was normal.
Xie Zijing was puzzled. “Why?”
Qin Yeshi looked at him. “You personally experienced the Luquan incident. Are you sure you only saw one person at that time?”
“I am absolutely sure. Qin Ge has traced back my memories. The original memory doesn’t lie and cannot be modified,” Xie Zijing said decisively. “The only person who came out was Zhou You… that is, X.”
Qin Yeshi: “This proves that Elephant and Rat were lying.”
Qin Ge frowned. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t the Special Management Committee continue to investigate? To find out the truth, all they had to do was enter Elephant and Rat’s ‘Sea Area’ and trace back their memories.”
“Elephant and Rat belonged to the Special Management Committee at the time, but Gao Qiong and his Wolf Fang Squad belonged to the Crisis Office; they were only seconded by the Special Management Committee to work. Procedurally, he didn’t have the authority to investigate Elephant and Rat’s ‘Sea Area,’ and there was no Spiritual Harmonizer in the Wolf Fang Squad. In the report, he hoped Zhang Xiao could assist in the investigation, but this request was ignored. Back to Warehouse No. 0. Warehouse No. 0 was used to imprison special criminals, but whether it should exist has always been very controversial,” Qin Yeshi explained. “More than ten years ago, the Special Management Committee also had a lot of trouble. The impact of the Sentry Association incident had not yet dissipated. My sister was valued for her role in the Sentry Association incident and was seen as a strong contender for the top position in the Special Management Committee. At this time, if the Warehouse No. 0 incident was exposed, it would be a very big threat to the leader at the time… who is also the current leader. Only after reading the report did I realize that they suppressed all the suspicious points, pretended that everything had been resolved, and simply used the influence of the Falcon Squad’s incident to have both my sister and me leave the Crisis Office.”
Qin Ge and Xie Zijing looked at each other in dismay. This was something they had never expected.
Everything seemed to be a series of mishaps, a fateful arrangement.
X’s escape caused the death of the entire Falcon Squad and the disappearance of Xie Zijing’s parents.
The case of Xie Zijing’s parents’ disappearance, because Xie Zijing’s “Sea Area” was destroyed and his memories of Luquan were completely chaotic and lost, was treated as an ordinary missing persons case and was not linked to the Luquan incident.
The administrators of Warehouse No. 0, Elephant and Rat, perhaps to protect themselves, or for other purposes, lied in front of Gao Qiong and covered up the truth of the Luquan incident.
Gao Qiong brought the report back to the Special Management Committee and applied to continue investigating Elephant and Rat. He even proposed hoping for Zhang Xiao’s assistance.
However, due to the power struggle within the Special Management Committee at the time, Warehouse No. 0, as a case that could seriously threaten the leader’s position, was suppressed.
Because “everything has been resolved.” The Falcon Squad’s deaths were treated as an accident. Warehouse No. 0 still existed, and Elephant and Rat were still the administrators, but the number of prisoners inside had decreased, and the threat was diminishing.
When X escaped, it was impossible for him to know about these subsequent events.
But the various connections that followed, the countless considerations, ultimately carved out a smooth path for him on his escape route.
Back then, if just one person had believed the Falcon Squad’s deaths must be strictly investigated, if Elephant and Rat’s testimony had been suspected, if Gao Qiong’s request had been answered, X could not possibly have slipped through the net.
Qin Ge only felt an unspeakable anger.
The two of them talked with Qin Yeshi all night, analyzing the Luquan incident of that year bit by bit, along with the clues they later found related to X.
When Qin Ge and Xie Zijing left the office, the sky was already bright.
The two said goodbye to the sentry and walked slowly on the road. Bai Xiaoyuan, Tang Cuo, and the others had also been sleepless all night, waiting for the news Qin Ge would bring back.
The Falcon Squad was closely connected to all of them. Qin Ge’s anger gradually subsided. He had to control himself and carefully consider what might happen next.
“Qin Ge,” Xie Zijing said suddenly, “why didn’t you tell me?”
Qin Ge was stunned. “What?”
“The little notebook didn’t mention your parents’ affairs, and I didn’t remember it for a moment. What about you? You clearly remembered. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Qin Ge was silent for a long time before speaking. “I can digest it myself. It’s not a good thing. If you don’t remember, then let it be.”
Xie Zijing held his hand. The two stood on the road in the faint morning light. The scent of butter tea was already wafting from the small shops by the roadside.
His Guide was used to digesting everything himself. For more than ten years of living under someone else’s roof, although he was loved by Qin Shuangshuang’s family, he still didn’t dare to be honest about many things. They were family, yet they were not. Qin Ge was grateful to them, loved them, and made himself excellent to repay them, but over the long years, he learned to handle everything himself, becoming completely independent and not relying on anyone.
After Xie Zijing’s “Sea Area” was repaired, Qin Ge must have thought the same way: Xie Zijing already had enough on his plate; his own bit of unease and sadness was not necessary to bother him with.
Xie Zijing opened his arms and hugged him tightly.
“…What are you doing?” Qin Ge was stunned for a moment, then said with a laugh, “I’m fine. Really.”
“I’m not fine,” Xie Zijing said in a low voice. “I’m very sad.”
Qin Ge didn’t make a sound, but he leaned into his embrace, his hands wrapped around Xie Zijing’s waist.
“You used to… back when we first got to know each other, you were a very direct person. If you liked something, you said you liked it. If you were happy, you were happy. You didn’t hide any emotions,” Qin Ge said. “I thought you were really strange.”
“Just strange?”
“…And also very enviable,” Qin Ge said. “I can’t do that.”
Xie Zijing held him and swayed gently. He had a million things he wanted to say, but he wasn’t willing to forcibly change Qin Ge’s personality.
“I’m different from others,” Xie Zijing finally said slowly, his chin resting on Qin Ge’s head. “You should learn from me.”
He rubbed Qin Ge’s head. “I’m here. I’m by your side.”
The person in his arms hugged his waist tightly, seeming to take a deep breath. A muffled, choked sound came from his nose.
How could he be fine? Xie Zijing thought. That was the truth you were longing to pursue. Your parents’ final moments became a few understated sentences in a report. Qin Yeshi hadn’t gone into too much detail, but even from the simple description, one could know that a terrible battle must have taken place.
They died in battle. They were heroes. But they shouldn’t have left like that.
The morning light gradually elongated their shadows. Qin Ge’s tears soaked into Xie Zijing’s clothes.
In their own way, they loved each other.
And at this very moment, in the conference room of the Special Management Committee, a discussion meeting on the quarterly work summary had just ended.
“If there are no problems, let’s adjourn the meeting,” said the Secretary-General who was chairing the meeting.
As soon as his voice fell, the Deputy Secretary-General, Cai Yi, sitting behind him, immediately raised his hand.
“I have an agenda item,” Cai Yi said as he stood up.
The people in the conference room looked at each other. Since the Cai Mingyue incident, Cai Yi had seemed much more low-key. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to speak in a meeting for a long time.
The Secretary-General looked at the expressions of the various leaders. Seeing that the number one leader did not show any displeasure, he nodded at Cai Yi. “Xiao Cai, what issue do you want to discuss?”
“Regarding the continued existence of Warehouse No. 0, located underground in Luquan, within the jurisdiction of the Western Office.” Cai Yi said loudly, “To make this discussion more efficient, I have already prepared some materials about Warehouse No. 0. I’ll trouble everyone to take a look first.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of at least half the people in the conference room immediately changed.
Cai Yi had clearly come prepared.
