“Let him out,” Li Feng pointed at Xing Bi, who was still trapped inside the cage.
“That’s against the rules, Director Li,” Director Zhang said, crossing his arms.
“What’s really against the rules is that Li Datou was thrown in the dungeon but wasn’t killed,” Li Feng replied.
The muscles on Director Zhang’s face twitched twice. “You aren’t even pretending anymore, are you?”
“We don’t have time. Just half an hour; half an hour later, Mr. Long’s assistant will be here. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock,” Li Feng said. “In another one thousand eight hundred ticks, if we can’t give the General and Mr. Long a rough idea, you’ll be able to reunite with your son.”
“I’ll call in a control team,” Curator Wu, who most of the time sided with Li Feng, said.
“Then hurry up,” Director Zhang waved his hand.
The control team entered, and Xing Bi walked out of the glass cage and sat on a specially designed chair.
Curator Wu pointed at the whiteboard in the laboratory, where the code for the level 2 hidden guard that was sent back this time was already written: A, infected symbiont.
Other than that, the board was blank.
Xing Bi stared at the whiteboard for a long time before speaking, “Your efficiency is really… impressive.”
“In extraordinary times, no one wants to take responsibility, so no one dares to speak casually,” Li Feng said bluntly. “You start. What’s your assessment of this A?”
“He’s not quite like an ordinary level 2 hidden guard,” Xing Bi said.
“For example?” Director Zhang asked.
“Attack posture,” Xing Bi said.
“This A’s attack is similar to yours,” Director Zhang said. “This posture shouldn’t be special, right?”
“This was originally a move for a sneak attack from behind, to easily shatter the back of the neck,” Xing Bi said. “I occasionally use it in frontal attacks.”
“So, he’s imitating you?” Curator Wu asked.
“No,” Director Zhang denied Curator Wu’s guess, his expression becoming serious. “I’ve watched many times. The actions of the two are almost simultaneous.”
“Yes, he’s not imitating me,” Xing Bi said. “Running away, changing attack moves, these are not things a level 2 hidden guard would do. To be precise, he is stronger than a level 2 hidden guard.”
“Are we sure A is a level 2 hidden guard?” Li Feng asked.
“Yes.” Someone from the control team answered. These people had been working here in isolation for a long time and had a much deeper understanding of bioroids than Li Feng and the others.
“What do you think of this phenomenon?” Curator Wu asked.
“I think it’s related to the symbiosis,” Li Feng said.
Director Zhang gave him a look.
“Yes.” Xing Bi agreed with him.
Director Zhang glanced at Li Feng again.
This look was all too clear to Li Feng. Before, they were afraid of taking responsibility and let Xing Bi say everything. Now that a conclusion was about to be reached, he stepped in.
Li Feng didn’t mind Director Zhang’s look. Director Zhang was a martial man, not very cunning, and his emotions were mostly on his face. Besides, his precious son was still in the dungeon, needing someone from the Security Bureau to go in and take his place.
“Is there a chance to investigate this in tomorrow’s mission?” Curator Wu asked Xing Bi.
“How to investigate?” Xing Bi also asked.
“Wait for the General and Mr. Long’s reply,” Director Zhang said.
“I have another question,” Curator Wu said. “We have never really discussed why the number of bioroids suddenly increased drastically… Why?”
No one spoke.
“Theoretically, there are no large-scale bioroid gathering points near Yun City,” Curator Wu continued. “Their energy supply system can’t support this number of bioroids from the base to Yun City.”
“Unless there’s a large mobile energy device?” Li Feng said.
“We haven’t detected such a high-energy thing,” Director Zhang denied his idea. “This is unrealistic. If there really was such a thing, it could directly blow up Yun City.”
“Thanks,” Curator Wu looked at Xing Bi. “The specific task will be explained to you when Qiu Shi comes tomorrow.”
“Make sure he has weapons,” Xing Bi stood up. “Otherwise, he will drag me to jump off a cliff.”
“The Security Bureau will arrange it,” Director Zhang glanced at Li Feng.
“I’m afraid the Security Bureau can’t give him the weapons he wants,” Li Feng said. “It would be better to get approval from the City Defense Bureau or the General.”
Director Zhang frowned tightly. “Not only must Xing Bi be controlled, but Qiu Shi must also be ensured to be 100% safe. He is much less stable than Xing Bi.”
“Don’t worry,” Li Feng sighed. “If there’s one good person left in Yun City, it’s Qiu Shi. Just make sure your dirty secrets are well hidden so he doesn’t find out.”
.
“Is there still no news of Zhang Sihai?” a voice asked.
“No, our connections don’t reach that deep into the dungeon. That’s the most heavily guarded place by the City Defense Bureau,” Deng Yeye squatted down, looking at the darkest spot in the mine pit where the voice came from, “Don’t send people to the inner city for now. Yesterday, a level 2 hidden guard trying to enter the inner city was taken away. Security has tightened even more, plus that level 1 hidden guard, it would be certain death.”
“Nesting Site One is aging,” the voice in the darkness said. “They are bringing in fewer and fewer people to repair the walls.”
“Recently, the military has also deployed defenses on the outskirts. Refugees can only be brought to Nesting Site Two,” Deng Yeye said. “If we hurry up, if Nesting Site Two overlaps with Nesting Site One, it would work.”
“We need a new ‘Jungle’.” The voice in the darkness sighed.
“Don’t count on random events,” Deng Yeye said. “I’ll try to find that corpse collector tonight…”
“Don’t,” the voice in the darkness was urgent. “Don’t go. That area is full of ambushes. If you go, you might not come back. Think of a way to get him out of the cover zone.”
“Out of the cover zone?” Deng Yeye lowered her head, thinking for a long time. “That person might not come out even once a month. This might not be easy.”
“Does he have good relations with the other corpse collectors?”
“Got it,” Deng Yeye frowned. “But we can only wait for them to go to a tavern or the outer city. During this period, who knows how long that will take.”
“It doesn’t matter,” the voice in the darkness was full of emotion. “After all these years, a bit more time won’t hurt.”
This mission seemed extraordinary.
Qiu Shi could see from a distance that two black cars were parked at the bottom of the slope on the other side of the tunnel, surrounded by a circle of soldiers on guard.
It was not Li Feng or the City Defense Bureau who came to pick him up, but the military.
And the cars were not parked at the tunnel entrance but at the foot of the mountain.
What does this mean?
“Brother Shi is really going to die,” Hu Xiaoling was almost in tears.
“…Remember to make me into a specimen and put it by Zhao Lü’s bedside,” Qiu Shi said.
This display was indeed a bit scary. Zhao Lü insisted on hugging him one more time, and he didn’t struggle. When he got on his motorcycle, he looked back at the people standing inside and outside the cover.
“Stay safe,” he said. “Let the soldiers do what they can. Our people don’t have to do those tasks. Remember, we’re not under Yun City’s jurisdiction.”
“Got it.” Zhao Lü patted his back.
As he turned to leave, he saw Xiao Lei watching him from the side.
This time, Xiao Lei didn’t say anything. Qiu Shi went over and patted Xiao Lei on the arm, “Take care of them.”
“…Alright!” Xiao Lei hesitated for a moment before shouting.
“Ay!” Hu Xiaoling was startled by the shout.
There was no one Qiu Shi knew in the car that came to pick him up. Everyone in the car had serious, tense faces. Qiu Shi sat silently among them.
The car had no windows. Once the door was closed, the only light in the compartment came from a single overhead lamp.
Feeling oppressed to the point of suffocation, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the rhythm of the vehicle’s bumps.
After a while, he opened his eyes and asked, “Where are we going?”
None of the soldiers in the car responded. No one even looked at him, all sitting straight and staring ahead.
“Thank you,” Qiu Shi said, closing his eyes again.
The car wasn’t heading to the historical exhibition hall, nor to the tunnel from that day. This was a route he had never taken before, hitting two large potholes along the way. It seemed they were skirting the inner city.
Just as Qiu Shi was about to fall asleep from the shaking, the car stopped, and the compartment door was opened.
Qiu Shi got out of the car, barely steadying himself before scanning his surroundings.
He was somewhat surprised. This was a massive space he had never seen before, likely carved out of half a mountain.
In the empty space, there were only about a dozen people standing in the center, along with a large table and several boxes.
As he approached and saw what was on the table, Qiu Shi raised an eyebrow. There was a row of weapons laid out, with more likely in the nearby boxes.
These weren’t the standard weapons of the Security Bureau or the City Defense Bureau. These were powerful enough to make Hu Xiaoling cry and lick them.
“The mission starts in twenty minutes,” a woman’s voice rang out.
Qiu Shi looked in the direction of the voice, surprised. A woman in combat uniform was staring at him.
“This is Colonel Xu,” Director Zhang introduced. “She has been appointed by the General to take full responsibility for all mission-related matters.”
“Oh,” Qiu Shi responded.
Apart from Director Zhang, Curator Wu, and Li Feng, whom he had seen before, the rest were strangers. Probably for confidentiality reasons, Director Zhang did not introduce anyone else.
Although he disliked Li Feng, among the group of people staring at him with expressionless faces, Li Feng, with his arms crossed and a smile, was actually the most damn friendly.
“These are the weapons you can carry for this mission,” Director Zhang said. “Choose wisely, considering mobility without affecting your actions.”
“Alright,” Qiu Shi replied.
“Let the hidden guards enter,” Colonel Xu ordered.
Engines roared behind them. Qiu Shi turned to see a trailer coming in through the entrance, carrying four black boxes, all locked.
Qiu Shi glanced at Colonel Xu, who was still looking at him with an emotionless gaze, making him uncomfortable.
Qiu Shi looked away, watching as the boxes were placed on the ground and then opened one by one.
Xing Bi walked out, his gaze not meeting anyone’s eyes, only looking at the ground ahead.
The other three boxes contained level 2 hidden guards who looked similar to Xing Bi and had the same demeanor as they walked out.
During their brief interactions, Qiu Shi always felt that Xing Bi was special, with a controlled aura and a sharp tongue. But now, stripped of all his personal traits, he was like a soulless shell.
It was unsettling.
Director Zhang began outlining the mission: ensuring their own safety, exploring the nest’s interior, finding the source of the infection, and attempting to uncover the connection between the symbiont and the infection source. He was visibly nervous, his voice dry, given the presence of high-ranking military and corporate officials, possibly even his direct superiors.
“In a moment, we’ll be heading to the command post,” Curator Wu said, approaching Qiu Shi. “You and your team will operate as per the previous task relationship. Ensuring your and your partner’s safety is the top priority.”
“Got it,” Qiu Shi replied.
A few minutes later, in the massive cavern, only Qiu Shi, Xing Bi, and three unnamed level 2 bioroids remained.
“Morning,” Xing Bi greeted lightly as he approached the weapons table.
That slightly hoarse, casual greeting made Qiu Shi feel relieved. “Morning.”
“No cliff-jumping today,” Xing Bi said, picking up a gun and placing it in his holster.
“Be sure to thank the esteemed leaders for saving your hide,” Qiu Shi said as he picked a weapon and stored it. Seeing room on his leg, he grabbed another and then a third.
Xing Bi glanced at him.
“What are you looking at,” Qiu Shi said. “If I could carry them, I’d drag those two boxes along too.”
“Restocking,” Xing Bi commented.
Qiu Shi weighed the gun in his hand. “If something goes wrong, at least I’ll leave some decent gear for my brothers.”
“Avoid firing if possible,” Xing Bi said. “It could expose our position.”
“Understood,” Qiu Shi replied.
“System activated,” an unfamiliar male voice came through the earpiece.
Qiu Shi paused. “Change it to a voice I’m familiar with. This one feels odd.”
There was a brief silence, then Li Feng’s voice came through, “How’s this?”
“Fine,” Qiu Shi said. “It motivates my survival instinct.”
“Move out, and good luck with the mission,” Li Feng said.
Just as Qiu Shi was about to ask where exactly to move out from, a seam appeared in the cave wall opposite them. As the door slowly opened, the lights around them suddenly went out.
Qiu Shi glanced at the three level 2 hidden guards standing behind him, then walked towards the door with Xing Bi. Once he adjusted to the outside light, he saw where he was.
It was right below the tunnel where Li Feng had taken him to see the nest that day. After exiting the door, about two hundred meters ahead was the tall wall built at the cost of refugees’ lives.
The scene was still bustling. As they walked towards the passageway in the wall according to Li Feng’s instructions, many people looked their way.
This mission did not involve clearing the area or hiding their entry. Anyone who saw them would ultimately not be able to leave this place.
Qiu Shi’s gaze swept across the faces of those he could see, just like he was used to when collecting corpses.
Once through the passage, there was no time for other thoughts.
The black forest in front of them was even more stunning than when viewed from above.
Black trunks, black branches, black leaves—when the wind blew, the whole view was filled with gently swaying blackness, where life and death intertwined eerily.
Qiu Shi stood silently for two seconds, then located the direction of the suspected nest center according to the map displayed by the system and reported the coordinates.
Xing Bi entered the black forest, followed by the three level 2 hidden guards. Qiu Shi noticed that this time, the map showed four small dots representing his teammates ahead.
Xing Bi was a red dot, while the other three were green dots, fanning out behind the red dot.
Qiu Shi didn’t stray too far from them. After all, no one had explored this area before. Nobody knew what was inside, and the map details were constantly updating as they moved forward.
“level 2 hidden guards,” Qiu Shi called out, “do you have names?”
No one answered him.
“From left to right,” Qiu Shi said, “I’ll call you A, B, and C for now, in case of any emergencies.”
The sunlight above was gradually blocked by the dense forest, making the surroundings dim. The silence was only broken by the sound of his boots on the rocky ground.
“Do you see anything?” Li Feng asked.
“No,” Qiu Shi replied. “All black trees, the plants on the ground are black too.”
“Touch one,” Li Feng said. “Report the texture.”
“Touch your ancestor,” Qiu Shi retorted. “The texture is probably similar to your nose.”
“The infection source is a fungus. From contact to infection takes about five minutes,” Li Feng said. “If nothing happens after five minutes, touch it.”
Qiu Shi didn’t reply, and of course, didn’t wait five minutes. He lightly touched a nearby tree and quickly withdrew his hand. “Damn! The outer layer is soft.”
“That’s indeed similar to a nose,” Xing Bi remarked.
“Remember to collect samples at the center,” Li Feng said.
A yellow dot appeared in the upper right corner of the map.
“An infected person,” Qiu Shi reported the coordinates. This was the first cleanup target of this mission, and for some reason, he felt more nervous than before.
The green dot on the far right, C, accelerated towards the yellow dot. The yellow dot disappeared, and C quickly returned to its previous position and continued moving forward.
Nest One’s true size couldn’t be appreciated from above. Only by being inside could they directly feel the enormity of this black forest.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, even the wind disappeared. The surroundings became even more deathly silent, but this silence amplified any small sound.
“What sound is that?” Qiu Shi stopped. “Xing Bi, did you hear it?”
It wasn’t footsteps. It sounded like something sticky, wet, and slimy being squeezed, coming from all directions.
It was creepy.
“The sound of fungal growth,” Xing Bi answered calmly.
Qiu Shi was taken aback. He approached a tree and saw layers of black spreading and wriggling on the trunk, like viscous water seeping out.
“…Is this what I just touched?” Qiu Shi frowned, looking at his hand.
“You probably touched a dead one,” Xing Bi said. “The infection source here is alive. We might be getting close…”
Suddenly, two dots appeared on the map.
“Three hundred meters ahead, two targets,” Qiu Shi ignored his disgust and raised his gun, reporting the coordinates. “Bioroids.”
Xing Bi and A, B, and C quickly moved towards the targets. When they were still two hundred meters away, a third dot appeared on the map, followed by a fourth.
“Four,” Qiu Shi monitored the movement of the dots. When the fifth dot appeared, he quietly but firmly spoke up, “Five. Don’t charge!”
Xing Bi and A, B, and C stopped. Xing Bi simply asked, “Status?”
“Five together, two in front, three behind, looks like a patrol,” Qiu Shi reported the coordinates. He didn’t even know how he understood Xing Bi’s question, but in moments of tension, one’s intelligence might become concentrated.
“Spread out and surround,” Xing Bi ordered A, B, and C.
The red and green dots on the map quickly spread out.
“Qiu Shi, stay within fifty meters behind me,” Xing Bi instructed.
“There are too many of them. Avoid direct conflict,” Li Feng’s voice came through.
Although they had arranged three level 2 hidden guards as cannon fodder, it was still more cost-effective to get closer to the core target before sacrificing them.
The five enemy dots continued to approach. Their movement indeed looked like a patrol, always walking, neither fast nor slow.
“Try to bypass them,” Li Feng spoke again. “Xing Bi, you…”
But Qiu Shi couldn’t hear the rest of Li Feng’s words clearly as static came through the earpiece.
“There’s interference,” Xing Bi said. “Let’s retreat for now.”
Following Xing Bi’s lead, Qiu Shi slowly retreated. A, B, and C also started to back away slowly, splitting into two sides.
“Li Feng, repeat,” Qiu Shi said quietly.
“Xing Bi, confirm if they have any…” Li Feng’s voice was once again cut off by static.
“Man-made interference,” Xing Bi said. “It’s aimed at us.”
Though Xing Bi spoke calmly, Qiu Shi’s heart sank. There were five of them; even if none were first-class, direct confrontation would be dangerous. Moreover, they had no backup, while the enemy might have more reinforcements…
“Xing Bi!” Li Feng’s voice was urgent. “You all…”
Qiu Shi didn’t have time to listen to what Li Feng was saying amidst the static. As soon as Xing Bi finished speaking, the five bioroids suddenly accelerated and charged into their midst.
Xing Bi didn’t say anything else, but Qiu Shi could see A, B, and C moving in to surround the attackers along with him. Then gunfire erupted, and one dot disappeared.
A frontal clash was unavoidable.
The fact that Xing Bi, who had advised against shooting lightly, fired first indicated the situation was dire.
Qiu Shi could see shadows moving in the dim forest. The fact that Xing Bi wasn’t taking them down with one strike suggested that at least one of them was likely first-class as well.
The static in Qiu Shi’s earpiece suddenly intensified, making it almost impossible for him to discern any other sounds around him.
One dot burst out from between A and B, moving very quickly, heading straight for Qiu Shi.
There was no time for Xing Bi to turn back and save him. Qiu Shi hid half of his body behind a tree and aimed his gun at the approaching figure. But hitting the target accurately in this dense forest wasn’t easy, even for someone as steady as Xing Bi, who had only fired once.
Before the communication was completely cut off, Qiu Shi heard half of Li Feng’s sentence: “…make sure to come back alive…”
How the hell was he supposed to ensure that?
