Extra Story 2: Dragon Pool
It was the twelfth day of their break after leaving Yun City. The weather today wasn’t great—although it wasn’t cold anymore, the sun hadn’t come out for two mornings straight, and the fog surrounding them wouldn’t disperse. The damp air was chilly.
Qiu Shi recorded how he felt upon waking that morning in his pocket terminal, then opened the car door and jumped out.
Xing Bi was on the car roof, adjusting the solar panels and checking the battery level.
“There’s another city up ahead, right?” Qiu Shi asked, eating from a can.
“Yeah,” Xing Bi replied. “If it weren’t foggy, we might already be able to see the buildings.”
“Do we need to switch to fuel?” Qiu Shi asked.
“The battery’s still good.” Xing Bi looked up at the sky. “Looks like it might rain. Let’s move after you eat, find a building to take shelter.”
“Mm,” Qiu Shi glanced around. “Should we check for fungi?”
“This area’s all Type-3 fungus,” Xing Bi jumped down from the roof. “Let’s head farther in.”
“Have you noticed,” Qiu Shi climbed into the car and tossed Xing Bi a supplement packet, “that we haven’t seen many people since yesterday? There used to be scattered refugees everywhere. Haven’t even seen a drifter these past couple days.”
“We’ll know when we reach the next city. It probably means there’s a big settlement ahead,” Xing Bi tossed the packet into the box behind them. “I want a can.”
“A bioroid with cravings?” Qiu Shi opened a can and handed it over. “New flavor—luncheon meat. Li Feng’s favorite.”
“An ancestral flavor everyone got sick of.” Xing Bi took the can. “Unless you’re starving or too lazy to cook, the old folks wouldn’t touch this stuff.”
“Give it back,” Qiu Shi reached for it.
Xing Bi smiled and scratched his palm with a finger, then finished the can in a few bites.
“You even brought a spoon this time,” Xing Bi said with some emotion. “Some scruffy apocalypse guy can’t wipe his fingers on others anymore.”
“I kept all the spoons.” Qiu Shi rubbed his fingers on Xing Bi’s sleeve. “Li Feng said it was too expensive—only this batch has spoons. There won’t be any in the future.”
“You keep all kinds of junk,” Xing Bi said as he started the car.
“In this world, nothing is junk,” Qiu Shi said. “The day we all agree something’s junk is the day we’re no longer survivors.”
“Mm.” Xing Bi glanced at him. “Makes sense.”
The car continued south. The road was fairly smooth at first, but before long, it merged into a wider dirt road, the surface becoming pitted and uneven.
Qiu Shi saw an ancient stone boundary marker on the roadside. The oldest carvings had been worn away by time, but someone from a later era had etched new place names on the top. Though faded, they were still legible.
“‘Dragon Pool,’” Qiu Shi read. “That name doesn’t sound like a good place—sounds like something straight out of bandit lore, like Third Master Li’s turf.”
“‘Dragon Pool and Tiger Den,’” Xing Bi said. “Whoever named this place probably read as many old books as Third Master Li.”
Qiu Shi squinted at the blurry characters. “Probably dead by now—the words are all worn out.”
“Yeah,” Xing Bi said. “‘Dragon Pool and Tiger Den’—it describes an extremely dangerous place, where dragons and tigers live.”
Qiu Shi looked at him.
“Memorized it yet?” Xing Bi asked.
Qiu Shi said nothing.
“If you’ve memorized it, answer. If not, I’ll repeat it,” Xing Bi said. “If my lessons are too boring, go back to Mr. Li’s class.”
“Got it,” Qiu Shi replied immediately. “‘Dragon Pool and Tiger Den’—means a very dangerous place with dragons and tigers. Super fierce.”
“Excellent.” Xing Bi nodded.
“Damn it.” Qiu Shi laughed and looked out the window.
After passing so many ancient city ruins along the east and south, Qiu Shi could tell from the layout and the road size that Dragon Pool had been a small city.
And it was still inhabited.
Not only that, but it seemed people came and went fairly often.
The ruts and long ridges in the dirt road were clearly formed by wheels.
Qiu Shi opened his map and quickly saw a few glowing dots.
“This really is a settlement,” he said, staring at the map. “People are here.”
“Yeah,” Xing Bi responded, locking the doors and windows. “Got your gun?”
“Only take it off when I shower,” Qiu Shi said, removing the gun strapped to his thigh. “You getting a bad feeling?”
“Refugee settlements don’t usually have wheel ruts like these,” Xing Bi said. “This might be a real bandit base.”
“Even more drifter than the drifters like Old Seven and them?” Qiu Shi watched the surroundings closely.
“Possibly,” Xing Bi replied.
As the car continued, people began to appear in small groups on both sides of the road. They were dressed in tattered clothes—some clearly refugees, others unmistakably drifters.
But unlike usual, these people didn’t seem surprised to see their car. They stared but didn’t approach or try to stop them. They simply sat or crouched calmly and watched.
“There’s a lot of people up ahead—must be a hundred or so,” Qiu Shi said. “Humans and bioroids both… This place feels weird.”
“It’s a… relay station,” Xing Bi slowed the car.
“A what?” The only kind of “station” Qiu Shi had in mind was “Yun City Station.”
“A relay station,” Xing Bi explained. “Like the service areas we used to see on highways, only much bigger.”
“Like an upgraded version of Third Master Li’s trading hub?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Exactly,” Xing Bi replied.
“Should we check it out?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Might not be able to leave easily if we don’t,” Xing Bi said. “Let’s take a look.”
They had to check it out regardless. This area was far from Yun City, but it was considered a strategic midpoint in Li Feng’s “Clear Path” plan. Understanding what was going on here was essential.
Xing Bi turned right onto the street ahead.
When the street came into view, Qiu Shi blinked in surprise. “Holy shit.”
The buildings were rundown, the ground in disrepair, but shop signs of various sizes hung outside the houses. People moved inside and out, and several vehicles were parked in the middle of the road.
Aside from the cars and signs, the place looked like the outskirts of Yun City—very similar to the refugee markets.
But the expressions on the people’s faces were completely different.
This was not a place where they could roam freely.
“Trading, medicine, food, lodging…” Qiu Shi muttered as he read the signs. “Pretty comprehensive. They even have medicine?”
“Let’s find a place to stay,” Xing Bi parked in front of a building with a lodging sign.
A few people sat on chairs at the entrance. As the car stopped, they stared silently—no one got up, no one spoke.
“Lodging?” Qiu Shi asked.
“There’s a bioroid inside,” Xing Bi said. “Let’s see if we can gather any intel while we’re here.”
“Okay.” Qiu Shi nodded and opened the door.
The feeling of being watched intensified the moment he got out. He glanced around—there were people in the buildings on both sides, and even behind the broken curtains in the windows.
The watchers didn’t try to hide it. To Qiu Shi, it felt like intimidation.
But as they approached the building, people slowly gathered nearby—though no one got too close.
The lodging place had no lights on. It was dark inside, impossible to see how many people were within. If it weren’t for the map showing little glowing dots, Qiu Shi would’ve been startled upon entering.
All three tables were fully occupied.
Qiu Shi steadied himself and quickly scanned the room once his eyes adjusted.
“What’re you staring at?” someone slammed a table and shouted.
Qiu Shi didn’t respond or look at him—he turned away and walked with Xing Bi to the bar in the corner.
Behind the bar, a man with a long, neatly combed beard stood up. His eyes were unfocused, like he’d just been woken up, but the map showed he’d only just walked over.
Pretty good at acting.
“Need a room?” the bearded man asked.
“Yeah,” Xing Bi replied.
“How long?” the man asked. “How many people?”
“Two,” Xing Bi said. “Leaving in the afternoon.”
The man tapped on the counter.
Xing Bi pulled a metal item from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
Qiu Shi glanced at it—it was a lighter he’d taken from a lab. Very finely made. It could light fires, look pretty, work as a flashlight, and even flash bright beams.
The man lit it, examined it, and tossed it back with a hint of disdain.
Qiu Shi was about to explain to this backwater apocalypse guy what a marvel it was, when Xing Bi picked up the lighter and flashed it into the man’s eyes.
Caught off guard, the man instinctively recoiled and hit the cabinet behind him.
“Fu-ck!” he swore, pulling a gun from behind the bar and aiming it at Xing Bi.
The room instantly erupted—everyone stood up as if triggered by a signal. Several guns were now trained on them.
Xing Bi didn’t move. He looked calmly at the barrel aimed at him, then tossed the lighter back onto the counter after the flash. “We’re leaving at noon.”
“Da Zhuang!” the bearded man shouted upstairs.
“Coming!” A large, muscular man came down.
“Take them upstairs,” the bearded man said, taking the lighter and glancing at it. “Let them pick whichever of the two rooms they want.”
“Come on.” Da Zhuang stood on the stairs, looking at them.
As Qiu Shi turned and headed toward the stairs, the bearded man asked again from behind, “Need to charge?”
Xing Bi pulled another charger from his bag and placed it on the table.
The bearded man looked at it. “Leaving in the afternoon is fine.”
“Mm,” Xing Bi responded.
The second floor was lined with small rooms. There weren’t many people, but Da Zhuang led them to the doors of two adjacent rooms by the side. “Just these two, pick whichever you like.”
Xing Bi poked his head into both and chose the one on the right.
Qiu Shi didn’t understand why he picked that one—there wasn’t much difference. Each room had a bed and a cabinet. The only distinction was that in Xing Bi’s room, the cabinet was by the door; in the other room, it was by the window.
The windows all faced the street, offering a view of the car they had parked outside.
“What now?” Qiu Shi asked. He checked the map; no one was approaching their location.
“Wait two minutes, then head out for a walk and something to eat,” Xing Bi said softly. “See if anyone comes looking for us.”
“Okay.” Qiu Shi nodded. From the window, he could see someone across the street looking at them from another building. The map marked him as a bioroid. There was also a human inside that room. He tilted his head. “Can he hear us?”
“Not at this volume,” Xing Bi replied. “He can only read lips.”
“He doesn’t look too friendly,” Qiu Shi left the window and sat on the edge of the bed. “He’s not a hidden guard, is he?”
“No,” Xing Bi said. “Looks like he’s injured.”
“Huh?” Qiu Shi looked at him.
“Probably missing a leg,” Xing Bi said as he sat beside him.
“Shit,” Qiu Shi frowned. “Should we ask if he wants to go to Yun City to get it fixed?”
“He probably wouldn’t want to,” Xing Bi replied.
“Bioform intuition?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Yes,” Xing Bi said.
After a while, the two went back downstairs. Nothing had changed—same bar counter, the boss pretending to sleep behind it, and a room full of questionable guests.
These people didn’t quite look like true drifters. They lacked that wild edge. And they definitely weren’t refugees—people with guns and blades wouldn’t still be called that.
They could be armed traders or bandits—both were possible.
As they stepped out of the shop, someone stood by their car, fiddling with something at the back trailer’s door.
“Hey!” Qiu Shi shouted.
The man turned around and glanced at them. He didn’t look guilty like someone caught red-handed. Instead, he walked straight toward them. Others nearby started gathering too—clearly part of his group.
“Never seen this emblem before,” the leader said, eyeing their vehicle. “And never seen a car like this either. Where’d it come from?”
Qiu Shi initially thought they were security for the store, but now he wasn’t so sure. The store folks hadn’t shown much interest in their vehicle or its contents.
Even if they had been interested, they wouldn’t have asked so directly—they’d just kill the two of them and slowly loot everything.
“None of your damn business,” Qiu Shi said.
Three of the surrounding men subtly moved their arms. Before they could complete the motion, Qiu Shi had drawn his gun from his thigh holster and smashed the nearest man on the shoulder with the butt of his gun.
The man’s weapon hit the ground before he could even raise it.
Qiu Shi’s gun was instantly pressed to his head.
“Touch my stuff again and bring a backup head next time,” Qiu Shi said coldly.
The leader raised a hand to stop the other two from making a move. He looked at Qiu Shi. “A hidden guard and an enhanced human. You two aren’t ordinary.”
“Scram.” Qiu Shi’s expression didn’t change, but inwardly, he felt unsettled.
Recognizing Xing Bi as a hidden guard wasn’t too difficult—he could sometimes tell too; they just carried a different air. But the man also saw through his enhancement… Qiu Shi controlled his gaze, not letting it drift toward Xing Bi.
Enhanced humans did exist outside Yun City, but they were rare. When they first went to Donglin, some of the drifters were modified—but crudely. The back of their necks gave it away, and the modifications were unstable. Curator Wu had said they were prone to sudden death.
Yun City’s enhancement tech was far more advanced. Qiu Shi didn’t even have a scar on the back of his neck. He had no idea how this guy figured it out.
The group reluctantly backed off. Only then did Qiu Shi glance at Xing Bi.
“Too fast,” Xing Bi said.
“Huh?” Qiu Shi blinked.
“Your speed,” Xing Bi clarified. “It’s beyond human. That’s how he could tell.”
“Shit.” Qiu Shi frowned. He hadn’t expected the answer to be so straightforward. “And you? You didn’t even move.”
“Bioforms can sense it,” Xing Bi said as he turned toward a nearby shop marked with an “Eat” sign.
“There’s a bioroid behind them?” Qiu Shi asked. “Or are they bioroid scouts probing us?”
“This place is weird,” Xing Bi said. “Even if someone could tell you’re fast, they normally wouldn’t immediately think ‘enhanced.’”
Qiu Shi was silent for a moment, piecing together the sense he’d gotten since entering this small city.
“You think they have another goal?” he asked. “There was a pharmacy near the entrance. Think our two chiefs might’ve opened it?”
Xing Bi chuckled. “Wouldn’t be surprised.”
“People like them—there are probably more out there. They just don’t have a Yun City lab or anyone to lock them up,” Qiu Shi said.
“This place,” Xing Bi said, “if Yun City wants a ‘clear road,’ they’ll have to send troops to wipe it out.”
“Or go around?” Qiu Shi offered. “Negotiate?”
“No negotiations. There’s no room for that,” Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi looked at him and said nothing.
“Sound familiar?” Xing Bi asked.
“Shit.” Qiu Shi laughed.
Maybe it was because Base 249 and the institute had sunk into the ocean, but Yun City now seemed to be heading in a more solid, hopeful direction. Qiu Shi realized he’d unconsciously started wanting to avoid war.
But when Xing Bi threw his own words back at him, he snapped out of it.
It was just the beginning.
Everything was only just beginning.
This outpost had seemingly decent weaponry, good fighters, humans, bioroids, business, intrigue…
Negotiation and detours were likely not options.
Who was Yun City, and why should anyone listen to it?
Even the drifters stayed far from Yun City. Why would a place like this, organized and powerful, fall in line?
The place behind the “Eat” sign was tidy, but the moment they entered, a strange smell hit them.
Qiu Shi didn’t want to guess what it was. His long experience collecting corpses made him too familiar with it. It reminded him of the fertilizer pool up north—one hardly anyone in Yun City knew about…
Still, he wasn’t sure this was the smell of human remains.
“Not all human,” Xing Bi said quietly as he sat at a table.
“Not very comforting,” Qiu Shi replied.
“What’ll you have?” a man who looked like the owner walked over and tossed a small pet device onto the table.
The little gadget projected a menu onto the table with words and pictures.
Qiu Shi looked at it in surprise. If he wasn’t mistaken, this kind of tech only existed in Yun City. What’s more, this was an older model—less functional than what he and Xing Bi now used.
But to see something meant for Yun City’s inner residents this far out… it gave him an uneasy feeling.
He could read everything in the projection. Even if he couldn’t, the pictures helped.
Canned food.
Next to it was a picture of a can.
Fresh meat.
Next to it was a charred leg of something.
“What’s this?” Qiu Shi pointed to the leg.
“Fresh meat,” the owner said impatiently. “Boar, rabbit, pheasant, bird, dog…”
“Dog?” Xing Bi asked.
“Yeah,” the owner pointed to the leg in the projection. “That’s a dog leg. Fresh kill, cooked to order. Want it or not?”
“No,” Qiu Shi replied. He didn’t trust any of the “fresh” meat here. “Canned.”
“Where’s the dog?” Xing Bi asked.
Qiu Shi gave him a look.
“In the back,” the owner said, tapping the table. “No food, no look.”
Xing Bi took out a wind-up metal box from his bag and set it on the table.
Qiu Shi had never seen it before, but he knew Xing Bi had taken a bunch of gadgets from the Security Bureau warehouse.
The owner eyed the box without comment.
Xing Bi wound it a few times and opened the lid.
Inside was a tiny skirted figurine that began to spin as music played. The figurine stood atop a ball made of countless silver chips, which also rotated and emitted silvery light, casting shimmering dots of light all around the room, dancing with the music.
Several curious people immediately crowded the entrance to peek in.
“You’re trading that for canned food?” Qiu Shi couldn’t help but ask. Maybe this wasn’t a big deal to Xing Bi’s old-school standards, but to Qiu Shi, a child of the apocalypse, this thing was worth far more than two cans of food.
“For the dog. Alive,” Xing Bi said.
