The Vast Expanse
“I must be controllable,” Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi continued to look at him, not knowing how to interpret Xing Bi’s response.
Given the current situation where they could be monitored everywhere, and possibly having undiscovered devices implanted in their bodies, Qiu Shi didn’t pursue the matter further.
He just said, “This time out, the lives of my brothers are in our hands. As long as they’re not dead, they have to come back.”
“I know,” Xing Bi replied.
“Is there anything among these things that you like?” Qiu Shi asked. “You can have it all.”
“Will the old man come looking to take it back from me?” Xing Bi asked.
“He probably won’t,” Qiu Shi smiled, then the smile faded, “He packed these things specially, probably intending to leave them to me. Now, whether he’s dead or alive is uncertain.”
“I’d like these paintings,” Xing Bi said.
“Take them,” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi took out a few old pictures from the box, neatly stacked them, and put them into his pocket.
The old man said these were illustrations from old magazines, mostly of various buildings, complete with walls, roofs, colors, doors, and windows.
The old man also said there were buildings like these elsewhere, but since Qiu Shi could remember, he had never left the jagged black rocks outside Yun City. He had only seen a few in the pictures.
“Okay,” Xing Bi said.
“Let’s go back and drink,” Qiu Shi said. “Can you really drink?”
“Although it’s not necessary, I can drink,” Xing Bi said. “As long as it’s not over a certain amount, I can metabolize it.”
“Then just say you can’t hold your liquor, have a little, and then go lie down and pretend to be dead,” Qiu Shi said. “Zhao Lü can’t hold his liquor either, two cups are about his limit. When he goes down, you go down too.”
Xing Bi smiled and said, “Alright.”
There were people on guard outside, and now the corpse collectors weren’t patrolling. Since Qiu Shi was going to be taken away early the next morning, everyone was gathered in the shelter, sitting around a low table, either squatting or sitting on the ground.
Only Xiao Lei, who, despite having integrated into the corpse collectors’ team with difficulty, still remembered his assignment from the security bureau, was on duty in the communications shelter in case of any urgent contact from the guards.
“Did you save some for Captain Xiao?” Qiu Shi asked.
“I took some to him,” Zhao Lü said, “He didn’t want any alcohol, afraid it might cause trouble.”
There was a lot of food on the table, specifically canned goods, various meats, and vegetable cans. In the middle was a barrel full of wine, and they used a large ladle to scoop it out.
“After today, we won’t have this again, okay? These cans are for you to keep for winter.” Qiu Shi sat cross-legged in the spot the others had cleared for him, then waved at Xing Bi.
Xing Bi also sat cross-legged next to him.
“We usually don’t have much chance to feast like this,” Zhao Lü said, “This time…”
Zhao Lü stopped there, but everyone knew that Qiu Shi was going to Donglin to find Hu Xiaoling.
Hu Xiaoling being kidnapped had already dampened spirits, and knowing that those who took Hu Xiaoling did so to force Qiu Shi to go to Donglin, everyone was a bit sensitive about Qiu Shi’s departure the next day.
“Brother Shi,” He Jiang raised his glass in front of him, “you once said, ‘Protect yourself first before saving others; don’t trade your life for another’s’…”
“Hu Xiaoling’s influence; none of them can talk properly,” Zhao Lü clicked his tongue, “Who the hell wants to trade their life for another’s?”
“Although we don’t know how serious it will be this time, we all hope you won’t go,” He Jiang wasn’t deterred by Zhao Lü, still holding his glass, “But… we also know that you never keep your word on such things, you’ll definitely go…”
Qiu Shi remained silent, holding his glass, waiting for him to speak.
“We can only ask you to be very, very careful, protect yourself first before saving others,” He Jiang said.
“Got it,” Qiu Shi said, turning his head and taking a sip of wine, “A bunch of idiots.”
Everyone tipped back their heads and drank their wine, then hurriedly scooped up their second glass.
“Is there more?” Qiu Shi asked Zhao Lü quietly.
“They won’t be at ease until they’ve said their piece,” Zhao Lü looked past him to glance at Xing Bi.
“Brother Xing Bi,” He Jiang raised his glass again, and everyone else did the same, looking at Xing Bi, “Since you’re the bodyguard, you must be better than our Brother Shi…”
“Shut up,” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi smiled, picked up his glass, and looked at the circle of glasses in front of him.
“Of course, Brother Shi is very strong, but you should still be better,” He Jiang said.
“Don’t beat around the bush,” Zhao Lü couldn’t help reminding, “Get to the point.”
“Please take good care of Brother Shi,” He Jiang suddenly clinked his glass on the table with a loud “bang.” “Thank you!”
“Thanks!” The group suddenly shouted in unison and forcefully clinked their cups on the table.
The youngest member, nicknamed Flea, even cracked his cup, hesitating between catching the spilling wine with his mouth or watching it all drain away.
“Catch it with your mouth, are you stupid?” Qiu Shi sighed.
Flea quickly brought the cracked edge of the cup to his mouth.
“Thanks.” Zhao Lü clinked his cup against Xing Bi’s.
“I will,” Xing Bi said.
The group tipped their heads back and downed their drinks again.
Then Zhao Lü pulled over a bag of unopened clothes, leaned back, and closed his eyes: “You guys continue, eat and drink all you want, there’s plenty for today.”
Normally, they couldn’t have such a variety of canned food in one meal. As soon as Zhao Lü spoke, everyone temporarily set aside the matters of Qiu Shi and Hu Xiaoling, their heavy hearts giving way to a voracious appetite as they began to eat and drink.
Xing Bi drank the wine in his cup, put it down, glanced at Zhao Lü, then looked at Qiu Shi.
“What?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Should I pretend to be drunk now?” Xing Bi asked.
Qiu Shi laughed and put a piece of unknown meat from the can into his mouth: “Hold on a bit longer; if you do it too soon, it won’t look convincing for a bodyguard.”
“Alright.” When Xing Bi turned back to his cup, it was already refilled. “Very… enthusiastic.”
“Seems like you used to hang out with the high-end crowd,” Qiu Shi grabbed another piece of meat, wiped his hands on Zhao Lü’s pants, picked up his cup, and clinked it against Xing Bi’s. “Your brain must be overheating trying to figure out how to act naturally in this kind of setting.”
“I’ve never had a meal without utensils,” Xing Bi said.
“There are utensils, but not during drinking,” Qiu Shi said. “These idiots start fighting when they drink; utensils would be dangerous.”
This wasn’t an exaggeration. Xing Bi hadn’t even finished his second cup when the group, having downed several drinks and almost finished the cans, started fighting for no reason.
They fought vigorously, with a mix of swearing.
Qiu Shi wasn’t surprised, watching them wrestle, he pulled the table towards himself to make room.
These opportunities to let loose weren’t frequent. Usually, it was at the Dayan Tavern, where Qiu Shi had paid for several broken tables. Acting crazy in the shelter was rare; the last time was during the City Day of Yun City last year, when the company humanely distributed two cans to every refugee in the outer city, celebrating with the whole city.
“You haven’t seen such…” Qiu Shi turned his head, but before he finished, he saw that Xing Bi had already convincingly pretended to pass out.
“Hey,” Qiu Shi patted his face, “Already pretending?”
Xing Bi lay there quietly, eyes closed, unresponsive.
“Who wants to finish this half cup?” Qiu Shi took Xing Bi’s cup and held it up, and someone in the fighting group reached out and took it.
“Alright, let’s go.” Qiu Shi stood up, grabbed Zhao Lü by the collar with one hand and Xing Bi by the collar with the other, dragging them out of the shelter.
The temperature had dropped a bit in the past two days. Once outside, the wind made it feel much colder than usual.
“Damn.” After dragging them a few steps, Qiu Shi stopped, “The one pretending to be drunk, you’re just pretending, at least put in some effort.”
Xing Bi didn’t move, naturally not exerting any effort.
Qiu Shi had to leave him, drag Zhao Lü into his own room first, then come back out. He was about to kick Xing Bi to stop pretending, but Xiao Lei, who had unexpectedly left his post, emerged from the darkness: “Let me help you drag him.”
“Get lost,” Qiu Shi continued, dragging Xing Bi to his room, “You and your little strength.”
“Qiu Shi,” Xiao Lei persisted, grabbing one of Xing Bi’s legs to help, “I know things aren’t as simple as they seem. This time, you might not make it back…”
“Damn it,” Qiu Shi looked back at him, a bit helpless, “If I don’t die out there, I won’t live up to you guys hoping for my death every day.”
“These brothers, they’re hostages, right?” Xiao Lei said.
Qiu Shi was stunned. He hadn’t even told Zhao Lü explicitly, Zhao Lü figured it out himself. He didn’t expect Xiao Lei, the fool, to guess it too.
“I’ll take good care of them,” Xiao Lei said. “No matter what happens, I won’t let them harm these guys. At worst, I’ll take them and run…”
“Hah!” Qiu Shi couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re amazing.”
Xiao Lei looked at him without speaking, a bit hurt in his eyes.
“Protect yourself,” Qiu Shi looked at him, “Li Feng didn’t place you here to die for the corpse collectors. Get lost.”
Xiao Lei still didn’t speak.
Qiu Shi had to say more gently, “Go back to sleep.”
After dragging Xing Bi’s leg and following Qiu Shi into the room, Xiao Lei turned and left silently.
Qiu Shi closed the door, waited until Xiao Lei’s footsteps faded away, then turned around to find Xing Bi still lying there motionless.
“Aren’t you…” Qiu Shi bent over and stared at him, “If you really short-circuit, I can’t fix you.”
“Admitting you really don’t understand?” Xing Bi opened his eyes.
“I know why you were shut down,” Qiu Shi pointed at him, “You’re just asking for it.”
Xing Bi smiled, still lying on the ground, but raised his arm to pillow his head: “I understand why you have to find Hu Xiaoling.”
“Yeah? Of course, I have to find him, no need to figure it out, he’s my brother,” Qiu Shi took off his jacket, sat on the chair, and looked at him, “Are you just going to lie on the floor?”
“Just lying down for a bit,” Xing Bi said.
“If you were in the lab… how did you rest?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Sat,” Xing Bi said.
“In that glass capsule?” Qiu Shi frowned, then got up from the chair and sat on the ground.
“No,” Xing Bi said, “That’s only used when communication is needed.”
“And when you’re not communicating?” Qiu Shi asked.
Xing Bi didn’t answer immediately. After a long pause, he finally said, “The hibernation chamber.”
“Hibernation? Just sleeping all the time?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Awake most of the time,” Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi was silent for a long time, then he took out a cigarette and lit it.
After finishing his cigarette, he stood up, kicked Xing Bi, and opened the door to walk out: “Come on, Brother Shi will take you for a walk.”
The temperature was lower than before, and the air was filled with a faint chill and a hint of sadness. In another month, many refugees wouldn’t even make it to Yun City and would freeze to death on the way.
Qiu Shi looked up at the sky. There was no moon tonight, nor any stars, only a faint light on the horizon.
He led Xing Bi up a narrow mountain ridge. The first part of the path was gravel, then it turned into rugged stones and sharp peaks, a place rarely visited.
Qiu Shi often came here; it was the highest point within their activity range outside the city, higher than the tunnel entrance visible from afar.
Walking this path was easy for Xing Bi. Qiu Shi couldn’t hear his breathing; if it were Zhao Lü, he would be panting heavily behind him.
“Your breathing,” Qiu Shi asked while walking, “is it just for show?”
“No,” Xing Bi said, “it also relates to physical activity.”
Despite this explanation, Qiu Shi still stopped and moved closer to Xing Bi.
This distance was finally close enough. Although his breathing was very light, there was a faint breath against Qiu Shi’s ear. He rubbed his ear: “There really is.”
The higher they climbed, the stronger the wind became. Qiu Shi wrapped his scarf tighter, glanced back at Xing Bi.
“I have temperature sensation,” Xing Bi said, “my body also reacts to temperature changes.”
“Don’t understand,” Qiu Shi said, “I just want to know if you’re cold.”
“It means I’m not cold, but I know it’s cold now,” Xing Bi said, “My body can also feel the cold.”
Qiu Shi looked at him for a long time before saying, “You’re confusing me to death. I’m just asking if you need a coat.”
“No need,” Xing Bi said.
“Let’s go,” Qiu Shi continued walking, “we’re almost there.”
“Okay,” Xing Bi responded.
In fact, they didn’t have to reach the highest point of the ridge to see the surroundings clearly. But Qiu Shi always insisted on climbing to the highest point, like a ritual, as if only from there he wouldn’t miss any part of the view.
“We’re here,” Qiu Shi stopped and stood on the sharpest rock, raising his arm, “This is the highest point in the territory of the corpse collectors outside the city.”
“Okay,” Xing Bi stood beside him, slowly turning to look around.
“Stand here.” Qiu Shi jumped down from the rock, making way for him.
Xing Bi stepped up.
“Actually, the view probably doesn’t change much,” Qiu Shi looked at him, “but this is the highest point.”
Xing Bi didn’t speak, quietly looking into the distance.
“You can see far, right?” Qiu Shi said, “It’s vast, and the sky is high.”
“Thank you,” Xing Bi said.
“You’re welcome,” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi smiled.
“When you’re so polite, I don’t even know what to say,” Qiu Shi said.
“You’re a good person,” Xing Bi said.
“Doesn’t sound like a compliment,” Qiu Shi said, “feels like you’re saying I can go die now. Everyone seems to think I’m off to my death these days.”
“Don’t empathize with bioroids lightly,” Xing Bi suddenly said.
“Huh?” Qiu Shi was stunned.
“It will affect your judgment of them,” Xing Bi said, “Emotions are a weakness.”
“What do you mean?” Qiu Shi asked.
“We are infinitely close to humans, which means we could be Zhao Lü, Xiao Lei,” Xing Bi looked at him, “or we could be Zhang Qifeng, Mr. Long, the general.”
Qiu Shi was silent for a while, then sighed lightly: “Isn’t there anyone like me?”
Xing Bi paused, then smiled. After a while, he said, “You’re rare.”
“Xing Bi,” Qiu Shi squatted down, pulling his scarf up to cover his face, “how do you judge right from wrong?”
“In the face of survival, no one can judge correctly,” Xing Bi said, “Some rely on emotions, some on rationality.”
Early in the morning, a security vehicle was parked at the tunnel entrance in the distance. When Zhao Lü entered the room to wake Qiu Shi, Qiu Shi found Xing Bi wasn’t in the room.
“Damn,” he was so scared, his legs went weak, “Where’s Xing Bi?”
“On the peak,” Zhao Lü said, “I got up to pee in the middle of the night, looked back, and saw someone standing there. Scared me so much that I almost peed my pants. This morning, when I came out to sneeze, I looked back, and he was still standing there.”
Qiu Shi, although a bit puzzled, still sighed in relief, got up, and put on his clothes: “Did you sneeze?”
“Held it in,” Zhao Lü said, “No rush; I’ll sneeze after you leave.”
“No one’s up yet?” Qiu Shi walked out, looked up, and indeed saw a figure on the peak, the same place he took Xing Bi last night.
“Should I wake them up?” Zhao Lü asked.
“No need,” Qiu Shi said, “otherwise they’ll think this is their last time seeing me.”
“Same thing, if they don’t see you now, they’ll think last night was the last time,” Zhao Lü said, “Xiao Lei is squatting at the mountain’s base, waiting to say goodbye to you.”
“Take care of yourself.” Qiu Shi waved towards the peak.
The figure moved and started descending the ridge, quickly and steadily.
“Damn, what level of bodyguard is this,” Zhao Lü looked up, mouth half-open, “must be Mr. Long’s personal bodyguard?”
“Didn’t I come down from up there the same way?” Qiu Shi said.
“You come down like this now, but the first time you fell, you broke your arm,” Zhao Lü said, “He probably just went up once yesterday to show off your territory.”
“I was so young when I fell!” Qiu Shi said.
“I’m just making a comment,” Zhao Lü said, “Brother Shi, don’t be jealous.”
“Get lost,” Qiu Shi said.
Zhao Lü glared at him, then suddenly reached out and hugged him, patting him vigorously on the back several times before quickly walking away: “Go on, I won’t see you off.”
Xing Bi quickly returned to the shelter, and Qiu Shi didn’t ask him why he went up again. He just handed him a coat and led him through the quiet shelter in the early morning.
His motorcycle was parked at the foot of the mountain, and Xiao Lei was squatting next to it.
“We’ll drive over,” Qiu Shi lifted the camouflage net, got on the bike, and motioned for Xing Bi to sit behind him, “Zhao Lü will come and take the bike back later.”
Xing Bi sat behind him.
“Let’s go,” Qiu Shi said, supporting the bike with his leg and tapping Xiao Lei on the head.
Xiao Lei didn’t respond.
Qiu Shi started the bike, revved the engine, and as the bike roared off, a cloud of dust rose behind them.
Xing Bi grabbed his waist to avoid being thrown off.
Xiao Lei finally made a sound. Even from far away, they could hear him spitting out sand.
Qiu Shi laughed.
“Quick reflexes,” he said, “didn’t fall off.”
“Just a bit of reflex,” Xing Bi said.
Li Feng was sitting in the car. Seeing them get on the bike, he kicked two large bags at their feet: “Your gear, clothes, the clothes are chosen to match Qiu Shi’s taste, medicine, various essentials, and weapons will be given to you before departure.”
“Is there a car?” Qiu Shi asked, “Carrying all this stuff will tire us out before we get there.”
“Yes,” Li Feng said, “but it might not reach the destination.”
“Is there a mountain?” Qiu Shi frowned, “Just get one of those military off-road vehicles.”
“There’s a river,” Xing Bi said.
“Can the car turn into a boat?” Qiu Shi asked.
“No,” Li Feng said, “once you reach the river, our data is incomplete. How to proceed is up to Xing Bi.”
“How do we cross the river?” Qiu Shi turned to ask Xing Bi, “Is there a bridge?”
“No, we’ll swim across,” Xing Bi said.
“Damn,” Qiu Shi frowned and looked away.
“Will you short-circuit if you get wet?” Xing Bi asked.
Li Feng couldn’t help but laugh.
“F*ck your ancestors,” Qiu Shi said, “I can’t swim.”
“There are life jackets,” Li Feng said, pointing at the bag.
“Your stomach doesn’t hurt anymore?” Qiu Shi looked at him.
“Better,” Li Feng said, “healed faster than my nose.”
In the lab, Curator Wu was waiting with a team of technicians to set the time for Xing Bi. In Qiu Shi’s understanding, it was a countdown to shutdown.
“Twenty-eight days,” Curator Wu said, “Regardless of whether the mission is completed, whether the person is retrieved, or how much information is gathered, even if you haven’t reached the destination, you must return within this time.”
“What if we don’t return?” Qiu Shi asked, “What if we’re captured for more than twenty-eight days?”
“Returning within three months won’t cause damage,” Curator Wu said.
“Understood.” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi, who was undergoing inspection in the glass chamber.
A technician approached, lifted Qiu Shi’s arm, and used a gun-like device to inject something into his arm.
There was a brief, sharp pain.
“What the hell is this?” Qiu Shi looked at his slightly bleeding arm and wiped it on his clothes.
“Controller, communicator, a master control device,” Li Feng said, “You can now control the retinal map and contact the command center directly…”
“Who’s in the command center?” Qiu Shi asked, “You?”
“You can switch to Director Zhang or Colonel Xu if you want,” Li Feng said.
“You’ll do,” Qiu Shi said.
The preparation work was long and tedious. Though not complex, Curator Wu kept repeating the simple procedures, mission principles, and partner handling principles like brainwashing, which was annoying.
“That’s enough,” Qiu Shi said, “My head’s about to explode.”
“Did you remember everything?” Curator Wu asked.
“Yes,” Qiu Shi said, “If I forget, Xing Bi will remember.”
Xing Bi remained silent on the side.
“You must remember,” Curator Wu emphasized.
“Got it,” Qiu Shi understood the implication. Half of those procedures and principles were constraints on Xing Bi.
“Go get your weapons and ammunition,” Li Feng said.
The weapons for this mission were more advanced than those used in previous missions, mainly smaller and easier to conceal in clothes and boots.
“Quite generous,” Qiu Shi glanced at Li Feng, “Must have taken a lot of effort to get these?”
“Avoid conflict,” Li Feng whispered, “Ensure both of your safety.”
“Okay,” Qiu Shi agreed.
“If possible, try to get more information and understand their objectives,” Li Feng said, “Yun City cannot afford another war.”
