When Li Feng walked out from the inner office, he was still wearing pajamas, hastily thrown on a coat. The secretary was about to go home and was stunned seeing him like this: “Where are you going? What’s happened?”
“Have the driver bring the car to Gate 3,” Li Feng took a gun from the cabinet, “and dispatch two unused transport vehicles from the warehouse to the outer city tunnel.”
“Got it,” the secretary glanced at the gun he was holding. “What’s that for…?”
“Just for fun,” Li Feng said as he walked out of the office.
The security bureau was almost empty at this hour. The fewer people who saw the director in pajamas carrying a gun, the better. Although the crisis Yun City was facing was strictly confidential, secrets were never truly kept. There was some unease among the inner city residents.
His car was already parked at Gate 3. The driver was a bit surprised to see him but didn’t ask any questions.
“You can go home,” Li Feng got in the car. “No need to follow.”
He needed to block the tunnel, and having the driver around would be inconvenient.
During sensitive times, the pressure he was under was extraordinary. But he chose to trust Zhao Lü without hesitation. There was no room for error now.
Curator Wu called, and Li Feng put on his headset.
“Are you out of your mind?” Curator Wu asked.
“What’s the longest incubation period for the infected among your samples?” Li Feng asked.
“None exceeding five days,” Curator Wu said. “Director Zhang and Minister Liu from the emergency bureau are already in the meeting room. Are you ready to explain yourself?”
“I’ve already informed Director Zhang.” Li Feng spotted the two transport vehicles from the security bureau and signaled them to follow his car.
“Where are you?” Curator Wu asked.
“Almost at the outer city tunnel,” Li Feng replied.
“What do you mean?” Curator Wu was puzzled. “What are you doing there?”
“Blocking the road, blocking people,” Li Feng said.
“If you need to block them, just send someone from below to do it!” Curator Wu said. “Do you have to go personally?”
“If I’m not on site,” Li Feng said, “the city defense bureau’s cars would just ram through.”
Curator Wu suddenly switched to a projection.
“Are you out of your mind?” Zhang Qifeng’s nose almost poked through the projection. “Are you?”
“I don’t know, I’ll get it checked when I have time,” Li Feng said.
The car drove into the tunnel, and he stopped midway, blocking the tunnel with three vehicles. The city defense bureau’s cars had just arrived at the tunnel.
“If the security bureau’s vehicles don’t back out of the tunnel within five minutes, I’ll report to Colonel Xu!” Zhang Qifeng pointed at him.
“These refugees just won’t be able to enter the city,” Li Feng smiled. “Do you really need to report such a small matter to Colonel Xu?”
“Aren’t these people urgently needed by the security bureau?” Minister Liu’s face appeared, looking at Li Feng. “Director Li, just because of that… intuition?”
“Yes,” Li Feng nodded.
“You even agree!” Zhang Qifeng was almost amused by his anger. “Li Feng, you are seriously out of touch with reality. Based on the words of a corpse collector, without any evidence, just an intuition, you mobilize resources, disrupting the normal operation of the inner city!”
“Director Zhang, let’s not get hasty,” Minister Liu said. “Let’s allow Director Li to clarify further.”
“I’ve already made myself clear. If anyone else had told me this, I wouldn’t believe it,” Li Feng said. “But ninety percent of the infected inside and outside the outer city were cleared by the corpse collectors. Qiu Shi and Zhao Lü have lived outside the city all this time. They’ve encountered far more infected than we have, and their experience is much richer. Their intuition… is also much more reliable.”
Minister Liu frowned and said nothing.
Previously, building the wall in the forest had consumed a large number of refugees, and now there were not enough hands for various productions, including the maintenance of some old water and electricity facilities that relied on manual labor. The inner city needed a large workforce, and refugees stuck outside the city were depleting daily due to food shortages. Now, even those who had passed the inspection were not allowed to enter the city, with only “intuition” as the reason. It was indeed difficult to understand.
“Have you considered that this might be a conspiracy by those corpse collectors for Qiu Shi?” Zhang Qifeng asked.
“Then please explain to me how not allowing refugees into the city benefits Qiu Shi and the corpse collectors,” Li Feng lit a cigarette.
“If it were that easy to see through, would it still be called a conspiracy!” Zhang Qifeng shouted.
“Director Zhang, if you have so much confidence in our conspiracy-making brains,” Li Feng said, “then there isn’t one.”
Zhang Qifeng opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.
“Director Li,” Minister Liu appeared on the screen again, “what is your solution?”
“Isolate these people, send them to the museum as samples,” Li Feng said. “I’ll have someone investigate the previous batches sent into the city, monitor their whereabouts. As for those not yet entered, I’ll have Zhao Lü check them out, see if we can filter them first. Those who can be used will be sent in, those who can’t will be dealt with.”
“What?” Zhang Qifeng’s voice sounded, “Director Li means that having the corpse collectors guide the security bureau’s work direction isn’t enough, and now they have to guide the city defense bureau’s inspection work too? Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?”
“Minister Liu,” Li Feng ignored Zhang Qifeng, took a puff of his cigarette, and extinguished it, looking at the screen, “if Zhao Lü is right, if such time bombs really sneak into the city, it will be a big problem. It won’t just be about who guides whom, but whether we need another major cleanup. Our priority in this position is the safety of the city’s residents.”
Zhang Qifeng’s face came into view, his expression saying, “I can’t believe you said that.”
“Is it possible for the fungus to mutate?” Minister Liu turned to ask Curator Wu.
“All the fungi we can currently detect are of the same species,” Curator Wu said. “They are currently in a state that best suits the environment and haven’t changed since they appeared. But whether humans can carry the fungi for such a long time without an outbreak…we still need to verify this with this batch of samples.”
Minister Liu walked away.
On the screen, only Curator Wu and Zhang Qifeng were left. Li Feng watched the two without speaking. Curator Wu tapped his fingers on his leg, and Zhang Qifeng also remained silent.
Li Feng leaned back in his chair and sighed lightly. Minister Liu was going to consult Mr. Long.
He originally didn’t want to disturb Mr. Long. This matter was significant, but if it weren’t for Zhang Qifeng, he could have handled it without prior approval.
He now somewhat regretted not making more of a fuss about Zhang Sihai’s matter before. He thought having a handle on it would be enough since Zhang Qifeng was generally more competent than replacing him with someone else.
A few minutes later, Minister Liu returned to the screen. “Director Li.”
“Yes,” Li Feng responded.
“You have twenty-four hours,” Minister Liu said. “If no conclusive evidence is found within twenty-four hours, the refugees will continue to enter the city, and you will be temporarily removed from your post…”
“And if the evidence is found?” Li Feng asked.
“Pending, the specific decision will be made by Mr. Long at that time,” Minister Liu said.
Li Feng squinted his eyes slightly. “Deal.”
“Director Li,” Minister Liu said, “this is not a transaction.”
“Force of habit,” Li Feng said. “Understood.”
It seemed that the people from the City Defense Bureau across the tunnel had received orders from Zhang Qifeng. Someone got out of the car, preparing to hand over the refugees to the Protection Bureau.
Li Feng connected to the rear two transport vehicles. “Do not get out of the car. Open the back door and let the City Defense bureau put the people on the vehicle. Do not come into contact with the refugees.”
“Understood,” the driver at the back replied.
As the people from the City Defense bureau led the refugees past the car, Li Feng leaned on the car window and looked at each refugee one by one. They were all selected according to the Protection bureau’s requirements: males aged 20-40, healthy enough to last at least six months before exhausting.
Honestly, Li Feng couldn’t see anything unusual about any of them.
After everyone boarded the vehicle, the Protection bureau’s cars exited the tunnel, and Li Feng led them straight to the exhibition hall.
On the way, Li Feng connected to Xiao Lei.
“Director Li,” Xiao Lei, who sounded like he hadn’t slept, said.
“I’ll be going to the shelter soon,” Li Feng said. “Tell Captain Zhao to be ready and wait for me.”
“Aren’t you going to rest?” Xiao Lei asked.
“…Do I not want to rest?” Li Feng asked.
“No,” Xiao Lei answered.
Li Feng took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You get ready too, and come along.”
“Understood!” Xiao Lei responded loudly.
Li Feng quickly ended the call, feeling that Xiao Lei’s loud response had chased away his sleepiness.
Qiu Shi felt he hadn’t slept enough. Usually, outside the city, as long as there was nothing special, he could sleep anytime. But these past few days, he hadn’t had much time to close his eyes peacefully.
He initially wanted to sleep a bit more in the car, but after the car drove for a while, the scenery outside started to change, making Qiu Shi unable to fall asleep.
The view outside the car window was no longer open wilderness; sparse trees began to appear, and then the trees became denser, with small patches of black fungus clusters visible on the ground.
Ahead was a vast forest that looked like a mountain, and it seemed the car was about to drive into it.
The forest in front was different from that on the Yun City side. There were no rocks, just flat land, with much taller and sturdier trees. The road leading into the dense forest only extended a short distance before disappearing, as if swallowed by the woods.
“Is Donglin Town built in the forest?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Yes, it was initially a lumber base, abandoned long before the war,” Gao Shan nodded. “The forest area to the east, hence the name Donglin Town.”
“Is there a Xilin Town?” Qiu Shi asked casually. This kind of forest was too suitable for ambushes.
“There is,” Gao Shan said. “But when clearing infected people, the whole town was destroyed. It’s uninhabitable now, though some vagrants might be there.”
Qiu Shi didn’t speak again. He only spoke when they approached the forest. “Stop the car.”
“What’s the matter?” Gao Shan asked in surprise.
“Need to pee,” Qiu Shi said. “Nervous, can’t hold it.”
Gao Shan glanced at Lao Zhao in the last row. Lao Zhao said from the back, “Stop for a moment. Just stay by the front or back of the car, don’t leave the vicinity.”
The three cars stopped simultaneously, and Qiu Shi got out of the car.
He didn’t actually need to pee, but if forced, he could squeeze out a little. He needed to leave a message for Li Feng. There wouldn’t be many chances to contact him further ahead.
Qiu Shi pulled up his scarf, covering half of his face. He didn’t choose the front or back of the car but the side, specifically the door on his partner’s side.
Actually, the rear of the car, facing away from the following vehicle, was the easiest to hide actions. But in this place, he sensed danger. In case of trouble, he couldn’t trust the people in those cars. Only Xing Bi could protect him immediately.
Xing Bi wasn’t surprised that he chose to take a piss on the side with a door between them. He didn’t even look away, just stared outside the car window, even slightly curling his lips.
“Li Feng,” Qiu Shi lowered his head and left a message for Li Feng while pretending to pee. “Signals might be blocked soon. Even the cars escorting us have jammers. It seems friendly here, but something’s definitely off. If I can’t return, for once, be a decent person and don’t harm Zhao Brigade and the others…”
He glanced at the front window of the car behind him but couldn’t see inside.
The two escort cars looked strange up close. The entire body was covered with small holes resembling gunshots, as if a hundred people had turned it upside down and shot it twice.
Back in the car, Qiu Shi leaned back comfortably, stretched his legs, and adjusted his pants. “Aren’t there many vagrants here anymore? We ran into several groups across the river.”
“Yes, there are,” Gao Shan said, “but recently, there are fewer.”
Killed them all, did you?
Qiu Shi didn’t say anything else, closing his eyes to pretend to sleep. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see the map in his mind. In the past, this would have annoyed him to no end, but now he needed to keep watching.
However, after entering the forest, in less than five minutes, the map flickered and disappeared.
As expected.
This forest was much older than the one near Yun City. After the car entered for a while, the surrounding light gradually faded, and the air began to carry the mixed smells of bark and soil, along with a faint scent of smoke from an unknown source.
“The road ahead might be bumpy,” Gao Shan said. “Don’t get out of the car under any circumstances.”
“Okay,” Qiu Shi responded.
Bumpy? Can it be bumpier than the rocky river paths near Yun City?
In less than an hour, the surroundings were filled with ancient trees, climbing vines, and green moss-covered ground. The road became uneven, and the car had to traverse slippery streams.
Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi, who was looking out the window. Perhaps sensing his gaze, Xing Bi turned to look at him as well.
Neither of them spoke.
This damned place—if anything really went wrong, escaping would probably be difficult.
The car drove into a slightly open area, likely previously logged, with tree stumps covered in green moss and ferns.
Xing Bi suddenly said, “There are people.”
Then the headlights of the escort car in front flashed.
Qiu Shi already had his gun in hand when Xing Bi spoke.
Then he understood what Gao Shan meant by “bumpy.”
The attack started from above. Several black objects were suddenly thrown from the thick canopy.
They began to explode even before they hit the ground around the cars.
“Damn.” Qiu Shi felt the car shake.
“It’s fine,” Gao Shan said. “This car has a very high level of protection.”
After one round of explosions, there was a barrage of gunfire from above. Bullets hit the car windows with muffled thuds.
Qiu Shi, who had been sitting by the door ready to get out in case of trouble, quickly moved to the middle, next to Xing Bi.
Their car didn’t stop; it kept moving forward. But both escort cars extended dozens of gun barrels from their bodies, thick and thin, looking like they were covered in arrows.
All the gun barrels fired simultaneously at the sky, the bursts of light resembling fireworks on Yun City’s celebration days.
People fell from the trees, crashing onto the car roofs and then rolling to the ground.
Qiu Shi looked at the cars in front and behind, trying to count the number of guns.
But the flames and smoke spread almost immediately, making it hard to even see the cars, let alone the gun barrels.
“Front twenty-five,” Xing Bi whispered close to his ear. “Rear twenty-eight, two cannons, but they didn’t fire.”
“Not bad.” Qiu Shi turned to look at him, also speaking softly.
Lao Zhao in the back had been watching them, so Qiu Shi leaned close to Xing Bi’s ear to speak, close enough to see a small mole near Xing Bi’s left temple.
A Bioroid with a mole?
In the midst of intense gunfire, he couldn’t help but go off-topic, whispering, “Is that a mole? Or an injection point?”
“Mole,” Xing Bi glanced at him and squeezed his wrist.
“Randomly generated too?” Qiu Shi looked ahead. “I’m not losing my mind because of the tension.”
“Yeah,” Xing Bi responded.
But unexpectedly, this car he thought was a piece of junk was so resilient. Despite the shaking, it kept following the escort cars through the clearing.
The three seemingly weak people in the car showed no signs of panic or nervousness amidst the whistling bullets and explosions.
“Who are these people?” Qiu Shi was jostled and grabbed the handle on the car roof.
“Vagrants from Donglin Town,” Lao Zhao answered.
“Vagrants?” Qiu Shi turned to look at Lao Zhao. “Vagrants with this kind of equipment?”
“Former residents of Donglin Town,” Xing Bi said.
“That’s right,” Lao Zhao did not deny it.
It seemed Donglin Town had indeed been taken over.
This small ambush didn’t last long and caused almost no damage. But the so-called vagrants likely suffered significant casualties. Qiu Shi saw several people fall from the trees; from that height, they’d either be shot dead or fall to their deaths.
It felt more like resistance than an ambush to Qiu Shi.
A desperate resistance, even if the opponent was unscathed.
No one spoke in the car again. In silence, they delved deeper into the forest. Occasionally, they saw treehouses resembling bird nests atop the sturdy old trees, likely for lookout purposes.
When the abandoned earthen and stone houses began to appear along the road, Gao Shan sat up straight and turned around. “We’ve arrived.”
Donglin Town had no walls. At the entrance stood two tall towers built against the trees. The visible houses were mostly low, made of wood mixed with mud and stone, with many ancient pre-war brick houses.
A few people stood under the towers, and the car stopped in front of them.
As he got out of the car, Qiu Shi felt uneasy. Besides the few people waiting to “welcome” them, his long experience clearing and collecting bodies outside the city told him about the gazes coming from all directions, including above.
“Welcome to Donglin Town.” A slightly chubby middle-aged man with open arms approached.
“Where’s Hu Xiaoling?” Qiu Shi didn’t respond to him, directly asking.
“I’m the mayor of Donglin Town,” the man smiled. “My surname is Luo. Mr. Long and I are old acquaintances. How is he doing now?”
Qiu Shi didn’t answer.
Mayor Luo paused, still smiling, and sighed. “Our way of inviting you was indeed a bit rough. Please…”
“Where is Hu Xiaoling?” Qiu Shi asked again.
“He’s fine,” Mayor Luo said, turning and walking back. “Get settled first, and I’ll arrange for someone to bring him over right away.”
Qiu Shi didn’t move.
The few people standing with Mayor Luo slowly approached. It was clear they were armed. The door of the escort car behind them opened, and the people inside also got out.
Qiu Shi glanced back; there were quite a few people in the car.
Mayor Luo stood in front, smiling at him.
Gao Shan walked over, “Take a rest first; it’s been a long journey.”
Qiu Shi looked at Xing Bi, then walked forward. With this setup of being surrounded from all sides, there was no choice but to comply.
.
“Why are you daydreaming!” A stick struck Zhang Sihai’s back.
Zhang Sihai almost lost his balance and fell into the sewage. He turned to glare at the person behind him.
“Don’t look at him,” a nearby person whispered.
Zhang Sihai gritted his teeth and turned back, picking up the shovel to continue cleaning the sludge of unknown composition under his feet.
This was below Yun City, a place where the sun never shone. All the filth from the inner city drained through these underground channels, and due to the old facilities, manual cleaning was necessary.
This was the tenth day Zhang Sihai had been thrown into the labor force by his father, the third place he had been sent to, as punishment for the trouble he had caused.
The only people who knew his identity were the supervisors at each place. To everyone else, including the foremen, he was just an ordinary refugee like them.
He didn’t resist; he wanted to see just how rotten and filthy this city was.
Only now did he realize where so many of the refugees who entered the city had gone.
“Don’t resist,” the person next to him continued to whisper, “or you won’t survive here for two hours.”
“How long have you been here?” Zhang Sihai whispered.
“About two months, I think. It’s hard to keep track of time,” the person said. “Don’t worry about that. In the end, we all die here.”
Zhang Sihai didn’t respond, thrusting the shovel into the sludge, but struggled to pull it out.
On the other side, a few people were working diligently.
Zhang Sihai couldn’t help but turn to look. Three people were shoveling in unison, skillfully clearing the sludge.
But eerily, their movements were shockingly synchronized.
Lifting their arms simultaneously, lowering their shovels simultaneously, and scooping up the sludge simultaneously…
A chill ran down Zhang Sihai’s spine.
How long have they been doing this to become so synchronized, like they’re all mentally deranged!
