Of the eight corpses, only two were still mostly intact; the others were too gruesome to look at. Qiu Shi regretted that he had been careless and didn’t wear his usual old corpse-collecting clothes. It hadn’t even been long since he stopped doing this work, yet he had already forgotten habits of over ten years.
He glanced at Xing Bi, mostly because Xing Bi was the one who came with him today. If it had been Zhao Lü, he wouldn’t have forgotten.
“Hmm?” Xing Bi tilted his head slightly.
“Nothing,” Qiu Shi said. “Just making sure where the audience is so I can put on a show for you.”
Xing Bi smiled, walked over, and bent down, about to reach for the corpse.
“Hey,” Qiu Shi’s hands and arms were already covered in blood, so he quickly stretched out his leg to stop him. “Don’t touch it. With no experience, you’ll end up with brain matter splattered all over your face.”
“Did you really bring me here just to watch?” Xing Bi asked.
“What else?” Qiu Shi replied. “I noticed you hadn’t said a word all night, just staring at these people, thinking. I figured you wanted to see what ordinary human life is like.”
“Pretty sharp,” Xing Bi said.
“Not bad,” Qiu Shi tore off some tattered clothing from one of the bodies and tied the pieces of the broken corpse together before tossing it into the truck bed.
Normally, doing this wouldn’t make him feel anything, but today, as he looked at the dismembered bodies, he couldn’t help but think of the fertilizer pit behind the city. When they collected bodies, they would take anything valuable and strip any good clothes, but whatever was left behind, they tried to keep with its original owner.
Who could have imagined that after entering that cave, their final destination would be a fertilizer pit?
Though this batch of corpses wasn’t easy to deal with, Qiu Shi still quickly loaded them into the truck bed, tossed his bloodied gloves on top of the pile, and then climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Want me to drive?” Xing Bi asked.
“No, I’m already sitting here,” Qiu Shi said. “The seat’s already dirty.”
Xing Bi got into the passenger seat. “Are we just going back to the shelter to sleep after this?”
“Why would you think that of me?” Qiu Shi laughed.
“True,” Xing Bi said. “Your hands are dirty, and you’d probably wipe them on someone else.”
“I’ll take you to the hot springs later,” Qiu Shi said.
“The place where you practice skipping stones?” Xing Bi asked.
“If you dare skip a stone today, I’ll curse you out,” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi smiled and said nothing.
By now, the car reeked of blood, mixed with other foul odors. Qiu Shi didn’t say anything further.
They couldn’t take the same route back; the road was too uneven, and it would be easy for the bodies to fall out. They had to pass through a checkpoint and drive across the wasteland on the front side of Mount Dahei.
As they passed the refugee camp, pairs of eyes stared out from the gaps in the roadside shacks, watching the corpses in the truck bed. Who knew what those people were thinking?
Now that the weather had turned cold, if they didn’t get a chance to enter Yun City, within a month, the only difference between them and these corpses would be their current body temperature.
When they returned to the corpse cave, the snow was falling heavily. Qiu Shi felt the wind cut through him as he got out of the car.
“Do you know what’s beneath this corpse cave?” Qiu Shi asked as he pushed the first bundle of body parts into the cave, listening to the sound of the pieces sliding down with the gravel until it disappeared.
“No,” Xing Bi replied.
“North of the city, outside the walls, there’s a fertilizer pit,” Qiu Shi said. “The corpses from here, and the ones from inside the city, all end up there.”
Xing Bi said nothing as he pushed another body into the cave.
“The old man used to live in a tavern called the Dayan Tavern. The owner said that if he died, he wanted us to burn him, not throw him into the cave,” Qiu Shi said. “Zhao Lü and the others burned him right here.”
“Have you ever thought about what happens after death?” Xing Bi asked.
“Zhao Lü asked me once,” Qiu Shi replied. “I told him to make me into a specimen and keep it by his bedside.”
Xing Bi laughed.
Qiu Shi didn’t say anything else. After tossing all the bodies into the cave, he straightened up and clapped his hands. “Let’s go, time for a bath.”
As they went back to the shelter to get clean clothes, the group drinking was still laughing and joking, and it looked like they wouldn’t be done until late into the night.
“Do you guys bathe often?” Xing Bi asked as he followed Qiu Shi toward the hot springs.
“What kind of question is that?” Qiu Shi replied. “Why?”
“It’s far,” Xing Bi said.
“We’ve got plenty of free time,” Qiu Shi said. “When no one’s died, we’ve got so much time we don’t even know how to waste it. Sometimes, I’ll take a trip to one of the abandoned towns nearby, spend two or three days there, and come back.”
“Is it fun?” Xing Bi asked.
“No,” Qiu Shi shook his head. “Places that have been abandoned for decades, maybe even a hundred years, are lonelier than the rocks on a wild mountain.”
After walking a few steps, he asked, “Where were you before coming to Yun City?”
“A city far away,” Xing Bi replied.
“Is it on the old man’s map?” Qiu Shi asked.
“No, it’s further east,” Xing Bi said.
“What kind of city was it?” Qiu Shi asked curiously.
“It was big, with lots of tall buildings,” Xing Bi said. “Malls, plazas, parks. But it was already starting to decline by then. I never saw humanity at its best.”
The best time for humanity.
Looking at the state of the world now, it’s hard to say—after several decades or centuries, now might also be the “best time” of the past.
As they got closer to the hot spring, the temperature wasn’t as low anymore. The rising white steam carried a sense of warmth.
Qiu Shi circled around a few small spring vents and stopped next to the largest one. “Here we are,” he said.
Xing Bi handed him a waterproof patch. “Put this on your wound.”
“…You actually thought to bring this?” Qiu Shi was a bit surprised.
“Better get that wound healed up,” Xing Bi said. “Even Qiu Yu might just crawl out of his grave from joy.”
“Damn.” Qiu Shi laughed as he took off his clothes. He stuck the waterproof patch onto the gauze on his chest and pressed it down firmly. While taking off his pants, he glanced back at Xing Bi, noticing he was still fully dressed. “Are you planning to soak in your clothes?”
“No,” Xing Bi replied.
“Then what’s the deal?” Qiu Shi asked. “You’re not usually a shy guy. You even strip down to roast by the fire.”
“You have a lot of scars.” Xing Bi began taking off his clothes as he spoke.
“Got them all from falls when I was a kid,” Qiu Shi said as he waded into the water. After sitting down, he scooted a bit forward to where the water was deeper. “For a kid hanging out in a place like this, getting only these few scars is already pretty impressive.”
Xing Bi wasn’t as careful as Qiu Shi when entering the water. He took just a few steps before splashing in, causing a wave that pushed toward Qiu Shi. Qiu Shi immediately braced himself against the stones in the water and sat upright.
“Watch yourself!” Qiu Shi said. “You just splashed water all over my face.”
“Do you also worry about drowning when you wash your face?” Xing Bi asked.
“I didn’t before,” Qiu Shi slowly leaned back and rested against a stone protruding above the water. “But now that you’ve mentioned it, even if it’s just psychological suggestion, I might start being afraid.”
Xing Bi didn’t respond, just slowly leaned back against a stone too, keeping the surface of the water calm.
“Is it warm?” Qiu Shi looked up at the snowflakes falling continuously from the sky.
“Mm.” Xing Bi hummed in response. “Have your hands warmed up?”
“They have,” Qiu Shi smiled. “Have you ever soaked in a hot spring before?”
“No,” Xing Bi said. “Only in a bathtub.”
“Bathtub?” Qiu Shi thought for a moment. “Got it. I’ve seen those in the abandoned town buildings. About the same size as those small spring vents over there.”
“Yeah,” Xing Bi responded. “Not as comfortable as this.”
“Where did you live before?” Qiu Shi turned his head to look at him. “Did you have your own home?”
“Dormitory,” Xing Bi said. “There were a lot of rooms in one building. I had a small one, a bit bigger than the shelter you live in now. Sometimes, I’d stay at the teacher’s house.”
“That Lin Sheng,” Qiu Shi thought for a moment. “Were you two close?”
“We were always part of the same group,” Xing Bi said.
“Doesn’t sound like you were that close,” Qiu Shi commented.
“You’re perceptive,” Xing Bi smiled a little.
“Do you have any bioroids you’re close with?” Qiu Shi asked.
Xing Bi didn’t answer, staring off into the sky in a daze.
Qiu Shi suddenly regretted asking that question. After drinking some alcohol, his mind wasn’t turning as fast. Xing Bi and Lin Sheng had cleared out all the bioroids in Yun City. How could he have any bioroids he was close to?
When the war started, choosing to stand with humans meant throwing away those of the same kind who stood on the other side. Then, they personally wiped out their kind in Yun City.
After going through all of this, Xing Bi was probably the public enemy of all bioroids.
“Xing Bi,” Qiu Shi lightly patted Xing Bi’s arm, “My brain, after all, didn’t come out of the most optimal range, so sometimes what I say might…”
“No need to be so cautious,” Xing Bi said.
“Hm?” Qiu Shi looked at him.
“I’m an old relic,” Xing Bi said. “I understand why certain people say certain things. I’ve seen more people than the number of canned goods you’ve eaten.”
“…That’s not a fair comparison,” Qiu Shi said. “Li Feng wasn’t always this generous. It’s only because I’m useful to him now that he’s sending supplies by the truckload. If it were before, he wouldn’t have given canned goods so easily. Only bean cakes—those hard-to-swallow ones. I even suspect those bean cakes were made from the crushed bones of dead people. If you wanted canned goods, you had to go to the outer-city gangs or the black market.”
“Director Li is that ruthless, huh?” Xing Bi said.
“He didn’t earn the nickname ‘corrupt official’ for nothing,” Qiu Shi said. “So honestly, I’ve handled more corpses than I’ve eaten canned goods.”
“Then I’ve seen more people than you’ve cursed ancestors,” Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi stared at him for a long time before bursting into a fit of laughter, nearly slipping into the water. “Damn you, what’s with your brain.”
“Enough people, right?” Xing Bi smiled.
“More than enough,” Qiu Shi laughed.
Li Feng changed into his pajamas. He was in a good mood today—the meeting went smoothly, the report didn’t have any holes for Colonel Xu to find fault with, and Lin Sheng was approved to leave the cabin tomorrow.
But what surprised everyone, though not entirely unexpectedly, was that during the meeting, Colonel Xu announced the joint decision of the general and the company: effective immediately, Li Feng would serve as deputy leader of the working group.
“Didn’t think Director Li was so good at grabbing power,” Zhang Qifeng waited until after the meeting to privately say this to him, showing remarkable restraint.
Li Feng didn’t crave power. Power was merely the necessary condition for him to fulfill his simple demand of living well.
He lay down on the bed and let out a soft sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to turn off the light, Xiao Chong jumped from the bedside table, and his secretary’s call came through: “Director Li, Colonel Xu will be at your office in ten minutes.”
“Tell her I’m dead,” Li Feng said.
“Do I need to return to the office now?” the secretary asked.
“To collect my body?” Li Feng sat up. “No, you rest.”
He took off the pajamas he had just put on, changed back into his clothes, and as he walked out of the lounge, the office door was pushed open. Colonel Xu and Minister Liu walked in.
“Director Li hasn’t gone to rest yet either,” Minister Liu said.
“People more capable than me are still working,” Li Feng yawned, handing them each a bottle of water. “How could I dare sleep so early?”
“It’s not that early,” Colonel Xu said.
“You two have worked hard,” Li Feng said. “Is there something you need?”
Colonel Xu sat on the sofa, glanced at him, and said, “It’s about some work matters.”
“Is it urgent?” Li Feng asked. None of the people he had stationed in various places had reported anything unusual, which meant there was no urgent “work matter” happening at the moment.
“Not particularly urgent, just inconvenient to discuss in the meeting,” Minister Liu smiled.
“Oh.” Li Feng also sat down.
“Now that all the work has begun, the collaboration between the military and the City Defense Department is an important measure for the security of Cloud City,” Colonel Xu said. “For the sake of swift response in our work, and also for…”
“Colonel Xu, this isn’t a meeting—just the three of us,” Li Feng suppressed another yawn, already understanding where she was going with this, so he interrupted her. “You can just speak plainly. Is there a problem with the City Defense Department? Or is there an issue with Director Zhang Qifeng?”
Colonel Xu paused for a moment, looked at Minister Liu, and then back at Li Feng. “Deputy Group Leader Li, do you have a more suitable candidate in mind for the position of City Defense Director?”
Well, here it was.
Li Feng looked at her.
So soon.
Since Colonel Xu had announced the deputy group leader position, Li Feng had been expecting this.
Targeting Zhang Qifeng, who, despite always making trouble for him, still cooperated at critical moments—it didn’t surprise Li Feng. It was just because they couldn’t stand seeing him with a little bit of power, so they quickly wanted to replace him with someone more controllable.
And they were even considerate enough to let him make the recommendation.
At that moment, Li Feng had the urge to pull out a gun and shoot Colonel Xu right then and there.
These people—smart enough to be scheming for power in the face of imminent war, when everyone’s survival was uncertain. But they were also forward-thinking enough to plan for post-war scenarios. If they could protect Cloud City’s peace, as long as Li Feng survived, he would certainly be promoted. So now they were already trying to limit him.
Li Feng sighed.
Zhang Qifeng couldn’t be replaced. He was a long-time friend.
“Director Zhang’s work hasn’t had any issues, right?” Li Feng frowned, feigning confusion. “Though he has a bit of a temper, his work is reliable.”
“Zhang Sihai is his son, you’re aware of that, right?” Minister Liu said. “Zhang Sihai has been colluding with the bioroids for quite some time, and during his imprisonment, Director Zhang used his power to get him released… We suspect…”
“That…” Li Feng rubbed his forehead. “That was me.”
“What?” Colonel Xu looked at him.
“I was the one who got Zhang Sihai out,” Li Feng looked at his hands. “Zhang Sihai is… my informant.”
“What?” Minister Liu looked at him in shock.
“The first suspicious bioroid sightings in the inner city were based on information provided by Zhang Sihai,” Li Feng cleared his throat, looking at them. “He got close to Deng Yeye to gather more intel. Deng Yeye still trusts him completely, and Zhang Sihai is the only one who can reach her. We must avoid alerting the enemy.”
Colonel Xu clearly struggled to process this.
“Director Zhang wasn’t aware. He simply acted impartially and imprisoned his own son,” Li Feng said. “After I released Zhang Sihai, Director Zhang was furious with me, and then he sent his son to the refugee team, which everyone knows. It was Zhang Sihai who discovered that infected individuals had infiltrated the inner city and reported it in time.”
Colonel Xu remained silent, while Minister Liu appeared to be pondering her words.
Minister Liu and Colonel Xu were not allies. The reason Colonel Xu brought Minister Liu along was simply to have a witness.
So whether Colonel Xu believed it or not was irrelevant; as long as Minister Liu was swayed, it was enough.
“Director Zhang has always been upset with me for interfering with his law enforcement by disrupting the discipline of his son,” Li Feng said. “So our relationship isn’t great, but Director Zhang’s loyalty to Cloud City and to the general is unquestionable. Both personally and professionally, I can’t think of anyone more suitable to lead the City Defense Department than him.”
Colonel Xu looked at him. “Director Li, you’ve covered all your bases.”
“If we move Director Zhang now, the enemies outside will surely know we suspect Zhang Sihai,” Li Feng said. “I’ve arranged secret surveillance on all those connected to Deng Yeye to avoid alerting them, so I ask Colonel Xu to reconsider.”
“That’s indeed…” Minister Liu nodded. “We haven’t fully grasped the situation with the outside forces yet.”
“Colonel Xu has always been in the military, where discipline is strict and operations are precise. You may not be accustomed to the methods we use when dealing with the lower levels,” Li Feng said. “I’ll communicate with you more promptly in the future.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Group Leader Li,” Colonel Xu said, clearly not meaning it.
“I should take responsibility for secretly releasing someone in violation of the rules,” Li Feng said.
“Oh,” Minister Liu waved his hand. “That’s not the point. Some methods are necessary for the job.”
“I’ll report in a more timely manner going forward,” Li Feng said, “and I deeply appreciate the trust you both have in me.”
After seeing Colonel Xu and Minister Liu off, Li Feng contacted Zhang Qifeng.
Unlike Li Feng, Zhang Qifeng kept a regular schedule, and from the sound of it, he’d already been asleep for at least two hours. His voice was thick with sleep and impatience. “Director Li! What is it?”
“I’m heading to the City Defense Department now,” Li Feng said. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Zhang Qifeng said. “What’s going on? Just say it.”
“You’ll be out of a job as Director by tomorrow morning,” Li Feng said. “That’s what’s happening. I’ll be at the City Defense Department in ten minutes. If I don’t see you, I’ll head back to sleep.”
“What did you say?” Zhang Qifeng’s voice was suddenly wide awake. “What do you mean?”
“We’ll talk in person.” Li Feng hung up.
Next, he contacted Xiao Lei.
“Director Li!” Xiao Lei’s speech was slurred, and there was a lot of noise in the background.
“Life’s good, huh?” Li Feng said.
“Qiu Shi’s back today, so the cleanup crew is throwing him a welcome party,” Xiao Lei said. “I had a bit to drink, but my mind is clear.”
“Just your tongue’s a bit heavy, right?” Li Feng said.
“Exactly.” Xiao Lei replied.
“Tell Qiu Shi,” Li Feng said. “I’ll see him tomorrow morning. Have him wait for me at the shelter.”
“Got it!” Xiao Lei answered loudly.
“Go enjoy yourself.” Li Feng said.
“No more drinking!” Xiao Lei said.
“Just drink if I tell you to,” Li Feng said. “Don’t act like a spring, all jittery and jumpy.”
“Yes, sir!” Xiao Lei replied.
“Are they going to keep it up all night?” Xing Bi asked, leaning against the headboard.
Judging from the noise, at least half of the people drinking in the shelter were still standing, laughing and chatting, though it was unclear about what.
“They’ll probably wrap up before dawn,” Qiu Shi was curled up on the bed, with the blanket pulled over his head.
“They see each other every day, and still have so much to talk about,” Xing Bi commented.
“It’s warm over there,” Qiu Shi said. “Even if they run out of things to say, they’ll huddle together there tonight.”
“Are you cold?” Xing Bi turned to look at him.
“Aren’t you a high-level bioroids?” Qiu Shi said. “You don’t know whether I’m cold?”
Xing Bi laughed.
“Come here,” Qiu Shi said. “Let’s squeeze in together.”
Xing Bi glanced at the small cylindrical heater by the bed. “Can this be turned up any higher?”
“Nope,” Qiu Shi replied. “That thing in this shelter is like lighting a match in the snow. Now the jerks at the City Defense Department won’t even let us light a fire. Otherwise, we’d be building a bonfire indoors.”
“Who built this shelter?” Xing Bi asked, taking off his clothes and getting into bed.
“Move closer,” Qiu Shi scooted over towards him. “You need to squeeze in for it to work.”
Xing Bi moved closer to him as well. “Are your supplies this tight too?”
“Tight?” Qiu Shi said. “Everyone gets their own bed. I’ll ask Li Feng for another set tomorrow. He probably didn’t expect you to stay overnight.”
“Hmm.” Xing Bi made a sound of acknowledgment.
“I thought you didn’t feel the cold,” Qiu Shi said.
“I don’t,” Xing Bi said. “But if it’s too cold, it can affect my physical functions.”
“Got it. So even though you’re not afraid of the cold, you could still freeze stiff.” Qiu Shi pulled the blanket tighter around Xing Bi’s neck, tucking it in carefully.
Xing Bi’s body temperature was much more stable than that of regular humans, so Qiu Shi felt like there was a warm heater next to him, making him much more comfortable.
“The shelter was built by Zhao Lü and me,” Qiu Shi said.
“Just the two of you?” Xing Bi turned his head to look at him. His breath swept across Qiu Shi’s forehead, and it was warm too.
“The oldest shelters were built that way,” Qiu Shi said. “The old man gave us explosives. We blasted a hole in the hillside, flattened it, and then stacked stones on top of the half we left exposed.”
“You were just kids?” Xing Bi asked.
“Yeah.” Qiu Shi nodded.
“So humans are fragile and easy to kill, yet somehow never completely wiped out,” Xing Bi said.
“You should get a look at Zhao Lü’s back if you get the chance,” Qiu Shi said, resting his head on his arm.
“That… I’m not particularly interested,” Xing Bi replied.
“Damn,” Qiu Shi laughed. “His back is covered in scars. When we were blasting the hole, we didn’t run fast enough. He shielded me, and the rock fragments tore up his back.”
“Really,” Xing Bi thought about it. “That’s a bond forged in life and death.”
“Yeah, Zhao Lü and I have been through life and death together,” Qiu Shi said.
“That’s why he kisses you,” Xing Bi said.
“He tends to get emotional,” Qiu Shi chuckled.
“I’ve rarely encountered such…” Xing Bi looked at him. “Blatant emotions, so exaggerated, so intense.”
“We’re not some superior humans,” Qiu Shi said. “In a world like this, we live however we can. This group of brothers is everything. Who are we pretending for?”
“Hmm,” Xing Bi responded, still watching him.
Qiu Shi looked back at him.
After a few seconds, he pointed at Xing Bi and said, “Don’t copy me. Lying in bed like this, it’s not appropriate.”
