Li Feng’s car stopped in the company parking lot. After getting out, he didn’t go straight to the conference room as usual. Instead, he was led by two men in black, standing beside the car, toward a nondescript, somewhat shabby car with no windows.
Once the door closed behind him, he sat down and finally noticed that there was someone else in the dimly lit car.
“Mr. Long?” He pulled out a lighter and flicked it toward the other person.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” Mr. Long furrowed his brow.
“I didn’t expect you’d be riding in a car like this,” Li Feng said. “It’s… quite simple.”
“We’re going to a special place today. We need to keep a low profile,” Mr. Long explained.
Li Feng could roughly guess where they were headed. Although he wasn’t familiar with the road to the Yun City military base, he could easily tell it was different from the usual checkpoints. The eerie silence when passing through was a clear indicator.
But once they passed the checkpoint, he was no longer sure.
The car continued down, spiraling in a downward direction. Whether it was due to the lack of a transport pod or a specially designed road, it seemed to drill straight down like a drill bit.
When they got out of the car, it was parked in a small parking lot—barely enough for seven or eight cars. It was a completely undecorated underground cavern. The walls were rough and uneven, but a metal door nearby looked very advanced.
There was no one else around. The driver stayed in the car, and Mr. Long led him to the door. After a soft “beep,” something resembling a fingerprint or password scanner extended from the side of the door.
Mr. Long gestured for him to press it.
Li Feng placed his finger on it, feeling something prick his fingertip.
The metal door opened, but not automatically. It simply unlocked, requiring someone to manually push it open.
“Is this collecting my information without my permission?” Li Feng stepped aside and pushed the door open.
“You were already registered when you were born,” Mr. Long entered first. “Everyone in the Inner City is the same.”
Li Feng didn’t respond, not particularly surprised. In this day and age, such practices were normal.
Otherwise, what would all those people in the exhibition hall be doing every day?
They passed through several doors without seeing a single person. The surroundings felt extremely cold, and he could see white mist floating through the air from time to time.
Li Feng didn’t count how many doors they went through, but eventually they entered a small hall.
It was empty, with a beam of light shining on a large pillar in the center of the room.
“Come meet the General,” Mr. Long said, walking over and placing his hand on the pillar.
Where his hand made contact with the pillar, a white light appeared in the shape of a palm. The entire pillar began to sink.
Then, what was inside was revealed.
A glass tank filled with liquid, containing various thin wires—Li Feng couldn’t tell if they were electrical wires or something else. At the end of the wires was a brain.
Li Feng stared at the sight before him, unsure of what to say.
“The General isn’t non-existent,” Mr. Long slowly moved back to stand beside him. “From before the war until now, the General has always existed, and there has only ever been one General.”
“Does the General know you’ve taken his brain out?” Li Feng asked.
“You always…” Mr. Long glanced at him. “You see things from a different angle.”
“He doesn’t know, does he?” Li Feng said. “He probably just thinks he’s in his office, and whenever something goes wrong, it gets reset.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Mr. Long replied. “We just need the General to stay alive.”
Li Feng frowned, staring at the brain before him, feeling a strong sense of nausea. He turned his head and cleared his throat. “Does Wu Kangwen know?”
“He doesn’t,” Mr. Long said. “He won’t know until this system needs maintenance.”
“Why should I care?” Li Feng asked.
“Because you discovered it,” Mr. Long said. “Someone might start to suspect, but since the General has existed this way, you’re the first one to verify it personally. You’ve got quite a lot of courage.”
Li Feng did not speak.
Mr. Long only mentioned that the general needed to stay alive without explaining the reason, but it certainly wasn’t because the general was particularly talented.
From Li Feng’s perspective, the work within the general’s scope of duties was done adequately, but it didn’t justify the “immortality,” so there must be another reason.
But now was certainly not the time for him to know the reason.
Mr. Long raised the pillar again, and the small hall returned to its previous hollow tranquility.
“Li Feng, this place is absolutely safe. We rarely get a chance to speak the truth,” Mr. Long turned to look at him, “Apart from the director of the Security Bureau, do you want any other positions?”
Li Feng was silent for a moment: “I don’t need a position, I only need power.”
Mr. Long slowly walked up to him: “If given the chance, would you kill me?”
“I don’t have that thought for now,” Li Feng said, “Under your leadership, Yun City has been the safest human sanctuary. It’s the paradise that those displaced people wish to reach until their death.”
“What kind of power do you want?” Mr. Long asked.
“Cooperation with Donglin and the subsequent involvement of other forces,” Li Feng said. “I want the power of the border defenders outside Yun City, the ability to decide the terms and depth of cooperation within reasonable limits.”
“I’ll discuss it with the ministers,” Mr. Long said, “But you need to understand that if it weren’t for the current crisis, you wouldn’t have such an opportunity. You might spend your whole life as the director of the Security Bureau.”
“I’d rather live that life,” Li Feng said.
_
“How long have we been following them?” Qiu Shi hid behind a hill, able to see the infected ones occasionally emerging from the darkness, all heading northwest.
“An hour and twenty-six minutes,” Xing Bi answered.
“Too far,” Qiu Shi opened the team channel, “Xing Bi and I will continue following; the others return to Xima. It seems the infected ones’ target isn’t Xima or Yun City; no need to follow all of them.”
“Does Sang Fan not need to follow anymore?” Zhao Yi asked with some concern.
“The symbiont is still near Xima Town,” Xing Bi spoke up, “Sang Fan should go back and cooperate with Lin Sheng, just in case.”
“Understood,” Sang Fan replied.
“Lin Sheng is strong and experienced,” Xing Bi said, “You can trust his judgment, but don’t worry about his partner.”
“Understood,” Sang Fan said.
After watching the team withdraw, Qiu Shi turned and sat down against the hill: “I’ve realized.”
“They’re not interested in us either,” Xing Bi said.
“Answering too quickly,” Qiu Shi remarked.
“Let’s speed up,” Xing Bi said, “Let’s follow them and see what’s ahead.”
“Mm,” Qiu Shi glanced at him, “Was it satisfying?”
“Satisfying,” Xing Bi smiled slightly.
Qiu Shi adjusted his scarf, took out his gun, and jumped up: “Let’s go.”
The two jumped out from behind the hill and started running in the direction of the infected ones.
In the moonlight, their footsteps could be heard, with a monotonous yet pleasant rhythm.
Xing Bi didn’t run at full speed but wasn’t slow either. Qiu Shi was keeping up easily now, much more relaxed than when they were in Donglin.
It was hard to describe this feeling, not knowing whether to be happy or sad.
However, for Qiu Shi, what mattered more was that if a partnership, which would inevitably be mutually constraining, had to exist, then the stronger he was, the better. After all, the opponents had no concerns.
They quickly overtook the largest group of infected, and as they continued forward, the map still showed scattered infected dots, indicating they weren’t controlled but were all being drawn northwest by something.
“I’ve never been here.” Qiu Shi stood on a slightly higher slope, looking around, “There should be an abandoned town or village ahead.”
“How do you judge that?” Xing Bi asked.
“Look at the ground; there used to be a forest here, but it’s been cut down,” Qiu Shi said, “Someone lived here, but there’s no trace left, so it must have been a long time ago.”
“Mm,” Xing Bi said, “Agreed.”
Qiu Shi glanced at him: “You couldn’t tell? You’re doing this on purpose, right?”
“No,” Xing Bi smiled.
“Did you do this with your previous partners on missions?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Which part?” Xing Bi asked.
“Just like now,” Qiu Shi said.
“Why are you suddenly interested in my previous partners?” Xing Bi asked.
“Just comparing,” Qiu Shi said.
“I had three partners,” Xing Bi said, “All elites chosen by the military, very strong.”
“Wow,” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi laughed: “What’s that reaction?”
“Expressing surprise,” Qiu Shi said.
“They were all like Liu Wu,” Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi furrowed his brows.
“You’re the fourth, the most special one,” Xing Bi said, “You were different from the moment you came out of the box.”
“Let’s not talk about the box.” Qiu Shi rubbed his ribs, then added, “What’s so special about it?”
“You were the only partner who was prepared to kill the officer in front of me when we first met,” Xing Bi said.
“Thank you on behalf of Li Feng,” Qiu Shi said.
“You’re very human,” Xing Bi said, “Alive, very beautiful.”
“Damn,” Qiu Shi said, “The level of education is different. I can’t say such charming things.”
“Old man wasn’t just for show,” Xing Bi sped up and charged forward.
After traveling northwest for about half an hour, the number of infected ones around them began to slowly increase.
Xing Bi slowed down, jumped onto a rock on a slope, which was not easily detected by approaching infected, and Qiu Shi followed and jumped up.
“Switch to knives,” Xing Bi whispered, “We’re probably close to the location; using guns might expose us.”
“Mm.” Qiu Shi switched the gun to his left hand and drew out his knife with his right.
They returned to the ground and no longer ran but instead walked quickly, keeping a distance from the occasional infected individuals they encountered.
In the distance, the sky had started to lighten, and the surroundings were shrouded in a mist, making the landscape appear somewhat blurry, no longer as clear as it had been under the moonlight.
However, Qiu Shi saw a thin black mist gently drifting through a sparse forest in the distance.
If one looked closely, they could also see black particles floating in the air, resembling dust.
The infected individuals were heading toward the forest, with more and more of them disappearing into the black mist in the woods.
“That’s the place,” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi stopped. “Let’s not go there just yet.”
Qiu Shi looked at the map. The forest was a bit far away, and the small area detectable on the edge of the map was marked in black.
“A fungal nest?” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi.
“Yes,” Xing Bi replied, “It’s quite large.”
“Are these infected attracted to this fungal nest?” Qiu Shi was puzzled. “It seems the nests near Yun City don’t have this ability.”
“It’s the main entity inside that’s summoning them,” Xing Bi explained.
Qiu Shi immediately remembered the entity they had taken from Nest No. 1, which had become completely like a fungal culture medium.
“That thing still has this ability?” Qiu Shi was slightly disgusted and shocked.
“I don’t know,” Xing Bi replied. “Humans like you have extraordinary talents, so it’s likely that the main entity has some unique abilities as well. We’ve been living alongside these things for a long time, so it’s not surprising if any extraordinary abilities appear.”
“So what are they doing?” Qiu Shi asked, looking toward the forest.
“The infected individuals controlled the other day likely came from here,” Xing Bi said. “They were used for the attack on Yun City, but now it seems the numbers aren’t enough.”
“The ones before came from the south of Xima,” Qiu Shi said. “These are from the northwest, so there must be another culture medium entity like this in the south.”
“Yes,” Xing Bi said, still watching the forest.
Qiu Shi suddenly grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Xing Bi replied.
“What were you planning to do just now?” Qiu Shi asked.
“I was thinking that if I didn’t tell you I wouldn’t go over, would you have grabbed my arm?” Xing Bi said.
“You’re a pain,” Qiu Shi let go of his arm.
“Let’s head back,” Xing Bi said. “There must be another main entity here. Contact Li Feng. If we’re going in, we don’t have the confidence right now. The only one I can cooperate with is Lin Sheng. Sang Fan is a newly created bioroid, not experienced enough. Xiao Zuo and Xiao You would be sending themselves to their deaths if they go in.”
“Alright,” Qiu Shi nodded.
When they returned to Xima Town, it was already bright. The once-bustling Xiniu Village was now empty, with only some scattered debris on the ground—clothes that were almost torn into rags, shoes that seemed ready to fall apart, some blackened cotton fluff, and the conspicuously luxurious cans of food from the garrison, which looked out of place among all the junk.
Qiu Shi met with Captain Yang of the squad. He was serious-looking but relatively friendly, the easiest officer Qiu Shi had dealt with.
“The testing equipment from Yun City will arrive this afternoon,” Captain Yang said. “We can start working tonight, covering the uninhabited areas and villages around Xima Town.”
“Okay,” Qiu Shi replied. “Increase the patrol frequency during the day.”
“Got it,” Captain Yang looked at him. “Did you find anything unusual?”
“There’s something unusual, but I’ll need to contact Yun City first to confirm the details,” Qiu Shi said.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Captain Yang said. “My orders are to cooperate with the Hero Team as much as possible, within the conditions.”
“Don’t…” Qiu Shi suddenly felt awkward. “What Hero Team?”
Captain Yang smiled. “We’ll cooperate with the second team as much as possible, within the conditions.”
“Thanks,” Qiu Shi said.
Back at the supermarket… no, now it should be called the dormitory, the team members immediately gathered around.
“Where’s Xing Bi?” Zhao Yi glanced behind him and whispered.
“I haven’t found him yet,” Qiu Shi whispered back.
“That’s a bit boring,” Zhao Yi said.
“He went upstairs,” Qiu Shi said. “Do you expect him to come over and chat with you? Worried no one would notice?”
“Did they find something over there?” Zhao Yi asked.
“Yes,” Qiu Shi whispered. “There might be a large nest. I’ll contact Yun City to figure out how to handle it.”
“No wonder they’re all running that way,” Long Hao furrowed his brows. “If it’s a nest, we won’t be able to handle it, right? Will we die?”
“Are you scared?” Lu Yu laughed.
“Aren’t you scared?” Long Hao said. “Being scared is a normal reaction.”
“We’re all scared,” Zheng Yu leaned against the window. “We just grit our teeth and don’t talk about it. Look at Lu Yu, his face is all clenched.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’ll go upstairs to contact them,” Qiu Shi said.
“Okay.” Zhao Yi nodded.
When Qiu Shi went upstairs, he saw Liu Wu standing in the hallway on the second floor, looking at the street outside.
“Captain Qiu,” Liu Wu turned around when he heard footsteps. “Did you find anything?”
“We’ll talk about it later.” Qiu Shi walked a few steps toward his room and noticed Lin Sheng’s small dot wasn’t here. He turned back. “Where’s your partner?”
“He went out on patrol,” Liu Wu said.
“He went on patrol.” Qiu Shi looked at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Where do you think I should be?” Liu Wu asked.
“You should be lying on the bed, sleeping,” Qiu Shi turned and entered his room, slamming the door. “Damn.”
“Your temper is quite big, partner,” Xing Bi’s voice came from behind the door.
Qiu Shi turned around and saw him leaning against a chair by the wall. “Do you want to go patrol yourself, partner?”
Xing Bi smiled.
Qiu Shi took off his jacket and shook it out in annoyance.
“Don’t overthink it,” Xing Bi said. “Lin Sheng’s previous partner was similar to Liu Wu. Most partners are selected from soldiers. The attitude of the officer determines their attitude. A partner is just a title; in reality, they’re weapons. A partner like you… is rare.”
“They assume bioroids aren’t human,” Qiu Shi rubbed his wrist, and the white light spots on the back of his hand lit up.
A voice from the earpiece came through; it was Li Feng, sounding a bit nasal. “Hey.”
“Deputy Team Leader Li, you’re not still asleep, are you?” Qiu Shi glanced at the time.
“I just fell asleep,” Li Feng said. “I almost died from exhaustion.”
“I’ll finish before you die,” Qiu Shi said.
“Go ahead,” Li Feng’s voice returned to normal quickly.
“Northwest of Xima Town, near the end of the mountain range on the west side of Dahei Mountain,” Qiu Shi said. “There’s a nest, and it might be quite large.”
“Mm,” Li Feng responded. “Send me the coordinates later; I’ll check the map. Is there anything unusual about this nest?”
“It can attract infected individuals to go toward it on their own,” Qiu Shi whispered.
“Really?” Li Feng paused. “How big is the range?”
“Infected individuals from Xima Town have already started heading that way,” Qiu Shi said.
“Could the symbiont organism be using this method to gather the infected?” Li Feng asked.
“Not sure. It’s possible,” Qiu Shi replied.
“Has Xing Bi gone inside the nest to check?” Li Feng asked.
“Xing Bi…” Qiu Shi started to answer but quickly caught himself, nearly falling into the trap. “Not yet. With so many infected entering, we didn’t send anyone else…”
“Qiu Shi,” Li Feng interrupted him, “this call is secure.”
“What? Are you trying to conspire with me?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Let Xing Bi speak,” Li Feng said.
“This…” Qiu Shi paused for two seconds. “How did you figure it out?”
“I can tell you’re in a good mood,” Li Feng said.
“Damn it.” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi.
“There’s a host inside this nest,” Xing Bi began, “likely similar to the one in Nest 1 before.”
“Lao Wu called that thing a super-symbiotic organism,” Li Feng said. “Do you think this was created by Zheng Ting and his group?”
“Probably,” Xing Bi replied. “Its purpose is to gather the infected.”
“The first batch was cleared by you,” Li Feng said after a moment of thought. “Can you use the same method to clear them again?”
“It depends on how many hosts there are,” Xing Bi explained. “If there are fewer hosts, it’s easier. If there are enough hosts, it becomes much harder. They must understand this too. Next time, there won’t be just five hosts.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Li Feng asked.
“Give me my team members,” Xing Bi said.
Li Feng fell silent.
Qiu Shi looked at Xing Bi. The “team members” likely referred to the hidden guard squad Xing Bi had back in the day. He’d mentioned before that he and Lin Sheng had always been on the same team.
“How many?” Qiu Shi asked him.
“Four,” Xing Bi replied. “Curator Wu should have already reactivated them.”
“That might be difficult,” Li Feng finally said.
“Is there anything you find difficult?” Qiu Shi asked.
“The key issue is that Xing Bi is still officially missing,” Li Feng said. “Lin Sheng isn’t entirely controllable either. If we release two more, without partners… it’s simply impossible.”
“You bureaucrat,” Qiu Shi said. “No need to keep emphasizing that Xing Bi is missing.”
“This nest is closer to Yun City,” Xing Bi said. “If the infected reach sufficient numbers and it becomes uncontrollable, Yun City will be in trouble.”
“We can only confirm the location of one nest right now,” Qiu Shi said. “Who knows if there are more? There might be one in the Donglin direction as well…”
“You two work pretty well together,” Li Feng said. “Alright, I’ll give it a shot, but no guarantees. You’d better have a backup plan.”
After the call ended, Qiu Shi let out a small sigh of relief.
“Hmm?” Xing Bi looked at him.
“This request might not be easy to fulfill, right?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Right,” Xing Bi agreed.
“They…” Qiu Shi felt a tickle in his nose and rubbed it, only to freeze. “What the hell?”
His hand was covered in blood.
Xing Bi rushed over in two steps. “Where are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m not feeling unwell,” Qiu Shi said, though he could feel more blood flowing from his nose and the metallic taste in his throat. Grabbing a scarf nearby, he wiped at it. “What the hell is going on?”
Xing Bi grabbed his wrist.
“I’m not going to die, am I?” Qiu Shi asked.
“No, you’re just not fully adapted yet,” Xing Bi said. “But we need to temporarily…”
“Temporarily what?” Qiu Shi stood up and grabbed a towel to press against his nose.
“Slow down the circulation a bit,” Xing Bi said, pressing a spot on the side of Qiu Shi’s neck.
Suddenly, Qiu Shi felt his legs go weak and his vision blur rapidly. His last memory was Xing Bi’s hand catching him by the shoulder as he fell forward against Xing Bi.
