Qiu Shi felt like he was going to die.
That was his first thought when he was jolted awake from unconsciousness.
His chest and back were in excruciating pain. Already struggling to breathe while cramped in the box, he now found it even harder with several broken ribs.
At least three or four ribs were broken, he thought. He could feel the broken bones shifting, or so he believed.
Yes.
That crazy hidden guard had indeed shoved him back into the box.
But the box was broken and couldn’t be closed. Through a gap in the lid, Qiu Shi saw two vines tied around the box.
Qiu Shi tried to calm himself down amidst the suffocating chaos. He needed to understand the situation. The hidden guard was theoretically sent by Li Feng, but his behavior was too similar to the bioroids that had kidnapped him. Combined with what he knew from school books about bioroids, he couldn’t fully trust him.
“Xing Bi,” he said, tapping his fingers inside the box.
Xing Bi didn’t respond, but his footsteps paused slightly.
“Where are we going?” Qiu Shi asked.
Xing Bi remained silent.
“Who sent you?” Qiu Shi continued, “Where did you come from?”
Xing Bi still didn’t answer.
“What the hell is your mission?” Qiu Shi asked, trying to suppress his anger.
This question finally seemed to hit the right switch. Xing Bi spoke, “Deliver target Qiu Shi back to the starting point within forty minutes and ensure his vital signs.”
Qiu Shi didn’t know why there was such a time limit, but since it was clear, there must be a reason. The key point was his vital signs.
This meant that as long as he didn’t die, it was fine.
“Let me out,” Qiu Shi endured the pain, “I can’t breathe.”
Xing Bi didn’t speak but paused slightly. Then, a stick, seemingly broken off from somewhere, poked through the gap in the box lid, widening it by about a centimeter.
“You…” Qiu Shi was about to curse when the box was dragged over a rock, causing him so much pain that he almost passed out.
Even if Xing Bi could get him back within forty minutes and he didn’t die from the jostling, the suffering along the way made him feel like dying would be better.
“How do you determine that I can survive to the starting point?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Based on your injuries,” Xing Bi’s hoarse voice was calm and emotionless. “If left untreated, you will survive for another five days.”
“How much longer to return?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Twenty minutes,” Xing Bi replied.
“Fine.” Qiu Shi gritted his teeth. If Xing Bi didn’t speed up, these twenty minutes could be torture enough to kill him.
He struggled to move his arm, pressing his left wrist against the edge of his left boot, then yanked upward.
The metal piece on the boot edge cut a deep gash into his wrist.
After a brief moment of pain, warm blood began to flow out.
Xing Bi’s footsteps stopped, and he reached to widen the gap in the box lid. Qiu Shi stretched out his hand and grabbed Xing Bi’s wrist, “Carry the box and run.”
“You won’t die.” Xing Bi didn’t move; he just looked at the blood on his hand.
“There are plenty of arteries,” Qiu Shi said, “and one of them will surely kill me. I’m not a bioroid.”
Xing Bi released the vines tying the box, then opened the lid.
Before Qiu Shi could react, Xing Bi chopped at the side of his neck.
Li Feng and Curator Wu sat together in the vehicle that brought Xing Bi to the exhibition hall. Beside them, a bunch of incomprehensible instruments beeped occasionally, with indicator lights flashing and numbers changing.
Li Feng didn’t understand what these things represented, only knowing that the data all pertained to Xing Bi. Whether he moved or remained still, all his bodily functions, monitored through sensors implanted in his body, were under the surveillance of the experimental team.
Curator Wu was very nervous, while Li Feng felt a bit sleepy.
He only perked up when he saw Director Zhang’s furrowed brow and somber face through the window of the other car.
“Can we see Qiu Shi’s condition from Xiao Chong?” Curator Wu asked.
“It’s about the same as before,” Li Feng said as he tossed the receiver in front of him, “He’s alive, but it’s hard to say what condition he’s in.”
“The ambulance is right outside,” Curator Wu said.
“Xing Bi better be careful,” Li Feng said in a very low voice, “If Qiu Shi is crippled, he’s useless.”
“If he really is…” Curator Wu also lowered his voice and said, “There are still ways.”
Li Feng glanced at him and simply replied, “No way.”
“Xing Bi has stopped,” someone monitoring said.
Curator Wu immediately stood up and walked over to the machine. Director Zhang, who had been watching the situation closely, also quickly got out of his car and banged on the door of their car.
Li Feng went over to open the door for him.
“What happened?” Director Zhang asked.
“He’s been stationary for over thirty seconds,” Curator Wu said.
“What caused it?” Director Zhang pressed.
“He just stood there without moving,” Li Feng said.
“…Lao Wu?” Director Zhang stared at Curator Wu.
“The data doesn’t show the specific cause,” Curator Wu said, fixated on the monitoring system. “We can only see how long he’s been stationary, including all his body movements.”
“Is he still alive?” Director Zhang asked.
“He’s alive,” Curator Wu said. “There were no previous signs of attack or injury.”
“Director Li,” Director Zhang turned to Li Feng, controlling his impatience and anger. “Did you think this situation might happen when you forced me to approach the general?”
“I honestly didn’t think of this,” Li Feng answered calmly.
“Is there any way to get him to move?” Director Zhang asked.
“Not currently,” one of the staff members responded. “Preparation time was too short for more detailed adjustments.”
“Weren’t you going to write your will today?” Director Zhang continued to look at Li Feng and say, “You can start writing.”
“It’s already written,” Li Feng said, clearing his throat.
Director Zhang opened the door, jumped out of the car, and slammed the door of his own car.
“Do you really have a death wish?” Curator Wu asked, “I’m afraid Lao Zhang might shoot you.”
“I’ll apologize to him tomorrow,” Li Feng rubbed his face, “I tend to babble when I’m nervous.”
Curator Wu gave him a glance. There was no way to tell if his words were true or false.
Two minutes later, the staff monitoring the system and Curator Wu both shouted, “He’s moving!”
Hearing the commotion, Director Zhang rushed back into the vehicle and asked, “Which direction is he heading?”
“It looks like he’s returning along the same route,” the staff member said. “But much faster than before, he’ll arrive well within the controllable time.”
Director Zhang let out a long sigh of relief.
“Why the sudden speed up?” Li Feng took a look at Qiu Shi’s receiver. On the surface, there didn’t seem to be much change, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief. “I’m going outside for some air.”
Tonight, there were stars, sparsely scattered. It was said that this scene could only be seen in Yun City, thanks to the mountains and forests that allowed them to see the night sky.
Li Feng walked to the cliff where Xing Bi had jumped off earlier, looked up at the sky for a while, then lowered his head to look at the pitch-black forest below.
Thirty-two minutes later.
Xing Bi returned to the vehicle, dragging a black box tied with two circles of vines.
“Whose blood is that?” Li Feng immediately noticed the blood on Xing Bi’s hand.
“The target’s,” Xing Bi said.
When the emergency personnel transferred Qiu Shi out of the box, Li Feng saw his wrist still dripping with blood.
“What’s with this injury?” Li Feng frowned.
Xing Bi didn’t answer.
Li Feng wanted to ask more, but with Director Zhang still present, the more questions he asked, the more it would make Director Zhang doubt the safety of the hidden guard. So he said no more and just stared into Xing Bi’s eyes.
Although, according to Curator Wu, Xing Bi in today’s forced lockdown state could not have consciously stopped or sped up midway, the specific reason could only be investigated back in the lab. Li Feng still stared at him for a long time.
Only after Xing Bi left and the scene was cleared did he turn and get into the ambulance.
Qiu Shi looked miserable. Li Feng had known him for almost ten years and had never seen him so badly injured. After all, this was the man who only broke an arm falling off a cliff.
In the ambulance, Qiu Shi’s general injuries were quickly assessed.
Multiple rib fractures, including two on his back, muscle tears…
Aside from the two fractures on his back, which Li Feng could confirm were from when Qiu Shi was kidnapped, he couldn’t understand how the other fractures happened.
Being stuffed in a box shouldn’t break ribs…
As for the chase, with Xing Bi’s abilities, it was unlikely there was a struggle severe enough to cause such injuries… The only explanation was that it was in order to ensure the target’s vital signs were intact.
He was even stuffed back into the box for transport.
Li Feng couldn’t tell if this order was executed too precisely or too carelessly.
“What caused so many fractures?” he asked the emergency personnel.
“Both compression and impact—more details will need a thorough examination.”
“He’s not going to die, right?” Li Feng glanced at Qiu Shi’s somewhat pale face.
“No,” the emergency personnel said, “but recovery will take some time.”
“How long?” Li Feng immediately asked.
“Two to three months,” the emergency personnel replied. “He’s in good shape, but full recovery will take even longer.”
“Got it,” Li Feng said, furrowing his brow and turning away.
.
Qiu Shi felt he must have passed out. Judging by the pain all over his body, he hadn’t been unconscious for long.
When he woke up, he didn’t open his eyes immediately. Instead, he kept them shut, resting while quickly going over everything he could remember in his mind.
There were instruments beeping around him and things attached to his body and hands. Based on his guess, he should be in a hospital.
This seemed suspicious. and
He had never been to a hospital, and no one he knew had either. The only hospital in Yun City was in the inner city, which not just anyone could enter.
Qiu Shi’s understanding of medical care was limited to the few small pharmacies in the outer city. The company regularly provided medical supplies to the residents of the outer city living in harsh conditions, but not everyone got them. The company even opened a channel for applying for professional medical care, but Dayan’s wife, who had something growing in her stomach, died without ever getting notified to enter the inner city.
As for ordinary medicine, it trickled down from outer city gangs to refugee groups, then to those with some valuable goods but no access to the inner city. The result was that if you could recover on your own, you did; if not, you waited for someone to collect your corpse.
And now he was possibly lying in that hospital no one had ever been to.
He didn’t feel any joy, only suspicion.
Despite the severe pain all over his body affecting his thinking, he knew that with his relationship with Li Feng and Li Feng’s personality, there was no way he would arrange for him to stay in a hospital if there was no conspiracy.
Besides, there were the eight deaths at the Dayan Tavern, the old man whose fate was unknown, and his own mysterious abduction… Yes, not just abducted, but taken by invading bioroids and brought back by a bioroid from Yun City who disabled the other.
Twice.
But now, that was no longer the most important thing.
None of it made sense to him.
And things that don’t make sense imply danger.
It’s that simple.
It was very quiet around him; no one was there.
Qiu Shi opened his eyes to find himself in a pristine, clean room he had never seen before. Everything was white, almost blindingly so, except for the instruments connected to him.
He furrowed his brow and slowly propped himself up, checking his body. He was wrapped in bandages with a bunch of tubes attached to him. He realized that his movement was hindered not just by his injuries but also by the leather straps securing his hands and feet to the small bed.
Were they worried he’d commit suicide?
He slowly laid back down.
Ten seconds later, he abruptly sat up. After a few muffled sounds, his hands and feet were free. He then ripped off all the tubes and walked toward the door.
As he approached the door, he heard a “click” from the lock. He tried turning it, but it was locked. Someone outside must have heard the commotion and locked the door quickly. He saw someone peeking in through the window.
He knocked on the door a couple of times, unsure of the material, but he was certain he couldn’t kick it open.
So he looked around, then dragged the hospital bed over.
Lifting the bed made his chest feel like it was tearing apart, and he could barely raise his arms, but he gritted his teeth, lifted the bed, and slammed it down on the lock with its weight.
There was a startled cry from outside.
The lock fell to the floor.
The door slowly opened as the bed slid away.
Outside was a long corridor with bright white ceiling lights and a faint smell of antiseptic. Qiu Shi had never been inside any inner city buildings except for the storage facility of the Security Bureau, but the scene in front of him felt like a completely different world from where he had lived.
He stood still for a few seconds to observe his surroundings and ease the pain from his previous movements, then slowly walked down the corridor.
Both sides of the corridor were lined with rooms, and as he moved forward, several open doors slammed shut.
Each room had glass panels. He looked into each one until he saw several girls in identical uniforms huddled together in a room without a bed. He stopped.
Yun City Mining—this was indeed the inner city’s hospital.
Qiu Shi raised his elbow and smashed the glass on the door.
“What are you doing?” the girls inside cried out in panic.
One girl, who seemed slightly calmer, said loudly, “We’ve already pressed the alarm! The guards will be here soon.”
“Where is this?” Qiu Shi asked, looking at her.
“…the hospital,” the girl replied.
“Location,” Qiu Shi demanded.
“The valley… Valley Square,” the girl stammered.
Qiu Shi impatiently furrowed his brow. “Details.”
“Level three of Peak Seven, southeast of Valley Square,” the girl quickly rattled off. “At the end of the corridor, to the right is the exit to the transport pod, which can take you directly to the inner city gate.”
Qiu Shi nodded, turned, and walked towards the end of the corridor.
He had only taken a few steps when several people with guns appeared at the end of the corridor.
Qiu Shi didn’t stop; he kept walking forward.
The gunmen did not shoot; they just pointed their guns at him.
Qiu Shi entered the transport pod, turned, and watched the gunmen. They didn’t fire or attempt to enter the pod.
Seeing the vehicle parked at the cave entrance, Qiu Shi understood why they hadn’t shot.
The door opened, and Li Feng was sitting inside, waving him over.
Qiu Shi approached, leaning against the car door. “You have two choices: kill me now or tell me what’s going on.”
“You have only one choice,” Li Feng said. “Get in.”
“I can still choose to die,” Qiu Shi said.
“Not anymore,” Li Feng glanced around. “Get in.”
Although no one was watching closely, people stood at varying distances around them, all looking in their direction. Despite wearing hospital clothes, Qiu Shi’s demeanor clearly marked him as an outsider in the inner city.
“Oh, you’re afraid of this.” Qiu Shi suddenly smiled, took a few steps back, and took a deep breath, unsure whether to shout or run.
“Ask what you want to know. I’ll only tell you what I can,” Li Feng shouted, suppressing his voice. “Get in the car!”
Qiu Shi got into the car, feeling pain all over his body. Standing there was already becoming unbearable. He just wanted to see Li Feng’s attitude.
The driver started the car and began driving along the lower roads of the inner city. Li Feng checked the soundproofing, then turned to Qiu Shi and asked, “If I hadn’t come, where were you planning to go?”
“Back,” Qiu Shi replied.
“Your injuries won’t heal outside the city,” Li Feng said.
“Then move a hospital room there,” Qiu Shi said. “I still have several vacant shelters.”
Li Feng turned his head and glared at him.
“I’m going to start asking questions.” Qiu Shi leaned back in his seat, turning to look at him.
Li Feng remained silent.
“Upstairs at the Dayan Tavern,” Qiu Shi asked, “What happened to the old man?”
Li Feng seemed surprised that this was his first question. He squinted and said, “I don’t know. There was no one on the second floor when the city defense team arrived.”
Qiu Shi’s brow furrowed instantly. “Did Xing Bi see the old man when he caught up with those bioroids?”
“I don’t know,” Li Feng said, “I can check for you.”
“No need,” Qiu Shi immediately refused.
“Anything else you want to ask?” Li Feng inquired.
“Xing Bi is a hidden guard of Yun City.” Qiu Shi raised his arm and adjusted his sitting position to avoid pressing on his back. “Right?”
“Yes,” Li Feng answered.
“Why did those bioroids take me?” Qiu Shi continued.
“I don’t know,” Li Feng said.
“Bullshit, you don’t know,” Qiu Shi said. “This question has the same answer as why you sent a hidden guard to save me. You just don’t want to say it, you damned official.”
Li Feng sighed, “I’m just a lowly official in the Security Bureau. You need to ask the general or Mr. Long for those answers.”
When Qiu Shi was about to ask another question, he noticed that the road outside wasn’t the one leading out of the inner city. It was a completely unfamiliar route.
Of course, the only road he had traveled in the inner city was the one to the warehouse.
“Where are we going now?” Qiu Shi stared out the window.
It was a former narrow waterway. There were many such roads in the inner city, but although this place was within the inner city, there were no signs of life. Apart from a few mining shops and passersby walking quickly with their heads down, there were only towering peaks like blades. Looking up, it seemed as if the mountains were about to block out the sky.
“First, we’re picking someone up,” Li Feng said. “Then I’ll take you to see something.”
Qiu Shi said nothing.
He had a premonition that he might be getting involved in something difficult to extricate himself from.
“Qiu Shi, you’re not as strong as you think you are.”
He recalled Li Feng’s words.
He hadn’t understood what Li Feng meant at the time.
…He still doesn’t understand now.
The car turned into a tunnel that showed no signs of maintenance. They were still in the inner city, but the tunnel had an outer-city feel to it.
Apparently, the inner city map in the books didn’t show everything.
The car stopped in the tunnel. Li Feng opened the door, and a middle-aged man got in, sitting opposite Qiu Shi.
This man was from the military. Although he wasn’t in uniform, the hat he wore obscured his eyes, but his unique build and demeanor gave him away.
“Qiu Shi,” the middle-aged man removed his hat, revealing his face. “Nice to meet you.”
Qiu Shi originally thought this man didn’t want to show his face, so he was surprised when the man took off his hat. But surprise aside, Qiu Shi felt that, with such an ordinary face that could only be recognized by his clothes, it didn’t matter whether he wore the hat or not.
“What’s so nice about it?” Qiu Shi felt uncomfortable with this way of conversing.
“From now on,” the man said, “you’re no longer the scavenger you used to be.”
Qiu Shi was stunned, then irritated.
Since the incident at the Dayan Tavern, every event has been a source of frustration. His injuries have been constantly painful, and now this man came in, speaking as if he were in control…
He responded simply, “Get lost.”
Li Feng coughed lightly.
The man didn’t mind and just said, “Drive.”
The car drove out of the tunnel. The three men in the car didn’t speak again. Qiu Shi was in too much pain to think clearly, and the other two were lost in their own thoughts.
After about ten minutes, the car entered another tunnel and stopped at the end of it.
“Get off,” Li Feng said.
After the other two got out, Qiu Shi slowly followed, trailing behind them as they walked out of the tunnel.
On the other side of the exit, there was no road. The tunnel ended on a cliff.
Ahead was an expanse of endless green forest and distant peaks shrouded in mist.
When Qiu Shi’s gaze moved from the distant view to the area below, he froze.
After a long moment, he asked, “What is this?”
“The greatest crisis facing Yun City.”
________________
Author’s Note:
I want to say something about this perspective. I seem to write more about mutual attacks because I slightly prefer them, but in many cases, I don’t actually have a preference; I’m fine with anything. When I’m writing, I don’t really pay attention to this. Until someone asked about it, I hadn’t even thought about it. Especially now that I can’t write explicit scenes, I feel like it’s fine for everyone to stand wherever they want, as long as they don’t break up the pairing. So, I’ll mark it as “mutual attack.”
But I’m not sure if this is right. I’m really afraid of causing arguments. If someone is unhappy because of this reason that I didn’t pay much attention to, I would be really distressed.
So, here’s the deal: I’ll change this perspective to “mutual attack,” but I don’t mind how you interpret it. To those who can’t accept it, I apologize. In the future, I’ll label it clearly from the start and try not to use the “undefined” tag again.
