If Li Feng became the leader of Yun City, there’s one thing for sure—during the city’s celebration speech, Li Feng would definitely be more captivating and provocative than Mr. Long.
Qiu Shi didn’t want to agree with this statement, but every time, he found himself unable to refute it.
“You’re always right,” he looked at Li Feng.
“I can’t help it,” Li Feng said. “You’ve got to either excel in physical strength or intelligence. I was forced into this.”
“What’s my identity when I go to Xima Town now?” Qiu Shi asked. “With your intelligence, I’m definitely not just the captain of Team Two anymore.”
“Smart,” Li Feng said. “You are now the captain of Team Two and a consultant.”
“What kind of consultant?” Qiu Shi was stunned.
“A special combat consultant for symbiont battles, hired by our task force,” Li Feng explained. “You have extensive experience fighting against symbionts, understand their attack patterns, and are familiar with their combat logic.”
“I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” Qiu Shi stared at him. “What kind of nonsense is this?”
“Just remember that even Colonel Lian Yu will take your advice into account,” Li Feng said.
“…You really dare to do anything,” Qiu Shi replied. “What about Xing Bi?”
“Xing Bi is the Chief Commander of Yun City’s bioroids,” Li Feng said. “That should make sense to you, right? Xing Bi is currently the strongest and most reliable bioroid in Yun City.”
“Does Xing Bi know he’s the Chief Commander?” Qiu Shi glanced at the bunker, where Xing Bi was sitting on top, watching them.
“He’s already been doing the job. This is just giving him an official title to make things more convenient,” Li Feng replied.
“Director Li!” Xiao Lei ran down from the bunker with a group of men. “We’re all set and ready to move out.”
“Ride with Consultant Qiu,” Li Feng instructed. “The uniforms are in the vehicle. Change into them later so the garrison at Xima Town won’t think you’re unprofessional.”
“Got it.” Xiao Lei nodded.
“What happened to your face?” Li Feng asked.
“I…” Xiao Lei glanced at Qiu Shi. “I slipped while taking a piss last night.”
“Get in the car,” Li Feng tilted his head.
After everyone boarded, Li Feng looked at Qiu Shi and said, “You really know how to pick your targets when fighting, huh? Even dared to hit someone from the Security Bureau.”
“If he hadn’t led the charge, do you think these guys would’ve fallen into your trap so easily?” Qiu Shi replied.
Li Feng chuckled. “Contact me when you’ve settled down in Xima.”
Qiu Shi said nothing and turned to get in the car.
With the title of Combat Consultant and Bio-Warrior Chief Commander, the treatment was naturally different. They had a dedicated driver, two vehicles—one for the bioroids and one for the corpse collectors.
To give Qiu Shi some face, these brothers didn’t have to squeeze into the big black truck with the dozens of conscripts. There was also a weapons and equipment vehicle trailing behind.
Of course, the weapons were for resupplying Xima Town and not part of their perks.
Still, the momentum was quite impressive as they set off.
Qiu Shi glanced at the bunkers outside the car window, feeling a bit down. Once they left, who knew when they’d be able to return?
“Li Feng said someone will guard the bunkers. The garrison outside the city won’t seize them,” He Jiang said. “Can we trust that?”
“Yes,” Xiao Lei replied.
“This place is of no use right now, and it’s not troublesome to maintain,” Qiu Shi added. “It’ll hold.”
“If I hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have realized that besides these rocks,” Zhao Lü said, “I’ve got nothing.”
“You’ve got your life,” Hu Xiaoling said. “That’s already pretty fortunate.”
“Treasure it. You only get one life,” Qiu Shi said. “Next time you plan to risk it, let me know first.”
As the car passed through Yun City’s checkpoint, Qiu Shi looked out again. The conscription had taken away all the young and strong men, leaving behind women, the sick, and the disabled.
These people might be sent to the outer city as reinforcements, but whether they could survive was uncertain.
At this point, entering the outer city was their only hope of staying alive.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the bioroid vehicle?” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi.
“Sang Fan is there,” Xing Bi said. “She’s familiar with the situation on Zheng Ting’s side and can brief them. It’s also a good learning opportunity for her.”
“Learning what?” Qiu Shi asked.
“How to interact with other bioroids. She’s newly activated and still not good at… socializing. Plus, having her explain the situation will help put everyone at ease,” Xing Bi explained.
“Are they afraid of you or something?” Qiu Shi leaned back in his seat and chuckled.
“Do they?” Xing Bi asked.
“You can feel it,” Qiu Shi replied.
Xing Bi fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Maybe. After all, the memories are still there. Everything I’ve done, they remember.”
“Why did they choose to stay in Yun City in the end?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Because it was part of our factory settings. Breaking free from that is not easy,” Xing Bi said. “We are infinitely close to humans, but never truly human.”
Qiu Shi let out a soft sigh. “You’re different. You’ve broken free from that… but…”
“I still have hope for humanity,” Xing Bi looked at him. “There will always be a human who gives me hope.”
Qiu Shi grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly.
After Team Three was completely wiped out, the defenses of Xima Town were significantly reinforced. In addition to the hidden sentries along the way, several new watchtowers had been added near the town. The gun barrels gleamed in the sunlight, and armored vehicles were stationed beneath the towers.
Even with a special pass, their convoy of five vehicles was stopped and thoroughly inspected at every checkpoint.
This wasn’t a problem for Qiu Shi. Strengthening defenses was the right move. For a symbiont, breaking through human defenses was far too easy. The only solution was to increase density and firepower.
However, for the corpse collectors in the car, this scene was far more intimidating than the checkpoints outside Yun City. The atmosphere of war became frighteningly real.
The first wave of conscripts had already been deployed. As they passed through Xiniu Village, they saw a large number of new recruits waiting for roll call before being sent into the town.
“Damn,” He Jiang stared out the window. “This looks way more intense than Yun City. Why isn’t Yun City doing this?”
“Yun City has its own defensive arrangements. We just don’t know about them,” Qiu Shi replied. “Besides, Yun City’s front is all wasteland, which is hard to defend. Xima Town is the first line of defense.”
The town was bustling with activity. Squads of soldiers and military vehicles passed by frequently.
When their vehicle stopped in front of the supermarket, Zhao Yi was already waiting on the street with Captain Yang and two veteran soldiers.
“Consultant Qiu,” Captain Yang greeted. “It’s been a tough journey.”
“Qiu Shi, just call me Captain Qiu. I’m not used to being called ‘consultant,’” Qiu Shi said.
“Understood, Captain Qiu,” Captain Yang immediately adjusted. “The bioroids’ dormitory is on the second floor. The new recruits you brought will be housed in the barracks over there. There’s no space left in Team Two’s quarters.”
“That’s fine,” Qiu Shi nodded. “As long as we’re treated the same as everyone else.”
“Which division they’ll be assigned to, we’ll discuss after they settle in,” Captain Yang said.
“I’ll find you later,” Qiu Shi replied.
“Alright,” Captain Yang signaled to the corpse collectors in the car. “Grab your gear, someone will take you to the barracks.”
Qiu Shi lowered his voice to Zhao Lü, “Once I confirm your assignment with Captain Yang, I’ll come find you.”
“No need for special treatment,” Zhao Lü replied quietly. “If we stand out too much, others will get suspicious. Just follow the normal procedure. At least we’ve survived longer than those refugees who’ve never had a full meal.”
Qiu Shi sighed and said no more.
After greeting the members of Team Two, Qiu Shi turned to Xing Bi. “I’ll take the bioroids to the second floor. You go pick up Ji Sui and Xu Jie.”
“Got it.” Xing Bi nodded.
The second floor had been cleared out. Apart from the room Qiu Shi and Xing Bi used to stay in, the rest were reserved for the bioroids.
Lin Sheng leaned against the railing in the corridor. When he saw Qiu Shi leading the team upstairs, he slowly straightened up.
“We meet again,” he said.
“We meet again,” someone responded.
Sang Fan led four female bioroids into her room, while the remaining sixteen male bioroids were assigned rooms by Lin Sheng.
“Team Three’s bodies have been recovered,” Lin Sheng reported after arranging the rooms and returning to the corridor.
“Any clues?” Qiu Shi immediately asked.
“They all had their heads crushed directly,” Lin Sheng said. “One of the soldiers had black pine needles under his fingernails. There are only red pines around Xima Town.”
“Where can you find black pines?” Qiu Shi asked.
Lin Sheng turned and entered his room, where a sand table was set up, displaying the terrain from Xima Town to Shidi and Zhuyuan. Three locations were marked with toothpicks.
“These three places,” Lin Sheng pointed.
“Where’d you get this thing?” Qiu Shi asked.
“I made it,” Lin Sheng replied. “Just a rough terrain model.”
“Not bad,” Qiu Shi was a little surprised. “Where did you get the data?”
“When you were injured,” Lin Sheng said, “Xing Bi collected information while contacting Zheng Ting’s team.”
Qiu Shi didn’t say anything. He reached out and gently touched the sand table.
“Not too far,” Qiu Shi murmured. “All three locations are within striking distance of Xima Town overnight.”
“Exactly,” Lin Sheng turned to the door. “I suggest we move quickly.”
Qiu Shi turned around and saw that Xing Bi had already brought Ji Sui and Xu Jie inside.
“Divide the teams,” Qiu Shi said as he walked out. He knew the symbionts wouldn’t wait long. They were collecting infected hosts, and once they had enough, they could launch an attack at any moment. Time was of the essence. “I’ll go inform Captain Yang.”
“Got it,” Xing Bi replied. “We don’t need human soldiers for now. Only after confirming the target will we need their support.”
“Understood.” Qiu Shi left the dormitory.
Other than the streets, Xima Town looked nothing like it did when Qiu Shi first came here on his so-called “expedition.” The buildings had been completely transformed, with store signs removed and replaced with office plaques and neatly arranged barracks.
As Qiu Shi walked toward Captain Yang’s office, he felt that the traces of the “ancestors” who once lived here were slowly being erased.
This was already a world ruled by the “Doomsday Survivors” — filled with tense order and suppressed fear.
The corpse collection team had temporarily been assigned to logistics. Since they had basic education and could drive, they were responsible for managing and transporting supplies, which was Captain Yang’s suggestion. Qiu Shi didn’t object.
“But for now, night patrols still require their participation,” Captain Yang said. “Although we have monitoring equipment, against the speed of symbionts, early warnings are measured in seconds. The only solution is to increase the frequency and density of patrols.”
“Understood.” Qiu Shi nodded.
“When will the bioroids depart?” Captain Yang asked.
“Not sure,” Qiu Shi replied. “We’re ready to go at any moment. We need light snow vehicles, no heavy weapons, just our firearms.”
“Got it.” Captain Yang looked at him and hesitated for a moment before asking, “Captain Qiu, do you think…”
“Stop with the ‘sir,’” Qiu Shi cut him off. “Captain Yang, let’s keep things the way they were before. Your formality makes me uncomfortable.”
“The war is about to begin,” Captain Yang smoothly switched his tone. “Do you think we can hold Xima Town if a fight breaks out?”
“I don’t know,” Qiu Shi replied. “I don’t like thinking that far ahead.”
“That’s… far?” Captain Yang asked.
“Far,” Qiu Shi said. “I only focus on what’s right in front of me, like scouting the symbiont nest in a bit. Whether we can hold this place or not, whether the mission succeeds or fails… For me, it’s just a matter of living or dying. Overthinking makes fear creep in. My courage comes more from anger and impulse.”
“Thank you.” Captain Yang smiled. “That actually helped me a lot.”
Qiu Shi often wondered too — could they really hold Xima Town? And if not… who would die?
The conscripted refugees, the ordinary soldiers — they would die, either in battle or from their wounds.
Who would survive?
Qiu Shi didn’t want to think further. Some things hurt too much when thought through too clearly.
On his way back, a transport truck stopped beside him. When Qiu Shi turned his head, he saw Zhao Lü in the driver’s seat.
“Holy shit,” Qiu Shi was surprised. “You’ve already started?”
“The captain of our squad had to deliver supplies to an outer village, so I’m taking these to the warehouse,” Zhao Lü lowered his voice. “Guess who’s in our squad? That guy who sold bone skewers in the refugee market — Zhang Canned Food.”
“He’s here too?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Arrived a few days before us,” Zhao Lü said. “He said here, they feed you, give you clothes, and you get a real bed that doesn’t leak in the rain. Way better than the outer city. Even if he dies, he says it’s worth it.”
“Tell him to drop that last part,” Qiu Shi said.
“I know,” Zhao Lü chuckled. “We had food, clothes, and beds back in the bunker too, remember?”
Twenty bioroids, plus Xing Bi’s original team, and Sang Fan’s group — a total of twenty-seven. Two stayed in the command room for intel gathering, a few remained to defend the town, and the rest split into three teams to scout the three suspected locations.
Team One: Xing Bi, Lin Sheng, Qiu Shi, and Xiao Zuo.
Team Two: Ji Sui, Sang Fan, Xiao You, and a newly arrived infiltration guard.
Team Three: Xu Jie and three infiltration guards who had worked with him before being assigned to Xing Bi’s squad.
Before departure, everyone gathered. Xing Bi handed each symbiont a small black box, about the size of a palm.
“This can’t change the nature of the symbiont,” Xing Bi explained. “But it can temporarily block their control. They won’t be able to manipulate or detect us while this is active. Just open it when needed.”
“Isn’t this the same device the Eastern Forest squad uses?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Yeah, but theirs is a larger version,” Xing Bi said. “Mayor Luo gave Yun City one. This smaller version was developed by Curator Wu’s people. It works, but we don’t know how long it lasts or if the symbionts can break through it.”
“Still in the experimental stage,” Qiu Shi muttered.
“Exactly,” Xing Bi said. “We’re the test subjects.”
Qiu Shi was annoyed but had no other choice. At least this was better than nothing.
“Let’s move out,” Xing Bi said. “Everyone, the mission begins.”
Xing Bi’s squad headed southwest, directly south of the massive nest they encountered last time — theoretically the most likely target.
The sun was already tilting westward when they set off, casting a golden glow over the snow-covered ground. It was stunning, yet blinding. Qiu Shi put on his goggles to shield his eyes.
Xing Bi drove one vehicle with Qiu Shi, while Lin Sheng drove the other with Xiao Zuo.
Yun City had brought out several new weapons and vehicles this time. The two snowmobiles they were currently riding were lightweight, stable, quiet, and incredibly fast.
The only issue was that the wind whipped against their faces so fiercely at high speeds, it felt like their skin was being torn off.
Qiu Shi unfolded the map and pressed his forehead against Xing Bi’s back to shield himself from the wind while closely monitoring the changes on the map.
The last time he rode like this was during the Eastern Forest mission. The only difference this time was that his feet had proper footrests, so he didn’t have to step on Xing Bi’s shoes anymore.
“Xing Bi.” Lin Sheng’s voice came through the team channel.
“Mm.” Xing Bi responded.
“Ji Sui’s team has gone to check the previous nest,” Lin Sheng said. “Zheng Ting’s body is gone.”
“Mm.” Xing Bi replied.
“He’s not dead,” Lin Sheng continued. “His core system wasn’t destroyed.”
“I know.” Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi lifted his head.
“You’re planning to use symbiotic perception, aren’t you?” Lin Sheng asked. “Let Zheng Ting feel your emotions.”
“Killing one Zheng Ting won’t change much,” Xing Bi said. “The real threat is the people behind him. If this works, it’ll be to our advantage. If not, we’ll kill him again.”
“Got it.” Lin Sheng fell silent.
“You didn’t tell me,” Qiu Shi switched to a private channel.
“I didn’t want to put more pressure on you,” Xing Bi replied. “The other four symbionts are immobilized. You’re the only one left.”
“I can handle this much pressure,” Qiu Shi said.
“Alright,” Xing Bi replied.
“Alright what?” Qiu Shi asked.
“I’ll tell you next time,” Xing Bi said.
“There’s gonna be a next time?” Qiu Shi retorted.
“What else can we do?” Xing Bi said. “We can’t turn back now.”
“If something like this happens again,” Lin Sheng suddenly cut in, “he’ll let you know.”
“F*ck,” Qiu Shi was stunned to hear Lin Sheng’s voice. He frantically pressed the headset several times. “Hello? Hello?”
“There’s no private channel during team missions,” Lin Sheng said calmly.
“…Sh*t.” Qiu Shi stopped talking and lowered his head, pressing his forehead back against Xing Bi’s back with a sigh.
He could feel Xing Bi smiling.
Go ahead and laugh.
As they approached the target location, vast stretches of dark pine forest began to appear around them.
On the map, scattered infected individuals began to show up, aimlessly wandering without heading in any specific direction.
If there was a nest here, it indicated that their destruction of the northwestern nest last time had dealt a significant blow. It wouldn’t be easy for the symbionts to gather enough infected hosts in a short time.
“There’s fungal growth,” Qiu Shi spotted patches of fungi appearing on the map. The distribution was scattered, resembling spores spreading from the main nest.
“On foot,” Xing Bi ordered. “There’s a rock pit ahead. Park the vehicles there.”
“You chased them this far before?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Mm.” Xing Bi chuckled.
Qiu Shi reached out and gave his shoulder a light squeeze.
“Was there fungal growth last time you were here?” Lin Sheng asked.
“Yes,” Xing Bi replied.
“The distribution pattern looks natural,” Lin Sheng observed.
“But the source could still be from an artificial nest,” Xing Bi said as he stopped the vehicle. Sure enough, there was a rock pit ahead, large enough to conceal both snowmobiles.
“Team One has arrived near the target location,” Xing Bi reported back to Xima Town. “We’re beginning the exploration.”
“Copy that,” a female voice responded from the other end. “Team Two and Team Three are expected to arrive in thirty minutes. If there’s no abnormal activity, be ready to provide support at any time.”
“Understood.” Xing Bi stepped into the forest ahead.
The surroundings were now filled with black pines. Under the moonlight, snow piled up on the dark green pine needles, while the trunks appeared black. Qiu Shi reached out and touched the bark—it wasn’t covered in fungus. The older trees had naturally gray-black trunks.
As they advanced, the forest grew denser. On the map, patches of black fungal growth began to appear.
“There it is,” Lin Sheng said.
Xing Bi, Lin Sheng, and Xiao Zuo spread out, slowly advancing forward. Qiu Shi followed closely behind, his gun already in hand. Though he doubted he could aim accurately in such dense forest, holding the weapon at least gave him some sense of security.
After walking deeper into the forest for a while, Xing Bi suddenly stopped.
Lin Sheng and Xiao Zuo halted as well.
Xing Bi crouched down and turned on his flashlight, sweeping the beam close to the ground.
A faint glimmer reflected back—a dense web of fine steel wires stretched across the ground, blocking their path.
“Go around it.” Xing Bi turned off the flashlight and reported, “We’ve encountered a trap. This should be a nest.”
The team began to slowly circle southward.
The fine steel wires stretched along the edge of the nest like a spiderweb after rain, glistening faintly under the moonlight. The end of the trap was nowhere in sight.
Qiu Shi carefully stepped in Xing Bi’s footprints. Although he could barely make out the wires, the bioroids’ vision was far superior to his. To be safe, he followed Xing Bi’s steps as closely as possible.
Less than five minutes later, movement erupted from the depths of the forest.
The black pines shook violently, and the sharp crack of tree trunks snapping echoed through the air.
“What the hell is that?” Qiu Shi stared at the edge of the map. “It sounds like an earthquake.”
“It’s not a standard symbiotic bio-form,” Xing Bi said.
“It’s coming… and it’s alone,” Qiu Shi said.
On the map, a bright dot appeared, charging straight toward them at high speed. Judging by the path of destruction—trees snapping and branches whipping around as if a storm were tearing through the forest—it wasn’t avoiding obstacles. It was plowing straight through, smashing everything in its way.
Just one creature… causing this much chaos.
The team split to both sides to avoid its path.
At that moment, the map finally provided an identification.
“It’s a f*cking bear,” Qiu Shi said.
“A massive one,” Lin Sheng added, drawing his knife with one hand and his gun with the other.
Xing Bi and Xiao Zuo swiftly climbed the nearby trees, ready to attack from above and below. This bear was clearly not a normal creature—it was infected.
With a thunderous crack, an ancient pine tree was snapped in half.
And that’s when Qiu Shi saw the creature responsible for the forest-shaking chaos.
“…Holy sh*t.”
Qiu Shi looked up and locked eyes with the beast—glowing blood-red eyes, glaring down from what felt like the height of a second-floor balcony.
