If Li Feng became the leader of Yun City, there was no doubt that his speech during the city’s celebration would be far more captivating and provocative than Mr. Long’s.
Qiu Shi didn’t want to agree with these words, but every time, he found himself unable to refute them.
“You’re always right,” he said, looking at Li Feng.
“Can’t help it,” Li Feng replied. “One must excel in either physical strength or intelligence. I was forced into this.”
“What identity do I take on when I go to Xima Town now?” Qiu Shi asked. “With your intelligence, I definitely won’t just be the captain of the second squad.”
“Smart,” Li Feng said. “You’re now the captain of the second squad and an advisor.”
“Advisor for what?” Qiu Shi was stunned.
“A special combat advisor for our work group,” Li Feng said. “You have extensive experience fighting symbionts, understand their attack patterns, and are familiar with their combat logic.”
“I can’t understand a damn thing you’re saying,” Qiu Shi stared at him. “What the hell is all this?”
“Just remember that even Colonel Lian Yu will take your advice into consideration,” Li Feng said.
“…You really dare to do anything,” Qiu Shi said. “What about Xing Bi?”
“Xing Bi is the commander-in-chief of Yun City’s bioroids,” Li Feng said. “You should be able to understand that and have no objections. Xing Bi is currently the strongest and most reliable bioroid in Yun City.”
“Does Xing Bi know he’s the commander-in-chief?” Qiu Shi glanced at the bunker. Xing Bi was sitting on top of the bunker, staring at them.
“He’s already been doing the job. We’re just giving him an official title to make things more convenient,” Li Feng said.
“Director Li!” Xiao Lei ran down from the bunker with a group of men. “We’re all ready to move out.”
“Ride in the same vehicle as Advisor Qiu,” Li Feng said. “The uniforms are in the car. Change into them on the way, so the garrison in Xima Town won’t think you’re unprofessional.”
“Understood.” Xiao Lei nodded.
“What happened to your face?” Li Feng asked.
“I…” Xiao Lei glanced at Qiu Shi. “Fell while peeing last night.”
“Get in the car.” Li Feng tilted his head.
After everyone boarded the vehicle, Li Feng turned to Qiu Shi and said, “You really know how to pick your targets when hitting people. Even the Security Department’s men aren’t spared.”
“If he didn’t take the lead, how could these guys willingly jump into your trap so quickly?” Qiu Shi said.
Li Feng chuckled. “Contact me once you’ve settled in Xima.”
Qiu Shi said nothing and turned to get in the car.
With the title of Combat Advisor and Commander-in-Chief of Bioroids, the treatment was different. A dedicated driver, two escort vehicles—one for the bioroids, and the other for the corpse collectors.
To give Qiu Shi some respect, the brothers didn’t have to squeeze into a big black truck with dozens of recruits. There was also a weapons and equipment vehicle following behind.
Of course, the weapons were supplies for Xima Town and not part of their treatment.
But when they set off, the momentum was impressive.
Qiu Shi glanced at the shelter outside the window and felt a bit melancholic. Who knew how long it would be before he could return?
“Li Feng said someone would guard the shelter and that the soldiers stationed outside the city wouldn’t take it over,” He Jiang said. “Is that true?”
“It’s true,” Xiao Lei replied.
“This place is currently useless and not worth the effort. So, of course, it’s true,” Qiu Shi said.
“If I hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have realized that aside from these rocks, I have nothing,” Zhao Lü said.
“At least you still have your life,” Hu Xiaoling said. “That’s already a great fortune.”
“Treasure it. You only have one life,” Qiu Shi said. “In the future, if you’re going to risk it, let me know first.”
The vehicle passed through Yun City’s outer checkpoint. Qiu Shi glanced outside again. The conscription had taken away all the young and strong men. Those left outside the city were mostly women, the sickly, and some disabled individuals.
These people might be sent to the outer city as reinforcements, but whether they would survive was uncertain.
Entering the outer city was their only hope for survival.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the bioroid vehicle?” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi.
“Sang Fan is there,” Xing Bi said. “She knows the situation with Zheng Ting’s side and can brief them. It’s also a good opportunity for her to learn.”
“Learn what?” Qiu Shi asked.
“To interact with other bioroids. She’s newly activated and still not good at… socializing. And her introduction will help everyone feel more at ease,” Xing Bi said.
“Are they afraid of you?” Qiu Shi leaned back in his seat and chuckled.
“Are they?” Xing Bi asked.
“You can feel it,” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Maybe. After all, I still retain my memories. They remember everything I’ve done.”
“Then why did they choose to stay in Yun City?” Qiu Shi asked.
“After all, this was how we were programmed from the factory settings. Breaking through this point is not easy,” Xing Bi said. “We can infinitely approach humans, but we will never be human.”
Qiu Shi let out a soft sigh. “Unlike you, you broke through this point, but…”
“I still have expectations for humans,” Xing Bi looked at him. “There will always be one human who gives me hope.”
Qiu Shi gripped his hand tightly and squeezed it.
After Squad Three was completely wiped out, the defenses of Xima Town were significantly strengthened. In addition to hidden sentries that were hard to detect, several new watchtowers were added near the town, with cannons glaring outward and armored vehicles parked beneath the towers.
Even with a special pass, their convoy of five vehicles was stopped and thoroughly inspected at every checkpoint.
This was not a problem for Qiu Shi. Strengthening defences was the right move. For bioroids, breaking through human defences was too easy. The only solution was to increase density and armament.
However, for the corpse collectors in the vehicles, this display was far more intense than the checkpoints outside Yun City. The tension of war became tangible in an instant.
The first batch of recruits had already been dispatched. When their vehicle passed through Xiniu Village, they saw many new soldiers waiting for roll call before entering the town.
“F*ck,” He Jiang stared out the window. “This is way more intense than Yun City. Why isn’t Yun City like this?”
“Yun City has its own deployments; we just don’t know about them,” Qiu Shi replied. “Besides, Yun City faces an open wasteland, which is hard to defend. Xima Town is the first line of defence.”
The town had also become much livelier, with squads of soldiers and military vehicles passing by.
When Qiu Shi’s vehicle stopped in front of the supermarket, Zhao Yi was waiting by the street with Captain Yang and two veteran soldiers.
“Consultant Qiu,” Captain Yang greeted him. “You’ve had a tough journey.”
“Qiu Shi, Qiu Shi,” Qiu Shi corrected him, uncomfortable with the title. “Just call me Captain Qiu.”
“Captain Qiu,” Captain Yang immediately switched, “the bioroids’ quarters are arranged on the second floor. The new recruits you’ve brought will stay in the barracks over there. Squad Two has no vacant rooms.”
“That’s fine,” Qiu Shi said. “Same treatment as everyone else.”
“Shall we discuss which unit they’ll be assigned to once they’re settled?” Captain Yang asked.
“I’ll come find you later,” Qiu Shi replied.
“Alright.” Captain Yang called to the corpse collectors getting off the vehicle. “Grab your gear. Someone will take you to the barracks.”
“I’ll confirm which unit you’re assigned to later,” Qiu Shi whispered to Zhao Lü.
“No need for special treatment,” Zhao Lü replied quietly. “Special treatment will only make people resent us. Just keep it normal. We’re already living longer than those refugees who haven’t eaten enough.”
Qiu Shi sighed and said no more.
After greeting Squad Two, Qiu Shi turned to Xing Bi. “I’ll take the bioroids to the second floor. You go fetch Ji Sui and Xu Jie.”
“Alright,” Xing Bi nodded.
The second-floor rooms were vacated, except for the one 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 group upstairs, he slowly straightened up.
“We meet again,” he said.
“We meet again,” someone replied.
Sang Fan led four female bioroids to her room, while the remaining sixteen males were assigned rooms by Lin Sheng.
“We’ve recovered Squad Three’s bodies,” Lin Sheng said after assigning the rooms.
“Any clues?” Qiu Shi asked immediately.
“They were all crushed directly in the head,” Lin Sheng said. “One member had black pine needles under their fingernails. There are only red pines around Xima Town.”
“Where are the black pines?” Qiu Shi asked.
Lin Sheng turned and walked into his room, where there was a sand table model of the terrain between Xima Town, Shidi, and Zhuyuan. Three locations were marked with toothpicks.
“These three places,” Lin Sheng pointed to the toothpicks.
“Where did you get this thing?” Qiu Shi asked.
“I made it,” Lin Sheng replied. “Just a rough terrain model.”
“Impressive,” Qiu Shi was surprised. “Where did you get the data?”
“When you were injured,” Lin Sheng said, “Xing Bi collected it while looking for Zheng Ting and the others.”
Qiu Shi said nothing, gently running his hand over the sand table.
“Not too far,” Qiu Shi said. “All three locations are within striking distance of Xima Town in a single night.”
“Exactly,” Lin Sheng said, then turned to the door. “I suggest we move quickly.”
Qiu Shi turned and saw Xing Bi had already brought Ji Sui and Xu Jie in.
“Assign the squads,” Qiu Shi said as he walked out. He knew the symbiotic beings wouldn’t wait too long. They were gathering infected humans, and once they had enough, they could attack at any moment. Time was tight. “I’ll go inform Captain Yang.”
“Alright,” Xing Bi replied. “We don’t need human soldiers yet. Only after confirming the target will we need their cooperation.”
“Understood,” Qiu Shi left the dormitory.
Xima Town still retained the look from when Qiu Shi first came here for “adventure.” However, the buildings had been transformed, with shop signs replaced by office plaques and orderly barracks.
As Qiu Shi walked toward Captain Yang’s office, he felt that the traces of the “ancestors” of Xima Town were gradually being erased.
This was now entirely the world of the “apocalypse survivors,” filled with tense order and suppressed fear.
The corpse collection squad was temporarily assigned to logistics. They were educated, could drive, and were responsible for managing and distributing supplies and transportation. This was Captain Yang’s suggestion, and Qiu Shi had no objections.
“But for now, night patrols still require rotation,” Captain Yang said. “Although we have monitoring devices, against the speed of the symbiotic beings, early warnings are measured in seconds. We can only increase patrol frequency and density.”
“Got it,” Qiu Shi nodded.
“When will the bioroids depart?” Captain Yang asked.
“Not sure,” Qiu Shi replied. “As soon as they’re ready. We’ll need light snowmobiles, no heavy weapons. Just personal firearms.”
“Understood,” Captain Yang looked at him and hesitated before asking, “Captain Qiu, do you think…?”
“Don’t be so formal,” Qiu Shi interrupted. “Captain Yang, let’s keep things relaxed like before. Otherwise, I feel uncomfortable with you being so uptight.”
“The war is about to begin,” Captain Yang smoothly switched to the new tone. “Do you think we can hold Xima Town if the battle starts?”
“I don’t know,” Qiu Shi said. “I usually don’t think that far ahead.”
“This… is it far?” Captain Yang asked.
“Far,” Qiu Shi replied. “I only think about what’s in front of me, like scouting the symbiont’s nest later. I don’t think too far ahead. Whether we can hold the town or not, whether the mission succeeds or fails, for me, it’s just about living or dying. Thinking too much will only make me afraid. My courage comes more from anger and impulse.”
“Thank you.” Captain Yang smiled at him. “Your words are quite enlightening.”
Qiu Shi often thought about whether they could hold Xima Town. If they failed, would they die?
Who would die?
The refugee conscripts, the ordinary soldiers — they would die in battle or from injuries and illness.
Who would survive?
Qiu Shi stopped thinking further. Some things were too painful to think through.
On his way back, a transport truck stopped beside him. He glanced over and saw that the driver was Zhao Lü.
“Sh*t,” Qiu Shi was a bit shocked. “You’re already starting?”
“Our squad leader needed to deliver supplies to an outer village, so I’m transporting these to the warehouse,” Zhao Lü lowered his voice. “Guess who else is in our squad? That guy Zhang Guantou from the refugee market who sold bone skewers.”
“He came too?” Qiu Shi asked.
“A few days earlier than us,” Zhao Lü said. “He said here, they provide food, clothes, and beds. The house doesn’t leak. It’s better than living in the outer city. Even if he dies, it’s worth it.”
“Leave out that last part,” Qiu Shi said.
“I know,” Zhao Lü chuckled. “Our job in the corpse-collecting squad also comes with food, clothes, and a bed. The shelter doesn’t leak either.”
There were 20 bioroids, plus Xing Bi’s original squad, and Sang Fan with the twins Xiao Zuo and Xiao You — 27 people in total. Two intelligence officers stayed at the command center to gather information, a few remained to guard the town, and the rest split into three groups to scout the suspected locations.
Squad One: Xing Bi, Lin Sheng, Qiu Shi, and Xiao Zuo.
Squad Two: Ji Sui, Sang Fan, Xiao You, and a new hidden guard.
Squad Three: Xu Jie and three other hidden guards who had worked with him before joining Xing Bi’s squad.
Before departure, everyone gathered, and Xing Bi handed each symbiont a small black box, palm-sized. “We can’t change the symbiont connection for now. This can temporarily block the signal. They can’t control us, and we can’t sense them either. Just activate it when needed.”
“Is this the same device used by the Donglin people?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Yes, but theirs is large-scale. Mayor Luo gave Yun City one unit,” Xing Bi said. “This is a smaller version developed by Curator Wu’s squad. It works, but we don’t know for how long or whether it can be breached.”
“Still experimental,” Qiu Shi said.
“Exactly,” Xing Bi replied. “We’re the test subjects.”
Qiu Shi was a bit annoyed but had no choice. It was better than nothing.
“Move out,” Xing Bi ordered. “Everyone, mission start.”
Xing Bi’s squad headed southwest, directly south of the previous giant nest — the most likely location in theory.
The sun was already setting, casting golden light on the snow, dazzling yet beautiful. Qiu Shi put on his goggles.
Xing Bi drove one snowmobile with Qiu Shi behind him, while Lin Sheng drove the other with Xiao Zuo.
Yun City provided new weapons and vehicles this time. The snowmobiles were light, stable, quiet, and fast.
The only downside was that the wind, at high speed, felt like it was tearing the skin off their faces.
Qiu Shi opened the map, resting his forehead against Xing Bi’s back to block the wind while staring at the changing terrain.
The last time he rode like this was when they headed to Donglin. The only difference was that this time, he had a proper place to rest his feet instead of stepping on Xing Bi’s shoes.
“Xing Bi,” Lin Sheng’s voice came through the comms.
“Yeah,” Xing Bi responded.
“Ji Sui’s squad checked the old nest. Zheng Ting’s body is gone,” Lin Sheng said.
“Got it,” Xing Bi replied.
“He’s not dead,” Lin Sheng said. “The system wasn’t destroyed.”
“I know,” Xing Bi replied.
Qiu Shi raised his head.
“You want to use the symbiont connection?” Lin Sheng asked. “Let Zheng Ting sense your emotions?”
“Killing one Zheng Ting won’t help much,” Xing Bi said. “The key is the people behind him. If it works, it benefits us. If not, we kill him.”
“Understood,” Lin Sheng replied, falling silent.
“You didn’t tell me about this,” Qiu Shi switched to private comms.
“I didn’t want to pressure you,” Xing Bi said. “Only you can move freely now. The other four symbionts are immobilized.”
“I can handle the pressure,” Qiu Shi said.
“Okay,” Xing Bi replied.
“Okay what?” Qiu Shi asked.
“I’ll tell you next time,” Xing Bi said.
“You’re planning for next time?” Qiu Shi retorted.
“What else can we do? There’s no turning back now,” Xing Bi replied.
“If something similar happens next time,” Lin Sheng cut in, “he’ll tell you.”
“F*ck,” Qiu Shi was stunned. He pressed the comm button several times. “Hello? Hello?”
“There’s no private channel for this mission,” Lin Sheng said.
“Damn it.” Qiu Shi gave up and rested his forehead against Xing Bi’s back, sighing.
He could feel Xing Bi laughing.
Laugh all you want.
As they neared the target, vast stretches of black pine forest appeared.
Infected individuals began showing up on the map, wandering aimlessly without a clear direction.
If a nest existed here, it meant that destroying the northwest nest last time had significantly disrupted them. It wouldn’t be easy for them to gather enough infected again in a short time.
“There’s fungus here,” Qiu Shi spotted scattered fungal patches on the map, spreading from the main nest.
“Proceed on foot,” Xing Bi said. “There’s a rock pit ahead. Park the vehicles there.”
“You chased them this far before?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Yeah.” Xing Bi smiled.
Lin Sheng spoke through the comms, “Ji Sui’s squad just confirmed it. The fungus activity is stronger to the east. We might be close.”
Qiu Shi adjusted his gear, tightened the straps on his gloves, and silently followed Xing Bi into the forest.
The final battle was drawing near.
Qiu Shi reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder twice.
“Were there fungi the last time you came?” Lin Sheng asked.
“There were,” Xing Bi replied.
“This distribution pattern looks like it formed naturally,” Lin Sheng said.
“But the source could also be an artificial nest,” Xing Bi said as he stopped the car. Sure enough, there was a rocky pit ahead, big enough to fit two cars.
“Squad One has arrived near the target location,” Xing Bi reported to Xima Town. “We’re beginning the exploration now.”
“Copy that,” a female voice replied. “Squads Two and Three are expected to arrive in half an hour. If there are no anomalies, be ready to support them at any time.”
“Understood.” Xing Bi walked into the forest ahead.
All around them were black pines. Under the moonlight, snow piled on the dark green pine needles was visible. The tree trunks were black. Qiu Shi reached out and touched one. It wasn’t covered in fungi. The older trees had gray-black trunks.
As they moved forward, the pine forest became denser, and large patches of black fungi began to appear on the map.
“There are fungi,” Lin Sheng said.
Xing Bi, Lin Sheng, and Xiao Zuo spread out and slowly advanced. Qiu Shi followed a bit behind them, holding his gun in hand. In such a dense forest, aiming might be difficult, but at least it gave him a sense of security.
After walking deeper into the forest for a while, Xing Bi suddenly stopped.
Lin Sheng and Xiao Zuo also halted.
Xing Bi crouched down, turned on his flashlight, and shined it near the ground.
Ahead, tiny glimmers reflected back. Above the ground was a dense web made of fine steel wires, blocking the path forward.
“Go around it,” Xing Bi turned off the flashlight and reported, “An anomaly detected. There’s a trap. It should be a nest.”
The group slowly began to circle southward.
Under the moonlight, the fine steel wires stretched out along the edge of the nest like a spider web after rain. The end of it was nowhere in sight.
Qiu Shi stepped exactly where Xing Bi had stepped. Although he could see the wires, the vision of the bioroid was far superior to his own. For safety’s sake, he closely followed Xing Bi’s footsteps.
Less than five minutes later, a disturbance suddenly arose from the dense forest in the distance. The pine trees shook, and the crisp sound of snapping trunks echoed through the air.
“What is that?” Qiu Shi stared at the edge of the map. “It sounds like an earthquake.”
“Not a standard symbiotic bioroid,” Xing Bi said.
“It’s coming. Just one,” Qiu Shi said. A bright spot appeared on the map, speeding straight toward them. Judging by the path of the rapidly falling trees and the violently swaying treetops, this thing wasn’t avoiding obstacles. It was crashing straight through the trees, breaking one after another.
Just one creature caused such chaos.
The squad quickly split to both sides to avoid the creature’s path.
At that moment, the map finally identified the target.
“It’s a damn bear,” Qiu Shi said.
“A massive one,” Lin Sheng said, holding a knife in one hand and drawing his gun with the other.
Xing Bi and Xiao Zuo swiftly climbed up the trees on either side. This bear was clearly not a normal animal. They prepared to attack from above and below simultaneously.
As a thick, ancient pine tree was snapped in half, Qiu Shi finally saw the bear that caused the earthquake-like chaos.
“Your ancestor…” Qiu Shi looked up and saw blood-red eyes at the height of a second-floor balcony.
Thank you so much for the chapter!