When Qiu Shi said those words, he wasn’t entirely confident.
It wasn’t about whether Qiu Yu wanted to kill him—that much was practically written across his brother’s chest. The real question was how he was going to kill Qiu Yu.
To avoid alerting the people at the Donglin camp, the vehicle didn’t enter the base and instead stopped inside the tunnel.
He, Xing Bi, Lin Sheng, and the other bioroids sat in the car, waiting for Qu Shen to join them.
Xing Bi wasn’t very familiar with Qu Shen—he had previously worked in the archives department, a clerical role with no overlap with covert guards like them. But since Qu Shen had stayed with Li Feng until he entered the museum, they needed to ask him about the situation.
“How do we kill him?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Just chop him in half,” Sang Fan said.
“Will they search you when you meet Qiu Yu?” Lin Sheng asked.
“Not necessarily,” Qiu Shi thought for a moment. “He’s desperate to prove how powerful he is now. Last time we met, he even said he could kill me without getting close.”
“You can try bringing a weapon in,” Xing Bi said.
“Yeah.” Qiu Shi pulled a knife from the side pocket on his thigh. “I can bring this—it’s a keepsake he gave me. It’s normal to carry it around, especially when going to negotiate cooperation.”
“Can that thing even kill him?” Ji Sui glanced at the knife.
“He’s not made of steel,” Qiu Shi scoffed.
“Too risky,” Xu Jie spoke up.
“No other choice,” Qiu Shi stared at the knife and sighed softly. “Never thought I’d be racking my brains over how to kill someone—let alone my own brother.”
“If it doesn’t work, we’ll find another way,” Sang Fan said. “Let him run, then chase him down and kill him.”
“That’s… early Qiu Shi-style thinking,” Xing Bi looked at Sang Fan. “Who influenced you?”
“Probably Qiu Shi,” Ji Sui said.
Qiu Shi laughed.
Qu Shen soon arrived in the tunnel and boarded their vehicle.
“The lab was relocated from the old base,” Qu Shen got straight to the point. “Once it’s sealed, it can’t be reopened. If the bioroids ever went rogue, this was the final line of defense.”
“Once sealed, it can’t be reopened?” Qiu Shi was stunned. “What do you mean? Isn’t there supposed to be a password or something?”
“Maybe, but I don’t know it,” Qu Shen said. “That’s all I was told back then.”
Qiu Shi closed his eyes. The prerequisite for getting Li Feng out was eliminating the Donglin threat outside, so he had to set aside the possibility that Li Feng might sleep in there until the next life.
“Who else knows about this?” Qiu Shi asked. “About the lab being permanently sealed once locked?”
“Chen Dang might know, but I’m not sure,” Qu Shen said.
“But Chen Dang is inside now,” Xing Bi said. “He wouldn’t have shared that information with Donglin in advance. He never expected someone would actually activate the lockdown.”
“So right now, Donglin doesn’t know they’re trapped,” Qiu Shi said. “They just think they’ve got Li Feng under control—which is why they’re sending me to negotiate.”
Time was short. They didn’t have the luxury of further discussion. They couldn’t give Qiu Yu too much time to think.
Qiu Shi and Xing Bi boarded Colonel Yu’s vehicle at the front, heading toward Donglin Town’s camp north of the city.
“You didn’t even try to stop me,” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi.
“Couldn’t have stopped you even if I tried,” Xing Bi said. “And I don’t have a good reason to.”
“He has to die,” Qiu Shi frowned. “Then the rest of Donglin. These people were lying from the start when they talked about cooperation.”
“Maybe they weren’t lying at first,” Xing Bi said. “Maybe they only turned to the Symbionts after realizing Li Feng had sidelined Mr. Long. After all, Li Feng’s a fox—they couldn’t control him.”
“Li Feng won’t… die in there, will he?” Qiu Shi muttered.
“Don’t think about that now,” Xing Bi said. “Qiu Yu’s about to die in that camp. Focus on that.”
Qiu Shi smiled at him. “I should’ve learned how to act from Li Feng. I could never tell when he was lying.”
“Just play weak,” Xing Bi said. “If you act vulnerable, Qiu Yu won’t be able to think straight. He’s too desperate to prove he’s better than you.”
“Yeah,” Qiu Shi nodded. “That won’t be a problem.”
“Really?” Xing Bi glanced at him. “Playing weak is the one thing you’re worst at.”
Qiu Shi was silent for a moment. “Right now, it has to work. The old man once told me about this really fat bee with tiny wings. Logically, it shouldn’t be able to fly—but it does. Know why?”
“Because it has to fly,” Xing Bi said.
“Damn it, can you let me finish one time?” Qiu Shi grumbled. “I don’t even know if I’ll live through this, and you’re still stealing my lines.”
“Why did he tell you that story?” Xing Bi asked, amused.
“I asked him why, after all these years, there were still refugees. How they kept surviving when the outside world was so harsh and dangerous,” Qiu Shi said. “The old man said it’s because they have to survive. There’s no ‘why.’”
“Mm.” Xing Bi hummed in acknowledgment.
“So there’s no ‘can’ or ‘can’t,’” Qiu Shi said. “Qiu Yu has to die. The Donglin threat has to be eliminated.”
Xing Bi didn’t respond. He just wrapped an arm around Qiu Shi’s shoulders and gave him a firm squeeze.
The Donglin camp wasn’t too far from Yun City—closer than the distance between Xima Town and the city. By the time they arrived, it was just past noon. The sun was bright, and the glare off the snow made it hard to keep their eyes open.
Qiu Shi put on sunglasses as he stepped out of the car.
“I’ll be right outside,” Xing Bi said behind him.
“Yeah.” Qiu Shi nodded.
Yun City’s combined military and City Defense forces were positioned around the area. But as Colonel Yu had said, to avoid alerting Qiu Yu, there were no heavy weapons. Even so, the tension between the two sides was palpable.
Only Qiu Shi was allowed into the camp. The soldiers escorting him were stopped almost a kilometer away.
Qiu Shi boarded the vehicle Donglin had sent for him and rode in silence to the barracks where Qiu Yu was waiting.
Donglin had a sizable force. Despite their claims of joint defense, it was clear they’d been secretly reinforcing their numbers.
It was the same barracks where they’d met last time. A few bioroids and human soldiers stood guard outside.
Just as Qiu Shi had guessed, there was no body search. He was ushered straight inside.
The door closed behind him. Inside the barracks, Qiu Yu was alone, lounging in a chair by the table, watching him with leisurely amusement.
“Didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” Qiu Shi said.
“You didn’t? But this was all part of my plan,” Qiu Yu smirked. “Have a seat… brother.”
Qiu Shi walked toward the far end of the table but stopped after a few steps. Then he veered toward Qiu Yu and sat in the chair one seat away from him.
“Is sitting next to me the last shred of your pride?” Qiu Yu tilted his head, watching him.
“Qiu Yu,” Qiu Shi ignored his taunt, “what do you want?”
“What do you think I want?” Qiu Yu countered.
“I don’t know,” Qiu Shi said. “The Symbionts are a threat to all of us. Yun City and Donglin joining forces was the right move. Why start infighting now?”
“Yun City is good,” Qiu Yu mused. “Big, easy to defend, mostly self-sufficient—a great stronghold. Just a shame it has no ambition.”
Qiu Shi sighed but didn’t respond.
“Qiu Shi,” Qiu Yu studied him, “did no one brief you on how to negotiate before you came?”
“Too rushed. No time to learn,” Qiu Shi said flatly.
Qiu Yu chuckled. “It was sudden. You were all probably waiting for the city to celebrate the heroes’ return, weren’t you?”
“Cut the crap,” Qiu Shi said. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Qiu Yu grinned. “I’m not here waiting for peace talks, that’s for sure.”
Qiu Shi stayed silent.
“Though if you want to try, go ahead,” Qiu Yu’s smile faded. “Wait here while they bring me Li Feng’s corpse.”
Qiu Shi shot him a glare.
“Oh right, you’re a corpse collector,” Qiu Yu said. “You must be very experienced with handling the dead.”
“I’ll fu—” Qiu Shi bit back the last word, teeth clenched.
Qiu Yu stared at him. “Relax. Yun City won’t change much. Just one less Li Feng. Mr. Long will handle the rest. Oh, and we’ll probably see each other often—if you don’t die or get exiled, hero.”
“You son of a bitch!” Qiu Shi lunged across the chair at Qiu Yu.
Qiu Yu didn’t dodge. Only when Qiu Shi’s hand was inches from his collar did he grab his wrist.
Qiu Shi yanked twice but couldn’t break free.
“You wanna hit me? Or kill me?” Qiu Yu laughed. “What the hell are you thinking?”
Qiu Shi didn’t answer. His left fist swung out, only for Qiu Yu to catch that wrist too.
This time, Qiu Yu didn’t bother with words. He drove his knee into Qiu Shi’s stomach, sending him flying backward.
The barracks door burst open as a bioroid guard rushed in.
“It’s fine,” Qiu Yu said. “Just a little brotherly bonding. No need to interfere—or stand guard.”
The bioroid left, closing the door behind it.
Qiu Shi wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing blood. He glared up at Qiu Yu.
“Still not convinced?” Qiu Yu smirked. “Try again.”
Qiu Shi stayed silent, then sprang up and charged once more.
Qiu Yu kicked him into the wall. This time, Qiu Shi clutched his stomach, gasping for air before he could even stand.
And yet, he lunged again.
A third kick sent him sprawling.
“Chen Dang always told me to face reality—if you’re weak, you’re weak,” Qiu Yu strode over and delivered another kick to Qiu Shi’s ribs. “Now it’s your turn, Qiu Shi. Face it. You’re nothing.”
Qiu Shi coughed, spitting blood onto the floor.
“Pointless,” Qiu Yu grabbed his throat, hoisting him off the ground and slamming him against the wall. His fingers tightened slowly. “You don’t even know what I want. Begging or raging—none of it matters to me anymore. I don’t even need to prove myself to anyone now. When you’re strong enough, when you stand high enough—”
Qiu Shi struck Qiu Yu’s elbow joint.
Qiu Yu didn’t flinch. “—you realize no one’s opinion means a damn thing.”
Qiu Shi struck again, harder this time.
Qiu Yu sighed. “Pathetic.”
Then Qiu Shi’s hand shot forward—not aiming for the elbow, but slashing outward in a blur of silver.
Qiu Yu’s words dissolved into a wet, gurgling choke.
His eyes widened in shock, staring at Qiu Shi’s blood-spattered face—blood that had sprayed from the gaping wound in his own throat, deep enough to glimpse bone.
Qiu Yu had pain receptors disabled. He shouldn’t have felt a thing.
But in that moment, the sheer disbelief, fury, and bitter refusal to accept this outcome—that was more agonizing than any blade.
Qiu Shi kicked Qiu Yu in the stomach, sending him crashing backward. The grip on his throat loosened.
Landing smoothly, Qiu Shi wiped the blood from his face and stepped forward, looking down at Qiu Yu.
Hands clutching his throat, Qiu Yu gargled helplessly.
“Got something to say? Too bad I can’t hear you,” Qiu Shi said. “I didn’t come to negotiate. I came to tell you one thing—this world has no place for you anymore.”
With that, Qiu Shi stomped down on Qiu Yu’s throat, crushing the already severed flesh with a sickening crack.
Qiu Yu’s eyes, still locked onto him, dulled slowly into emptiness.
Qiu Shi tossed the “keepsake” knife onto Qiu Yu’s body, stripped off his bloodied jacket, and rinsed his face with water from a bottle on the table.
He hadn’t discussed post-murder plans with Xing Bi beforehand. Too many strategies would’ve messed with his acting.
But he knew Xing Bi would have contingencies.
Just as he was about to leave, an explosion rocked the far end of the barracks—followed by two more.
Then a voice shouted from outside: “Qiu Shi!”
Deng Yeye.
He sprinted toward the sound. A vehicle plowed straight through the wall, skidding to a stop inches from his legs—an all-terrain vehicle, just like the one Hu Xiaoling had once driven back from Donglin.
“Trying to kill me yourself?” Qiu Shi vaulted into the passenger seat.
Deng Yeye reversed and sped back through the breach.
The moment they cleared the barracks, an artillery shell from the north obliterated the structure behind them.
“Your people?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Yeah. Xing Bi’s plan. Almost didn’t make it in time,” Deng Yeye glanced at him. “He said you’d kill Qiu Yu within ten minutes. Knows you pretty well, huh?”
“Did he also mention those ten minutes could’ve been me getting killed?” Qiu Shi pressed a hand to his stomach.
“Cold?” Deng Yeye asked.
“Stomach hurts,” Qiu Shi grimaced.
Truth was, Qiu Yu had been strong. In a straight fight, Qiu Shi stood no chance.
But Qiu Yu’s fatal flaw? His ego. And that was enough.
Deng Yeye looped around through the eastern woods, delivering him back to Yun City’s defensive line.
The earlier explosions had been Qiu Yu’s “kin” blowing up Donglin’s comms room and armory. Now, Yun City’s forces were advancing en masse.
Qiu Shi climbed into their original vehicle—only to find Xing Bi alone inside.
“Where are the others?” Qiu Shi slumped into the seat, breathing hard.
“They went to the camp. They’re dealing with the bioroids and some of the Symbionts,” Xing Bi reached over and gripped Qiu Shi’s wrist, studying him. “Do you know the lab is locked down now?”
“Yeah,” Qiu Shi knew what he was getting at. “These injuries don’t need a lab. The hospital can just give me some pills.”
“Did you just let him kick you without any protection at all?” Xing Bi tugged at his clothes, lifting them to check.
“Yeah,” Qiu Shi admitted. “If I didn’t, he might’ve thought I could take it and kicked harder. Then I’d really be done for.”
Xing Bi didn’t respond, just pressed a hand gently against Qiu Shi’s stomach.
“When are we hitting Donglin Town?” Qiu Shi asked. “We need to move fast. Their comms are down, so they don’t know what’s happening here yet, but they’ll figure it out soon.”
“The advance team’s already on the way. The rest will follow as soon as the camp is cleared,” Xing Bi said.
“What about us?” Qiu Shi asked.
“Donglin might surrender. No need for a full-scale fight. We’re staying behind—Lin Sheng and the others too,” Xing Bi said. “Right now, we need to get Li Feng out.”
“No idea if he’s even alive,” Qiu Shi muttered. “If we’re too late, he’ll starve to death, won’t he?”
—
“Got any food?” Li Feng yawned, tilting his head toward Curator Wu. “Lao Wu.”
“Find it yourself,” Curator Wu snapped.
Li Feng stretched, then headed into the inner room. He rummaged through the cabinets and found some emergency rations Curator Wu had stashed away, along with a crate of supplements.
He dragged the supplies back to the table, tossed a supplement pack to Cheng Gu, and cracked open a can for himself.
This half of the lab was the main section—critical equipment, devices, and a few pre-activated bioroids were all here. The other side, where Mr. Long and the others were trapped, housed offices, meeting rooms, and reception areas. Li Feng had spent a good while maneuvering just right to ensure the glass wall sealed at the perfect moment.
“That office out there belongs to Lao Wu,” Li Feng pointed. “Should be food in there. He’s a snacker—needs to munch while he works, so there’s probably plenty.”
Gao Shan stared at him. “You really don’t plan on getting out, do you?”
“I’d love to, if I could,” Li Feng said between bites. “Take stock of supplies. Who knows if Qiu Shi and the others can get us out? Better to ration properly. Planning’s my specialty—trust me, the Logistics Office has been doing this for years.”
“I always thought you wanted to live,” Chen Dang said.
“Who doesn’t?” Li Feng replied.
“When you hit that switch, were you thinking about living?” Chen Dang asked.
“I hit it because I wanted to live,” Li Feng said. “If I hadn’t, I’d be dead already. You never planned to let me live. Mr. Long’s the leader you want for Yun City. As long as I’m around, you can’t have that.”
“So now it’s just a matter of dying sooner or later,” Chen Dang said.
“Wrong. Now it’s the difference between dying alone and taking company with me,” Li Feng said.
Chen Dang studied him, then laughed. “Never pegged you for this kind of person during our calls.”
“When survival’s on the line, you drop the act,” Li Feng said.
“Why even talk to him?” Gao Shan shot Chen Dang a bewildered look.
“Humans are interesting to talk to,” Chen Dang said. “Besides, we’re stuck here. What else is there to do?”
Gao Shan didn’t reply, just stalked off to Curator Wu’s office.
“Don’t rummage through my things! Food’s in the unlocked cabinet next to the file shelf!” Curator Wu yelled.
“Let him rummage. You’re a dead man anyway,” Li Feng said.
“You die first!” Curator Wu snatched up a folder and smacked Li Feng twice on the head.
“Lao Wu.” Li Feng stood.
“What?!” Curator Wu flinched, scrambling behind Cheng Gu.
“Come here.” Li Feng jerked his chin toward an inner lab pod.
Curator Wu hesitated, then followed him inside.
Li Feng shut the pod door and lowered his voice. “Do we still have any Symbionts here?”
“The Symbiont experiments were halted,” Curator Wu said. “What are you planning?”
“There are some in the hibernation pods, right?” Li Feng asked.
“Two second-tier ones,” Curator Wu admitted.
“Good,” Li Feng nodded. “Activate one.”
Curator Wu fell silent for a moment, then understood—but frowned. “You want Xing Bi to control a Symbiont to establish contact? That won’t work. The lab’s shielded. Chen Dang’s a Symbiont too, and even he can’t reach outside.”
“We’ve held meetings with the General here, haven’t we?” Li Feng asked.
“Yes, over video,” Curator Wu said.
“Then there’s hope,” Li Feng said. “If they can figure it out, there’s a way.”
“No one knows where the General is!” Curator Wu hissed. “And we don’t know what’s happening outside either.”
“Trust the people I’ve chosen,” Li Feng said. “Go activate a Symbiont. Keep it on standby.”
Curator Wu stared at him for a long moment, then turned and left the pod.
Li Feng didn’t follow. The pod had a bed. He lay down, stretched luxuriously, and closed his eyes. Whether he lived or died could wait. Right now, he was getting some sleep.
—
“All units in position,” Lin Sheng’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Move in,” Xing Bi ordered.
Qiu Shi sat in the car, staring down the street toward the museum. Xing Bi and the others—along with the bioroids they’d brought back from Xima Town—were now inside.
To reach the lab, they first had to clear the dozen or so Donglin Symbionts guarding it.
That wasn’t a job for Qiu Shi, and even if he’d wanted to go, Xing Bi wouldn’t have allowed it.
Back at the Donglin camp, he hadn’t felt much. Now, the aftermath of those kicks to his stomach was hitting hard. The pain was intense—his ribs were probably broken again, and there might be other injuries too.
For now, he and Colonel Yu sat in the command vehicle. Colonel Yu waited for updates from both fronts, while Qiu Shi leaned back in his seat, waiting for the medics.
Twenty minutes later, Xu Jie’s voice crackled through the earpiece: “Hallway clear.”
Then Ji Sui: “Stairway clear.”
“All clear,” Xing Bi’s voice came through last. “At the lab entrance.”
“How’s it look?” Qiu Shi straightened. “Can you get in? Is there an intercom at the door to contact inside?”
A series of beeps followed, as if Xing Bi was pressing buttons.
“No,” Xing Bi said.
“Who the hell designed this twisted thing?” Qiu Shi muttered. “It’s basically a goddamn living coffin.”
