“If you ever do this again,” Director Zhang roared, his face close to Li Feng’s, “you’d better tell me beforehand so I can lock you in the dungeon!”
Li Feng stepped back, feeling that the next second Director Zhang might bite off his nose in anger and shock.
He glanced over at Curator Wu, who was giving the final explanation, and whispered, “Director Zhang, who am I doing this for? If we delay another week and this happens again, the inner city might be invaded. If someone takes advantage of the chaos to release the video, everyone will find out that the company and the military have known all along but kept it from the public, disregarding the safety of civilians…”
“Are you threatening me?” Director Zhang stared at him.
“How would I dare,” Li Feng said.
“You’re really…” Director Zhang’s voice was very low, “terrifying.”
Li Feng did not answer. Seeing that Curator Wu seemed to have finished his final statement and was looking over, he immediately turned his head, “Curator Wu, how did it go?”
“Basically, that’s it,” Curator Wu said. “I personally think this demonstration was relatively successful.”
“The results of this demonstration are quite satisfactory. The entire recording will be submitted to the General and Mr. Long.” The company’s representative nodded and looked at the military representative.
“The General will provide further instructions,” said the representative.
“The situation is urgent,” Director Zhang added, “It would be best to execute the first mission trial today. The support team assigned by the General has completed their training.”
“Yes, the General is aware of this,” the representative nodded, glancing at Li Feng, “Director Li.”
“Although my actions today were due to my excessive concern for the safety of Yun City,” Li Feng said sincerely, “the approach I took was ill-considered. I am willing to accept any form of punishment after the mission is completed.”
The representative did not respond, only patted Li Feng twice on the shoulder, and turned to leave, “No need to see me out. Continue your preparations.”
Director Zhang still followed a few steps behind them as they left.
“What should I say to you,” Curator Wu waved to the experimental team, “Do the final feedback reception adjustments, ensure that communication is not disturbed in the slightest.”
Li Feng looked at Xing Bi inside the cover, and walked to the control panel, “Which switch is for communication?”
“What are you doing?” Curator Wu asked.
“I have something to ask him,” Li Feng said.
“You dare to ask?” Curator Wu looked at him, “Are you running out of people to talk to!”
“It’s important,” Li Feng said, “just one question.”
“Ask me first,” Curator Wu said, “maybe I can answer you.”
Li Feng ignored Curator Wu and did not ask him to turn on the communication switch. Xing Bi could see outside, but couldn’t hear any sound at the moment.
“Do you know why you must bring back Qiu Shi?” Li Feng turned and asked Xing Bi.
Xing Bi looked at him and mouthed two words. It was easy to tell what they were.
“I know.”
Curator Wu turned on the communication switch and asked again, “Know what?”
“He is the Kite Flyer,” Xing Bi said.
Curator Wu was silent for a long time.
Although that old oath was never mentioned again, for these “managers,” it was not unfamiliar. But this sentence indeed made people silent.
This was the private nickname the hidden guards used for their human partners back then.
“You injured Qiu Shi,” Li Feng asked the sharpest and most dangerous question, “was it to refuse the mission?”
The answer to this question would actually determine whether Xing Bi was truly controllable.
“That wasn’t me,” Xing Bi said.
This simple response was reasonable and comprehensive enough.
Although Li Feng still had questions, the latent defender sent out that day could not technically be called Xing Bi; it was theoretically just a machine forcibly stripped of all thoughts.
“Xing Bi, due to Qiu Shi’s injury, he needs at least half a month to recover,” Curator Wu looked at Xing Bi, “so this time there won’t be a Kite Flyer. The people working with you are the General’s men. I need you to confirm once more…”
“I will do my utmost to complete the mission while ensuring their safety,” Xing Bi said.
“The premise,” Curator Wu emphasized.
“My own safety,” Xing Bi said.
“Good.” Curator Wu nodded and turned off the switch.
.
The password was Li Feng’s work number, 103, a simple three-digit code.
When the box was opened, the group of people crowded inside the shelter let out a collective gasp, followed by wild shouts and laughter.
“Isn’t this a dream? Someone hit me!” Hu Xiaoling shouted, “Quick! Brother Shi! Open the others too!”
All four boxes were opened, and the shelter outside the city was in a frenzy, louder than ever before.
The boxes were full of weapons, both common and the kind they wouldn’t normally dare to imagine. Some even bore the military’s seal.
“These aren’t even at the City Defense Department level,” Zhao Lü was also uncontrollably excited, “these are military-grade.”
“Hmm,” Qiu Shi responded, looking at the excited brothers around him, feeling a growing sense of helplessness inside.
These weapons, luxurious by the corpse collectors’ standards, meant that what they were about to face was no longer just refugees and corpses, nor the occasional infected.
“Brother Shi, why did they give us these weapons?” someone finally thought to ask amidst the euphoria.
“The defense outside the city has been upgraded,” Qiu Shi sat against the wall, “recently, there have been more infected and suspicious intruders. There could be sudden emergencies. Our patrols will be more frequent and dangerous than before.”
“Are there really bioroid invaders?” someone asked, “If it’s just infected, even a lot of them wouldn’t require weapons of this level.”
“Just rumors, no official confirmation,” Qiu Shi said, “If… we do encounter one, aim for the neck. The central nervous system is there. Even if you can’t kill it, you can limit its movements.”
“How do you know that?” Hu Xiaoling asked, awestruck.
“The History Museum,” Qiu Shi stood up, “Zhao Lü, Xiaoling, distribute the weapons. Carry the lighter ones with you. Those on duty, take the ones with the seal in pairs. Set up ambush points around the shelter, and schedule a time to familiarize yourselves with the weapons at the corpse pit.”
“Alright, leave it to us,” Zhao Lü nodded.
“What about me?” Xiao Lei couldn’t help but ask.
The room erupted in stifled laughter.
“Come,” Qiu Shi left the weapon shelter and returned to his “sickroom.”
“What is it?” Xiao Lei followed.
“Sit.” Qiu Shi lay back on the bed, put his hand into a sleeve of a nearby device, and after a few seconds, pulled it out with a needle already inserted. He had two bottles of some unknown liquid to infuse.
His injuries had healed considerably, much to his surprise. He had always known the inner city hospital could cure many ailments, but he hadn’t expected this level of efficacy.
“What did you call me here for?” Xiao Lei, having waited for a long time, finally asked as Qiu Shi closed his eyes to sleep.
“What else do you expect?” Qiu Shi glanced at him, “Do you want to take a gun for a stroll? Or replace Zhao Lü in commanding the others? Or perhaps go collect corpses? Then we’ll go collect your corpse? What can you do here?”
Xiao Lei fell silent.
“You’ll probably be pulled back the day after tomorrow,” Qiu Shi closed his eyes, “Stay in the room. You’re a noble from the inner city. If you die here, I can’t bear the responsibility.”
“Something big is going to happen, right?” Xiao Lei said.
“I don’t know,” Qiu Shi replied.
When the military vehicle drove out from the tunnel early in the morning, Qiu Shi was still asleep.
“Brother Shi!” Zhao Lü kicked open the “sickroom” door.
Qiu Shi sighed but didn’t open his eyes.
Xiao Lei, who was dozing off nearby, nearly jumped to the ceiling in fright. He drew a knife from his waist and swung it wildly at the door.
“What’s wrong with you!” Zhao Lü cursed, “What are you doing here?”
“…Scared me to death,” Xiao Lei said, “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I sat here. I thought something got in.”
“If anything can get in here, it means we’re all dead already,” Zhao Lü said, “I suggest you kill yourself immediately.”
Xiao Lei sighed and asked, “What’s up?”
Zhao Lü ignored him and walked to Qiu Shi’s bedside, “Brother Shi, there’s a military vehicle, a big black one for transporting people, coming from the tunnel.”
Qiu Shi stuffed the several medications he had to take three times a day into his mouth at once, got up, and left the sickroom.
Military transport vehicles were always black, and they called them big black cars.
The big black car didn’t stop at the foot of the slope but charged straight up towards the shelter.
“Looking for trouble early in the morning, what a load of crap,” Qiu Shi cursed, jumped onto the shelter, tore off the camouflage net, and started his motorcycle.
Amidst the roaring engine, the motorcycle sped down, and Qiu Shi positioned it across the path of the big black car, bracing with his leg and lighting a cigarette as he waited.
The big black car had to stop just inches from his leg. A soldier with a gun jumped out of the passenger seat, furious, pointing at Qiu Shi and shouting, “What are you doing! Move aside!”
“What are you doing?” Qiu Shi got off the bike and looked at him.
“Military operation, no need to explain to you!” The soldier swung his gun horizontally, trying to push Qiu Shi with it.
“Military my ass.” Qiu Shi got furious upon hearing the word “military,” threw his cigarette on the ground, and kicked the man in the stomach.
As the man fell backward, Qiu Shi grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back. Before the man could react, Qiu Shi had already seized his gun and hit him on the forehead with the butt: “Just a little sergeant!”
Then he struck him three more times with the butt: “And you dare! Lay hands! On me!”
When he let go, the sergeant nearly fell, steadying himself by grabbing a nearby wheel, blood trickling from his forehead.
“Brother Shi!” Hu Xiaoling’s voice came from the top of the nearby shelter.
Qiu Shi turned to see several soldiers who had gotten out of the car forming a semicircle, all pointing their guns at him.
“Qiu Shi,” a man in civilian clothes without a gun walked over, “I’m Zhao Yi, the captain of this joint defense operation.”
“What’s your relation to him?” Qiu Shi asked Zhao Lü.
Zhao Lü was stunned by the question: “My brother?”
“The joint defense duration is twenty days,” Zhao Yi continued, “This operation does not involve the City Defense Department. The military is directly in command, please cooperate.”
“Drive the car down and hide it somewhere before you come back and tell me this,” Qiu Shi said, “Do you want to make sure the shelter’s location is obvious?”
Zhao Yi hesitated, gestured to the people in the car, and about twenty to thirty fully armed soldiers got out.
The big black car slowly backed down the slope.
“My men will be divided into three groups,” Zhao Yi said, “One will be stationed here, another at the tunnel, and the third will be on mobile patrol.”
Qiu Shi stared at him without speaking.
“What about your people?” Zhao Yi asked.
“My people are divided into two groups,” Qiu Shi said, “One collects corpses, the other sleeps.”
“Please cooperate,” Zhao Yi repeated.
“My people won’t perform any tasks with the military,” Qiu Shi said calmly, “We will not participate or assist.”
Zhao Yi frowned.
“Listen,” Qiu Shi said, “We are not soldiers, we are civilians, civilians who are not protected by Yun City. Do you understand?”
“So what?” Zhao Yi asked.
“Stay away from the shelter, don’t cause us trouble, do whatever you want,” Qiu Shi said.
Li Feng sat in the conference room of the laboratory, watching the shaky footage on the screen. It was recorded by the team that accompanied Xing Bi during last night’s mission.
The mission was a success; they cleared the designated area of infected and two bioroids.
But all six team members were infected. After Xing Bi killed the infected, he returned alone.
Li Feng had been forced by Director Zhang to sit here and watch the video all morning. They needed to ensure Xing Bi’s actions were normal and that the deaths of the six team members were inevitable.
“The General’s call,” Curator Wu said as he walked in, “Use the call button beside you.”
“I’m not here,” Li Feng waved his hand, “Just say I didn’t come…”
“He knows you’re not at the Defense Department,” Curator Wu said, “He just wants an update, not to blame us.”
Li Feng sighed, paused the video, rubbed his face, and got up to answer the General’s call.
The General’s face appeared on the screen.
“Sit and speak,” the General said, “Be at ease.”
“Okay,” Li Feng sat down, picked up the remote, and brought the video up in a corner of the screen, “I’m still reviewing this video.”
“I’ve talked with Lao Wu and Lao Zhang,” the General said, “Now I want to hear your opinion.”
“I’ll start with the conclusion,” Li Feng said, “I believe Xing Bi’s actions were normal, and the deaths of the team members were an inevitable result anticipated before the mission.”
The General sighed, seemingly saddened by the loss of the team members: “Lao Zhang originally thought those drugs would offer some protection.”
“The drugs can only provide protection against minimal exposure. Our formula is incomplete, and there’s too little pre-collapse data…” Li Feng was interrupted by the General.
“Start Qiu Shi’s adaptation training,” the General said, “Three days. Is that enough?”
“Considering his physical condition…” Li Feng hesitated, trying to calculate the time.
“He’s already beaten up the people I sent for joint defense,” the General said, “His bones seem fine to me.”
“Understood,” Li Feng said, “I’ll go get him right away.”
.
Qiu Shi was very grateful that the Defense Department’s car didn’t drive up to the shelter again. With all the comings and goings over the past few days, various large vehicles had nearly created a path from the bottom of the slope to the shelter.
“How long will you be gone?” Zhao Lü asked.
“No more than a week,” Qiu Shi didn’t dare give a definite time, “During this period, you’re in charge. The brothers are all in your hands.”
“Don’t make it sound like a farewell,” Zhao Lü said, “You’ve gone to the ruins for ten days before without saying anything.”
That was because he knew he’d definitely return.
“Don’t do anything with Zhao Yi’s soldiers, and don’t risk your life for them,” Qiu Shi said, “It’s not safe. They haven’t had any real combat experience over the years. At least the City Defense Department can handle refugees. Those soldiers don’t even know how to survive outside the city.”
“Got it.” Zhao Lü nodded.
Qiu Shi glanced at Xiao Lei beside him, who eagerly moved closer.
“Lord Li might have forgotten you here,” Qiu Shi said, “But it’s okay. If anything happens, you’re the only one here who can contact Li Feng.”
“Yeah,” Xiao Lei replied, “I’ll take care of them.”
Zhao Lü looked him over: “How much have you had to drink?”
The Defense Department’s car was parked at the bottom of the tunnel. Qiu Shi jumped out of Zhao Lü’s car, patted him on the shoulder, and Zhao Lü drove away.
The car door opened, and Qiu Shi saw Li Feng sitting inside. He sighed and got into the car.
“From now on, the journey is top secret,” Li Feng said, looking out the window. “Whatever you hear, see, or experience, keep it to yourself and take it to the grave.”
Qiu Shi remained silent.
“Give me some response,” Li Feng said.
“If you don’t meet a good end, it’ll definitely be at my hands,” Qiu Shi replied.
Li Feng knocked on the panel behind the driver, and the car started moving.
This time, without waiting for Qiu Shi to ask, Li Feng continued, “Now I’m taking you to the exhibition hall for three days of training. You’ll learn to cooperate with the covert operatives on missions.”
Exhibition hall? Training? Covert operatives? Missions? And cooperation?
These words, strung together, forced Qiu Shi, who had planned to ignore Li Feng for the entire trip, to speak up, “What the hell is all this?”
“Someone will explain in detail once we get there,” Li Feng said. “How are your injuries?”
“Don’t bother with such hypocritical questions,” Qiu Shi said. “Even if I died the next second, you’d still drag my corpse over there. What difference do my injuries make?”
Li Feng chuckled.
The inner city was bustling as always, with people coming and going on the streets. Apart from the shops lining the roads, the tunnels leading into the mountains were also brightly lit, and the living areas inside looked prosperous and peaceful.
It seemed like they wanted to show him the inner city’s lifestyle. The car drove down the winding mountain road to the valley floor, then ascended the mountain on the opposite side.
After rounding a narrow peak, Qiu Shi saw the historical exhibition hall.
The car drove directly into the entrance tunnel on the side, where an automatic door lifted, revealing a large transport bay. The car drove inside.
Once they got out of the car, Qiu Shi noticed surveillance cameras everywhere, creating a feeling of extreme unease.
After a body search, he changed into the City Defense Department’s white uniform and followed Li Feng and the staff into a simply furnished large room, resembling an empty office.
Unlike the previously strict atmosphere, there was just a table, a set of sofas, three cabinets in a row, and a camera in the corner, making it look almost too casual.
A man sitting behind the table stood up when they entered.
“Curator Wu of the exhibition hall, providing technical support for this mission,” Li Feng introduced Qiu Shi. “This mission has a high level of confidentiality. The people you meet will all be core members.”
“Hello,” Curator Wu nodded at Qiu Shi with a smile. “Qiu Shi, how’s your health?”
“Fine.” Qiu Shi frowned.
Curator Wu stepped aside and gestured toward the sofa: “You’ve met Xing Bi, no need for a special introduction, right?”
Qiu Shi was surprised to see Xing Bi sitting on the sofa.
Living outside the city for so long had given him a keen sense of his surroundings. From the moment he walked into the room, at least ten seconds had passed, and he had noticed Curator Wu was only putting his shoes back on after sitting behind the desk. Yet, he hadn’t sensed Xing Bi’s presence at all.
The person who had broken a string of his bones and knocked him out twice was sitting on the sofa, and he hadn’t even noticed.
When Xing Bi’s gaze met his, he suddenly felt that the person who had stuffed him into a box that day seemed to have only the same exterior.
“The normal procedure would have been to meet in the lab,” Curator Wu said bluntly. “But Director Li thought…”
He glanced at Qiu Shi, “That you probably wouldn’t cooperate in the lab.”
“I don’t want to cooperate here either,” Qiu Shi said, “I’m being forced.”
“Time is limited,” Li Feng said, crossing his arms. “Curator Wu, please proceed.”
“You’ve seen the situation in the forest area,” Curator Wu got straight to the point. “That’s the source of the recent increase in infected. We call it the ‘Nest.’ Your task is to clear out the infected and the symbiotic bioroids, enter the nest’s center, find the core infection source, and attempt to destroy it.”
Curator Wu looked at Qiu Shi, seemingly waiting for him to digest this information.
“Why can’t he just go?” Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi. “What does this have to do with me?”
“You’re going too,” Li Feng said. “From now on, you’re partners.”
Qiu Shi frowned and stared at him for a long time before speaking, “Is this mission a one-time, one-human exchange?”
“Of course not.” Li Feng smiled.
“Then how can I be sure I’ll come back alive?” Qiu Shi said. “The medicine you gave me, I need to take two pills just for close contact. For this kind of operation deep into the enemy’s nest, even a whole bottle wouldn’t be enough, right?”
“You won’t die,” Li Feng said.
“Why not!” Qiu Shi demanded.
“The medicine I gave you was just vitamins,” Li Feng said.
Qiu Shi stared at him.
“Not anti-infection drugs,” Li Feng said.
Qiu Shi felt his hands trembling. After taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice and asked, “Do you know I gave those same vitamins to my brothers?”
“Usually, you don’t let them handle the infected,” Li Feng said. “You always keep the guns to yourself…”
Qiu Shi didn’t let Li Feng finish. He punched him in the face: “You can go to hell.”
Before Li Feng could fall completely, Qiu Shi was on top of him, his knee driving toward Li Feng’s throat.
But someone held him back. His knee hit empty air, straining his leg painfully.
He didn’t need to look back to know who it was. Curator Wu was still standing there, stunned.
It had to be Xing Bi.
“Let go!” he shook his arm.
Xing Bi released him.
Curator Wu finally regained his senses, went over to help Li Feng up from the floor, and handed him a tissue.
“Xing Bi,” Li Feng seemed completely unbothered by Qiu Shi’s punch. As he wiped the blood streaming from his nose, he asked, “Feedback question: why didn’t you stop the first punch?”
“It wasn’t fatal,” Xing Bi replied.
