Extra 4
The person teaching at the podium today is Li Xia. Qiu Shi is sitting at the end of the classroom, far away from the dozen or so fascinated people in the front.
This class was about maths, and the class had already learned multiplication. To be honest, Qiu Shi didn't understand, but the group of people were very enthusiastic in reciting some formulas and tables.
Qiu Shi wanted to change the classroom to another one, but the science class of Song Heng was next door. He didn't expect that Song Heng would be willing to stay in school rather than doing a more "advanced" job in the inner city.
But what is this science? Just hearing these two words is not enough for Qiu Shi to understand. He doesn’t even know what the word science means.
There is no point in changing to another classroom. There is another classroom where I am learning music, and another classroom where I am listening to teacher Li Rui telling stories...
If he hadn't wanted to experience a higher level of teaching than that in the refugee school, he wouldn't have sat here for these fifteen minutes.
When the get out of class was over, Qiu Shi stood up, said hello to Li Xia, turned around and walked out of the classroom quickly, then went downstairs in a few steps, for fear that Li Rui would see him attending class.
"Brother Shi!" As soon as he walked onto the playground, he heard Li Rui's voice from the second floor behind him.
"Hmm?" He turned his head and responded.
"I'm going to tell you about Peach Blossom Spring in a moment," Li Rui said. "Do you want to listen?"
“… I’m in a meeting.” Qiu Shi said.
"Really?" Li Rui asked.
"Really." said Qiu Shi.
"Then I'll talk to you privately when I have time." Li Rui said.
Talk about your ancestors!
"Yeah." Qiu Shi nodded.
He now needs to maintain a calm image, cannot swear, cannot fight, and cannot cause trouble. Things are different now than before. Before, as the leader of the corpse collectors, he had a little fame among the refugees in the outer city, but now many people know him.
The people who experienced the battle with 249 and their stories are being told back and forth among these refugees and vagrants, and are gradually becoming legends.
Li Feng's car was parked outside the school gate. Qiu Shi walked over and opened the door: "Pick me up?"
"Captain Qiu," the driver nodded, "it's almost time for the meeting."
"I think I can just walk back." Qiu Shi got in the car.
"The outer city is still in quite a mess right now," the driver said. "There are battles almost every day. The scale is not large, but people die every time. In the outer city, human life is still not valuable."
"Didn't Director Zhang send someone over here?" Qiu Shi looked out the window. "Can't they suppress it?"
"Your hands are still weak." said the driver.
Qiu Shi glanced at the driver. This man had followed Li Feng for many years, but Qiu Shi had never spoken to him. Unexpectedly, after chatting with him for a few minutes, he found that his style was quite Li Feng.
"Director Li said so." The driver smiled and added.
Qiu Shi did not lie to Li Rui. There was indeed a meeting to be held today, and it would be a meeting with quite a lot of people.
However, Li Feng said that this is not called a meeting, but a "getting together".
It has been nearly a month since Qiu Shi and Xing Bi returned to Yuncheng after their vacation. The route of the "Tongtu" heading south has basically been determined, and they are ready to start cleaning up and setting up a liaison station.
Once started, it would take at least half a year to complete, so before these things officially started, Li Feng wanted to get together and meet up first.
The driver made a detour to the exhibition hall on the road and picked up Xing Bi. Today was the day for the final stage of the experiment for the group of symbionts who volunteered to undergo the fungus removal experiment.
Zheng Ting has already carried out the first two stages of recovery experiments, and the results are pretty good. The relevant research data screened by Cheng Gu from the base has been of great help. The various fungal growths on the outside of Zheng Ting's body have basically disappeared, and he can speak. Although it is a bit difficult, there is hope.
If Li Feng had not been very strict with Director Wu and absolutely not allowed the two chiefs to have access to first-hand information, Zheng Ting might have recovered. However, Li Feng's caution came precisely from his understanding of mankind's past and these materials. Any "thirst" for knowledge would make all the efforts of their generation go to waste.
"Is Zheng Ting attending the meeting?" Qiu Shi asked.
This time everyone was together, Ji Sui, Xu Jie and the others also returned to Yuncheng from Xingchuan. If they want to get together like this next time, they probably have to wait until the road construction to the south is completed.
"Yes, the medical vehicle from the laboratory has already set off," Xing Bi glanced at him, "How was the class?"
"It's very good," Qiu Shi said. "Teacher Li Xia explains it in great detail."
"Yeah." Xing Bi still looked at him.
"Hmm what?" Qiu Shi also looked at him, "Yes, I didn't understand a word you said. Are you waiting for this?"
Xing Bi laughed: "You are so sharp, partner."
"You don't have to be so sensitive about this. Don't I know what you're thinking?" Qiu Shi said with a sigh, "Li Rui is still pestering me to tell me about the Peach Blossom Spring."
"You can listen to it." Xing Bi said, "This kid has really read a lot of books and really loves reading. He was heartbroken for a long time when all the books in the institute were gone."
"What he saw at the base was enough to kill him," said Qiu Shi.
"Another batch will be shipped in next week," Xing Bi said, "Do you want to read it? I'll save two copies for you in my little pet."
"No, thank you." Qiu Shi said, then he leaned in to Xing Bi's ear and whispered, "I'm not making excuses. I just think that reading too many books may not be a good thing for me. What I should maintain most is the state of the corpse collector I originally was. I am also afraid that I will not be myself anymore."
"I understand." Xing Bi held his hand and squeezed it gently.
This was not the first time Qiu Shi had come to the company's conference room, but today it was the most crowded.
In addition to Mr. Long and several ministers, Li Feng, Director Wu, General Yu and Director Zhang were also there. In addition to the officers and leaders on the human side, there were also quite a few biochemical bodies.
The strongest submersible team is all here today, and this is outside the experimental cabin. It is the first time that Qiu Shi sees the five of them appear at the same time.
I feel an indescribable sense of wonder and shock.
After so many years and so many things, the five people in this group are standing together again.
Bai Zhan stood by the wall, watching them silently, his eyes never leaving them.
In comparison, Sang Fan, who was standing next to him, did not have so many feelings. After all, she was a brand new biochemical body that had never experienced the world of her "ancestors". Her attention was all on the new weapons projected on the whiteboard.
When Qiu Shi was about to find a corner to sit down, he heard a dog barking.
The dogs barked fiercely.
The two dogs that rushed out did not match the cry at all. From the time Qiu Shi and Xing Bi brought the two dogs back to Yuncheng until now, the two guys have not grown up at all and are still so small. Xing Bi also said that puppies grow fast and can grow two times in a month. As a result, they have not grown at all and are still not much bigger than a pair of shoes.
"Bringing a dog to a meeting! How ridiculous!" Director Wu cursed in a low voice.
The biggest thing in Yuncheng recently is the fungus removal experiment. Li Feng spends half a day in the laboratory, and these two dogs also stay in the laboratory. Director Wu is suffering.
"Police dog." Li Feng walked into the meeting room, "Where are the guards?"
"If you kick someone carelessly while walking, he can fly two meters away. And you still want to protect him," Director Wu said with disdain, "It's good enough if he doesn't trip people up."
"Long time no see, everyone." Li Feng must have gotten some sleep today, so he was in pretty good shape. He didn't even yawn when he entered the meeting room. "We're all familiar faces, so I won't introduce myself to you. There's nothing particularly important today. I'm mainly here to report the recent work progress to Mr. Long. Departments that need to coordinate with each other will meet up..."
Qiu Shi glanced at Mr. Long, who was sitting at the other end of the conference table in silence and seriousness. It was hard to tell what his emotions were, but they probably weren't going well.
"You can still give a brief introduction." Minister Liu looked at Zheng Ting over there.
Minister Liu is a cautious person. For a biological being of Zheng Ting's level, even though everyone is already very familiar with him, since they are meeting for the first time today, he should still introduce him again to show his respect.
"Zheng Ting, everyone has heard of him," Li Feng propped his hands on the table and looked at Zheng Ting, "He was the leader of the strongest submerged guard team in the base back then, and he is also the leader of the strongest submerged guard team now."
Zheng Ting raised his hand as a greeting to everyone, then lowered his head and sat down.
"Mr. Long," Li Feng sat down next to Mr. Long and whispered, "Shall we start now?"
Mr. Long glanced at him and said, "Let's get started."
"From inside to outside," Li Feng said, "Let me first report the situation in Yuncheng. Director Zhang, people are dying in the outer city every day..."
"I know that too," Zhang Qifeng frowned, feeling a little unhappy about being targeted right away. "It's not me who kills people every day. Those vagrants don't follow the rules at all. We are regular soldiers and guards..."
"They follow the rules," Li Feng said, "but they may not follow our rules. So let's first find something irregular, use their rules to make them cooperate, and then apply our rules."
Zhang Qifeng looked at Li Feng. Everyone knew what the rules for vagrants were.
"It's not a peaceful time yet," Li Feng said. "If you want to stay in Yuncheng, you have to listen to Yuncheng. Everyone should know that asylum is bought with rules."
"Bai Zhan should stay in the outer city for the time being," Lin Sheng glanced back at Bai Zhan, "bring a few people with you. He is familiar with how to deal with vagrants."
"Okay," Li Feng said, "Thanks for your hard work."
"No problem." Bai Zhan tilted his head back and leaned against the wall.
Qiu Shi leaned back in his chair with his eyes half closed. Apart from the matter of Longtan that needed to be reported, everything else had nothing to do with him now. Normally, he would have fallen asleep by now.
But now he just rested and listened to every word.
Perhaps he had given too much, and it was indeed impossible for him to be the corpse collector he used to be. He no longer needed to participate in opinions or complete any tasks, but he still subconsciously wanted to pay attention.
He has changed again, the corpse collector.
Something rubbed against his leg beneath his feet.
"Fuck." Qiu Shi sat up straight.
"Communications with various Yuncheng stations on the eastern route have been established..." General Yu, who was speaking, looked at him and paused before continuing, "All personnel and daily necessities will be in place within the next month. Xu Jie and Ji Sui's people will be responsible for the safety of the route. In addition, Song Heng will need to communicate with the biochemical organization over there to further discuss cooperation matters."
"Chen Dang, help Song Heng to deal with it." Li Feng said.
"Yeah." Chen Dang nodded.
"Dog," Sang Fan, who was sitting behind Qiu Shi, called out in a low voice, "Dog."
Because they were not the main speakers, biochemical bodies such as Feng Zhi and Sang Fanbaizhan sat behind Xing Bi and the others.
When he heard Sang Fan's voice, Qiu Shi immediately used his legs to sweep under the chair, trying to sweep the dog back under the table. Although he thought that she should not be afraid of dogs, he also thought that these two dogs were ugly and might scare people...
But he didn't hit the dog, but kicked someone's foot.
He looked down and saw a foot wearing a leather boot. A finger bone hanging on the boot had the distinct characteristics of a vagrant.
He turned around and saw Bai Zhan looking at him, his body sliding down to the middle of the chair with his legs stretched out.
The irregular creature was trying to hook the black dog from under his chair with his feet and drag it to the back.
"Help catch him." Bai Zhan said in a low voice.
Qiu Shi looked at him without saying anything.
"Brother Shi." Bai Zhan said again.
"You're suddenly so sweet," Qiu Shiye whispered, "Are you poisoned?"
Bai Zhan smiled with the corners of his mouth pulled.
"I'll catch it for you in my dream." Qiu Shi turned back.
"Qiu Shi." Bai Zhan clicked his tongue.
When Qiu Shi was about to reach out to help him catch the dog, Xing Bi suddenly bent down and grabbed the little black dog.
"Don't hit it, don't, don't, don't..." Bai Zhan said in a low voice, "Brother Bi, don't, don't, don't..."
Xing Bi glanced at him and handed the dog to Sang Fan.
"Thank you." Sang Fan hugged the dog and placed it on his lap.
"You are now," Zheng Ting, who had not moved or spoken, said with some difficulty, "so, is it scary?"
"Yes," Lin Sheng said, "very scary, even more vicious than you were back then."
Xing Bi smiled and said nothing.
"Now let's talk about another problem that needs to be solved first," Li Feng glanced at Mr. Long, "which is the black market in Longtan."
"It's quite a distance from Yuncheng, right?" Mr. Long asked.
"It's quite far," Li Feng said, "but it's a must-go place on the way. It's an important thoroughfare and there's no way to get around it. It has to be resolved sooner or later."
"Yeah." Mr. Long nodded and said nothing more, as if he was cooperating with Li Feng to clear the way for him.
"There are biochemical bodies, vagrants, and refugees in that place," Li Feng projected the map of Longtan onto the whiteboard. "It's not a small scale, it's not an ordinary black market. It looks like it's been around for quite some time."
"Let me take some people with me." said Bai Zhan.
"You have to stay in the outer city first," Li Feng said, "The stability of Yuncheng is the most important."
"Xu Jie and Ji Sui will take some people over there," Lin Sheng said, "General Yu will send some armed people to assist."
"Do we need to mobilize the army?" Li Feng asked.
"That's where the main road to Yuncheng passes," Lin Sheng said, "We need to let them see Yuncheng's strength from the beginning and defeat them all at once."
"Yes." Li Feng nodded, and looked at Director Wu again, "Can you bring the spray this time... Will it be in time?"
"It's a bit tight," Director Wu frowned. "The laboratory has limited manpower, and the production of large quantities of drugs cannot keep up. The first batch was used in Yuncheng and Donglin Xingchuan."
"Hold on tight." Li Feng leaned back in his chair. "There are so many things to do, but they are all the first step. You have all watched Yuncheng come this far. We are the only ones who know best what we have paid for. We all know what we want, why we want it, and how far we have to go. Many things, whether we are willing or not, have to be done, and we have done them..."
"I haven't had the chance to say this before," Li Feng stood up and bowed to the people in the room, "Thank you all for your trust and help. Thank you for your hard work."
After the meeting, everyone left, except Qiu Shi, Xing Bi and others who sat there without moving.
Li Feng came over and sat down: "Let's go to the base."
"It's not over yet, right?" Qiu Shi looked at him.
"All the remaining items in the base have been cleared. After this, most of the biochemical bodies that are not from Yuncheng will definitely choose to return to the base," Li Feng said, "We need someone to go and take a look."
"Zheng Ting goes." Xing Bi said.
Zheng Ting, who had been keeping his head down, looked up at Xing Bi.
"The last stage will be over once the medication is finished," Xing Bi said. "At present, only my speech is still somewhat affected, but the rest of my condition has recovered well."
"Yeah." Zheng Ting responded.
Li Feng didn't say anything, seeming to be thinking.
"That's my hometown," said Xing Bi.
"What does Zheng Ting mean?" Li Feng looked at Zheng Ting.
"Okay." Zheng Ting's answer was simple.
"Then I'll leave it to you," Li Feng said, "Just communicate with Lin Sheng if there is any situation."
"Yeah." Zheng Ting responded.
Director Wu glanced at the time and walked over: "We have to go back to the laboratory now."
Zheng Ting stood up and tapped his fingers on the table a few times as he walked out.
Xing Bi and the others raised their hands almost at the same time and knocked on the table or chairs a few times.
The tacit understanding among the strongest subterfuge team.
Qiu Shi didn't know what was being conveyed, but when he saw this tacit understanding that didn't change with time or experience, didn't need warm-up, didn't need context, and didn't need agreement, he suddenly felt his eyes warm up. "What did you say?" Li Feng asked.
"Gone." Xu Jie replied.
"Is it that simple?" Li Feng smiled.
"Well," Xing Bi said, "we have many work situations where it's inconvenient to speak."
"Why did you let Zheng Ting go to the base?" Li Feng looked at him. "Can you tell me?"
"Zheng Ting is not suitable to live in a place with too many humans, especially where you are. It would be more appropriate for him to return to the base," Xing Bi said, "at least at this stage."
"That's right," Li Feng laughed, "Am I some kind of terrible human being?"
"In a sense, you are," said Xing Bi.
"Don't you trust him?" Li Feng asked.
"Trust him," Xing Bi said, "but before he fully adapts, he can't have any chance to verify what 249 said about humans again."
"Then," Li Feng thought for a moment, "Does he trust you?"
Xing Bi smiled and said, "He must trust our optimal solution."
Li Feng stretched lazily: "Okay, you two can do whatever you want, and push the work to others... or go on a relaxing trip somewhere..."
"We are errand boys, right?" Qiu Shi asked.
"It's a real trip, no mission." Li Feng smiled.
"I'd rather believe those two ugly dogs can talk than to trust you," said Qiu Shi.
"Don't talk nonsense," Li Feng smiled and whistled, "How is she ugly?"
There was a sound of dogs barking outside the meeting room.
Li Feng whistled again.
The dog still barked, but didn't come running over immediately like usual.
"Where's my dog!" Li Feng shouted and walked out quickly.
"Here." Sang Fan stood in the corridor outside, holding a dog in one hand.
"What do you mean?" Li Feng looked at her.
"Do you have any other dogs?" Sang Fan asked.
Li Feng reacted instantly and turned to look at Xing Bi: "Who can take care of her?"
"No more, just these two," Chen Dang said, "I can't give them to you."
"Let Bai Zhan find them for you," Ji Sui said, "Spread the word among the vagrants, and we can find not only two but ten."
Sang Fan looked at Bai Zhan again.
"Look, look, look, I'll find it for you," Bai Zhan said, "Return the dog to Director Li."
Sang Fan put the puppies on the ground: "They don't want to go with me either."
"It's been a month now, and it has recognized its master." Xing Bi said.
"Can we find something like this?" Sang Fan asked Bai Zhan.
"It's hard to find one this ugly," Bo Zhan said, "a prettier one should be fine."
"You are really good at talking," Xu Jie said, "In one sentence, half of the people here have been offended."
Bai Zhan sighed and turned away.
After coming out of the company building, Qiu Shi and Xing Bi did not get into Li Feng's car again, but planned to walk slowly back to the bunker.
The inner city is very busy now, with cars coming and going carrying things. I don’t know where they are being sent to or from, but it is very busy.
There was also a sense of security in this busy chaos. Walking on the narrow streets, Qiu Shi felt much more at ease than before. Except that he was still not used to being recognized by passers-by, everything was fine.
"Don't you want to go back to your 'homeland' to take a look?" Qiu Shi asked, "Do most of the biochemical bodies still have special feelings for the base?"
"Emotions are complicated," Xing Bi said. "It's hard to explain."
Qiu Shi thought of Jiang Cheng. Li Rui had asked for leave next week, saying that he wanted to go back to see Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng still stayed in Benquan City and had no plans to leave.
"We'll go back and see later," Xing Bi said, "What we need to do now is to withdraw little by little. Lin Sheng and the others can handle all this work. If I'm still here, they'll still come to me out of habit for many things."
"Is Zheng Ting really willing to go back?" Qiu Shi asked.
“His happiest memories are all there,” Xing Bi said, “more than the painful ones.”
Qiu Shi sighed softly: "Sometimes I feel that people like him need to live longer and accumulate enough good memories..."
Thinking of this, he paused, turned to look at Xing Bi and said, "There is something I haven't asked you."
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"Has Director Wu told you the test results?" Qiu Shi asked.
"No." Xing Bi said.
"The results should be out now, right?" Qiu Shi was stunned.
"It came out," Xing Bi said, "He asked me if I wanted to know, and I said I didn't want to know anymore."
Qiu Shi didn't say anything. He just looked at him and smiled after a while: "Really?"
Xing Bi put his arm on his shoulder: "I haven't noticed before that two people can actually spend a lot of time together."
The author has something to say:
That’s the end of the extra story.
Their story is still going on, we will just watch it quietly here.
I bow! Thanks again to everyone who has been with me!
I really enjoyed writing this article. Although I didn't save any drafts since the first chapter, I still managed to update it every day. You really gave me great encouragement. It was truly a pleasant experience!
When I said it was over, I felt a sudden sense of emptiness.
Love you guys!
(End of this chapter)