This was probably the quietest night Qiu Shichang had ever seen in his life.
When we were outside the city, even when the "jungle" had just passed and everything was lifeless, it would not be as quiet as it is now. The corpse collectors would talk and walk, and some weathered stones would suddenly slide down at some point because of looseness, rolling all the way to the foot of the mountain. Even the moon seemed to have a sound.
But it was very quiet here. Apart from the occasional sound of flowing water and the increasingly weak crackling of the fire nearby, there was only the sound.
The smell of blood in his nose forced Qiu Shi to sit up.
Xing Bi, who was sitting on the chair opposite and staring at the fire in a daze, looked up at him.
"Do you have a sense of smell?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Yes." Xing Bi said, "Aren't corpse collectors used to this smell?"
"It's unlikely that you'll get used to it," Qiu Shi said as he stood up. Xing Bi's words made him feel a little cold even as he stood by the fire. "There wasn't so much blood when we collected the bodies."
Xing Bi also stood up. Qiu Shi originally thought that he was going to help, but he just stood there.
Qiu Shi had already picked up a corpse's leg, but now he put it down again: "Have you never seen corpse collection before? You have to stand up and watch."
"Let's go somewhere else." Xing Bi pulled out a piece of wood from the fire, held it up, and looked around by the light of the fire. "The smell is in the soil, and it won't go away for a long time."
Qiu Shi looked at the large, dark bloodstains on the ground. Indeed, they had seeped into the mud below.
"Is there any dry space nearby?" he asked. "Isn't there a flashlight in the car?"
“These people all use fire,” Xing Bi said. “They are familiar with this place, and we use flashlights to basically mark them.”
"Okay, you look for it." Qiu Shi looked around. The air was very humid and it felt like there was water everywhere.
Xing Bi picked up another burning piece of wood and walked away. After a few steps, the fire went out and his figure disappeared into the darkness.
Qiu Shi stood where he was and took the gun on his leg in his hand. The unfamiliar environment and unfamiliar atmosphere made him feel a little uneasy, and he even occasionally felt that his feet were too soft to stand firmly.
He had lived outside of Yuncheng since he was a child. The ground under his feet was hard and the air was dry. Even when he went to the nearby ruins to look for something, he only saw familiar rocks mixed with soil.
A corpse collector who has never seen the world.
"Make some noise." said Qiu Shi.
A snap of fingers was heard from the direction where Xing Bi disappeared.
"Your ancestors," Qiu Shi lowered his voice. This strange "noise" did not make him feel safe at all. "You might as well keep quiet."
"Come over here," Xing Bi said, "There's a drier area with a tree."
"Yeah." Qiu Shi responded and looked at the things around him, wondering which ones to take.
"One, two, three," Xing Bi began to count, the sound coming from far away, "four, five, six..."
"What are you doing?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Don't you want to make some noise?" Xing Bi said.
“… It doesn’t need to be so dense.” Qiu Shi said.
"Eight, ten, twelve, fourteen..." Xing Bi began to count in jumps.
"Fuck," Qiu Shi paused, "Your brain."
"It's not too square." Xing Bi walked out from the darkness.
"Count the rounded squares." said Qiu Shi.
The place Xing Bi found was smaller than the current one, just enough to start a fire and have two people huddle next to it.
When he got the things he needed, Qiu Shi looked at the road. There was grass under his feet, but the roots of the grass were full of water, and it was soft and muddy when he stepped on it. He took a branch and poked at the place where there was obvious water accumulation. He found that there was even softer mud underneath, and the branch could keep poking.
"How do we live in this place?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Those who can't survive will die." Xing Bi said.
It was not easy to survive in this place because of the humidity. The same temperature felt colder and it was difficult to light a fire. All the wood they could find around was wet. They could only chop up the chairs and the wooden frame that they had used to tie the person up.
The supplies Li Feng gave them included sleeping bags, which were in the car, but Qiu Shi did not take them. In such a strange and dangerous environment, the effect of hiding in a sleeping bag was no different from tying himself up and waiting for someone to kill him.
But for him, the current situation is okay. There is fire and he is alive.
He lay down beside the fire, with Xing Bi still opposite him, leaning against the small tree.
"That just now..." Qiu Shi started to say half a sentence before he realized that Xing Bi had put on the headphones and started listening to music again without him noticing.
He shut up.
"Which one?" Xing Bi asked.
"Are your ears so good?" Qiu Shi looked at him.
Xing Bi didn't say anything, but just slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"Let me listen." Qiu Shi was a little curious and sat up.
Xing Bi took off his headphones and handed them over together with the small metal stick.
Qiu Shi put on the headphones and looked at the stick for a long time. He pressed several buttons on it, but it didn't respond and he didn't hear any sound in his ears: "How do I turn it on?"
"The power is out." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi was stunned.
"There was only one song in it," Xing Bi said, "and I listened to it for a while in the car before it ran out of battery."
"Then why are you still wearing headphones?" Qiu Shi couldn't understand.
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"Is this psychological comfort?" Qiu Shi threw the thing back to Xing Bi.
"It's conceivable." Xing Bi said.
"What's the song in it?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Happy birthday." Xing Bi said.
"What?" Qiu Shi was stunned again, "I don't have a birthday."
"Happy Birthday is a song." said Xing Bi.
Qiu Shi looked at him.
Xing Bi didn't say anything, just looked at him.
"Why are you suddenly unable to answer questions quickly?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Do you want to listen?" Xing Bi asked.
"Yeah." Qiu Shi responded.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,” Xing Bi began to sing softly, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”
Qiu Shi seemed a little confused after hearing this.
Every time the city celebrates its anniversary, the lyrics of Mr. Long's crappy background music always have more than a dozen different lines, although it sounds a bit ridiculous.
This Happy Birthday song was so simple that Qiu Shi was a little confused.
But there is also an indescribable feeling.
Xing Bi's voice was always a little hoarse, and there was a slight graininess when he sang softly. I don't know if it was because of his voice, his unclear eyes, or because of the damp and cold environment with a faint smell of blood in the air. The very simple melody and very simple lyrics, this song that sounded simple and somewhat empty to Qiu Shi, actually made people feel sad.
“That’s not a happy thing,” he said.
"Don't you have a birthday?" Xing Bi asked.
"No," Qiu Shi said, "No one has it. Who cares about these empty things? Life has become like this. Who would think that the day they were born is important? They just want to know when they will die. Happy birthday. Who would be happy to be born in such a world?"
Xing Bi didn't say anything.
"Do you have a birthday?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Mine is called the production date." Xing Bi said.
This answer made Qiu Shi regret asking such a question. He frowned, thought about it and said, "When you were born... the war hadn't started yet, so you should have been happy."
"It's okay." Xing Bi smiled.
"Biomorphs like you," Qiu Shi looked at him, "are all different, right? In addition to their appearance, their personalities are also different."
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"Is this controlled by humans? That is, what kind of personality and temper you will have," Qiu Shi asked, "or is it just that you have grown up to be so rude?"
"I have grown up to be so rude." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi smiled.
"Humans have the desire to control everything, but they do not have the ability to control everything." Xing Bi said again.
The smile on Qiu Shi's lips slowly faded away. Xing Bi's words were a bit impolite, so he looked at Xing Bi.
Xing Bi looked calm and there was nothing unusual.
"Do you want to take a nap?" Xing Bi asked.
"Well," Qiu Shi lay back on the ground, "What about you? Don't you eat, drink, or sleep?"
"I've eaten and drunk." Xing Bi said.
"How many batteries did you chew?" Qiu Shi closed his eyes. Xing Bi's backpack also had a lot of supplies, including a few high-end-looking boxes. Li Feng mentioned it at the time, so he asked again, "Is it the supplement?"
"Yes." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi originally wanted to ask what that thing tasted like, but he didn't say anything.
"It doesn't have any taste." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi didn't know when he fell asleep. He woke up several times in the middle of the night. Every time he opened his eyes, he could see Xing Bi sitting under the tree. His posture had hardly changed. If it weren't for the fire in the middle that was getting weaker each time until it finally went out, just looking at Xing Bi would have seemed as if time had not passed.
When the sky just began to lighten, Qiu Shi sat up.
"Awake?" Xing Bi was checking the weapons he had taken from those men yesterday.
"I'm freezing to death." Qiu Shi said as he stood up and looked around.
At first glance, they seemed to be in a green area with grass and puddles. The morning mist was thick, and they could vaguely see a few twisted trees sparsely dotted between the grass and water.
The air in the early morning smells of earth and grass. It should be fresh, but it doesn't smell good. I always feel like there's something else in the overly humid air.
When Qiu Shi lowered his head to tidy up his clothes, he found that his body was wet, his hair was wet, and even his eyelashes were covered with moisture.
"What the hell is this place..." He sighed and looked at Xing Bi, "Which direction should we go now?"
Xing Bi pointed to the right behind him: "Over there."
"Okay, let's go," Qiu Shi said, "Where's their boat? Can we put our supplies in it?"
"We can only streamline it and can't take too much," said Xing Bi.
It's more than just that I can't take much.
Qiu Shi looked at the "boat" that was camouflaged with grass and mud and parked not far behind the wooden frame where he was tied yesterday.
"If only the two of us go up there, it will sink," he said.
Strictly speaking, this is not a boat. It is called a boat just for the sake of easy understanding. This thing should be a motorcycle with tracks and two racks with air bags installed.
In terms of functionality, it can be driven on mud and water, and after removing these things, it can also run on hard ground. It is very comprehensive, but in terms of safety... it's hard to say.
"It's better than nothing." Xing Bi said.
That was indeed the case. Qiu Shi did not dwell on it too much. He would know how much the device could withstand after trying it.
This car is worthy of being owned by the swamp robbery gang. There are various small racks and hooks on both sides of the car, which can be used to place weapons and ammunition in various convenient positions.
However, I didn't consider supplies such as food, so I could only hang two bags on both sides of the back seat.
"If we park it like this, the people in the back will have no place to put their legs." Just as Qiu Shi finished speaking, Xing Bi had already stepped into the car and sat in the driver's seat.
Qiu Shi looked at him, and after a while he gave him a thumbs up: "You are worthy of being a first-class submersible guard."
Xing Bi smiled.
"Let's go." Qiu Shi had no choice but to get in the car and sit in the back. He either had to kneel and put his legs on the bags on both sides, or stretch them forward.
He chose the third option, stretched his legs forward and stepped on Xing Bi's shoes.
Xing Bi turned his head and glanced at him: "You are indeed a gifted person."
"Let's go." Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi started the car, and the car made a few low roars and rushed forward.
Qiu Shi looked back as a final check.
Their car had to stay where it was. There were still a lot of supplies in the car. Although it was locked, there was a high probability that it would be gone when they returned.
The car might still be there, after all, a car that can't move anywhere is of little use in this place.
Those people didn't have much stuff yesterday, so Xing Bi pushed all the unused items and the broken bodies into the water.
The water looked shallow, but underneath it was full of soft mud, which swallowed all these things completely without leaving a trace.
It is hard to evaluate the speed of this car, but at least it is faster than a person walking, and its strength lies in safety. It was only after driving this amphibious vehicle that Qiu Shi noticed that it relies on tracks when driving on muddy and soft ground, and relies on inertia when hitting the water.
That is to say, if the water is too wide and the inertia of the car cannot ensure that the car reaches the next mudflat, they will have to float on the water.
"Doesn't this require a paddle?" Qiu Shi sighed.
"What you should worry about is not floating on the water," Xing Bi said as the car just rushed out of a mudflat and entered the water. "Look at the draft depth."
Qiu Shi looked down and put his arms around Xing Bi's waist: "Fuck."
With the weight of two people plus supplies and weapons, when the vehicle rushed through the water, the airbags installed on both sides sank below the water surface.
For people who can't swim, this scene is really scary.
"How's your driving skill?" Qiu Shi was a little worried. "If you're not good enough, I'll drive instead."
"Very good." Xing Bi said.
It's indeed okay. In fact, after driving for a while, Qiu Shi also discovered that the technology does not play a big role here. What is more important is to judge the size of the water surface ahead and choose a path that is easier to pass.
Xing Bi clearly has an advantage in this regard.
Qiu Shi would lower his head to check his draft every time he passed through the water, although there was no need to do so.
Especially after seeing several hands sticking out of the water and white bones soaked in the water, he gave up this meaningless assisting work and looked forward.
After the sun came out, the fog dissipated, and the thick moisture that filled the air became less. Breathing seemed to become lighter. As his clothes slowly dried, Qiu Shi felt his hands getting warm.
They were now heading slightly northeast, towards the slowly rising sun.
"Do you want glasses?" Qiu Shi put on sunglasses.
"No need." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi tilted his head and looked forward from the side of Xing Bi's ear. The sunlight through his sunglasses became less glaring, and he could clearly see that the shining light created a circle of warm yellow on Xing Bi's face.
The ride was extremely uncomfortable and Qiu Shi felt like his waist was about to break. Several times he had to lean on Xing Bi's back to give his back some relief. However, there was no suitable place to stop and rest along the way, and he didn't know where the homeless people would appear from, so he never asked Xing Bi to stop the car.
It was not until the sunlight came from behind, stretching their shadows forward into a long strip, that Qiu Shi saw a low mountain range in front of him that blocked his entire vision.
"Is it a mountain?" he asked.
"Yes," Xing Bi said, "that's the river on the other side."
"Can we get there before dark?" Qiu Shi asked again.
"We can reach the mountain." Xing Bi said.
"Do you know the way around this area?" Qiu Shi looked around.
"We'll know each other when we get to the mountain," said Xing Bi.
"Okay," Qiu Shi said, "Let's go to the mountain to rest for a while. I'll eat something. My waist is about to break."
Xing Bi didn't say anything.
"Hmm?" Qiu Shi leaned forward and looked at Xing Bi's profile.
"Are you going to cross the mountain at night?" Xing Bi said.
"If you don't get tired, you can turn over," Qiu Shi said, "I walked with my legs afterwards, so I have to hurry up, and I am more steady on the mountain."
Xing Bi didn't say anything.
Qiu Shi didn't say anything else. Xing Bi didn't say much along the way. This was not surprising, because Xing Bi had a switch when speaking. He would only speak when you talked to him.
But for some reason, Qiu Shi felt something different at this moment.
I can’t really put my finger on what’s different, it just feels a little off, a completely intuitive feeling of strangeness.
Qiu Shi touched the gun at the side of his leg, gently pulled it out, and pushed it back in. It was quite smooth and could be pulled out in the shortest time possible.
He didn't know why he did that.
He trusted Xing Bi and believed what Xing Bi said about not killing him, but he could never forget the scene of Xing Bi killing someone yesterday. The feeling was strikingly similar to the first time he met Xing Bi.
The Xing Bi at that time and the Xing Bi later were completely two different people.
When the sun was about to disappear from the horizon behind him, Xing Bi slowed down the car. They were approaching the edge of the swamp, and the tracks would occasionally scrape against the protruding rocks in the mud.
"It can be demolished now," Xing Bi said as he stopped the car. "Drive a little further along the mountain. There is a road leading up the mountain. Go over it and keep going north."
"Yeah." Qiu Shi got out of the car.
When his feet touched the ground, he felt his legs were sore and numb, and he was almost losing consciousness.
Xing Bi removed the airbags on both sides and took away the tracks under the wheels.
"Take a break," Qiu Shi said, "I need to keep my legs together for a while."
"You can sit sideways." Xing Bi said.
“… Thank you.” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi didn't say anything and squatted beside the car.
Qiu Shi took out a can from his bag and squatted with him: "Want to have a bite?"
"No need." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi was very hungry and finished the can in just a few bites. When he was about to take another one, he found that he really wanted to rub his hands on Xing Bi's pants.
But this time, before his hand could touch it, Xing Bi suddenly stood up.
"You react pretty quickly." Qiu Shi withdrew his hand and rubbed it on his pants.
Xing Bi said nothing and walked towards the mountain.
"What's wrong?" Qiu Shi asked.
Xing Bi didn't answer and just walked forward.
Qiu Shi stood up, and as he stood up he pulled out the gun from his leg and held it in his hand: "Xing Bi?"
Xing Bi continued to move forward.
"Your ancestors." Qiu Shi gritted his teeth and cursed, then looked around and found nothing unusual.
He quickly chased after Xing Bi.
There is a mountain ahead, but there is no obvious road. Xing Bi also said that we have to drive further along the mountain before we can find a way up the mountain.
But at this moment, Xing Bi seemed to have a goal. He walked directly to the edge of the mountain, then climbed up the mountain by climbing the rocks.
"Xing Bi!" Qiu Shi grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
Xing Bi did not struggle, but turned his head to look at him.
The strangeness in his eyes made Qiu Shi feel cold all of a sudden. At the same time, he also saw the black marks on Xing Bi's neck running from bottom to top like a tree branch.
"Fuck." He let go of Xing Bi's hand, took two steps back, and raised his gun.
Xing Bi looked at him.
Qiu Shi aimed at his neck: "Speak, partner."
Xing Bi looked at him in silence for a while, then turned around and continued walking forward.
"Last chance." said Qiu Shi.
Xing Bi did not stop.
Qiu Shi gritted his teeth, aimed the gun in his right hand at the back of his neck, raised his left hand, clenched his fist, and pressed down.
Limit your partner's ability to move.
Xing Bi stopped, and after a brief pause, he knelt on the ground and then fell down.
"Xing Bi," Qiu Shi waited for a few seconds, making sure that he could not move, and slowly approached with his gun raised, "Can you hear me? I am Qiu Shi."
Xing Bi fell to the ground motionless and silent.
Restricting the ability to move only restricts the limbs and does not involve other aspects, but Xing Bi cannot speak.
Qiu Shi walked up to him, reached out and pulled his arm and turned him over.
"Xing..." Qiu Shi froze.
He sensed murderous intent.
The murderous look in Xing Bi's eyes.
A powerful and oppressive murderous aura instantly filled the air around them.
At this second, Qiu Shi was sure that he saw the state in Xing Bi's body that could be called the factory settings.
The author has something to say:
Continue tomorrow⊙▽⊙.
Bi ah, today seems to be Chinese Valentine's Day, why are you...