When Li Feng woke up, everything in front of his eyes was white. When he was hesitating between whether Director Wu had used him for some experiment and whether he had really fainted, Director Wu's face appeared above him.
"Awake?" asked Director Wu.
"Where did you touch me?" Li Feng asked.
"You didn't move anywhere," Director Wu said. "You just fell asleep, didn't you?"
"Tell others that I fainted from exhaustion," said Li Feng.
"That's what he said," Director Wu pointed to the IV bottle next to him, "and I gave you some nutrient solution."
Li Feng sat up and found that he was not in the hospital, but in the laboratory of the exhibition hall.
I glanced at the time and found that it was already the afternoon of the next day.
"There's going to be trouble. I haven't contacted Qiu Shi yet." Li Feng got out of bed.
"Qiu Shi has contacted you," Director Wu said. "You haven't woken up yet, so I answered the phone for you."
"How are they?" Li Feng asked immediately.
"We started the return journey with Hu Xiaoling," Director Wu said. "Qiu Shi was injured, but he had surgery at Donglin Hospital and is fine. Hu Xiaoling was also injured, but not seriously."
"Well, what else?" Li Feng frowned, "How did Qiu Shi get injured?"
"Why would you tell me that?" said Director Wu.
"Where is Lin Sheng?" Li Feng continued to ask.
"Back to the hibernation chamber." Director Wu replied.
Li Feng was stunned: "Why?"
"Colonel Xu thinks some details are still questionable." Director Wu's expression was subtle, and it was obvious that he did not agree.
"For example?" Li Feng asked.
"Some actions she thought were unnecessary," said Director Wu, "She looked at the sky, took different routes on the way back and out, and killed someone too cruelly..."
Li Feng was stunned for a long time, wondering if his brain had shrunk from sleeping.
"Doesn't she know what it means to be infinitely close to human?" Li Feng said, "Lin Sheng is a secret guard, not a soldier. Killing is their job, and they are not robots. Can't they even look at the sky? Killing people needs to be humane, but looking at the sky doesn't seem to be routine enough? And the return route is different from the outbound route. Doesn't that mean they didn't take a detour on the way back?"
"I hinted at it," said Director Wu, "but I'm old after all. I just want to work on technology and don't want to get too involved in some things..."
"I'm very young, right?" Li Feng said.
"Thirty-something is still young indeed." Director Wu smiled.
"I'll go find her," Li Feng took the coat he had placed next to him, "If this is the standard, I will directly tell Xing Bi not to return to Yuncheng."
"You can go directly to Mr. Long," said Director Wu.
Li Feng turned and looked at him.
"He's been waiting for you in my office," Director Wu said. "He's been waiting for an hour."
"He's quite courageous," Li Feng said as he walked straight to the door, "Isn't he afraid that someone is waiting for him?"
"I found a set of clothes for you." Director Wu pointed to a set of clean clothes on the table next to him.
"No need." Li Feng refused, walked out of the laboratory in his pajamas, and even scratched his already messy hair.
When he walked into Director Wu's office, Mr. Long was sitting on the sofa looking at the screen in front of him. Li Feng could tell at a glance that there was some information about Lin Sheng on it.
However, Mr. Long did not cut off the screen. He just turned his head and was stunned when he saw his appearance: "Why didn't you clean it up?"
"No time." Li Feng walked up to him, "What do you want to talk to me about, Mr. Long?"
"What do you think?" Mr. Long asked.
"I don't know what to think." Li Feng said.
Mr. Long smiled and said, "Did you have a good rest? You have been really hard-working recently."
"We'll have to work hard for a while," Li Feng said, "The inner city is in a mess right now. If you need people or supplies, come to me."
"The Security Bureau," Mr. Long said, "has always been a tough and thankless place."
Li Feng didn't say anything.
"Others don't understand," Mr. Long said, "but it's enough for me to know."
"Thank you, Mr. Long." Li Feng said.
"Although we were unable to successfully stop these invading biochemicals this time," Mr. Long said, "your accurate judgment reduced the losses a lot."
"Thank you for believing in me." Li Feng said.
"Why are you so polite today?" said Mr. Long.
"Maybe I didn't get enough sleep." Li Feng said.
"Regarding this incident," Mr. Long swiped across the screen a few times, calling up a real-time map of the inner city. The damage and analysis of various places were being updated synchronously. "What do you think? Do you have any information to report?"
"Yes." Li Feng said. Mr. Long was waiting for him to continue, but he stopped.
"What?" Mr. Long looked at him, paused and laughed, "Do you need me to complete the transaction first? You can ask."
"I need to have higher authority and voice in the working group." Li Feng made the request very straightforwardly.
Mr. Long looked at him in surprise: "I thought you would want something."
"If you can keep this life, you can have everything," Li Feng said, "If you can't keep it, you may even lose your life. What's the point of having anything else?"
"Let me think about it," said Mr. Long.
"Donglin Town was attacked by the symbiote at the same time as us," Li Feng quickly got back to the point, "Although the attack methods and purposes seem different, they are definitely from the same group."
"Donglin..." Mr. Long frowned, "You reported before that they were occupied by biochemical beings, right?"
"Yes," Li Feng said, "but we can only know more detailed information after Qiu Shi and his team come back. The communication on the road may be intercepted, which is not safe."
"What are your thoughts at the moment?" Mr. Long asked.
"Strengthening the defense of the inner city and strictly screening refugees entering the city are the basics," Li Feng said. "The outer city also needs to be managed, and the outer defense lines need to be pushed outward. The current warning area is enough for the infected, but it is not enough for biochemical organisms or symbionts."
Mr. Long nodded and looked at him.
"Be more proactive." Li Feng said.
"How to take the initiative?" Mr. Long asked.
"We'll be able to find out the situation in Donglin once Qiu Shi and the others come back," Li Feng said. "What about Xingchuan Town? How many small gathering points are there around us? How many infection sources are there? Where is the headquarters of the symbionts? Are there any forces we can ally with..."
"When the old director recommended you," Mr. Long looked at him, "I was a little worried. You were too young and didn't look very reliable. Now that I think about it, the old director is very good at judging people."
Li Feng didn't say anything.
"What are your specific ideas for strengthening the inner city?" Mr. Long asked.
"No." Li Feng looked at him.
"Huh?" Mr. Long was stunned for a moment, then quickly started laughing again.
"No one is doing this for the outside world. If Mr. Long thinks it's necessary, I can do it," Li Feng said. "I won't get involved in the affairs of the inner city. My only request is that I can have a say in the working group."
"Are there any more specifics?" Mr. Long asked.
"Lin Sheng has returned to the hibernation capsule. You should have a report," Li Feng said. "In my opinion, the reason is that he made the decision without any understanding of biochemical organisms and symbionts."
"Got it," Mr. Long nodded, "I'll communicate with the general."
"General..." Li Feng hesitated for two seconds and still didn't say anything. "I hope it can be quick. If Xing Bi and the others come back to the cabin, I will advise them not to come back. At this stage, Yuncheng should use biochemical bodies to protect humans, rather than waste our combat power and wait for others to destroy us."
"You know," Mr. Long said, "the creators of the first generation of Cloud City thought the same way."
"Do we have any other choice?" Li Feng said, "If history must repeat itself in order to continue, then let it repeat itself."
"I'm old," Mr. Long looked at his own reflection on the glass next to him, "I don't know how many pages I can leave."
Li Feng didn't say anything.
"Have you thought about this?" Mr. Long turned his head and looked at him.
"No," Li Feng said, "I just want to live."
Qiu Shi slept all the way. Because of the injury on his chest, his sleep quality was much better than on the way to Donglin. He was basically drowsy. It hurt when he opened his eyes, and he continued to sleep when he was tired of the pain.
He stopped using painkillers and injections, as he always felt that they would affect his reaction.
Hu Xiaoling, who was driving in front, slowed down, turned around and made a gesture.
"No more oil." said Qiu Shi.
"It's in the car." Xing Bi stopped the car.
"Let me move around for a while." Qiu Shi opened the car door and got out.
The sky was already getting dark. There was no special smell in the air. It was very empty, with nothing but the wind. This feeling made people feel uneasy.
"Your wound," he looked at Hu Xiaoling, "re-bandage it."
"It's pretty good. It doesn't hurt much anymore," said Hu Xiaoling.
"The bullet hole hasn't been covered yet and is exposed," said Qiu Shi.
"Hmm?" Hu Xiaoling looked down and said, "Maybe I moved too much?"
Xing Bi took out the medicine box.
"I am myself, myself." said Hu Xiaoling.
"We didn't run into anyone along the way," Qiu Shi said, "Did they get cleared out by the symbiotes or was there something else going on?"
"This is a wide open area, it's not easy to hide people," Xing Bi said, "Be careful in the hilly area ahead."
When Qiu Shi returned to the car, he opened the map and saw only three dots.
"If a symbiote approaches, can you feel it?" he asked Xing Bi.
"Not necessarily." Xing Bi started the car and continued to follow Hu Xiaoling. "Some can be hidden."
"Was it discovered in Donglin?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Well, just like grouping partners, Donglin can also block the information of the symbiont within a certain range," Xing Bi said, "to prevent it from being controlled by other entities."
"Does Yuncheng have these technologies?" Qiu Shi frowned.
"Ask Li Feng," Xing Bi said, "I don't remember."
"I guess Cloud City is in chaos now," Qiu Shi said, "It has been running according to its own rules for so many years. No one knows what's going on outside, and no one cares... But it's the same for me, it's all the same."
Xing Bi glanced at him.
"I'm afraid of change," Qiu Shi said. "Do you know that feeling? When the wound hurts, you can endure it as long as you don't move. But if you move a little, it will tear your heart apart."
"I understand." Xing Bi responded.
"You know shit. Your injury healed in less than two days." Qiu Shi said.
A small bright spot appeared in the upper right corner of the map.
"There's someone," Qiu Shi looked at the bright spot, "just one person, and he's not moving."
"Let Hu Xiaoling go to the back." Xing Bi turned the steering wheel and overtook Hu Xiaoling's car.
Qiu Shi reached out of the car window and gestured.
Hu Xiaoling also made a gesture and followed their car.
The small bright spot remained there without moving. Even when their car drove very close and they could see corpses on the ground, the bright spot did not move.
It was a woman, sitting among the corpses.
"They are all humans." Xing Bi slowed down the car and stopped next to the group of zombies.
The car lights illuminated the ground. In the strong contrast between light and dark, the corpse on the ground and the half of the woman's body stained with red blood looked extremely strange.
"Who did this..." Qiu Shi looked at the corpse on the ground. When Xing Bi got out of the car, he also got out and raised his hand to tell Hu Xiaoling not to move.
There was black fungus on the ground, and Hu Xiaoling had wounds on his body, making him easily infected.
"Human." Xing Bi checked the wounds on the corpse.
"Were they robbed?" Qiu Shi glanced at the woman. She looked like a refugee, but including the bodies on the ground, there were nine of them, and they didn't have any luggage. It was likely that they were robbed.
However, Qiu Shi did not expect her to answer. This woman looked like her soul was no longer in this world, and only a body remained here.
Qiu Shi returned to the car, took a few cans of food and water, went back to the woman, prepared to leave them for her, and then continued on his way.
But the woman just stared at the gun in his lap.
Qiu Shi stood down.
"Beat me to death." The woman looked up at him and suddenly spoke. Her voice was low and a little vague, but her eyes were firm.
Qiu Shi didn't say anything. He put the things back in the car, turned around, drew his gun, and shot the woman in the middle of her eyebrows.
The woman's head jerked back and she fell among the bodies.
"Ah!" Hu Xiaoling shouted from the car behind.
Qiu Shi glanced at him and wanted to say something, but finally got into the car in silence.
Hu Xiaoling drove his car to the front again and went to find the Donglin river crossing pier according to his memory.
The previous jubilation was gone, and now he looked like a seriously injured man, with only his right hand steering the direction, looking ahead like a one-armed hero.
"He has never killed anyone face to face, right?" Xing Bi asked.
"Who would have experienced such a thing if he grew up near Yuncheng? He is still a refugee, just like those people on the ground just now. He came to Yuncheng only after he could remember things." Qiu Shi said.
This kind of execution-style killing was different from any fighting or cleanup. Moreover, even when they occasionally cleaned up the infected outside the city, it was mostly done by him and Zhao Lu.
Xing Bi said nothing more.
"I was probably upset." Qiu Shi said, "I was almost killed by my own brother, and now in front of Hu Xiaoling..."
"The one who wants to kill you is a stranger." Xing Bi said.
"Yeah," Qiu Shi smiled, "Xing Bi."
"Hmm?" Xing Bi responded.
"Why do you still abide by that oath, at least on the surface?" Qiu Shi asked.
"A friend who will never betray me," Xing Bi said, "All my emotions, all my thoughts and ideas come from humans. There will always be a human being who gives me hope."
"Me?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Could it be Li Feng?" Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi laughed, covered his chest, and looked out the window: "You are also quite strange. Other biochemical bodies don't have anything like you, such as Chen Dang and that Lin Sheng."
"Chen Dang is not a secret guard," Xing Bi said, "he is a civilian."
"So the way of thinking is different?" Qiu Shi asked, "What about Lin Sheng?"
"It's because the people I meet are in different environments," said Xing Bi.
"Yes, you can't get in touch with ordinary people." said Qiu Shi.
Xing Bi laughed: "Your memory is no worse than that of a biological body."
“Maybe I have a little cube too.” Qiu Shi touched the back of his neck. “They didn’t tell me when they hit me with this thing, you bastard.”
Hu Xiaoling, who was driving in front, suddenly stood up, slowed down, and started driving upstream along the river.
Xing Bi also turned the direction and followed him.
It was completely dark all around, but the moon was particularly bright tonight, and the vision was better than the last time they passed the river. They could see the undulating terrain around them, and the river surface that seemed to be covered with silver scales, like a huge twisting snake.
After driving for a long time, when Qiu Shi wanted Hu Xiaoling to stop the car and ask him if he had forgotten, Hu Xiaoling raised his hand and stopped the car.
"We're here." said Qiu Shi.
Hu Xiaoling jumped out of the car, ran to the river, bent down and looked: "This is it!"
Hu Xiaoling dug with his hands under the mud and rocks by the river and revealed an iron ring as thick as his wrist. A thin steel cable on the iron ring extended into the river.
"That end is connected to the boat. If you pull it, the boat will slide into the water along the track on the mountain." Hu Xiaoling glanced at the car they were driving. "I guess we need to use that car to pull it, or... Xing Bi?"
"Even the hidden guards don't have that much power." Xing Bi said.
"Oh." Hu Xiaoling said, "I thought you could pull it over."
"Why don't I lift you and your car and walk across the river." Xing Bi said as he walked towards the car.
Hu Xiaoling was stunned for a moment, then he started laughing. He squatted by the river and kept laughing until Xing Bi drove the car in front of him.
"Hey, are biochemical bodies so funny?" Hu Xiaoling said.
"Infinitely close to humans." said Qiu Shi.
"I think they are superior to humans." Hu Xiaoling stopped smiling, "How can they be friends with humans? Humans are so... fragile, selfish, and cruel..."
Qiu Shi tapped him on the top of his head: "Hu Xiaoling."
"You and Brigade Zhao have protected us so well," Hu Xiaoling said. "In the past, the worst thing for me was being bullied by the Security Bureau."
"Did I irritate you?" Qiu Shi asked.
"No," Hu Xiaoling stood up, "It's good that you weren't provoked. That Qiu Yu... Shit."
"Get to work." Xing Bi said.
"Who to call?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Me." Xing Bi bent down, pulled out the iron ring on the ground, and hooked it on the winch of the car.
As the winch turned, the bushes among the woods on the opposite mountain began to shake, and soon a boat slid out.
It's not a particularly standard boat type, it looks more like a square platform, probably used for ferrying and can haul things, and it looks like the area can accommodate their two cars.
From the mountain to the river bank, you can see two faint indentations, which should be the tracks underneath. The boat slowly moves along these two indentations to the river bank, and the next step is to pull it here.
"There is something on the boat." Xing Bi suddenly said.
"Fuck." Hu Xiaoling turned around and jumped into his car, pointing the machine gun towards the boat.
Qiu Shiye drew his gun and aimed, then opened the map. He was stunned when he saw a dense cluster of small bright spots appear in the direction of the ship. There were at least twenty of them.
But the boat that had been pulled into the river was completely silent, even though they could see the figures of people on the boat with their own eyes.
"What's going on?" Hu Xiaoling asked.
"It's a human," Xing Bi said, "an infected person."
This sentence made Qiu Shi relax a little. If this was a ship full of biological organisms, with their current half-crippled combat effectiveness, they could only rely on Xing Bi alone, and there was fear that something might go wrong.
But this ship of silent, lifeless, ghostly infected people was also very strange.
The boat was pulled to the shore. Qiu Shi approached carefully and found that it was indeed a human. Although it did not look like an infected person on the surface, Qiu Shi could determine this status by intuition.
Why are they standing so still...
"We're under control," Xing Bi said. "Get on board and get through before the main body finds us."
"What?" Hu Xiaoling was stunned. "Don't you want to clean it up first?"
"Eliminating one will alert the main body. Don't touch them. Cross the river first." Qiu Shi jumped into the car and watched Xing Bi pull down the board to get on the boat, remove the steel cable, and then slowly drive the car onto the boat. He stopped close to the infected people to leave space for Hu Xiaoling's car.
After Hu Xiaoling's car drove onto the boat, Xing Bi did not put the iron ring back to its original place, but took it onto the boat.
Qiu Shi had a similar idea as him. This ship could not be kept. Even if Donglin built another one later, this one had to be destroyed first.
Xing Bi started the engine of the boat, tightened the steel cable at the other end, and began to slowly pull them to the other side. Xing Bi did not get on the car again, but stood next to the infected people.
It didn't take long to cross the river, much faster than if they flew halfway into the river, skipped two skips and then swam across, but because of the extra people on the boat, the time seemed extraordinarily long.
The time was so long that Qiu Shi looked at these people's faces many times and even found the faces of the oldest and youngest among them. Only then did the boat finally leave the water and begin to slide towards the mountain.
Xing Bi turned off the engine, and Hu Xiaoling and Qiu Shi carefully drove the car off the boat.
Qiu Shi felt that tension was the strongest painkiller. Only after the car drove off the boat did he feel the severe pain in his chest.
"How to deal with these people?" he asked Xing Bi.
"Burn the boat together." Xing Bi said as he took a box of oil from the car, returned to the boat, started pouring the oil into the boat, and finally poured the oil on the infected people.
When he jumped off the boat, Qiu Shi handed him a lighter, and he lit it and threw it onto the boat.
A cluster of flames suddenly rose from the middle of the ship, and then quickly spread to the surroundings. After a few seconds, the group of infected people were engulfed in flames, and their clothes and hair began to burn.
The fire was so fierce because of the oil that Qiu Shi felt his face was a little hot. He took two steps back.
As soon as they stood still, the infected people on the ship who had not yet been completely engulfed by the fire suddenly turned their heads.
"Your ancestors!" Qiu Shi was startled and cursed in a low voice, then he and Xing Bi raised their guns at the same time.
But these infected people did not move, they just stared at this side in unison.
Just when Qiu Shi couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to just shoot them, they opened their mouths and let out broken roars at the same time from their already damaged throats.
"Xing...must..."
The author has something to say:
Continue tomorrow\\^O^/.