The old man's men cleared out the two floors of the supermarket, and Zhao Yi and his team checked it again in a more professional way. After making sure it was safe and there were no ambushes or traps, the whole team entered the supermarket.
The supplies and equipment in the car were also unloaded because the "jungle" might be coming, so the car had to be parked in the underground garage. In order to prevent the supplies from being stolen, they had to be unloaded.
The team members were resting on the first floor. Xiao Zuo and Xiao You were guarding the front and back doors. Qiu Shi and Xing Bi went upstairs.
The shelves on the second floor have been pushed aside, and there are still many signs of life in the empty space. It seems that these people make fires and cook here.
"I have to contact Li Feng," Qiu Shi sat down on the floor leaning against the shelf, "regardless of whether the Jungle incident is true or not, we have to report it. Team One and Team Three are not far from us, and they might be affected as well."
"Yeah." Xing Bi sat on his left.
"Please sit over here," Qiu Shi pointed to his right, "I want to see your... pattern."
Xing Bi stood up again and sat on his right.
Qiu Shi connected to Li Feng's private channel, and Li Feng's voice soon came out from the headset: "Are you there?"
"We're here," Qiu Shi said, "Don't ask questions yet, just listen to me."
"Yeah." Li Feng responded.
"'Jungle' will come in an hour at the latest. I don't know if it will affect Shidi and Zhuyuan," Qiu Shi said. "It's up to you whether to notify them or not. Besides, we are not sure whether 'Jungle' will come."
"Where's the source of the information?" Li Feng asked.
"The old man on the second floor of Dayan." said Qiu Shi.
"Please wait for me for a moment. Don't get disconnected." After Li Feng finished speaking, there was no sound from the other end. He must have gone to arrange to notify Team One and Team Three.
Less than a minute later, Li Feng's voice came out again: "Do you have a safe place to hide?"
"We are on the second floor of Xima Supermarket." said Qiu Shi.
"If you really come, let's go to the first floor." Li Feng said.
"Yeah," Qiu Shi responded, "There's no one else there, right?"
"No, tell me." Li Feng said.
"There's not only the old man here at Xima," Qiu Shi said, "there are nearly 200... immune humans."
There was no sound from Li Feng. After two seconds, he said, "So many? Are you sure?"
"I'm not sure, but I saw about 30 to 50 of them. If I estimate, there are at least a hundred of them. Moreover," Qiu Shi lowered his voice, "they are supposed to be immune, but their blood is full of fungi. We killed a few of them when we entered the town, and their blood was black."
"I'm a little shocked." Li Feng said, "Are they latently infected?"
"No," Qiu Shi said, "If you must say, they are the carriers. They are the ones who said the 'Jungle' was coming. They can probably sense it."
"Talk to the old man." Li Feng said.
"We can talk," Qiu Shi said, "but there are conditions."
"Speak." Li Feng said.
"We can't kill the old man," Qiu Shi said, "We can't restrict him. He is not Yuncheng's enemy."
"Okay," Li Feng said, "I'm going to the command room now. If you have any questions, please contact me this way."
"Yeah." Qiu Shi responded.
"How is Xing Bi? Is he stable?" Li Feng asked again.
Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi, who said, "Very good, stable."
"Do I have to share this private phone with my partner?" Li Feng felt helpless.
"The relationship with your partner is obviously much closer than with you," Qiu said. "If you don't share it, you will pass it on."
After contacting Li Feng, Qiu Shishu let out a sigh of relief: "Tell me, can Li Feng be trusted?"
"If you choose to believe, keep believing," Xing Bi said, "There is no one more trustworthy than him."
"Well," Qiu Shi turned his head and looked at him, "I'll go find the old man later. Can you feel what's going on over there?"
"A lot of people," Xing Bi said. "If he talks to you alone every time later, it might make those people suspicious."
"Then let's wait and see if 'Jungle' will come." Qiu Shi said.
"Yeah." Xing Bi leaned his head back and rested his head on the shelf behind him.
"Are you tired?" Qiu Shi looked at the black mark on the side of his neck, which seemed to be a little different from the previous one.
"It's okay now. There is no complicated situation that needs to be judged." Xing Bi said.
"Did you know that this thing will change?" Qiu Shi asked.
"I don't know," Xing Bi said, "I don't even know what it looks like."
“It’s just… thin black strips growing out like plants,” Qiu Shi said.
"What plant?" Xing Bi asked.
"How the hell can I tell them apart? There are only three kinds of plants here: trees, grass, and flowers," said Qiu Shi.
"There aren't even any bushes?" Xing Bi laughed. "Draw it for me."
"Yeah." Qiu Shi sat up straight, reached out and grabbed Xing Bi's collar and pulled it, revealing his collarbone.
Xing Bi glanced at him, seeming a little surprised.
"What?" Qiu Shi tapped his collarbone with his finger. "It grew from here."
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"Then go up," Qiu Shi pointed his finger at the black mark and slowly traced upwards, "It splits here, this one goes a little further back..."
Xing Bi looked at him without saying anything.
"When we get here, it branches off again." Qiu Shi's fingertips could touch Xing Bi's skin. He had to admit that the biochemical body's skin had no flaws. It was delicate and smooth with a little warmth, and it felt very comfortable to touch. "This line goes all the way to... here."
Qiu Shi was a little at a loss for words. He felt that he was more like touching Xing Bi's neck than drawing the mark... It was a bit awkward.
Xing Bi grabbed his hand.
"Hmm?" Qiu Shi looked at him.
"What I meant just now," Xing Bi also looked at him, "was to let you draw on the ground."
"Your ancestors," Qiu Shi was stunned, "then I finished painting on your neck before you told me."
Xing Bi smiled and said, "It was quite comfortable, so I didn't say anything."
"I know how to enjoy myself." said Qiu Shi.
"Would you like to enjoy yourself? I'll give you a tickle?" Xing Bi said, "Or a massage?"
"How can a noble first-level security guard who doesn't come into contact with ordinary people know how to give massages?" Qiu Shi said.
"This can't even be considered a skill." Xing Bi said.
"You are a little too arrogant," Qiu Shi pointed at his neck, "I twisted my neck when I was sleeping in the car today, and now I feel like the tendons are all unfocused. Can you give me some massages?"
"Yeah." Xing Bi reached out and pinched the back of his neck, "Is this okay?"
"Well, you can," Qiu Shi said, "you can try harder."
"Like this?" Xing Bi pinched it twice again.
"It's OK, partner," Qiu Shi said, "It's much better than Dayan's dead masseur."
"Don't you have anyone else to compare yourself to?" Xing Bi said.
"He's the only one who's pressed me," Qiu Shi said. "There's no other comparison. I feel like his strength is enough to break bones in a biological body."
Xing Bi laughed.
"Hey," Qiu Shi turned his head, "Is there a biochemical body enhanced by a masseur?"
"Yes, but..." Xing Bi said, "It's not a separate category."
"With what?" Qiu Shi asked.
Xing Bi said nothing.
"I'm asking you." Qiu Shi turned and looked at him.
Xing Bi glanced at him but still said nothing.
"Didn't you just finish your maintenance? Are the ear wires not connected properly?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Sexual service." Xing Bi said.
"What the hell?" Qiu Shi was stunned.
“It was originally an independent project,” Xing Bi said, “but the world is getting more and more chaotic, people are getting more desperate, and what they need is more simplicity and directness.”
Qiu Shi didn't say anything. He had not experienced that era, but he could understand that in the world he lived in now, the refugees in the outer city who were struggling to survive might not even be able to care about the simplest and most straightforward desires.
Xing Bi's massage skills were quite good. Of course, it was also possible that he was tired. After a while, he actually fell asleep and was woken up by Zhao Yi's voice in the headphones.
"Captain, we need some wood or something to make a fire. It's too cold."
"I'll do it." said Qiu Shi.
Xing Bi took his hand away, and the warmth from Xing Bi's palm that was originally against the back of his neck disappeared, and he shivered suddenly with cold.
"Do you want to make a fire?" Xing Bi asked.
"Well," Qiu Shi stood up, "Ask them for some, or we can go find some before the 'Jungle' arrives."
"I'll go with you," Xing Bi also stood up, "Let's go around town. If we don't ask the old man, we can ask other people to see if we can find out anything."
"Those people are afraid of you." said Qiu Shi.
"In today's world, I guess humans only have two kinds of emotions towards biochemical beings," said Xing Bi.
Qiu Shi looked at him.
"Fear and hatred," said Xing Bi.
"I'm not a human being," Qiu Shi said, "I like you very much."
"I'm not being rigorous." Xing Bi smiled.
"Strictly speaking, I have been afraid of you," Qiu Shi said, "but rarely, and that fear is not the same as others. I am afraid of you..."
"It's more appropriate to call it worry." Xing Bi said.
"I am uneducated," said Qiu Shi.
"Go back and tell Li Feng that we should improve the teaching quality in the outer city." Xing Bi said.
"He's just a director," Qiu Shi said as he walked downstairs, "Now the only promotion he can get is to be the leader of that shitty working group, or even a deputy..."
"He may be the next leader of Yuncheng." Xing Bi said.
"Wow," Qiu Shi looked back at him, thought about it and sighed, "If I really have to pick one among those people now, he is really the strongest."
Everyone in the team was resting downstairs, with Xiao Zuo and Xiao You guarding the front and back doors.
Seeing Qiu Shi coming down, Zhao Yi came over and asked, "Do you want to go out?"
"Well," Qiu Shi glanced at the people in the room, "Xing Bi and I will go out to see if there is any fuel. You stay here and we need someone with experience."
Zhao Yi hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Be careful, if the wind starts to blow, the 'Jungle' is coming."
"I know." Qiu Shi said.
"The captain should know better than us," Lu Yu said, "He has been outside the city, right?"
"That's right." Zhao Yi smiled.
"Thank you." Qiu Shi wrapped his scarf, took the gun and walked out of the supermarket.
It was already dark now, but the street lights in the town were on. These guys must have used a generator, as a roar could be heard.
"Where are you going?" Someone came out of the darkness and stopped them.
"What's it to you?" Qiu Shi said.
"The Jungle is coming soon. It's not safe to go out now," the man said.
"Where can I find firewood, charcoal, or anything else that can burn?" Qiu Shi asked. "If I don't have any, I'll go to the woods outside the town to look for them."
"It's in the warehouse. I'll take you there." said the man.
"That warehouse at the end of the road, right?" Qiu Shi said, "I know the place. Just go there yourself."
Without waiting for the man to speak, he turned and left.
The man didn't follow.
Qiu Shi didn't want to be so rude, but he felt a little unhappy.
There has always been no one in Xima Town. Every time he comes here, he is the only one in the whole town. Every time he comes here, he stays for a day or two and walks around the town carefully.
He had been into every street and every house here and was familiar with them. Each of those old and shabby objects exuded loneliness. Here he imagined the life of humans in the past.
But now, the fact that Yuncheng was going to garrison here was already making him unhappy, but there was actually a group of strange people who got there first... He felt angry as if his territory had been taken away by someone else.
There used to be a lot of boxes piled up in the warehouse, all of which were waste, expired food, drinks, and snacks. The packaging looked much better than the food in Yuncheng, but unfortunately they were all spoiled.
Now everything in here has been cleared out. Several people with guns are guarding the door of the warehouse, where the supplies of these black-blood people are piled up.
Wood, some clothes, and canned food that looked different from those in Yuncheng. There were even some fresh vegetables in the corner.
Qiu Shi leaned over, somewhat curious. To be honest, the inner city had its own vegetable garden, but Qiu Shi had never eaten fresh vegetables before.
"Cabbage." Xing Bi said.
"Is it delicious?" Qiu Shi reached out, peeled off a leaf and put it in his mouth.
"It won't taste good if you eat it this way." Xing Bi said.
"It's delicious," Qiu Shi said as he chewed. "It's a little sweet and crunchy."
"You can give some to your team members." said the guard next to him.
"No," Qiu Shi turned around and pulled a trailer over and started to pile wood on it, "I'm afraid it's poisonous."
"You ate it all," the guard said. "Did it poison you?"
"I have good resistance." said Qiu Shi.
The guard's expression suddenly turned grim.
Qiu Shi didn't even look at him, but just said, "We have food. You can keep these things. I see you have quite a few people, two or three hundred. This little food won't last you a month."
The guard's expression softened and his tone became more relaxed: "That's enough. We only have a little over a hundred people."
"Let's save some money. We can't grow vegetables in winter." Qiu Shi stacked the wood and dragged it out of the warehouse.
A little over a hundred, not bad, still less than nearly 200. "Let me do it," Xing Bi followed.
"I can drag it." said Qiu Shi.
"Too slow." Xing Bi said.
That's the truth. The wheels of this trailer are too small. Once the wood is piled on it, it's a bit inconvenient to move and it's difficult to pull it.
"Then you come." Qiu Shi gave up his seat.
Xing Bi dragged the cart forward, and Qiu Shi followed beside the cart. After walking a few steps, he bent down to look at the wheels, then reached out and pressed the wood to push the cart down.
Xing Bi turned around.
"Go on." Qiu Shi said.
"Go ahead," Xing Bi said, "You can pull it."
"Fuck," Qiu Shi looked at him, "And you still say you don't have the ability to read minds?"
"It's just that I've lived long enough." Xing Bi said.
“… I’m mainly worried…” Qiu Shi looked at the car.
"It won't get crushed," Xing Bi said. "This car is pretty sturdy."
"Fuck you," Qiu Shi gritted his teeth, jumped into the car, and sat on a pile of wood, "Sometimes I feel like I'm transparent in front of you."
"Not really," Xing Bi said, "Sometimes I can't guess what you're thinking. You're different from anyone I've ever met."
Qiu Shi sighed.
"For example, I can't guess why you want to sit here?" Xing Bi asked.
"Hu Xiaoling once said that he always dreamed of his father pulling him around in a small car made of a small board," Qiu said. "He said he remembered that when he was a child, many children in his neighborhood rode in that kind of car."
"Is that so?" Xing Bi said.
"He was only five years old when his father took him to Yuncheng and died," Qiu Shi said. "He remembers nothing. Zhao Lu doesn't remember anything before he was seven."
"What about you?" Xing Bi asked.
"I don't remember," Qiu Shi thought for a while, "Maybe I don't forget. I've been outside the city the whole time. I only remember things outside the city. It's always been like that outside the city. I can't tell what time it is at all."
Xing Bi smiled and ran a few steps with the cart.
Qiu Shi sat on the wood and bounced several times, almost gritting his teeth, but he unexpectedly found it quite interesting.
"Is it fun?" Xing Bi asked.
"Well," Qiu Shi looked at the sky and saw nothing unusual, "One more time?"
Xing Bi dragged the car forward for a while.
“Fuck,” Qiu said with a laugh. “It’s pretty fun.”
"Don't you want to thank Dad?" Xing Bi asked.
"Oh," Qiu Shi looked at him, "You're quite good at taking advantage, partner."
"Even if you call me grandpa, I'm not taking advantage of you, partner." Xing Bi said.
"This is fucking true," Qiu Shi thought for a while, then lay back on the woodpile and laughed for a long time, "It's true."
"You called out." Xing Bi said.
"Did I call you?" Qiu Shi was stunned.
"Yeah." Xing Bi nodded.
"My brain is too new to remember so much," Qiu Shi said, "Don't take advantage of me."
"I didn't lie to you." Xing Bi smiled.
"Fuck," Qiu Shi said, "Am I so sweet?"
The supermarket suddenly became warmer after a fire was built. The team members heated up the cans and ate them. The warm air and the aroma of the cans made people feel a lot more peaceful.
Xing Bi gave the supplements to Xiao Zuo and Xiao You, then walked over to Qiu Shi and said, "The old man asked you to go over now. There's no one on the third floor."
"How did he..." Qiu Shi looked at him and lowered his voice, "Did he tell Sang Fan?"
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"Then let's go over and ask. This 'Jungle' hasn't come either." Qiu Shi looked out the window and saw that it was already dark. "Li Feng is going to be embarrassed this time. Team Leader Li's intelligence is actually inaccurate."
"I'll go with you." Xing Bi said.
"Let's go." Qiu Shi gave Zhao a few instructions, then walked out of the supermarket and went to the turret next to him.
The people guarding outside the turret were not surprised to see the two of them.
"Go in," the man said, "the boss said you will be here in ten minutes."
"So powerful?" Qiu Shi said casually.
He knew why the old man told Xing Bi to let him come over through Sang Fan. This was really a good pretense, he seized every opportunity to pretend to be an old immortal.
"He knows everything." The man said with admiration in his tone.
When he saw Sang Fan on the third floor, Qiu Shi frowned and said, "I forgot to bring some supplements."
"It's here." Xing Bi said in a low voice.
"Yes," Qiu Shi turned to look at the old man sitting in the wheelchair, "The old prophet takes supplements."
The old man smiled.
Qiu Shi sat down in front of him and said, "I'm really worried about you. I'm afraid you'll die."
"I know," the old man clapped his hands, "but there's no way to tell you, these people... New World fanatics."
"Ignore them for now," Qiu Shi looked at him, "Who took you away? Where did you go? Your luggage is packed. Where are you going? Did you bring me to Yuncheng? From where? Why?"
"I haven't been gone for long," the old man sighed, "Why do I feel like you know everything?"
"I've been to Donglin and met Chen Dang and Qiu Yu," Qiu Shi said, "Do you know these two?"
"Qiu Yu is your brother," the old man frowned, "a little lunatic, now he should be a big lunatic."
"He was a lunatic," Qiu Shi said, "and was killed by Xing Bi."
"Is he really dead?" The old man looked at Xing Bi.
"Don't interrupt, answer my previous question." said Qiu Shi.
"The luggage is for you, because I think you always like those old stuff," the old man said, "I thought you would grow up and I would leave one day, but I didn't think I would leave on that day..."
"Go on." Qiu Shi said.
"Nobody took me away," the old man said. "They left me alone after you were knocked out of the window."
"The biochemical body didn't kill you?" Qiu Shi stared at him.
"Level 2." The old man glanced at Xing Bi.
"The second level might be able to identify his small cube brain," Xing Bi said, "The order received should not include the option to kill non-humans."
"Non-human?" Qiu Shi was stunned.
"If you strengthen it, you will be expelled from the human race." The old man sighed.
"Then why did you run?" Qiu Shi asked.
"I didn't run away!" the old man said, "Deng Yeye's people pushed me away."
"This Deng Yeye..." Qiu Shi frowned, "Then why didn't you get together with her later?"
"The people who were responsible for taking me away were killed," the old man glanced at the stairs, "by these people from the new world."
"What's so great about you? Everyone wants to snatch you away?" Qiu Shi said.
"Because I am very old," the old man said, "I know a lot of things, and I also took away the authentic bloodline of the Qiu family."
Qiu Shi looked at him and it took him a while to react: "You didn't warn me beforehand. What if these people know who I am... Are you setting a trap for me?"
The old man sighed and said, "I watched you grow up. As long as no one else tells you, even if you know who you are, you won't be exposed."
"What if I was found out to know you just now!" Qiu Shi shouted in a low voice.
"You can only get rich through risk," the old man said. "I bet you're quick enough."
"I am richer than your ancestors." said Qiu Shi.
"Why did you take Qiu Shi away?" Xing Bi said, "You haven't told me yet."
Qiu Shichong gave him a thumbs up.
"Just because you are Qiu..." The old man was interrupted by Qiu Shi before he could finish his words.
"Don't tell me my name, my parents' names, I don't want to know them," said Qiu Shi.
"I know your parents well," the old man said. "I promised them that I would let you grow up safely and live without being disturbed or controlled by others."
Qiu Shi looked at him.
"You are their only pure bloodline," the old man glanced at the sky outside, "They have tested it on you and Qiu Yu. No matter what method they use, they can't make the fungus stay in your body. You are truly completely immune. For many people, you are the spiritual force to survive."
Qiu Shi didn't say anything.
"People are like this sometimes," the old man said, "when they are so desperate that they can't even see the fake hope, they will believe in miracles."
“So my parents,” Qiu Shi said after a moment’s silence, “are liars who took advantage of the chaos to create gods.”
"In that kind of environment, there are always various ways to survive, and various ways to live better," the old man said. "It is impossible to judge right or wrong."
Qiu Shi didn't know what to say for a moment. Just when he was about to ask why "Jungle" hadn't arrived yet, a fire suddenly lit up outside the window on the back of the turret.
"What's wrong?" Qiu Shi stood up.
"The Jungle is coming," said the old man.
The cold wind suddenly blew violently, with a sharp whistle.
Qiu Shi opened the team's internal call: "The 'Jungle' is coming soon. Everyone, stay at home, stay away from windows, and be safe."
Looking out the window, you can see a bonfire burning in the open space behind the turret. There is a big pot on the shelf in the middle, but you can't see clearly what's in the pot.
The people around kept circling the fire, muttering something inaudible.
"What's cooking in the pot?" Qiu Shi asked.
“Fungus,” the old man said.
"What is this for?" Qiu Shi was shocked.
"Pray for blessings." said the old man.
The author has something to say:
Continue tomorrow ╰_╯.
Just say whether today is sweet or not! Sweet or not! Did we talk or not! Did we talk or not! Are there many words? Are there many words