After returning to Yuncheng, the scenes switched a little fast, from the operating room to the experimental cabin, from the exhibition hall to the valley square, from "for Yuncheng" to the kiss in the dormitory, from Li Feng pushing the door to the warehouse full of biochemical bodies in front of him...
When Qiu Shi looked at these biological hells that were like huge capsules, he felt a little dazed.
"These are Yuncheng's biochemical bodies," Li Feng stood in front of the shelf, "some are new and have not been activated, and some are..."
He turned his head and glanced at Xing Bi: "It was sealed after the great cleanup."
"It has a history of a hundred years." Minister Liu walked closer with some emotion and looked inside the covers one by one.
"Minister Liu," Director Wu stepped forward quickly, "These biochemical bodies need to strictly control various data to ensure their normal biochemical reactions, so..."
"Oh," Minister Liu smiled and withdrew his hand that was about to touch the glass cover, "Indeed, we still have to listen to Director Wu in this regard."
"Everyone can go to the control room," Li Feng said, "Director Wu can explain it in detail."
The control room is next to the warehouse and has a huge monitoring screen that can clearly display the specific data and physical condition of each biochemical entity.
The two staff members seemed to have been working here for a long time. They probably didn't see anyone else except Director Wu. Now that several people came in, they seemed to be frightened and their faces turned pale.
Of course, when not frightened, they looked pale, like fish in an underground cave, almost transparent.
The biochemical bodies over there need to precisely control light, temperature, and pay attention to every bodily indicator, but the humans in charge here are pale and weak, like zombies with their blood drained out.
Director Wu asked the two staff members to go to the lounge and personally began to explain the specific situation of the biochemical body to Minister Liu and the man who seemed to have a military background.
Li Feng took Xing Bi and Qiu Shi aside and clicked a few times on the operating table. A table appeared on the small screen. The content was very simple, with numbers, names, and corresponding photos arranged in rows.
This is the roster of this biochemical hell. All the biochemicals sleeping here exist in such a simple way.
When Qiu Shi went to the warehouse of the Security Bureau, the temporary inventory tables on the monitor were more detailed than this.
"Xing Bi," Li Feng looked at the form, "You should know all these people, right?"
Xing Bi was silent for a few seconds: "Yeah."
"I need you to help me pick out twenty that you think are reliable," said Li Feng.
"How do you define reliability?" Xing Bi asked.
"I can follow your arrangements and cooperate with you." Li Feng said.
Xing Bi looked at him without saying anything.
"What are you going to do?" Qiu Shi lowered his voice, "After you tricked me, you want to trick him again?"
"Being out of control is the strongest." said Li Feng.
Qiu Shi was stunned. This was what Xing Bi said after the operation. He looked at Xing Bi.
"I can do it. This is the strongest one," Li Feng said, "I can give it to you."
"Who is that man?" Qiu Shi glanced at the man standing with Minister Liu.
"Yu Shi," Li Feng said, "Colonel Yu."
Qiu Shi raised his eyebrows. The appearance of Colonel Yu made him understand why the third team was going to die. Although he didn't know why Colonel Xu sent the third team out, maybe it was because of incomplete intelligence, misjudgment, or maybe it was as Xing Bi said, she had to make herself believe that humans were strong enough...
But no matter what the reason was, this result was within Li Feng's plan.
The Colonel Yu in front of him is here to replace Colonel Xu.
"What are you going to do?" Qiu Shi asked again.
"We need to find a balance and go back to the beginning," Li Feng said. "Humans and biochemicals need to face this war together. No matter what the outside world looks like, Yuncheng can only continue to exist if it returns to the beginning. Only then can the people and biochemicals here continue to exist."
It has to be said that these words are attractive to Qiu Shi.
For Xing Bi... Qiu Shi glanced at him, which should be more attractive.
If it is true as Li Feng said, and we can go back to the beginning, to the era when humans and biochemical organisms coexisted, these biochemical organisms that have been silent in the darkness for a hundred years may be able to gain freedom.
"There is no need to be a partner, and there is no need to be friends," Li Feng said, "only pure cooperation is needed."
"What happened next?" Qiu Shi said, "Wasn't it the same back then?"
"That's the question you have to think about," Li Feng said. "I won't live to see that time. I just want to find the best solution for us right now."
Qiu Shi also fell silent. Since Xing Bi didn't speak, he also stopped talking.
Li Feng didn't say anything more and turned to walk over to Director Wu.
"What do you think?" Qiu Shi asked.
"What do you think?" Xing Bi also asked.
"I can tell you what I think," Qiu said, "but I don't want my thoughts to influence you. After I finish speaking, I still want to hear your current thoughts."
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"I want to end this chaos as soon as possible," Qiu Shi said. "I don't know the whole plan of Li Feng. He is an old fox. No one knows what he wants to do. But if he can do what he said, I want you to be free from constraints. I want my brothers to die peacefully in the bunker outside Yuncheng."
"Li Feng wants to take command of the army," Xing Bi said, "He must have more than just Minister Liu and Colonel Yu on his side. He now has enough support. These twenty biochemical bodies should be brought to see Mr. Long. If they are only used in combat, the presence of these ministers and colonels is not necessary."
"Meet Mr. Long?" Qiu Shi looked at him.
"We need to let Mr. Long give up his power," said Xing Bi.
"Is he going to rebel?" Although Qiu Shi felt that Li Feng would eventually reach the highest point in Yuncheng, he did not expect it to be now, nor did he expect it to be in this way.
"Not necessarily," Xing Bi said, "He doesn't have the prestige of Mr. Long in the hearts of the people of Yuncheng, and it's impossible for him to achieve that in a short period of time, so he doesn't want status, he just wants power."
"… You just now," Qiu Shi leaned against the wall next to him, feeling a little shocked, "Have you thought so much?"
"There's more to it than that." Xing Bi said, "I've kept it simple so you can understand."
"Does this count as scolding me?" Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi smiled.
"How do you know about his plans?" Qiu Shi said.
"Guessed." Xing Bi said.
"Can this be guessed?" Qiu Shi was a little unconvinced.
"I am an old antique, your ancestor," Xing Bi said, "your great grandfather. It is not difficult for me to guess these things, but of course they are not necessarily accurate."
"So..." Qiu Shi looked at him.
"If that's the case," Xing Bi said, "my choice is the same as yours."
Qiu Shi didn't say anything, but turned around and looked at Li Feng.
Li Feng walked over.
Xing Bi didn't say anything and turned to look at the list on the display next to him.
Eighteen first-level submerged guards and two first-level auxiliary biochemical bodies were picked out one by one when Xing Bi touched the screen with his fingertips, both men and women.
Except for Xing Bi, none of these "young" doomsday guys present knew how long they had stayed in the hibernation capsule over there.
Will they be like Xing Bi, who does not fall asleep most of the time but stays awake, thinking over and over again in the long darkness, waiting for the "awakening" that may never come, or waiting for the day when he finally stops thinking.
No one cared before.
No one knows now.
"It will take some time to complete the activation," Director Wu said, "You can take a rest in the lounge."
Li Feng took Minister Liu and Colonel Yu to the lounge, and the two staff members inside ran out in panic as if they were frightened.
"In order to keep it secret, my two monitors have not left here for 20 years and have no contact with the outside world," Director Wu motioned Xing Bi and Qiu Shi to follow him to the next room, and said with some emotion as they walked, "It's not easy to live only for these biochemical organisms."
"It's easy to be moved," said Qiu Shi.
Director Wu turned around and looked at him.
The robotic arms in the warehouse have begun to take the "capsules" one by one from the shelves according to the list and place them on the fixtures on the ground.
Twenty of them were placed in a row. Director Wu went over and pressed the activation buttons on the device one by one, activating these biochemical bodies from their dormant state.
The countdown showed that it would take fifteen minutes.
Qiu Shi squatted down and watched the time going backwards bit by bit.
Xing Bi also squatted down.
"Are their memories also locked?" Qiu Shi asked.
"No," Xing Bi said, "This operation is very time-consuming. Generally, we will consider whether it is necessary only after it is enabled."
"Is it necessary now?" Qiu Shi asked. He remembered that Xing Bi voluntarily locked up his memory about the Great Purge. If these people did not take this step, when they woke up they would carry with them the memory of killing their own kind and then being forced into hibernation.
"We don't have time now," Director Wu said, "so Director Li wants to pick out those who can cooperate first."
Qiu Shi didn't say anything, but just gently stroked the back of Xing Bi's hand twice with his fingers to comfort him.
Xing Bi didn't say anything, but held his fingers with his backhand.
As the countdown reached zero, short beeping sounds began to be heard from the hibernation capsules one after another.
Li Feng brought Minister Liu and Colonel Yu back to the big screen in the control room.
The hibernation capsules were opened one by one, and the biochemical bodies walked out.
Xing Bi stood up slowly.
The eyes of these biochemical beings all fell on Xing Bi.
"Nice to meet you again, everyone." Xing Bi said.
"Please don't move around," Director Wu said, looking at the reading on a sensor controller nearby. "I need to make sure everyone's biochemical reactions are normal."
After all the inspections were completed, Director Wu left the warehouse and went to the control room.
"Is Yuncheng still there?" asked a biochemical being.
"Yes." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi stood behind Xing Bi and could see clearly the faces of every biochemical being and the look in their eyes when they looked at Xing Bi.
Perhaps it was because of the different occasions and methods, these biochemical beings were not the same as when he first met Xing Bi, and they didn't seem to be able to hide their emotions as well as Xing Bi.
There is a sense of distance and familiarity in these looks that come from not seeing each other for a long time.
"In the control room over there is the person in charge of this mission," Xing Bi turned around and glanced at the monitoring wall behind him, "Could Deputy Team Leader Li come over here for a moment?"
Li Feng quickly walked into the warehouse.
"Li Feng from the Security Bureau," Li Feng stood beside Xing Bi and met these biochemical bodies, "This is an emergency mission."
"There is no partner, no mission background," Xing Bi said, "only my single-person command."
During the short few seconds of waiting for the biochemical bodies to react, Qiu Shi could feel Li Feng's nervousness. If there was an abnormality among any of these biochemical bodies that Xing Bi believed could cooperate, it might make it possible for many of his subsequent plans to be jeopardized.
No biochemical body raised any objections, and Xing Bi spoke up: "In the next period of time, you need to ensure the safety of Director Li..."
He turned to look at Li Feng, indicating that he should supplement the task content.
"From the time I leave the house to the time I enter Mr. Long's office and leave, don't let any guards approach or stop me." Li Feng said.
The biochemical bodies did not say anything, which probably meant they had no questions.
"We can set off now," Xing Bi said. Li Feng had said that if you choose to believe, you must keep believing. He himself insisted on this very well, and did not question or restrict Xing Bi and these biochemical bodies at all.
After getting in the car, he only said one sentence: "When we get to the destination, don't get off the car. Just follow us, biochemical."
"We are waiting in the car to pick you up and escape if your coup fails," said Qiu Shi.
Li Feng laughed. "There is no coup. We just made some reasonable requests. Mr. Long must agree to them. You are heroes. This identity is useful. Don't get involved in this kind of thing."
"Will anything unexpected happen to you?" Qiu Shi asked, "Don't you have a backup plan or emergency plan?"
"No," Li Feng said, "If something really happens, these twenty biochemical bodies can help me escape, and then you two can take them to the outside of the city to pick up your brothers and run away."
"Don't I need to take you with me?" Qiu Shi said, "You are someone who doesn't want to die."
"You know me well," Li Feng laughed, "but not completely. I was born and raised here, and I just want to live here."
"Okay," Qiu Shi said, "Then I won't take you with me. I can find a chance to collect your body."
The car soon arrived in front of Yuncheng's most imposing mountain-mountain building. It was a building that was as tall as the mountain. Half of it was a building, and the other half was a mountain, embedded together. There were a few huge words written on it: Yuncheng Mining.
"This is my first time here." Qiu Shi looked at the building outside the car window. He could hardly see the entire building from inside the car.
"I don't come here often," Li Feng drove the car into the parking lot and said as he got out of the car, "Don't get out of the car. Don't let the surveillance camera capture you two."
Qiu Shi and Xing Bi sat in the back seat and watched Minister Liu and Colonel Yu get out of the car, followed by the group of soldiers. At this time, a car in the corner of the parking lot also opened its door, and three men got out of the car. Li Feng brought a team of biochemicals over to meet them.
"Who are these people?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Minister," Xing Bi said, "Li Feng's work in the Security Bureau over the years was not in vain."
"When I went to ask for supplies, it was like begging for food," Qiu said. "All the good things were given to these high-ranking officials as gifts."
"Even if you are not a beggar, these high-ranking officials will not give you such good things as a token of filial piety," said Xing Bi.
“… When I go back and point a gun at Director Wu’s head, I have to ask him to give me a hand gesture so that my partner can shut up.” Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi laughed.
The company building was heavily guarded. When Li Feng and several ministers and colonels walked in with their men, the guards at the door immediately came up to them, and one of them picked up the intercom as if to contact someone in the building.
But just as he raised the intercom to his lips, it was snatched away by a biochemical being. Then, within a few seconds, the four guards were knocked to the ground, and a group of people walked in through the gate.
Qiu Shi looked at the guard lying on the ground: "He's not dead, right?"
"No," Xing Bi said, "There's no need to kill anyone in this situation. It's enough for Li Feng to get to Mr. Long's office before they wake up."
Qiu Shi leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Xing Bi turned his head and looked at him.
"I still feel like it's not real," Qiu said. "I can't tell what went wrong. It feels like a dream."
"Are you worried that Li Feng won't be doing well?" Xing Bi asked.
"No, I'm not worried about him at all," Qiu Shi said. "If things really go wrong for him, he would dare to shoot Mr. Long directly."
Xing Bi smiled and said nothing.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Qiu Shi looked at him, "You look very meaningful."
"Is there?" Xing Bi still smiled.
"Yes!" Qiu Shi raised his voice.
"Maybe he was disturbed by Li Feng." Xing Bi said.
"What are you disturbing me for?" Qiu Shi stopped talking halfway.
The interrupted half kiss by the window suddenly flashed back to his mind, and all the feelings he experienced in those ten seconds rushed back to his mind without any preparation, making him feel a little breathless for a moment.
"Fuck." Qiu Shi leaned down a little against the back of the chair and pulled up his pants. "We are doing business now. Why are you suddenly talking about this when we are so nervous and excited?"
"That's why you feel it's unreal." Xing Bi glanced at his trousers.
"What are you looking at? Because of which?" Qiu Shi said, "Don't say one thing and look at another..."
Xing Bi couldn't stop laughing for a long time.
"You don't have it?" Qiu Shi suddenly asked, "You don't have it?"
"Infinitely close to humans, infinitely close," Xing Bi said, "This is still possible, but this is not, so it is a little far from being infinitely close."
Qiu Shi sighed.
"Don't believe it?" Xing Bi asked.
"Believe it! Believe it!" Qiu Shi was shocked. "Fuck, this is Li Feng's car. This old fox might have some surveillance in his car. He might even have a wiretap in his ear. Be careful what you say and do."
"You also know this word?" Xing Bi said.
"The old man taught me that," Qiu Shi said. "He used to say that I was too arrogant in the outer city and that I should be careful about what I said and did."
"The results haven't changed much." Xing Bi said, "It's much better now."
"Nonsense, maturity is gained at the cost of life." said Qiu Shi.
“The speed of drawing the gun has become much faster,” Xing Bi said, “I almost couldn’t keep up today.”
"You and..." Qiu Shi was stunned, "Did you draw your gun only after I drew it?"
"Yeah." Xing Bi said.
"You," Qiu Shi looked at him, "did you not hear anyone coming up, or did you recognize that it was Li Feng so you didn't want to draw your gun?"
Xing Bi didn't say anything, just looked at him with a smile on his face.
"You heard it, right?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Well." Xing Bi said, "Don't question the hearing of a first-level submersible guard."
"Your ancestors." Qiu Shi said.
Xing Bi smiled and said nothing.
Qiu Shi looked at him without saying anything. He could feel the gentle warmth and tingling sensation of Xing Bi's breath passing over his ears. At this moment, the distance between them was obviously farther than when they were in the dormitory, but perhaps because of the limited space in the car, he could even hear someone's heartbeat in the narrow back seat.
Maybe it's mine, after all, it matches the rhythm of my heartbeat that's already jumping into my throat.
"Come closer," he said.
Xing Bi came closer.
Qiu Shi pinched his chin, stared at him, and then kissed him.
It seemed like Xing Bi was waiting for this moment. As soon as he touched Xing Bi's lips, Xing Bi immediately came forward, stretched out his hand from between the back of the chair and him, and hugged Qiu Shi's waist.
Qiu Shi touched the lock on the car door. In order to prevent Li Feng from being suddenly thrown down from the roof by Mr. Long and falling next to the car door and then opening the door to get in, he pressed it and locked the door.
It was as if this lock could isolate everything. After a click, everything inside and outside the car disappeared, the sounds, the scenery, and even myself.
Only Xing Bi was left, and the skin touched by the hand that reached into Xing Bi's clothes.
"Do you know what you are doing?" Mr. Long looked at Li Feng, "Do these ministers and officers know what you are doing?"
"We are all adults, and we have all devoted half our lives to Yuncheng," Li Feng said. "It's not something that a small person like me can persuade with just my mouth. All the officers should have their own judgment."
"Colonel Xu has a special status," Mr. Long said. "I can't just replace her. Colonel Yu should also be aware of this. She is the candidate designated by the general, and the general has his considerations."
"Then we can get in touch with the general," Li Feng said. "We have enough reasons to explain to the general why Colonel Xu is not suitable to continue to work in the front-line command position."
Mr. Long looked at Li Feng without saying anything, but Li Feng could clearly see the threat and anger in his eyes.
It is impossible to connect. Li Feng is very sure that the general's brain does not have detailed feedback about the battle. That brain cannot process the changes on the scene in the same way as a real person.
"The relationship between biochemical bodies and humans," Mr. Long said, "is not impossible to return to the original state as you all hope, but everyone must also understand that the current world has also come a long way from the original state."
"But we didn't walk this path ourselves," Li Feng said. "There is no other way to go right now. The company has always been reluctant to see a large-scale war, and this is the best option for the company's interests right now."
Mr. Long looked at the biochemical bodies standing around him and asked after a long while: "Where is Xing Bi? Are these people controlled by Xing Bi?"
"No control, no need for a partner." said Li Feng.
"Where is Xing Bi?" Mr. Long insisted.
"I don't know," Li Feng said, "Maybe he's dating."
The author has something to say:
To be continued tomorrow.
But it may be late tomorrow. I wrote this chapter today in a mountain homestay. I am not used to using a notebook, so there may be many typos. I will come back later to correct them.