Qiu Shi has lived outside Yuncheng since he was a child. It has been more than ten years since he and Zhao Lu started digging the first bunker, but he has never felt so eager to go home as he does now when he drives the car given to him by Li Feng, passes through the tunnel, and drives towards the bunker along the gravel slabs on the wasteland.
The more places you go, the bigger the world you see, the more impermanence of life and death you witness, and the deeper the sorrows and joys you experience, the stronger this feeling will be.
The two slight flashes from the direction of the bunker contained a lot of information, so much so that when Qiu Shi saw it, his vision became a little blurry.
He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, and the car lights flashed twice in that direction.
Xing Bi glanced at him and asked, "Are you homesick?"
"You really know how to poke people." Qiu Shi slowed down the car, tears almost flowing out of his eyes, he quickly pressed his eyes hard with his sleeves.
These tears are coming at an outrageous time.
Xing Bi reached out to help him hold the steering wheel: "Hurry, there is no danger near Yuncheng for the time being. They will definitely rush out soon. We can't let them see Brother Shi's tears."
"Your ancestors." Qiu Shi took a breath, quickly adjusted his mood, and turned to look at Xing Bi, "Can you tell?"
"I'll blind them all when I get off the car," said Xing Bi.
"Fuck." Qiu Shi laughed. "Is it that obvious?"
“People who don’t cry much, this is what they look like when they cry,” said Xing Bi.
"You have experience again." said Qiu Shi.
"You're welcome. It's just a hundred years longer than you need." Xing Bi said.
"Are you trying to tell me that you have shed more tears than I have peed?" Qiu Shi said.
“… I usually don’t use such rude expressions as corpse collectors.” Xing Bi said.
"I forgot you were wearing a suit." said Qiu Shi.
Xing Bi laughed and said, "I don't wear it very often, only when I have a formal mission."
"After this battle is over, I will ask Deputy Team Leader Li to get you a set of clothes to wear," Qiu Shi said, "so I can see what they look like."
"Okay." Xing Bi said.
The welcome given by the corpse collectors is always so warm. These people who deal with corpses every day have richer and more explicit emotions than those who hang out with living people every day.
I always worry about Qiu Shi.
"I'm afraid you'll die outside." Zhao Lu said.
"I will die sooner or later," Qiu Shi said, "don't rush me."
"Fuck," Zhao Lu looked at him, "Can you speak?"
"You all speak so elegantly," Qiu Shi said, "what else can I say?"
"Is it time for dinner?" He Jiang shouted as he stuck his head out of the shelter on the slope.
"Let's eat!" Zhao Lu also shouted, then turned around and pointed at Xing Bi, "I'm not drinking today, so don't hide."
"Should I hide?" Xing Bi said, "If you can hold on to one cup, I won't refute you if you say this."
Zhao Lu laughed and said, "Drinking won't make you full, so you have to eat enough today."
Qiu Shi's room was still the same as before. It was obvious that someone cleaned it every day. It was probably Xiao Lei, who had nothing to do but was looking for something to do every day. There was not a speck of dust on the table or the floor.
Qiu Shi took off his weapons and left them in the house, leaving only the gun, then stood by the window and looked out.
"Hmm?" Xing Bi walked up to him.
"There's something wrong with these people," said Qiu Shi.
"Because you don't drink?" Xing Bi asked.
"Not only because of this," Qiu Shi said, "the expressions on everyone's faces are different from usual, very... heroic and tragic."
"… What does this feel like?" Xing Bi asked.
"Is there still a feeling that you don't understand?" Qiu Shi said, and then he muttered to himself, "There are not too few people."
"Does it feel like someone has died?" Xing Bi asked.
"It feels like he's going to do something big," Qiu Shi said with a sigh, "I guess he'll tell you during dinner."
It turns out that Qiu Shi has a very deep understanding of his brothers.
After snatching a meal, the group of people looked as if they had been hungry for half a month. Everyone stopped fighting at the same time, and a few of them secretly looked at Zhao Lu and Xiao Lei.
"Go ahead," Qiu Shi lit a cigarette, "If you don't, the food you just ate will come up again."
"Are you leaving again early tomorrow morning?" Xiao Lei asked.
"Yeah." Qiu Shi responded.
Xiao Lei turned and looked at Zhao Lu.
"Prospects." Zhao Lu frowned and looked up at Qiu Shi, "Where are you going?"
"Xima Town," Qiu Shi said, "We may have to be stationed there for a while."
As if to prove that he was still very promising, Xiao Lei spoke before Zhao Lu took a breath and prepared to speak: "Take these brothers with you."
"What the hell?" Qiu Shi was stunned with a cigarette in his mouth.
Not to mention him, even Xing Bi raised his head.
No one spoke anymore, they just stared at Qiu Shi.
It was not until the smoke filled his eyes that Qiu Shi squinted and asked again, "Where the hell are you taking these brothers?"
"We want to join." said Zhao Lu.
"Get lost!" Qiu Shi put out his cigarette and cursed in a hoarse voice, "What the hell are you doing to a bunch of psychopaths?"
"We won't cause any trouble," Hu Xiaoling said. "We are no worse than those soldiers."
"Bullshit!" Qiu Shi glared at him. "That's because the ones left behind are inexperienced! All the good and experienced soldiers died outside!"
"If they all die, we will be the last one left." He Jiang said, "The inner city is recruiting soldiers."
“I…” Qiu Shi was choked and almost fell over due to coughing.
Xing Bi reached out and patted him on the back a few times, then looked at the group of people in front of him and said, "Don't go and die."
"How can it be considered as sending oneself to die?" Xiao Lei said, "Collecting corpses was a lifestyle that everyone chose in the past. The outside world had nothing to do with them. Now it's different. Now everyone knows..."
"Shut up!" Qiu Shi pointed at Xiao Lei, "Is it you? It's you! If you feel free, go find Li Feng and get a job for you! Isn't it easy to die? If you can live for one second outside of Yuncheng, I'll kowtow to you!"
"Qiu Shi." Xing Bi pulled his hand down, "Be careful with your words."
Qiu Shi suppressed his anger and said, "Don't even think about it. It's impossible."
After saying that, he stood up and prepared to leave.
"Brother Shi." Zhao Lu called him.
Xing Bi stretched out his hand to stop him and whispered, "Solve the problem."
"Fuck your ancestors." Qiu Shi sat back down.
"Brother Shi," Zhao Lu was silent for a while, as if thinking about what to say, "We always said before that if something goes wrong, we will take these people and run away."
Qiu Shi didn't say anything.
"Do you remember?" Zhao Lu looked at him, "The first time you told me the escape route, you told us to go south along the mountain to Xima Town. Later, Xima was occupied."
"There's more than one Xima Town in the world," Qiu Shi said, "Zhuyuan and Shidi over there are both safe! We can always find a way to get there."
"I asked you at that time why you wanted to work for Yuncheng," Zhao Lu said, "Do you remember how you answered?"
"Who the hell would remember such lies?" said Qiu Shi.
"Until we find a better place, as long as Yuncheng is here, these people won't have to live such a hard life outside," Zhao Lu said, "We are brothers who grew up together. Don't you understand why we should do this?"
"We sit here and guess every day," Hu Xiaoling said, "Where is Brother Shi? Is he alive? Or is he dead..."
"Only you." said Qiu Shi.
"You are now the heroic captain of Yuncheng," Hu Xiaoling said, "We are useless people who are enjoying the fruits of your protection. All we can do is keep guessing and worrying from morning till night."
"We are your brothers, and you have always taken care of us," He Jiang said. "Now it's time to be like real brothers, living and dying together. Rather than sitting back and enjoying the fruits of others' labor, it is better to risk our lives and deserve to die."
Qiu Shi looked at him.
“… This is not the way to use the phrase ‘deserving death’.” Xing Bi said.
"Isn't it?" Zhao Lu asked.
"Is this the point?" Qiu Shi yelled.
"The key point is that Xiao Lei has already told Li Feng." Zhao Lu said.
Qiu Shi jumped at an astonishing speed. After being strengthened, his athletic ability was greatly improved. In his angry state, Xing Bi couldn't even stop him.
He pounced over the table and gave Xiao Lei a heavy punch.
Xiao Lei fell backwards to the ground and fainted.
"Does Li Feng agree?" Qiu Shi grabbed Zhao Lu's collar.
"Yes." Zhao Lu's voice was hoarse, and he didn't know if it was because of fear.
"When did it happen?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Yesterday." said Zhao Lu.
Qiu Shi turned around, kicked open the door of the bunker and rushed out.
Xing Bi followed out and grabbed him.
"Let go!" Qiu Shi glared at him, "I'm going to kill Li Feng. He knew it yesterday!"
Xing Bi grabbed his left wrist again: "Qiu Shi, calm down."
Qiu Shi suppressed his anger and said, "He knew it yesterday, but he still hasn't told me! He's just afraid that I'm not trapped enough, so he wants to use the lives of these brothers to tie me down!"
"I know," Xing Bi hugged him and patted him on the back, "I know, but you can't kill him now, and you can't kill him. Solve the problem, partner up, solve the problem, killing Li Feng is not the solution."
"How do we solve this problem!" Qiu Shi shouted in a low voice.
"Face it first." Xing Bi said.
When Qiu Shi returned to the room, Xiao Lei had already woken up. His neck was twisted, the left half of his face was swollen, and his eyes were narrowed.
But everyone still looked determined.
Qiu Shi knew that he had no way to stop them.
He sat down and lit another cigarette in silence.
"Brother Shi, if you think so, change the angle, we follow you," Zhao Lu changed the angle, "maybe it will be safer, here, Li Feng can use us to clamp you at any time."
"Did you go to school? What do you mean by deserving death and being restrained?" Qiu Shi said unhappily.
"It's better than us dying without you knowing," said Hu Xiaoling.
"Yes!" Qiu Shi glared at him. "You'd better die in front of me. What's the difference between that and not letting me go even if he becomes a ghost!"
No one spoke anymore, and everyone looked at him silently and firmly.
Qiu Shi finished smoking the cigarette before speaking: "I know I can't stop you. Okay, then remember the first rule. Don't trust Li Feng too much. In his eyes, ordinary people's lives are not lives."
Everyone nodded.
"Official Li is a dog official, we know that."
“Don’t think you are great, and don’t have any unrealistic illusions about your abilities,” Qiu said. “Humans are weak.”
Deng Yeye hid behind a small rock. There were two faint lights over there in the bunker. It should be Qiu Shi who came back. They were gathered in the larger bunker.
After a long time, Deng Yeye's hands and feet were numb from the cold, and Qiu Shi and Xing Bi walked out of the bunker.
Qiu Shi should be going to pee, and judging from the route he took, he would pass by the place where she was hiding.
But in just a short while, she found that Xing Bi was gone, leaving only Qiu Shi.
Qiu Shi walked a few steps and then stopped.
Just when she felt something was wrong and wanted to leave, something colder than the outdoor air pressed against the side of her neck. It felt sharp, like a knife.
"What do you want from me?" Qiu Shi asked.
Deng Yeye turned her head and looked behind her. Xing Bi was standing behind her and had put away his knife. Qiu Shi turned on the small ball heater in the room. This thing was still the warmest one in the dormitory in Xima Town.
Xing Bi brought Deng Yeye into the house and closed the door.
"Are you really the middleman?" Qiu Shi glanced at her.
"Not really," Deng Yeye said, "I'm just trying to find a way out for my people."
"Fellow tribesmen?" Qiu Shi sat on the chair and stretched out his legs. "Who are your fellow tribesmen? Qiu Yu? Or those Black Blood believers?"
"Both." Deng Yeye looked at a bottle of water on the table next to her.
"Drink it." Qiu Shi said.
She went over, picked up the water, tilted her head back and drank half of the bottle.
"Why do you want to help Qiu Yu?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Everyone has a place in this world, whether they are cyborgs or humans," Deng Yeye said, "but whether they are ordinary people or immune humans, we must unite as a whole to maintain a balance with the cyborgs in the same camp in this war."
"It doesn't sound like a big problem." Qiu Shi glanced at Xing Bi.
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"There are still quite a few people on the Black Blood side," Deng Yeye said, "They have their own beliefs and their own gods. They are very united and have strong fighting power. They are a rare force."
"Do you believe Qiu Yu?" Qiu Shi asked.
"I believe part of it. He is too obsessed," Deng Yeye said, "but Chen Dang and the others can at least restrain him now. Our goal is to survive first, right?"
In this respect, Deng Yeye is a little bit similar to Li Feng.
"What happens next?" Qiu Shi asked.
"That's your business, your brother, and your people," Deng Yeye said, "You are the hero of Yuncheng and the god among these people. No matter what you do, history will turn the page."
"Wow." Qiu Shi smiled and looked at her, "Qiu Yu said you have a group."
"Yes, two people." Deng Yeye said.
"It's a big scale." said Qiu Shi.
"The old man knows him," Deng Yeye said, "Xing Bi also knows him."
"Who?" Qiu Shi asked, and looked at Xing Bi again.
"We'll meet up if we get a chance, maybe in Xima Town," Deng Yeye said, "It's very inconvenient for him to move around right now."
"Isn't it as inconvenient as the old man?" Qiu Shi said.
"It's different," Deng Yeye's eyes suddenly showed some sadness, "He's dying."
After Deng Yeye left the bunker, Qiu Shi stayed in the room for a long time.
Xing Bi walked up to him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"There are too many things going on," Qiu said. "My mind is in a mess."
"Shall I give you a massage?" Xing Bi asked.
"Can you pinch the brain?" Qiu Shi asked.
Xing Bi smiled, walked behind him, and pressed his finger on his head: "Did you pinch your brain?"
"No." said Qiu Shi.
Xing Bi used a little more force: "Did you pinch it?"
"No." said Qiu Shi.
"Then your brain is a little small." Xing Bi said.
"Your ancestor." Qiu Shi laughed, raised his head and leaned back on him, "Pinch it as you like."
Xing Bi pressed his head slowly.
"Xing Bi," Qiu Shi closed his eyes, "Do you know who the person Deng Yeye was talking about is?"
"I can't think of it." Xing Bi said.
"You know them. Unless they were biochemical beings, they wouldn't be alive today," Qiu Shi said, "but she also said that person was dying. As for humans, those who were reactivated by you, I should know them too, but she didn't say I know them."
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"A dying biochemical entity?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Hmm?" Xing Bi paused.
"Injured and dying?" Qiu Shi said.
"No," Xing Bi said, "The injuries of a biochemical body can either heal itself or not..."
"The only way to save him is in the Cloud City Laboratory," Qiu Shi said, "but Deng Yeye doesn't sound anxious at all, so..."
Qiu Shi thought for a long time, and finally laughed: "This is a fucking biological body that is about to die of old age."
Xing Bi said nothing.
Qiu Shi laughed for a while and then stopped: "What's wrong? Is it true?"
"I've only heard about it," Xing Bi said, "The first generation of biochemical bodies is not stable enough. When the system is destroyed, it will gradually be unable to support the biochemical reactions in the body."
"Grow old? And then die?" Qiu Shi was a little surprised.
"I've only heard of it, I haven't seen it," Xing Bi said, "but the later stages of the first generation were destroyed, and after the second generation was produced, they were completely replaced."
"Fuck," Qiu Shi sighed, "The history of biochemical bodies is also very rich."
"Yes." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi felt that Xing Bi's massage technique was very good. He didn't even know when he fell asleep. The last memory he had was leaning on his stomach and feeling the rise and fall of his breathing, which brought him a drowsy feeling of comfort.
When he woke up, he was lying on the bed, with Xing Bi's legs as his pillow. Xing Bi was leaning against the head of the bed playing with that ancient smartphone.
"Shit," Qiu Shi yawned and looked up at Xing Bi, "I slept the whole night without waking up. Did you knock me out?"
"No," Xing Bi said, "you fell asleep while you were sitting."
"And then you..." Qiu Shi lifted the quilt and looked down, "You didn't do anything, did you?"
"You're so asleep," Xing Bi said, "there's no point in me doing anything."
"… Your ancestor," Qiu Shi said, "could you please be more restrained in your words?"
"You always ask." Xing Bi said, "I'd be sorry for your curiosity if I didn't tell you."
Qiu Shi laughed for a long time and was just about to check what time it was to see if he should go settle the score with Li Feng when there were suddenly two knocks on the door.
"Brother Shi." It was Zhao Lu's voice.
Zhao Lu had never been so civilized and polite to him before. Whenever they went to each other's room, they would just push the door open. The knock on the door sounded meaningful.
Qiu Shi quickly jumped up. Xing Bi had already stood up and was leaning against the table, still looking down at his smartphone. He looked very natural, as if he had been standing there all night without moving.
"Why the hell are you knocking on the door? Are you really going to school?" Qiu Shi said as he put on his pants. He had to give a normal response as quickly as possible to avoid being embarrassed.
The door was pushed open by Zhao Lu.
When he saw the scene outside the door, Qiu Shi realized that Zhao Lu's two knocks on the door should not have any significant meaning.
Instead, standing outside the door were seventeen corpse collectors neatly dressed and ready to go, and Xiao Lei, whose face was still swollen.
There were also three strangers in military uniforms.
More than twenty people watched him put on his pants.
"Fuck," Qiu Shi cursed, "Close the door."
Zhao Lu closed the door again.
Xing Bi only started laughing after the door closed.
"Is it funny?" Qiu Shi lowered his voice.
"Yeah." Xing Bi looked at him, unable to suppress a smile on his face.
Qiu Shi put on his clothes hastily, opened the door and walked out.
"Captain Qiu," a stranger who looked like an officer spoke up, "I'm the captain of today's escort convoy, Li Guang."
"Who is Li Feng to you?" Qiu Shi couldn't help but ask.
"He is our commander." Li Guang stood straight, "He is waiting for you in the car downstairs."
"Great, I'm just looking for him!" When Qiu Shi heard this, he rushed down the slope without even putting on his coat.
There were five big black cars parked below, and Li Feng was leaning against the door of the middle one.
"Give me an explanation!" Qiu Shi rushed over, grabbed his collar, pushed him into the car, and closed the door with his backhand.
"Captain Qiu," Li Feng winked at him after being thrown onto the chair by him, "You are indeed a heroic man."
When Qiu Shi looked into the car, he found that there were about ten soldiers in the car, probably the escort, and they were looking at him in shock.
Qiu Shi never thought that there would be a day when he would be forced to pay attention to his image. He cleared his throat and opened the car door again: "Team Leader Li, I have something urgent to ask you."
"Okay." Li Feng nodded and got out of the car with him.
Seeing the car door closed, Qiu Shi cursed in a low voice: "Li Feng, fuck your ancestors, what else can you do except cheating me and my brothers!"
"Qiu Shi," Li Feng said, "it's better if they follow you."
"Bullshit!" Qiu Shi said, "At least they won't die here! They are just a bunch of corpse collectors. They haven't come into contact with many living people. Now we ask them to fight against the symbiotes?"
"You need your own people," Li Feng said, "You only have a second team in Xima Town, which is far from enough. These people are people you can trust and rely on. With them, you can stand more firmly."
"Who told you that I was going to help you in Xima Town?" Qiu Shi said.
"Clear the strongholds near Xima Town and destroy other nests," Li Feng said. "When you told me your plan, it was clear and logical. You didn't just talk about it. You knew how to do it and you were going to do it, right?"
Qiu Shi didn't say anything.
Li Feng was severely sleep deprived, but his memory had not declined at all.
"You are a hero, you are a truly outstanding human being," Li Feng said, "Whether you like it or not, you are destined to be the hero named Qiu Shi in the historical records."
The author has something to say:
To be continued tomorrow⊙▽⊙.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!