After leaving the base, the car passed through a wilderness. I had seen this side when I was in the hot air balloon. This wilderness should have been farmland before. The vague outline of the field could still be seen in the air, but it had been covered by a large amount of weeds infected by fungi.
Occasionally, you can hear a few bird calls outside that sound like whistles, long and sad.
The old man said that in a field where nothing can be grown in the first place, after a round of fungal infestation, even the weeds that grow out will be weaker.
Qiu Shi has been living in Yuncheng. According to the current expanded map, Yuncheng is quite far away from the center of the fungal outbreak. The protective layer of Yuncheng can protect the surrounding land to the greatest extent when the "jungle" passes through. Although the area is much smaller than these huge cities, it can protect this small piece of land for so many years.
Apart from the infected and refugees, he didn't know much about them until he left Cloud City this time and saw the ruins of cities that had been or were being eroded by fungi. It would take many years for those lands to grow crops again, and by the time crops could grow, there wouldn't be many people in this chaotic and dangerous world who would have the opportunity to farm...
"We can probably lock it in this area," Song Heng projected a coastal map onto the baffle of the cab, "Even if it's all underwater, we should be able to find traces on land."
Song Heng's words brought Qiu Shi's thoughts back to the present. They would reach the beach in two days, and the search time originally planned for more than three days might be shortened to one day.
This means that they will soon face a new and unknown battle.
Some of Qiu Shi's emotions remained on the hot air balloon. He felt instantly awakened, as if he was pulled back to reality from a time travel that he had not enjoyed enough.
He looked at the map: "Is it the protruding piece of land?"
"Yes," Xu Jie said, "It's a good place to build a tunnel into the sea."
"But if we attack from there, the terrain is too low," Qiu Shi frowned, "except for the cliffs on the seashore, there is no place to hide."
"We can't go directly from the front," Xing Bi said, "We have to go from the side, or from the sea surface, to reach it in the shortest time. But in this case..."
"We need to know the exact location of the research institute," Xu Jie whispered, "someone needs to go scout ahead of time."
"249 should have known that we could determine his approximate location," Qiu Shi said, "so he should have set up defenses there in advance."
"So the number of people who go to scout the location must be small and they cannot be discovered," said Xing Bi.
"Go through the water," Song Heng said. "There aren't many submerged guards on 249. The infected can't stay in the water for a long time. It's relatively less likely to be discovered if we go underwater."
"This..." Qiu Shi looked at the map and imagined it, then frowned, "Isn't it dangerous?"
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
"Who's going?" Qiu Shi asked.
"I'll go." Xing Bi said.
Qiu Shi glanced at him and said nothing.
This answer did not surprise Qiu Shi at all. He knew that Xing Bi would never let others take risks at this time. Based on the principle of "optimal solution" for biochemical bodies, his strength was top-notch among the stealth guards. To reduce casualties for a mission of this difficulty, the strongest must be let to complete it.
Moreover, he has already handed over the command of the team to Xu Jie and others, so this kind of mission should not be assigned to a commander.
"Do members who are not the strongest members of the undercover team have the right to speak?" Bai Zhan's voice came from the headset.
"You say." Xing Bi said.
"I'll go." said Bai Zhan.
"Isn't your system damaged?" Qiu Shi said, "Isn't it possible that this mission will damage the system again?"
Bai Zhan didn't say anything.
Qiu Shi waited for two seconds: "Hmm?"
"Fuck." said Bai Zhan.
"Who the fuck is this!" Qiu Shi cursed.
"Can those people in Yuncheng raise such a human being?" Bai Zhan said.
"Is he scolding me?" Qiu Shi looked at Xing Bi.
"He is touched." Xing Bi smiled.
"I'm not touched at all." said Qiu Shi.
"The Submarines are very strong. In most cases, no one will remember that their systems are damaged," Xu Jie said, "especially non-limb damage."
"Whenever his voice becomes hoarse when he speaks, I remember that his system is damaged," said Qiu Shi.
Xu Jie smiled and said nothing.
"Thank you." said Bai Zhan.
"…What are you doing?" Qiu Shi was speechless.
"I'll go over there." said Bai Zhan.
"Where the hell are we going?" Qiu Shi was stunned.
Before he could ask Xing Bi, he saw the door of the front car opened and Bai Zhan jumped out of the car. The convoy did not slow down or stop. When he ran back, Xing Bi opened the door of their car.
Bai Zhan jumped up.
"Is there anything that can't be said during the team call?" Qiu Shi said.
"I like talking face to face," said Bai Zhan.
"Then you say." Qiu Shi said.
Bai Zhan looked at the projected map and said, "Let's get a bigger one."
Song Heng switched it and a larger map was projected in front of them.
"These two sides," Bai Zhan pointed to the two sides of the coastline that were a little further away from the suspected research institute, "Far from the cables, we can avoid the last nest of the symbiote."
"Yes," Xing Bi responded, "In this case, the battle line is very long, and we don't have enough people. The additional personnel Lin Sheng sent from Yuncheng will definitely not be able to arrive when we are investigating."
"No need," Bai Zhan said, "Let's go vagrants."
Qiu Shi was a little surprised: "Homeless?"
"Homeless people," Bo Zhan said, "They are gathering on the beach."
"Have they been in contact with you before?" Xing Bi asked.
"Yeah." Bai Zhan responded.
"How did you get in touch?" Qiu Shi was a little confused.
"There have been whistles outside." Xing Bi said.
“… I always thought it was a bird’s cry,” Qiu Shi said.
"How can there be so many birds following us all the way?" Xing Bi smiled.
Outside, the same long and sad "bird song" that I had heard before was heard again.
"This?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Yes." Bai Zhan nodded, "This is the whistle they use for long-distance communication."
To be honest, this whistle with a hint of sadness is totally inconsistent with the crazy style of the nomads. The sharp whistle during battle is more in line with the nomadic temperament.
"How many homeless people are there?" Song Heng asked.
"Hundreds or even thousands," Bai Zhan said. "We couldn't gather so many people before, but it's different now."
"What's the difference?" Qiu Shi asked.
"There are many vagrants among the infected. They are not afraid of death, but that doesn't mean they are willing to die as infected and be used by the symbiote," said Bai Zhan. "No one stood up before, but now that Yuncheng has taken the lead, they are willing to follow suit for some excitement and a bounty."
"Conditions?" Xing Bi asked.
"Freedom," Bai Zhan said, "The vagrants do not need Yuncheng's protection, nor do they accept Yuncheng's leadership."
"Yeah." Xing Bi responded.
This is similar to Li Feng's current direction. Yuncheng does not intend to forcibly recruit these wild humans, nor does it have the ability to manage vagrants in such a large area.
"Tell me more details," Xing Bi said.
"I don't know how they will attack," Bo Zhan said, "but the nomads near the coast have water transportation, and it will be safer to cooperate with them in the exploration work."
"Water transportation?" Qiu Shi thought of their flying suits.
"I haven't seen it. They have all kinds of weird junk. The performance is not guaranteed and they may die after use, but they can be used," said Bai Zhan.
"Fuck." said Qiu Shi.
"I'll go with them," Bai Zhan said. "With them around, I can get away from any encounter."
Qiu Shi thought for a moment: "If..."
"No, we can't rely on them to investigate," Bo Zhan said, "They can't be trusted to do real work."
"I understand." Qiu Shi looked at Xing Bi.
"How long will it take them to get there?" Xing Bi asked.
"The ones at the beach are probably going fast," Bo Zhan said, "They're definitely not as fast as us here, as they have limited equipment."
"We have to speed up," Xing Bi said, "before they go crazy on a large scale..."
"They don't know our goal. I also said that we will provide weapons and they will wait," Bai Zhan understood what Xing Bi meant, "and will attack the camp and nest over there first."
"Yeah." Xing Bi nodded.
The command room was busy, and Li Feng was still sitting in the corner. However, this corner had been decorated very comfortably, with a small sofa, a coffee table, cigarettes, and occasionally some food and drinks.
It was all arranged by Chen Dang.
"Actually, you don't have to be so comfortable. It's easy to fall asleep." Li Feng leaned back on the sofa.
"Then go to sleep. It's more comfortable than sleeping on three chairs with wheels," said Chen Dang.
"It's embarrassing to sleep here. I'm the only one with nothing to do." said Li Feng.
"Something happened." Chen Dang glanced at Lin Sheng who was walking towards him.
"The nomads are all heading east," Lin Sheng had already projected the pet's map in front of Li Feng with a wave of his hand before he came over, "There are a lot of them."
"Who did it?" Li Feng asked, "We didn't release this news, did we?"
"Bai Zhan," Lin Sheng said, "he has a good relationship with many homeless people."
"Bai Zhan is the junior brother of Xing Bi mentioned earlier." Li Feng said.
"Yeah," Lin Sheng nodded, "Jiang Zhuo and him both have a deep relationship with the homeless."
"I'll have to meet him if I get a chance." Li Feng said.
"Jiang Zhuo may not be able to see him," Lin Sheng said as he sat opposite him and looked at the map. "Also, the symbiotes near Yuncheng are evacuating."
"Going east?" Li Feng asked.
"Yes, 249 is aware of Xing Bi and his group's intentions," Lin Sheng said, "Now all the symbiotes and a large number of infected people are moving eastward."
"Intercept them and don't let them pass." Li Feng said.
"Colonel Yu has already arranged some people," Lin Sheng said, "The biochemical bodies have also sent out two teams, but there will be conflicts with the vagrants in some places."
The nomads wanted the bounty, and Cloud City's team cleared out the symbiotes and the infected, which they saw as stealing business.
"Let's destroy them together. Now is not the time to talk about reason." Li Feng said.
"Will it affect our relationship with the vagrants? We still need their help in the east," said Chen Dang.
"No, we just want to let them know that we don't interfere with each other not because we are equally matched, but because we don't want to," Li Feng said, "Just like when I fight with Old Wu, it would be better to cut off one of Wang Hong's fingers to threaten Old Wu than to cut off one of Old Wu's fingers directly."
"… Director Wu, do you know about this?" Chen Dang said. "We can't let him know," Li Feng smiled and clicked on the list of bio-bodies next to him. The names in different colors showed their different destinations. He looked at Lin Sheng, "How many bio-bodies are there near Yuncheng, including those who went to the seaside to support Xing Bi and his men?"
"There's no problem with defense," Lin Sheng said, "even if the symbiote attacks us now, it will run into our team first and won't be able to get close to Yuncheng."
"Yeah." Li Feng glanced at him, "Do you want to go?"
"I'll stay in Yuncheng." Lin Sheng said.
"Then you and Chen Dang should keep an eye on Old Wu," Li Feng said. "Xu Jie's people have already transported some of the base's information to Yuncheng. Qu Shen and Cheng Gu will start to check the fungus-related content. Once they find something useful, the two chiefs will also participate in the experiment. After all, the technology is there. I'm relatively confident that it's just Old Wu alone. If the two of them join, I'll have to keep a close eye on them."
"Yeah." Lin Sheng responded.
"Let's meet later." Chen Dang said.
"Okay." Lin Sheng nodded.
"I'm going to the outer city. Zhang Sihai's car is waiting for me outside," Li Feng stood up, "I'll leave this place to you."
"Does Li Datou have a car?" Lin Sheng said.
Li Feng laughed: "At least he is in charge of several large construction sites."
Zhang Sihai's car was an old car discarded by the Security Bureau. Li Feng had it repainted and repaired, and it still looks very good.
It's just that sitting in the car is a bit painful for my waist and it's uncomfortable because of the shaking.
Before Li Feng adjusted his sitting position, Zhang Sihai had already spoken: "I hope the Security Bureau can provide the living supplies for the construction site on time and in quantity."
"Are you starving to death or freezing to death?" Li Feng asked.
"Workers need to be well fed and well clothed," Zhang Sihai said. "Before I came here, a riot had just been quelled. Several workers were fighting over a box of canned food, and it almost turned into a brawl involving dozens of people."
"What does this have to do with the timely and adequate provision of supplies?" Li Feng asked.
"If everyone can get it on time, will anyone still rush to get it?" Zhang Sihai frowned, looking very sad.
"You must have got this brain from your father," Li Feng said.
"Director Li!" Zhang Sihai raised his voice angrily, "Just stick to the facts and don't make personal attacks!"
"Your father's brain is a personal attack?" Li Feng couldn't help laughing.
"Brother Feng," Zhang Sihai changed his tone, "I'm talking to you about serious matters."
"First, how could a whole box of canned food be taken by the workers? Why is the construction site management so chaotic?" Li Feng looked at him. "Second, the daily necessities are to ensure that they don't go hungry, not to ensure that there are stocks even if they are full. Third, come back and tell me after you have investigated the matter. You are the manager of those workers, not their spokesperson."
Zhang Sihai looked at him and was speechless for a long time.
"Watch the road while driving." said Li Feng.
The expansion project of the outer city was progressing very quickly. Zhang Sihai was capable and willing to work hard, but his brain was a little malnourished. Moreover, he was too out of touch with reality and was full of unprincipled sympathy for all the refugees. Li Feng had to call back Zhao Lu and his gang of corpse collectors.
This group of people have been living in the outer city for a long time and have experienced the war. They are now very mature. They can assist Zhang Sihai in his work at the construction site and coordinate various refugees. This group of people is much more skilled than a fool like Zhang Sihai.
"To be honest," Zhao Lu squatted on a rock that had just been cleared, "I would rather go to war than compete with Zhang Sihai here. It's harder to communicate with him than Xiao Lei."
"Let Xiao Lei communicate with him." Li Feng said.
"Xiao Lei is annoyed with him!" Zhao Lu lowered his voice, "Xiao Lei sees him the same way we saw Xiao Lei back then. Xiao Lei doesn't have as many ideal declarations as he does."
"It's OK as long as he can do the work," Li Feng said. "After this round of work, he will be promoted to another position, but this place is still left to you."
"Leave it to Xiao Lei," Zhao Lu said, "We are not well educated and cannot do such things."
"Once the school is built, you should go to school." said Li Feng.
"What the hell?" Zhao Lu turned and looked at him in shock.
"Go to school," Li Feng said, "to get rid of illiteracy."
"I applied to return to Xima Town." said Zhao Lu.
"There will also be a branch school in Xima Town," said Li Feng.
"Fuck." Zhao Lu jumped off the rock and walked away cursing.
"Director Li." Xiao Lei came at some point and suddenly spoke from behind Li Feng.
"Can we talk in front of each other?" Li Feng was shocked.
"I came from behind." Xiao Lei said.
Li Feng glanced at him. His clothes were covered in dust, and there was quite a bit of dust on his face as well.
"Did you go to blow up the mountain?" Li Feng frowned.
"I went to check it out," Xiao Lei said. "They were all newbies and unprofessional. I was worried about safety issues."
"Aren't you a newbie?" Li Feng said.
"I read books," Xiao Lei said. "Since I came here, I have been reading books every day. These are the materials given to me by Director Lu of the Urban Construction Bureau."
Li Feng glanced at him and said, "You are quite energetic."
"Well," Xiao Lei smiled, "where there is hope, there is motivation."
Li Feng looked at him without saying anything.
"Director Li," Xiao Lei said, "I used to have a lot of complaints against you."
"Everyone is dissatisfied with me." said Li Feng.
"But now I think," Xiao Lei said, "although you... you are indeed the talent that Yuncheng needs."
"What about me?" Li Feng asked.
"You should know clearly." Xiao Lei said, "You know who is dissatisfied with you."
"Go, go, go, go," Li Feng waved at him, "Go do what you need to do."
"Are Qiu Shi and the others okay?" Xiao Lei asked.
"Okay, let's wait for their triumphant return." Li Feng said.
When the map in front of him opened, the densely packed bright spots made Qiu Shi feel as if his vision was blocked.
"This map is not good. When designing it, didn't they consider the situation where hundreds of people would appear at the same time?" Qiu Shi closed the map and sighed, "Are these nomads already gathered here?"
"There are also quite a few refugees," said Xing Bi.
"The refugees have no weapons, no physical strength, and no combat experience," Qiu Shi looked out the car window. The map showed that there were quite a few people, but when looking at them with the naked eye, they couldn't see anyone. The vagrants' concealment skills were very good. "Are they here to die?"
"Refugees have always been sending themselves to die," Xing Bi said. "Even if they die this time, dying with hope can be considered a meaningful death. Some people live on hatred, but more people still want to live with hope."
The sea and the sky could be seen connected ahead. Although Xing Bi had not said anything, Qiu Shi had always thought that was the sky. In shock, he kept staring at that place without moving his eyes away.
"Shouldn't there be waves on the sea?" he asked in a low voice, "Why does it look like the sky over there, motionless?"
"Because it's still very far away." Xing Bi said.
To be honest, Qiu Shi was a little unsure. The most water he had ever come into contact with was the hot spring behind the bunker, and the second most common was the river where human bodies floated. For someone who couldn't swim and had never seen water, the sea over there, which was as big as the sky, made him panic.
"Go north along the coastal avenue, the homeless are waiting for us under the rocks over there," said Bai Zhan.
"Got it." Xing Bi said.
The convoy followed Jiang Liu's lead vehicle, turned around and started heading north.
The so-called coastal boulevard should have been a wide road, but now all that's left is gravel, but it looks very wide.
The wind blowing in from the open car window was no longer as dry and cold as before, but was moist, with a faint fresh smell in the air.
After driving forward for a while, the convoy turned a corner along the road, and the sea, which had been in the air, suddenly appeared right in front of the convoy.
Along with the sea breeze came the sound of waves which gradually became clearer.
"Fuck." Qiu Shi couldn't help but sigh.
There are many simple huts on both sides of the road, all made of stones, very similar to the shelters that Qiu Shi and his men had built outside the city, and at the end of the road is a huge rocky beach.
After the convoy stopped in the middle of the road, loud shouts, screams and whistles suddenly came from both sides of the road. Hundreds of people suddenly appeared among the rocks and surrounded their convoy.
"Keep still." Xing Bi said.
The door of the lead car opened and Bai Zhan got out.
Two tall and strong men from the reef walked towards him. After a few simple words, Bai Zhan led them towards Xing Bi's car.
"Let's go." Xing Bi opened the car door.
"Are you all going?" One of the men glanced at them.
"I'm the only one going." said Bai Zhan.
"Yeah." The man was probably disdainful of their "fear of death" behavior. He threw a large leather bag at Bai Zhan's feet, turned around and walked away without saying anything.
"If the situation is not right, retreat." Xing Bi said.
"Yeah." Bai Zhan responded and tapped the headset a few times.
Qiu Shi could hear the knocking sounds in his headphones.
"Got it." Xing Bi said.
Bai Zhan squatted down, opened the leather bag, and took out something that looked like a cannonball with a propeller.
"What is this?" Qiu Shi asked.
"Underwater thruster." said Bai Zhan.
The author has something to say:
To be continued tomorrow⊙▽⊙.