Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Cloud Peak, White Castle.

Gu Lin sat behind a large desk, his computer screen displaying a video conference with high-ranking officers from the Morna government forces, the Sunburn Club, and the Morning Star Club.

The Morning Star Club currently had no official president and was in disarray. Although Gu Lin was only a colonel, he was responsible for White Castle, and Chu Chengyu had always involved him in important matters, so he could join these high-level meetings. Besides, even if Meng Heguang hadn't officially approved, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he took over.

"Have those mutants on Keke Mountain come down to hurt people again?" asked a senior officer through the computer.

"Yes, they rushed to Keke Town."

"Every winter, the mutants come down to hunt for food. Send more soldiers to guard the town's entrance."

An assembly member asked discontentedly, "Why don't we just clear out those mutants?"

"Clear them out? How?" A Sunburn Army general said angrily, "Keke Mountain is treacherous, with steep cliffs and dense forests. The environment is harsh. Soldiers can barely navigate without getting lost, let alone clear out the mutants."

...

After the discussion about the mutants' attack on Keke Town concluded, Morna government chief Meng Heguang asked, "What's the situation in Linya City?"

The screen split into several smaller screens, each showing people who had been talking animatedly falling silent. Jiang Xian, the president of the Sunburn Club, around forty years old, looked stern, his eyes fixed on the table, not having spoken a word throughout the meeting as if he were asleep.

A Sunburn Club officer hesitated before speaking, "Linya City is too far from Cloud Peak, and various factions are entrenched there, making it difficult to handle..."

Seeing that Jiang Xian showed no sign of stopping him, he continued, "We received news two days ago that our troops just quelled a riot in Linya City, losing several sentries."

Everyone fell silent. The Sunburn Club officer continued, "Linya City is in such chaos; we can't manage it alone. It seems the Morning Star Club's troops haven't moved at all. Even if they want to preserve their strength, they can't just leave everything to the Sunburn Army, right?"

"General Wu, you shouldn't speak like that. During the recent riots in Linya City, our Morning Star Army also deployed troops and lost many soldiers. Later, when the Morning Star Club's military headquarters was attacked, where was the Sunburn Club to help?" A Morning Star Army officer sneered, slamming his water glass onto the table, "Even though we have no president, our discipline remains strict, and we will not neglect our duties."

The two sides seemed ready to argue, but Gu Lin turned his head to answer a phone call, "Yes, bring them in first... Yes, I'm in a meeting... Isn't there someone close to breaking through... Take them to the exchange room..."

The arguing stopped involuntarily, and everyone watched Gu Lin on the screen, listening to his intermittent conversation, their expressions complex. But no one interrupted him, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Gu Lin hung up the phone and glanced at the screen. Though he hadn't spoken throughout, the others lost their desire to talk, including the arguing generals, who remained silent.

Jiang Xian looked unwell and finally spoke, "Chief Meng, my head hurts. I'll skip the rest of the meeting. You continue."

Meng Heguang quickly replied, "Then let's end it here."

As Jiang Xian stood up, he caught Gu Lin's gaze on the screen. In that brief moment, his eyes revealed unhidden wariness and disdain. He then raised his hand, plunging his small screen into darkness.

After Gu Lin shut off his computer, Jin Gao, who had been standing against the wall, approached.

"What did they say?"

Gu Lin slowly rotated in his chair and suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing about?" Jin Gao asked.

Gu Lin shook his head, "I laugh because they all despise me, seeing me as a monster. Yet they fear me and dare not offend me."

Jin Gao also sneered, "Just a bunch of hypocrites."

Gu Lin stood up, "The government's Chief Wang is here again. I've had him taken to the exchange room. Let's go see him."

As they reached the door, Jin Gao's phone rang. Seeing the screen, he immediately answered, "Jin Gao. Yes, what? Yun Tuo is dead?"

Gu Lin abruptly stopped.

"Jumped into the sea... Yes, yes, did they find the body? Fell into the sea..."

Jin Gao hung up, "Our men found Yun Tuo's trail at Kali Strait, but during the pursuit, Yun Tuo jumped off a cliff into the sea."

"Did they find him?"

"No, they said the area below is full of rocks and undercurrents, and the cliff is very high. Yun Tuo couldn't have survived." Jin Gao's eyes gleamed with excitement, "Now that Yun Tuo is dead, Meng Heguang has no excuse to delay. You can become the president of the Morning Star Club."

Gu Lin didn't show any excitement but frowned thoughtfully. Jin Gao added, "When they stormed White Castle, they opened other cells too. According to the clues found, they eventually crossed the Black Dragon Mountains and escaped. Cloud Peak's southernmost point is near the Black Dragon Mountains, and the main peak is just a few hundred meters away. They likely used gliders to descend and then fled towards Linya City. I've always said we need more personnel to secure the south of Cloud Peak. Just the iron fence isn't enough. However, Chu Ya must have gone with them."

Gu Lin shook his head, "These people, big and small, could escape from Cloud Peak to Linya City only under Yun Tuo's lead. But why didn't Yun Tuo cross the snow-capped mountains with them and instead take the risky route through Kali Strait?"

"Yes, why?" Jin Gao calmed down and began thinking.

Gu Lin's cold gaze fixed on the corridor ahead, "The only reason is that he hasn't yet joined Chu Ya."

"So Chu Ya is still here?"

Gu Lin slightly narrowed his eyes, "East of Kali Strait leads to Linya City, but what about west?"

"West... the Abyss? Aisara Special Zone?" Jin Gao's expression tightened, "Do you mean he didn't cross the mountains with the others but went to the Abyss via Kali Strait?"

Gu Lin didn't answer but strode down the corridor, passing several rooms before saying coldly, "From Kali Strait, one can directly reach the Abyss without going through Tutta Pass and avoiding all checkpoints. We can now confirm that our search focus is correct: Chu Ya is in the Abyss, Aisara Special Zone."

"Yes."

"And Yun Tuo, tell Meng Heguang about his death. Use any corpse to pass it off. But we must keep searching. Until we find the body, we can't let our guard down."

"Understood."

Gu Lin paused, looking at his right arm, where a small black line peeked out from beneath his sleeve, like an indelible stain on his wrist.

"The most important thing is to find Chu Ya."

"I understand."

The two turned left and right in the corridor, stopping their conversation as they entered a password-protected door.

This door seemed unremarkable, but once opened, it revealed another world. Inside was a vast space filled with various instruments, and researchers in lab coats bustled about.

The two men walked through the hall, entered a corridor, passed through another password-protected door, and stopped outside a glass wall.

A beam of light illuminated a single bed in the center of the room, as well as the young man lying on it in a deep sleep. He appeared to be in his early twenties, wearing a peculiar metal cap, with several tubes connecting him to nearby instruments.

"Subject 034's energy level in the mental realm has reached the threshold; breakthrough is underway."

As a mechanical voice sounded, the instruments lit up, and the man strapped to the bed began to struggle violently.

He convulsed in pain, opening his mouth wide in a silent scream, veins bulging in his neck. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, the pupils seeming to bulge out and gradually covered by a layer of darkness. His flesh visibly receded beneath his skin, his cheeks and eye sockets sinking, and his hands, restrained by straps, spasmed, the skin on his knuckles becoming loose and wrinkled.

Something intangible seemed to pass through the tubes connected to the metal cap on his head, causing them to swell.

The entire process lasted about half a minute. The instruments ceased flashing, and the man finally stopped struggling, staring blankly at the ceiling, his limbs twitching occasionally. The darkness in his eyes faded, but he remained gaunt and aged, as if years had passed in an instant.

Gu Lin watched him through the glass window as two researchers entered from a side door, lifted him off the bed, placed him in a wheelchair, and wheeled him out.

The man no longer looked young, resembling an elderly person with dull, lifeless eyes, his mouth slightly open, drool trickling down the corner of his lips.

"Captain Gu, Lieutenant Jin," the two researchers greeted Gu Lin and Jin Gao, who were standing outside the door.

Jin Gao looked at the man who had lost all consciousness: "Dispose of him."

"Yes."

As the researchers prepared to wheel the man away, Gu Lin suddenly spoke: "Wait."

All three turned to look at Gu Lin, who continued to stare at the empty bed inside the glass window: "I remember that 034 came from the mines in Keke Town. Send a report to the mine supervisor stating that he successfully differentiated and has been assigned to the garrison in Linya City."

"Yes," the researcher replied.

After the researchers wheeled the man away, Gu Lin muttered to himself: "So that old welfare home director won't keep coming to me asking for him."

As he finished speaking, a door nearby opened, and a figure emerged, completely covered from head to toe.

The person seemed reluctant to be recognized, wearing a hat, sunglasses, a mask, and a scarf. Upon seeing Gu Lin, he paused momentarily before silently walking away, seemingly wanting to avoid any interaction.

"Military Officer Wang," Gu Lin called out to him.

The man hesitated but did not turn around.

Gu Lin continued unperturbed: "Officer Wang, your steps seem steady; you must have fully recovered. But this attire... are you afraid of the cold? Yes, the air conditioning in White Castle is set quite low. You should take care not to catch a chill."

Without a word, Military Officer Wang hurried forward. Gu Lin called after him: "Officer Wang, the Morning Star Club will soon hold its election for president. I hope you'll cast your precious vote for me."

Watching Military Officer Wang leave through the password-protected door, Gu Lin's smile faded into one of disdain.

"Thinking that no one would recognize him, he still pretends to be a high-ranking official," Jin Gao sneered. "No matter how much he pretends, he still can't help but vote for you."

The rain continued throughout the night, and by the next day, it showed no signs of letting up, even intensifying.

Shen Juanjuan put on his warm quilted jacket, slung a water bottle and a bag over his shoulder, and looked down at Chu Ya, who was putting plastic bags over his feet.

"Rain boots, ha ha."

Chu Ya then put a wool cap on his head, dressed him in a raincoat, and pulled the hood over both the cap and his head.

"Remember, when you reach a place without rain, take off the raincoat and put it in the bag I gave you. Wear it again on your way back."

"Put the raincoat in the bag?"

"Yes."

Shen Juanjuan, wrapped up so only his small face was visible, raised one foot and asked playfully: "What about the rain boots?"

"Pack them up."

He raised the other foot, "And this one?"

"Pack it up too."

"And this one?" Shen Juanjuan kept lifting his feet.

"No matter how many feet you grow or how many rain boots you wear, pack them all up."

Shen Juanjuan laughed, then hugged Chu Ya's neck: "I'll go get the food now and come back quickly."

"Don't rush. I'll walk you part of the way, and there's food left here. Eat first when you get back to the welfare home."

With such heavy rain, Chu Ya didn't want the child to return to the welfare home for food, but there was no other choice.

As they passed the landfill, Shen Juanjuan ran to their old tin shack: "I didn't find any new treasures today, so I'll bring the old ones."

They left the landfill and crossed the open field instead of taking the main road. Shen Juanjuan enjoyed the feeling of being completely covered while walking in the rain, deliberately stepping into puddles along the way.

Whenever Shen Juanjuan splashed in the water, Chu Ya waited patiently by the wheelchair until he returned, satisfied, and they continued on.

Ahead was a curtain of water like a waterfall, with torrents cascading down, covering the entire view. It disappeared into the gray sky above and stretched to the edges of the horizon.

"I can only take you this far; beyond this point, it's easy to be seen."

Shen Juanjuan nodded understandingly: "Then I'll go alone."

Chu Ya sat in the wheelchair, watching the small figure move forward, turning back every few steps, until it disappeared behind the curtain of rain.

Shen Juanjuan crawled through a hole in the back wall of the welfare home. Students were heading to the cafeteria in groups. He followed the crowd and saw several children from Dormitory 16.

"Lin Duozhi."

"Shen Juanjuan."

Shen Juanjuan hopped forward, happily grabbing Lin Duozhi's hand. Lin Duozhi said, "Now you're the only one who can go out of the orphanage."

Shen Juanjuan was very proud. "Yeah, none of them can go out now; it's just me."

"There's still someone else," Tang Yuanyuan lowered her voice. "Last night, very late, when I went to the bathroom, I saw the older kids tampering with the fence again. They broke another iron bar."

"Huh? Another one..."

"That means they can get out again."

"What are you talking about? Who can get out again?" Chen Hongliang asked.

"Shh..."

"Shh."

Shen Juanjuan's pride lasted only a few seconds before he learned that he was no longer the only one who could leave the orphanage. But he didn't mind too much because he had something more shocking to tell them.

"I met a ghost again last night." Shen Juanjuan said this with lingering fear, moving closer to Lin Duozhi.

"What? You met a ghost again?" The children all widened their eyes.

"Yes, and I chased it away. I hit it with an iron rod, making it scream and run away crying..."

Shen Juanjuan narrated vividly but did not mention Chu Ya or the move. He occasionally squatted down in a horse stance, pointing his hands forward, and vigilantly looked around, punching at the air, causing the children to cover their mouths in amazement.

Several older girls passed by, rolling their eyes at the sky.

They didn't see Wang Zhusheng's brother along the way. After finishing his ghost story, Shen Juanjuan entered the cafeteria without any trouble.

Chen Hongliang was in front of Shen Juanjuan in line. Whenever Shen Juanjuan tried to peek ahead at the food buckets, Chen Hongliang blocked his view and grinned at him.

"Why do you keep blocking me?" Shen Juanjuan raised his hand to push him aside.

Tang Yuanyuan pouted. "He has lost more teeth than us; he wants you to see."

This morning, they were serving bean cakes. Shen Juanjuan took three as usual, and the other children in the dormitory also took three each, following him to the backyard. Liu Sijin noticed from the adjacent queue and followed them, curious about what they were doing.

"Three colorful wrappers." In the backyard, Shen Juanjuan pulled out three colorful wrappers and waved them. "This time, the wrappers have little figures on them."

"I'll trade." Tang Yuanyuan handed over her bean cake.

"One of these." Shen Juanjuan took out a lighter, which couldn't light but was shiny and attractive to the children.

"I'll trade." Chen Hongliang immediately reached out.

Liu Sijin finally understood what was happening, but she hadn't taken extra bean cakes, so she offered the one she had bitten into. "I want to trade for the wrappers too."

Shen Juanjuan said, "The others traded extras with me, but this is your own. So, no trade." He then handed her a few wrappers. "Here, take these. Next time, if you take extra food, you can trade with me."

After trading the bean cakes, Shen Juanjuan gave them the remaining treasures in his bag. Then he crawled into a table hole. The children also crouched down, peering into the hole.

"Shen Juanjuan, can you pick up some cookies for me? The ones you gave me last time were delicious." Tang Yuanyuan said.

"I also want to pick up treasures, but I'm scared," Wang Xiaoxi said timidly.

Chen Hongliang added, "I want to go too, but I'm scared. The caretakers might catch us. Can you pick up a bread for me tomorrow?"

"Shen Juanjuan, can you pick up something shiny that goes around the wrist?" Liu Sijin asked.

Shen Juanjuan nodded firmly. "I remember. I will definitely find those for you."

Just as he was about to crawl away, he remembered Chu Ya's warning. If anyone knew Chu Ya was hiding in the garbage dump, he would be caught and brought back to Cloud Peak.

"I can pick up treasures for you every day, but don't tell anyone about my brother," Shen Juanjuan said solemnly. "Also, remember, my brother's neck is broken, not his leg. Don't tell anyone anything about him. Absolutely not."

"Why can't we tell?"

"What will happen if we do?"

The children asked.

"If you tell, I'll become very scary..." Shen Juanjuan looked around, picked up his small iron rod, and tried to bend it forcefully. "I'll do this—this—this—this..."

He couldn't break the iron rod, so he scowled fiercely. "Anyway, I'll break whoever tells!"

The children fell silent for a few seconds, then their faces fell, looking unhappy.

"You want to break us for your brother." Tang Yuanyuan reached out first. "Give me back my bean cake; I don't want to give it to you."

"Give mine back too," Chen Hongliang said.

Shen Juanjuan was stunned for a moment. "I brought you treasures; these bean cakes are what I traded for."

"I don't want to trade anymore. Give me back my bean cake."

Shen Juanjuan didn't understand why they suddenly changed their minds. Except for Liu Sijin and Lin Duozhi, the other children were demanding their bean cakes back.

He clutched his bag and turned away, pouting. "No trade."

"You want to break us," Chen Hongliang said.

"If you don't tell about my brother, I won't break anyone," Shen Juanjuan muttered softly.

Tang Yuanyuan said angrily, "We haven't told anyone, but you want to break us anyway."

"I don't," Shen Juanjuan protested.

"You want to snap, snap, snap." Chen Hongliang gestured downward with both hands.

Shen Juanjuan pleaded in a grieved tone, "I didn't say 'snap, snap,' alright? I said it like this, like this, like this."

The children fell silent. Shen Juanjuan sat in the desk compartment without a word, pursing his lips and fiddling with his shoulder bag.

Lin Duozhi also climbed into the desk compartment and nudged him. "You should go; you still need to bring food to your brother."

"Okay."

Lin Duozhi tilted his head to look at him. "Are you about to cry?"

"I am not. I, I don't want to play with them anymore." Shen Juanjuan glanced out with red-rimmed eyes.

"Then you'll play with me, right?"

"Yes, just like with you and Liu Sijin." Shen Juanjuan said.

Tang Yuanyuan's voice came through, muffled. "If you don't want to play with us, then don't. Who cares?"

"I don't care either." Shen Juanjuan replied.

Chen Hongliang made a chopping motion in front of him, and Shen Juanjuan forcefully chopped the air as well. Both wore expressions of indignation and determination.