Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The room fell silent again, but Chu Ya couldn't fall asleep.

Why would his father tell him about a place that didn't exist?

He didn't think it was an oversight on his father's part; it must have been intentional, with two purposes: to conceal the real location and to use a non-existent place name to draw his attention, telling him that whatever he sought was definitely related to this.

No. 75 Wushan Street, No. 75 Wushan Street...

As Chu Ya was lost in thought, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from a distance. The door opened, and Rong Chen called out to Director Liu.

When Director Liu entered the ward, carrying a chill with him, Chu Ya instinctively closed his eyes.

"Did you come in the institute's car?" Rong Chen asked.

"Yes, I was worried about the child, so I came to check," Director Liu whispered. "What are those two soldiers at the door for?"

Chu Ya didn't hear Rong Chen respond, guessing he was pointing at himself. Director Liu didn't ask further, only walking to Lin Duozhi's bedside: "You said over the phone that he has also differentiated?"

Rong Chen nodded slightly: "Suddenly, he could see Chu Ya's quantum beast."

Silence filled the room again, and after a long while, Director Liu's low voice broke the quiet: "More children are differentiating; we can no longer rely on Cloud Peak."

"What should we do then..."

"Let's talk about it when we get back. For now, have Xiao Wang make a trip to Dongwuqi Street."

"Why there?"

"To deliver some items to Administrator Wu's family on his behalf."

The two left the ward, and a head poked into the doorway. A soldier scanned the room, saw Chu Ya lying in bed, and quickly withdrew, his footsteps fading away.

Shen Juanjuan stirred in Chu Ya's arms, mumbling incoherently. After tucking him in, Chu Ya lay down again but opened his eyes after just a few seconds.

Have Xiao Wang make a trip to Dongwuqi Street.

Why there?

To deliver some items to Administrator Wu's family on his behalf.

Dongwuqi Street, Dongwuqi Street...

He felt the street name was familiar, yet he couldn't pinpoint why.

Dongwuqi Street, Dongwuqi Street...

A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he sat up abruptly.

No. 75 Wushan Street!

No. 35 Dongwuqi Street!

No. 75 Wushan Street reversed is No. 35 Dongwuqi Street!

Could it be that simple? Could it?

Chu Ya's heart pounded wildly, blood rushing to his head. Regardless of whether this hypothesis was correct, he had to go there.

Black Wolf, who had been outside the door all along, now slipped silently into the room, its dark green eyes fixed on Chu Ya, awaiting his next command.

Shen Juanjuan and Lin Duozhi were both asleep, Director Liu and Rong Chen hadn't returned, and the soldier had just checked on them—this was the perfect time to leave.

Without hesitation, Chu Ya gently moved Shen Juanjuan's head from his chest, got out of bed, and retrieved the white coat he had stolen earlier from under the wheelchair, putting it on again.

Finally, he took a pillow from the cabinet and placed it beside Shen Juanjuan, making it look as if someone was still sleeping there.

Rong Chen and Director Liu stood at the entrance of the hall, talking to the welfare home's driver, Xiao Wang. One soldier had gone to the restroom, and the other was sitting on a bench in the hall, watching them.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor, and the soldier turned to see a doctor emerge from the office, looking down at a medical chart, passing by them and heading toward the door.

The soldier found the tall yet slender figure somewhat familiar, remembering that the doctor had already left once before.

"Hey, wait a moment—" The soldier stood up, but a figure blocked his view, and Rong Chen smiled, asking, "Officer, could you help us? We need to lift some equipment into the van, but it's too heavy for us to manage alone."

"I'm—"

"Thank you, thank you." Rong Chen hurriedly pushed him toward the minivan parked in the front courtyard, "We have a piece of equipment that needs repair, and we can't lift it ourselves."

The soldier glanced back, seeing the doctor had disappeared through the hospital's main gate, and said nothing more, helping to load the equipment into the van.

The minivan started, and Director Liu looked at his watch, instructing Xiao Wang, "It's eleven now. Take the equipment to the repair shop and drop off Administrator Wu's things at his house. It should take about half an hour to return. Rest well tonight, and we'll head back to the welfare home tomorrow morning. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble, don't worry, Director."

The minivan drove out of the hospital gates, and the group turned back toward the building. The soldier who had gone to the restroom returned, and Rong Chen pulled him aside, thanking him repeatedly and engaging in friendly conversation.

A thoughtful expression crossed Director Liu's face, and he stayed in the hall, having Rong Chen fetch a heater. The four of them sat on the bench, gathered around the heater, and began chatting.

The welfare home's minivan hit the main road, heading toward the town center. A figure darted out from the shadows of a side alley, chasing after the minivan, with a large, muscular Black Wolf closely following.

Chu Ya sprinted down the snow-covered street, keeping his eyes on the taillights of the minivan ahead, leaping over snowbanks, dashing through narrow underpasses, and bounding up steps, grabbing onto iron railings and jumping down.

It was late at night, and the snow was heavy, with not a soul in sight. Chu Ya's leg injury had just healed, and after running several blocks, he grabbed Black Wolf's neck, flipping onto its back.

Black Wolf immediately accelerated, buildings blurring past as they raced through the snowstorm.

The minivan pulled into a residential area, stopping in front of a small house. Xiao Wang jumped out with a bag and knocked on the door, while Black Wolf carried Chu Ya into a nearby alley, disappearing into the storm.

The alley was lined with two-story buildings on both sides, densely packed together without any gaps between them.

Chu Ya walked down the alley, brushing off the snow from one of the doorplates to reveal "Dongwu Banner Street No. 3."

If this is No. 3, then No. 35 should be further inside.

As Chu Ya walked through the alley, his footsteps made a creaking sound, and a light layer of snow had already settled on his shoulders. The outer layer of his cotton-padded coat, made from a surgical gown, was slightly damp.

Although there were many houses in this area, very few people actually lived here. Only occasionally did a building emit a faint light; most of the small buildings were abandoned, with open doors and broken windows that swayed precariously.

Chu Ya turned left into another alleyway and finally stopped in front of an old, vacant two-story building.

This building, like many others nearby, was low and dilapidated, unremarkable in appearance. He took a few steps forward and, using the reflection from the snow, read the number on the doorplate: "Dongwu Banner Street No. 35."

Chu Ya pushed the door, but it didn't budge. He bent down to inspect it and found that the door was just a common iron gate, and the lock was a simple iron padlock that could be easily picked with a piece of wire.

His heart sank as he realized that his father wouldn't have hidden something so important in such a place, with no guard and only a loosely closed door and a rusty lock, making it easy for any thief to enter.

But then he thought that perhaps this was precisely why the house wouldn't attract attention or suspicion.

The Black Wolf had already brought a piece of wire and dropped it at his feet. Chu Ya picked up the wire and unlocked the padlock in just a few seconds. Looking around to ensure no one was around, he and the Black Wolf slipped inside and closed the door behind them.

Chu Ya switched on his flashlight, and the beam of light slowly scanned the room.

The room was thick with dust, looking like an ordinary residence. The living room had a simple sofa and coffee table, and a small television hung on the opposite wall, its power cord dangling in the air.

Chu Ya began searching the entire house, examining every piece of furniture, feeling the cushions of the sofa, tapping on the walls and floor tiles, and listening closely.

The space in the small building wasn't large, but it had several rooms, including a living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Chu Ya searched each room thoroughly, with the Black Wolf helping by tearing apart mattresses and sofas with its sharp claws, scattering the stuffing all over the floor.

He searched the entire ground floor but found no clues. A strange feeling flashed through his mind, but it vanished before he could grasp it.

He returned to the living room and noticed an iron ladder against the wall, instructing the Black Wolf to stay downstairs while he climbed to the second floor.

The second-floor attic was low, and Chu Ya had to bend his head to avoid hitting it. He opened the first room on the right side of the corridor.

It looked like a study, with a desk and bookshelf. He carefully examined the room but found nothing.

The remaining two rooms were the master bedroom and a guest bedroom, which he also searched meticulously, but still found nothing.

Chu Ya stood in the corridor, his head hanging low, and through the open doors, he could see each room in disarray, mirroring his current state of mind.

Wrong again, wrong again. What about reading my father's words backward? What about Dongwu Banner Street No. 35? My father didn't hide anything here.

Chu Ya lowered his head, his shoulders slumped, and the flashlight lying on the floor cast his shadow on the wall, filled with disappointment and frustration.

Forget it, let's go back. I'll think more about it. Maybe there's a Wushan Street in Keke Town, just under a different name. I should ask some of the older residents in Keke Town.

Chu Ya picked up the flashlight and headed toward the attic entrance. Just as he was about to descend the stairs, he suddenly paused.

When he was at Cloud Peak, he always glanced out the window beside the stairs. There was a wooden birdhouse outside, where a couple of birds would nest each year. Now, out of habit, he looked to the left and saw a window, with a small metal box hanging outside.

If this metal box were a birdhouse, he had never seen a single bird during his time in the abyss.

Standing at the attic entrance, Chu Ya looked down through the small square opening.

In his field of vision were the living room sofa and coffee table, arranged in a familiar layout, just like what he saw when he came downstairs at home.

He suddenly stood up and circled the three rooms again, finally understanding the persistent strange feeling he had while searching the house.

The master bedroom faced a double bed, but instead of an oil painting on the wall opposite the bed, there was a celebrity poster. Where the bedside table should have been, there was a small box serving as a makeshift nightstand.

Both the master bedroom and the guest bedroom at Cloud Peak had en-suite bathrooms. This building, though small, had also carved out tiny spaces in the corresponding walls.

The room structure and furniture arrangement of this small building were a replica of his home at Cloud Peak. Although the space was smaller and the furniture simpler, it was identical to his own home.

This place was set up by his father. He used the birdhouse hanging outside the wall, the faded furniture, and the worn-out sofa to tell him—this is it, Xiaoya, this is it.

Chu Ya stood in the corridor, staring at this familiar yet strange place, tears welling up in his eyes. But he knew now wasn't the time for sentimentality. He stood still, closed his eyes, and took deep breaths to quickly calm his emotions. Then he got up and went to his father's study.

He quickly found the location of his father's safe but was at a loss when facing the smooth metal surface. He pressed his ear to it and tapped it with his fingers, discovering that the small metal section was actually part of the wall.

It turned out this wasn't a real safe but merely a replica of the original study.

Chu Ya began to feel anxious and agitated, pacing around the room, holding his head. But he soon realized he was wasting time and immediately told himself: Don't rush, stay calm, think, think again.

From my father's perspective, if he wanted me to find something, he wouldn't hide it in his safe but in the place I consider the most secret.

The place I consider the most secret...

Chu Ya suddenly stopped and rushed to his bedroom, quickly tearing off a poster on the wall to reveal a silver safe.

The moment he saw the safe, he knew he had found it.

This was a real safe, equipped with an iris scanner and a keypad. He gently touched it, and the display screen immediately lit up.

When he was young, after seeing his father's safe, he had been quite envious. His father then placed a similar safe in his bedroom, hidden behind one of his own paintings.

"Later, you can put your secrets, your most precious items, or things you don't want others to know in here. Come, set your own password, choose six numbers."

At that time, Chu Ya was even younger than Shen Juanjuan and naively said, "Then let's make it 123321."

His father, probably not expecting him to say the password, smiled helplessly, "Alright, Dad will input the password for you, 123321."

Chu Ya bent down, letting a red light scan his eyes, and then lightly tapped the numbers on the illuminated keypad.

A soft click echoed in the quiet room, and the safe door popped open, revealing a silver metal box.

Chu Ya suppressed his racing heart and picked up the metal box, discovering a letter pressed beneath it. Under the flashlight's beam, two bold characters were written on the envelope: Chu Ya.

Seeing the familiar handwriting, Chu Ya felt his eyes well up with tears that instantly blurred his vision. He took out the envelope, caressing his name, before pulling out the thin sheet of paper inside.

Xiaoya:

If you can read this letter, then Father may have met with some misfortune, and your situation is likely dire as well.

But this is just a guess; I hope you never have to see this letter. However, human hearts are unpredictable, and life is full of uncertainties. If such a day comes, this is the protection Father can offer you, and also the deepest trust I place in you.

This box contains the research results on the Black Gangrene virus from the Morning Star Club’s laboratory. Normally, I should leave it to the Morning Star Club, but if something happens, the only people I can trust are you and Yun Tuo. Considering your circumstances might be better than Yun Tuo’s, after much deliberation, I have entrusted it to you.

The content on this chip is crucial; it can both cure Black Gangrene and serve other purposes. So you must keep it safe and pass it on to someone you trust to continue the unfinished research.

Xiaoya, my good son, I know your resilience and strength. I believe no matter what happens, you will pull yourself together, protect yourself, and fulfill the task I entrust to you.

Take care and grow up well.

You will surely encounter many storms along the way. If you can’t bear them, come back and look at the little bird.

Chu Chengyu

Chu Ya read the words, as if he could see his father sitting on the sofa, earnestly instructing him. His hand holding the letter trembled uncontrollably, and tears fell one by one, making soft sounds on the paper before quickly spreading.

But he knew he couldn’t stay here long. He tucked the letter away and began to examine the box in his hand.

There was not a single seam visible on the box, and a fingerprint lock was on its side. When he placed his finger on it, the lid popped open, revealing a chip lying inside.

He didn’t know who he could entrust with this chip. The Morning Star Club, the Sunburn Club, and the Morna government forces were the only ones capable of continuing the research on the contents of the box, but there wasn’t a single person among them he could trust.

If only Yun Tuo were still alive...

Chu Ya put the box away, closed the wall safe, and covered it with the poster before hurrying downstairs.

The Black Wolf had been waiting impatiently and immediately unlocked the front door when Chu Ya came down.

The wind and snow rushed into the room, and Chu Ya glanced around once more before wiping his eyes on his shoulder, turning off the flashlight, and dashing into the darkness with the Black Wolf.