Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Walking forward for about thirty minutes, a circular mountain range appeared ahead.

Chu Ya introduced, "This mountain range is the first line of defense for Cloud Peak. They have set up sentry posts around Cloud Peak and distributed military camps of varying sizes. The mountain in front of us has an airfield behind it, with roughly six to seven hundred soldiers. However, there's a secret passage at the foot of the mountain that can bypass the camp and cross the mountain. When Yun Tuo and I went to the orphanage to pick up Director Liu, we left the abyss through that secret passage."

Someone asked, "Should we enter the secret passage now?"

"No, let's rest here and move when it gets dark."

It was only two or three hours until nightfall, so everyone hid in a hollow area of the mountain, leaning against the rock wall to eat and rest. Chu Ya was discussing with several senior students, drawing a map on the ground with a stick.

They had been eating corn cakes for the past few days. In the Black Dragon Mountains, they could light a fire to heat them, but here, they were afraid of being exposed and dared not ignite a gas stove. Everyone could only chew on the dry, hard corn cakes and swallow them with hot water from their canteens.

When Chu Ya was reading military documents or answering calls at home, Shen Juanjuan never disturbed him. Seeing Chu Ya busy now, he cut the corn cake into small pieces, soaked them in the enamel cup with hot water, and then served it to Chu Ya after they softened.

Chu Ya took the enamel cup and chopsticks, and Shen Juanjuan silently retreated. The senior students all looked at his back and whispered, "Is this still Brother Juan? I'm not used to it."

"I almost thought I was seeing things."

Chu Ya took a bite of the corn cake and said, "He has always been very sensible; it's not just today."

The senior students didn't say anything more, only exchanging meaningful glances.

As the sky grew darker, they finally set out once it was completely dark.

Shen Juanjuan carried his equipment bag and closely followed behind Chu Ya as the group headed towards the mountain range ahead.

The sky behind the mountain was illuminated by the lights from the camp, and searchlights swept across the mountaintop. Occasionally, aircraft roared as they took off, and everyone quickly lay flat on the ground.

The secret passage mentioned by Chu Ya was on the other side of the mountain, some distance from the camp. The entrance, like a supply point, was hidden behind a door in the mountain wall.

Shen Juanjuan followed the team into the tunnel, and flashlights lit up one after another. This was originally a natural tunnel running through the mountain, but due to the large number of people fleeing from Cloud Peak to Linya City, some narrow sections had been widened artificially, and stone steps were added where climbing was necessary.

No one spoke, and the quantum beasts were stored in the mental domain. The tunnel was filled only with the sound of hurried footsteps.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the group left the tunnel and quietly moved along the base of the mountain. To the right, the wilderness was brightly lit, marking the camp and airfield of Cloud Peak's military.

Shen Juanjuan followed the team, using the cover of rocks and trees, and soon left the area, entering the interior of the abyss.

There was still a distance to Aisara Special Zone, so they released the larger quantum beasts from the mental domain and rode them across the dark wilderness in pairs.

Riding on the silver wolf, the night wind carried the scent of wild grass and earth, evoking a sense of familiarity and stirring memories.

He remembered walking between the orphanage and Mixin Town in rain boots, smelling this same scent. It was at this moment that he clearly realized he had returned to the abyss, the place where he grew up as a child.

"Brother," he turned and softly called out.

Chu Ya obviously understood what he was thinking and leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

On the way, they encountered several sentry posts but managed to avoid them. The quantum beasts moved quickly, and they reached Keke Town in Aisara Special Zone within two hours.

They circled around Keke Town, and Shen Juanjuan saw the building inside the high walls from afar, recognizing it as the Keke Town Hospital. As a child, Lin Duozhi had been taken to this hospital after cutting off his finger, and Shen Juanjuan had stayed there for a night.

Over the years, Shen Juanjuan and his friends had never mentioned this incident to Lin Duozhi. Now, seeing the hospital again, he instinctively looked at Lin Duozhi.

Lin Duozhi, riding on the BlackandWhite Panther, also looked at the building. Noticing Shen Juanjuan's gaze, he turned and waved: "Do you remember that hospital? We stayed there for a night."

"Yes," Shen Juanjuan replied.

Wang Chengcai said something Shen Juanjuan didn't hear, but Lin Duozhi laughed and answered, "I've forgotten; it probably didn't hurt much."

Shen Juanjuan felt relieved, and Chu Ya whispered, "Now that he has family and what he most desires, those pains have faded."

"Brother Chu."

The two turned to see Liu Zhen and Pan Mei riding a large elk catching up.

"Are we going to Cloud Peak through the Tuka Passage now?" Liu Zhen asked.

Chu Ya replied, "It's already ten o'clock at night. Going to the Tuka Passage now might raise suspicion among the sentries. Let's find a place to rest for the night and go tomorrow morning."

"Great!"

"I want to visit the orphanage."

"I want to go too. I wonder what the orphanage looks like now."

The senior students voiced their opinions, and Chu Ya said, "Let's go then. There's nothing else to do, so we'll visit the orphanage."

They circled around the foot of Keke Mountain and galloped across the wilderness. Shen Juanjuan saw the buildings standing in the distance.

"Look, it's Mixin Town," he exclaimed happily.

Today's Mixin Town was different from many years ago. Although the brightest spot was still the landfill, other buildings also had scattered lights.

Chu Ya explained, "Cloud Peak experienced a black plague outbreak, and the infected were sent to Mixin Town, so many people now live there."

"Is our home still there?"

"I don't know, maybe. But we can't go now."

"I understand."

Chu Ya patted his head, "After we complete this mission, I'll take you home to see it."

"Okay."

Mixin Town was still surrounded by barbed wire, with soldiers stationed outside. They only circled around from a distance and galloped towards the orphanage through the wilderness.

Since Director Liu and the group of children were taken away, the orphanage is now empty, with the tightly locked gate covered in rust, and not a single light shining within.

"Cloud Peak no longer dares to set up the orphanage in the abyss, so this place has been abandoned," Chu Ya said.

Everyone stood quietly outside the iron gate, using the faint daylight to look at the overgrown playground, and the familiar teaching and dormitory buildings.

"That's the dining hall, my favorite place," someone whispered softly.

Others nodded in agreement: "When we were queuing, the workers would carry iron buckets past the windows, and we would guess whether they contained sweet potatoes or bean cakes."

"There's a hole under that fence over there; I wonder if it’s still usable."

"Do you see that sandbox? Back then, when we had fights with the girls, we would fight there because it didn’t hurt to fall. Once, I was fighting Wang Niu near the edge of the pit, and she pressed my face into the ground, making my nose bleed instantly."

"We often had fights in that corner, and the managers would run over with their rulers. One time, Chief Administrator Chen ran too fast and fell flat on his back."

...

Everyone reminisced about the past. Although the living conditions at the orphanage were not good, they all wore smiles, their eyes twinkling with nostalgia. Shen Juanjuan and Lin Duozhi, being younger students, did not have as many experiences as the older ones, but they tried to identify the window of room 16 in the dormitory building.

"There, do you see it?"

"I see it."

"My bed was on the left side of the window, yours on the right."

"Every night before sleeping, we used to sing songs, remember?"

"Of course."

They looked at each other, raised their hands, and sang softly: "Grandpa's little car goes beep beep beep, da da da, beep beep beep—be quiet, someone is watching us."

"The train outside the mountain goes chug chug chug, rum rum rum, chug chug chug..."

The iron gate suddenly creaked, and Chu Ya had already picked the lock, pushing the door open and saying, "Let's go in and talk more inside."

"Go in?" the older students asked in surprise.

"We can only go to the Tuka passage tomorrow during the day, so let's stay here tonight," Chu Ya said.

After entering the orphanage, everyone went to the places they most wanted to see. Shen Juanjuan borrowed Chu Ya's phone and kept taking pictures of every spot, saying he wanted to show them to Tang Yuanyuan and the others. Unfortunately, the light was too dim, and they didn't dare use the flash, so the photos only vaguely showed the outlines of the buildings.

The quantum beasts were also released, curiously looking around. As Shen Juanjuan took pictures of the dormitory building, he told the Teddy Bear, "This is my old home, where I lived when I was a child. Look at that fence; I used to crawl through it every day, and the managers couldn't do anything about it. You don't know how cool I was back then..."

"Roar?" The Teddy Bear pointed at the fence, not understanding why he needed to crawl through a hole when he could easily jump over it.

"I was very small back then, only as tall as you," Shen Juanjuan explained.

The Teddy Bear immediately tried to climb over to show him, but Shen Juanjuan quickly pulled it back, "I was also very light, so it was normal that I couldn't jump over it."

"Roar..." The Teddy Bear made a mocking sound and turned to look at the leopard cub, both quantum beasts sticking out their tongues and roaring together.

At night, everyone returned to their former dormitories, laying out their sleeping bags on the beds they used to sleep in as children.

Shen Juanjuan and Lin Duozhi also returned to room 16. Although the room was covered in dust, the iron beds and furniture were still intact. Chu Ya and Wang Chengcai, along with several quantum beasts, cleaned the room thoroughly, wiping the iron beds clean with water before laying out their sleeping bags.

"Brother Chengcai, don't you want to sleep in your childhood room?" Shen Juanjuan asked Wang Chengcai, who was on the bed diagonally across from him.

Wang Chengcai remained silent for a few seconds before replying, "I don't really feel anything about it."

Even though the gas lamps were turned off, Shen Juanjuan and Lin Duozhi continued talking.

"I remember our dorm was huge, but it's actually quite small."

"The beds are also small, narrower than I remember. I feel like I might roll off."

"Look at that cabinet; there's still the glass paper I used to stick on it."

...

They talked non-stop until Chu Ya ordered them to rest, and they finally fell silent and went to sleep.

Shen Juanjuan thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, but he was so exhausted that he fell asleep almost immediately after lying down.

In the middle of the night, Chu Ya got up and quietly opened the door, walking out. Wang Chengcai sat on the steps at one corner of the playground, head hanging low, and did not look up when he heard the approaching footsteps.

Chu Ya sat down beside him and, seeing the quantum beasts playing in the corner of the playground, called over the Teddy Bear, asking for two cigarettes and offering one to Wang Chengcai.

Wang Chengcai lifted his head in the wisps of smoke, looking up at the dark sky, and said hoarsely, "Are we going to kill Gu Lin this time?"

Chu Ya also looked up at the sky, "We definitely need to kill him, but the mission must come first."

"I understand. Duozhi keeps reminding me to stay calm no matter what happens. I won't act rashly."

A moment later, Liu Zhen arrived at the playground and sat opposite the two of them.

"Can't sleep?" Chu Ya asked.

"A bit. Brother Chu Ya, will we be able to enter Cloud Peak smoothly tomorrow?"

Chu Ya replied, "Before we set out, we contacted Chen Yun and Wu Wan. At ten o'clock tomorrow morning, they will send people to the Tuka checkpoint to meet us and arrange for us to meet Meng Heguang and Jiang Xian."

"Are those two reliable?"

"Chen Yun is Meng Heguang's top confidant, and Wu Wan is Jiang Xian's trusted aide. Their willingness to negotiate with us represents Meng Heguang and Jiang Xian. The two leaders now dare not let Gu Lin know they are secretly contacting us, so they won't expose our whereabouts to him. Our goal in the negotiations is to get the Sunburnt Army and the Morna government forces to withdraw their defenses at sea and in the air, allowing our ships and aircraft from Linya City to directly attack Cloud Peak."

"But what if Meng Heguang and Jiang Xian refuse, and the negotiations fail?" Liu Zhen asked.

"Then we'll have to kill them," Chu Ya replied calmly. "So we need to prepare for both scenarios. If the talks break down, we'll move quickly to eliminate them. Once Meng Heguang and Jiang Xian are dead, Cloud Peak will surely fall into chaos, which might give Linya City a chance to counterattack."

"Understood."

"Of course, it would be best if the negotiations succeed. The Sunburnt Army and the Morna military will be responsible for defending the sea and airspace, while most of the Morning Star Army's forces are concentrated at Cloud Peak. As long as those two armies withdraw their defense lines, we can smoothly reach this continent, and taking over Cloud Peak will be an easy task."

Liu Zhen asked, "Should we bring the black sore serum tomorrow?"

"No, just hide it in the orphanage." Chu Ya shook his head and explained, "Even if the negotiations fail, we will leave the serum for the black sore patients. But Meng Heguang and Jiang Xian don't know that, so we need to use the serum to get them to accept our terms."

The next day, after a simple breakfast, everyone changed into the pre-prepared Morna government forces uniforms, pretending to be the garrison soldiers of Keke Town, and set off from the orphanage toward the Tuka passage.

Shen Juanjuan once again walked on the road from the orphanage to Mixin Town, with various feelings surging in his heart. He turned his head to look at the vast wilderness and whispered to Chu Ya, "Look at that mound; I always go there when I leave the orphanage. You often sit in your wheelchair waiting for me there."

Chu Ya looked at Shen Juanjuan with a soft gaze. He seemed to want to embrace Shen Juanjuan, but with too many people around, he only raised his hand to pat his head.

A group of quantum beasts followed the crowd, curiously looking around. A silver wolf carrying a Teddy Bear walked beside Shen Juanjuan, gently bumping him with its big head.

"I know, and you were there every day waiting for me back then," Shen Juanjuan said to the Teddy Bear. "It was very rebellious back then, often giving me a bad face, looking at me with a sideways glance." He paused and added, "Just like you do now."

Mixin Town appeared ahead, and everyone skirted around it from a distance. In the daylight, Mixin Town looked no different from what Shen Juanjuan remembered—ruined and desolate—but he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

"That's the landfill over there. I used to pick treasures from it when I was a kid, and that's where I found Shen Miaomiao... Look at that tall building, it's the community center. Shen Miaomiao and I used to go up there every afternoon for a walk..."

The entire group slowed down, and only after Shen Juanjuan finished introducing Mixin Town and reluctantly withdrew his gaze did everyone collectively mount the quantum beasts and head toward the Tuka passage.

When they arrived at the Tuka checkpoint, it was ten o'clock. The group recalled the quantum beasts into the mental domain and followed Chu Ya through the checkpoint gate.

Several squads of patrol soldiers stood in the open area in front of the checkpoint building. They didn't show any unusual reactions upon seeing the group, so Shen Juanjuan, like the others, walked straight into the checkpoint building without looking around.

Inside the checkpoint building, only one squad of duty soldiers was present. Chu Ya walked directly to the ascending elevator and pressed the door opening button on the wall.

During the wait, the squad leader sized up the group, hesitated for a few seconds, and then stepped forward, saluting Chu Ya, who was dressed in an officer's uniform: "Captain, you haven't shown your pass yet."

Chu Ya slowly turned his head and looked down at the squad leader, saying nothing, but the captain felt a strong pressure.

"We are the garrison army of Keke Town, temporarily notified to go to Cloud Peak. Do we really need a pass?" Chu Ya asked lightly.

The soldier steeled himself and explained, "Captain, you know it's been unstable recently. Black sore patients from the abyss have sneaked onto Cloud Peak several times to protest and even attacked government institutions. So the checkpoints are strict, and even our own people need to show passes to go to Cloud Peak. Although this order has only been in place for a few days, it is indeed required to have a pass to go up, according to the rules."

Hearing this, Shen Juanjuan glanced nervously at Chu Ya, but seeing his calm expression, his heart quickly settled.

Chu Ya tapped his leg lightly with a white glove, pondering for a few seconds before saying, "Military regulations must be followed, so I won't make things difficult for you. But if we turn back now, the round trip will delay our mission to Cloud Peak. How about this: I'll call the military headquarters and have them send someone to pick us up. They can vouch for our identity. That should be fine, right?"

Seeing that Chu Ya was reasonable, the squad leader breathed a sigh of relief and said, "As long as an officer from Cloud Peak comes to pick you up, a pass won't be necessary."

Shen Juanjuan held his breath, watching as Chu Ya went to sit on a sofa nearby and started making a phone call.

The duty soldiers hurried to fetch water, and Shen Juanjuan stood quietly with the others. Chu Ya glanced at him, "You're my adjutant; why let someone else fetch water?"

Shen Juanjuan was taken aback and quickly ran to the water dispenser, grabbing a paper cup and filling it with water before the soldier could, while behind him, Chu Ya's voice carried on the phone.

"… It's me, I forgot the pass, and the whole group is being stopped at Tuka… Running back and forth will delay the meeting, which starts in half an hour… Alright, we'll wait here."

Shen Juanjuan carried the hot water to the sofa, seeing Chu Ya with his legs crossed and half-closed eyes looking at him. He placed the water on the side table and lowered his head, saying, "Here's your water, sir."

As Shen Juanjuan bent down, he made a face at the table, but when he looked up, his expression was normal. Chu Ya picked up the cup, blew on it lightly, and a faint smile flashed in his eyes.

About ten minutes later, the descending elevator suddenly made a sound, and the cabin door opened. Two mid-level officers, one from the Sunburnt Army and the other from the Morna government forces, stepped out.

The duty soldiers recognized them and immediately saluted, "Captain Deng, Captain Zhang."

Wang Chengcai and the others also saluted. Chu Ya stood up and said in a familiar tone, "We almost missed the meeting, so we had to ask you two to come pick us up."

Deng and Zhang reacted quickly and immediately smiled, "Let's go up quickly, or we'll all be scolded for being late."

Chu Ya and the two captains chatted as they entered the elevator. Captain Deng was about to close the door when Chu Ya laughed and grabbed his wrist, "My men haven't come in yet."

"It's just a meeting, no need for so many people, right?" Captain Zhang continued to try closing the door, but Chu Ya stuck his foot to hold the elevator door open, saying, "Today's meeting is urgent. Is Governor Meng going to announce something important…?"

While chatting normally with the two captains, Chu Ya allowed Shen Juanjuan and the others to quickly enter the elevator. Only then did he release Captain Deng's wrist and press the ascending button.