Chapter 59 Impregnable

Chapter 59: An Impregnable Fortress?

But would the base truly remain as secure as they envisioned...?

Life settled into a swift, comfortable rhythm. Days were spent eating, sleeping, or joining the base's spontaneously organized recreational activities. It was an existence of unparalleled ease.

One morning, Kahn was roused as usual by the lively broadcast music. He stretched, slowly rose, and as he washed, glanced downstairs. To his surprise, the guards hadn't opened the doors, and the plaza was deserted. Everyone was confined to their rooms, bewildered.

The music played for a short while, presumably until everyone was awake, before a female voice took over the broadcast: "Today, the prison will undergo a deep clean. All morning free activity is canceled. Meals will be delivered by designated staff. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation."

Kahn assumed the deep clean was a routine event, but the animated discussions from below suggested otherwise.

"Someone's always cleaning. Why the need for a special deep clean, though...?"

"Could someone be infected?"

"Damn, if we can get infected even here, what's the point of living?"

"Stop spreading rumors. You're just causing panic."

"Then why the sudden deep clean? Look downstairs—they're all in full protective gear. If nothing's wrong, I'd be shocked."

Kahn looked down. A group of people, clad in blue antibacterial suits, large masks, and transparent protective goggles, filed in. Each carried a bucket resembling a pesticide sprayer, systematically disinfecting every corner of the base.

"Hey, good morning."

Kahn skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Good morning. What can I do for you?"

Lin Xue was equally direct: "Has someone been sent to your area for pest control?"

"Pest control?" Kahn was initially puzzled, then instantly understood. "Because of the animal mutations before?"

"Yes. After we reported your situation, the leadership took it very seriously and immediately dispatched investigators. Soon, our team discovered a group of highly aggressive rats in a neighboring city, moving with astonishing speed, exhibiting behavioral traits highly consistent with mutated humans."

She paused, then added, "But we didn't find the mutated ants or White Robins you mentioned. This situation... is very dangerous." Her tone was grave. "Who knows how many more such mutants are lurking out there, unseen?"

"Pretty bleak, huh?" Lin Xue half-joked.

Kahn offered no opinion, simply asking, "So, why are you contacting me?"

Lin Xue replied, "We're currently disinfecting the entire base. Using the deep clean as a pretext is to avoid causing widespread panic. This call is also to ask for your help in keeping it confidential."

"But wouldn't it be better to inform everyone, so they can take precautions?" Kahn asked, confused.

After a moment's thought, Lin Xue responded, "We made this decision after considering many factors. Please trust us, okay?"

In truth, when the higher-ups proposed concealing this information from the public, many opposed it, arguing that people had a right to know. However, those in charge believed that public disclosure would only cause panic without any benefit. As long as those in the know took proper precautions and secured the base's defenses, no accidents would occur.

But would the base truly remain as impregnable as they envisioned? If a critical situation ever arose, would this secrecy backfire and lead to even more severe consequences?

Lin Xue didn't know, but she needed to project a clear and firm stance.

Hearing her, Kahn could only say, "Alright, I'll cooperate."

Lin Xue said earnestly, "Thank you." Then she shifted to another topic: "Your information was very timely. The leadership also expressed their intention to thank you in person, but the current situation is quite challenging..."

Kahn replied understandingly, "It was nothing."

Lin Xue felt a touch awkward, repeating, "Thank you for understanding."

Kahn genuinely didn't care for praise or rewards. He was already deeply content with his current life.

Lin Xue likely explained the situation to the others as well, because Kahn soon received a call from Oliver, who, ever the worrier, fretted about whether he could keep the secret, if he'd be thrown into solitary confinement, or if it would trigger the apocalypse.

After that, Kahn also received calls from Chen Yi and Gu Ze, asking if he knew about the situation and how things were on his end. Kahn patiently answered each question.

During this period, the group had maintained constant contact, each well-informed about the happenings in the other's zone. For instance, a few days prior, when Oliver learned that Zone A had a golf course, he fancifully wondered if he could go there to work as a caddie. Chen Yi scoffed at his lack of ambition, which provoked a sharp retort and critique from Oliver.

After hanging up with his last friend, Kahn stared at the first name on his screen, lost in thought. Why hadn't Bai Suizhi called yet? In situations like this, Bai Suizhi was usually the first to call.

Composing himself, Kahn was about to dial when a knock sounded at his door. He put away his communicator and walked to the entrance.

A man, his features obscured by a mask, stood holding a basket of food. His voice, muffled by the mask, announced, "Number 104, your breakfast."

Kahn responded, "Okay," and retrieved the food through the delivery slot—a plain bread roll and a carton of milk.

Kahn placed the items on the table and was about to resume what he'd been interrupted from when his communicator rang again. His eyes lit up, and he quickly answered, "Hello? Why did it take you so long to call me?"

Bai Suizhi seemed to chuckle softly, though it was indistinct over the phone. Kahn regretfully thought that face-to-face communication was better; this way, he couldn't see the other's expression.

"Were you waiting for my call?" the man said languidly.

Kahn held the communicator slightly away from his ear, rubbed it, and replied, "Not exactly. It's just that Gu Ze and the others already called me, but you didn't."

Bai Suizhi explained, "My dad just called to talk about something, so I was delayed."

"What was it?" Kahn asked naturally.

"He wanted me to attend a banquet tonight. I didn't want to go, so we had an argument."

Kahn had never seen Bai Suizhi argue and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"It wasn't a fight. Nothing happened," Bai Suizhi said dismissively.

"You're upset," Kahn stated with certainty. Even though he couldn't see Bai Suizhi's expression over the communicator, he could tell the other was in a bad mood.

Bai Suizhi laughed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah."

Bai Suizhi fell silent for a moment before saying, "Kahn, I miss you so much."

Kahn's voice softened, like he was comforting a child. "We'll see each other tomorrow."

Their meetings were regularly scheduled—every other day—making them the pair who met most frequently among their friends. So much so that Oliver couldn't help but quip, "You two talk on the phone every day and then talk in person too. What could you possibly have so much to talk about?"

In truth, they didn't discuss anything particularly profound—just everyday things like what they did that day, who argued with whom in the base, or what the weather was like outside. Sometimes they also talked about their lives before they met. Whenever these topics arose, both listened intently, as if experiencing each other's past secondhand.

When Kahn spoke of his past, he deliberately omitted his time-travel experience and other details that clearly didn't align with this timeline, such as his physical condition and the experiments performed on him.

Inevitably, Bai Suizhi had once asked about the injuries Kahn had when they first met. Kahn vaguely dodged the question, and Bai Suizhi, sensing his hesitation, didn't press further. Instead, he quietly hoped that one day their relationship would grow closer, and Kahn would trust him enough to share these things voluntarily.

"But I want to see you now," Bai Suizhi said softly, like a sad golden retriever.

Kahn hesitated. "But our base is being disinfected today. We can't meet."

Having also received a call from Lin Xue earlier, Bai Suizhi was aware of the situation. "I'm bummed~" he drawled, sounding sorry for himself, as if seeking comfort.

Kahn said, "Head pats~" This was something he'd learned from the bearded man next door. The bearded man was very trendy—though his Chinese wasn't great, he knew a lot of online slang, and Kahn had picked up some of it through osmosis.

Bai Suizhi chuckled. "Just saying it doesn't count. Remember to make it up to me tomorrow."

"Alright." Kahn no longer blushed as easily as he used to at such remarks, because he had noticed that whenever he actually followed through with what Bai Suizhi said, the other would end up even more embarrassed than him.

Sure enough, the other end of the communicator fell silent instantly. Kahn stifled a laugh and asked, "So, are you going to the banquet tonight?"

Bai Suizhi grumbled, "Yeah, otherwise my dad will ground me, and then I won't be able to see you."

Kahn mentally chastised Bai Chenshan's authoritarian ways and said, "Then we'll meet tomorrow. No matter what, try to enjoy yourself tonight."

Bai Suizhi: "Alright, I'll come back early tonight and call you."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Kahn felt all warm and fuzzy inside. He always felt this way after talking with Bai Suizhi, as if he had eaten honey.

Though there was no honey, there was milk. Kahn picked up the milk from the table and took a sip, his fingers idly tapping the edge of the table as he wondered what to do next.

After witnessing the wide variety of recreational activities in Zone C, both Oliver and Kahn had picked a few that interested them. For instance, Oliver had rolled his battle-worn "patchwork" T-shirt into a ball and boldly joined the throwing game.

Meanwhile, Kahn joined the "daredevil squad" swinging in the corridors every day. Though Oliver had tried to dissuade him several times, Kahn persisted—not for any particular reason other than to exercise. He had inquired about the local standards for choosing a partner and learned that men were ideally expected to have eight-pack abs. He only had a faint outline of a four-pack, so for reasons he couldn't quite explain, Kahn had set a personal muscle-building fitness plan for himself.

But today, he couldn't go down for activities, and the room was too small for any proper exercise. He considered doing pull-ups on the bed frame, but the rail was too thin—he was afraid he might accidentally break it and cause trouble for others, so he abandoned the idea of working out in the room.

Perhaps because he hadn't exercised in the morning, Kahn suddenly felt strangely tired. *Oh well, no need to push myself too hard*, he thought. *Rome wasn't built in a day, and abs don't appear overnight. I'll just take today off and work twice as hard tomorrow to make up for it.*