Chapter 8 The Lone City (8)

Chapter 8: The Lonely City (Part Eight)

Lin Yanqing was thinking when Jiang Songnian's expression suddenly changed. Jiang slapped a hand against the back of Lin's head, shoving him down, and simultaneously threw a hard punch at the head at the window.

A bloody, mangled face was pressed against the window, trying to climb in through it. After being struck, the person staggered backward. Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Songnian quickly rolled up the window and slumped back into his seat.

He felt a sharp pain in his knuckles. The punch had landed on the "zombie's" forehead, and the sensation was like hitting an iron plate. He realized that the bones of these deranged people had undergone secondary growth; their strength, speed, and physical resilience were all rapidly evolving.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Lin Yanqing was alarmed. He rummaged in the drawer and pulled out a pack of alcohol wipes, grabbed Jiang's hand, and carefully wiped the blood away.

After cleaning off the sticky blood, Lin confirmed that Jiang Songnian wasn't injured, but his knuckles were red and looked like it hurt.

The man outside the window swayed a few times but didn't attack them again. Instead, he stumbled forward.

Jiang Songnian stared at the man's retreating figure for a long time. Just then, the car diagonally ahead pulled out, creating a gap about one car-length long, though vehicles still blocked the way front and back. Without a second thought, Jiang Songnian started the engine, rammed into the car blocking their path, and after a series of crashes and bangs, managed to squeeze their car out from the narrow opening.

Lin Yanqing: "..."

Jiang Songnian gave him an affectionate, teasing smile. "Don't mention it."

Lin Yanqing came to the sobering realization that his savings would be wiped out by vehicle compensation costs, not by purchasing supplies...

On the drive back, multiple car accidents blocked the road ahead. Cars were parked haphazardly, some pedestrians leaned against lampposts vomiting nonstop, while others ran down the street with bloodied faces. The wail of police sirens rose and fell, ambulances sped past—it was as if the entire city had descended into chaos in a single day.

With the roads congested, Jiang Songnian took a long detour, avoiding hospitals and commercial streets, and drove recklessly back home.

By then, it was past seven, but the sky was still bright. The security guard was absent from the gatehouse, and a puddle of glowing green mucus was on the ground. Lin Yanqing remembered Xia Li's description; the boy in the coffee shop that day had also vomited similar mucus. On the road back, he had seen similar liquid.

A notice was posted at the residential complex entrance: lockdown after 8 PM. Lin Yanqing sent a message to He Yunchuan, urging him to hurry over.

The community group chat was buzzing non-stop with all sorts of rumors running rampant. Some remained skeptical, thinking it was just scaring themselves, as many reports only appeared online, and most people hadn't experienced anything firsthand.

If Lin Yanqing hadn't been attacked by Su Weiming today, he would have gone to work as usual, heard some gossip, then gone to the supermarket after work to shop. Of course, he probably wouldn't have been able to buy much, returning home disappointed, hoping for a sudden turn of events that would debunk the rumors.

The group chat was noisy, and people in the complex hurried by with bags, not stopping to talk.

The car entered the parking garage. After getting out, Lin Yanqing glanced at the front of the car, feeling numb inside.

Two people got out of the car next to them. He whipped his head around, looking at them warily, then suddenly remembered his bite wound and guiltily averted his gaze.

It was the couple from the 15th floor, Xu Bing and his wife. They also carried bags. They hadn't gone to a big supermarket but bought a few things from the small store at the complex entrance. However, by the time they arrived, the store was preparing to close, so they didn't get much.

Lin Yanqing alone carried four plastic bags and had a pack of toilet paper tucked under his arm. Xu Bing noticed and asked, "Where did you guys shop? Was it crowded?"

"We just came back from Jiabiada. It's packed with people now, and the supermarket is empty." Lin Yanqing struggled to close the car door with his shoulder. "Is your Mao Mao home yet?"

Lin shrugged his shoulder, indicating for her to take the toilet paper. "Sis, I bought too much toilet paper. Here, take this pack."

Hong Yafen looked embarrassed but gratefully accepted it. "Oh, thank you so much."

"Don't mention it." Lin Yanqing put the bags down, took out a pack of gummy candies, and handed it to her. "For Mao Mao."

"Ah, thank you so much! Xiao Lin, you're too kind." Xu Bing said with a smile. "Let's hurry upstairs. Don't delay."

Jiang Songnian walked ahead carrying bags. The four entered the elevator. After Xu Bing and his wife got off on the 15th floor and the doors closed, Jiang Songnian said flatly, "Being overly generous in times like these."

"What do you know? When I first moved here, Brother Xu helped me move. Whenever there were water or electricity issues, he came to fix them. Neighbors should help each other."

"For free?"

"Well, not exactly..."

Jiang Songnian let out a mocking click of his tongue.

Lin Yanqing was annoyed. "And you? Why are you helping me?"

Jiang Songnian looked at him playfully, teasing, "What do you think?"

Lin Yanqing felt his scalp tingle under that gaze and stiffened his face. "My hand hurts so much. Is the vaccine too strong? Or... am I already starting to mutate?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Jiang Songnian became serious. "I was careless."

"Serves you right for freeloading lunch at noon!" Lin Yanqing teased him. The elevator doors opened, revealing a hallway piled high with cardboard boxes and dozens of 17-liter water jugs.

Lin Yanqing walked out of the elevator in a daze, feeling dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

Xia Li saw him through the peephole and quickly opened the door, saying anxiously, "Brother, you're finally back! No trouble, right?"

"All this water... you bought it?" Lin Yanqing's delicate eyebrows knitted together. "Are you planning a pool party at home?"

Xia Li said indignantly, "Food delivery isn't available anymore! I was afraid the water would be cut off, so I wanted to order some. But they wouldn't deliver just one jug, so I bought a thousand yuan's worth."

Lin Yanqing was silent for a moment. "Your allowance is still too generous."

He entered first, put down the things in his hands, and shook his arms. "And what about all these boxes?"

"I had them delivered." After putting his things down, Jiang Songnian went back out and started moving the boxes into Lin Yanqing's apartment.

Lin Yanqing was bewildered. He opened a box to look inside: escape ropes, life jackets, sleeping bags, a compass, binoculars... When he pulled out a gun, he was utterly terrified. He hastily closed the box, his eyes wide and staring straight ahead.

Jiang Songnian carried in the last box, squatted down, and tapped Lin's nose, smiling. "Playing dumb to avoid moving boxes?"

"W-w-what kind of person are you?" Lin Yanqing stammered.

"Your old friend." Jiang Songnian smiled brightly, his previous flippancy gone, replaced by a radiant, sunny expression. He leaned in close and whispered in Lin Yanqing's ear, "Hide these things well. I hope when we meet again, you won't have a chance to use them."

"What are you two whispering about?" Xia Li said anxiously. "He Yunchuan still isn't here. And what about all this water? There's no space left at home."

"Keep a few jugs here. The rest can go to my place." Jiang Songnian tossed his keys to Xia Li. "Uncle is leaving soon. Keep an eye on the house for me."

"I thought you said you were leaving tomorrow?" Lin Yanqing quickly stood up, his breathing becoming ragged with anxiety.

"In just over four hours, it will be tomorrow." Jiang Songnian stood tall and straight, his voice low. "Come to my place. I'll show you how to use it."

Lin Yanqing changed into athletic wear and, like a thief avoiding Xia Li's gaze, stuffed the pistol into his clothes. He then followed Jiang Songnian furtively next door.

The gun wasn't loaded. Jiang Songnian taught him how to aim and fire, then showed him a few simple combat techniques. These moves weren't complicated but required diligent practice. Lin Yanqing recorded a video and practiced repeatedly with Jiang Songnian.

A lot had happened today, and he had also received the vaccine. After several hours, he was so exhausted he collapsed on the floor and passed out.

Jiang Songnian sat on the floor, putting the bullets and pistol back into their case. Then, carefully, he scooped Lin Yanqing up in his arms, carried him to the bedroom, and laid him on the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed, quietly gazing at Lin's face. In sleep, it looked innocent and pitiful, eyelids fluttering slightly, nostrils occasionally twitching, evoking a sense of tenderness.

The signal device in his pants pocket had been buzzing annoyingly all day. Jiang Songnian took it out and sent a reply.

"Returning now."

Then, Jiang Songnian leaned down, hands braced on either side of Lin Yanqing's pillow, and gently kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, my sweetheart."

*

Nine hours ago.

The road to the city center was gridlocked, and He Yunchuan didn't get home until five o'clock. During that time, his phone rang a hundred times over—all inquiries about the situation. He himself was only half-informed and utterly bewildered. Some relentlessly professional types were still discussing contracts and advertisements with him even then. Eventually, He Yunchuan simply switched his phone to silent mode.

Even now, He Yunchuan still believed that Xia Li and the others should have moved to his residential complex. The residents here were either wealthy or influential, owning multiple properties. Despite the large area of the complex, the actual occupancy rate was low, making it sparsely populated and much safer to walk around.

Warily, He Yunchuan entered the elevator. Once home, he dug out all his suitcases, tossed a few sets of clothes inside, and then retrieved two stun batons from a hidden compartment under his bed—these were the real items he had come back for.

He weighed them in his hands, then stuffed them into his backpack with a heavy heart. Next, he quickly opened the safe, throwing in various documents, certificates, gold, diamonds, and backup cash—not much, about a hundred thousand yuan—all packed into the backpack.

After gathering the important items, he dumped all the food, medicine, cigarettes, lighters... into the suitcases. He carefully tucked a collector's edition bottle of Macallan 1926 from the wine cabinet into a gap in a suitcase. Finally, he picked up a photo frame from the bedside table—a childhood picture of him, Xia Li, and Lin Yanqing. Lin Yanqing's face was covered with a piece of paper, leaving only He Yunchuan holding little Xia Li's hand, smiling at the camera.

He carefully placed the photo frame in a compartment of his backpack. Once everything was packed, he closed the suitcases, shouldered his backpack, and hurried out. Passing through the foyer, he grabbed two golf clubs.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a heavyset man in a suit standing in the hallway—none other than Jiang Hui, the big boss of their talent agency.

Jiang Hui owned several properties; this one was bought for his mistress, and he occasionally visited, requiring He Yunchuan to cover for him by pretending they were holding meetings at home. Having navigated this industry for over a decade, He Yunchuan was accustomed to such arrangements, though he sometimes felt irritated and disgusted. Fortunately, while Jiang Hui was demanding, he was also generous. To keep He Yunchuan quiet and facilitate the cover-ups, Jiang Hui had even paid the down payment for He Yunchuan's apartment.

Out of habit, He Yunchuan smiled and greeted him loudly, "Boss!"

Jiang Hui narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing He Yunchuan's expression. Seeing him energetic and rosy-cheeked, Jiang Hui felt relieved and asked, "I saw the notice. You gave them the day off?"

Their agency was highly profitable; a single day off meant losing millions in revenue. He Yunchuan's mind raced with schemes as he replied with a smile, "The city's been chaotic these past couple of days. Given the nature of our work, employees are constantly running around outside. If anything happens, it could spark a PR nightmare. Don't worry, Boss. I'll have them back to work in a couple of days, and we'll generate some positive PR to highlight the company's humanitarian spirit."

Jiang Hui raised a hand, impatiently cutting him off. "Who's in charge of our company's finances? Call him and tell him to transfer all the cash from the company account to me—every last cent."

He Yunchuan widened his eyes in shock, stepping closer. "Brother Jiang, is something wrong? Give your little brother a heads-up?"

As he spoke, he glanced toward the living room out of the corner of his eye. It was piled high with suitcases, storage bins, and dozens of cardboard boxes and paper bags. It looked less like laying low and more like preparing to flee.

Jiang Hui's eyes darted around. "Haven't you figured it out? There have been several attack incidents across the country recently. Anyone with a brain knows to head to the capital for safety—the security there is definitely the best."

"While that's true, these are isolated incidents. It's not that serious, is it?" He Yunchuan deliberately feigned disbelief.

"What do you know? Since last week, many people have been vomiting—that's a sign of mutation. In a few days, it'll become a full-blown outbreak! You'd better run!" After saying this, Jiang Hui shouted into the apartment, "Are you done yet?"

Besides the mistress, there were also a nanny and two bodyguards inside. They struggled to push the boxes to the doorway. One of them went to call the elevator. The boxes were heavy, and one accidentally toppled, shattering the mistress's porcelain collection.

The woman threw a fit, berating everyone around her, then pointed at He Yunchuan. "What are you staring at? Come help!"

He Yunchuan put on an apologetic smile, set down his own suitcase and golf clubs but kept his backpack on, and jogged into the living room to help move the luggage. Altogether, there were over a hundred pieces, requiring at least two large vehicles. Some boxes were extremely heavy, labeled "compressed biscuits"—likely delivered directly from a supermarket, still unopened. The paper bags contained several boxes of medication with English labels. He Yunchuan secretly picked up one box to examine: water purification tablets for outdoor emergencies. One tablet could purify 1 liter of water; each box contained a hundred tablets, and there were over a dozen boxes in the bag.

Thinking their luggage was excessive and worried it might damage their car, He Yunchuan decided to lighten their load by stealthily slipping two boxes of purification tablets into his own backpack.

Jiang Hui, who wasn't doing any physical work, was sweating profusely and constantly urging, "Hurry up! We'll hit traffic if we're late!"

Jiang Hui's young girlfriend directed the nanny and one bodyguard to load the car in the parking garage, while He Yunchuan and the other bodyguard were responsible for moving items into the elevator. Most of the luggage had been moved, with the elevator making two or three trips; one more would finish the job.

His sweat-drenched shirt clung to him, droplets trickling down his collar and fogging up his glasses, leaving him utterly disheveled. Suddenly, he clutched his abdomen and collapsed, his body convulsing violently as he sprawled across a box.

Jiang Hui was about to scold He Yunchuan to hurry up when he saw him clawing at his neck in agony, his movements strange and contorted. Gnashing his teeth, He Yunchuan stared fixedly at Jiang Hui and abruptly charged at him!

Jiang Hui was startled and stumbled backward. His movements were sluggish, far less agile than He Yunchuan's, and the bodyguard was still at the elevator entrance. Just as He Yunchuan was about to bite him, Jiang Hui thought he was doomed. Unexpectedly, He Yunchuan tripped over a box and fell to the floor with a thud.

In the moment Jiang Hui stood frozen, He Yunchuan scrambled to his feet again and lunged at Jiang Hui, sinking his teeth into his shoulder.

Jiang Hui screamed, mustering all his strength to shove He Yunchuan away. Wailing, he fled toward the stairwell, shouting, "Go, go! Get downstairs!"

There were still four or five boxes left in the apartment. The bulk had been moved, and Jiang Hui abandoned the rest, desperate to get on the road.

Jiang Hui shoved the bodyguard into the elevator, his bulky frame squeezing in after, and frantically pressed the close-door button.

He Yunchuan didn't give chase. The elevator descended smoothly, and Jiang Hui finally let out a sigh of relief, slumping weakly onto a cardboard box.

Back in the apartment, He Yunchuan muttered "Dumbass." A salty taste filled his mouth; he spat several times on the floor and wiped his lips with his sleeve. He first moved several carefully selected boxes into the hallway: one of dehydrated vegetables, one of canned meat, one of compressed biscuits, one of vitamins, and one of antibiotics.

Jiang Hui would need to unload an entire elevator's worth of supplies downstairs. To avoid running into him, He Yunchuan couldn't go down yet. He sat on a box to rest for a while, made a few phone calls, and finally called the security booth to confirm that the boss's car had already left. Only then did he take the elevator downstairs.

It was already past six in the evening. He Yunchuan loaded the boxes and suitcases into his car, panting and sweating, his arms sore and weak, his hands trembling on the steering wheel.

He locked the car doors, called the finance department, and instructed them to transfer half of the company's bank account funds to Mrs. Jiang's account. Then, using a secondary card, he sent a "helpful" text message to Mrs. Jiang:

"Your husband Jiang Hui has run off with his mistress!!!!!!"