Chapter 24 The Lone City (24)

Chapter 24: The Isolated City (Part Twenty-Four)

Lin Yanqing sat on a swing, gently rocking back and forth. Peanut sat on a large rock, eating a tomato. Behind them stood a strange, giant tree. Its roots resembled those of a banyan tree, but its branches were dangling with loofahs. Another giant tree nearby sprouted green peppers and tomatoes from its limbs.

"This is a Beanstalk Tree," Peanut said.

"A Beanstalk Tree?" Lin Yanqing asked, puzzled.

Peanut swallowed the last bite of his tomato, wiped his hands on his shirt, and nimbly climbed the tree. He plucked a branch, poked his head out from the dense foliage, grinned at Lin Yanqing, then jumped down, tossing the branch to him.

"Every part of the Beanstalk Tree is precious," Peanut explained.

Lin Yanqing took the branch, turning it over in his hands. It didn't seem particularly special.

Peanut placed the branch on the ground, pulled a dagger from his boot, and sliced along its length. Green sap oozed from the cut. He peeled the branch open like a peanut shell, scooping out a handful of black seeds. He rubbed them dry on his shirt and handed them to Lin Yanqing.

"These are the seeds of the Beanstalk Tree. With just a little soil and water, they can grow into a towering giant. It will bloom, bear fruit, and bring hope to people," Peanut said earnestly. "These are seeds of hope."

Lin Yanqing felt he had seen these seeds somewhere before. He rolled them between his palms, murmuring, "Where have I seen these before?"

"We carry Beanstalk Tree seeds wherever we go exploring. That way, we won't starve or get hurt."

A sudden realization dawned on Lin Yanqing. "I've seen something similar tucked inside my dad's notebook," he stated with certainty.

"Who is your dad?" Peanut hugged his knees, his face full of confusion. "You always mention him, second only to your Uncle Niangao and your brother."

"His name is Lin Moshen. Have you seen him?" Lin Yanqing asked, a flicker of hope in his voice.

Peanut: "..."

His expression twisted, as if he'd eaten a rotten tomato. "How can someone be so shameless? Lin Yanqing, you really are shameless."

Lin Yanqing looked at him, perplexed.

Peanut closed Lin Yanqing's hand over the seeds, smiling. "Alright, I'll try my best to fulfill your wish."

Lin Yanqing wanted to ask more, but a gunshot exploded in his mind. He gasped sharply and, finally, opened his eyes.

He found himself in an unfamiliar room. Countless chaotic sounds swirled in his ears, a buzzing static filling his head. It took him several minutes to calm down. The disordered sounds receded like a tide, and he clearly heard He Yuanshan's weeping coming from another room.

Rubbing his head, Lin Yanqing struggled to sit up. His body felt stiff and sluggish. As the dizziness faded, a lock of white hair appeared in his blurry vision. He looked down in confusion, realizing his hair had grown down to his chest, exactly as it had been in his dream.

The sobbing from next door hadn't stopped. Ignoring the abnormality of his body, he stumbled towards the door.

Following the sound, he reached a secondary bedroom. He was shocked to find He Yunchuan lying on the bed, a mass of wounds. Blood continuously seeped from the corner of his mouth. His left leg rested on the bed at a grotesque angle, a broken bone protruding from a blackened wound.

He Yuanshan knelt on the floor beside the bed, helplessly crying.

"Uncle He?" Lin Yanqing leaned against the doorframe, whispering, "What happened to Yunchuan?"

He Yuanshan whipped his head around, tears streaming down his face, a glimmer of hope appearing. "A-Qing, you're awake?"

Lin Yanqing walked to the bedside, carefully raising a hand but unsure where to touch. He Yunchuan was covered in blood, as if any contact would worsen his injuries.

"Xue Xiaofeng beat him. There's no medicine now, no hospital. It's my fault! I didn't take good care of him!" He Yuanshan pounded his chest, crying until his voice grew hoarse.

"Lili... he..." Lin Yanqing looked at him fearfully. "How is he?"

"Xue Xiaofeng locked him up at home. That beast formed a Self-defense Team in the complex, making everyone treat him like an emperor. Those who disobeyed were either locked up or killed. Xue Xiaofeng left today, but before he went, he beat Yunchuan..." He Yuanshan choked back sobs.

"There are so many people in the complex. Maybe there's a doctor. I'll go to the broadcast room." Lin Yanqing quickly stood up to leave.

A hand suddenly gripped his wrist. Lin Yanqing turned to see He Yunchuan had regained consciousness, using his last bit of strength to clutch him tightly.

"Don't go," He Yunchuan whispered, his voice almost inaudible. He Yuanshan couldn't hear, but Lin Yanqing caught every word.

"There's a car outside the east gate... take Lili... you all go... don't worry about me..."

After saying this, He Yunchuan fell unconscious again. A lump formed in Lin Yanqing's throat, but now was not the time for grief. He brushed the sweat-soaked hair from He Yunchuan's forehead and said firmly, "We're all leaving together."

Lin Yanqing strode out. He Yuanshan grabbed a hammer from a stool and hurried after him. "The main gate is locked! The Self-defense Team is outside. It's dangerous for you to go out now."

Lin Yanqing had already reached the iron door. Remembering the gunshot he'd heard earlier, he asked, "Where's my gun?"

"Xue Xiaofeng confiscated yours and Chen Xian's guns. He's not afraid of bullets now. He left one for Lili, and the other... I don't know where it is."

"I heard a gunshot earlier. Lili might be in danger," Lin Yanqing said. "Uncle He, stay here. I'll go to the broadcast room first, then find Lili. If a doctor is willing to come, take them to see Yunchuan immediately. Lili has medicine. I'll try to bring it back."

He Yuanshan slapped his thigh, handing the hammer to Lin Yanqing. "Be careful."

Lin Yanqing stared at the hammer, a look of confusion on his face.

"Use this to break the lock," He Yuanshan explained.

Lin Yanqing suddenly understood. The rolling shutter door of this building was broken. Xue Xiaofeng had people weld an iron grate over it, with a door in the middle secured by several locks.

Lin Yanqing lifted the light-blocking shutter. Unexpectedly, he met several pairs of eyes. The guards, Liu Wen and Chen Wu, looked at each other, stunned for a few seconds before exclaiming, "You're awake!"

Without a word, Lin Yanqing raised his arm and swung the hammer down with all his might. Caught off guard, everyone heard a tremendous *BANG*. The entire iron grate, along with the lock, fell off, hanging crookedly from the doorpost. The hammer's handle had also snapped in half.

"This weld wasn't secure at all," Lin Yanqing remarked, tossing the broken hammer aside. He beckoned to the two men at the door and said calmly, "Let's test my 'supernatural ability'."

He had practiced combat techniques countless times in his dreams and finally had a chance to use them today. But he wasn't sure if he had truly mastered them; after all, it was just a nightmare.

Yet, an innate intuition made Lin Yanqing certain it wasn't a false dream. That snow-covered world truly existed.

With this thought, Lin Yanqing grabbed one man by the collar. Without any fancy technique, he simply swung his arm and threw Liu Wen against the wall. Liu Wen howled in pain as his back slammed into the surface, then he fell to the ground.

The wall cracked inch by inch. Just as Liu Wen struggled to get up, the wall collapsed with a roar, burying him under rubble.

He Yuanshan stared, his mouth agape in shock.

Lin Yanqing was also stunned. He hadn't expected this burly adult to be less formidable than Peanut.

"I'll find a doctor for you," Lin Yanqing could only say. He turned to the dumbfounded Chen Wu. "If you don't want to see a doctor, behave. Understand?"

Chen Wu swallowed hard. "I understand! I mean, yes, sir!"

Lin Yanqing took off running. He had many things to do.

*

Xue Xiaofeng was seething with murderous rage. He had waited on the wall for hours. When the gunshot rang out, he was tugging at his collar. A peculiar surge of energy swelled inside him; he felt like a balloon about to burst. All his patience had reached its limit.

The gunshot was like a signal, alerting Xue Xiaofeng that something had happened. He jumped down from the wall and sprinted towards the source of the sound.

Unafraid of bullets, he had left his gun with Xia Li. The other gun he had given to Xie Zhihang, but it only had three bullets. Xie Zhihang was his best brother, the most important person to him besides Xia Li.

Xue Xiaofeng rushed to Building 20 and found the door pried open. Fury erupted within him. Xie Zhihang was right! The moment he left, Xia Li had betrayed him. He had considered Xia Li in everything, given him everything, so why was Xia Li so ungrateful!

The gunshot had come from inside the building. Xue Xiaofeng clenched his fists, took the elevator upstairs. As the doors opened, he heard a *clang-clang-clang* sound. Stepping out, he saw a pair of legs stuck in another elevator door. He gasped, panic-stricken, and shouted, "Yali!"

Xue Xiaofeng rushed over, only to find Xie Wenxing collapsed in the elevator, lying in a pool of blood, his breathing already stilled.

Meanwhile, faint sobbing could be heard from inside the room.

Xue Xiaofeng pushed the door open and saw the room in complete disarray. Xia Li was huddled in a corner, arms wrapped around himself and weeping, tears streaming down his face.

Xue Xiaofeng’s eyes widened abruptly. He dashed to his side and asked urgently, “What happened, Yali?”

“Xie… Xie Zhihang tried to kill me. He said… he said you put yourself in danger for me. He told… told Xie… Xie Wenxing to kill me.” Xia Li’s words came in broken sobs, his face wet with tears, dampening his long lashes. His hands were stained with blood, and he kept wiping them on his pants, stammering incoherently through his tears, “I… I killed someone, Brother Xue. Xie Zhihang wanted to kill me… I killed someone…”

Xue Xiaofeng exploded in anger. His already feverish body grew even more agitated—he was desperate for an outlet.

“Xie Zhihang! And I considered him a brother! Yet he treats me like a fool!” Xue Xiaofeng said through clenched teeth. “He must have mutated! I’ll go kill him right now!”

He grasped Xia Li’s bloodstained hands firmly and said, “You’re safe now, Yali. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Xia Li widened his teary eyes and nodded through his sobs.

“Wait here for me! I’ll be back soon!” Furious, Xue Xiaofeng stormed off, vowing to tear Xie Zhihang limb from limb.

Listening as the elevator dinged shut, Xia Li stood up, still sniffling. He walked into the bathroom, squeezed some hand soap, and washed his palms clean. Staring at his tear-streaked reflection in the mirror, his crying abruptly ceased. He began humming softly, carefully dried his hands, tousled his hair, then stepped onto the balcony and raised a pair of binoculars. His light, melodious humming drifted out under the clear, boundless sky.