Chapter 29 The Lone City (29)

Chapter 29: The Lonely City (Part Twenty-Nine)

Duan Beiya knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside. He bent down to examine the lock and noticed it had been forced.

"Deputy Captain, when will this ever end?" Ye Suo wiped the sweat from his neck. It was only eight in the morning, but he was already steaming hot, feeling like he was starting to stink.

Duan Beiya pressed the doorbell several more times.

"We're not even military personnel, and for just a bit of serum, we're left rotting here," Ye Suo muttered.

"Shut up!" Duan Beiya glared at him and simultaneously kicked the door open, striding into the room to come face-to-face with a naked man emerging from the bathroom.

The three men stared each other down. Duan Beiya said coldly, "Why didn't you open the door?"

"Can't you tell? I was showering." Xie Zhihang wrapped a towel around his lower body and pushed his glasses up.

Ye Suo flipped through the neighborhood roster obtained from Chen Xian, compiled after Xue Xiaofeng ordered a building sweep. It recorded the number of occupants per household, their names, infection status, or suspected infection. Some household information was missing; some units were vacant, while others had barricaded doors and refused to open. The Self-defense Team consisted of scattered, undisciplined individuals. Coupled with the sweltering heat and fear that those behind barricaded doors might be infected, the information had been slapped together and turned in.

Duan Beiya looked around the place. Ye Suo asked by the book, "What's your name? Have you had any contact with the infected?"

"No, I've been very careful, only going out when absolutely necessary." Xie Zhihang said with a gentle smile, "My name is Wei Zihang."

Ye Suo gave Duan Beiya a nod. "Deputy Captain, this unit only has one occupant."

Duan Beiya emerged from the bedroom, his sharp gaze fixed on Xie Zhihang's face. The man wore a gentle smile, his eyes were slightly foggy, and his exposed skin showed no wounds.

Duan Beiya gave him a sidelong glance. "Stay indoors for now. You'll hear it on the broadcast."

Xie Zhihang nodded cooperatively. "Officer, what's the situation outside? When will the lockdown be lifted?"

"Just wait for the word," Duan Beiya replied.

"How about Beian City? My grandmother lives there. I haven't been able to contact her since the signal went down. I'm really worried." Xie Zhihang said with a pained expression.

"Most northern cities are in good condition and are gradually lifting restrictions," Duan Beiya said.

Ye Suo added, "Don't worry, Psychics are physically healthy. Xue Xiaofeng's case was likely due to excessive nutrient intake later on; his body couldn't handle the effects of the drugs. All medicine has its side effects, you know."

Xie Zhihang said, catching on, "So that's how it is."

Duan Beiya clicked his tongue. "Enough with the chit-chat. Let's go, next unit."

Xie Zhihang watched the two leave and gently closed the door. He walked back to the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and mulled over recent events.

Xie Zhihang had to admit that Xia Li's analysis was spot-on. There was a world of difference between being an ordinary person among Psychics and being a Psychic among ordinary people.

Feeling restless, Xie Zhihang scrubbed a hand over his face, walked over, and opened the wardrobe. He single-handedly heaved Wei Zihang's corpse and tossed it aside. After picking through, he selected a suitable set of clothes, changed into them, then stuffed the corpse back into the wardrobe and slammed the door shut.

Meanwhile, Duan Beiya and Ye Suo had reached the top floor. They encountered a unit with a barricaded door. Duan Beiya hefted a hammer, smashed the door hinges, and removed the door. Behind it were a china cabinet and a sofa blocking the way. An emaciated infected person roared and lunged forward, thrusting its upper body over the back of the sofa.

"Shh, shh, shh, calm down." Duan Beiya, quick as a flash, pinned the infected person's cheek and jabbed a needle into its neck.

The infected person convulsed, then suddenly crumpled.

"Whoa, this serum works fast. Gotta admit, Aimeile's technology is really advanced," Ye Suo said. "It's a shame about the door, though. They'll be exposed to the elements now."

Exhausted, Duan Beiya sat down right on the stairs and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Ye Suo fiddled with the serum needle in his hand, murmuring, "There are more non-violent infected in this complex than expected, and quite a few Psychics too."

"Yeah." Duan Beiya unscrewed the canteen hanging from his belt and gulped down half of it.

"Having psychic abilities makes you stronger and lets you protect more people. Deputy Captain, why is the government forcing them to take the serum?" Ye Suo asked, puzzled.

"Psychics would muscle in on regular people's turf. There would be more people like Xue Xiaofeng," Duan Beiya said. "Not everyone is as simple as you are."

Duan Beiya handed him the canteen.

Ye Suo drank the water, thought for a few seconds, and asked, "Why do we work so hard, but Captain Jiang gets to date?"

"Because his face is thicker than the base walls!" Duan Beiya stood up. "Let's go, next building!"

*

Lin Yanqing placed the chilled mung bean soup into an insulated bag and handed it to Jiang Songnian. "Deliver this to Uncle He for me. On your way back, dig up some soil from the flower bed for me. Remember to find the moist kind."

Jiang Songnian narrowed his eyes, said, clearly annoyed, "Aren't you a bit too good at ordering people around?"

"The lockdown lifts tomorrow; I can deliver it myself." Lin Yanqing thought for a moment, then took the bag back from Jiang Songnian, saying coldly, "No need for your esteemed assistance today either."

Jiang Songnian chuckled, took the bag back, and swiftly went to deliver the food.

Lin Yanqing tidied up the kitchen, pushed open the balcony door, and was hit by waves of heat. In this dreadful weather, even after the lockdown lifted, few would likely venture out. This was probably the hottest July on record, with daily temperatures hovering around forty degrees Celsius and unusually long daylight hours, often with sunset after nine PM.

Lin Yanqing scraped out the parched soil from the flower pot and temporarily stored it in a plastic bag.

Xia Li followed him to the balcony and squatted on the floor. "Brother, you still have the heart to grow flowers?"

Lin Yanqing drew the curtains. The heavy fabric blocked the sunlight, making the balcony slightly cooler.

"I want to try planting these seeds. Maybe we can grow some vegetables," Lin Yanqing said with a smile. "Then we won't have to worry about fresh produce."

"In the future?" Xia Li tilted his head, asking innocently, "Can't we just buy from the supermarket later?"

Lin Yanqing offered a perfunctory smile and lowered his head to continue chiseling at the soil, which was hard as iron.

"Once Yun Chuan recovers, we'll leave here and head north to the capital," Lin Yanqing said, biting his lip in a strained voice.

"What are we going to the capital for? Aren't you going to work anymore?"

Lin Yanqing put down the trowel, fiddled with the soil on his fingertips, and said with a bitter smile, "The situation is worse than imagined. We need to prepare early."

Xia Li fell silent, took Lin Yanqing's soil-covered hand, and said with downcast eyes, "If you don't want to go, then don't. Aren't we living quite well? Yun Chuan is capable, and I'm obedient too."

"This time is different." Lin Yanqing drew a breath. "Lili, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. No matter what, I'll take care of you."

Xia Li smiled at him and hooked his pinky finger. "Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise." Lin Yanqing heard movement from the elevator area. He let go of Xia Li and walked to the door, where he saw Jiang Songnian returning with a plastic bag of soil.

Lin Yanqing reached into the bag and felt the soil. Annoyed, he said, "I asked you to find moist soil. This is even harder than what's on my balcony."

"I dug three feet deep. Have you seen the weather outside?" Jiang Songnian was soaked with sweat, his exposed arms slick with it, beads of sweat dripping down his neck.

Lin Yanqing felt a pang of guilt and said softly, "Well, that's true. You're starting to smell."

Jiang Songnian rolled his eyes, his left hand in his pocket, the other holding the bag up high. "Here, take it. I'll get you some more."

Lin Yanqing took the bag and faintly caught a whiff of blood. He looked at Jiang Songnian's left hand tucked in his pocket. "What's wrong with your hand?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong?" Jiang Songnian pushed the bag forward. "Just take it and go home."

Lin Yanqing seized his left wrist and pulled his hand out, finding his entire palm covered in blood. A band-aid on the back of his hand was also soaked through.

"Just a minor injury, no big deal," Jiang Songnian said.

"You were digging with your hands?" Lin Yanqing was shocked.

Jiang Songnian let out a puff of laughter, pulling his hand back and shaking off the blood. "Someone stabbed me. It was almost healed, but the heat made it flare up again. It's nothing serious."

"Let me patch you up." Lin Yanqing frowned and headed back inside. Seeing Jiang Songnian still lingering outside, he snapped impatiently, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and come in—you're letting all the cold air out!"

Jiang Songnian reluctantly entered the house. While Lin Yanqing went to fetch the first aid kit, he washed his hands in the bathroom.

"You shouldn't get it wet with tap water!"

"Don't be so fussy." Jiang Songnian dried his hands and sat down on the sofa. The scab on the back of his hand had split open, and his palm was a bloody mess. The irregular edges of the wound were red and inflamed.

"What the hell did you do to your hand?" Lin Yanqing took his hand and began disinfecting it with iodine, muttering to himself, "This isn't gonna need to be amputated, is it?"

Jiang Songnian rested his chin on his other hand, admiring the handsome face so close to his. Unable to resist, he leaned in and rubbed his straight nose against Lin Yanqing's forehead.

Lin Yanqing turned his head away. "Stop messing around."

"Over two months ago, I fired a shot during a confidential meeting, was thrown in jail, and was court-martialed."

Lin Yanqing didn't understand why he was suddenly bringing this up and looked at him blankly.

"I was locked up for four weeks in total. During that time, the Pioneer Leader Du Lang and the Human Alliance's supreme commander Zheng Weiguo agreed to cede half of the base's management rights to Carlos, the boss of the Aimeile Group, in exchange for a large supply of serum to resolve this man-made disaster. After that, I was released from prison, but I was also stripped of my military status and exiled along with Duan Beiya and others." Jiang Songnian said gravely, "Blue Sea Base was the optimal location chosen by your father before he disappeared—it can accommodate ten million people. Giving up half of the management rights means five million fewer spots for ordinary people."

Lin Yanqing held his hand and wrapped the bandage around it, layer after layer.

"But whether it's ten million or five million, it's an extremely small number. Humanity will ultimately be destroyed by extreme natural disasters. The only glimmer of hope lies in Snowland. Your father once said it's a vast region capable of accommodating all of humanity—no earthquakes, no tsunamis, no extreme cold or heat. The snow there is warm. The Pioneers will carry on your father's will, searching for that glimmer of hope for all of humanity. Even if we fight to the last moment, we will never give up."

Lin Yanqing let go of his hand, packed up the first aid kit, and said flatly, "There, done. Don't get it wet."

"If you have any clues about Snowland, please be sure to tell me."

"So why are you telling me all this?" Lin Yanqing raised his red-rimmed eyes. "Do you want to tell me how great my father was, how he abandoned me for the sake of all humanity? He knew going to the Far North would mean certain death, so before he left, he entrusted me to Uncle Xia!" His breathing was ragged. After a few seconds, he reined in his crumbling emotions and said quietly, "I'm telling you one last time—I won't go with you to find Snowland. I don't want to become someone like Lin Moshen, abandoning my own child to chase some so-called greater good alone."

Jiang Songnian watched him silently.

Lin Yanqing pointed to the door. "Get out of here right now!"

"Kicking me out again?"

"Get lost!"

Jiang Songnian sighed dejectedly and left in a huff.

Lin Yanqing put the first aid kit back in the storage room, only to find Xia Li leaning against the doorframe, watching him.

"Is it... because of me? Because you have to take care of me, that's why you never went to look for Uncle Lin?" Xia Li asked, his eyelashes damp. He bit his lip and widened his eyes, refusing to let the tears fall.

"Of course it's not because of you." Lin Yanqing walked over to him and smiled. "I'm just a bookworm—I get out of breath after running a few steps and get sick often. What ability do I have to go to such a dangerous place?"

Xia Li nodded slightly, and tears finally streamed down his face.

Lin Yanqing wiped away his tears with his thumb, held his hand firmly, and said, "Once order is restored, we'll go to Bei'an City and try to get four tickets to the Blue Sea Base."

Lin Yanqing smiled lightly. "After all, Chen Ya gave birth to me. She's so capable—if I make a fuss, maybe she'll give them to me. And Jiang Songnian, Uncle Zheng... many of my dad's old friends. I can try asking them."

He hugged Xia Li gently and said, "Don't worry, Lili. No matter what happens, I'll be here for you. I didn't protect you well before, but I won't let that happen again."

Xia Li nodded quietly, burying his face in the embrace.