Chapter 44 The Lone City (44)

Chapter 44: The Lonely City (Part Forty-Four)

"Everything's fine on my end too."

"The surveillance is back online, all normal." The man put down his walkie-talkie, picked up the shopping basket from the floor with one hand, and muttered a complaint to himself, "What a waste of food."

He pushed the door open, unlocked each office door one by one, set the basket down after a quick look around, and then locked the doors tightly again.

The room had no lights. The furniture had been moved out, replaced with cardboard and old clothes to make simple bedding, turning it into a makeshift dormitory.

Jiang Songnian pushed aside the cardboard boxes and clothes covering him. The girl had thoughtfully draped a down jacket over him, making him sweat profusely. He wiped his face with his palm, coming away with a handful of sweat.

She reached out and touched his face, grinning foolishly, then secretly wiped the sweat on Jiang Songnian's pant leg.

"Why aren't the lights on?" Jiang Songnian pinched her cheek and handed her a piece of candy in the dark.

The dozen-square-meter room housed seven or eight people. Someone brought over the basket containing bread and water. Jiang Songnian shook his collar, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and drank, then picked up a piece of bread, tearing open the bag.

Aunt Sun grumbled indignantly, "No lights allowed, and not enough food either! Just one piece of bread a day, not even enough to fill the gaps between your teeth!"

Jiang Songnian had already brought the bread to his mouth when he saw everyone staring at him, silently swallowing their saliva.

He nonchalantly handed the bread to the little girl, saying warmly, "Here, Uncle opened the bag for you. Eat up."

The little girl happily beamed, holding the bread and shaking her head, "Great! The police uncle is here, we can go home soon."

"But... where can we go even if we leave here now?" a young man said meekly, hugging his knees.

Aunt Sun slapped the back of his head angrily, "Anywhere is better than here! Do we have to listen to their nonsense? So young and already so timid, show some spine!"

Everyone started chattering: "Keep your voice down!" "Shh—"

The little girl nestled against Jiang Songnian's arm, taking small bites of the bread. She slowly looked up and whispered, "Police Uncle, when are you going to save my mom?" She had been crying for days, her eyes red and swollen like little walnuts.

"Where is your mom?" Jiang Songnian asked.

The little girl tilted her head, "I don't know either."

"The supermarket has been taken over by the Supernatural Corps. They only accept Psychics as companions. Qinqin is only six; even if she became a Psychic, she'd be a burden. So, Qinqin's mom made a deal with them. The Corps Leader agreed to take Qinqin in, but on the condition that Qinqin's mom becomes a Psychic and serves the Corps," a girl with a ponytail said calmly. Her name was Li Rong, one of the employees stranded in the supermarket.

Jiang Songnian listened thoughtfully, then flashed a bright smile at the little girl, "Your name is Qinqin? You must know how to play the *qin* (a Chinese string instrument), right? I'm Jiang Songnian, a Super Saiyan."

Qinqin giggled and took another bite of her bread.

A vein throbbed on Li Rong's forehead, "Officer Jiang, what do you plan to do?"

Jiang Songnian asked, "How many days has Qinqin's mom been gone?"

"Over twenty days. Maybe she was lucky and has already become a Psychic," Li Rong said with a difficult smile.

A man in the crowd muttered, "It's not that easy. The probability of becoming a Psychic is one in a thousand. Among so many people, only Zheng Siqi succeeded."

Aunt Sun, frustrated by their lack of resolve, sneered, "Maybe she's already turned into a monster! Throwing away your humanity, even abandoning your own daughter!"

Qinqin's lips trembled. She bit her lip, starting to sob quietly, and put down the bread in her hand.

"When the city is unsealed, everyone will be saved. Your mom will be too," Jiang Songnian comforted her, ruffling her hair. "Kid, you need to wash your hair. Are you still going to eat that bread?"

Li Rong said hesitantly, "We heard the government troops aren't coming. It's snowing in the north. From now on, we have to rely on ourselves. Ordinary people simply can't survive in this apocalypse."

"Huh? Why wouldn't the government troops come? Unity is strength, didn't you learn that in school?" Jiang Songnian pointed towards the door crack, "See that?"

Everyone turned to look. A sliver of light shone through the crack, and a faint cool breeze flowed in from the gap.

"See what?"

"The power isn't out," Jiang Songnian said.

August 3rd, Day 70 of the apocalypse.

The city had not shut down.

*

"If the apocalypse arrived early, humanity should unite even more to change the situation, not lure desperate people, shove their arms into holes for the crazies to bite! Let them be engulfed by fear!" Lin Yanqing said without mincing words. "If Carlos is a mad striver, then you're the cockroach in the trash can, reproducing a bunch of pests who dare not step into the sunlight through despicable means!"

Pei Zheng clenched his jaw, his gaze suddenly turning ferocious.

"What do you know? You've never been in a simulation pod! You have no idea how difficult the road ahead is!" Roger roared angrily.

"Of course I don't know. I only know you don't even dare to fix the door!" Lin Yanqing glared at him furiously. "You bunch of trash! Bullying the few with your numbers! What unity and working together? You just want to order me around to run errands! Cowards! Garbage!"

Roger's fists clenched with audible cracks. "You lucky brat who's never suffered! I'll show you what's what today!"

He swung his fist at Lin Yanqing. His strong, burly body delivered an unprecedentedly powerful punch. Lin Yanqing had no way to dodge. The punch landed squarely on his cheek, and his body was sent flying, crashing against the wall.

Roger was taken aback. He had thought Lin Yanqing could at least parry a couple of moves. He put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily, "You idiot! I knew it! Besides not getting bitten by crazies, you're useless!"

Lin Yanqing pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. His crying stopped. He heard light, tinkling laughter.

The corner of his mouth curved up slightly. His lowered bangs hid the amusement in his eyes. He rubbed his face and stood up, his gaze burning as he looked at Roger, and said in a low, firm voice, "Again!"

*

Jiang Songnian said, "I'll find a way to deal with the Psychics. Then I'll need some of you to cooperate with me, open the rolling shutter near the escalator, unite everyone, charge to the parking lot in one go, and first hide in any car we find."

Everyone looked at each other. Li Rong whispered, "What's the difference between this and surrendering? We'll still get bitten by crazies. If we obey the Corps, they'll at least help us find our families."

"Of course there's a difference!" Aunt Sun said sharply. "Sticking your arm out for crazies to bite for no reason is an act of cowardice, a gambler's mentality. Us uniting and charging out together is a heroic sacrifice. That's not the same!"

Jiang Songnian nodded in agreement, "Auntie is wise, that makes perfect sense."

Aunt Sun raised an eyebrow proudly, "Of course! No one can brainwash me!"

Li Rong sighed. Several young men nearby also kept their heads down. One muttered, "I think hiding here is just fine. Keep stalling for time, we have food and water. When we can't hold on anymore, then we can try that one-in-a-thousand chance."

"No problem, you can stay here. Let's not waste time. Raise your hand if you're coming with me," Jiang Songnian said.

Aunt Sun was the first to raise her hand, using her other hand to force Li Rong's hand up as well.

Qinqin asked eagerly, "What about my mom?"

Li Rong said, "They put the bitten people in rooms on the 3rd floor. If they evolve into Psychics, they're let out. If they turn into crazies, they're killed."

Qinqin clutched her little bread, tears welling up, "Will my mom die?"

"Your mom will be saved, and so will you. Uncle will take you to a safe place to live. Okay, finish your bread now. We're getting ready to move." Jiang Songnian stood up and looked down at the few hesitant people in the corner, "Are you sure you won't help?"

They shook their heads hurriedly, like rattles.

Jiang Songnian made a disapproving *tsk* sound, leaving behind a sentence: "Wait for my signal." Then he opened the door and slipped out.

Li Rong looked up at the ceiling speechlessly: "...So, what's the signal?"

*

Lin Yanqing came under an attack of unprecedented brutality. He scrambled around the warehouse, using what little strength he had left to dodge Roger's punches, while Pei Zheng sat atop a stack of cardboard boxes, watching the lopsided fight from a superior position. He occasionally looked up, inadvertently glancing toward the ceiling beams, where he met Wu Ke's impassive eyes.

A decade later, they met again—still on opposite sides.

Wu Ke recalled hazy memories—of them holding hands as they boarded that van, pressing their faces against the window to watch the orphanage engulfed in flames. They had escaped one hell only to enter another, gradually drifting apart before finally going their separate ways.

Wu Ke had traded submission for freedom, while Pei Zheng led the others defiantly into a deeper layer of hell.

And now, Roger was the only one left at Pei Zheng's side.

The probability of becoming a Psychic was one in a thousand, while the chance of still becoming a Psychic after taking high-concentration nutritional supplements was only one in ten thousand. They had survived against all odds, only to end up like this...

Lin Yanqing scurried around the warehouse like a cornered rat.

Wu Ke struggled fiercely, roaring, "Let him go! Stop hitting him! If you have a problem, come at me!"

Pei Zheng stomped toward him, sneering, "Come at you? So righteous now... why did you snitch back then?"

"I didn't snitch!" Wu Ke said through gritted teeth.

Pei Zheng's lips tightened into a thin line, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably. "Three hundred lives, and you think you can just say 'I didn't snitch' and be done with it? Wu Ke, you can never repay what you owe me."

He turned away but suddenly paused, looking back at Wu Ke with a smile. "Wait, I miscounted. It wasn't three hundred—it was three hundred and one."

Wu Ke went deathly pale, tears welling in his eyes.

"Enough games. Kill him!" Pei Zheng raised his voice.

Roger halted his movements, turning back to ask, "Kill him? I thought we were recruiting him?"

Roger shot an uncertain look at Lin Yanqing.

"Wait, hold on," Lin Yanqing leaned against the wall, hissing in pain as he rubbed his cheek. He spoke with difficulty, "Actually, I'm not a Psychic. I'm not infected."

"What? What did you say?" Roger was stunned, his already slow brain now completely muddled.

"It was a sudden thing. I took a rabies vaccine. You could try it too," Lin Yanqing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth; his mouth was torn in several places.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. Kill him!" Pei Zheng roared.

"Wait, I have other special abilities," Lin Yanqing leaned against the wall, his voice tight with pain.

Roger asked curiously, "What are they?"

"It's that... my memory is exceptionally good." Lin Yanqing lunged at Roger with lightning speed, channeling all his strength into his fist. Taking Roger by surprise, he aimed a punch at his chin. Roger jerked his head back to avoid it, and at that moment, Lin Yanqing grabbed his collar, used the momentum to push off the ground, hooked his foot behind Roger's knee, and with a technique that used minimal force to overcome great strength, caused Roger to lose his balance and fall backward onto the ground.

Lin Yanqing pulled out the Serum Pen from his pocket and jabbed it into Roger's exposed shoulder and neck.

In an instant, Pei Zheng teleported over, his knuckles striking Lin Yanqing's shoulder socket. Lin Yanqing's arm went limp, and the Serum Needle fell to the ground, only to be snatched up by Pei Zheng's outstretched hand.

Pei Zheng retreated several meters, furious and humiliated. "You idiot! You fed him all your moves!"

Roger scratched his head and stood up sheepishly.

Pei Zheng raised the Serum Needle in his hand. "A Serum Needle? Did you give it to him?" He glared coldly at Wu Ke.

Lin Yanqing, outmaneuvered, retreated to the corner, holding his waist.

"Who are you, really?" Pei Zheng narrowed his eyes as he approached Lin Yanqing. "You not only have a Serum Needle, but you're also a Pure Psychic. Who are you? What's your connection to Carlos?"

Pei Zheng's breath hitched. A flash of insight struck him, and he said with certainty, "You took high-concentration nutritional supplements. You're also one of Aimeile's test subjects."

"I was bitten by a madman. I didn't take any of Aimeile's products, and I'm not their test subject. I have no connection to Carlos," Lin Yanqing said.

Pei Zheng revealed an ambiguous smile. He walked toward Wu Ke again, raising the crossbow in his hand—this time aiming it at Lin Yanqing, the threat unmistakable.

"Why don't you tell me—who is he?" Pei Zheng's patience had reached its limit.

Wu Ke's lips were pale, blood dripping down in the quiet warehouse, the sound jarringly loud. He opened his mouth, his vocal cords seemingly glued together, and with immense effort, he spoke hoarsely.

Wu Ke lowered his gaze, shamefaced, and said, "He's the one. The test subject Aimeile has been hunting for twenty years."