Chapter 45 The Lone City (45)

Chapter 45: The Lonely City (Part 45)

Before Jiang Songnian even opened the door, he smelled the smell of vomit—a sign she was turning into a Madman. Qinqin's mother wasn't so fortunate; she was on a one-way street to becoming a Madman.

Jiang Songnian pushed the door open, quickly closing it behind him, and saw the woman bound hand and foot by iron chains.

The woman froze. Her eyes were nearly blood-red, yet she still retained a shred of sanity. Mistaking Jiang Songnian for a member of the Supernatural Corps, she cried out joyfully, "I haven't turned into a Madman yet! I succeeded, right?"

Jiang Songnian said gravely, "I'm sorry. You failed. And last night, you lost control and attacked your child."

"Impossible! That's impossible!" The woman shrieked frantically, clawing at her hair. "You promised to take care of my child! You're lying!"

"I did lie. Qinqin is fine. But no one will take care of your child for you. You still have a chance now. Do you want the Serum?" Jiang Songnian pulled the Serum Pen from his pocket. "My last one."

"Who are you?"

"The guy your daughter cried for three days and nights to bring here." Jiang Songnian crouched down with a smile. "When one door closes, another opens. Don't let anyone control your mind. So, how about it? Want to come with us?"

The woman struggled to sit up, ignoring the question. "I want to see Qinqin. I want to see her."

Jiang Songnian drew his gun and shot the chains loose. "Let's go, I can't carry you. I'll give you the shot once we're out."

He pushed the door open and stepped out. Several people lay in the hallway. Qinqin's mother was startled. "They're all Psychics... so why are they out cold?" she said, swallowing hard.

Jiang Songnian studied her intently and warned, "If you feel hungry, you have to tell me. No sneak attacks, understand?"

"Understood."

Jiang Songnian heard the sound of repeated swallowing. With a sigh, he opened all the rooms, coaxing out anyone still conscious. He didn't have many Serum Needles left. He couldn't save everyone he encountered.

Jiang Songnian led the group back to the second floor, unlocked a door with a key, and Qinqin sprang up, shouting, "Mom!"

Everyone looked toward the doorway, staring in horror at the tall, thin woman with an ashen complexion.

Jiang Songnian said, "Don't worry. She's got about two days left. There might be Madmen wandering on the first floor. Stick close behind me later; we'll charge downstairs together. Find your own vehicles to hide in. I'll come for you all later, one by one."

"We can go down through the warehouse. There's a large truck outside the warehouse; the key is hanging on the wall. Everyone can hide in the back of the truck together," Li Rong suggested.

"The remaining Psychics are all in the second-floor warehouse. If we take the warehouse elevator down, we'll definitely run into them head-on." Jiang Songnian had already witnessed Pei Zheng's skills; attempting a Serum Needle ambush would likely be more trouble than it's worth.

"There's a staircase next to the warehouse that also leads to the first floor," Aunt Sun said.

"That staircase is too close to the warehouse. With so many of us moving together, the noise will be heard," Li Rong worried.

Jiang Songnian shoved the gun into Li Rong's hand, instructing her seriously, "You lead everyone downstairs. If you encounter a locked door, shoot it open."

Li Rong stammered, her palms so hot she nearly dropped the gun.

Aunt Sun thumped her chest. "I'll take it!"

"No, no, you have an important task." Jiang Songnian handed the Serum Pen to Aunt Sun. "This is a Serum Pen. Use it to stab Madmen; it can suppress their movements. But remember, there's not much left. Save it for emergencies."

Jiang Songnian taught them how to fire the gun and how to use the Serum Pen.

"No time to waste. Move now. I'll go to the warehouse to stall them," Jiang Songnian said.

"But... but what if you can't stall them?" Li Rong asked, breaking out in a sweat.

"Drive the truck to Happy Community, find someone named Chen Xian, give him my name, and hand over the gun and Serum Pen to him." Jiang Songnian urged them into action.

Li Rong quickly added, "I have another friend named Zheng Siqi. If you see her, please try to persuade her to come along."

Jiang Songnian gave a noncommittal nod, urging Aunt Sun to lead the way quickly.

Aunt Sun strode forward with her head held high and chest out.

*

"What do you mean by 'experimental subject'? What do you know?" Lin Yanqing asked numbly.

Wu Ke winced in pain, his suspended body swaying from side to side. He took a deep breath and managed to say, "Aimeile captured many orphans for experiments. We were at the East China Base back then. Jiang Lingxiao was in charge. One day ten years ago, we planned an escape. I fell behind and was caught by Jiang Lingxiao's men." He paused, looking down at Pei Zheng.

Pei Zheng frowned slightly. "Continue!"

"Jiang Lingxiao assigned me a task: to follow Lin Yanqing and report all his details truthfully—his daily diet, routine, who he met, where he went—everything had to be recorded." Wu Ke said wearily. "I heard him say once that Lin Yanqing was a very valuable experimental subject, not to be damaged lightly."

"Nonsense! Why would Jiang Lingxiao send you?" Pei Zheng snapped.

"Because I was the first to awaken a Supernatural ability, and also..." Wu Ke's eyes suddenly welled up. He suppressed a sob but couldn't hide the pain in his eyes. "And also because he knew I couldn't betray the organization... because... because my big brother was still in their hands."

"Don't call me big brother!" Pei Zheng roared, breaking down. "I'm not your big brother! We're through!"

Wu Ke pressed his lips together and tightly closed his eyes. "That's all I know."

Lin Yanqing gradually walked toward him and asked impassively, "Why ten years ago? You just said they observed me for twenty years. So who was it for the other ten years?"

Wu Ke opened his eyes, sighed, and shook his head. "I don't know. But it must be someone close to you."

Lin Yanqing's mind reeled. All these things led him to a wild conjecture: why he wasn't attacked by Madmen, why the Aimeile Group had observed him for twenty years.

Twenty years ago, the Blue Sea Base proposal was officially passed. That same year, his father disappeared, Odin was expelled from the Alliance, and also that same year, Aimeile began its twenty-year surveillance of him.

Lin Yanqing was horrified to realize that this virus, which brought calamity to all humanity, might be related to his father.

The situation was at a stalemate when, just then, multiple footsteps sounded outside the door.

Pei Zheng's expression changed instantly. He signaled his subordinates to go check.

At the same moment, the warehouse door was pushed open. Jiang Songnian swaggered in and asked brightly, "Mind if I take a crate of drinks?"

"Who! The! Hell! Are! You!" Pei Zheng roared with towering rage.

Jiang Songnian shrugged, then turned to look at Lin Yanqing. Seeing his swollen cheekbone, he immediately frowned. "What happened to your face?"

Lin Yanqing raised his arm and pointed at Roger. "Uncle, he hit me."

Jiang Songnian followed his finger to the formidable and fierce Roger, who raised his chin provocatively at him.

Without another word, Jiang Songnian grabbed a crowbar leaning against the wall and strode toward him.

Roger lowered his center of gravity, spread his arms, and focused entirely on countering Jiang Songnian's attack.

The two fought back and forth relentlessly. The men Pei Zheng sent to investigate headed for the door. Lin Yanqing moved swiftly in front of them, blocking their path, and said solemnly, "No one leaves."

They started fighting. Lin Yanqing, outnumbered, couldn't hold them all off, and one slipped past him.

A few minutes later, that man came running back in a hurry, saying urgently, "Boss, it's bad! All the team members are unconscious, and the people have all escaped."

"Unconscious?" Pei Zheng looked down at the Serum Pen in his palm. No one could understand the heart-wrenching pain he felt at that moment. They had climbed the mountain, stepping over countless lives, thinking they had evolved into higher beings, yet just one Serum Needle could reduce them back to their original form.

He gripped the Serum tightly, almost crushing the pen tube. After a moment, he relaxed his hand, put the Serum Pen in his pocket, and issued a cold, ruthless order: "Kill everyone! This world has no need for ordinary people who waste food!"

Roger threw a thunderous punch, the lethal fist wind landing on Jiang Songnian's abdomen before his fist even connected. Jiang Songnian endured the blow, simultaneously grabbing Roger's arm, wrenching it, pivoting behind him, and driving a kick into the back of his knee. Roger knelt down, a Serum Pen jammed against his neck and shoulder.

It was an identical scene to before, but Pei Zheng dared not act rashly. An ordinary person who could match Roger blow for blow was not to be underestimated. Jiang Songnian was not like Lin Yanqing, who relied on innate talent to grow. He had been through hell and high water, endured rigorous training, and tempered a will of iron.

"Let him go," Pei Zheng said in a low voice.

Roger breathed heavily, panting. His calf was pinned under Jiang Songnian's foot, and any movement would drive the needle deeper into his neck. He didn't dare make a move.

Jiang Songnian swallowed a mouthful of blood and said calmly, "I kill him, you kill me. Or, I let him go, and you let everyone go."

"Are you asking for too much?" Pei Zheng raised his crossbow, aiming at Wu Ke. "Don't forget, there's still him."

"You can kill me," Wu Ke interjected weakly, before Jiang Songnian could reply. "Kill me, Pei Zheng, kill me..."

His eyes slowly fluttered shut, his breath faint, mumbling incoherently, "Kill me... brother... brother..."

"We're not on the same side. You force everyone into a corner, then compel them to submit to you. How can loyalty built on that last?" Lin Yanqing said with a heavy heart.

Pei Zheng glanced unconsciously at Wu Ke. Outwardly calm, his breathing betrayed him. After a long while, Pei Zheng turned his back and said resolutely, "Anyone who wants to leave can go now! After today, anyone who dares to betray me, I'll break their neck!"

"I trust you to keep your word." Jiang Songnian shoved Roger aside and strode toward Wu Ke, pressing the elevator button to bring him down.

Lin Yanqing quickly stepped forward to help lift Wu Ke. The three of them walked side by side toward the elevator.

The elevator doors opened. Wu Ke lifted his drooping eyelids and looked back at Pei Zheng's retreating figure. He was dragged into the elevator, and as the doors closed, Wu Ke saw Pei Zheng sag in defeat, his tall frame curling into a ball.

Wu Ke stared at the closed elevator doors, tears suddenly spilling down his cheeks.

"Why are you sad? I still have to debrief you when we get back! Worry about yourself!" Lin Yanqing scolded.

Wu Ke gritted his teeth, his face scrunched up.

Lin Yanqing's mind was in turmoil, with many things he wanted to discuss with Jiang Songnian. Suddenly remembering Jiang Songnian's impressive display earlier, he smiled, reached out, and patted Jiang Songnian's shoulder, said with a grin, "I knew you had it in you. That big guy was no match for you at all."

Jiang Songnian pursed his lips into a faint smile, sweat plastering his face like he'd been caught in a downpour. He lowered his head, swallowing with difficulty.

The elevator reached the first floor. Zheng Siqi stood not far away, waving excitedly at them. "Over here, over here!"

Lin Yanqing quickened his pace. "Where are the others?"

"Everyone's here. Luckily, you blocked the entrance. Many of the crazies left. After the door opened, I ran to drive the truck and parked it sideways in the middle of the road. I neutralized a few crazies with Serum Needles. Everyone's already in the truck." Zheng Siqi spoke as she pulled the door open.

"You can drive a big truck too?" Lin Yanqing said with a laugh. As soon as he finished speaking, a large truck with a dented front came into view. Its front end was pressed against the opposite door, its rear against the warehouse wall, effectively blocking the road.

Zheng Siqi cleared her throat. "Hurry and get in. It should still run."

The actual truck driver was already in the cab. Lin Yanqing sighed in relief, helping Wu Ke climb into the cargo hold. Inside were over twenty people and dozens of crates of goods that hadn't been unloaded in time. Zheng Siqi had also brought Lin Yanqing's backpack and grabbed several boxes of tissues, so we didn't come away empty-handed.

Lin Yanqing helped Wu Ke sit on a cardboard box and closed the cargo door, plunging the hold into darkness. The truck driver started the engine and headed toward Happy Community.

Lin Yanqing opened his backpack, took out a flashlight, and illuminated a corner of the cargo hold.

Everyone bombarded him with questions, which Lin Yanqing answered one by one.

The hold was stiflingly hot. Exhausted, everyone eventually stopped asking and leaned weakly against the walls, awaiting another unknown fate.

In the darkness, Lin Yanqing hooked his arm around Jiang Songnian's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Those moves you pulled earlier were incredible. Teach me when we get back."

The truck jolted. Jiang Songnian tried to nod, but a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Short, sharp gasps came from around them, all eyes turning to Jiang Songnian.

Lin Yanqing's mind short-circuited. He stood frozen, unsure what to do, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

Jiang Songnian's throat was too dry to speak. He slowly took Lin Yanqing's hand, leaned his body against Lin Yanqing's shoulder, and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "I'm... fine..."

Lin Yanqing's lips trembled. He wrapped his arm around Jiang Songnian's shoulder, cradling his head to keep him steady.

Jiang Songnian adjusted his breathing. The thick smell of blood filled the hot, stuffy cargo hold. He covered Lin Yanqing's arm, nuzzled his shoulder, and murmured softly, "It's okay now."

That brief journey was filled with agony, like smuggling to a distant land, with unease weighing on everyone's hearts.

Suddenly, someone in the darkness asked, "Once we get to your community, can we live normally?"

Lin Yanqing didn't answer. He quietly held Jiang Songnian, wishing time would pass faster, faster, until they were home.

"What's 'normal'? You're a normal person; you can be normal anywhere! If you like squatting in the supermarket, go squat there yourself! When we told you to leave earlier, you didn't dare. No one held a knife to your throat; you followed us of your own accord!" Aunt Sun berated him fluently. The man snorted lightly and fell silent.

Lin Yanqing gently touched Jiang Songnian's face and whispered, "We're almost home. I'll take you to see a doctor. Just hang on a little longer."