Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Magnificent World

After hearing Li Qingshui’s words, the commander paused for several seconds, then seemed to grasp the crux of the matter and nodded, saying, “Very well. Ensuring the safety of the families of our key personnel is the duty of the military district.”

With that said, he gestured to several soldiers, “Take her away!”

“No!” Seeing the tall, robust soldiers approaching, Doctor Huang screamed desperately, “You can’t do this! You’re abusing your authority! I haven’t committed any crime; you have no right to expel me from the military district…”

Her cries startled everyone on the dormitory floor. Some people were roused from sleep, and, alert, opened their doors to investigate. But anyone who poked their head out shrank back immediately upon seeing the silhouettes of soldiers in uniform.

Still, behind every door, countless ears were now pressed in curiosity.

“This woman’s roommate has disappeared, and all of you are considered suspects, so everyone is being expelled from the military district,” the commander declared loudly, announcing a truth meant to mask the real situation. At his signal, the soldiers quickly pushed Doctor Huang from her room into the corridor and then out of the dormitory.

“Alright, I’ve fulfilled your requests,” the commander said, glancing at Doctor Huang who had melted into the mist, then extended his hand to Li Qingshui for a handshake, lowering his voice, “I hope you’ll cooperate with my work.”

“Of course,” Li Qingshui nodded. After withdrawing his hand, he pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to the commander. “This is an account I wrote two days ago. It describes an encounter I had with a quasi-intelligent life form. I hope you’ll read it.”

“Intelligent life?” The commander took the letter, but his eyes clearly betrayed disbelief. “Impossible. It’s only been so short a time. Even if the world outside changes rapidly, I don’t believe any other intelligent life could emerge besides humans.”

Li Qingshui smiled, “If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t believe it either. I’ve given you the letter and passed on the information. Whether you believe it or not is your concern. I simply feel that humanity should be informed of this sooner rather than later… As for whether you believe it, it doesn’t really matter. In my opinion, for a small city’s military like Kaifeng, it’s impossible to find this life form, and even less likely to pose any threat to it.”

Despite Li Qingshui’s alarming words, the commander, though skeptical, slipped the letter into his pocket. After this flurry of activity, dawn began to break outside.

“It’s time for you to depart.”

“Yes, we should go. Time is tight on the road; we can’t waste a minute.” Li Qingshui tightened his backpack and took the lead out.

Liu Chang and the little girl followed closely behind, the fat man carrying even more luggage bringing up the rear. They passed through the corridor, reached the dormitory entrance, and looked out into the newly brightening world, tinged with dark red.

“Take care on the road,” said Zhu Lin, who had been watching them leave, chasing after their backs with tears filling her eyes.

“You take care here, too,” Liu Chang turned to look at the frail, quiet girl.

“Stay alive,” the fat man stepped forward and gave her a bear hug.

“Stay alive,” Liu Chang pulled the little girl close and embraced this family member who had endured life and death together.

“Take care of yourself.” Even Li Qingshui, usually calm and composed, joined the circle of arms, embracing Zhu Lin and instructing her, “There’s still meat in the water tank, enough to last you a few days. If you can’t finish it, give it to the army; that way you’ll live better here. Stay strong in whatever happens from now on. To survive, you can abandon some things. Let me always know that you’re still alive…”

“Thank you…” The girl surrounded by arms could barely speak through her tears. “Will we ever meet again?”

“I believe we will!” Liu Chang broke free from the embrace, lifted the little girl onto his shoulders and smiled, “What do you all think?”

“I think so, too.” The fat man masked his throat’s tightness with a hearty laugh.

“Definitely,” Li Qingshui released his grip, gave Zhu Lin one last look, then led the fat man and Liu Chang into the thick morning fog, vanishing from her sight.

The team—

Finally set out!

…

As Liu Chang and the others entered the dense fog, the soldiers followed, numbering over twenty. Leading them was a middle-aged man and Shen Mingyi, the super-evolved one. At the rear trailed Doctor Huang, dragged along by the soldiers.

“Mingyi, go knock out that woman at the back. Her constant fussing is slowing us down. When we reach the main road, wake her up; she’ll have no choice but to follow us then, unable to return alone.” As soon as the group left the dormitory building, the leader issued a directive to the “person in charge.”

Shen Mingyi followed the order without objection, quickly carrying it out. After knocking Doctor Huang unconscious, he slung the starved, emaciated woman over his shoulder. The burden seemed as light to him as wearing a coat, and in a few strides, he returned to the front of the group.

“Hey, buddy,” the fat man, perhaps to dispel the sadness of parting, unusually whispered, “Aren’t you the leader of this team? Why are you taking orders from him?”

“He’s the deputy leader this time, my old company commander,” Shen Mingyi replied quietly. “They say I’m team leader, but I’m just a rookie, don’t even know how to use a gun, let alone command. My old commander’s been a soldier for decades, fought on the China-India border and seen blood. He’s much better suited to lead.”

“Oh, I see,” the fat man nodded. “What’s his name?”

“Zhao Yue.”

As the fat man muttered, the group of twenty-plus exited the military compound, and Zhao Yue, the company commander, opened a giant flashlight emitting yellow light at the front, waving it to attract everyone’s attention.

“We’re about to set out, so let me say a few words,” Zhao Yue announced as the group gathered around him. “Even though Shen Mingyi is officially in charge, during these extraordinary times, I’ll take the lead. He’s young, so I’ll act as leader for now. Nobody has any objections, right?”

“None!” the soldiers shouted in unison, clearly several were under his command previously.

“Alright, let me explain,” Zhao Yue said, shaking the flashlight, “This thing is a fog breaker lamp, modified. With it, you can see a meter or two farther than usual.”

“But its greatest use isn’t in increasing visibility for me, but in providing a beacon for those behind,” he continued, standing atop a stone pedestal. “In this thick fog, I believe everyone, like myself, can only see two or three meters ahead. Standing in the middle of the group, you won’t see the front at all, and those at the back even less.”

“So, as we move, keep a close eye on the person ahead of you. Follow one after another, don’t lose track. If you accidentally get separated, shout, look for the light, don’t stand around. The fog dampens sound; if you dawdle ten seconds, you might be lost from the group forever!”

“And make sure your weapons are ready to use at any moment! But remember this: if you encounter danger and aren’t certain, don’t fire blindly. We’re walking close together in this weather, visibility is poor, and a shot could injure our own. So only fire if absolutely necessary. If anyone hears gunshots, get down immediately—understood?”

“Understood!” the soldiers replied, Liu Chang and the others nodding along.

“Good, then let’s move out.”

Zhao Yue led at the front, explaining further as they went. Under his orders, Shen Mingyi walked at the rear, silently protecting the whole group. Liu Chang, Li Qingshui, and their companions traveled in the middle, relatively safe between the front and back guards. Due to his eyesight, Liu Chang was the only one able to see the entire group, carefully watching both ends and observing every movement around them. During the march, Li Qingshui quietly scattered plant powder to conceal their scents onto each soldier, carried by the wind.

Thus, the group advanced with care, maintaining cohesion. The small team journeyed from south to west through the city.

Along the way, they encountered no danger and, as they passed through the city center, happened upon Liu Chang’s old home.

His former house had completely collapsed, all traces of the past erased and replaced by vigorous plant growth. Not daring to linger on the sight, Liu Chang swallowed his longing and the lump in his throat, and pressed on with the group, moving from the southern outskirts to the western, then out of Kaifeng altogether.

Standing outside the city, beneath the sign reading “Kaifeng Welcomes You,” a group of people crossed the threshold of humanity’s territory, dumbfounded as they beheld the grand scene beyond the city.

“This…this is… truly breathtaking. Has the outside world already become like this?”