Boundless – Chapter 59

The zombies had been cleared away. Song Zhicheng and the other trainee were also placed under surveillance and sent for treatment.

Ignoring the bloodstains on the ground, Wen Qianshu sat on the steps and watched Lou Jiu arrange for the remaining search team members to clean up.

The sun was dazzling, and even the wind carried a scorching heat.

Wen Qianshu saw someone approaching from a distance, looking somewhat dejected. He plopped down beside Wen Qianshu.

It was Shang Ci.

Wen Qianshu: “Where’s Jiang Yin?”

Shang Ci felt his pockets and found he didn’t have his cigarette case. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he said, “She ran away.”

Wen Qianshu: “…”

She closed her eyes, held back for two seconds, and repeated, “Ran away?”

Shang Ci: “Someone was there to meet her.”

“I already sent Captain Jiang away, making sure she didn’t know about this. Who would have thought another one would pop up—” He rested his hands on his knees. “No, I need to go get a cigarette.”

It seemed that, like Wen Qianshu, he said he trusted Jiang Yao but had actually taken precautions.

Wen Qianshu watched him stand up and suddenly asked, “Who has the ability to trap Jiang Yin in the training camp?”

Shang Ci froze.

With his back to the sun, his expression was unclear. Although there were voices all around, this particular space was utterly silent, to the point where one could faintly hear leaves falling.

“That person also knew my reaction when Gao Bai turned into a zombie—I had my back to the main gate at the time, who could have seen my expression—”

Wen Qianshu propped up her chin and asked, “Captain Shang, you’ve already guessed who it is, haven’t you?”

Shang Ci suddenly raised his fist and slammed it hard against the wall beside him, making a loud bang. He turned his face away, his expression like an enraged lion, but his other hand covered his eyes, pressing above the bridge of his nose. His exposed lips were pressed together, and his jaw trembled.

Wen Qianshu thought to herself, he looked both furious and sad.

But the sun continued to watch, and the wind continued to pass by on its own.

The joys and sorrows, betrayals and pains of the human world were steeped in it, yet had nothing to do with it.

Wen Qianshu let out a long breath and chuckled softly, “So tiring.”

Shang Ci glanced at her and patted her. Good heavens, that pat was really heavy; it almost knocked Wen Qianshu over.

Wen Qianshu grimaced, “What are you doing?”

Shang Ci chuckled, stuck his hands in his pockets, and said, as if to Wen Qianshu but also to console himself, “Perk up. Things will get better.”

Shang Ci shouted loudly, “Xiao Lou!”

Lou Jiu turned her head and saw him walking over. “You rest for a bit. I’ll take care of the rest.”

The breakdown and dejection from just a moment ago vanished like flowing water. He was once again the devil-may-care, “unreliable-looking” captain of Team 5. He strode over to the search team, skillfully slung an arm around a member’s shoulder, and asked for a cigarette. Not only did he ask for a cigarette, but he also had them light it for him.

The team members laughed, cursing playfully as they lit his cigarette. Shang Ci took a deep drag and exhaled a puff of white smoke. He lowered his eyes and jutted his chin, “You guys, send some people to investigate…”

Wen Qianshu was watching him when she suddenly noticed the sunlight dim for a moment. Lou Jiu was standing in front of her, looking down. “Isn’t it hot?”

Wen Qianshu: “It is.”

“Let’s go.” Lou Jiu extended her hand. “I’ll take you to the car. We can turn on the air conditioning there.”

Wen Qianshu took her hand and used it to pull herself up. “Shang Ci—was he very close with that old man?”

That’s why he lost his composure, dodging purely on instinct, and even letting them escape successfully. This behavior would be normal for Gao Bai, but for Captain Shang, it was a bit off.

Lou Jiu nodded.

She was wearing combat gear. Because of the heat, her collar was open, revealing the tank top underneath. “Uncle Lin has been here for a long time.”

Lou Jiu: “He had a son, also in the search team, who went missing on a mission. I heard his features resembled the captain’s, so Uncle Lin was especially good to him.”

Lou Jiu paused, then continued walking. “Actually, Uncle Lin is good to everyone, but he has a bit of a stutter. In Shang Ci’s year, a few trainees always made fun of him. Shang Ci overheard them, so he teamed up with Li Shan and got into a fight with that group of trainees.”

“The fight was said to be pretty brutal. Those trainees spent a few months in the hospital, and when they got out, they behaved themselves and didn’t dare say much.” Lou Jiu opened the car door, inserted the key to start the engine, and turned on the AC. “Even my year had heard about it.”

Wen Qianshu quickly climbed into the back seat of the SUV. “Then Jiang Yin’s methods are really—”

She didn’t finish, but Lou Jiu also got into the car and said in a low voice, “Yeah.”

The car door was closed.

---

At the same time, the door to a room was opened. The person who opened it sneered, “You’re really something, Researcher Jiang.”

He stopped short, saw the scene inside the room, and his brow twitched. He slammed the door shut.

The floor was covered with bodies, both human and zombie, the smell of blood mixed with rot. Uncle Lin was slumped on the ground, his head smashed in, clutching a photo frame. In the frame was a handsome young man whose features, upon closer inspection, bore some resemblance to Shang Ci.

Amidst the bodies, only Jiang Yin was clean, sitting on an empty patch of floor. She looked up and smiled gently, “You’re here, Captain Li.”

Li Shan looked down, sizing her up from head to toe, and also smiled. “This isn’t very proper, is it, Researcher Jiang? I worked so hard to find you a place to stay, and you just go and destroy it for me?”

His gaze suddenly froze, landing on Jiang Yin’s shoulder. Her clothes were disheveled there, half-revealing a bite mark with coagulated black blood.

Jiang Yin noticed his expression, pulled her clothes down a bit, and raised a hand to stroke the bite mark, smiling. “For the sake of eternal faith, I chose to become a ‘Believer’ again.”

Li Shan sneered, stepped over the bodies in a few strides, and grabbed Jiang Yin by the neck with one hand. He took off his own restraint device and roughly put it on her. “Thank you for your loyalty to the ‘Divine Light’.”

He said sincerely, “You truly are a pervert, a demon.”

“Who gave you the ‘Embrace’?”

Jiang Yin tilted her head, and Li Shan saw Uncle Lin—he was completely dead, no longer able to control Believers. Just like how Gao Bai would no longer be controlled after the little zombie died.

Li Shan spoke again, “Looks like I can’t torture you.”

Jiang Yin smiled, “Thank you for your mercy, Captain Li.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He squatted down, looking Jiang Yin in the eye. “Now tell me, where is the perfect formula for the ‘Divine Light’?”

“You blew up the labs in D District one after another, killed almost all the researchers, released all the test subjects… where is that perfect formula you snatched? We’re at this point, you can tell me now, right?”

Jiang Yin blinked. “Didn’t I give it to Captain Li?”

Li Shan was stunned. “What?”

Jiang Yin grinned. “It was on that little zombie. Didn’t Captain Li find it?”

Li Shan grabbed her by her long hair, his expression icy, his eyes fixed on her. “Something obtained through the deaths of so many people, and you just handed it over to the base like that?”

“Who said that?” Jiang Yin said, “I just gave it to Yaoyao.”

Jiang Yin: “Captain Li was already there. How come you didn’t manage to act first and kill that little zombie?”

Li Shan frowned, his lips pressed together, staring at her coldly.

“Ah, right, I accidentally told them.” Jiang Yin was already a zombie and couldn’t feel pain at all. She didn’t care that Li Shan was pulling her hair, and smiled warmly and brightly. “I told them what that agent was, and I also told that little girl that I was being held captive.”

“Captain Li,” she said in a helpless tone, “I’ve exposed you. What should we do?”

Li Shan was so angry he laughed. He gritted his teeth and let go of Jiang Yin’s long hair. “As expected of Researcher Jiang. It’s not the first day I’ve known you—”

“What’s the choice?”

Jiang Yin: “Hm?”

Li Shan: “The choice for me?”

Jiang Yin had a hard-to-describe habit—she would give everyone she used a choice. A quick death, or a painful life? One person, or the entire base? Numb obedience, or a lonely self?

Jiang Yin smoothed her hair with her fingers and smiled, “Alright, Captain Li.”

She stroked her lips with her fingers, an excited expression on her face. “Make your choice. This perfect formula, or your precious life?”

Li Shan suddenly asked, “What about him?”

He turned his head and saw Uncle Lin’s face. It was actually hard to make out, but Li Shan remembered what he looked like. “What choice did you give him?”

“Hmm.” Jiang Yin pondered for a moment, then said, “I forgot.”

Li Shan’s restraint device was a bit big, and it kept slipping down on Jiang Yin. But she held it up with her hand, adjusted it, and tied the straps tighter. “What he chose doesn’t matter.”

Jiang Yin smiled, “Anyway, I always get what I want.”

Li Shan looked at her, his gaze cold and heavy. But he quickly sneered, reverting to his usual teasing attitude. “Then what’s your purpose for me?”

“Do you want me to live, or do you want me to die?”

Jiang Yin smiled, a smile full of malice. “I want you to make a choice.”

---

In the isolation ward, Jiang Yao was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her head was tilted back, staring motionlessly at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling.

A little girl’s childish voice reached her ears, “Brother, Mommy bought me this, and this—”

She stood outside the glass, holding the phone, a smile on her face, showing Gao Bai the dolls in her hands. She had brought many, and it was a bit of a struggle to hold them up. Her little face was flushed. “But my favorite is still the one you gave me!”

A tall couple stood beside her. The woman wiped her tears, while the man remained silent, holding her and patting her shoulder. Gao Bai also smiled at the little girl, a silly smile. “As long as you like it.”

The little girl: “Brother, when are you coming out?”

Gao Bai paused for a moment, then said, “I’ll come out when I’m cured.”

The little girl said in a milky voice, “Mmm—then will you give me a kiss?”

Gao Bai: “Okay.”

She pressed her cheek against the glass. Gao Bai leaned in and planted a loud kiss on the glass. “Be good and listen to Mom and Dad at home, understand?”

The little girl nodded. She was short, with short legs, and her feet dangled when she sat on the stool. She obediently climbed off the chair and let the man lead her out.

Jiang Yao still had her head tilted back, as if the only thing left in the world was the light on the ceiling, and that was all she could look at.

The woman wiped her tears and sat down on the chair. She was about to speak but couldn’t help but pause. Gao Bai: “Mom, it’s okay, I’m fine.”

He smiled a little foolishly. “Don’t scold me. It was really an accident.”

The woman: “You know you deserve a scolding!”

Gao Bai scratched his head. “Mom, there’s an outsider here. Don’t scold me. Let’s just talk.”

The woman: “How are you eating now? Are you getting enough to eat?”

Gao Bai was taken aback. He licked his lips. “I.”

He paused twice. “I… I don’t get hungry anymore.”

“How can that be?” the woman said. “You’ve had a big appetite since you were a kid—”

As she spoke, tears started falling again. “Can’t you eat some other kind of meat?”

The light is so blurry, Jiang Yao thought, so blurry she couldn’t see anything clearly.

Her lips were terribly dry, and her ears were ringing. Jiang Yao froze, only then realizing an alarm was sounding.

Someone was making an announcement over the broadcast, asking family members to leave quickly.

Jiang Yao stood up straight. “Auntie, let’s go out first.”

Jiang Yao apologized to Gao Bai, saying they had to leave early. Gao Bai nodded in understanding.

Jiang Yao looked at the woman again, and the two of them quickly ran outside.

The woman couldn’t help but look back at Gao Bai, asking in alarm, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yao took out her phone while shaking her head. “I don’t know either. Let’s get out first—I’ll ask Captain Shang.”

The words died in her mouth as she saw Shang Ci’s reply: “Jiang Yin appeared at the training camp and escaped.”

Jiang Yao’s gaze was frozen on it, unable to move, but Shang Ci’s messages continued— “Li Shan is missing, suspected of treason.”

“Uncle Lin from the training camp was infected and became a ‘Believer’.”

The messages kept coming, one after another. The phone’s “ding-dong” sound was incessant as familiar names scrolled across the screen.

“Captain Jiang, please conceal your movements. It’s very dangerous outside now.”

Jiang Yao stared at the screen and suddenly said, “Auntie, you go ahead. I need to pass on a few words for their captain. I’ll catch up later.”

The woman still had tears on her face, but she said, “Okay.”

Jiang Yao turned and ran back quickly, past one staff member after another heading out, past their astonished gazes.

In the training camp, Shang Ci was on the phone: “Issue a level-one alert! Notify everyone in the base to take shelter nearby immediately, implement…”

Lou Jiu leaned back in the car seat, wrapping her anti-bite strap even tighter. Wen Qianshu turned her head and saw two crows perched outside the window.

The bright white lights shone on the corridor of the isolation ward, casting swaying shadows of people as Jiang Yao ran.

The shadow from the doorframe fell on Jiang Yin’s face. She smiled, letting Li Shan pick her up, and watched him step out.

Gao Bai was sitting on the chair, at a loss, when he suddenly heard a “click.”

He whipped his head around and saw the door being opened. Unable to stop his momentum, he slammed hard into the wall.

Jiang Yao held a key in her hand—no one knew when she had stolen it from a staff member.

“Gao Bai.” Jiang Yao stopped in front of him. “Do me a favor.”

---

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