RotA – Chapter 29

The Base chose to wait for rescue; humanity chose to believe in humanity.

At that moment, Chai Yuening saw a flicker of joy on Chu Ci’s face—faint and fleeting.

It was replaced by what seemed to be an unconcealable reluctance.

Xue Zhou looked at Chu Ci, his gaze carrying a sense of respect. “Chu Ci, Dr. Ge Heguang of the Base would like to see you.”

Chai Yuening took a wary step forward, shielding Chu Ci behind her.

Xue Zhou said, “Chu Ci is the one who brought hope to the Base, and moreover, she is from the Floating City. Dr. Ge will not make things difficult for her, nor will the Base allow anyone to. If Captain Chai is worried, you may accompany her. If you are truly unwilling, you may also refuse.”

Chai Yuening frowned in thought for a moment before replying in a low voice, “We’ll think about it.”

Xue Zhou nodded. “The Base Research Institute awaits your reply.”

With that, he turned and left.

This time, the door to the break room was not locked. They were free to go.

Chai Yuening looked at Chu Ci, who quietly returned her gaze.

After a brief silence, she forced a smile and asked, “Are we still going to capture a sample?”

Chu Ci said, “Compared to a sample, that doctor is probably more interested in me.”

Chai Yuening frowned. “You don’t have to go.”

Chu Ci thought for a moment, then smiled. “Didn’t he say he wouldn’t make things difficult for me? A major general of the Underground City Base wouldn’t lie to a mere experimental sample, would he?”

Chai Yuening thought for a long time, but in the end, she accompanied her. Under military escort, they headed for the Base Research Institute.

In the same vehicle with them was Dr. Ge Heguang, who had just finished an emergency meeting and was now on his way back to the institute.

The doctor was in his early sixties, his temples already graying. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked to be in poor spirits.

He was the one who had requested to see Chu Ci, but now that they were sitting together, he didn’t ask a single question. He simply slipped on a gray U-shaped pillow and sat to the side, resting with his eyes closed, so exhausted it seemed he might fall asleep at any moment and never wake up.

The drive from the City Defense Center to the research institute took about an hour.

When they arrived, a young military officer gently woke Ge Heguang.

The weary-faced doctor stood up and greeted Chai Yuening and Chu Ci in a somewhat hoarse voice.

“Child, come.”

He spoke softly, leading the way.

Chai Yuening quickened her pace and subconsciously reached out to support him.

The moment she took his arm, Ge Heguang smiled. “I’m not so old that I can’t walk.”

Chai Yuening asked quietly, “Have you not been sleeping well these past two days, Doctor?”

“Aside from those who don’t know the situation, who could possibly sleep well?” Ge Heguang shook his head. “It’s just that these old bones of mine are failing me. The Base is facing such a crisis, yet I can’t even push myself for a few days.”

“You have always been the hope of the Base, Doctor.”

As Chai Yuening spoke, the old man’s soft sigh reached her ears.

Ge Heguang slowly led them to a laboratory.

Inside the spacious lab, besides all sorts of incomprehensible instruments, there were also many mutated beast specimens preserved in blue experimental fluid.

Some were large, others small.

Some were still alive, others already dead.

Chu Ci walked toward one of the experimental tanks. Her fingertips touched it lightly, her gaze holding not a trace of curiosity, but rather, perfect calm.

Chai Yuening felt her breath catch in her throat.

She could hardly imagine that for countless days and nights in the past, Chu Ci had been “living” in a place like this.

Ge Heguang walked to a lab bench and sat down. “Child, are you an experimental sample from the Floating City?”

Chu Ci replied in a low voice, “Yes.”

Ge Heguang: “Your base… is still conducting human experiments? Besides you, are there any other living human samples?”

Chu Ci: “I don’t know.”

“I see.” Ge Heguang pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding specimens. He continued in a gentle tone, “Have you ever been fused with things like these?”

Chu Ci shook her head.

Ge Heguang fell into a thoughtful silence for a while. “Then, would you mind telling me what makes you different from an ordinary person?”

Chu Ci thought seriously for a moment, then turned to Ge Heguang and said quietly, “I don’t seem to get infected.”

“You don’t get infected?” Ge Heguang’s dull, bloodshot eyes suddenly lit up. “Anything else?”

“I…” Chu Ci’s brow furrowed slightly, and she shook her head. “I can’t say any more.”

“You can’t say more. Is that a requirement from your base?”

Chu Ci subconsciously nodded, then shook her head again.

Ge Heguang took a long, deep breath. “It’s all right, don’t be nervous. I won’t ask any more.”

With that, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and fell silent.

Chai Yuening waited by the side for a while before she couldn’t help but ask softly, “Doctor, can we go now?”

Her question received no answer.

The vast laboratory was so quiet it seemed to contain only the bright lights and the three people’s steady breathing.

But this silence did not last long.

Ge Heguang opened his eyes and looked at Chu Ci. “Child, you seem quiet. A sad kind of quiet.”

Chu Ci: “I…”

Ge Heguang: “Do you want to go back to the Floating City?”

Chu Ci: “No.”

Ge Heguang: “The people there don’t treat you well?”

Chu Ci: “…”

Ge Heguang: “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you either.”

Chu Ci: “It’s all right, Doctor.”

“The Base has been searching, searching for a future that belongs to humanity,” the elderly biologist said faintly. “The humans of the Old World believed that one day they could conquer nature with technology, fly to space, and travel to the boundless, vast universe. But the outbreak of the Great Cataclysm nearly destroyed the civilization humanity was so proud of. Humans were forced to suspend themselves high in the sky, hide in the deserts, sail the oceans, or burrow deep underground.”

Ge Heguang asked in a heavy voice, “Do you two know about the Four Great Human Bases?”

Chai Yuening glanced instinctively at Chu Ci. Seeing her looking down without a word, she took up the conversation. “We know a little. The Four Great Human Bases are now history.”

After the Great Cataclysm, the various surviving factions of humanity still held fast to the belief in a shared fate for humanity.

By repairing old, partially damaged long-wave communication devices, they managed to contact one another, helping each other establish the Four Great Human Bases. They continuously searched for and rescued scattered survivors, hoping to carry on human civilization.

They were: the First Base in the north, the Floating City Base; the Second Base in the west, the Desert Base; the Third Base in the east, the Sea Base; and the Fourth Base in the south, the Underground City Base.

Ge Heguang gave a self-deprecating laugh. “That’s right. They were all still around just a few years ago, and now they’re already history.”

“The desert, the ocean… they should have been the places farthest from the strange ecosystem brought by the Black Vines. Our predecessors were once convinced that humanity could rise again from the four corners of the world.” Ge Heguang sighed. “But it’s all like a ‘human extermination plan.’ There’s simply nowhere for humanity to hide…”

Chai Yuening: “Doctor…”

“In early 2217, we lost contact with the Second Base for no apparent reason. By the time fighters from the other bases arrived, that human city had been completely overrun by the new ecosystem.”

“After that, the vast desert, once thought to be safe from the mutated flora, silently bloomed with one flower of despair after another.”

“At the end of 2226, the Third Base, floating upon the great sea, suddenly sent out an emergency distress signal. But despair was one step ahead of hope.”

“A small number of people escaped on warships and were brought back by the rescue party from the Fourth Base.”

“According to their recollections, a Black Vine-like vegetation appeared on the seabed, and an unknown sea monster with extreme infectivity suddenly swarmed and rioted.”

“The ocean was no longer safe. The Third Base sank into the sea.”

Ge Heguang spoke quietly, then suddenly let out a soft sigh. “Five years have passed. The Black Vine’s growth and adaptability have become stronger and stronger. The surface ecosystem continues to deteriorate, and more and more unknown species are appearing. Which one of us will be next to fall?”

Chai Yuening couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

A spring rain had brought on the growth season for the mutated plants. Many signal towers were covered and destroyed by them, making them difficult to reclaim and repair.

When it all began, the Base hadn’t paid it much mind, treating it as a slightly unusual growth season. They had even thought that if they could just endure it, everything would return to normal. They never expected a devastating disaster to arrive so silently.

“All living things are fusing and evolving. Humanity is too weak. If we can’t keep up with them, we will sooner or later disappear into the long river of history.” Ge Heguang’s eyes were filled with exhaustion as he spoke. “But we can’t find it. To this day, we still haven’t found a way to resist the mutations. It’s as if humans are fundamentally unable to retain their own will during the fusion process. Compared to the mutated beasts, the human will is too fragile.”

He seemed to be in despair, but the moment he finished speaking, a flicker of determination rekindled in his eyes.

“But we cannot give up. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, no matter how painful, we must press forward—tirelessly, and by any means necessary.”

Ge Heguang looked at Chu Ci, a trace of concern and pity in his eyes.

He asked softly, “Child, can you understand?”

Chu Ci opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she only shook her head.

“Until humanity truly finds its freedom, we are all in a cage,” Ge Heguang said, glancing down at his watch. “It’s almost one. Would you like to eat something before you go?”

Without waiting for a reply, he stood up and began to make arrangements.

A short while later, a young assistant brought them a simple meal.

The food of the Base’s most respected doctor was not much different from that of the common folk in the outer city.

After a simple lunch, Ge Heguang did not keep them any longer. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, observing a mutated insect in a biochemical tank.

Under military escort, the two returned to their temporary residence.

The moment they jumped out of the armored vehicle, a familiar figure ran toward them in a hurry.

“Captain!” Lu Qi’s tone was a mix of anger and anxiety. “Where did you two run off to? You didn’t even tell us! We thought you’d snuck out of the city without us. You scared us to death!”

Chai Yuening glanced at Chu Ci and shrugged. “We were planning to leave. Just as we got the paperwork done, we were invited to the research institute for a meal.”

Lu Qi: “You got the paperwork done?!”

Chai Yuening: “Stop shouting. We’re not leaving. I have some good news for you. Let’s go upstairs first.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the best news. Perhaps it was bad news.

But at least, for the outer city of the Base, it was irreplaceable good news.

“What’s going on?” Lu Qi froze for a second, then hurried after Chai Yuening and Chu Ci. “How did you get invited to the research institute for a meal? Is the food there any good?”

Chai Yuening: “Mashed potatoes, vegetable and tomato soup, and a view of mutated beasts to go with your rice. If you like the sound of that, I’ll take you next time.”

Lu Qi: “…I think I’ll pass.”

Chai Yuening walked quickly ahead, a soft laugh sounding from behind her.

She turned to look at Chu Ci, only to see the girl dash past her in a few quick steps, a smile in her eyes as she ran upstairs with a rare liveliness.

She didn’t know what Chu Ci was so happy about.

Just as she didn’t know what she herself was so sad about.

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