RotA – Chapter 38

According to the rescue route, after the Third Rescue Team chose to withdraw, they would retreat to Outer District Two, the closest location.

After settling the rescued survivors and taking a short rest, they would then go to reinforce the other squads.

At ten o’clock that night, all the survivors brought back by the rescue team had been given temporary housing.

The Third Rescue Team received its mission: proceed to the Seventh District as quickly as possible to coordinate with reinforcements from the Floating City and the base’s other rescue teams to conduct a full-scale cleanup of the Seventh District.

It wasn’t until that moment that Chai Yuening learned the rescue plan for the outer district survivors was already over.

What the base was about to launch next was the outer district reclamation plan, projected to take half a month with an estimated casualty rate of 30%.

The leading military officer seemed tireless. He hastily ate dinner, took a nap of less than fifteen minutes, and then led his team toward the Seventh District.

Before leaving, he left a light armored vehicle for Chai Yuening.

He said, “Major General Xue of the First Rescue Team hopes you will return to the main city and await orders.”

Chai Yuening had wanted to help in some way, but seeing that Lu Qi had no intention of following the rescue team to rendezvous in the Seventh District, she didn’t insist.

“The Thirteenth Mercenary Team requests permission to bring one family member into the main city.”

“After verification, the Thirteenth Mercenary Team’s contributions are sufficient. The request has been approved.”

On the way back to the main city, Chai Yuening heard Du Xia’s grandmother speak softly, her voice low.

“Too many people have died. For a person to be alive… it’s like an accident…”

Excluding the Ninth District, which had suffered fewer casualties, the total number of survivors from the other eight districts was less than seven thousand. It was just as Lu Qi had said: clearing out two residential areas in the Second and Ninth Districts would be enough to house them all.

Before the disaster, a single outer district had a population of at least two hundred thousand.

In the face of disaster, even being alive had become a matter of chance.

Before the great catastrophe erupted, there were over seven billion people on the surface.

After the great catastrophe, humanity established four major bases in the desert, the ocean, the sky, and underground. At their most prosperous, the peak population reached twenty million, with the desert base accounting for eleven million.

After the desert and ocean bases completely fell, the total population of humanity’s two remaining bases was approximately five million.

And now, the remaining population of the Underground City Base was likely less than six hundred thousand.

Humanity was desperately trying to live.

People were rapidly dying.

Chai Yuening suddenly felt a little lost, unable to find a direction for the future.

The people in the back seat had been chatting about their recent experiences, but they gradually fell asleep. The long, empty tunnel became quiet, almost oppressive.

The vehicle drove into the main city just after midnight.

After settling Du Xia and her grandmother, Chai Yuening swiped her card to open her own door.

The lights in the room were on. Chu Ci was sitting on the sofa, her bright eyes raised, quietly watching the person return.

In her hands, she held a book of poetry she had already flipped through countless times.

Chai Yuening had thought that after their parting during the day, meeting again would involve a rather complicated process.

But the moment she opened the door, she saw that Chu Ci had returned.

That an important specimen could leave the research institute of her own volition, without supervision, was actually a perplexing matter.

Chai Yuening didn’t know the reason, nor did she want to.

She only knew that for a fleeting moment, her eyes stung, and she felt an impulse to cry.

However, she thought she should control her emotions.

“You’re back.”

“You’re back.”

They spoke in unison, then both paused for half a second before curving their brows into a faint smile.

Chu Ci said in a small voice, “I couldn’t get in without you. Boss You took me to the registration office to get a spare keycard.”

Chai Yuening scratched the back of her neck, a little embarrassed. “I forgot to leave it for you.”

Chu Ci was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, “So careless. You have no sense of responsibility at all. What if I couldn’t get a spare keycard? I would have had to squat at the door and wait for you for hours. Wouldn’t your heart ache?”

Chai Yuening, who had just closed the door behind her, couldn’t help but freeze.

She felt there was something odd about those words, yet she had no idea how to refute them.

“Boss You told me to say that,” Chu Ci added.

“Ah, so that’s it…” Chai Yuening breathed a sigh of relief.

No wonder she felt there was a strange flavor to those words. It turned out to be a You Lan flavor all along.

Chu Ci: “What’s the necessary connection between me squatting at the door and your heart aching?”

Chai Yuening casually spouted, “My conscience would hurt.”

Chu Ci: “Why?”

Chai Yuening: “When a person has the ability and responsibility, but fails to take care of anyone by their side, their conscience will hurt.”

Chu Ci: “Oh.”

It was truly a strange conversation.

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned odd.

Chai Yuening looked around, somewhat at a loss, as if trying to change the subject.

At that moment, her empty stomach happened to let out a little rumble.

Chu Ci: “Are you hungry?”

Chai Yuening: “Are you hungry now?”

Their questions came out at almost the same time.

Chu Ci: “I didn’t eat this afternoon.”

Chai Yuening: “A little.”

Even their answers were spoken simultaneously.

Just like that, the awkwardness of the previous second vanished. The two empty-bellied people walked into the kitchen one after the other and, despite the previous day’s fatigue, started making a late-night meal for today.

There weren’t many vegetables left in the fridge. A simple pot of tomato soup with some dough drops boiled in it became a warm, filling meal.

After filling their stomachs, Chai Yuening washed the pot and bowls while Chu Ci stood beside her, helping to dry them.

Finally, they took turns washing up and lazily collapsed into bed to sleep.

Chai Yuening was too tired. She hadn’t really closed her eyes since two in the morning the previous night.

Even though her stomach was full now, the moment her head hit the pillow, she was already deep in dreams.

Being alive seemed so hard, yet also so simple.

When you thought about it, it was nothing more than a full meal, a bed, and… not being alone.

The days that followed were like a return to the time when they first met.

It was so peaceful it felt a little unbelievable.

After obtaining the Underground City’s precise location, the Floating City sent three waves of reinforcements over three days.

The first and second waves continuously assisted the base with the outer district reclamation plan.

The third wave of reinforcements spent three days helping the Underground City Base clear all the withered vines from the surface communication tower and protecting the base’s technicians as they performed a thorough repair.

During this period, the base broadcasts were filled with positive and uplifting news.

One moment, it was about which outer district had been reclaimed.

The next, it was about how the outer district survivors had each been properly resettled.

Then, it was about the two major bases exchanging research findings, humanity helping each other, and the future being boundlessly bright.

However, if the soldiers responsible for reclaiming the outer districts were sacrificed in this war, they wouldn’t even leave a name behind. They could only be counted as part of a massive number, recorded in history alongside countless comrades, both familiar and strange.

The Fifth, Sixth, and Tenth Districts of the base were estimated to be the three most difficult districts to reclaim.

Especially the Sixth District. From the moment communications were restored, the main city military had only received a single message from the Sixth District at the very beginning.

And according to the military, that message from the Sixth District was merely a recording hastily made by the Chief Security Officer as the district fell.

When Chai Yuening learned of this, the Chief Security Officer’s somewhat trembling voice seemed to echo in her ears.

He had said: “Sixth District communication signal is lost. District dispersal alarm activated. It seems a swarm of beasts… has infiltrated through the ventilation ducts. The specific cause is unknown… The Sixth District’s military forces were dispatched to support the Fifth District this afternoon. Remaining combat strength… is severely insufficient. Cheng Shan of the Sixth District Security Office requests support from the main city!”

On that day, the Sixth District, being closest to the Fifth, had dispatched almost all its military forces to reinforce the Fifth District at the earliest opportunity, leaving only some city defense personnel to maintain order.

They had truly fallen into despair.

And after the despair, someone sighed softly, saying that in another ten or twenty years, the outer districts would become bustling again.

No one knew if this was true, but everyone was willing to believe that such a day would come in ten or twenty years.

The reclamation work in the base’s outer districts was progressing in a positive direction day by day.

First were the districts that had fallen later and had a lower degree of mutation, followed by the final three high-risk districts.

During this time, whether in the main city or the outer districts, the base broadcast announced new death tolls every day.

And Chu Ci would also be taken to the Base Research Institute from time to time, gone for an entire day.

Each time she returned, it was as if nothing had happened. She would listen to the broadcast, read her books, have a late-night snack, and go straight to sleep.

Chai Yuening had wanted to help in some way, but all the applications she submitted to the military were rejected.

This time, however, it really had nothing to do with Xue Zhou. Not a single mercenary team was allowed to participate in the outer district reclamation plan.

As far as the military was concerned, mercenary teams had always been disorganized and undisciplined. In a dangerous area with an extremely high mutation infection rate, where one might need to kill their own comrades at any moment, it was better for such armed groups with their own small-clique mentality not to be present.

For this reason, all the mercenary teams that wanted to help basically became temporary transport fleets for supplies and non-infected wounded.

…

On the fourth day after the great fog dissipated, Chai Yuening saw a familiar face leaning on a crutch from a distance at the main city’s medical center.

She didn’t go up to greet him, but walked straight to Lao Xiang’s hospital room.

You Lan was sitting by the hospital bed, peeling an apple that was priced to kill the common folk.

Chai Yuening walked over. “Ban Xiangming is still alive.”

You Lan paused for half a second, then replied faintly, “That’s good.”

After that, there was no other reaction.

The day Lao Xiang was discharged from the hospital, the entire team gathered together and had a lively feast, courtesy of You Lan.

In the small temporary housing, seven people crowded around one table. For an ordinary family, the spread of fish and meat on the table was more lavish than what they might eat even during New Year’s or other holidays.

“The outer districts are almost completely reclaimed!” You Lan raised her glass and asked, “After reclamation, there will be a half-month inspection period and a one-month repair period before people can move back in. What are everyone’s plans?”

“We finally made it into the main city. Why would we go back to the outer districts?” Lao Xiang said.

“I think the outer districts are great,” Lu Qi said loudly. “The main city is just a bit more comfortable to live in. The outer districts have fewer rules!”

“Cut the crap. You just don’t want to get caught by your brother-in-law.”

“So what? I’ll do whatever I want. Is it his place to control me?”

“Oh, right!” Ren Dong, afraid the two would start arguing, quickly helped change the subject. “Boss You, what are your plans for the future?”

“Of course I’m going back to the Seventh District. My entire fortune is there,” You Lan said. “Me, I’m going back to reopen all of them.”

“Where will the customers come from?” Chai Yuening asked.

“There will be some eventually,” You Lan replied. “As long as people are alive, there will be everything.”

As You Lan spoke, she seemed to remember something and raised her eyebrows to glance at Chu Ci.

After a brief moment of thought, she got up, walked to Chai Yuening’s side, and gently tugged on her sleeve.

“Captain Chai, come here for a second.”

Chai Yuening paused, then, under Chu Ci’s blank yet curious gaze, she stood up and followed You Lan into the bathroom, closing the door.

You Lan: “I heard from Ren Dong that Chu Ci is going home?”

Chai Yuening paused, then forced a smile and nodded.

You Lan: “You two are just breaking up like this?”

Chai Yuening: “Wha… what are you talking about?”

You Lan: “How old is that little girl? Is she even an adult? You played around with her like that, and you’re not planning to take responsibility?”

Chai Yuening: “No, what is all this?”

You Lan: “Chai Yuening, look at the way that girl clings to you every day. Don’t you go and betray her feelings.”

Chai Yuening bit her lip and sighed helplessly.

“Some things really aren’t what you think.”

You Lan rolled her eyes and sighed. “You know best in your heart whether they are or not. Your reluctance is written all over your face. Don’t lie to yourself.”

Chai Yuening: “I admit, it’s normal to be reluctant to part after spending so much time together, right?”

You Lan: “Isn’t that right?”

Chai Yuening: “…You don’t understand.”

You Lan: “I really don’t understand what you’re thinking. If you can’t bear to let her go, then keep her. If you can’t keep her, then chase after her. It’s that simple.”

As she spoke, You Lan leaned against the sink and sighed in exasperation.

She was just like a busybody aunt who, after failing to play matchmaker for a younger relative, was both angry and utterly baffled by the situation.

Chai Yuening shrugged, turned, and walked out of the bathroom, returning to the lively dinner table.

She thought that You Lan’s misunderstanding of her and Chu Ci was too great.

Their relationship really wasn’t what You Lan imagined.

Besides, Chu Ci’s departure wasn’t something she could talk her out of with just a few words.

There was a lot You Lan didn’t know. She was, after all, just an ordinary person, and they wouldn’t tell her things that an ordinary person might not be able to accept.

After that, life went on day by day.

Chai Yuening always thought that on the day the base fully reclaimed the outer districts, the Floating City would leave, and Chu Ci would leave.

But before that day arrived, the base broadcast announced a piece of tragic news to the entire city.

Major General Xue Zhou, a division-level officer of the main city military.

While carrying out a reclamation mission in the Fifth District, he was unfortunately infected. After insisting on continuing to command the battle for two hours, he took his own life with a bullet at the first sign of slight physical mutation. He has now been safely cremated.

The rest of the broadcast was a summary of the officer’s lifelong achievements.

He had led many dangerous missions, brought back many surface samples for the base, and had also killed mutated individuals in several incidents of attacks on humans within the base, saving many lives.

Three nights later, a military officer who looked somewhat familiar to Chai Yuening came to the building where their mercenary team was temporarily staying.

He was Xue Zhou’s adjutant. After knocking on Lu Qi’s door, he handed over the gun that Xue Zhou had never been without in his life.

“Did he have any last words?” Lu Qi asked.

“Yes,” the adjutant said. “Scatter the ashes. No one will pay respects, so don’t take up space. The gun is for you. Use it for self-defense or destroy it, whatever you want.”

“Oh…”

“The Major General said it was a good thing you threw a fit and didn’t join the military back then.” The adjutant gave a bitter smile. “These last few words are what I want to say to you. A lot of the time, in the face of absolute responsibility, the lines between black and white, right and wrong, are blurry. You don’t need to understand, and most people don’t need to understand either, but the truth has always existed. It won’t change just because someone avoids it. In this world where hope is something we can only talk about, the collective interest of humanity supersedes everything else. No one’s life is an exception.”

“…”

There were many things in this world worth grieving over, but people accustomed to living in danger never spent too much time immersed in sorrow.

After that, a gun appeared on the young man’s hip.

Other than that, everything seemed no different from before.

But Chai Yuening could see it was a silent release and understanding.

She couldn’t help but have a superstitious thought: perhaps a belated forgiveness could also comfort the departed’s spirit in the heavens.

…

On the eighteenth day after the great fog dissipated, the outer districts were successfully reclaimed by the military. Military casualties were as high as thirty-seven percent, as expected.

The Underground City Base once again expressed its gratitude for the Floating City’s selfless assistance.

The Floating City’s aircraft would be leaving the next day.

The night before their departure, Chu Ci returned to this temporary residence as usual.

Chai Yuening wanted to help her pack her things, but found that apart from two sets of clothes bought after arriving in the main city, there was nothing to pack.

“Actually, you don’t need to take the clothes. There won’t be a shortage.”

“…”

Thinking about it, the fact that Chu Ci had lived here was like an illusory dream.

She had arrived empty-handed before the dream began, and now she would leave empty-handed after the dream ended.

“Is there really nothing you want to take with you? We could ask You Lan for some fruit to eat on the way?”

“No need. Just seeing me off is enough,” Chu Ci said nonchalantly.

In the early hours of the next day, Chai Yuening was startled awake by a strange dream.

In the dream, someone grabbed her arm and gently shook her awake.

When she opened her eyes, in the warm yellow light, Chu Ci smiled at her, her brows curved.

“Chai Yuening, I have to go. You said you would see me off.”

She was so sleepy, so drained of strength, that she subconsciously reached out, wanting Chu Ci to pull her up, but she grabbed at empty air.

Chu Ci was gone. Everyone said she had gone back.

She ran and ran, chasing all the way to the surface, only to see the sky turning a fish-belly white. On the horizon, where the morning glow was brightening, aircraft after aircraft flew further and further away, like a flock of wild geese.

The moment she woke up, Chu Ci was not beside her. Chai Yuening almost instantly jumped out of bed with bare feet.

The next second, the sound of someone washing up from the bathroom, just a wall away, made her let out a huge sigh of relief.

Chai Yuening got dressed. As she left the bedroom, she happened to run into Chu Ci coming out of the bathroom.

“You’re awake.”

“Yeah.”

“We’re leaving soon. When we get to the Floating City, I’ll show you around.”

“You can walk around freely there?”

“I can,” Chu Ci said faintly, touching her left arm, which was wrapped in a medicated bandage. She curved her brows. “It’s just so I won’t get lost in the base.”

Chai Yuening couldn’t help but freeze.

That wound had been there since they first met.

At first, it was where the locator had been removed. Later, it was injured a second time in the Sixth District.

After returning from the surface, the bandaging on this wound had become much more professional, but only now did she realize that the small shackle had been implanted in Chu Ci’s body once again.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“If it hurts, you’re allowed to say so.”

“Then don’t tell anyone else.”

“Okay.”

At Chai Yuening’s promise, Chu Ci slowly took a few steps forward.

She seemed to hesitate, but still bent over slightly, gently pressing her ear to Chai Yuening’s heart.

Chai Yuening subconsciously took half a step back, but Chu Ci’s arm gently wrapped around her.

She silently listened to the thumping sound, one beat after another. After a good while, she finally spoke in a murmur.

“I don’t dare tell the Doctor. I’m clearly not injured, but it just hurts here. I’m not supposed to get sick…”

“It’s actually not a big deal. It’s very light.”

“It’s just that I’m used to the pain in other places. This pain here, I’m not used to it.”

---

If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.