Chapter 121
Chapter 121
The door closed behind them with a dull thud.
Qingshui stood outside, looking at Song Yunqing through the palm-sized window set into the iron door.
It was a large, empty room.
There was nothing inside. No bed, no table or chairs, no windows, no furniture of any kind. There were only four grayish-white walls and an iron cage.
The cage door stood open, with a thin mattress laid across the floor. It was small, just large enough for one person to curl up inside.
Song Yunqing walked in.
She did not enter the cage. Instead, she went to the farthest corner of the room, pressed her back against the wall, and slowly slid down to the floor, curling in on herself.
With her knees drawn to her chest and her head buried against them, she folded herself into a tiny ball, like a wounded animal hiding in a corner.
Qingshui pressed her hand against the cold iron door, her knuckles turning faintly white.
“Give her a few days to calm down.”
The Director stood by the door, calmly watching the girl inside.
Qingshui nodded. The group turned to leave, but they had only taken a few steps when…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The violent sound of something slamming into a wall suddenly echoed down the corridor.
Each impact was heavy and frantic, as though something were throwing itself against the wall with all its strength. The maddened rhythm made their scalps prickle.
Qingshui stopped in her tracks.
She instinctively looked toward the rooms lining both sides of the corridor, trying to pinpoint the source. But every room was sealed behind an iron door, and there was only darkness beyond each window. She could not see a thing.
Was it Zhou Sufen and the others?
She was about to ask when the Director beside her frowned and said, “Ignore it.”
“There are other patients confined on this floor.”
Everyone looked at her.
There was nothing unusual in the Director’s expression. She merely sighed and continued walking.
Once they descended the stairs, the light grew bright again.
The Director walked ahead at an unhurried pace. When she reached the landing, she suddenly stopped.
Qingshui and the other two stopped as well.
The Director turned around, her gaze falling on Qingshui’s foot.
“How is your leg?”
Qingshui paused for a moment before answering, “I can move around again.”
It was the truth. After resting for the past few days, Qingshui’s ankle had healed completely, and she had made a full recovery.
The Director nodded.
“There’s a granary in neighboring Fanrong County. The mission will be in a few days. Wenlie will tell you the details of the plan.”
“Understood.”
Wen Lianfeng acknowledged the order steadily without asking for more details. Instead, she changed the subject and looked at the Director. “Sister Xu, I’ve noticed you’ve been listening to the radio a lot lately. Any news?”
The Director looked at her for a long moment, then shook her head.
“Nothing from the government.”
Wen Lianfeng’s brow twitched.
“But there has been some news from other survivors.”
“Oh?”
That immediately caught their interest.
The Director’s tone remained flat, as though she were recounting something inconsequential.
“I heard there’s a survivor base near Anxi City in Wanhui Province. They’ve occupied an underground air-raid shelter, and there are quite a few of them.”
An air-raid shelter.
Wen Lianfeng’s frown deepened. She glanced at Chu Jingchu, and the low-ponytailed woman raised an eyebrow as well.
“Some others are calling on everyone to head north and work together to build a new home for humanity.”
“Anything else?” Wen Lianfeng pressed.
“Plenty…” The Director’s smile turned faintly inscrutable. “Most of them are crude traps. Do you want to hear about those?”
Wen Lianfeng fell silent for a second, then shook her head. “Forget it. Thanks, Sister Xu.”
She turned to Qingshui and Chu Jingchu, changing the subject. “Let’s go. We’re on lookout duty today.”
Qingshui nodded. The three of them said goodbye to the Director, then headed toward the duty building.
Behind them, the Director watched their retreating figures for several seconds before looking away.
Outside the main building, the daylight was a bleak gray-white.
In the distance, several people were reinforcing the traps along the courtyard wall. The steady thud of stakes being hammered into place carried through the air.
Qingshui walked in front.
Wen Lianfeng and Chu Jingchu followed behind her, chatting idly.
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound reached them.
Qingshui continued forward. As she drew closer, the noise became clearer: heavy breathing mixed with a strange sound, like someone swallowing greedily and urgently.
She stopped. Her body went taut in an instant, and her knife was already in her hand.
“I hear something.”
Wen Lianfeng and Chu Jingchu both froze.
The three women exchanged glances.
Then they lightened their steps and cautiously crept toward the source of the sound.
It was very faint.
Halting and intermittent, almost like…
Qingshui frowned, unable to identify it. She had witnessed too many gruesome scenes and heard too many horrifying sounds. Countless possibilities flashed through her mind. A Madman? An ambush? A trap?
Wen Lianfeng and Chu Jingchu stayed close behind, guarding her flanks. As they drew nearer, the sounds grew clearer, breathy and suggestive. The expressions on Wen Lianfeng’s and Chu Jingchu’s faces immediately turned rather complicated.
“Qingshui…” Wen Lianfeng had just started to call out and stop her when Qingshui rounded the corner with a grave expression.
The next second, several startled cries rang out.
Wen Lianfeng sighed helplessly and hurried after her.
Then she saw them.
Xu Wenlie and Li Chong.
They stood in the corner by the wall, far too close together for it to be normal.
Xu Wenlie’s scarred face was filled with embarrassment. Her usual brisk, capable air had vanished completely. She stood there at a loss, like a thief caught red-handed.
Beside her, Li Chong’s delicate face had turned red from the roots of his ears all the way down his neck, making him look like a cooked shrimp. He kept his head lowered, not daring to look at anyone, leaving only his bright-red ears visible.
Their clothes were perfectly neat and showed no sign of disarray. But a suspicious sheen of moisture clung to the corners of their mouths. Anyone with eyes could tell what they had just been doing.
Qingshui stood frozen in place.
Three seconds later, her mind raced, and understanding finally dawned on her. Yet the expression on her face remained blank, as if she still hadn’t quite processed it.
She looked at Xu Wenlie, then at Li Chong, then at that suspicious sheen before finally returning her gaze to Xu Wenlie’s face.
Her stare made Xu Wenlie squirm. After clearing her throat twice, Xu Wenlie asked, “Is… everything okay?”
Her voice was slightly hoarse, and her gaze darted about, refusing to meet Qingshui’s eyes. Even she found it strange. She was the one who had been startled, so why was she the first to get nervous?
Qingshui finally came back to her senses. “I’m sorry.”
Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of bewilderment she didn’t even notice herself. “I… didn’t realize what was happening.”
She truly hadn’t. Hearing those noises and that heavy breathing, her first thoughts had all been of danger, fighting, and Madmen. It had never occurred to her that they might be doing that.
Li Chong raised his head and glanced at Xu Wenlie.
Then, in a rare display, he smiled.
His delicate features looked even more attractive when he smiled. He waved a hand and said sincerely, “It’s not your fault. We didn’t hide ourselves well enough.”
Wen Lianfeng walked over, grabbed Qingshui by the collar, and pulled her back.
“Come on.” There was a trace of laughter in her voice that she couldn’t quite suppress, though her face remained perfectly composed. “Stop standing around here.”
She dragged Qingshui away.
After taking a few steps, Wen Lianfeng called over her shoulder without looking back, “We’re leaving. You two can carry on.”
Behind them came another, quieter cough from Xu Wenlie, followed by Li Chong’s soft laughter.