To the Start of a New World

2.12

Hong Sheng nodded dully.

"Good. I was just asking this young lady what happened to you two. You should rest."

Hong Sheng shook his head. He glanced at Yu Qiu, then dragged his dark eyes over Lu Hao's shoulder, before finally looking back at Lu Hao.

"You feel good enough to clear things up for me?"

After seeing Hong Sheng nod again, Lu Hao was satisfied and called for one of the SG to get Yu Qiu registered with a place to stay. He grabbed a stool and sat by Hong Sheng's bed. Hong Sheng was looking down and avoiding eye contact. He seemed so tired that Lu Hao didn't want to press him.

"Did you meet someone in the underground base?"

Hong Sheng nodded. He spoke in a raspy, low voice, "Lieutenant Ji. A dangerous man."

Lu Hao barely controlled his surprised expression, which resulted in his eyebrows twitching. Ji Ling was there?

Hong Sheng continued his report, speaking slowly and without any fluctuations. "Teammate Yu and I fell into a ravine. We arrived at a metal door. She could not see it. I opened the door and brought us inside the entryway. We entered the secondary door to the lobby. Lieutenant Ji sat there. Our arrival surprised her. Lieutenant Ji brought a med kit to treat our wounds. I informed her you were in the area and we required your assistance. Lieutenant Ji said she would look for you. A man appeared and accompanied her. Appearance: approximately 1.8 meters. Thin. Very pale. Black hair and eyes. Wearing white dress shirt and black pants. Dangerous aura. They left together. Zombies breached the base shortly after. Teammate Yu and I hid in freezer until rescue."

Stunned by the information, Lu Hao was silent. After a while, he asked, "Did Ji Ling tell you anything about the base or why she was there?"

"No."

Lu Hao then dropped a bombshell: "I suspect the man was a zombie." He said it calmly, like it was nothing, but Hong Sheng's pupils tightened to pinpricks, and Yu Qiu directly paled in fright. That man had been indistinguishable from a human. For a zombie to mutate that far... "I ran into him before you saw him. Tell me about your encounter."

Hong Sheng only took a moment to stabilize. He continued his report. "When I informed Lieutenant Ji that the strange nature of the area may have put you in danger, she said she will look for you, and that she had help in case of dangerous zombies. The man walked out. He smiled in our direction. He did not speak and followed Lieutenant Ji out the door."

The expression on Lu Hao's face was grave. He tapped his finger on his leg. "Were there any other details you discovered in the base?"

Yu Qiu's eyes whipped toward Hong Sheng. She bit her lip in nervousness. There was indeed a major detail, a big detail, one that seemed nearly as frightening as a human-like zombie. But Hong Sheng didn't share a single word with Lu Hao; his gaze drifted off for a moment, and he stated with a bland voice, "I'm tired."

"Rest." Lu Hao felt that if Hong Sheng didn't answer the question, that meant there was nothing else major to note. He pulled the bedsheets to tuck Hong Sheng in more comfortably. "You must recover."

Hong Sheng's eyes closed. Yu Qiu and Lu Hao watched him until his chest lightly rose and fell in fragile sleep. Hong Sheng's sleeping breaths filled their mutual silence, and in between, a strange tension arose. Yu Qiu felt her nerves stand on end as Lu Hao suddenly turned his gaze on her.

The man smiled. He had a warm, beautiful smile, the corners of his eyes rising in a gentle curve. He motioned to her, and in a daze, Yu Qiu came closer. Drawn in by that hypnotic smile, Yu Qiu nearly missed what Lu Hao had asked:

"Did Hong Sheng ask you not to tell me something?"

Yu Qiu froze, and her pupils trembled in anxiety.

Lu Hao watched her, his gaze cold beneath the warm expression on his face. Her panic was so obvious. He knew he had guessed right.

But before Lu Hao could pry further, someone tapped at his shoulder. Lu Hao turned his head, and there next to him stood Ji Ling.

Lieutenant Ji Ling had followed Lu Hao since the beginning of the SG. She was known by the entire base as one of the most trustworthy leaders, the heart of the base, the one whose everlasting kindness and beauty inspired everyone to keep fighting. As she stood behind Lu Hao, Ji Ling's clear and watery eyes held concern in them, and wisps of her long and silky black hair drifted out of her ponytail in uncharacteristic messiness.

Seeing her, Yu Qiu let out a cry of surprise. "B—big sister!" In a second, a messy smile forced its way up Yu Qiu's mouth. "You're... you're alright!"

Lu Hao looked between them.

The two women's gazes met. Ji Ling's face held pure concern, like she had been worried over the safety of the people she'd parted with in the underground base. Thinking of some things, Yu Qiu hands tightened on her shorts while she kept a happy smile on her face, and she said, "Big sis helped us when we were running from zombies. Thank you for saving us."

A faint watery mist rose in Ji Ling's eyes. "No... I nearly got you killed." She looked at Lu Hao. "It's my fault. I was undercover. A dangerous contact brought me to that strange base, and while I was there, I crossed paths with the young lady and Hong Sheng. Hong Sheng asked me to look for you, so I left with my contact to search for you. But that fog... Worse, I didn't realize until after that the man wasn't willing to let the two of them live. By the time I knew he'd lured zombies to them..."

Hearing this, a bitter expression overtook Yu Qiu as she shook her head. "Big sister, don't worry. I know it must have been complicated. I don't blame you."

"Really?" The sorrow in Ji Ling's voice was apparent, with a hint of self-reproach. "It was my carelessness for not watching out for you more." Ji Ling turned to Lu Hao with a weak smile. "Lu Hao, we need to discuss the area around that underground base. I'm sure you've noticed how strange that place is—we need to take care of it as soon as possible."

Lu Hao, who had been silent and listening, turned his gaze on Ji Ling. "Right," he said. "There is a lot to talk about."

"Let's not disturb their rest. I've arranged with logistics to have the young lady registered as part of the SG, so she'll have a place to rest once she's recovered."

Lu Hao nodded. "Good. Give me a second." He turned to Hong Sheng and gazed over him to check his condition before turning away. Ji Ling and Lu Hao tacitly left the medical ward and headed toward Lu Hao's office. Once they were gone, Yu Qiu let out a shaky breath.

She quickly glanced down at Hong Sheng's backpack, which she had kicked under his bed while Ji Ling and Lu Hao had been talking.

Don't tell anyone about the room.

When Hong Sheng mouthed that to her over Lu Hao's shoulder, Yu Qiu realized something wasn't right. What they had found was intentionally hidden, like a big state secret. Everyone who got near that place was killed.

What would the people who hid that place do if they knew Hong Sheng had brought the secrets out?

Shaking, Yu Qiu nodded robotically when the nurse told her she was free to go. She glanced once more at Hong Sheng resting in bed and hoped he would be okay.