Fighting to Survive, Cheng Ye's Decision

Overcast clouds hung low as hurried figures moved through the gloom. As the only residential complex far removed from the Main Urban District, the Chemical Plant Staff Housing District exuded a profound desolation that felt entirely out of place in the Buffer Zone. For many who chose to dwell here, the reason was simple and direct. Space. It was nothing like the electronic factory tenement building where Cheng Ye lived back in the Main Urban District. A single room of a dozen square meters was fine for one person, but an entire family would instantly crowd it until there was barely room to stand. Built around year ten of the Old Era, the Chemical Plant Staff Housing District was already laid out in standard apartment blocks. Some units had once served as worker dormitories, compact and practical at around forty square meters. Others had been allotted to veteran factory workers as a special privilege, reaching nearly sixty square meters. As one of the most senior members of the checkpoint, Liu Bi had settled his home here not only to provide a comfortable living for his family of three, but also out of additional considerations. Living far from the clamor of the Main Urban District also meant staying away from a portion of the danger. If an infected wave ever erupted, the stretch between the Main Urban District and the outskirts would become a buffer zone that could buy precious escape time. It was, in essence, a buffer zone within the Buffer Zone! "Right, yes, I understand. I'll set out as soon as possible." Hanging up the defense comm, Liu Bi stood beside the living room window, his somber expression almost blending into the leaden gray clouds outside. "What happened? They aren't sending you on a field mission in weather like this, are they?" A voice came from the master bedroom, followed by the soft slide of a wooden door. A middle-aged woman wearing light blue loungewear stepped out, her curly hair swept up casually, fine lines creasing at the corners of her eyes with concern. Luo Xiaoxue, Liu Bi's wife. The two had been childhood sweethearts, supporting each other through thick and thin since youth, and now had a daughter together. "It was Station Chief Ding on the line..." Liu Bi turned around, forcing a bitter smile that looked worse than weeping. "The torrential rain won't stop, and it looks like the hydroelectric plant can't hold out much longer. I have to accompany the Inner City Emergency Team and guide the engineers heading there for reinforcements." "The Inner City Emergency Team?" Luo Xiaoxue frowned. "The hydroelectric plant is only eighty kilometers from Happiness City. You could walk there with your eyes closed—why do they need an inspector to guide them?" "I can't figure out what the higher-ups are thinking either, but the station chief already agreed to it. I have to go whether I want to or not." With that, Liu Bi let out a sigh. These were truly turbulent times. Not only had infection sources everywhere shown abnormal activity since the start of the year, but relentless natural disasters were also continually testing the capabilities of the major shelter cities. Take Yueye Shelter City in neighboring Cloud City, for example: a population of over four hundred thousand, yet word had it they were nearly overrun by an infection wave. "Who knows how many times that route to the hydroelectric plant has been cleared over the years. Normal dangers are nothing to fear, but what makes this tricky is that hydrophilic infected have set their sights on the plant. I'll probably have to stay stationed there for quite a while until the situation is completely under control before I can come back. "It's just that once I leave, no one will be looking after Cheng Ye... That kid is stubborn, but his comprehension and natural talent are outstanding. He just took over the inspector post and will soon have to head out on field duty. I really can't set my mind at ease." "Cheng Ye..." Luo Xiaoxue pursed her lips. Cheng Long and Liu Bi had been brothers who braved life and death together; when it came to a dying brother's entrustment, Liu Bi naturally took it to heart. Especially when he came home yesterday, Liu Bi had taken out a treasured bottle of liquor to savor a couple of drinks, a rare occurrence. Though she hadn't asked the reason, she could guess that the results of Cheng Ye's special training over the past two months must have gone well. "Don't worry too much. Maybe you'll only be gone a few days and—" Before she could finish, the defense comm in Liu Bi's hand vibrated. "It's Cheng Ye." Making a shushing gesture, Liu Bi walked over to the window, his thoughts tangled in a knot. Setting aside their upcoming training schedule, he had previously promised to accompany Cheng Ye on his first field assignment. Now that he was being drafted for emergency duty, it was hard to say whether their schedules would ever align. The sound of rain mingled with electronic static over the defense comm as Cheng Ye cleared his throat. "Ahem, Brother B, I didn't interrupt your morning training, did I?" "No," Liu Bi replied, instinctively straightening his posture, his voice low and solemn. "There's something I—" "There's something I—" Both voices spoke at once from either end of the line, only to cut off simultaneously midway. The air felt a little heavy before Cheng Ye broke into a light chuckle. "Brother B, should I go first?" "Yeah." "Lend me some contribution points. I'll pay you back in a while." "What for?" "To buy some weapons and gear. I can't just run around with a training dagger every day; I need a decent melee weapon that suits my hand." "Buy gear?" Liu Bi frowned. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You only made a bit of progress yesterday, and now you're already in a rush today? The training dagger has 'training' in its name precisely because using it prevents you from developing bad habits. If you switch to standard-issue weapons and ruin your foundation, correcting it later will be exceedingly difficult." "Sigh, isn't it because circumstances are forcing my hand?" On the other end of the line, Cheng Ye sighed. "Old Ding called earlier to reassign me to guard the North and South Gates to lay low. If I don't have a handy weapon at a rapid post, I'm afraid I won't survive if I run into an infected." "What?!" Liu Bi exclaimed, his voice detonating in the room like a crack of thunder. "Old Ding said..." Recounting the contents of Ding Yishan's call at high speed, Cheng Ye gradually came to a halt. "My guess is, Old Ding probably called you too and assigned you to field duty, right?" "I'm going to tell him: either I go and you stay, or I stay and accompany you!" Liu Bi was straightforward by nature and hated dwelling on petty political schemes, but that didn't mean he was a fool. Cheng Ye had already laid bare the core of the matter; if he still couldn't understand it, how could he have survived to this day in this dog-eat-dog wasteland? "Don't be impulsive, Brother B. Hear me out..." Having confirmed his suspicion, Cheng Ye grew even calmer. "The station chief assigned you to that mission on orders from the Inner City. You can't turn it down, nor is there any way to. "Going to the North and South Stations will also help me avoid some of the West Faction's targeting. As for the potential dangers... Didn't you say it yourself before? An inspector's prestige in the Buffer Zone isn't earned by posturing at the main entrance; it comes from the defensive lines at the North and South Gates. If the infected want to get in, they have to step over our corpses first. That respect is bought with our lives. "I know full well how dangerous the rapid posts are. If I can't even get past this hurdle, I most likely wouldn't survive field duty anyway." The clear, reasoned persuasion traveled through the receiver. Liu Bi's hand holding the defense comm trembled slightly as his heart sank to rock bottom. At this moment, how he wished Cheng Ye weren't so mature—that he would be a little childish, pleading for Liu Bi to stay and protect him. If he had, Liu Bi would have stayed no matter what, even if it meant resigning from the inspector ranks. Yet every word out of Cheng Ye's mouth was lucid and resolute, leaving him without the slightest room to argue. "Brother B, neither of us is the indecisive, sentimental type, so let's leave it at that. "You... just focus on heading out for field duty. We shouldn't see each other for a while, which will keep the West Faction from paying as much attention to me." Cheng Ye continued explaining. From the moment Ding Yishan made his move, he had known he could rely only on himself. Even if Liu Bi found an excuse to stay behind, other traps would surely be waiting. It was better to be decisive and pretend to know nothing. That way, he could bide his time in the shadows and seek an opportunity to break the stalemate through the Collector. "You called me only after you'd already made up your mind?" Liu Bi let out a sigh. "You could have asked me to stay. I owe your father." "He is him, and I am me. What you owe him is between you two; what I owe is to you." "Fine. Since you've put it that way, I'll respect your decision." Liu Bi gritted his teeth. "I have to set out on field duty shortly, so there's no time to go through the formal requisition procedures. The one hundred contribution points—I'll have your sister-in-law arrange for someone to deliver them to you no later than... tomorrow morning." "Understood." "Regarding your father, I told you part of it before. The rest I planned to tell you after your first field mission... Listen closely: more than half the people at the checkpoint owe him favors. If you try to make them repay everything in full right now, it will be hard. But if it's convenient and at a discount, some of them are still willing. "The North and South Stations rotate every five days. For your first assignment, you must choose the South Station. "The South Station is manned by our East Faction. I'll make arrangements so no one gives you trouble there; they will do everything they can to keep you safe and help you through the toughest initial period. "The North Station, however, is guarded by the West Faction, where I can't reach... There is only one person I can contact who is relatively trustworthy. His father was saved by your grandfather, and he was saved by your father. At a critical moment, he can keep you alive. "With the continuous downpour, hydrophilic infected are swarming madly toward Chuan City. Whether they'll assault the checkpoint is hard to say, but you must remain on guard. As for the specific threats to watch out for... before I leave, I'll compile a dossier and have your sister-in-law bring it to you as well. "And about weapons: if combat during rapid quarantine checks escalates to requiring firearms, ordinary guns definitely won't cut it. Their purpose is mostly for deterrence. In the blink of an eye, a melee weapon is still your best option. Only by creating distance can you return fire with a gun. So I advise you not to be greedy for weapon length. A short dagger or a hand axe... in many situations, they'll save your life far better than a spear or a greatsword. "..." From the impending situation and hazards to the choice of weaponry, the nuances of combat, and the threat of the infected... Like an aging father preparing for a long journey, Liu Bi rapidly went over every detail, big and small. At the end, he did not forget to make Cheng Ye repeat it all. Only after confirming that Cheng Ye had committed every point to memory did he draw a deep breath and say, almost syllable by syllable, "Stay alive. Remember, whatever happens... you must survive." "Of course. Don't worry, just focus on your mission. My life is tough as nails; I'm still waiting for you to come back and accompany me on my first field assignment." A chuckle came through, and the defense comm clicked off. Yet the shadow weighing on Liu Bi's heart refused to disperse. *Rumble!* A clap of thunder exploded, rattling the window frames with a low hum. Immediately after, a streak of pale lightning tore through the thick clouds, illuminating the world in an instant and casting light upon Liu Bi's face. Half filled with anger, half with helplessness. Vast as Happiness City was, it was already among the top tier of giant shelter cities in the wasteland. Here, even inspectors had to struggle desperately just to survive. How, then, were ordinary people supposed to carry on?