Rescue

Jiang Qingrou rested in the snow for five days before setting out. Before she left, following Song Weishi's example, she retrieved the vehicles from the warehouse and rigged up a simple sled system.

She loaded all the small animals and food onto the back, forming a long, train-like contraption. The two black-and-white apes took the front, working with her to steer the sled.

Following the route Song Weishi had given her, she slid out of the snowfield. But she moved much slower than Song Weishi and Xie Yi had. After emerging, she didn't know the way, wandered around, skirted past Xinzhao City, and eventually made it into Huihai City.

Once she got out of the snow, though, she picked up speed, because the black-and-white apes adapted well to the hot weather and barely let Jiang Qingrou touch the ground during travel.

She pushed on and finally arrived before the insect plague broke out.

At first, the guards thought Jiang Qingrou and the apes were monsters and prepared to shoot, but she was ready. The moment they locked onto her, she hid her tracks, then blended into the crowd. When the higher-ups saw the apes posed no threat to humans, they took her seriously. After thorough vetting and approval from the top, Jiang Qingrou passed inspection and entered Huihai City.

Listening to her story, Song Weishi felt a chill run down her spine, but at least she'd made it in safely. It was nice to run into another familiar face.

Jiang Qingrou quickly warmed up to Ke Shaoyi—both of them were easygoing and got along like a house on fire.

But Jiang Qingrou always shied away from Xie Yi, shrinking into the corner farthest from her, never once meeting her eyes.

Song Weishi observed the two of them and recalled Jiang Qingrou's question when she first came in. Could they know each other from before?

She couldn't help but wonder what had happened between them. It didn't seem like anything good.

Jiang Qingrou looked restless, while Xie Yi was as calm as ever, except her face was sour—nothing like the pleasant demeanor she showed Song Weishi.

The weird tension between them was hard to miss. Ke Shaoyi nudged Song Weishi's arm with her elbow. "What's up?"

Jiang Qingrou's eyes darted around, and she scratched her head awkwardly. "Nothing. Just feeling a bit stuffy in here."

Chu Miaoxuan had gone out to prepare as soon as she got here, so the others were on standby. Jiang Qingrou didn't know whether to stay or leave, and it felt painfully awkward.

Ke Shaoyi was baffled. The only person in the room who'd barely spoken was Xie Yi. She looked at that cold face—pretty as it was, she didn't dare strike up a conversation.

She mulled it over, concluded that the only person who could make Jiang Qingrou this uncomfortable was Xie Yi, and tried to lighten the mood with a half-joke. "What's wrong? Did you know her before too? You three really have some fate, huh, haha."

Jiang Qingrou's face instantly turned grim. She'd hit the nail on the head—Ke Shaoyi had stumbled onto the truth by accident.

Xie Yi shifted, turning slightly toward Jiang Qingrou. "Never met before, right?"

Those were the words Jiang Qingrou had said to her in the snow. Jiang Qingrou suddenly felt sweat prickling down her back. Back then, she'd said she didn't know, thinking Xie Yi was some kind of villain out to get Song Weishi. That little lie had completely stalled her search.

If someone had pointed her the right way on the road, she'd have hated them for it.

But thinking about it again, it wasn't really her fault. Xie Yi hadn't explained herself clearly either—how was she supposed to know Xie Yi was trustworthy?

Jiang Qingrou sat frozen in her seat, staring at her without moving.

Ke Shaoyi figured Xie Yi meant she hadn't met Jiang Qingrou before, which made sense. If they had met, wouldn't that be too much of a coincidence?

Song Weishi leaned in and whispered, "What's going on?"

Xie Yi wasn't one to say random, cryptic things. Jiang Qingrou turned with a face full of mixed emotions and murmured close to her ear, "Earlier, she came to where I was and asked if I'd seen you. I thought she was after you, so I didn't tell her where you went. Ha..."

Song Weishi: ...

Was it really that much of a coincidence?

Her gaze happened to meet Xie Yi's. They stared at each other, neither able to dodge.

Xie Yi parted her lips and breathed out a word in a whisper, but Song Weishi somehow read the two characters clearly: *Not close.*

Her mouth twitched. She didn't say anything, exchanged a look with Jiang Qingrou, and felt her toes curl. The awkwardness spread through the room, thick enough that even Ke Shaoyi, as oblivious as she was, picked up on it.

She glanced back and forth at both sides, clueless about what was going on. The three of them were speaking in riddles, and she was completely lost.

Just as the atmosphere was about to drop below freezing, Chu Miaoxuan finally came back in. Ke Shaoyi let out a breath and shot up to greet her captain.

Chu Miaoxuan held several access cards and handed them out. "Let's go. We'll pick some suitable weapons in the armory to make things easier when we head out to kill monsters."

Song Weishi stood up in a hurry, Jiang Qingrou right behind her. The two of them moved faster than Chu Miaoxuan, leaving behind a bewildered Ke Shaoyi and Xie Yi, still sitting on the couch.

Chu Miaoxuan called out to them. "Come on. You two need 'em too."

"Pick anything you like." Chu Miaoxuan leaned against the doorframe and tilted her chin toward the inside.

There was another weapon room inside that required a card to enter. Song Weishi walked in and saw assault rifles, submachine guns, sniper rifles, and some things she couldn't name—modified beyond recognition. A few big iron crates sat open, filled with neatly stacked magazines. Way more firepower than what was mounted on the walls outside.

She didn't grab anything right away. She observed for a moment, then picked out a submachine gun and a compact pistol.

Those two suited her best.

Jiang Qingrou, meanwhile, was at a loss. Song Weishi looked at her and asked, "Have you ever shot a target?"

Jiang Qingrou shook her head. "No, I haven't had much training yet."

Song Weishi said, "Then you should grab some melee weapons. We probably won't be dealing with a full-scale swarm. This is your best bet."

As she spoke, she picked up a long blade and handed it to Jiang Qingrou.

Jiang Qingrou took it and nodded. "Alright. But I've got Xiaoli to protect me, so I should be fine."

Chu Miaoxuan, standing behind them, chimed in. "Your pet can't come this time. The spray we're using outside might hurt it."

Jiang Qingrou froze, then turned around and looked at her on the verge of tears.

Chu Miaoxuan spread her hands and handed her a short knife for defense. "Good luck."

Song Weishi patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. Just stay behind me. I'll keep you safe."

She'd meant to say the mission shouldn't be too hard, but with Xie Yi around, she kept the words to herself.

Xie Yi didn't look at the two of them. She walked straight to the wall, picked out a designated marksman rifle, and carefully inspected the scope. Her hands were steady, and Chu Miaoxuan had no concerns about her choice.

Ke Shaoyi came in last. She looked over the weapons-lined walls, hesitated, and grabbed a shotgun.

This kind of close-range weapon packed a huge punch. It didn't require aiming skill to fire, but it was also easy to hit teammates by accident.

Chu Miaoxuan eyed her uncertainly. "Sure you want that?"

Ke Shaoyi's marksmanship scores were mediocre, but she had solid physical fitness and steady hands. Still, Chu Miaoxuan had to be cautious in a situation like this.

Ke Shaoyi nodded. "Yeah. I'm not good at aiming. This one doesn't need much aiming."

"...Fair enough." Chu Miaoxuan didn't push it.

All five picked their weapons, then grabbed tactical vests, helmets, comms earpieces, and first-aid kits. Chu Miaoxuan stood at the door, checking each person one by one to make sure their gear was properly worn before letting them through.

"The vehicle's outside," Chu Miaoxuan said. "Target is the storage exchange in District Two. Eight people are trapped inside. District Two doesn't have enough hands, and we're the closest. One of them is District Two's third-in-command. Our main job is rescue; killing monsters is secondary. Got it?"

As she finished, a map of the area and photos of the people to be rescued projected onto the inside of Song Weishi's helmet.

The convention center there was somewhat similar to this one, but the people over there needed to be relocated. District Two wasn't as developed as District One.

The terrain was uneven, and infrastructure lagged behind here. When a disaster like this hit, the difficulty of rescue and evacuation multiplied.

It made sense the key figures hadn't been moved out yet. Those people had only just gotten in contact with their side, so Xie Huiqing had sent out a squad right away.

Song Weishi sat in the backseat, holding her gun, watching the streetscape recede through the window.

The sights she'd seen that morning were now draped in a grayish tint. Some circuit had apparently been fixed—the holographic ads along the road were still playing, but the images flickered on and off like an old TV with bad reception.

A dense layer of insects covered them.

Occasionally, clumps of thrips scurried across the road, varying in size, moving fast. The driver didn't slow down and ran straight over them. The vehicle gave a slight jolt, and a crisp crunch came from underneath. The sound was odd, and it reminded Song Weishi of the mantis from before. Could there be a giant thrips hidden in that cluster?

"Almost at the target area." The liaison officer in the passenger seat turned back. "The storage factory's structural map has been sent to your terminals. There are heat signatures—at least seven—concentrated on the third floor. But there's a large biological signature in the first-floor lobby. Watch yourselves."

Song Weishi glanced down at the heat map on her terminal. In the center of the lobby was a massive red blob, taking up nearly half the atrium. Surrounding it were smaller spots, dense and clustered, like offspring gathered around a mother.

Straight into the deep end. Those disgusting insects resurfaced in her mind, and Song Weishi felt her throat churn. She desperately wanted to throw up.