Kapok Flower

"Ahem..." Chu Miaoxuan coughed into her fist to cover her embarrassment. What was this—poaching her people right in front of her?

Xia Yining turned around. "What's the matter, Captain Chu? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing her shamelessly unbothered, Chu Miaoxuan had to spell it out. "Xia Yining, isn't it a bit much to be poaching my people right under my nose?"

Xia Yining spread her hands in a casual shrug. "What's the problem? At least I don't abandon my teammates and get cozy with someone else like some people."

Chu Miaoxuan choked on her words. She did have a weak spot there, one people could use against her. But that didn't mean Xia Yining could just waltz in and steal her people.

In the end, the final decision lay with Song Weishi.

Xia Yining, pleased with having gotten under her skin, turned back. "So what do you think? District Three can offer triple the salary, plus a free apartment."

Honestly, Song Weishi would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted. Work was work, no matter where she went, and people naturally aimed higher.

But there were people she knew here, and she couldn't just leave.

"Sorry, but I'm not considering switching jobs for now."

Xia Yining looked disappointed, while Chu Miaoxuan breathed a sigh of relief. If she'd really lost someone that fast, she wouldn't know how to explain it to Chief Xie.

But Xia Yining wasn't one to give up easily. She put on a bright smile again. "That's fine. Let's exchange contact info at least. Whenever you feel like coming over, District Three will always welcome you."

Chu Miaoxuan's lips twitched. Xia Yining was relentless, adding Song Weishi on her contacts without a hint of subtlety.

She couldn't exactly stop her, so she just watched silently.

After all, she wasn't really in a position to offend someone like her.

But once they'd added each other, Chu Miaoxuan wasted no time shooing her out of the vehicle and onto another one.

Her status might not match Xia Yining's connections, but on paper, she still outranked her.

After eating in the vehicle, Song Weishi felt utterly exhausted, so she pulled out a folding cot and lay down.

After entering that mental world earlier, she felt like she'd lived through days. It drained her both mentally and physically.

Might as well rest up for now, then head back in for a second look in the afternoon.

The teams had plenty of people. Each group only needed to go in twice to map out the equipment locations and dangers in the buildings.

Once everything was moved out, they could set off for the return trip the next night after dark.

She slept all the way until evening, only stirring awake then.

The original security officers from Huihai City, who couldn't handle the heat during the day, were now able to move around under the cover of night, greatly increasing their manpower.

They still weren't quite used to the scorching weather, but it was much better than daytime.

Gazing at the dark night sky, Song Weishi felt a lingering sense of unease. Back when she was out in the wild, danger always lurked after dark. Now that the female lead was here, she had to be even more careful.

The wound on Xie Yi's hand had been bandaged, and it didn't hinder her movements. Her hand moved freely, showing no signs of such a deep cut.

Song Weishi kept glancing over to make sure she was truly fine.

The equipment in the floors they'd searched during the day had mostly been carried down by the transport team.

At night, there were still a few CT rooms and treatment wards, mostly on the lower floors. They re-entered the inpatient building to clear out any remaining dangers.

There weren't many people here, and the smell was better than elsewhere. They slipped into the winding corridors, checking room by room.

Without electricity, the doors were hard to open. The group pried open the main entrance and went in, which took some effort. Luckily, there weren't any issues for the most part.

It was just that the patients seemed too few. They hadn't seen more than a handful of skeletons along the way, and the duty rooms were clean, as if barely anyone had been here.

The group sensed something was off and searched more carefully.

Finally, from the imaging room at the very end, they heard a noise.

Standing in the quiet corridor, Song Weishi listened to the creaking sound coming from inside—like someone shifting on a bed, making it wobble.

On this outing, if they encountered monster specimens, they'd need to bring them back. Xia Tianyue had already been crushed beyond value before, so they'd just left it without bothering to collect. But if they ran into a fully formed monster, it was better to catch it alive for research.

Song Weishi listened for a while and reckoned the thing inside wasn't small. She really didn't want to wade into this mess. If not for her status as a security officer, she'd have turned tail and run right now. That was how normal people survived.

But there was no helping it—Chu Miaoxuan had already assumed a combat stance, ready to go in and investigate.

Song Weishi had no choice but to follow behind, trying to blend in.

The others were scared too, but they steeled themselves for battle.

Chu Miaoxuan pried the door open with practiced, forceful ease. Inside, it was pitch black, and the creaking sound grew louder, facing them directly.

What on earth was it?

A flashlight beam cut through the darkness. A massive blob of flesh lay on the bed, with something plastic-like pressed underneath it. The creaking noise came from within.

When the light hit the meat ball, it recoiled as if it had eyes. Then a piercing shriek erupted from inside it.

Everyone clamped their hands over their ears, but their eyes stayed locked on the ball.

Its once-smooth skin began to bulge with lumps, and through the gaps in those lumps, several hands burst out, hoisting the entire mass up and quickly scuttling it aside.

The surface was covered in bumps, sprouting patches of red and black all over. The whole ball was visibly flushed with heat.

Standing over a meter tall, it looked bulky, but it jumped down from the bed with ease, without a sound.

Song Weishi glanced at it—this CT room was for tumor imaging.

The lumps bulging on its skin really did look like tumors. Song Weishi broke out in goosebumps.

They always said only living things could mutate. Did that mean human tissue could too?

And where did those hands come from?

Chu Miaoxuan quickly reported the situation outside, snapping a few photos and sending them out. The team receiving the photos could contact Huihai City directly, and the moment they got them, they forwarded everything to the Research Institute.

A voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. "Captain Chu, the Chief says this specimen is urgently needed. Make sure to capture it alive."

Chu Miaoxuan's expression darkened. They had no idea what this meat ball was capable of yet. Capturing it alive would be no easy feat.

But this was Xie Huiqing's order. After mulling it over, she decided to comply. She pulled out a monster-catching net, treated with a special solution that could restrict a monster's movements to a degree. But one person's net was too small—though every team member carried one.

The group discussed it and joined their nets together, locking the buckles on all four sides to form one giant capture net.

Except for Xie Yi, the other four each grabbed a corner, wearing headlamps, and advanced toward the monster covered in hands and tumors.

The creature in the room grew restless. Though it had no visible eyes, it seemed to sense them, backing away desperately.

With the massive net, they caught it in one swoop before it could charge, the mesh biting deep into its flesh.

The creature, so lively just moments before, suddenly wilted. It even seemed to shrink, its hands curling back inside, looking utterly defenseless.

No one expected the capture to go this smoothly. It seemed this wasn't a highly aggressive monster—it could terrorize patients, but against able-bodied people, it couldn't make much of a fuss.

Drawing closer, Song Weishi caught a strange smell from the meat ball. It smelled something like a sick patient, completely different from the earlier stench. It carried a hint of disinfectant mixed with a cloying, rotting sweetness.

Like a ripe fruit, not yet spoiled, with a trace of alcohol.

The net lines biting into its flesh had severely burned it. With a slight twist, black scorch marks were visible.

No one paid much attention to how the creature was faring. They just dragged it out.

It was dead weight—not that big, yet five of them, strong as they were, struggled to pull it along. It felt like trying to carry something heavy without a forklift, just raw muscle.

Song Weishi's hands hurt from pulling, but they finally dragged the ball all the way out. The team outside had already prepared a cage and locked it inside.

Song Weishi clapped her hands. Finally done. Once all the equipment was moved, they could head back.

The night's work had stretched into the early hours, past 4 a.m., and dawn was approaching again. The movers were working double-time, and everyone was running on fumes, tormented by exhaustion and physical discomfort.

They just wanted to finish loading and leave—get back to the vehicles, get some rest. Song Weishi thought this kind of field work wasn't so bad, at least compared to when they were all traveling on foot before.

She chuckled to herself at the thought. Funny how people always find another way of doing things better by comparison. In reality, it was just one bad option versus another.

Song Weishi lay back down. Over the past couple of days, the supply cart had refreshed with a lot of ice cream.

A whole lot of it.

The cart's two-day refresh (full list):

Red bean paste ice cream bars, 120g × 80.

Taro and raisin ice cream bars, 120g × 80.

Square cakes (mochi red bean with matcha version), 240g × 80.

A fully automatic stove.

A built-in range hood.

A set of kitchen pots (induction-compatible pot, small milk pot, induction-compatible clay pot).

Weird. Why did it keep giving her things she couldn't use?

Song Weishi was stumped. This wasn't the first time. Ever since she'd found out the System had some control over this, just about everything it gave her was stuff she could use directly.

But then there were these useless things. Sometimes what she couldn't use now became useful later, but these particular items—she had no idea what to do with them even now.

She had just about everything at home, and these things couldn't even be installed anywhere.

When she asked the System, it just said, "No comment." Could it really be giving her junk?

Song Weishi felt a pang of regret for the cart's refresh uses. She'd rather every item have a concrete purpose than pile up junk in her space.

With the Binhai City mission done, all she had to do was sit in the vehicle and wait for the movers to load everything up for the return trip to Huihai City.

She started checking her rewards. Opening the mail, it showed: Killed high-level monster ×1, obtained 200 Points.

This mission also had bonus rewards: Rescue patient successful, obtained 300 Points, and a tool gifted by the monster—one walnut.

But she had no idea what that tool actually did.

A total of 5,000 energy units and 500 Points. This mission's haul was pretty impressive. She wondered if it was because of the field work bonus. If she'd been in Huihai City, she definitely wouldn't have racked up this many Points this fast.

Song Weishi suddenly didn't feel tired at all. She eagerly waited for the shop to refresh, wondering what new treasures would be up for grabs.

But the shop took time to refresh, not that quick. She waited around bored until she started feeling sleepy again. The sun had risen outside—it was already the second day.

Even parked under the shade with the AC cranked, everyone in the vehicle still felt the heat. Sweat beaded on every face, and the cabin was stuffy. With no way to wash up, the air was getting ripe.

The whole vehicle was like a giant steamer, slowly cooking everyone's patience. Song Weishi lay down in the corner and drifted off without realizing it.

When she woke, the vehicle was already on the road back. The sky was a dim gray, dusk approaching, the sun having slipped away. She didn't know how long she'd been out.

Song Weishi rubbed her eyes. Xie Yi, sitting nearby, handed her a drink.

Song Weishi took a sip. "Where are we?"

Jiang Qingrou leaned over. "Sister Song, you slept for ages. We're almost at Huihai City's border. Another couple of hours and we're home."

She'd slept through the entire day. No wonder the cabin had cooled down a bit and sleep came easier. Song Weishi drank, but it didn't do much to quench her thirst, like she was drinking nothing at all. She screwed the cap back on and set it down, rubbing her eyes as she looked out the window. Everything seemed normal enough.

With the return trip underway, the mood in the cabin lifted. With no entertainment, people just chattered away in little clusters.

"I'm so tired. Do we get a few days off after field missions? Captain Chu, are we letting people rest?"

Chu Miaoxuan shook her head. They'd been gone three days by the time they got back to Huihai City. "Of course not. What are you thinking? We're in a special period right now—the bug plague only just got dealt with. They're not letting us rest on our laurels yet. We'll be busy for a while."

A collective groan filled the vehicle. This kind of travel really was more exhausting than routine work. You never felt settled—field work was the worst grind.

But Chu Miaoxuan shifted gears. "Still, everyone gets a bonus this time. Half your salary, paid out with this month's wages."

Instantly, the mood perked up again. Jiang Qingrou's eyes sparkled. She had a lot of animals to feed, and even with subsidies, the money was never enough—especially with food prices in the city. She could only barely make ends meet by taking side gigs after work.

This was great. If field work paid this well, she could just do more of it in a month, tough it out, and be fine.

Song Weishi knew what she was thinking and wanted to warn her, but she couldn't say it in front of everyone. She could only send Jiang Qingrou a message.

If field work were really that easy, the security team wouldn't be short on people.

Today's mission had left her rattled. Song Weishi felt both unlucky and lucky at once—when she'd met that high-level monster, if it had just been a killing machine set on her, death would've been a blink away.

They weren't the female lead. No plot armor here. In this world, death came easily. And if she died, it was hard to imagine what would happen to the animals she'd left behind.

Huihai City wasn't a purely clean place. Xie Huiqing's presence gave them some coverage, but what if something happened to Xie Huiqing?

They had no fallback inside the city. If one pillar fell, the others would topple in short order.

Song Weishi was a worrier. She liked to plan for the worst case, so when danger actually came, she wouldn't freeze or fall apart.

Clearly, Jiang Qingrou didn't share her concern for now. She was lost in happy dreams of the future. Song Weishi sighed, planning to talk some sense into her once they got back.

Jiang Qingrou peppered Chu Miaoxuan with questions about field work. Xia Yining, however, didn't try to win her over like she had with Song Weishi.

They were still in the same vehicle for the ride back, but Xia Yining was much quieter. Or maybe she just wasn't interested in anyone but Song Weishi.

She'd been chatty early on, but by the end, she just sat there, not extending her olive branch to anyone else.

As the signal improved, Song Weishi got a friend request from Xia Yining. After accepting, the other woman sent a long string of benefits her way. She really was persistent about recruiting.

Song Weishi glanced at it, put her phone down, and didn't reply. She truly had no plans to switch jobs. Other than Chu Miaoxuan being unreliable when she ran into Jiang Yan, things were fine as they were.

Seeing she'd just looked at the message without responding, Xia Yining backed off for the moment.

The vehicle was loud with chatter, but Song Weishi just leaned lazily against the jostling frame, watching the trees flash by on either side.

More bugs appeared outside, but not as many as when they'd first set out. She knew that meant they were nearing Huihai City.

That cleanup plan from before was actually working. Sure, there were still plenty of bugs, but it was about normal for summer, and being this far south, they'd always been bad. Now it was back to baseline.

The greenery along the road thickened, and the air felt fresher. That persistent stench finally started to fade, and the vehicle's air recirculation kicked in, making the cabin smell a bit better.

A bit more driving, and full darkness settled in. The sides were completely invisible—treetops blurred into shadows, then melted into the night, their presence barely felt.

The only light came from the headlights ahead, the vehicle racing down the road as the smells in the cabin shifted constantly.

Once the foul air was purged, all that remained was a strong scent of sweat. Without the heat, the AC quickly cooled everyone down.

That comfortable feeling returned. The cold air kept the sweating at bay.

Gradually, the air inside improved. Maybe Song Weishi had just gotten used to it—if you weren't right up close, you couldn't smell anyone.

Up ahead, a cluster of lights appeared in the distance. Just past this mountain road, they'd reach the checkpoint below.

Huihai City was right there, and everyone pressed eagerly against the windows to see. Finally, they were going home.

She'd actually woken up only a few minutes ago. Song Weishi marveled at her timing.

The vehicle sped along, and the closer they got to Huihai City, the more travelers they saw on the road.

But strange—it was already dark. Why were these people just sitting there, not getting up?

Song Weishi glanced at them as they passed in a blur. She couldn't quite make out their expressions, only that they weren't moving. They just sat there, staring blankly.

Were they dazed from sleeping too long?

That couldn't be right.

Something felt off. As the vehicle slowed for a turn, Song Weishi pressed against the window, scrutinizing the crowds they passed.

They just sat there by the roadside, their eyes vacant—not even making contact with hers as she looked at them.

She recalled her own journey before entering the city. These weren't the reactions people had then. At least, when their vehicle rode past, everyone's gaze would follow the fast-moving transport.

But these people were like puppets with their strings cut, just sitting there, not moving forward. They were ragged, clearly having traveled to get here.

And no traveler trying to reach the city would just sit around.

The more she thought about it, the more unnerved she became. Then she suddenly realized the cabin had gone quiet, as if in an instant. Song Weishi snapped her head around and found everyone who'd been talking had frozen. They sat silently in their seats, eyes blank and unfocused—just like the people outside.

The air in the vehicle was fresh. Song Weishi inhaled her own stench, then breathed in the cabin's air. A faint, elusive fragrance slipped into her nose.

She shot to her feet, desperate to figure out what was happening, but it was too late.

The driver up front suddenly wrenched the wheel. In an instant, Song Weishi was flung hard into her seat. The vehicle crashed through the guardrail and tumbled over the cliff. She clung to the handrail frantically, smashing her head, her skull ringing with a dull hum, a metallic, sweet taste of blood filling her mouth.

She fought to open her eyes. The glass had shattered, and a massive red flower reached in through the broken window—its serrated pistil swallowing Chu Miaoxuan's head in one gulp.

Blood sprayed across the cabin, splattering onto Song Weishi's face. And then she blacked out.