Soon it was Suo Tian’s turn for inspection.
When one of the people in white coats held the device over the wound on his shoulder, it let out a sharp beep beep.
The armed guards around immediately reacted, but the refined-looking man in the military uniform stopped them with a raised hand.
His expression didn’t waver as he stared at the device that was still beeping, then turned his head toward the rest of us and asked, “Is anyone else injured?”
Standing beside me, Lili’s face instantly turned pale, her expression flickering with hesitation and fear.
I gave her a look, signaling her to stay calm.
With so many eyes on us, if I spoke up to comfort her, it would be noticed instantly.
The tense atmosphere held for a few seconds.
Seeing no one respond, the military man continued, “I’ll say this one last time. Anyone who has been injured—any injury at all—whether by a person or by a walker’s bite or scratch, step forward now.”
After he finished, one of the soldiers beside him took out a walkie-talkie and spoke quietly into it.
In less than a minute, another group of people in white coats arrived, this time in vehicles.
Their entire bodies, including their heads, were fully sealed in protective gear.
Three vehicles, more than a dozen people.
The military man pointed at Suo Tian and whispered something to the leader of that team.
The lead doctor nodded and then personally walked up to Suo Tian.
With a slight bow, he said, “Captain Suo, please forgive the inconvenience.”
Suo Tian stood silently.
After hearing that, he looked back at me once, then turned and walked toward the vehicle the white coats had arrived in.
He climbed up into it.
After Suo Tian got in, Lili and I exchanged a glance.
Carrying Xiao Hu, I stepped forward in the heavy silence.
The moment Lili and I moved, the military man looked toward us.
Immediately, several white coats began scanning us with their devices.
Maybe because my injury was older, the device didn’t beep at all when it scanned me—but when it scanned Lili and Xiao Hu, it emitted the same sharp beeping as it had for Suo Tian.
Xiao Hu, terrified by everything happening, curled up in my arms and didn’t dare to move.
The military man gave me a quick look up and down, then gestured for them to take all of us away.
“Sis…” Yangyang called out, sounding anxious.
Holding Xiao Hu, I followed the white coats toward the same vehicle Suo Tian had gotten on.
Hearing Yangyang, I turned to look at him and shook my head, telling him, “Behave yourself. Don’t cause trouble. Big sister will come find you soon.”
Big beard chimed in loudly, “Don’t worry, Miss Chen. I’ll take good care of the kid.”
I nodded gratefully to him, then got onto the vehicle with Lili.
The vehicle had a sealed-off rear compartment with a row of seats.
Suo Tian was sitting there, staring at the floor in a daze.
After we got on, the door was closed from the outside.
Luckily, the compartment had windows on both sides, so it wasn’t too stuffy.
I craned my neck to look outside, watching the others still being inspected.
Big beard and the middle-aged man were speaking with the military officer.
Seeing Yangyang, Shen Feng, and the others still staring at our vehicle, I couldn’t help letting out a small sigh before turning back and sitting properly.
But I could still see out the other window.
The vehicle drove along what seemed like a ring road around the city.
There were willow trees planted on both sides, and from time to time another car would pass by.
When we crossed a bridge, I could even see—down by the riverside—many people out enjoying a leisurely walk.
Under the golden sunset, the water shimmered faintly.
I squinted at the view outside, stunned into silence by the scene.
Even from far away, I could sense the peaceful, carefree atmosphere of those people strolling by the river.
I reached out and touched the window.
Feeling my fingers slip through the metal bars and into the outside air, sensing the breeze, only then did I truly believe those scenes weren’t part of a dream.
Lili was also staring out the window in utter shock and disbelief.
Ever since that day when chaos suddenly descended from the sky, we had been hovering on the edge of life and death—shuttling back and forth between blood, fear, and darkness.
We had fought desperately, struggled to survive, and never once did we imagine that there could still be such a city in this world—untouched, peaceful, where people lived in comfort and happiness.
Suddenly, a sentimental thought came to me—Hai Zi’s poem “From Tomorrow On, Be a Happy Man.”
From tomorrow on, be a happy person
Feed the horses, chop wood, roam the world
From tomorrow on, care about food and vegetables
I will have a house
Facing the sea, spring blossoms everywhere
From tomorrow on, write to each of my loved ones
Tell them of my happiness
What the lightning of happiness has told me
I will tell everyone
Give each river and each mountain a warm name
Stranger, I also bless you—may you have a brilliant future
Give each river and each mountain a warm name
May you and your beloved be united forever
May you find happiness in this world
I only wish to face the sea,
With spring’s warm flowers blooming.
The wind stirred the tender willow branches by the roadside, making them sway lightly.
Another small bus passed by us, filled with all kinds of people—some reading, some chatting leisurely.
My nose suddenly stung.
Was this really not a dream?
Suo Tian, who had been silent all this time, suddenly called my name.
“Chen Yang.”
I stayed stunned for a moment, my drifting thoughts slowly pulling back.
When I turned my head and saw the sealed-off compartment around me, I blinked before responding, “What is it?”
Suo Tian gave me a glance, then looked out the window.
After a long moment, he finally asked, “Do you like this place?”
“Of course I do,” I replied almost without thinking.
Then I hesitated and asked, “This whole city… is it really safe?”
“Mhm.” Suo Tian nodded. “Every part of it is safe.”
“If… I mean if possible, I’d really love to take a walk around this entire safe city. I’ve forgotten how long it has been since I could take a peaceful walk.”
Lili pulled her gaze away from the scenery and looked at me, frowning slightly.
“We still don’t even know what situation we’re in right now—where they’re taking us, what they plan to do with us—none of that is clear yet. And you’re already thinking about taking a stroll?”
I took a deep breath, slowly let it out, leaned my head back against the compartment wall, and told her, “With scenery this beautiful… letting yourself think something beautiful makes the heart feel lighter.”
Hearing this, Lili let out a small laugh and shook her head. “When you say it like that… it does make some sense.”
The vehicle continued on for a while, eventually turning onto a smaller road.
After passing through two checkpoints, we were brought to a ten-story building standing alone in a wide open area.
Though not tall, the building was very wide.
A ring of barbed wire surrounded the front, forming a fully enclosed courtyard.
The gate—a metal automatic sliding gate—slowly opened as the vehicle approached.
After we entered the empty courtyard, a team of fully protected personnel rushed out of the first-floor lobby, surrounding the vehicle tightly.
The white coat in the driver’s seat held up something like an ID badge and spoke with one of them.
After they talked for a moment, someone stepped forward and opened the door to our compartment.
The person’s face was hidden behind a protective hood, so I couldn’t see his expression.
But even so, I could feel how his gaze swept over all of us before stopping on Suo Tian.
“Captain Suo,” he said, voice muffled through the hood, lowering his head slightly in greeting.
Suo Tian gave a brief “Mm” in response, then took the lead and stepped out of the vehicle.
Lili and I exchanged a glance, and I carried Xiaohu as we followed him out.
One of the white coats tried to step forward to take Xiaohu from me, but it startled him so badly that he let out a sharp scream and immediately burst into tears, throwing his arms around my neck.
Walking ahead, Suo Tian turned back at the sound.
He looked at the person who tried to take Xiaohu and said, “Handle it inside.”
Hearing that, the man instantly stepped back to the side.
The building had an enormous front-to-back width, and stepping inside gave the impression of walking into a small plaza.
In the very center of the first floor was a long row of sofas.
On the left side stood a large office desk, behind which two young women in military uniforms were standing.
Their posture was straight, their expressions serious.
When they saw us entering, one of them picked up a walkie-talkie hanging on the desk and said something into it.
Led by the group of white coats, we entered the elevator.
There were too many people, so some entered the elevator beside ours.
Once inside, seeing the numbers on the panel made me freeze for a moment—this building actually had Basement Level 1, Basement Level 2, Basement Level 3… all the way down to Basement Level 5.
The white coat standing by the door pressed the button for B5.
As the elevator descended, Lili nervously clutched the hem of my shirt.
I turned to glance at her and gave a small shake of my head, signaling her not to be afraid.
Then I looked toward Suo Tian—who stood beside us with a perfectly calm expression—took several deep breaths, and forced my racing heartbeat to settle a little.
The elevator soon reached Basement Level 5.
As the doors slowly opened, a burst of blinding white light hit us first.
The moment the elevator doors opened, Lili tightened her grip on my clothes again.
I knew that to her, at this moment, I was the only person she could cling to for dear life.
With one arm holding Xiaohu, I freed the other to grip her cold hand tightly, and mouthed the words: “Don’t be afraid.”
When my eyes finally adjusted and I could see the hall clearly, I froze once more… feeling as if we had stepped into the wrong place entirely.
— The end of the Chapter–
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