The short and hurried voice resounded, accompanied by the approaching clamor of footsteps. "Over here, over here!" A face of anxiety emerged from the thicket. "Where is it?" The first person to call out said, pointing at the tracks and bloodstains. "Good, you little rabbit, he ran this way." Another person clenched his teeth. "Surround him, there's a river up ahead, he can't escape." He shouted at the group of people who were running after him. In an instant, the group split into two teams, flanking from both sides. They held sharpened wooden sticks, and some even held intricate crossbows.
Lying face down in the muddy ground, Bai Qiangqiang was in utter misery. He had escaped from the base, specifically from the lumber factory within the base. About two weeks ago, an older man had arrived, newly assigned, claiming to be from the Committee. Bai Qiangqiang held a rather negative impression of the Committee. After all, it was an organization that had sprung up suddenly while everyone was suffering from illness – a group that seemed imposing but was mostly a facade. Besides their regular work, they excelled at two skills: surveillance and submitting petty reports.
But just because Bai Qiangqiang ignored the old man didn't mean the old man wasn't watching him. One day, after finishing his work, Bai Qiangqiang went outside and pulled out some tobacco to roll a cigarette and satisfy his craving.
Thanks to the knowledge of the scientists and the collective efforts, they had not only resolved the issue of food and shelter in the past year, but they also had some modern entertainments that were previously unheard of. For instance, cigars, a product discovered by the botanists while researching the plants in this new world. Its taste rivaled that of the finest tobacco in their previous world, enveloping the smoker in a cloud of mist. For someone like Bai Qiangqiang, who wasn't particularly fond of alcohol but enjoyed smoking, getting his hands on this treasure after half a year was a true delight. In this magical world filled with treasures, he was finally experiencing a somewhat heavenly life.
Sitting on a stone behind the tree, Bai Qiangqiang exhaled rings of smoke, squinting his eyes and savoring life. The old man walked over, stuck his head in front of Bai Qiangqiang, and in an instant, Bai Qiangqiang, who had half-closed eyes, inhaled a mouthful of smoke into his throat. Fearing embarrassment and waste, Bai Qiangqiang clenched his teeth and swallowed the smoke, burping contentedly. Unable to suppress his temper any longer, he burst out, "Who the heck are you scaring, huh? Do you want to die?"
The old man seemed slightly embarrassed, smiling as he said, "It's alright, it's alright, I just wanted to take a look. Didn't mean to startle you."
Since the old man didn't get angry, Bai Qiangqiang didn't push further. After all, he hadn't really offended the man so far. But his lack of fondness for the Committee made him retort disinterestedly, "Comrade, what business do you have here?"
The old man, despite being choked, just chuckled. Then he studied Bai Qiangqiang's disdainful expression and asked, "Why don't you join the Committee?"
Here it comes again. Bai Qiangqiang couldn't help but scorn. He thought, I can't stand your behavior, especially that pledge of privileges after joining.
Although he didn't reply verbally, Bai Qiangqiang gave the old man a sidelong glance. "I've already given my reasons. I was an independent patriot before coming here, so there's no reason for me to join any Committee here. If I ever go back someday, what political stance would that be? Which faction would I belong to?"
"What if you can't go back?" The old man added leisurely.
"Are you saying if you can't go back, then you can't?" Bai Qiangqiang replied disinterestedly, "Haven't you seen how many members of the scientific team are working hard? Most of the people outside are trying every possible way to rescue us and get us back."
"The top researchers are all quarantined due to illness, aren't they?"
Bai Qiangqiang remained silent.
The old man continued speaking to himself.
"Go back? When can we go back? If there are no people left, what's there to go back to?"
"We're here now for a reason, and as for us, we're surrounded by nothing but trees and rocks. If we want to build some equipment and figure out when to go back, it might take another lifetime."
"As for me, I don't know about the rest, but if you're going against the Committee, you're not going to survive long enough to go back."
"If you have nothing else to say, just go away. I don't want to hear your constant chatter." Bai Qiangqiang interjected. "I just want to smoke a cigarette."
The old man stared at him for a while. Bai Qiangqiang closed his eyes indifferently, focused on exhaling smoke rings. He understood that he should keep quiet; no need to annoy or bother.
Suddenly, the old man began again, "I joined the Committee because I discovered problems and wanted to find the truth. People who are quarantined must be coerced. Are you willing to join us?"
"Uh, cough, cough, cough!" Bai Qiangqiang finally choked this time.
Resting for a short while in the mud, Bai Qiangqiang recalled the process of becoming a member.
He climbed to his feet, patted the things in his pockets, and continued to move forward. He had a wound on his calf, caused by a sharp piece of wood. He had endured it at first, but now it was becoming increasingly painful – really unbearable.
After joining the organization that the old man was part of, Bai Qiangqiang had also taken the opportunity to join the Committee, becoming an active member of the "underground faction" just like the old man.
They were few in number and mostly communicated in a linear manner. They had one goal: to uncover the truth behind the virus. In every organization, there were "gentlemen" and "villains," those who stood up for justice and those who were sycophants. But in an excellent organization, there were people who dared to speak the truth and point out mistakes openly. Everyone had a scale in their heart, a measure to weigh things. The sudden outbreak of the virus had led to the infection of important figures, which was understandable. However, it was peculiar that those who were infected were unanimously recognized as selfless and influential individuals, people who dared to speak the truth. This raised some doubts and suspicions.
What followed was even more questionable. Liu Xing had suddenly formed the Committee and taken control. The central figures within the Committee had ambiguous relationships with each other. There had been various unfavorable rumors about the base before this, involving affairs between this woman and that man, conflicts between certain individuals, secret distribution of resources among different groups, and certain batches of people slacking off during construction, and so on. These people, along with some administrative personnel from the office, were all individuals who were good at talking but not at working with their hands. Overnight, they had become the core figures of the Committee. Everyone had their own speculations, and combined with the fact that they couldn't visit the quarantined individuals for a long time, this secret organization was born.
About two hours ago, Bai Qiangqiang infiltrated the office building near Liu Xing's residence. Unlike the eavesdropping and video surveillance in the previous world, the spies here depended solely on their eyes, and eavesdropping required getting close.
Bai Qiangqiang was agile, and he would look for opportunities to get in that vicinity every day. Today, he saw an opportunity – a female secretary of Liu Xing's and a duty officer were getting intimate. They were quarreling, their voices clashing like thunder, and they were embracing each other right at the corner.
Bai Qiangqiang was daring and reckless, not concerned with how he would get out after getting in. Seizing the moment, he lowered the brim of his cap and slipped into the office building. Incredibly lucky, he encountered no one along the way and reached the door of a room he wanted to enter. He often saw shadows moving inside the room from a distance, as if several people were discussing matters. One of them had a body shape quite similar to Liu Xing's.
Bai Qiangqiang was now outside the room, and the sounds from the corridor carried their conversation from around the corner.
"Drank too much juice today."
"That's right, that stuff tastes good, but it might make you urinate more. I've gone three times in a short while on duty."
"It's a good thing there's no meeting right now. Otherwise, we'd be stuck in the corridor, dying to use the restroom."
"You're right. Let's not drink anymore. People will surely come by tonight. Let's quickly empty our bladders."
Seeing the two individuals about to turn the corner, Bai Qiangqiang took a gamble and pushed the room door open, hoping that no one was inside.
Luck wasn't on his side. The room was lit by candles, and a middle-aged man who looked like a secretary was pondering over something by the candlelight. He held a very old piece of paper that didn't appear to be produced in the base. Instead, it resembled parchment from the history and culture of some world, but where could there be sheep in this world? And even if there were sheep, they'd be colossal, gargantuan creatures that Bai Qiangqiang's group wouldn't dare provoke. These giant beasts would swallow them whole while grazing.
The middle-aged man froze as soon as Bai Qiangqiang barged in. He looked up at the unexpected guest and then, after a moment of bewilderment, he quickly became alert. "Who are you? I've never seen you before."
Bai Qiangqiang couldn't come up with a better plan in that instant, but he was determined to get hold of the "parchment." So, he grinned and approached, "Chairman Liu Xing has issued a special order!"
"Huh?" The middle-aged man was taken aback.
"He orders you to hand this over to me!" Bai Qiangqiang had already walked up to him, and taking advantage of his stunned state, he snatched the item away.
"Wait, this doesn't make sense. What kind of order from Chairman Liu requires handing over documents?" The middle-aged man looked at Bai Qiangqiang, who was about to leave, with the "parchment" he had just snatched.
"Ask Chairman Liu, he personally instructed you!" Bai Qiangqiang answered casually and moved to exit the room.
"Stop right there, you come back!" The middle-aged man felt something was off and immediately shouted.
By now, Bai Qiangqiang was at the doorway and met the gaze of two men returning from relieving themselves. Clearly, the two had heard the noise from inside and were looking at him now.
Approaching the two, Bai Qiangqiang addressed them with an unquestionable tone, "Where were you two? The person inside is unstable and causing a commotion. Stop him, Chairman Liu is right outside. He doesn't want to see him."
The two men were taken aback, and the middle-aged man from inside followed them out. He looked at Bai Qiangqiang and shouted, "Hold on, you two! Stop him, he took something important!"
"Nonsense, you stop him!" Bai Qiangqiang retorted, and then, he suddenly threw two strong punches at their faces. One of the surprised pursuers ducked, while the other swiftly dodged. However, Bai Qiangqiang abruptly retracted his fists. He ran through the gap between the two and dashed away. He had only been bluffing earlier.
Next, the two pursuers realized what had happened and began shouting, "There's a thief!"
Suddenly, the entire office building seemed to come alive. The wooden floorboards creaked with countless footsteps. Bai Qiangqiang fled like the wind. This was the first time in his life he had been chased this way. His only thought at the time was, "Run quickly. If they catch me, I'll definitely be beaten to death."
Luck was once again on his side. He took advantage of the darkness of the night. The lighting inside the building was poor, and he didn't run downstairs but instead ran upstairs. The building was chaotic as many people rushed out, blocking the doorway on the first floor. Bai Qiangqiang was yelling at them to go downstairs quickly, that someone was trying to escape. He brushed past several people, and incredibly, they didn't realize he was the one they were after. He charged up to the second floor, spotted an open door, darted inside, and then jumped from the windowsill. In doing so, he shook off his pursuers who had run out from the other side.
Bai Qiangqiang had intended to make the most of the night's cover and escape, but his luck had once again taken an unexpected turn. A sharp wooden spike pierced his leg. Now, his running speed dropped. To make matters worse, the people upstairs saw him, and one of them yelled, "He's injured his leg!"
Oh no, Bai Qiangqiang thought. He had hoped that the poor lighting at night, along with his cap pulled down and his face painted with a few strokes, would make it impossible for them to identify him. But now, his injured leg was impossible to hide. All he could do was run.