《Eternal Night》 CH 1 At Sunset At the Gate of Eternal Night, the 14,066th guest vanished into the unknown. Paradise is still as prosperous as the day when I first arrived. Many people have come, many people have left, and even more people have returned. Countless, like me, have come to see this temporary stay as our homeland. In an unending world, there is endless time to seek a place of belonging. Unfortunately, few have been able to do so. Claros From the Tower of Creation, at sunset. CH 2 A foul stench of blood wafted between the drooping sky and vast earth. From all directions came muddied noises astir, and the air was suffused with rot and decay. ¡ªZombies had besieged the city; the undead army had surrounded the human base. The human army was in formation; helicopters were suspended mid-air. Tanks in front, the infantry behind, and the fort in-between like an island within a raging storm. It was dead silent ahead, and even the sounds of breathing could barely be heard. In this dead silence, suddenly, a despairing cry rang out. ¡°We¡¯re done for. ¡°Doomed. ¡°Our lives are no more. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to remain here.¡± The person muttering lowly to himself was a fatty with a bald, gleaming head. He was standing on the platform of a tank, looking ahead with the binoculars in his hands. At this moment, all of creation was dark and dreary; he stood at the frontmost of the army troops, his bald head with naught a single strand of hair becoming the only source of light. A man shrank towards him. ¡°Cap¡­ Captain,¡± that man shivered, asking. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were best at clearing zombie instances?¡± Another chimed in. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that chopping a zombie¡¯s head is like cutting a watermelon?¡± ¡°¡ªyou even said that it¡¯s a large, crunchy watermelon.¡± That bald captain¡¯s voice quivered as well, ¡°You¡­ Just look¡ªcan this be called a zombie?¡± He raised a trembling hand to the front. ¡°This is a helldamned scourge of the undead!¡± Ahead of them, a slow march of purplish-black corpses could be seen, their flesh rotting and deteriorating, half-dried entrails dangling beneath their bare ribs. This used to be a common sight in zombie instances, but now came a mutation into a new variation; the evolution of chieftains. They turned their gazes towards the middlemost of the tide of zombies where a tremendous monstrosity slowly moved. It was as large as a human fortress, like a mountain range traversing the motherland, with each step setting off tiny quakes in the earth. That was a zombie chieftain, which human scientists have bestowed the name ¡®Black Satan¡¯ upon. After the zombie chieftain arose, the combat power of the zombie horde increased so dramatically that the frontlines of humanity were forced to concede one step after another, until the present day. The chieftain, Black Satan, was certainly the military¡¯s greatest curse, but it wasn¡¯t just that. ¡°Have you seen individual A1407 yet?¡± the bald captain said. The teammate on his right manning the binoculars said, ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m still looking for it.¡± Another teammate operating the display monitors pulled up an image on a partial close-up of Black Satan. On its deep, undulating shoulder stood a fuzzy shadow¡ªa fuzzy, humanoid shadow. This was one of the anomalous images that reconnaissance aircrafts had detected in the recent few months. After its identification, this humanoid has appeared several times in extremely close proximity to Black Satan, also ghosting through the hinterland of the zombie kingdom on several occasions. It had a very wide range of movement; its pathing didn¡¯t fit the profile of a normal zombie species, and it even showed signs of being able to manipulate other zombies. Faced with a formidable foe, human scientists gave it the number ¡®A1407¡¯ in their intimidation, suspecting it to be the second high-functioning individual to have appeared after the Black Satan. It really felt like adding insult to the injury; they had yet to find a way to kill the colossal monster, yet a new, suspected chieftain had again evolved from amongst the zombies. ¡°This is too tough.¡± His teammate¡¯s eyes glazed over. ¡°But, but hadn¡¯t we planned well enough for it?¡± ¡°Who said that we hadn¡¯t. We had even hired a mercenary.¡± The bald captain¡¯s voice was also slightly floaty. ¡°We¡¯d agreed. Divide the soldiers into two groups; We¡¯re in charge of slowing down the zombie horde with Yu-shen, and Xia Sen will help the base develop the vaccine; win the defense challenge, perfectly clear the mission, and go back to paradise to collect our rewards¡ªdoesn¡¯t it sound like a very good plan?¡± ¡°Who could have expected that Yu-shen would kneel over right at the start? ¡°His ashes were even fucking scattered by the zombies, ha. ¡°Is this the mercenary Yu Feichen boasting astronomical rates? Hoho, please. Let a man live.¡± ¡°Now the zombies have evolved. The base declared that the development of the vaccine went down the wrong track.¡± ¡°Our little Xia Sen was even captured by flying zombies along with the virus sample.¡± ¡°All is lost, captain.¡± ¡°We¡¯re doomed, captain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, captain.¡± ¡°What should we do, captain?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The captain¡¯s facial muscles twitched. ¡°Now I want to blow my top every time I hear those three words Yu Feichen. Motherfucker, I¡¯ve never seen such an unreliable thing¡ª¡± At that very moment, a long, shrill scream erupted. Alarms blared. A military helicopter at the front of the army troops swooped too far down; its propellers collided headlong into a zombie bird, sending its fuselage into a smoking plume of blazing flame. It drew a black, smoky parabola in the sky as it tumbled and nosedived straight down. ¡°Bang¡ª¡± The first gunshot ignited the gloomy, dark sky. The next second, gunfire resounded and gunpowder dispersed in all directions. War broke out. The bald captain roared and tugged at the huge artillery gun beside him¡ªbut it was too heavy for even his unusually bulky frame to handle. His roar sidetracked to become a fuck midway through, and the heavy artillery pounded back onto the gun rack. He checked the magazine and trained the periscope straight ahead, his posture natural as if absolutely nothing had happened. ¡°How do we fight?¡± Due to the urgency of the situation, his teammates didn¡¯t laugh at this awkward scene, but asked anxiously instead. The captain said, ¡°From my experience of sweeping zombie instances, this large and seemingly invulnerable monster must have a fatal weak spot. Mark these eight words down: a blind cat bumps into a dead rat. As long as we bombard it enough, we¡¯re bound to hit it, be it by sheer dumb luck.¡± Unfortunately, no one was listening to his nonsense. His teammates were all quaking in their boots. ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± The captain returned to the tank body, bellowing, ¡°Big deal, at worst we¡¯ll be sent packing! This isn¡¯t the Gate of Eternal Night!¡± The tail end of his words was drowned under the deafening cannon fire, but his speech did seem to calm the mind of those present. In each of their respective positions, his teammates slowly resumed their usual operations. The tank¡¯s hatch closed, and the tracks gripped firmly to the ground as it rolled forwards, moving deeper into the zombie horde. It was an exceedingly dangerous task. But the situation was critical; they were out of alternatives. ¡°Always keep an eye out for A1407,¡± the captain said to the teammates within the tank. ¡°I get a bad feeling just thinking about how that damned thing still hasn¡¯t shown up yet.¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± a teammate said. The tank shuddered slightly as a steady stream of zombie creatures and splattered chunks of corpses slammed into the tank¡¯s hull, dull thuds beating down faintly like a sombre drumbeat. ¡°Watch the right side!¡± Through the greyish-white smoke that offered dismal visibility, a five-metre-tall zombie behemoth rammed into the side of the tank so hard that the steel plates creaked and the tank nearly toppled over. But they weren¡¯t slow to react; when the behemoth backed up and got ready to charge, armour-piercing bullets pierced through its neck, successfully intercepting it. ¡°We¡¯re a little in over our heads,¡± said a teammate, ¡°but it¡¯s going a little better than I expected. I thought that we¡¯d kneel over the second the battle began.¡± He turned his head, only to see his captain staring fixedly at the monitor showing the exterior surroundings, muttering, ¡°No¡­ Something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong, yeah.¡± Another teammate, who was also looking down at the monitor, said. ¡°Wrong, yeah.¡± Came another voice. ¡°Are you lot a copier machine?¡± the captain¡¯s patience towards them had worn thin. ¡°It¡¯s true that it¡¯s not right.¡± A different voice, at last, emerged from the team. ¡°Some of the zombies are still and show no signs of aggressive behaviour, that¡¯s why we hadn¡¯t felt much pressure earlier.¡± ¡°The one in the ten o¡¯clock direction looks like its system had crashed, those two at one o¡¯clock, too.¡± Following the coordinates, there were indeed two pale, rotting corpses with their heads hung low at one o¡¯clock. They drifted along wherever the zombie tide brought them, but showed no other movement, nor did they bite and pounce on prey. Taking a broad view of the battlefield, there were more than just a handful of such zombies. The captain¡¯s brows gradually furrowed together. His voice also sunk significantly, his words coming out rapid-fire. ¡°Open the hatch. I¡¯m going out to take a look.¡± As if what he saw with his naked eyes would be clearer than what was shown on the electronic monitor, he poked half his body out the top of the tank and set up his binoculars to scan their surroundings. Blood drained out of his face. He repeated lowly, ¡°Wrong, wrong¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen something similar happen in a zombie instance a long time along. That was when they were controlled by their chieftain and began their second mutation. It was near complete annihilation.¡± As if recalling something extremely terrible, the bald captain trailed off with a tremor and he suddenly roared, ¡°Ceasefire! All units on alert! Increase the surveillance on the chieftain!¡± And he added, ¡°Black Satan doesn¡¯t have such an ability. Where¡¯s the man looking out for A1407? Monitors!¡± ¡°Not, not yet¡­¡± ¡°Have I taught you nothing!¡± rebuked the captain. He picked up the communication device and contacted the United Front headquarters, yelling, ¡°Ceasefire! Prepare for defence!¡± And as he looked into the tank, he suddenly met with the raised eyes of a teammate, looking up at him. ¡ªEyes wide open and glazed, as if they had suddenly received a shock. Like the sounds of gunfire had abruptly halted, at such a look, the captain couldn¡¯t help but flinch. A sudden chill ran down his spine. ¡°What the hell are you staring at me for?¡± He sneered, ¡°This isn¡¯t a horror instance in any case.¡± As he said this, he seemed to sense something. He slowly turned back¡ª There was an imposing weight on his shoulder; the weight of a hand gently rested on his shoulder. The bald captain froze. He thought to himself, zombies weren¡¯t capable of uncannily human-like gestures such as ¡®tapping the shoulder¡¯. Out of his peripheral vision, he glanced over his right shoulder. It was indeed a hand. His angle was so limited that he could only see the middle, ring, and little fingers. It was a human hand. Rather, a male hand. The nails were smooth, and the joints were long and well-defined. But the skin of this hand was too pale, and the veins faintly visible under the skin were an unsettling shade of lime green, a colour which clearly belonged to the zombies. Also, he didn¡¯t hear any sound of breathing. In that split second, a horrifying thought flashed past his mind. There was a zombie behind him. One hand already rested on the handle of his cold steel sabre. He kept his breathing calm and continued to turn his head. As his field of vision widened, a pale and slender index finger came into view, along with a familiar black, thin ring worn by every man on their team. The captain froze up. Just then, the communication device suddenly crackled to life, containing an inquiry from the United Front headquarters. ¡°Please report the anomalies and reasons for ceasefire.¡± ¡°Please report the anomalies and reasons for ceasefire.¡± And from behind him, another voice spoke, his voice level, and his tone calm without any particular inflection. ¡°Why the ceasefire?¡± Before a response could be made, icy fingers plucked the communication device out of the bald captain¡¯s hands without offering a reason. ¡°Follow my command.¡± That creature whose identity as a human or zombie was unknown spoke into the device. The voice sounded familiar. The captain was stupefied. The stupefied captain looked down at his equally stupefied teammate. The teammate¡¯s dazed gaze fell back on the captain. His mouth parted, and he slowly mouthed a few words. ¡¯He¡¯s, a, spook.¡¯ The corners of the captain¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. His right hand whipped around behind him and clasped around his beloved bazooka. He inhaled deeply a few times, as if to muster his courage. Then, an enraged voice rang across the battlefield. ¡°Yu¡ªFei¡ªChen¡ª!!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡ªgoing¡ªto¡ªfile¡ªa¡ªcomplaint!!!!!¡± CH 3 The shout reverberated across the battlefield for a long, long time. The captain spun around angrily. Under the gloomy sky, amidst the billowing smoke, there was indeed a person standing behind him. Or, better put, a humanoid lifeform. Black windbreaker, boots, short hair, a face that could freeze people over; even should those facial features burn into ashes, he would recognise it. ¡ªYu Feichen. The mercenary that their team had hired, providing the service of ¡®guaranteed clear¡¯ through instances. Their team wasn¡¯t particularly wealthy, but to let the rookie they were taking along this time feel everyone¡¯s might and credibility, they had very reluctantly forked out the money to hire the most expensive agent. Even the sight of him made their muscles sore. Little did they expect that on the first day stepping into this instance, also exactly three months ago from this day, the mercenary hired at an astronomical rate would be buried by the zombie horde and die without even a corpse left behind. The sheer loss of their investment astounded them. And without a mercenary, the progress of their mission also began to turn rocky. Just yesterday, the rookie Xia Sen even had a direly critical virus sample on him, yet was munched off by the zombies with all traces gone with the wind. The hen had flown away and the eggs in the coop were broken; in a nutshell, they lost both people and property, suffering a dead loss. So now, greeted by the sight of Yu Feichen¡¯s face, all the captain wanted to do was hurl abuse. He took a deep breath and only just settled his emotions slightly when he noticed Yu Feichen¡¯s ashen skin, discoloured irises, expressionless face, and intact, undecayed body¡ªall of these were characteristics of advanced zombies. Was there anything he could say when meeting a teammate who had become a zombie on the battlefield? How are you? Have you eaten? Are you dead? Do you still love humans? Before the captain had time for his emotions to brew, he saw that thing take another man by the collar and fling him over¡ªit was a grimey-faced, slim teenager wearing a white laboratory coat stained with blood. ¡°Captain,¡± the slim teenager was caught in the bald captain¡¯s full embrace. He raised his head. ¡°Yu-shen is a good person. He saved me from the hands of the zombies.¡± ¡ªthis was their team¡¯s new recruit, Xia Sen. He was very intelligent. Although it was his first time entering an instance, he hadn¡¯t performed too badly. ¡°Xia Sen.¡± The captain got to the crux of the matter as soon as he opened his mouth. ¡°Where¡¯s the virus sample?¡± Xia Sen fished out a mini freezer from his bosom. ¡°By the blessing of God, I didn¡¯t lose it.¡± The captain released a long sigh of relief. But no sooner than that sigh had been dispelled, he choked up again. He heard the voice of Yu Feichen, the man who after giving a few barely comprehensible commands to the headquarters, say to the people in the tank. ¡°Drive on.¡± The team looked at each other and reached the conclusion that they seemed to have no choice but to comply. It was bizarre enough to see the overpriced ¡®guaranteed clear¡¯ mercenary die by the hands of the zombies right at the opening scene. It was even more bizarre to see this dead mercenary suddenly appear on the battlefield in the form of an advanced zombie. Of course, what was the most incredulous was how this mercenary, who had already turned into an advanced zombie, suddenly appeared in their camp and began to command the human army in the war against the zombie horde. Murmurings could be faintly heard from the team. ¡°There¡¯s a spook among us.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s also a spook among the zombies.¡± ¡°The two spooks are the same person.¡± ¡°So, which side is he actually playing for?¡± ¡°My gosh.¡± ¡°My gosh¡ªI¡¯m going to blow¡ª¡± Gunfire ripped through the air again, this time launched out of a shotgun. Each shell exploded and fragmented into nearly ten thousand miniature iron shrapnels when fired; even if the zombies weren¡¯t wounded, they would still stiffen for a brief moment upon being hit. Slowly but surely, the armoured tank seized this opportunity to grind its way through. ¡°Keep going.¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°The coordinates of the optimal position are 177.642N, 69.685W.¡± However, the closer they got to Black Satan, the more massive the surrounding zombies became, and these ugly beasts encircled it like an impregnable fort. The shrapnel shotgun failed, the armour-piercing bullets were useless, and most importantly, their ammunition was almost exhausted. ¡ªGunpowder smoke saturated the air, and on the road ahead that they had nearing zero visibility on, countless, humongous greyish-white shadows surged, crashing over this way! Several teammates instinctively shouted like they had been hit by a car. And just then! The dull sound of flesh colliding suddenly rang out. To their surprise, it was another huge silhouette that shot from the rear and rammed straight into the behemoth¡¯s head. The two monsters tumbled on the ground, tearing madly at each other. A zombie monster had saved them. Swiftly after, another pounced over. And then there were more and more. The captain struggled to look to the rear with the binoculars. They were once deep in the tide of zombies with enemies on all sides, but now despite the rear end frantically churning towards them, they engaged in a life and death struggle with a few other colossal zombies. Dense smoke seethed and tossed about. The zombies ripped each other apart, and countless smaller waves of zombies continued to surge forwards like a parted sea, each side battering the other. Had the zombies turned against each other? And the side that suddenly rebelled was highly likely to be the abnormal zombies that hadn¡¯t moved at all! The captain suddenly remembered A1407, who was suspected to be the second zombie leader. ¡°It was a ruse!¡± He cursed. ¡°Goddamnit, they¡¯ve started infighting! The two chieftains are going to fight! Where the hell is A1407? Didn¡¯t I tell you guys to look for it?¡± None of his teammates had found A1407, and none of them dared to answer. They huddled together and quivered as one. In the silent tank, a frosty voice suddenly spoke. ¡°You¡¯re looking for me?¡± Captain, ¡°¡­¡± Teammates, ¡°¡­¡± The captain stared at Yu Feichen with his jaw dropped. His mood could only be described as astonished, and even the address spilling from his tongue couldn¡¯t help but change. ¡°You¡­ Y-You¡­¡± > italicised above is a more formal ¡®you¡¯ Yu Feichen didn¡¯t speak; this man simply surveyed everything ahead without batting an eye. Perhaps because his focus was overly intense, the pair of pupils turned purple from the mutation revealed a faint hint of insanity. It didn¡¯t matter if the man didn¡¯t speak. Once they accepted this fact, everyone¡¯s gazes abruptly changed. Once they thought back on how the first traces of A1407 that the scientists monitored began not long after Yu Feichen died without a corpse to be found, everything made sense. As it turned out, the zombie chieftain A1406 was Yu Feichen, their mercenary, standing on the side of humanity! ¡ªThey really hadn¡¯t seen such a scene before. In a twinkling, a bright new vista bloomed across the battlefield; the glimmer of hope coming at the darkest hour. The control that A1407 exerted over the zombies was rather much greater than the control that Black Satan exerted. The turncoat zombie greatly alleviated the stress levels of everyone in the tank, and the tank forged on, homing in on Black Satan itself. Black Satan¡¯s massive, mountainous size made it appear to have no weaknesses, but this thing clearly grew anxious about the approaching steel tank¡ªmillions of zombie birds swooped down to join the fray with shrill, chirping sounds. With this turn of events, the aerial fleets were given a chance to take a breather. Bomber aircrafts took control of the sky. The target was large enough for bunker-buster bombs and guided missiles to fall systematically on Black Satan¡¯s bulk. These things wouldn¡¯t be able to kill it, but it would still be able to break its bones. A deep growl came from the earth and the ground quaked; that craggy, ugly back slowly arched. ¡°Coordinate point reached.¡± As the tank came to a halt, the shadow cast by Black Satan grew larger, like a mountain rupturing the earth. ¡ªBlack Satan stood up, terribly mangled. The tank was no more than a hundred metres away from its feet, and above the tank was its belly¡ªsupposing that this thing had a belly. A shrill cry pierced the air as a black bird with a wingspan of several metres swept past and grabbed Yu Feichen¡¯s shoulders, lifting him from the top of the tank. Hung high in the air, it looked as if Yu Feichen had sprouted a pair of black wings. The gun rack was also empty. The captain suddenly raised his head and saw that Yu Feichen had effortlessly raised the barrel of the artillery gun that he failed to carry earlier towards Black Satan, and didn¡¯t look as if he needed to aim at all. What kind of monster was this man? From transforming into a zombie at a certain point in time; controlling the direction of his mutation to evolve towards a zombie chieftain; during this process, finding the point where Black Satan¡¯s nerve centre was located; to finally, returning to the human camp at the last minute, switching up the tempo of his plan and taking up human weaponry¡ª The captain felt that he still had too little experience tackling zombie instances, for he couldn¡¯t even figure out the method to achieve a single one of these items. However, inclining his head to gaze at Yu Feichen in the air and thinking back upon his earlier expression, the captain had a hunch that this person was anything but a good person. ¡°Boom¡ª¡± After a subtle movement came smoke and fire. Streams of light streaked across the gloomy sky, instantly embedding somewhere in Black Satan¡¯s exposed abdomen from its upright position. That tremendous figure froze harshly, like time had suddenly stood still. Yu Feichen made a gesture in the air. The captain¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted! ¡°Get back! Quickly!¡± The faces of the teammates in the tank paled, violently pulling the lever! On the rugged earth surface, the heavy tank stumbled backwards at an all-time record speed! Its shadow loomed, crashing down towards them, and the tank sped along the edge of it like it was pulling the shadow along, and then¡ªthe shadow overtook it. It wasn¡¯t Black Satan¡¯s body that first smashed into them, rather a body part as big as a human¡¯s head. The captain roared, ¡°Close the hatchet¡ª¡± The hatchet closed, but the violent barrage of crashes was unceasing, like a hail of countless rolling stones pounding down, overwhelming the steel plates. And with every creaky groan, the hearts of the people inside the tank leapt. When it finally stopped, the captain was the first to climb out of the hatchet, and before him was a scattering of mutilated, ugly limbs. Black Satan had not fallen whole; it was dismembered. Looking in every direction, gunsmoke no longer pervaded the air, and the number of zombies still resisting grew smaller and smaller. Like a symphony pulling to rest, the frantic tearing and biting slowed into ruminative chewing, and the rapid swooping of flying objects turned sluggish. Eventually, all the zombies stopped. And they gradually turned to assemble to the core. The battlefield was utterly silent. They moved closer and closer like a soundless migration, gathering before a nondescript location on the battlefield. All their faces, devoid of anger, turned towards the human base, and even the flying birds and insects had descended to ground. ¡ªYu Feichen fell back into the tank. The teammates¡¯ voices chattered endlessly, ¡°Great. Now that A1407 joined hands with humanity, Black Satan has been defeated with the help of the human force.¡± ¡°Great, a new zombie king is born.¡± ¡°Great, what¡¯s going to happen next?¡± ¡°Not great, it should be time for A1407 to flip out and chomp on humans instead.¡± ¡°You guys are one of a kind.¡± ¡ªThis sentence came from the communication device. Yu Feichen couldn¡¯t help but glance over at them. He had been doing this ¡®guaranteed clear¡¯ business for a long time already and had met all sorts of employers and teams. But a team so dedicated to repetition and comedy was still very seldom seen; such an eccentric team couldn¡¯t be birthed by just anywhere in the world. Naturally, the extent that this team could develop was limited. But it did have its redeeming qualities. After a mere hour and a half, the assembly of zombies had come to an end, and they were densely lined up on the plain without the slightest sign of resistance like a pot of dumplings that had already been cooked. Yu Feichen told the United Front headquarters through the communication device¡ª ¡°Blow them up.¡± His tone was as natural as calm as the tone one would use to say ¡®let¡¯s eat.¡¯ And humanity, in this way, was victorious. Carpet bombing was a very simple affair, so simple that some people lost any desire to watch. ¡°Yu Feichen, Yu-ge,¡± the captain¡¯s deep voice came from within the tank. Yu Feichen looked towards him, showing that he was listening. ¡°Are you willing to sincerely explain how all these happened today?¡± the captain said. ¡°The employment contract has been fulfilled.¡± And indeed, Yu Feichen¡¯s tone was remarkably sincere as he said, ¡°Remember to make the final payment.¡± ¡°Has it really been fulfilled?¡± The captain¡¯s voice was pained. Yu Feichen thought back on it. This team¡¯s mission was to win the defensive battle, destroy all zombies, and save the human base. Contractual condition no. 1: ensure the survival of the entire team. Contractual condition no. 2: complete the mission. Additional stipulation no. 1: Preferably a powerful clear (let the rookie feel the team¡¯s might and credibility, such that he¡¯ll topple over in worship and admiration) Recalling how moved Xia Sen looked when he was saved from the hands of the zombies, Yu Feichen¡¯s tone became several degrees more confident. ¡°It¡¯s been fulfilled.¡± ¡ª After clearing the battlefield and a brief celebration, the vast majority of the forces at the base began to throw themselves into the research of the zombie virus vaccine. The virus samples brought back by Xia Sen played a crucial role, and everything went without a hitch. The captain bumped into Xia Sen while on the way to find Yu Feichen. Xia Sen said, ¡°Captain, have you seen Yu-ge?¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking for him, too?¡± Xia Sen¡¯s lips pressed together into a smile. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with your head.¡± The captain looked at Xia Sen askance. Xia Sen grinned. ¡°I¡¯m very curious about him, and thirst for knowledge is a virtue well looked upon where I was born.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t wrong that it¡¯s a good virtue. Unfortunately, it tends to get people killed,¡± muttered the captain. They found the man in the watchtower at the northeast corner of the base. There was a platform protruding out the eighth floor of the watchtower, and Yu Feichen was sitting on one side of a wide concrete barrier, his back against the wall and one leg bent casually. He carried a clear glass bottle in his right hand, filled with what looked like blended high-proof spirits produced by the mess hall of the base, otherwise known as bogus alcohol. He took a swig from the bottle. It was hard to tell what this act of drinking represented to him. At first glance, he looked like a melancholic silhouette carved against the blood-splattered sunset; but on closer inspection, his expression was so impassive that even a robot placed where he was wouldn¡¯t look as mechanical as he did. For a moment, the captain didn¡¯t strike up conversation with him, instead walking up to the barrier and gazing across. This could be said to be the highest vantage point of the base, and the grey concrete buildings were packed together as densely as an ant colony, framed by a formless border of white columns. And beyond that, an endless, black expanse. A flock of ravens spiralled over the wilderness. Under the magnificence of the setting sun, the city appeared even more insignificant than the flock of ravens. These inhabitants, who were lucky to have come out of this with their lives, seemed to have a more arduous road ahead trying to regain the normalcy of their lives than winning the war. ¡°Captain?¡± Xia Sen asked softly. ¡°Just getting a little sentimental.¡± The bald captain sighed. ¡°Suffering will pass,¡± Xia Sen said as he gazed at the ravens, folding his arms over his chest. ¡°Because God loves every one of them.¡± ¡°You actually know quite something,¡± said the captain. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know much about ¡®Paradise¡¯, I was born in Landon Warren, and we have believed in the Divine Lord for many generations.¡± Yu Feichen turned his head over. ¡°Ah, you broke out of it,¡± the captain said. ¡°I came to ask you something, Yu-ge,¡± the captain said. ¡°The zombies have been eliminated and the vaccine was announced to be successful today, so why haven¡¯t we returned yet? Is there still some kind of hidden mechanism?¡± Yu Feichen looked at him. This wasn¡¯t the first time that the captain had received such a look. The left eye read ¡®how haven¡¯t you figured it out yet¡¯ and the right eye read ¡®how are you still alive¡¯. Captain, ¡°¡­¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s gaze shifted off the captain. His employers often asked him questions that were excessively simple to the point of bizarre. Regarding such questions, if the contract requested for ¡®coaching¡¯, he would occasionally skimp out an answer. But the contract this time was a simple ¡®guaranteed clear¡¯ service. Since the complaints had started to increase in frequency, he stopped taking ¡®coaching¡¯ contracts. The burning sensation in his throat gradually dissipated. 78¡ã proof, not too bad. Then, he drew a long dagger he carried on him and drenched the entire blade from the tip with half a bottle of alcohol. And as the captain and Xia Sen stared blankly at him¡ª Utterly expressionless, he stabbed himself. ¡°Ding.¡± Following this came a gentle female voice. ¡°791154 has been completed.¡± ¡°Return channel opening in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6¡­¡± ¡°Welcome back to Paradise.¡± CH 4 When the mission was judged to be completed, they would automatically be transferred back to Paradise. ¡ªso the reason for the long delay of their return was, naturally, because there was still a zombie alive. Once it died, the instance would end; it was very simple logic. After the voice fell, pure white light suddenly enveloped their vision. The world dissipated into nothingness and solidified again. People were talking not far away; their boisterous voices slammed into Yu Feichen¡¯s ears. ¡°Did you return from the Beyond? Did it go well this time?¡± ¡°We almost got wiped out. God above, that damn place was like the end of the world.¡± ¡°Few people have ever seen how the end of the world looks like.¡± ¡°Who cares if it was or wasn¡¯t, I¡¯m back anyway. Isn¡¯t it more than enough to see how the middle of the world looks like?¡± There was a roar of triumphant laughter, and a scarlet-cloaked clown on the side of the road even whistled. He tossed the red-white-blue coloured ball in his hand high into the golden sky, laughing long and shrilly, ¡°In the middle of the world¡ªis a tower.¡± Yu Feichen moved his legs and walked on ahead. He was about to cross where they were cheering and laughing when a meteor-like light suddenly streaked past. A moment later, a figure with a reflective head appeared; the captain. And another moment later, figures of varying shapes and sizes also appeared in this space. ¡°Come over and greet Yu-ge.¡± The captain called them over. ¡°The Tower of Creation,¡± after the greetings were made, the captain sighed lightly, his voice calm with a trace of weariness, ¡°we¡¯re finally back.¡± Tacitly, they raised their heads and looked ahead as one. Ahead¡ªa sky of pale gold, its brilliant hues sprinkling downwards onto thick, white cirrus clouds gathered in an immense whirlpool, and at the centre of the vortex stood a tall, snow-white tower. An obelisk. It was grand and dignified, but its lines weren¡¯t graceful. Four prongs stretched upwards before converging abruptly into the infinite distance to form a sharp tip, razor-sharp like a long sword piercing the sky. The Tower of Creation; the centre of the world. It was colossal. Even after the limits of human¡¯s vision were exhausted, no one was able to view it in its entirety. It was erected in the boundless plaza at sunset, as if towering over an unending river of ice, but even the most crystal-clear rivers of ice paled in comparison to the ground of this plaza. It was paved with an incandescent mineral of ice from the Eastern continent, thus the name ¡®Incandescent Plaza¡¯. No seams could be observed from between the stone tiles. They reflected the sky, the drifting clouds, and the holy tower, as well as a faint iridescence dancing at its fringes. It was said that these crystalline stones were once an inconceivably precious treasure unmatched by any other in the ancient past, and were only used to decorate the tombs of kings. Many shimmering orbs composed of intricate, golden runes floated in the air, emitting lively voices when people walked by them. ¡°Hi, would you like to buy face shaping? What style do you like?¡± ¡°Giant Tree Inn, discounted prices today. It¡¯ll make you feel right at home.¡± ¡°First time to Paradise? Do you need a tour guide? Do you need a Translation Sphere?¡± ¡°Wish tokens for Resurrection Day, handmade by the Grand Priest Iscadilla. Selling at discounted prices, would you like one, or two?¡± Voices clamoured everywhere. A busy flow of people constantly passed through Incandescent Plaza; meteors flashed, people appeared, and people disappeared. A young girl with flowers stuffed a bouquet of sunset-coloured flowers into the arms of one of the teammates. ¡°It¡¯s great to be back,¡± sighed the captain. ¡°We all worked hard this time, I¡¯ll treat everyone to drinks at Sunset Avenue. Yu-ge, let¡¯s go together.¡± No one answered. ¡°¡­Where¡¯s Yu-ge?¡± ¡ªThere was a tall, dark figure ahead. Yu Feichen was walking into the distance. ¡°Yu-ge! Yu-ge!¡± The captain¡¯s sleeves had been pulled. He stopped admiring the tower, saying, ¡°Hold up!¡± Yu Feichen turned his head back hearing this. The golden sky spilled soft light that reflected against the incandescent mineral of ice; for a fleeting moment, his silhouette appeared ethereal. ¡°Your face is handsomely shaped.¡± He saw a silver-haired youth in a white robe take a few steps forward to stand before him. His lips were pulled into a smile, his eyes crinkled, and his voice was gentle and refined. He said, ¡°You saved my life. I wish to thank you.¡± Looking at the youth¡¯s unfamiliar face, Yu Feichen¡¯s mind drew a tiny blank. After gazing at it for five seconds, he then dimly recalled that this should be a member of the team, named Xia Sen. Xia Sen was a medic with little combat power in the zombie world. That place had flesh and blood flying everywhere, and everyone¡¯s faces were filthy with grime. There wasn¡¯t time to notice much else, let alone how anyone looked like. Besides, people had manifold appearances across different worlds. Even after returning to Paradise, they could change their appearance as they wished¡ªand this was called ¡®face shaping¡¯. Perhaps because he was stared at for such a long time, Xia Sen blinked. And then a tiny glimmer streaked past. At once, Yu Feichen suddenly focused at the corner of Xia Sen¡¯s right eye. There was a small, dark red birthmark under it. Its tint was peculiar, like blood that had congealed. He was slightly faceblind. He could distinguish between beauty and ugliness, but it was difficult for him to remember faces. However, he was lazy to expand the effort, so he usually relied on the hair colour, eye colour, voice, or some other distinguishing feature. For example, the captain¡¯s bald head. And before him, that colour faintly glimmered in his mind. Where have I seen this colour before? He thought. Xia Sen said, ¡°Yu-ge? Shall we go to the pub together?¡± That thought was difficult to catch hold of, quickly flitting past in a twinkling. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± His tone didn¡¯t carry any inflection or emotion whatsoever. ¡°I¡¯m heading off.¡± With this, he turned around and walked towards where the Tower of Creation stood, quiet and still. ¡°Eh? Yu-ge!¡± Xia Sen said, ¡°Are you upset?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jet-black pupils faced him again. Mayhap too little light had been striked into the pupils when the face was shaped, but when being looked at by this pair of cool, impersonal pair of eyes, Xia Sen couldn¡¯t help but shiver. He said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the Gate of Eternal Night.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, there was an abrupt hush around him. The group of people stood on the spot, unmoving, their eyes fixated on Yu Feichen as if this person was going to visit some kind of ruthless and cruel type of hell with a mountain of swords and a sea of flames. They had not known each other for long, yet their stiff stares made it seem like this was their final parting before death. A long time later, the captain hesitantly said, ¡°You¡­ is your level high enough?¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°Only just.¡± ¡°No, you¡­ you¡­¡± The captain stammered for a while before saying, ¡°Why not think it over?¡± Yu Feichen gave him a flat look as if he couldn¡¯t understand why this man was asking this. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He turned around, leaving that area. A whispered mutter came from behind him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this might be the last time we meet.¡± Yu Feichen knew the reason why they would say so. As everyone was well aware, the Gate of Eternal Night was an extremely dangerous place where people left and none returned. Those who went there were either zealous believers, or believers sent to exile. ¡ªYu Feichen walked into the Tower of Creation. This tower was an immense building of white. Its higher reaches were dense with golden enchantment symbols and thick, white clouds, and the end was nowhere in sight. Resurrection Day occurred once every century, and more and more people were keen to venture into the worlds beyond. The Tower of Creation was much busier than usual, and the clamour on the first floor was even noisier than at Incandescent Plaza. People streamed past Yu Feichen in a flurry. They were of all races, manner of appearance and fashions, either crossing from one side to the other, or ascending the wide, spiral staircase built against the inner walls. The walls of the tower were lined with countless gold-ornamented cedarwood doors, and an endless flow of people passed through them. In Paradise, all contractual and legal activities proceeded on this level. A statue of a god stood silently in the middle of the floor. It was huge and conspicuous, and its top dipped past the clouds. It depicted a god with a solemn and aloof face in ancient garb, as well as an inscribed tablet hovering above his right hand. This was Mogrosh, the God of Contract, presiding over the first floor of the Tower of Creation. His temple was at the bottom of the spiral staircase, a place that Yu Feichen was well acquainted with. Yu Feichen walked forth, and came face to face with two people engrossed in conversation. ¡°I just got back from Mogrosh. He met me for a cup of tea and told me that I greatly disappointed him. He was very upset.¡± ¡°You received another complaint?¡± ¡°It is the nature of employers to nitpick.¡± ¡°If it were just nitpicking, Mogrosh wouldn¡¯t say things like ¡®I am very upset¡¯ to me.¡± ¡°There are so many things in the world that would upset Mogrosh.¡± Saying this, that man huffed out a laugh. ¡°When I went in, Mogrosh was arranging a stack of complaints against Xiao Yu. You should have seen his expression, he really looked like someone had lodged a complaint saying that his son was caught sleeping with another man¡¯s wife.¡± Just then, they walked right up to Yu Feichen, six eyes locking together. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Tugging at each other, those two swiftly vanished behind an enchanted door on the steps. Yu Feichen also entered a door. This was a sealed, translucent box with a column of numbered symbols on the side, corresponding to the number of floors in the Tower of Creation. Different floors corresponded to different colours, and he pressed the pitch-black XIII, the thirteenth floor. Invisible force shook the space as it climbed steadily and swiftly upwards through the clouds. The second floor was similarly packed with people. This was the place to receive missions. Apart from this, the only other level Yu Feichen frequented was the seventh floor. This was the domain of the Goddess of Power. The statue of the goddess wore a long, golden dress with her hands clasped around a large sword. Both her eyes were slightly lidded, and her expression was calm. The statue¡¯s flying strands of hair were the path and bridge of that place, connecting to the seven relief-sculptured stone doors on the tower walls. Each door had a name corresponding to the seven levels of danger of the worlds beyond. After choosing a mission on the second floor, a team would go to the seventh floor and walk along the path that belonged to them. The power of the goddess would open the door to the mission world for them. At the end of the mission in every world, the rewards were settled in incandescent stones, which were the only currency of Paradise and can be claimed from the third floor. The amount of rewards that every person received for carrying out a mission was recorded by the Goddess of Wisdom, representing the amount of merit that each person had earned. The rewards received for aid and coaching were similarly counted as merit for they had been witnessed by the God of Contracts. Once a certain level of merit had been accumulated, a person could increase their promotion level and gain the privilege of access to higher worlds. A higher-levelled world naturally implied a greater level of danger, as well as more lucrative rewards. Yu Feichen¡¯s rates were very expensive. His ¡®guaranteed clear¡¯ sold for 30,000 incandescent stones, and double that for ¡®quick-fix¡¯, a term which referred specifically to those worlds that allowed off-site help, where the principal of the contract hired an agent to clean up if they made a mess of things. Therefore, his merits and levels rose quickly. After the rewards for the zombie world were settled, he gained the privilege of accessing the thirteenth floor¡ªthe Gate of Eternal Night. The Gate of Eternal Night had no established rewards. But there were legends circulated in Paradise about it. The legend goes, over there, as long as you survive, you can get anything you want¡ªno matter what it is. The enchanted box stopped. Its colour had changed from its initial pure white, to pitch black. Still, the door didn¡¯t open. Yu Feichen reached out. The moment his fingers touched the door¡ª Everything disappeared, and he was enshrouded in boundless darkness. In the void, from all around him came a deep, male voice. ¡°Visitor,¡± said that voice, ¡°why have you come to the Gate of Eternal Night?¡± The echo reverberated layer upon layer, and a long time passed before it completely fell away. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t really want to answer. First, he didn¡¯t like dark places. Secondly, he hated overly loud voices. Lastly, he didn¡¯t like answering other people¡¯s questions. He said, ¡°Because I¡¯ve enough merit.¡± That voice suddenly stepped severalfold louder with anger and authority. ¡°Why have you come to the Gate of Eternal Night?¡± It appeared that his perfunctory and superficial reasoning was seen through. In Paradise, there were also exhortations such as ¡®Never lie in front of the Gate of Eternal Night¡¯. He subtly lowered his eyes and considered his wording, then spoke. ¡ª¡°For the Divine Lord is the king of all kings, and the god of all gods. Anywhere that is touched by light is his domain.¡± ¡°Why have you come to the Gate of Eternal Night?¡± Before he could finish speaking, that voice rose again. ¡ª¡°Everything beyond the seven doors is territory belonging to the Divine Lord.¡± ¡°Why have you come to the Gate of Eternal Night?¡± ¡ª¡°God is omnipresent.¡± The aid that could be acquired with incandescent stones, the tips that one would receive before entering a world, the physical enhancement that could be brought from Paradise to the worlds beyond¡ªand other countless such things¡ªwere all attributed to the power of the Divine Lord. These traces of ¡®God¡¯s Benevolence¡¯ could be found everywhere. As if the Divine Lord was always there, constantly gazing down over them. But he wasn¡¯t a believer. To this day, he had not seen even a statue of the Divine Lord. ¡°Why have you come to the Gate of Eternal Night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s someone else¡¯s territory.¡± He gazed ahead, each word clear and firm, he said¡ª ¡°And I don¡¯t like that.¡± t/n. Incandescent mineral/stones more literally translates into dazzling ice mineral/stones. It has an english equivalent term ¨C pyxorene (general category of minerals), but based on the description I decided to treat it as a fantasy object instead, thus this revised name. Face shaping can alt be translated as face moulding/kneading, likely a deliberate reference to some beliefs wherein humans were shaped from clay. KIV that this work contains significant talk on theology, religion, suchlike. Changing schedule to sporadic updates whenever the mood strikes me. CH 5 When his last word fell, the voice suddenly went silent. Many times, sudden silence hid something brewing under. But Yu Feichen wasn¡¯t afraid. Although a vast majority of Paradise¡¯s inhabitants were believers willing to go through flood and hellfire for the Divine Lord, there wasn¡¯t a law that expressly forbade disrespect to the gods. Finally, that voice rang out again, no longer as deafening as before. ¡°The place beyond the Gate of Eternal Night isn¡¯t meant for a lone ranger.¡± The deep, sombre voice that came from all directions, said. ¡°You have to bring back a person who wholeheartedly follows you, one for each adventure.¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°Must I bring back someone?¡± After a brief pause, he spoke again, ¡°What¡¯s beyond the gate?¡± But the owner of the voice didn¡¯t answer any of his questions. Eventually, in the dark nothingness of silence, only that apathetic voice resounded. ¡°May fortune be with you.¡± The dark night instantaneously coagulated, deeper and denser; an invisible force firmly pushed Yu Feichen forwards, and¡ª It felt like leaping off a cliff, but icy darkness chased him like a shadow; rather than falling, it was more like sinking in water. When he was finally able to take the first breath, cold, damp air filled Yu Feichen¡¯s lungs. He opened his eyes to find himself in a small, constantly shaking space. There were people on all sides, and tiny sobs broke the air around him. At this moment, he was seated on the floor against a corner. The tin floor was covered with dark stains, and there came a clunking sound from beneath. He quickly judged that he was in the carriage of a moving vehicle. Yu Feichen raised his head and saw that he was completely surrounded by people sitting or lying down. The carriage was dimly lit from only a small window on the far right. With a hand, he brushed the black sediment on the ground. Coal cinders. It was a train for transporting coal, yet it transported a crammed carriage of humans. A sob suddenly came from not far off in front of him. A male dressed in a gentlemen¡¯s suit was holding onto a woman wrapped in an overcoat; it was she who sobbed. ¡°Where are we going, precisely?¡± Her hand clutched her abdomen, her voice trembling. The gentlemen, who appeared to be her husband, simply kissed her cheeks and hair over and over, reassuring her, ¡°I¡¯m with you, I¡¯ll always be with you¡­ Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid, Leanna.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been heading north.¡± To his right, another young male voice rang out, ¡°For a journey this long, we¡¯re surely out of Korosha.¡± The sobs intensified, and others started to murmur in the carriage. ¡°Where are we being brought to?¡± ¡°God save us.¡± Yu Feichen looked to the right. ¡°What happened?¡± It was only when the words left his mouth that he realised how terribly hoarse his voice was. In his peripheral vision, that married couple pushed over the last bit of water in a thermos flask. It appeared that everyone had been parched for a long time. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± said a teen boy next to him, ¡°you slept for so long that we all thought you were dead.¡± Yu Feichen, ¡°Not yet.¡± The mood of the people in the carriage was heavy and oppressive. Only this boy seemed to remain sanguine, even making conversation with Yu Feichen, asking, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s fingers rubbed against the right cuff of his shirt where several raised letters were embroidered. ¡°James Adams,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you,¡± the boy said, ¡°a lawyer.¡± ¡ªso, he was a lawyer. Yu Feichen accepted this statement. The shirt and overcoat he wore were indeed made of expensive fabric and were well cared for. Leaning against the wall, he stretched his limbs, his joints clicking. This body had broad shoulders and the physique wasn¡¯t too bad, fortunately. ¡°And you?¡± he asked. ¡°Bai Song,¡± said the boy. ¡°I served in the harbour for a year as a corporal. Just before all this, I was called up to be deployed to the frontlines, but by the next day the Black Chapter Army had occupied Korosha.¡± Frontlines; occupied; Black Chapter Army. When these three phrases were strung together, Yu Feichen knew that he had unquestionably arrived in a time of war. And during a war, the only people who were transported in coal trains were, probably, prisoners of war. Black Chapter Army occupied a city and drove the original residents of the city onto the train to be transported elsewhere. The clunking noise abruptly slowed down. A harsh whistle echoed through the carriage. The young boy named Bai Song grasped his arm all of a sudden, that hand trembling slightly. It turned out that he was afraid as well. An unpleasant creak grated their ears. A miserable shaft of daylight shone in, and the hood of the carriage was opened. ¡°Get off! Line up!¡± An extremely gruff voice came from outside the car. Three seconds later when no one got off the train, the black-uniformed soldier outside abruptly fired a shot into the sky. At this, people then started getting off one by one. A scream pierced the cold wind; a woman who had been slow to get off was given a violent kick. People gradually trickled out of almost ten or so neighbouring carriages, from a rough glance, it totalled at least six hundred people. Two armed soldiers stood in front of each carriage, and when most people had come down, the soldiers began to move forward, forcing the prisoners to follow behind them in a long line. The married couple was in front of Yu Feichen in the line. The wife continued to press her right hand to her abdomen, and Bai Song was behind him. Ahead of them was a grey building surrounded by an electric fence. The entrance to the building was a black iron gate, also with a guard on duty by the side. To the right of the gate, a tattered sign that read, ¡®Oak Valley Chemical Plant¡¯. Above this sign was a newly erected iron signboard, also with some text written on it. ¡ª¡®Oak Valley Detention Centre¡¯ Yu Feichen surveyed the area around him. The building was situated on a plain encircled by a mountain range on three sides. The sky was a dreary grey; it was in the winter. The soldiers escorting and guarding them were all heavily armed, so it was evident that this detention centre wasn¡¯t any sort of safe place. After being pushed through the Gate of Eternal Night, the power from Paradise relinquished its hold on him. It was as if he had grown up in this place as an ordinary man. It had been a long time since he had felt so completely free. Another noticeable difference was that all previous worlds had a clear mission objective and they were immediately recalled when the mission was completed. Whereas this time, the thing from the Gate of Eternal Night had never said anything about the mission objective before sending him here. However, given that he was here now, the affair that he needed to complete must have something to do with this detention centre. Past the gate, a long, newly built wall cut off their vision and no one could get a full view of the detention centre. Dark-coloured tables were set up at the bottom of the walls, behind which sat a few officers and two doctors in white coats. Cold wind howled. The prisoners in the line shrunk their necks inwards as they walked forwards. There were civilians in line, as well as well-dressed gentlemen and their wives. However, upon walking up to the table, they were only given one command. ¡°Strip.¡± At the head of the line was an elderly man in round-framed glasses, dressed in a khaki suit, his hair snow-white and immaculately groomed. He looked straight at the officer without moving. The officer¡¯s eyes bulged slightly, his lips were tightly pursed, and his expression was unreadable. He repeated, ¡°Strip.¡± ¡°You have no right to ask me to do so,¡± said the old man. The officer raised his hand. A gunshot. The crowd screamed. ¡ªfollowed by the dull sound of a body falling to the ground, the blood splattering far away. Shivering, the second man unbuttoned his shirt and under the watchful eyes of the officer, continued to undress down to his underpants. His clothes were taken over by a guard. The notes and watch in his coat pocket were pulled out and put into a tin box, and the clothes were dropped into a larger cardboard box. Then, they issued him a grey long-sleeved overalls. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any supplies at all the whole train ride.¡± Not far from Yu Feichen, a black-uniformed guard who was keeping watch over them spoke. His companion said, ¡°They just keep sending trash here by the truckload.¡± ¡°Luckily for us, gold can be dredged out from the trash.¡± The shoulders of the wife in front of him shuddered and she leaned closer to her husband. Her hand never left her abdomen for a moment. The cold wind clawed at her clothes, making the outline of her figure more prominent¡ªher waist and belly puffed out slightly. She was pregnant. The line moved forwards slowly. Healthy and young men along with a few strong women were put into one group. Elderly, children, and other women were split into another group. Aside from there, there was also a lame person and an albino man grouped together. Soon after, another pregnant woman joined their group. The rest of the area was an open space wherein everything could be taken in at a glance. The only thing of note was that a black military vehicle was parked to the side of the line. At first, Yu Feichen thought that it was a group of soldiers with live ammunition inside. However, as the line slowly moved forwards, he looked from the rear and found that this wasn¡¯t the case. Through the window, the vehicle was empty, and only a silhouette was seated at the front passenger seat with his head slightly lowered. It was hard to see what he was doing. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t doing anything at all. The man was wearing a black military uniform, and white was faintly visible under the short-brimmed hat. When he looked again, long platinum blonde hair fell loose. ¡°Where did that little bitch in the van come from? She ain¡¯t around yesterday,¡± said the guard. ¡°That¡¯s no girl. He had just graduated from Tin Cloud Military Academy this month and became a captain straight out. I don¡¯t know who sent him.¡± The tone of the other officer was mocking as he said, ¡°Sen. Colonel intends to give him hell and hang him out to dry.¡± CH 6 The line moved forward again. When passing by that black military vehicle, Yu Feichen turned his head slightly. He could see the silhouette of a young man inside. The silhouette of a young man could be seen inside. His back was straight and upright, aesthetic as he leaned slightly against the black, leather seats. He wore snow-white gloves on his left hand. On his right, the glove was removed, with which he used to wipe down the barrel of a silver gun. From the guard¡¯s conversation, this ¡®Black Chapter Captain¡¯ had freshly graduated from ¡®Tin Cloud Military Academy¡¯ this month. However, in Yu Feichen¡¯s opinion, even an instructor from the academy might not be able to achieve such a graceful, practised way of handling guns. Moreover, only frequently fired guns needed to be disassembled and wiped down. After pressing the disassembled parts back in, the gun remained on his lap. The young captain rested his right hand on the half-opened window, a gesture that looked breezy and arrogant, as if he were the commander of this camp. The snow-white, fine cloth glove slid off his fingers, spiralling in the wind before landing on the frozen, greyish-brown ground. One of the guards swore. Their white gloves were already stained and spotted with dirt, yet this external commanding officer wantonly wasted resources without a second thought. The whimpering cold wind grew into a roaring gust. Several snowflakes fell from the sky, whirling through the half-open window. That platinum blonde-haired captain angled his head down slightly. He covered his lips and nose with a handkerchief and coughed a few times before finally turning his icy green eyes towards the prisoners. His gaze swept across the line of people. Yu Feichen was sure that their gazes briefly met for a fleeting moment, but at that time, his face remained expressionless, as did the face of the dignified and arrogant captain. The next moment, the captain pressed down a knob by the side of the window and the dark brown glass windows rose, blocking the sight. The light snow only lasted for about fifteen minutes. The sky was as grey as the base of a porcelain teacup. It was now the married couple¡¯s turn. The epaulette of the officer seated at the centre of the long table displayed the rank of a senior colonel. He lifted his chin at the wife. Embarrassing women seemed to be one of Black Chapter Army¡¯s hobbies, for men could leave on a pair of trousers, whereas women had to strip completely bare. There was even a two-metre tall mirror placed in front of the long table which not only reflected the person stripping, but also allowing them to see all of the people lined up behind, magnifying the humiliation of this action thousandfold. Her husband kept whispering, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Leanna, it¡¯s okay.¡± She took off her outer garments and untied the band of her undergarments, sobbing. ¡°Are you pregnant?¡± a doctor in a white coat said. In actuality, the bulge of her belly wasn¡¯t obvious and could be passed off as fat deposits had Yu Feichen not witnessed how she protected her stomach the whole time. She looked at her husband in panic, then turned to look at the two groups standing on the left. In one group were women, old men, and children. In the other were a pregnant woman near her term, a cripple, an albino, and a new addition, an ugly man with dwarfism. The doctor had a kind, round face and held a thick fleece blanket in his right hand. He smiled at her gently, ¡°Dr. Seber and I will take care of you and your baby.¡± The husband patted her and motioned for her to go over that side. Admittedly, this doctor¡¯s kindness was moving. But no one had ever heard of such a detention centre that would both take care of pregnant women and let women stand bare in the cold wind. No one knew which side was the safer option. Her gaze wavered unsurely between the two groups and she finally bit her lip, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not pregnant, sir.¡± The doctor gave an apologetic smile, waving his hand. ¡°It¡¯s a pity.¡± She walked over to stand with the women, children, and elderly. A guard gave her a sack-like flannel robe. The officer looked at her husband. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Gerold Hilding,¡± he said. ¡°What was your occupation before this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a middle school teacher.¡± He paused. ¡°I taught chemistry.¡± The officer said, ¡°Not bad.¡± Another officer took down his name, and he was assigned to the ranks of the grown men, a group obviously put together for manual labour. After Gerold left, Yu Feichen moved forward and reported his name and occupation. He clearly saw himself in the mirror; approximately twenty five years of age, wearing a black shirt, vest, and a greyish blue plaid coat. He had a head of deep golden, chestnut hair, and his eyes were dark blue like ink. As for his facial features, he felt that he didn¡¯t look much different from how he looked in Paradise. Then again, due to his facial blindness, he couldn¡¯t claim this with certainty. He took off his coat and began to unbutton his shirt. Meanwhile, a guard searched his trouser pockets and the soles of his boots. Yu Feichen tilted his head down slightly and stretched out his right hand, passing his shirt to the guard. At the same time, the guard reached out and handed him the subpar quality grey clothes. Just then, he subtly waved his left wrist. The guard looked up and caught sight of the silver glint on his platinum watch. During this short second, a silver-plated lighter and sharp, folding pocket knife that had been previously transferred to his shirt pocket was hooked in his hand and swiftly disappeared under the cover of his grey clothes. After taking his former clothes, the guard roughly turned to the left and removed his wristwatch. At the same time, no one saw him slip the lighter and knife into the side pocket of his trousers. Now that the coat was gone, the young man in the mirror had strong limbs and sharp, neat lines of musculature. ¡°Fine fellow.¡± The officer¡¯s face was cold. He gave a hoarse sneer, ¡°The kiln needs a good lad like you more desperately than bricks. I¡¯ve to give that meddlesome tuberculosis bitch something to do, but Korosha bastards and swindler lawyers should be sent to the kilns.¡± His adjutant, along with the other guards, began to laugh. Yu Feichen looked at him coldly. Indeed, crude jokes were a common pastime in some armies, but the senior colonel¡¯s bulging, bloodshot eyes, slightly twitching eyelids, and the rough, low timbre of his voice all suggest that he was abnormal in the mind. If this were a zombie world, this could be considered the beginning of alienation. However, based on what he had seen thus far, Yu Feichen felt that this was a regular world. After the officer was done muttering curses, Yu Feichen naturally joined the ranks of the labourers. Next was Bai Song. This boy who had served in the military was only slightly shorter than him, and had firm muscles and strong bones. So, he was given the nickname ¡®cinder-eating Korosha mongrel¡¯. Several others followed after, receiving various nicknames such as frog-eating Korosha mongrel, cinder-eating Korosha frog, and mongrel-eating Korosha cinder. Women and children were taken to the other side of the wall, while the group with the pregnant women and albino patients were whisked off in a vehicle. The labouring group was divided into four teams. One team went to the oak mountain in the south to collect acorns, the other team went to the hillside in the north to cut trees, the third team built barracks, and the fourth team was assigned to the brick kilns. However, it was already night. Instead of making them work through the night, the detention centre used three trucks to bring them to their barracks. They were led into a long concrete building with twenty cells on each side. The cells were small and humid. Ten mattresses were placed above straw mats on the floor. ¡°Stay there, mongrel.¡± The mattress that Yu Feichen was assigned was the barrack in the deepest corner opposite the lavatory. He was with Bai Song, Gerold, the frog-eating Korosha mongrel, and three other men that he didn¡¯t know. There were seven of them in total. He chose the side by the door so that he could see the situation outside more easily. Bai Song chose the space next to him. A guard walked over, kicking the iron gates of the cells back to their original position, and dropping padlocks on them one by one. ¡°I hope that when I wake up, you Korosha frogs are still here.¡± The chief warden of the barracks was fat and meaty. He carried a basket of bread and threw them individually through the bars of the iron gates. The hard and blackened croissants knocked against the ground like stones. ¡°There are always mongrels who try to escape. Every time someone escapes, ten people will be executed here.¡± The voice neared them. When a croissant whacked Bai Song¡¯s head, the chief warden pressed his face up to the iron gate, meeting Yu Feichen¡¯s gaze. Darkness wrapped around him, obscuring his facial features, and the shadows cast by light on the wall were long and vertical. ¡°The gate was locked. But two people ran off without a trace from this cell, once.¡± The chief warden¡¯s shrill voice said. ¡°Guess where the others are now?¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to guess. They had been executed. Of the forty cells, all others had people already staying in them. Only theirs was empty. Bai Song cowered beside Yu Feichen. ¡°Hoho.¡± This reaction greatly satisfied the chief warden, and he pulled out the electric cord on the wall. It was pitch black. Only a small, fist-sized window in the wall near the ceiling let in a little light. The chief warden¡¯s footsteps faded away. Then, another dull locking sound as the door of the cement building was closed. Water dripped steadily from the lavatory opposite. Voices came indistinctly from the other cells, but they couldn¡¯t be clearly made out. Their cell remained deathly silent, aside from the sound of Bai Song gnawing the croissants, which resembled what gnawing a lump of coal would sound like. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys talking?¡± After a long time, Bai Song asked. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t answer. He was thinking of the situation at hand. Like countless missions in the past, he was thrown into a world outside of Paradise. But this time, he didn¡¯t know the mission objective, nor did he know the reward. There were only three types of objectives that can arise from a detention centre where civilians are held during wartime. Rescue, destruction, or intelligence gathering. If there wasn¡¯t a clear mission objective, he could just try all three. As he thought this, someone finally broke the silence. It was the one who ¡®ate frogs¡¯. He was a thin and weak-looking friar. ¡°Why do they call us ¡®frog-eating mongrels¡¯?¡± he said. Bai Song said, ¡°The Black Chapter believes that Koroshans have betrayed the God of Truth, thus leaving the country barren.¡± ¡°Korosha has never believed in the God of Truth.¡± Bai Song didn¡¯t answer, continuing to gnaw on his bread. Another man spoke up. ¡°Korosha is full of coal mines. They¡¯ve been coveting them for a long time.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bai Song stopped chewing on coal cinders and asked Yu Feichen. Yu Feichen was looking at the padlock. After he inspected the thick iron lock, he shook the tightly welded iron bars. They were very sturdy. ¡°Two men had escaped before,¡± he said. ¡°Probably not from here,¡± Bai Song also touched them, saying, ¡°you can run when you pick acorns or cut wood.¡± Unfortunately, they both belonged to the team manning the brick kilns. But Yu Feichen clearly remembered the chief warden stressing that the gates were locked. Sometimes, subtle anomalies were the key to breaking through. The friar said, ¡°Their God of Truth believes that it¡¯s a virtue to treat prisoners with kindness.¡± ¡°I hope that¡¯s so.¡± ¡ªHis companions didn¡¯t look to have any desire to escape. After scanning the cell under the wan moonlight, Yu Feichen simply closed his eyes and entered a light sleep. He didn¡¯t eat the bread for he had no interest in eating coal cinders. Perhaps it might soften a little by morning from the humidity in this place. He slept very shallowly. This was a habit ingrained from the countless missions he had completed. Any suspicious movement would wake him, and even if there wasn¡¯t any, he would still wake once every hour. An hour later, another man in their cell began to chew on cinders. Bai Song started to snore lightly. In the second hour, all six people in the cell fell asleep. In the third hour, a few people were whispering from the neighbouring cell. In the fourth hour, the midnight bell tolled in the distance. Surrounded by darkness, Yu Feichen suddenly opened his eyes. The dripping of water in the lavatory had vanished. CH 7 There could be many reasons behind the sudden disappearance of the dripping sound; perhaps the limited water supply here had been cut, or the copper pipes had frozen over in the deep night¡ªhowever, the surroundings were too silent. All of the minute sounds both inside and outside the cell had vanished. It was dead silent. Yu Feichen sat up with his back against the wall, taking out his lighter. ¡°Hss.¡± Fire sprung from the lighter, illuminating a corner of the cell. One by one, he looked over the others sharing the cell. Bai Song was frowning slightly; the chemistry teacher lay flat on the ground, both hands clasped in front of his chest as if in prayer; the frog-eating friar was curled up in a corner. The thick darkness congealed, allowing the lighter to only illuminate a very restricted radius. Yu Feichen got up and went over to the other side of the cell. The other three people were sleeping in different positions; fortunately, their chests were still rising and falling gently. They were asleep, and they alive. He raised the lighter a little higher. There was nothing on the ceiling. From outside the small window, he could see the outline of a building in the night. Then, he gazed across. The greyish-white cement wall gave way to reveal a gaping black hole. There wasn¡¯t the barest sliver of light inside; it was the door to the lavatory. Further beyond the lavatory, darkness swallowed the barracks, and he couldn¡¯t make out anything. Extinguishing the lighter, Yu Feichen believed that something had happened. He wasn¡¯t neurotic, and never hallucinated. In the silent cell, he suddenly spoke. ¡°Is anyone awake?¡± His echo rebounded from every corner, but the cell remained in a blanket of silence. He spoke again. ¡°Anyone?¡± ¡ªSilence answered him. But three seconds later, Bai Song seemed to have been stirred by him, flipping over in his sleep. Yu Feichen¡¯s eyes keenly stared at the corner of the wall that was revealed after Bai Song flipped over. He patted Bai Song on the shoulder. This kid was a light sleeper. After his shoulder was touched, he immediately snapped his eyes open. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t speak. He flicked the lighter on again, drawing the flame close to that spot. ¡°Fu¡ª¡± Bai Song promptly stopped the curse from escaping. On the dreary grey concrete wall, there were three long, dark streaks, each varying in depth and length, heavy at the top right and lighter on the bottom left, like a brushstroke that ran out of paint. Yu Feichen asked in a low voice. ¡°Was this here before?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Bai Song said. He paused before continuing to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice, I guess it shouldn¡¯t have been.¡± Yu Feichen didn¡¯t speak. Before going to bed, he had carefully surveyed the surroundings of the cell, and there wasn¡¯t such a thing. In the silence, Bai Song took a few deep breaths, suddenly reaching out his right hand and comparing his fingers against the wall. The middle finger was thicker, and the little finger was slimmer, similar to the proportions of the marks on the wall. ¡°Holy.¡± Bai Song lay back down as if losing courage, moving further away from the wall. He said, ¡°Someone¡¯s hands clawed out these streaks, will they really treat prisoners kindly?¡± Just then, there was another stir in the cell. It was that chemistry teacher named Gerold who had awakened from their conversation. ¡°Did something happen?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Yu Feichen reached out and his fingers passed through the iron bars of the gate. He twisted the antique iron padlock in the other direction, turning the lock from its initial flat position to rest sideways against the gate. After doing this, he said, ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± The chemistry teacher whispered a few prayers before going back to sleep with Bai Song. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t lay back down. He only sat in a posture more convenient to get up at any moment, resting his eyes. The air around him was silent as a grave, and this lasted for about five hours; when pale daylight sieved through the small window, then did the sound of dripping water resume. Yu Feichen looked first towards the wall near Bai Song. The mark had vanished, as if it had never existed. And then he looked to the iron bars¡ª The iron lock, which he had placed on its side, was now laid flat against the gate, as if it had moved soundlessly by itself. He took a deep breath, and ignored it, beginning to freshen up. Though, there wasn¡¯t much for him to do. He simply neatened his hair and used that small, sharp blade to shave off the slight stubble that had formed on his face. He wasn¡¯t a person particularly concerned about outer appearances, but there were some things that he required to be kept orderly. The occupants of the cell gradually awoke one after another. The friar began his morning prayers. From the scattered words, Yu Feichen could make out that the figure or god they believed in was called Yuryllia. The chemistry teacher sat in a daze facing the wall, and the other big-nosed middle-aged man heaved a great sigh. A brawny man with blonde hair was talking to a short-statured man. ¡°My ma got onto another truck,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s doing now.¡± Bai Song was still asleep. The friar finished the tediously long prayers. Bai Song was still asleep. Sure enough, if startling awake from a light sleep in the middle of the night, one would fall into an unusually deep sleep for the remaining half of the night. Expressionless, Yu Feichen stared at Bai Song¡¯s sleeping form for three seconds before deciding to kick the boy awake. ¡ªThe door to the barracks creaked loudly. A frigid winter breeze bored in, aerating the humidity formed from people cramped within the small space. Although a chill bit into their bones, it refreshed the mind. The footsteps of several people rang from the corridor. Two people were flanked at the centre, and from the footfalls, one set was heavier than the other. The heavier set fell down in shorter intervals, whereas the lighter set had a longer interval between each step. It was obvious. One man was heavier than the other; one man was shorter than the other. ¡°Get up, it¡¯s time for inspections, frogs.¡± The warden¡¯s shrill voice called out. ¡°Citizens of the God of Truth are already hard at work, but Korosha mongrels are still lazing in bed. After we open the gates you¡¯d better line up properly. I want to reward each of you with a lash.¡± Without a doubt, the heavier, shorter-legged man was the chief warden. As for the other¡ª Yu Feichen crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of the cell. He was watching Bai Song who slept like a corpse on the ground at first and hearing the sound, he raised his eyes slightly. A pair of silver-buttoned black boots first entered his vision. ¡°Senior officer, right here.¡± The chief warden¡¯s flattering voice was subtly laced with sarcasm. ¡°Those two cinder-eating mongrels disappeared from here.¡± The young officer bent his body to inspect the lock. His military uniform was the type with a long cloak, and gleaming silver tassel chains hung down from his shoulder to his chest, half-blocked by the long platinum blonde hair over his shoulders. All in all, there was a neatness in him that was not commonly seen, out of place with the people around him. Perhaps due to having just come from outside, a frosty chill emanated off him. ¡°What else happened that day?¡± he asked the chief warden. ¡°Nothing much, senior officer,¡± said the chief warden. ¡°When I shut the gates the previous day, the headcount was correct. But the next day when I inspected the rooms, the people were gone, and the gate was still properly locked.¡± ¡°What about the others?¡± A cold gaze scanned the interior of the cell. ¡°Sen. Colonel thought it a great disgrace that naughty snakes of Korosha actually managed to escape and asked the remaining few people. They said that they had seen them before they slept but never heard anything after, and they were already gone by the time they woke up.¡± The chief warden laughed. ¡°They were covering up for the fugitives, and even wanted to clear themselves of blame. Sen. Colonel killed them all.¡± The chief warden went on to say, ¡°But Tincloud mobilising someone to investigate two rogue snakes on the loose is overkill, senior officer.¡± His senior officer only said three words. ¡°Open the gate.¡± The chief warden awkwardly opened it, and two soldiers dressed differently from the area guards entered to search the room. ¡°Our barracks is watertight, there¡¯s no way to escape. That was just a one-off exception¡ª¡± the chief warden rattled on and on, until the soldiers rummaged under an unused straw mat and found a bent piece of wire. The soldier handed the wire to the senior official. And he saw this man snap the padlock shut again, poke the wire into the hole. Less than a few minutes later, the lock core clicked open. The chief warden, who was standing outside, stammered. ¡°Uh, this¡­ We still have another door outside, even if they got out using this method, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get past the entrance door as well.¡± Yu Feichen took in this scene before him. The young officer was not only far better at polishing his gun than others, but his lock picking skills were also perfect. With the arrival of the senior officer, the situation became a little clearer. Two prisoners were missing from Oak Valley Detention Centre. Despite the military guards at the detention centre waving it off as a trivial case, their superiors took it seriously enough to send someone to investigate¡ªnamely, this captain from Tin Cloud Military Academy. However, after what happened last night, the incident of prisoners escaping might not be as simple as it appeared. Yu Feichen thought this to himself, and his mission objective from the Gate of Eternal Night also required further reassessing. ¡°It¡¯s a virtue to treat prisoners with kindness, Chief Warden. Though I don¡¯t yet know how your company conducts things in Oak Valley.¡± The young officer¡¯s tone was cool. The bite on his words was light, yet distinctively clear, carrying a certain tone of antiquity and nobleness. ¡°But if you are unable to restrain yourself, then at least do so with discretion.¡± The chief warden wiped sweat from his forehead. ¡°We will raise our guard and not let a third person slip.¡± ¡°Someone who could pick the lock wouldn¡¯t leave his tools under the bed.¡± Icy green eyes suddenly looked straight towards Yu Feichen. ¡°Did anything unusual happen last night?¡± There was a brief silence. ¡°No,¡± Yu Feichen said. And, in this manner, they stared at each other for several tense seconds, until the senior officer shifted his gaze away. From beginning to the end, those eyes were as calm and transparent as a frozen lake in the winter. ¡°Search Oak Valley.¡± The senior officer turned around, the corner of his cloak lifting from his movements, leaving the cell with a cold chill. The sound of their footfalls gradually faded away, and Bai Song had long awoken. He stared at the disappearing silhouette of the senior officer as he left, then looked at Yu Feichen, and finally back at the corner of the wall. He clearly remembered that there were three strange and sinister bloodstains on the wall. But now that he looked again, the corner was very clean, leaving nothing at all. Bai Song¡¯s pupils were slightly lax. ¡°You¡­ He¡­ I¡­ This¡­¡± Driven by the guards, the prisoners lined up to go to the lavatory. As he passed by Bai Song, Yu Feichen said in a low voice, ¡°When we go to the brick kiln today, find a way to bring something back. Anything will do.¡± CH 8 After a quick wash, each prisoner was given breakfast. It was a cup of greyish-white paste, like flour that had been cooked in hot water. No one touched the food at first. Their heads were all bowed in prayer. The contents of their prayer were of a rich variety, but as Yu Feichen carefully listened to them, the majority were to ¡®Yuryllia¡¯. The gist of it went like this: in the stormy past, ice had frozen over the earth. The ancestors of Yuryllia cut through thorns as unyielding as steel, climbed past rocks as jagged as knives, trudged across rivers of ice and gushing tide, finally arriving at the sacred land of Korosha, where Spring blossomed. A land overflowing with bread, milk, and fresh flowers; where people lived happily ever after. Suddenly, the sound of a whip broke the air. An anguished cry resounded through the barracks, and all prayers came to an abrupt halt. Everyone looked over to see a man, whipped to the ground with a leather whip by the chief warden who had gone and returned. The whip was lined by countless iron barbs, scraping the man¡¯s clothes and splitting open his spine. He clutched his head in pain as he rolled on the ground, crimson blood staining the ground. ¡°Pah!¡± The chief warden brought down another whip, shouting from the middle of the barracks. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any prayers. This is pig food given to traitors by the faithful devotees of the God of Truth, food for the undeserving Koroshan mongrels. Now, each and every one of you had better give me your labour to atone for your sins to the God of Truth.¡± Combining what was said on both sides, Yu Feichen believed that he had roughly pieced together the background of these two nations. A group of people had left their bitterly cold land of origin and came to Korosha, flourishing in this land. Whereas the others had stayed behind, continuing to believe in the God of Truth, also continuing with their lives¡ªall the while watching the people of Korosha grow rich and privileged, even seizing control of the scarce resources of coal mines, leaving them in the dust. As for whether or not the ¡®God of Truth¡¯ and ¡®Yuryllia¡¯ existed, and whether or not the story was true, was probably irrelevant. In reality, coal mines alone were reason enough to spark war between countless nations. Bai Song gazed into the cup for a moment, pinching his nose and gulping it down. ¡°Tastes like swill,¡± he said. This time, Yu Feichen didn¡¯t refuse to eat. Slop was better than coal cinders after all, and he had to ensure a certain threshold of physical strength. After breakfast, they boarded the trucks according to the four teams they had been divided into. All the buildings in this compound were partitioned by tall walls. It was impossible to look into the distance, and once the truck door closed, it was even more impossible to ascertain the route. All their movements were strictly regulated. They were like blind men touching an elephant, unable to see the full picture. Keeping close to the wall of the truck, Yu Feichen got a rough sense of the direction. The truck should have stopped at the northeastern side of the concentration camp. The brick kiln wasn¡¯t large, but it was very busy. Of seven of them from the cell, the chemistry teacher, the friar, and the short-statured man were assigned to cut and arrange blocks of clay to form the unbaked bricks, thus separating from them. The big-nosed man was assigned to burn charcoal, and was also taken off. Yu Feichen, Bai Song, and the brawny blonde man worked by the fire. Alongside twenty sturdy male adults, they were responsible for moving the bricks that had been fired out of the kilns and load them in the truck. The truck would then transport the bricks to places where there was a need for them. In order to save time and fill the truck with bricks in the fastest possible time, once the kiln door opened, the prisoners had to run in. They had to endure the burning hot air and the reddish smog, take the scalding bricks, and pile them on an iron-sheeted pushcart. At first, many people hesitated upon seeing the bricks that emanated seething hot air. But the leather-thonged whip unfailingly sliced through the air. Just slack off a little, and the barbs would deeply bite into skin, carving out a long wound that tore into skin and muscle. After half a day of this, everyone¡¯s palms were covered with blood-filled blisters. Yu Feichen was in slightly better condition. He was faster than anyone else, and the bricks stayed in his hand for a shorter length of time. A young foreman carrying a whip walked past him, scorn brimming in his scrutiny. He looked like he had come to pick fault, but finding none, could only slap the whip against the earth by his feet. Perhaps due to the lack of manpower, these foremen were not well-trained soldiers, but several locals dressed in poorly fitting uniforms. In the early morning, these young men wielding whips still looked fresh with inexperience; but by noon, their eyes had already turned fiendishly fierce, eyes scouring all around them for the barest opportunity to lay their whip. Glint of the flame and steaming heat. Blood-curdling shrieks, blisters, and blood. The sweat on the bodies of the prisoners congealed with the reddish dust from the bricks, and the brick dust permeated into the blisters on their hands, bringing with it unbearable pain. Most of those the foremen had hit were, until yesterday, living in normalcy without having to worry about food or clothing. Yet, now, they were suffering the lowest humiliation of being downgraded from human beings to slaves without a shred of dignity. At noon, as the prisoners gathered to gnaw on bread, Yu Feichen walked outside. The eating area and the latrine behind the brick kiln were both guarded. But there was no one in the long, narrow aisle connecting between them. After assessing the height of the kiln wall, Yu Feichen straightened up and took a few running steps. His steps sprung against the outer wall, leaping on top of it. The rough surface of the kiln wall made it easy for him to use his strength, and he reached the top of the kiln in a few swift motions, using the chimney to shield his form. The brick kiln was already situated on high terrain. Once climbing above, he could finally get a clear view of the entire concentration camp. The concentration camp was large, with tall walls that separated it into five areas. The brick kiln he was at was in the northeastern corner. Next to it, there was a mess hall, kennels, and some plots for growing vegetables. The soldier¡¯s barracks were at the northwestern end. Several concrete buildings were in the central area, presumably, the prisoner¡¯s quarters. The southwestern area was under construction. The southeast spanned the largest area, comprising of many short grey buildings and a huge cylindrical grey tower. Pipes could be dimly seen criss-crossing the ground, like those installed in a chemical plant. Just then, he saw thick white smoke billowing out of the top of the cylindrical grey tower like a foggy cloud. A snow-white plume appeared in the greyish-white sky, swiftly dispersed by the wind. Memorising the entire layout of the concentration camp, he jumped back down the way he came, and returned to the crowd. All of them were also looking towards the white smoke in the southeastern side. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Someone asked. No one answered him. There were some who stared in confusion, and others who showed no reaction. There were also a few others who gazed at the fleeting white smoke with deep sadness etched on their faces. A full three minutes passed before one of the foremen raised an eyebrow. He sneered and said, ¡°The furnace.¡± Yu Feichen lowered his gaze. It was impossible that this concentration camp would treat the prisoners well. He knew that he had to hurry. ¡ª Work in the brick kiln finally ceased when dusk approached. By then, the prisoners were already covered in brick dust and were therefore given the opportunity to shower. To Yu Feichen, this made the day somewhat more bearable. He brought back two iron barbs that had fallen off a leather whip from the kiln. On the other hand, Bai Song knocked the ball right out of the park¡ªhe had actually brought a brick back. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep, sir.¡± He said to the foreman, ¡°I need a pillow, even if it¡¯s as hard as this.¡± The foreman looked at his blistered hands, then gave a nasally grunt, saying, ¡°Fine. That¡¯ll be your reward for a full day of atonement.¡± As dust had entered their lungs, everyone in the cell kept coughing that night. ¡°This is like hell.¡± The friar shuddered. With a nervous tremor in his voice, he said, ¡°What exactly have we done wrong?¡± ¡°The motherland will save us,¡± Bai Song said to the friar as he pillowed his head, turning over. The friar¡¯s lips quivered. ¡°But do they know where we are?¡± One hand supported against the wall, Bai Song got up. He was about to pat the friar¡¯s shoulder when he suddenly froze. A shudder ran through his entire body. He looked at the foot of the wall in horror¡ª When he got up, the blisters formed on three of his fingers had streaked three fresh bloodstains across the wall¡ª In the exact image of the three bizarre marks that had appeared last night. How could this be? Just how could this be? Yu Feichen put his right hand on his shoulder. Bai Song breathed in deeply and seemed to calm down slightly. ¡°You can rest for a while first,¡± Yu Feichen told them. ¡°I¡¯ll wake all of you up before twelve.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The brawny blonde asked him. ¡°After midnight,¡± Yu Feichen weighed his words. ¡°Something¡­ strange might happen. You¡¯ll find out when the time comes.¡± After a brief pause, he said, ¡°Or, it could be our escape ticket.¡± With this, ignoring their questions, he shut his eyes. The previous night, two men had gone missing from this cell. Last night, a strange turn appeared in the cell. Most certainly, this night would be no exception. At midnight, the bell tolled. Yu Feichen opened his eyes. He used his lighter to illuminate the foot of the wall¡ªthe three bloodstains from not long ago had changed from fresh red to faded marks. Bai Song looked nervous and fraught. He wasn¡¯t good at comforting people, so he simply picked up the brick that Bai Song had brought back. After the senior officer had effortlessly picked the iron lock with a piece of wire, the chief warden changed the lock on the door to a new brass lock that looked much sturdier. Yu Feichen slammed the brick against the lock. The clay in the land here was sticky; the burnt bricks were hard as stone. After slamming it a few times, he heard the lock core loosen. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The friar screamed. ¡°They¡¯ll hear you.¡± Yu Feichen stopped moving. He let the dead silence around them answer the friar. Putting down the brick, he twisted the two iron barbs together, sticking them into the lock hole. After a few attempts, the brass lock popped open with a click. And with a creaking noise, Yu Feichen pulled the iron-barred door open and stepped out. The corridor was deathly silent. So were the other cells. He walked to the lavatory and used the lighter to heat up the tin soap box next to the sink. In it, the inferior quality butter soap bar for communal use quickly melted into a translucent pool of grease. He then ripped a thin strip of cloth from his shirt and dipped it in the grease, leaving only a short end exposed. The linen was flammable and could be used as a barely passable wick. Using the lighter to ignite the cloth, the soap box was turned into a rudimentary oil lamp. Dim light shone upon the empty corridor. He checked the cell next door first. It was empty. The other cells, as well. Bai Song caught up to him. ¡°Those marks¡ª¡± Bai Song said, ¡°I am probably the one who made them. But they appeared even though I hadn¡¯t done that last night.¡± He looked around them. ¡°So, this¡­ Now¡­ Is this now the here in the future?¡± His wording was confusing. But Yu Feichen understood what he meant. Last night, three faded bloodstains appeared on the wall after midnight. On this night, Bai Song left three marks on the wall because of the bleeding blisters on his fingers. Which also meant to say, the barracks after midnight, had possibly transformed into the barracks from a certain point in the future. Whereas they were still the same as before. He answered Bai Song, ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°Then James, what should we do?¡± The name James still hadn¡¯t quite stuck with Yu Feichen. His memory of names was as poor as his memory of faces. Surprisingly, Yu Feichen was the one name that he could clearly remember from the many names that he had been given in the various worlds¡ªso from then on, he just kept using it. He said, ¡°You can call me by another name.¡± He had bought the translation sphere in Paradise. No matter which world he was in, he wouldn¡¯t encounter any language barrier. After a brief moment of thought, he said a syllable to Bai Song that was more easily pronounced by the people in this world: ¡°Yu.¡± ¡°Yu,¡± repeated Bai Song. Then he said, ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one here now,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°There might not be anyone outside either. We can get out of here.¡± ¡°Escape?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll scout out the route first.¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°Once we have it down, we can take our time to find an opportunity. I¡¯ll get all of you out of here.¡± At night, time in this barracks seemed to have mysteriously warped. There was no telling what would happen if they escaped in the night. ¡ªAnd this was precisely what Yu Feichen found strange. He had done missions in many types of worlds before, and those worlds were always consistent. If it was normal, it would always be normal; if there were the supernatural, there would always be the supernatural; if time could be changed, then the principle of the change would be well documented like a nursery rhyme in a textbook. Instead, there was a sudden shift in the timeline in a world that had only developed to the stage of thermal weapons. It was similar to a lace bow that appeared on the chest of a military uniform; it wouldn¡¯t match, nor would it look aesthetically pleasing. If there was such a twisted land beyond the Gate of Eternal Night, with even him having to surmise the mission objective himself¡ªthen, perhaps his choice to stay away from the Divine Lord was a mistake. ¡°Get us out of here?¡± Bai Song said, ¡°There are seven of us. It¡¯d be hard to escape, no?¡± ¡°Not seven,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°What I mean is, everyone.¡± Bai Song¡¯s brain jammed. Yu Feichen looked towards their cell and the remaining five men in it. ¡°Are you coming with me?¡± The brawny blonde hesitated, but was the first to go over to him. He was followed by the big-nosed man, and the chemistry teacher. With only two men left in the cell, the empty barracks felt much more foreboding. ¡°I want to get out, I want to get out.¡± The friar muttered, ¡°God be with us.¡± And he, too, came along. CH 9 The short-statured man stayed seated on the straw mat the entire time. He stared at the open iron gate, his lips quivering, but his body never moving. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t force him. Raising the light, he led the other five men out. On their two sides, the iron gates on some of the cells were still locked, some were nominally closed, and some were even wide open. The beddings inside were in disarray, as if people were just sleeping there a while ago. Only, everyone had either left, or vanished. When they reached the end of the corridor, the main door leading outside was open. This wasn¡¯t surprising since the prisoners were gone, thus there was no longer any need for the door to be locked. After stepping out of the door, the night mist greeted them, and the shadow of the tall grey wall loomed ahead. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the concentration camp now,¡± Yu Feichen said. He pointed to the right, saying, ¡°There are a few more barracks there. It might be where the women and children stay. I need one or two men to go over there.¡± No one spoke. They all looked at him. Yu Feichen supplemented, ¡°Those who go over there need to be back to our cell by dawn and tell me the detailed route to that place, where the women and children are staying, and whether there are any soldiers on night watch or living next to them.¡± Still no one spoke. After encountering many unreliable employers, Yu Feichen had learnt one thing: if you¡¯re going to give orders, then the orders need to be detailed enough, because no one ever knows if the person carrying out the orders is a smart man or a fool. So, he went on to supplement, ¡°If you¡¯re in danger, protect yourself. Tell me everything you see. Make sure to be back before dawn.¡± The silence continued to hold for a minute until the brawny blonde finally spoke. ¡°Are you really going to help us escape?¡± Seeing their hesitant and fearful gazes¡ªYu Feichen slowly exhaled. It suddenly dawned on him that these weren¡¯t the employers or temporary teammates who trusted and obeyed him unconditionally. They were ordinary people in a world at war, who had just experienced inhumane treatment. He and they were nothing more than cellmates who had never known each other before. ¡°What¡¯s with this place anyway? Why isn¡¯t there anyone?¡± The big-nosed man also opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Besides, if we escape, they¡¯ll catch up and kill us.¡± ¡°After I gather enough information, I¡¯ll tell you the plan.¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°And when that time comes, you can choose whether or not to escape.¡± ¡°I want to escape, we¡¯re passing our days like cattle here.¡± The friar grabbed Yu Feichen¡¯s arm and said, his voice tremouring, ¡°I won¡¯t last to see tomorrow.¡± The non-stop drudgery in the brick kiln wasn¡¯t something that a man like him, who could only read, translate, and say prayers, could endure. He had already been whipped once today. Another one more whip would have killed him. Escape! He must escape! However, no one was willing to leave the main group. Bai Song opened his mouth; right as he was about to step up and volunteer himself, he suddenly heard the brawny blonde say, ¡°I¡¯ll go. My ma was taken over there.¡± He looked at Yu Feichen. ¡°Only if you¡¯re sure that you really want to free them.¡± Their eyes met. Yu Feichen slowly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go as well.¡± Gerold, the chemistry teacher, said. His wife was there too. ¡°I¡¯m going to the southeastern corner to find an escape route. There¡¯s a chemical plant over there,¡± Yu Feichen told him. ¡°It¡¯d be better if you follow us, you might be useful.¡± Hesitance appeared on the chemistry teacher¡¯s face. Ultimately, the brawny blonde said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The chemistry teacher nodded and walked to stand behind Yu Feichen. Unexpectedly, the big-nosed man also chose to explore the women and children¡¯s barracks. They parted at the wall. The road was very long. Yu Feichen observed the surroundings as he led them towards the southeast based on what he remembered from the day. About an hour later, those buildings appeared before them. Pipes were criss-crossed over the ground, and seals were pasted across the doors of the buildings. Holding the oil lamp to the window panes of some of the short grey houses, they could vaguely see some chemicals stacked inside, along with reagent racks and suchlike. ¡°Boron¡­ trifluoride.¡± The chemistry teacher pressed up against the window, squinting his eyes to read the name of the reagent on the bale. His expression didn¡¯t look good. ¡°It¡¯s a highly toxic reagent.¡± In the middle of the cluster of short buildings, there was a two-storied building bigger than the rest of them. The door to the building was locked. But once again, the brick Bai Song brought came into play. After confirming that there really wasn¡¯t anyone around, this child directly smashed the glass of the window. They went in through the window to come face to face with many intricate instruments. This was undoubtedly a chemical plant. ¡°Are they making coal gas?¡± Looking at the massive reactor in the centre, as well as the dozen or so two-person high metal tanks stacked on the floor, Bai Song whispered, ¡°Is it possible that they¡¯ve already taken over our coal mines?¡± The friar¡¯s voice was still tremouring. ¡°Perhaps so. God above, God above. Why should the sacred Korosha have to go through all this¡­¡± Coal gas? Only a naive child would assume so. The chemistry teacher¡¯s face paled further. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t say a word either. After going through the ground floor, they went up to the second floor. In the dim darkness, forty autopsy tables were lined up. Pitch black shadows were cast against the wall. There were also a variety of instruments and torture tools on the autopsy tables, silhouetted by the dim light of the oil lamp. Bai Song looked down and suddenly jolted, cold sweat breaking out all over his body¡ªa protruding spike was just a centimetre in front of his eye, nearly poking him through the eyeball. Why was there such a thing? ¡°God above.¡± The chemistry teacher picked up the iron clip of an electroshock device. His eyes looked lost. ¡°They¡¯re performing many cruel experiments.¡± Yu Feichen walked past the autopsy tables and experimental set-up to the office desk and filing cabinet on the opposite side. But when he pulled the cabinet door open, he found nothing inside. Like the prisoner¡¯s barracks, this place was empty. Similarly, there was nothing of value in the drawers until Yu Feichen pulled the last one open. A newspaper clipping slowly floated down. They gathered around, looking at it under the light. The first thing they saw was the accompanying photograph of an albino strapped to an autopsy table, in pain and being subject to electric shocks. He was the same albino they had seen on the day they first arrived at the concentration camp. The report stated that signs of the God of Truth¡¯s punishment for the Koroshan traitors had already appeared; the genetic disease carried by this patient was one of them. At the same time, many dwarfs, lame, and blind people had appeared among the sinful Koroshan populace. The divine punishment had not only appeared, but would eventually spread to all sinners. ¡°Are there no cripples among their own?¡± Bai Song muttered. The empty autopsy tables, the sealed buildings, the emptied filing cabinet. None of these indicated that Oak Valley Concentration Camp was abandoned. Had the operations in this place been halted by an unforeseen accident, or had Oak Valley Concentration Camp accomplished its mission? ¡°Here.¡± Yu Feichen finally found an iron fire pan under the table, which contained, in addition to the remnants of charcoal, a few charred pieces of paper. As they rummaged through the pile of ash, they found some paper fragments that hadn¡¯t completely disintegrated. Sparse bits of text still remained. ¡°Success¡­ Korosha¡­ end¡­ purifying¡­ sin,¡± Bai Song slowly read out those fragments. ¡°¡­Smiling?¡± No one could understand the logic behind those words. ¡°In the future, they would destroy the evidence of their guilt and leave this place.¡± They went back out. As Bai Song jumped through the window, he said, ¡°Then what about us prisoners? Were we released?¡± They each jumped out. A grey, cylindrical structure jutted out in front of them, glowing with a ghostly hue through the mist. When they approached, they could see the characteristic hue of fresh cement on its exterior. Its out-of-place texture and colour suggested that this wasn¡¯t an original building of the chemical plant, but a new addition after Oak Valley Chemical Plant was transformed into Oak Valley Concentration Camp. Bai Song suddenly shuddered. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he said. The chemistry teacher responded to him in a low voice. ¡°It¡¯s an incinerator. Haven¡¯t you seen one before behind a funeral home?¡± A moment of silence passed as everyone remembered the cloudlike wisps of white smoke they had seen from a distance at the brick kiln during the day. What could possibly be worth burning in such a remote place as the Oak Valley Concentration Camp? Probably only¡­ corpses. Or, more specifically, Koroshan corpses. The friar¡¯s breathing became many times louder as unparalleled fear seized his heart, like he had just been thrown into a tower of burning corpses, and was now burning to ashes by the flames. ¡°This is God¡¯s warning to us.¡± He uttered in a trembling voice. ¡°God¡­ God is sending a prophecy, he has blessed me with the eyes to glimpse into the future, he is warning us to stay far away, far away from this land of sin¡­¡± His eyes darted around restlessly. As if clutching onto his last straw of hope, he exclaimed, ¡°There¡¯s a door over there!¡± In the southeastern corner, at the end of the encircling fence, there was an iron gate! Like all iron gates, when it wasn¡¯t locked from the other side, it was possible to pull the latch and push it open. With a creak, the friar¡¯s trembling hands pushed the gate open. The iron gate opened wide. It was a misty expanse of wilderness out there, and the oak mountain that stood like a dark shadow in the near distance. Yu Feichen¡¯s hand pressed the friar¡¯s shoulder, forcibly turning him around. ¡°We should head back.¡± He led the friar to retrace their steps, saying, ¡°It¡¯s still in the night. I don¡¯t know what are the consequences of going out there now.¡± Bai Song and the chemistry teacher gazed deeply at the gate, then turned to leave with them. Yu Feichen looked ahead. They had scouted out the road. All they needed now was to¡ª The oil lamp burnt to its end, and the flame went out with a soft pop. Utter darkness enveloped them. And at this moment, the friar¡¯s thin body suddenly burst out with extraordinary strength. His clothes tore free with a ripping sound; he struggled out from Yu Feichen¡¯s grip, shouting incomprehensible words as he bolted straight towards the iron gate! The mist outside the door instantly engulfed him. ¡°Hey, you!¡± Bai Song wanted to call hold of him, but not the slightest silhouette could be made out through the mist. The head that poked out was the first to vanish completely, followed by his body, and finally his legs, feet, and the corners of his clothes. Just like that, a living human had vanished into thin air. Behind the gate, the mist still churned silently, as if no one had ever left. They stared in that direction, stunned, chills running down their spine. This bizarre scene had completely overturned all that they had previously known. What the hell had just happened? How in the world was such a thing possible? This place¡ªwhat kind of place is this? The pale hints of sunrise started to emerge in the sky. ¡°Go!¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s tone was much deeper and colder than before. They returned to the barracks before the break of dawn. The brawny blonde and the big-nosed man had already returned, and the short-statured man was still in his original position, unharmed. Yet, the friar, who had vanished, never returned ¡ªjust like the two who had vanished from this cell. As five o¡¯clock turned into six, the prisoner¡¯s day began. The soldier who checked the cells stood in front of their door doing a headcount, then let out an angry roar as he drew out the gun at his waist and pointed it inside. ¡°Put it down!¡± A voice reprimanded. The sound of boots rang out. The platinum blonde-haired senior officer arrived even quicker than the chief warden. His lips were pursed and his pale ice-green eyes scanned every corner of the cell. His expression seemed to contain a thin trace of rage. His fingers slowly gripping the cold iron bars, he spoke, each word clipped. ¡°What happened here?¡± Yu Feichen was in little mood to answer. But as he watched this scene, he kept feeling that this senior officer was angry for a different reason from the soldiers checking the barracks. Not because prisoners had escaped, but because he was hung up on the safety of the prisoners. ¡°Senior officer.¡± The chief warden had arrived. Yu Feichen was just about to say something, when the other spoke first. ¡°Tonight,¡± the senior officer looked at the chief warden late in arriving, forehead once again breaking out in cold sweat. His eyes were glacial and his tone was flat. ¡°Lock me in too.¡± Yu Feichen leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed, measuring him up. Coincidentally, he had just been about to say, in a faux sincere tone, that if you really want to know, why don¡¯t you come and stay the night. Bai Song moved closer to Yu Feichen. After everything that occurred during the night, his wariness of the Black Badge Army had stepped up significantly. ¡°What does he want?¡± Bai Song said, ¡°Is he trying to kill us all?¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°He won¡¯t.¡± Bai Song, ¡°Why?¡± Perhaps, after the many times that he had played a spook, he had unwittingly developed a sort of¡ª ¡°Intuition, probably.¡± Yu Feichen, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh, said. CH 10 Changed local guards to foremen for better distinguishability from the catch-all guards (wardens, soldiers, and foremen), detention centre to concentration camp, and Black Chapter Army to Black Badge Army. The chief warden looked into the cell from which a person had inexplicably vanished, then at the captain who asked to be locked in as well. He smiled darkly. ¡°I was still thinking that we should gather them all together and interrogate them by torture.¡± His fingers fiddled with the brass lock. It clanged against the bars. He said, ¡°They must have dug a tunnel somewhere we don¡¯t know; how else could a person disappear from the room for no good reason?¡± Saying this, the chief warden squinted at the few people in the cell. ¡°I promise that before this concentration camp is dissolved, the first one who can explain to me how that mongrel escaped will receive a more luxurious treatment than even our captain over here.¡± There was a stir from all the cells. It was obvious that they were excited by the mention of the dissolution of the concentration camp. Expecting this response, the chief warden gave a mocking smile, then used a fiercer gaze to closely inspect every person in the cell. ¡°What do you think, big guy? And this mister in glasses. Where did you dig the tunnel? In the ceiling?¡± None of them said anything. In truth, no matter what was said, no good outcome would await them. Was it possible to explain to the chief warden how this cell had entered a bizarre, deathly silent alternate universe? Only two outcomes could come from this. Either the chief warden deemed that these Koroshans were using a laughably pathetic excuse to fob him off, then fly into a rage; or the chief warden believed them and switched them to a different cell, and they would lose their only opportunity to explore the concentration camp in the night. If the chief warden found out that they had taken a stroll through half the concentration camp last night, even seeing the hypertoxic chemical reagents and the dissection tables on the second floor, one could well imagine their fates. Of course, this didn¡¯t eliminate the possibility of someone willingly snitching to receive that alleged luxurious treatment. ¡°That person will get butter to spread on his bread everyday, and they won¡¯t be put to labour to absolve their sins¡­¡± The chief warden¡¯s gaze slithered past each one of them. ¡°Do you know how he escaped? Big-nosed guy, your nose is practically as big as a toad. And you, little guy, you¡¯re so small you¡¯re like a dwarf.¡± Yu Feichen watched the small-statured man out of the corner of his eye. He was the only one who didn¡¯t leave the cell with them, only hearing a simple explanation during their exchange of information when the two parties returned to the cell. He naturally wouldn¡¯t know the specifics of how the friar had ¡®disappeared¡¯. Perhaps, he might even genuinely believe that the friar had successfully escaped. The chief warden seemed to be able to sense something. His gaze honed in on the small-statured man. That short-statured man¡¯s back wasn¡¯t erect, and his gaze was also slightly skittish. Yu Feichen swiftly surveyed the military strength in this cell. If this small-statured man really intended to sell them out, he had to prepare for the worst. After all, from last night, it was easy to tell that this was a man with little courage. At this time, he saw that the captain also seemed to make a minuscule action¡ªhis finger pressed against the handle of his gun. Right then, the small-statured man¡¯s lips trembled. Yu Feichen¡¯s brows drew together marginally. The small-statured man coughed twice. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything,¡± he said in a breathy voice, ¡°chief warden.¡± The chief warden harrumphed from his nose. His gaze turned onto Yu Feichen. ¡°There¡¯s no tunnel here,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°You can check if you want.¡± ¡°Who knows what tricks you Koroshans played, or maybe even some demonic magic or other.¡± The chief warden paced outside the cell with his hands clasped behind his back. ¡°Since it¡¯s this cell that keeps acting up, I¡¯ll have to switch all of you elsewhere¡ª¡± He stopped midway through, changing back to his usual dark smile. ¡°Not until after tonight, of course. After all, our wise and powerful Captain Anfield will be personally looking into the cause of this disappearance himself.¡± So, this senior officer turned out to be named Anfield. It wasn¡¯t a hard name to remember. The chief warden took out a key to unlock their door. The brass lock that had been forcibly broken last night was now perfectly intact. ¡°Atone for your sins, god-traitors.¡± When passing by Anfield, Yu Feichen smelled the same icy chill. Exactly like yesterday, only with an added whiff of fresh blood. The prisoners began a day of labour, yet there were at least ten men in the barracks who couldn¡¯t get up. Some were having difficulty standing from yesterday¡¯s overwork, while others had inflammation and pus from their whip wounds, causing fevers to run high. As they groaned in pain on the ground, Yu Feichen went out of the barracks door. The chill of the early morning washed over him. He inclined his body slightly towards the back, his gaze cutting across the many cells to see the silhouette of Captain Anfield standing amidst a dusty gloom, with only the faintest light reflected off his long platinum blonde hair. The chief warden, whip in hand, was about to drive one of the men to his feet. The next moment, he turned his head and caught a glimpse of Anfield. The corner of his mouth twitched. His whip paused mid-swing, and he ultimately didn¡¯t follow through the motion. ¡°This is the punishment of the God of Truth for traitors. You will bleed pus until you reek.¡± He spat at the groaning Koroshan man on the ground. Yu Feichen moved on. Too often, God was used to excuse reality. This was also the main reason why he had never been able to get a real sense of the Primordial God in Paradise. The work at the brick kiln was still as harsh as yesterday. The only change was perhaps those few local foreman. Yesterday, they were only punishing those who didn¡¯t work hard enough. Today, they had evolved into going after any Koroshan who irritated their eyes. The sound of lashing frequently sliced through the air. An animalistic sort of humiliation appeared on every Koroshan¡¯s face, but this only invited even more brutal beatings. During the short lunch break, Yu Feichen¡¯s hand gently rested on a flaxen-haired man. ¡°If he turned his back to you,¡± he spoke in a volume that only the two of them could hear, ¡°would you be able to knock him down with a brick?¡± His gaze looked towards a guard wielding a gun at the door of the brick kiln. The man turned his head over and looked at him warily. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°The foremen only have whips in their hands. My companions can take them down,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°We¡¯re still one man short to take care of one of those two soldiers.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± That man spoke. ¡°The army will avenge them.¡± ¡°By then, we would have disappeared into the oak hills,¡± said Yu Feichen. ¡°You¡¯re going to escape?¡± ¡°Otherwise?¡± That man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°They¡¯ll kill us.¡± This was the fourth time that Yu Feichen had heard this answer. He had spent the last half-day observing his fellow prisoners, seeking out the few that appeared to be robust and courageous. But without exception, all of them had turned him down. Taking everyone out en masse wasn¡¯t something that he could do single-handedly. However, it was difficult to control the hearts of others. This wasn¡¯t something that Yu Feichen had aptitude in. Previously, he could brute force his way through missions. But this time, he had to gain the trust of his companions. In a louder voice, he told the man, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± This voice startled the soldiers with guns. The stockily-built soldier turned over and shouted at them, ¡°Mongrel, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Reporting to sir,¡± Yu Feichen said, using a type of tone picked up from years of mixing around with a motley assortment of militaries. ¡°We¡¯re making a wager, on whether you¡¯d take me down or I¡¯d take you down in a fair fight.¡± The soldier grinned as if he had heard a joke. His bulging eyes looked him up and down, excitement and viciousness overflowing from his expression. He spoke in a rough voice, ¡°I¡¯ll make it impossible for you to step into the kilns again for the rest of your life, mongrel.¡± ¡°My wife will probably be very pleased then.¡± ¡°Your wife will be more pissed than your mistresses, boy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep dealing with bricks, sir.¡± Yu Feichen looked him in the eye. ¡°You¡¯ve also been standing here for four hours already.¡± He changed to use the courteous and sincere tone characteristic of lawyers. ¡°Standing here must be more boring than working the kilns.¡± This comment visibly went down well with the soldier, who unbuckled his arms with a click and tossed it to the other soldier. ¡°Screw off, mongrels,¡± he said. ¡°Boy, I¡¯ll give you some time to daydream of your wife¡¯s tits for the final time.¡± The Koroshans around them watched this in frightful dread. Yu Feichen looked straight at the soldier and loosened his muscles, his joints clicking. Yu Feichen smiled. He didn¡¯t think of much else, and he wasn¡¯t fond of more couth words. But now, he was having a showdown with this soldier, and his status was even changed from ¡®mongrel¡¯ to ¡®boy¡¯. In that case, he could just resolve the rest with his fists, which felt more at home to him than at the barracks and the brick kiln. He picked up the conversation, saying, ¡°I¡¯m done daydreaming.¡± ¡°If you can strike me thrice,¡± said the soldier, untying the leather hip flask containing alcohol from his belt and dropping it to the ground. ¡°Then you can get drunk tonight, you naughty boy.¡± Yu Feichen didn¡¯t speak. He loosened two buttons on his grey overalls, raising his left hand slightly in front of him. He didn¡¯t know what the style of barefisted fighting in this world was like. However¡­ A roar pressed in from afar. Extremely crude to the point of boorishness, without any feints whatsoever, a swinging fist smashed down from Yu Feichen¡¯s left side. In a split second, Yu Feichen swiftly darted to the side, raising his left elbow, dully colliding with the soldier¡¯s iron-hard right wrist. The bones in his entire arm rattled violently. He gritted his teeth, forcibly withstanding that explosive burst of force. At the same time, his right leg immediately shot out, landing a powerful low side kick to his opponent¡¯s calf. The soldier¡¯s stocky body almost stumbled. When a left leg was hurting, people would reflexively tend to swing their right fist¡­ Half a second later, a shadow came down from the right side over his head, blotting out the sky and covering the earth. If this blow landed, he¡¯d be downed on the spot. But this was the second strike that Yu Feichen was waiting for. He wasn¡¯t a southpaw; his right hand was stronger than his left. So from the very beginning, he put his left hand in front of him to draw his opponent¡¯s right fist to attack. When his opponent swung his right fist, an opening was bound to be exposed on the left side. He seized hold of that momentary opening, without leaving any room for error, formed his right hand into a fist and smashed it into the soldier¡¯s left temple. In terms of strength, the young lawyer was certainly no match for the soldier¡¯s iron-hard fist. However, the one using this hand was him¡ªand that was enough. As soon as the blow was struck, Yu Feichen used while the soldier was dazed to swiftly pull the distance. As expected, the aftershock of the force had also numbed his hand. He gestured a ¡®1¡¯ with his right hand. The soldier merely grinned hideously at him, charging straight over and whirling into a kick. This soldier had large and dense bones. His muscles were extremely compact, and his weight was even more formidable. The size difference was almost insurmountable in a fight. The wind seemed to whistle from the force with which his leg cut over, the strength behind it enough to break the spine of a normal man. However, this also limited his speed¡ªand the best way to defend from below, was to attack from above. A punch was, fundamentally, quicker than a kick. In this exchange, Yu Feichen¡¯s left fist hit him in the right temple. Again, the pain dulled the movements of the other man. Yu Feichen darted three paces away, slowly making another gesture. ¡®2¡¯. The soldier¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He no longer grinned. Instead, he slowly brought his right hand across his chest in a defensive posture; it read¡ªcome. Hunched over slightly, the muscles bulged from his mountain-like, impenetrable figure. Such a defence was almost impossible to breakthrough. But now, the situation had turned what Yu Feichen most excelled at. In a vast majority of cases, he was the one who took the initiative. Coupled with the two punches that had landed squarely to his head earlier, this soldier was now greatly wary of him. And the first instinct of wariness would be to dodge. He advanced, and his right leg and left hand simultaneously flashed out¡ª The soldier was ready for it. He shifted his feet and dodged away; right leg in front, left leg behind, his right fist hooked across¡ª Yu Feichen darted to the left, kicking sideways with his left leg, and at this point the soldier¡¯s fist was only an inch away from his left chest. And he suddenly twisted forward, eating the punch. The dull thump of flesh on flesh was explosive. They could practically hear the cracking of bones. No one dared to make a sound, and the eyes of the Koroshans were filled with despair. Just at this moment, Yu Feichen hadn¡¯t drawn back his left leg. He leapt into the air, twisting his body so that his right calf, carrying the weight of his entire body, slammed straight into the side of his opponent¡¯s right knee. Yu Feichen landed on the ground. A sharp pain erupted from his shoulder on his left side. But his landing was steady, whereas the soldier staggered sideways. Yu Feichen smiled. He put his thumb and his little finger together. ¡®3¡¯. This was what they had agreed on. Three strikes. Yet, the soldier gave a low rumble from his chest. ¡°Again.¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°Alright.¡± Another three times. When it ended, he received another blow to his left arm, and he wasn¡¯t standing steady. But his opponent stumbled a few steps to the side before stopping. ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± A sob came from the onlooking crowd. Anyone could see that both men had a different ability to withstand blows. Even if Yu Feichen currently had the upper hand, it was impossible to keep going to the end. Even though this lawyer¡¯s body was adequately fit, next to soldiers who licked blood from blades, it was only just that. Adequate. This time, the injury was to his right abdomen. The taste of blood rumbled in his throat and his vision went black. It was as if his fighting was entirely driven by willpower, each time pushing the limits of speed and strength, so it was only by willpower that he was able to stand. ¡ªWhereas his opponent was lying on the ground. No matter how ragged the person standing looked, he was still victorious over the one downed. After a long time, the soldier then got back to his feet. They were each panting heavily, staring straight at each other. Sweat streamed down the sides of their cheeks. Yu Feichen controlled his breathing, readying himself to welcome the next ¡®again¡¯. From panting like a beast, the soldier eventually caught his breath too. He opened his mouth, his voice incredibly hoarse. ¡°Boy, boy.¡± Sweat dripped from his forehead. As if pulling the words through gritted teeth, he heaved, ¡°Boy.¡± Then, he raised his leg, kicking the leather hip flask on the ground towards Yu Feichen. Yu Feichen took a deep breath. His clenched fist slowly loosened. He bent down and picked it up. Everyone was watching this scene. The soldiers looked at the Koroshans, then at Yu Feichen. Their nostrils flared, excitement reappearing on their faces. Yu Feichen¡¯s face was calm as he pulled the cork off the flask. Today, he had his fun fighting. So, let¡¯s do something even more enjoyable. ¡ªhe poured all the liquor the soldier had given him to the ground. The liquor splashed. He capped the cork and tossed it back to the soldier¡¯s feet. The soldier¡¯s expression flickered several times. His facial muscles relaxed and pulled taut again. In the end, he viciously glared at him with wide eyes, gnashing his teeth in anger as he said, ¡°Good lo¡­ good boy!¡± The voice was chock full of wrath and hatred, like he was going to shoot Yu Feichen¡¯s head into pieces in the next second. But he ultimately didn¡¯t. Instead, the corners of his mouth twitched into a mirthless smile. He turned and left. The reasoning was simple. It would be a great disservice to his reputation and dignity to shoot a man who had bested him. At least, not today. So, Yu Feichen also turned and met the eyes of the Koroshans towards him. All of them were looking at him. It was an atmosphere of utmost silence and solemnity. Lowering his head, he gazed at the liquor forming trails on the ground. This was knowledge that Bai Song had given him an enrichment lesson on last night. The people of Korosha never drank. The soldier had used the hip flask as a grand prize at the start, precisely as an insult to Koroshans. However, it didn¡¯t matter even if he didn¡¯t know. Whether or not he had known of this, he would still have poured the liquor to the ground anyway, and would even have added, ¡°The liquor of the Black Badge Army is only worthy of wetting the ground.¡± He continued to walk forward. Everyone silently opened a path for him. The way they looked at him had changed. They no longer looked at him the way they looked at another one of them. More notably, all afternoon, not a single foreman or soldier made trouble for Yu Feichen, even if his performance was visibly more slipshod. The labour of livestock from day to night couldn¡¯t be exchanged for dignity, but standing up on both feet could. In this manner, their second day at the brick kiln ended. When leaving, they had to line up to get on the truck. But no one went forward; they seemed to be reserving this for the man who had won the fight. However, something was different today when they stopped work for the day. There were still people in the vegetable farm next to the brick kiln. Around twenty women with headscarves were harvesting cabbages, keeping them in large baskets. ¡°Leanna!¡± Yu Feichen heard Gerold, the chemistry teacher, shout. One of the women looked over in their direction. It was apparent that this loving married couple could instantly recognise each other from amidst a crowd. But Leanna didn¡¯t seem to only stop at a greeting. A cabbage rolled to the ground and she came running over this way. A foreman immediately spotted this. Holding the whip in one hand, he shoved her roughly with the other hand. She seemed to be arguing and begging for something. However, due to the far distance, they could only see that after a scuffle, the foreman shoved her to the ground and raised the whip high in the air. Gerold gave an agonised cry and tried to rush over too, but he was stopped by the brawny blonde. The next moment, however, Leanna stuck her hand into her mouth. With great effort, she dug something hard out of her mouth, wiped it on her skirt, and stuffed it into the guard¡¯s hand. Then, the guard stopped blocking her. She picked up the folds of her skirt and came running over. When she neared, everyone could see the blood bubbling from her mouth. They could all guess¡ªshe had yanked out her gold dentures. ¡°Gerold.¡± Practically in tears, she flung herself into Gerold¡¯s embrace. The chemistry teacher hugged her tightly, crying and kissing her hair. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come over, you didn¡¯t have to come over, Leanna.¡± ¡°I had to.¡± She lifted a ghastly pale face, her eyes nervously wide, shivering as she held the chemistry teacher¡¯s hands. ¡°We may never see each other again, Gerold.¡± ¡°When the camp is dissolved¡ª¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen, it won¡¯t.¡± Her voice was shaking. ¡°They¡¯re picking people. Everyday, Gerold. Everyday we have people disappearing over there, and the foremen say that they¡¯d never return.¡± Anguished, Gerold firmly hugged her. ¡°Maybe they were just sent away.¡± She shook her head slowly. At this point, her chin was resting on Gerold¡¯s shoulder. Everyone could see her face and see her mouth full of blood and hear her voice. ¡°They¡¯re in heaven. It¡¯s my turn soon, all of us too. We can never return to Korosha again. I¡¯ve come to say my goodbyes to you, Gerold.¡± ¡°I will always love you, Gerold. And I will always love our child.¡± Gerold¡¯s crying turned into animalistic wailing. But no one would give them any more time in each other¡¯s embrace. Within a minute, the guards from over there came to pull them roughly apart. Gerold fell to his knees on the ground, choking out loudly, ¡°Sir, please let me be with her, sir. I¡¯ll do anything.¡± The guard looked at him, then at Leanna who was covering her stomach in pain. He twirled his moustache with interest. ¡°We do need men who can do heavy work here.¡± At this moment, another guard came over as well. After a brief discussion, they turned towards this side. ¡°Who else wants to come over?¡± Almost immediately, four men stepped forward. Perhaps they too, had wives, children, or mothers that they loved more dearly than their lives. Yu Feichen looked at the brawny blonde. His gaze hesitated several times between the vegetable farm and this side, before finally gritting his teeth and staying, motionless. One of the two guards carried Leanna, who could barely stand, and the other led the five men away. Had this happened before today, people might have looked at each other in fear and despair. But today, after looking at each other in fear and despair, they all turned to Yu Feichen in unison, especially the men whose cooperation Yu Feichen had sought earlier that morning. Some things were quick to change. In the back of the truck, there were no guards or foremen; only prisoners. But Yu Feichen wasn¡¯t really in the mood to talk now, and he wasn¡¯t quite able to talk. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Bai Song said in his place. ¡°This concentration camp won¡¯t let us live. We have to escape, and we have to work together.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anyone who doesn¡¯t dare to escape, at least, at least¡ª¡± Bai Song paused. ¡°At least don¡¯t rat this secret out.¡± The prolonged silence drew out. Then sobbing came. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s voice was hoarse. He said faintly, ¡°I¡¯ll look for you again.¡± With this, he stopped talking and listening. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t quite clear-headed, merely that he was slightly disoriented. This slight disorientation lasted well into the night. He got Bai Song to help him straighten his arm then fold it. For no other reason than that it hurt too much. His shoulder, his arm, as well as his abdomen¡ªnone were spared. The guard had the strength of a raging elephant. But if he didn¡¯t get the joint moving, his range of movement would be restricted in the coming days. Bai Song knew that this tug would hurt him, thus didn¡¯t dare to pull too forcefully. ¡°Haven¡¯t you eaten?¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s voice came through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡ª¡± Bai Song¡¯s words had only just left his mouth, but it died down. Died down into complete nothingness, strangely. So Yu Feichen looked up from his corner. It was clearly still quite some time before midnight, but their platinum blonde-haired senior officer was already standing in front of the iron bars with two personal guards. His face was blank. And his gaze rested on his arm, which Bai Song was holding. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He looked at the arm, ice in his voice. His tone was interrogative, as if even without torture devices, he could still bend people into submission. An almost instinctual knee-jerk reaction instantly manifested in Yu Feichen. Like resisting under the brunt of an attack, the more he faces an interrogation, the more composed he would act; like a person holding top-secret information, holding steady, as if nothing had happened. ¡°When moving bricks.¡± In fact, he had already schooled his expression from as early on as when Bai Song fell silent. At this time, he calmly moved his arm out of Bai Song¡¯s grip, speaking in the same calm tone, ¡°I strained it slightly.¡± CH 11 To Yu Feichen, as long as he was still clear-headed, nothing could be considered a serious injury. Furthermore, he had already arrived at the outcome of his plan. A group of people could only carry out a coordinated movement if there appeared a leader. He had to convince the Koroshan prisoners to trust him. But this didn¡¯t mean that he was willing to let others know the fact that he was practically half-crippled now. The chief warden unlocked the brass lock with a key. He said with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Captain, as you may.¡± Finally placing someone he hated behind bars, his smile was like that of a spotted snake rearing its head, hissing. But the captain named Anfield didn¡¯t even spare him a glance. The young senior officer, carrying a glass oil lamp in his right hand, unhurriedly walked into the cell. The ends of his platinum blonde long hair were slightly curled, glistening slightly under the light. The warm yellow light also illuminated the entire cell. There was a heavy creak as the chief warden locked the gate. ¡°I hope that you successfully find the Koroshan mongrels¡¯ secret passage in your dreams. Of course, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t find it. We¡¯ll devise a better way to discipline these uncivilised traitors tomorrow.¡± With that, he walked away, leaving behind the two men to stand guard here, alongside Anfield¡¯s personal soldiers to add up to a total of four guards. Despite similarly being part of the Black Badge Army, Oak Valley Concentration Camp did not appear to trust Anfield. The moment Anfield walked into the cell, Yu Feichen¡¯s right hand moved to his left elbow joint. The five fingers clamped tight and tugged firmly. The expected pain engulfed excruciatingly, spreading from his joints, but he forcibly endured it, not letting the slightest grunt past his lips. The intense pain brought with it a startling clarity of mind. He took a few gentle breaths, humidity brushing his forehead slightly damp with sweat. After two days had passed, the hairstyle of this lawyer had long since failed to maintain that well-kept and regal appearance. The loose curls of dark chestnut hair that hung down, grazing the sharp ends of his eyebrows, and the hostility in his eyes from the self-inflicted pain to his arm that had yet to fade, gave his entire person an untamed, wild look, a far cry from the lawyer he once was. After affirming that he had regained some mobility in his left arm, Yu Feichen raised his head to see Anfield sitting cross-legged and expressionless on a stained straw mat a short distance from him. Apart from his spot, there wasn¡¯t a square centimetre of ground in this cell that was clean. However, the senior official didn¡¯t seem to mind. He extinguished the oil lamp. The cell once again was submerged in stillness. Yu Feichen closed his eyes and intended to rest as well. He had expended too much energy in the day and later still had to go outside at midnight, so he had to seize every last second to recover his energy. But he didn¡¯t sleep. He never did. This was because ten minutes after he closed his eyes, that senior officer started coughing. It wasn¡¯t the loud, continuous hacking of an asthmatic, but a muted, sporadic sound, so soft that those others exhausted from the day were not disturbed from their sleep. Except for Yu Feichen. As soon as he coughed, any vestiges of sleep left Yu Feichen¡¯s mind. He opened his eyes and gazed at the pitch-dark ceiling, again feeling the displeasure of having his plans altered by external forces. He had always been a light sleeper. However, when he really had to sleep in the past, even in the middle of a loud marketplace, he could force himself to sleep to recover his energy. But it was different now; why was that? Yu Feichen pondered over this for a full half-minute. The conclusion he came to was that it had arisen from his excessive vigilance. He wasn¡¯t fully certain of this senior officer¡¯s stance, thus couldn¡¯t classify him as part of the friendly camp that posed no danger. Also, even if this cough was intentionally muted, it was still grating to the ears amidst the dead silence of the cell. Extremely grating. Thus, when the cough started once more, Yu Feichen got up with his blanket. He walked to stand before Anfield and wordlessly dropped the blanket. Anfield¡¯s voice was a little hoarse from his coughing. He said, ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± said Yu Feichen. ¡°The noise was disturbing me.¡± Anfield draped the blanket over himself. ¡°I have lung disease,¡± he spoke lightly. Yu Feichen had guessed it. This wasn¡¯t his first time seeing him cough, and this cell was indeed overly cold and damp. Following Koroshan etiquette, he made a token remark, ¡°Get well soon.¡±¡ªthen got up, intending to leave. ¡°Your arm.¡± Yet, he heard Anfield speak. ¡°Is it okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°And your shoulder?¡± The cadence was even and without the slightest emotional inflection. Yu Feichen paused. The wound on his shoulder didn¡¯t affect him much yet it was still noticed. This senior officer had much sharper eyes than most people. ¡°Not too great.¡± Since it was already found out, he didn¡¯t hide it either. ¡°I have deep-freeze spray.¡± Anfield¡¯s voice already had a frosty quality to it, but because it was slightly muted, it turned into the transient mist above ice. This was a sign of goodwill, lining up with Yu Feichen¡¯s earlier conjecture. He put away his original intention to leave, instead turning to sit across from Anfield. They were seated very close to each other. Despite there being guards at the door, they wouldn¡¯t be able to hear their words. He lowered his voice such that the crisp bite of his words could only be heard by the two of them. ¡°I have to ascertain your stance,¡± he said, ¡°sir.¡± In the moonlight, Anfield¡¯s eyes were slightly hooded, and his silhouette so calm that he resembled a breathing sculpture¡ªYu Feichen himself didn¡¯t know where on earth this strange metaphor in his head had popped up from. ¡°I am not Koroshan.¡± After a long silence, Anfield responded to his question. The voice, similarly, was kept very low; Yu Feichen had to lean closer. There was a wall in front. He was slightly taller than Anfield and had a sturdy physique with wide shoulders. As such, it appeared as if he was crowding the senior officer into the wall. ¡°The slogan of the total annihilation of Koroshans has been circulating around the Black Badge Army,¡± Anfield said. ¡°But I¡¯ve always believed that hatred should not spill over to civilians.¡± Once the words were spoken, Yu Feichen¡¯s taut muscles relaxed, and he moved back. ¡°Thank you, if you may.¡± He reached up and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, speaking frankly. His expression never changing, Anfield pulled out a spray bottle from the breast pocket of his uniform. The deep freeze spray wouldn¡¯t do a thing to heal the wound, but its pain relief was as effective as an anaesthetic. Icy mist was sprayed from his arm to his shoulder. Yu Feichen wore his shirt back on, his movements much lighter than before. ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Anfield put away the spray and held the luminous pocket watch between them both. The minute hand pointed to the bottom; it was now ten-thirty. ¡°There¡¯s an hour and a half to go,¡± Yu Feichen said. Anfield didn¡¯t ask him what the significance of an hour and a half was. Yu Feichen returned to his own straw mat, shutting his eyes. This time, he slept exceptionally deeply, but he was still able to control himself to wake up precisely at 11:58. Anfield was still awake over there, as if he hadn¡¯t moved a single inch. The moonlight had also disappeared; only shifting silhouettes could be made out in the darkness of the cell. The regular drip of the latrine moved like the ticking of a watch. Drip. Drip. Drip. The very instant that the second hand pointed to twelve, it disappeared. Yu Feichen took out the lighter and struck it. The next moment after it lit, his pupils constricted, and he abruptly released his finger. The flame that had just sprung up was suddenly extinguished. The cell returned to darkness. Footsteps rang out; Anfield walked over. ¡°Did you see that?¡± Yu Feichen spoke. ¡°I did.¡± Anfield reached over. His icy fingers touched Yu Feichen¡¯s palm as he took the lighter away. With a click, the flame rekindled, and the oil lamp was lit. Two stark silhouettes lay horizontally across the ground. Two corpses. One had strapping muscles and a head of dazzling blonde hair; it was the brawny blonde man from their cell. The other was the short-statured man. Their corpses were littered from head to toe with greenish-purple bruises. Undoubtedly, they had struggled painfully before their deaths. Step by step, Yu Feichen walked up to the corpses. Their faces were clearly illuminated by the firelight, which was exactly what he had seen the moment he had struck the fire. The corpses¡¯ faces. Two extremely queer faces. Their eyes were closed, and their lips carried a faint smile. It was an extremely serene smile. The corners of their greyish-blue lips curled up stiffly and the eyebrows were also slightly lifted. But when this expression appeared on a corpse, it became a bone-chilling image. He looked around the cell. Everyone was still around, including the brawny blonde and the short-statured man. All of them were asleep. He inhaled deeply, then smashed the padlock on the gate. The loud sound of the padlock awakened everyone. ¡°Keep your eyes closed, then get up.¡± Anfield¡¯s voice was deep and cold. Hesitantly, they each got up. They didn¡¯t know why this senior officer wanted them to do so, but they still subconsciously obeyed his orders. ¡°Bai Song, Waddams.¡± Anfield accurately called out their names¡ªWaddams was the big-nosed man. ¡°Open your eyes.¡± The first thing that the two of them who did as instructed saw was the corpses on the ground. Bai Song¡¯s face immediately turned ashen white and his eyes wide, whereas the big-nosed man let out a cry of surprise. The short-statured man asked with his eyes closed, ¡°¡­What is it?¡± No one replied to him. Anfield only reiterated, ¡°Keep your eyes closed.¡± The next second, Yu Feichen broke the lock open. ¡°Take them out,¡± Anfield said. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Bai Song pulled the brawny blonde¡¯s arm, leading him towards the entrance of the cell. The big-nosed man pulled the short-statured man and walked towards the entrance as well. ¡°After walking out, you can open your eyes,¡± Anfield enunciated each word carefully, saying, ¡°But you mustn¡¯t look back.¡± Bai Song brought the brawny blonde to the corridor outside then softly told him, ¡°You¡¯re good now.¡± The brawny blonde let loose a long breath and opened his eyes, the minute twitching of his neck proving that he was restraining the impulse of turning his head. He quietly said, ¡°What is happening?¡± The big-nosed man also brought the short-statured man to a stop outside the door ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± Due to the excessive shock he received, the hand that he had on the short-statured man was still trembling uncontrollably. As if relieved of a burden, the short-statured man opened his eyes, working hard at staring ahead. But there wasn¡¯t any light ahead, only unending, dense darkness that pressed down on him, striking abject terror in his mind. In the cell, Anfield carried the oil lamp while Yu Feichen checked each of the corners. ¡°They struggled,¡± he said while glancing at the bloodstains and impact marks on the wall. He had also seen the corpses of the two men. Old welts inflicted by whips were littered across it, as well as fresh marks of collision. Before midnight, he thought that everything would be the same as the night before. But now, the situation has changed. The concentration camp after midnight would present a glimpse into a day in a future, in which the short-statured man and the brawny blonde were covered in wounds, yet died in the cell with smiles on their faces. ¡°We should look at the other cells.¡± After Yu Feichen finished checking the cell once, Anfield said. He walked out with the lamp, Yu Feichen following behind him. The others also walked onwards. Right at this moment, the curiosity and worry of the short-statured man congealed, scratching at his mind like cat¡¯s claws, batting his heart. What the hell is going on? What are they hiding from me? What is it? I¡¯m just going to take a look out of the corner of my eye, just one look¡ª The muscles in the corners of his eyes twitched minutely. His eyeballs rolled to the right, glancing into the cell out of the corner of his eye. And it was in the gaps between the bars of the cell that he saw his own discoloured, smiling face. An inhuman scream was produced from his throat and he flung himself to the iron bars, disbelieving, his body convulsing violently. This scream resonated across the cells; it was a sound that would never be produced from any man even were he terrified to his core, unless something else was also happening to his body! The short-statured man was still convulsing violently as he plunged to the ground. At the instant that he collapsed to the ground, his body vanished without a trace, just like the friar who had vanished outside the gates of the concentration camp. However, the friar had vanished without a trace in the rolling grey fog beyond the gates¡ªwhereas the smiling corpse of the short-statured man still lay quietly in the cell. Bai Song¡¯s voice was quavering. ¡°How¡­ how? Wh¡­ why?¡± Obviously, this question was directed at Anfield, but Anfield didn¡¯t speak. He looked at Yu Feichen with those pale, ice-green eyes, as if gesturing for him to respond. ¡ªthis senior officer asked questions like he was doing an interrogation and looked at people like he was calling a student in class. Yu Feichen took a deep breath. He did have his own speculations. ¡°A man cannot be both dead on the ground while standing alive outside,¡± he said. ¡°Therefore, when he saw his corpse, between the two of them, only one could exist.¡± ¡°So, he died.¡± The moment that these words were spoken, the brawny blonde¡¯s breathing rapidly turned heavy. CH 12 The rest of them abruptly paused in their steps. They gazed into the darkness ahead, bewildered. What lay ahead? The two corpses had appeared out of nowhere in the cell. If so, what about everyone else? Where were they? Could anyone guarantee that in the lit areas ahead, what appeared before them wouldn¡¯t be their own corpse? Could anyone guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t disappear in the next moment like the short-statured man for having seen their own corpse? No longer did anyone dare to venture ahead. It wasn¡¯t until two full minutes later that the brawny blonde hesitantly took a step forward. Indeed. He didn¡¯t have to worry about encountering his corpse, for his corpse was already lying quietly behind him in the cell. After the brawny man took that step, Bai Song behind him also took a tiny step. Only the big-nosed man remained rooted to the spot. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid, you can stay behind,¡± Yu Feichen said. The short-statured man had also stayed through the last night there unharmed. The corners of the big-nosed man¡¯s mouth twitched stiffly. He glanced back at the two smiling corpses lying flat on the ground of the cell. His facial muscles twitched several more times before he ultimately followed them. ¡°Their smiles are too eerie.¡± After everyone started to make a move on, Bai Song seemed to exhale, saying, ¡°I won¡¯t return there even if you whack me to death, that¡ª¡± His words suddenly ceased, changing into a meaningless ¡°ug¡±, like a duck that had suddenly gotten its throat caught in a chokehold from the back. Because when Anfield walked forward to the neighbouring cell, the illumination of the oil lamp revealed another corpse. It was the corpse of a slender young man. A deep welt ran from the side of his face to his neck and buried into his clothes. Most strikingly, the corners of his lips were similarly raised in a faint smile that caused chills to run up their spines. They proceeded. The subsequent few cells were empty. Then came a cell where the corpse was facing them, clutching to the iron bars of the cell in a deathly tight grip. His smile was plastered to the door and even though his eyes were closed, due to the extreme vividness of his expression, it appeared as though he was watching each of them as they passed by him. ¡°Was he trying to open the door and escape?¡± Bai Song muttered. And as they proceeded even further down, several cells contained corpses. Some had only one, whereas others had two or three. The corpses were in varied poses, but most had collapsed close to the door or were clutching the iron gate. The bars cast shadows on the corpses, leaving inky black streaks on their smiling skulls. In the end, the gates still bound them to their deaths. ¡°Good lord.¡± The brawny blonde¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse. Yu Feichen¡¯s gaze shifted away from the smiling corpses and scanned across the rest of them. He was from outside this world. As such, no matter what he witnessed, he could maintain the rationality and composure to carry out the mission. However, Bai Song and the others weren¡¯t. At the sight of the tragic and bizarre deaths of their fellow Koroshans, their eyes widened and their faces turned pale, plunging into tremendous dread and grief. As for Anfield¡ª Anfield walked at the front. His silhouette was soft under the warm orange light of the oil lamp, and even his long hair seemed to glow. Just like that, he carried the single lamp through the deep dark corridor lined with grisly corpses on both sides. His gait was steady and no emotion could be told. But when his lowered gaze moved away from the corpses to the dimly lit road ahead, faint compassion that transcended the military camps and race surfaced before Yu Feichen¡¯s eyes. They walked through the corridor and pushed the door open. A chilly wind lifted Anfield¡¯s cloak, its howl calling to mind a mournful cry or a wailing whistle. Yu Feichen took one last look at the barracks. ¡°I have a faint impression of some of them,¡± he said. ¡°They had been abused by the foremen to the point of collapse.¡± When the prisoners went out to work, those who had been beaten so badly that they were incapacitated were unable to leave and were still locked behind the bars. In other words, on this day in the future, the brawny blonde and the short-statured man had also been tortured to the point of collapse in the cell, unable to head out to work. Then, on this day, something horrific happened, and everyone died with smiles on their faces in the cells. ¡°How did they die?¡± the big-nosed man asked. ¡°Is it witchcraft?¡± If the chemistry teacher, Gerold, was here, perhaps someone could answer his question. As everyone had simultaneously died in the cells and simultaneously attempted to escape, there could only be one possibility¡ªgas. In the silence, Bai Song suddenly gasped. ¡°Ah!¡± He said, ¡°The things we saw in the chemical plant¡­ those canisters! Those metal canisters didn¡¯t contain coal gas¡­ When I served at the harbour, they said that some armies would use toxic gases as weapons, stuff similar to tear gas. They must have been poisoned in the barracks. But why are the corpses smiling? And why would they want to poison us to death? We¡ª¡± Once again, his voice came to a screeching halt. This was because as everyone walked onwards, the oil lamp illuminated an area that revealed two corpses. They were guards of the concentration camp. They weren¡¯t injured. Yet their faces also carried faint smiles, and their postures were contorted. Yu Feichen bent down to examine the two bodies and affirmed that they were indeed guards from the concentration camp. ¡°Keep moving,¡± he said. ¡°We should make a trip down to the chemical plant. I suspect that there was a massive leakage of their toxic gas.¡± Why else would even guards of the concentration camp die? No one raised any objections. They increased their pace. On the way, they found several corpses of soldiers and local foremen. When they arrived at the chemical plant, every single one of their breaths caught. Under the ghastly white moonlight lay hundreds of bodies on the ground. Women, children, elderly, guards¡ªeveryone, irrespective of their status. Their placements were also in disorder, but all of them smiled towards the sky. ¡°That confirms it; a leak has caused everyone to die. We were possibly at the brick kiln at that time, also dead.¡± Bai Song looked over, saying, ¡°But the women and children shouldn¡¯t be here. Shouldn¡¯t they be in the other barracks?¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°Go to the experimental floor.¡± They walked past the corpses and the warehouses where the chemicals were stored to the two-storied laboratory building they explored yesterday. The ground floor still held those canisters. Anfield weaved between the massive reactor and the metal gas canisters, coughing a little more frequently. He neared the canisters and pipeways, finally stopping in front of the largest, two-person-high metal canister. ¡°Help me up,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t specifically point out anyone, but Yu Feichen had a hunch that it was probably him. He effortlessly leapt on a slightly shorter canister, crouching down slightly, reaching down towards Anfield. Anfield first passed the oil lamp to him, then held out his right hand for Yu Feichen to pull him up, borrowing his strength to climb up the canister in a clean, fluid motion. Then, he used the oil lamp to shine a light on the mouth of the largest canister. Yu Feichen looked inside as well. In this primitive world of limited technology, even the strongest gas canister had a valve that could be forced open. The valve of the canister in front of him had been opened, revealing a black hole. Not only that, but the metal around the valve showed irregular signs of being corroded. ¡°Someone opened the valve then used a strong corrosive liquid to destroy it. The valve couldn¡¯t be closed in the short term,¡± Anfield concluded. Yu Feichen crossed his arms. ¡°Maybe another chemical was also added to trigger and hasten the dispersal of the gas.¡± Anfield nodded slightly, then coughed a few more times. ¡°You¡­¡± Yu Feichen glanced at him, asking, ¡°Are you okay?¡± This was the source of the gas leak. It was hard to determine if there was still residue gas left behind. He was fine, but Anfield already had a lung condition. Anfield said tersely, ¡°Still okay.¡± His face was pale and the corners of his eyes were faintly red from coughing; this could be termed as not-so-okay. But Yu Feichen felt that he had done his due courtesy by asking and didn¡¯t persist in asking. ¡°We should go take a look upstairs,¡± Yu Feichen said. He gauged the distance from the ground to the top of the canister where they stood. Since the senior officer was unable to come up by himself, he naturally shouldn¡¯t be able to go down by himself as well. So, Yu Feichen went down first then half-supported, half-carried the other man down. Once back to the ground, Yu Feichen released the arm that was around the senior officer¡¯s shoulders. Anfield¡¯s expression was completely blase as he turned towards the stairs. Yu Feichen stood on the spot for a moment more, confirming that he had indeed just been used as an escalator. And that senior officer¡¯s nonchalant attitude was practically like he had just used a personal ladder. In response, he followed the glass oil lamp forwards, also expressionless, taking it just as nonchalantly as if he was using a personal torch. Up the concrete stairs, the second floor was still the same, and the dissection tables were still present. Only, there were people crammed over the tables now. The albino and pregnant woman they had seen before, as well as people they hadn¡¯t seen before, were all securely bound to the tables with ropes. Some died with smiles on their faces, whereas some died with fear on their faces, their deaths obviously occurring before the gas leak. In the corner of the room by the window, a doctor in a white coat was lying on the ground, his glasses fallen to one side, likewise with a smile on his face. They had seen him before too; he was the one who had led the patients and the pregnant women away. Yu Feichen leaned over and pulled a work log out of his pocket. Yesterday, they had gone through the second floor, trying to find work logs, experimental records, or suchlike in vain. Unfortunately, they had all been destroyed. Today, it was found with ease. There was a lot of information that remained on the office desk. They went through them, sorting out the important information. ¡°We have finally recreated the accidental discovery that caused Koroshans to die of poisoning with smiles on their faces. ¡°They faced the sky and were cleansed and absolved of their crimes. This is undoubtedly the will of the God of Truth. Sinful people were finally restored to purity. ¡°12.20 Sr. Colonel ordered the execution of Koroshan captives by mass purification rather than by a firing squad, so as to not place psychological burdens on the loyal Black Badge soldiers.¡± Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress ¡°12.21 The first batch of Koroshan captives were purified in the confessional. 163 people. Their bodies were incinerated, ascending to the sky and returning to the embrace of the God of Truth. ¡°12.29 The second batch of Koroshan prisoners were purified in the confessional. 254 people. ¡°1.03 The third batch of Koroshan prisoners were purified in the confessional. 197 people. ¡°1.14 The fourth batch of Koroshan prisoners were purified in the confessional. 271 people. ¡°1.18 Arrival of new Koroshans. Young and strong prisoners were temporarily dispatched for necessary labour. ¡°1.18 Orders from Tin Cloud for the various concentration camps to explore effective management systems in preparation for the construction of a larger concentration camp. (I believe that non-labouring Koroshan prisoners should be eliminated first to prevent unnecessary consumption of resources.)¡± Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress ¡°1.19 The fifth batch of Koroshan prisoners were purified in the confessional. 115 people. ¡°1.20 The sixth batch of Koroshan prisoners were purified in the confessional. 173 people.¡± By this point, Bai Song¡¯s voice was quavering. January 18; it was the date that they had arrived here. ¡°1.23 The seventh batch of Koroshan prisoners¡­ ¡°1.25 The eighth batch of Koroshan prisoners¡­¡± By this point, tears had welled up in his eyes. He murmured, ¡°I remember¡­ I remember Leanna telling us that people would disappear every day.¡± Yu Feichen was looking at another record that detailed the range of experiments they conducted on the physically disabled and pregnant women. Actually, he didn¡¯t need to read it. He walked up to a dissection table where a crippled man had his leg cut open. All the tissues of the leg and the snow-white leg bones were exposed in plain sight. On another, a dwarf was dissected along the spine. As for the pregnant woman¡ªthere was a long gash on her abdomen. Her belly was deflated, and the fetus was nowhere to be found. Yu Feichen pondered it for a moment before flipping the experimental record to the last page, which detailed the experiment conducted on a pregnant woman. The subject¡¯s name: Leanna. It was this time that he noticed out of his peripheral vision that Anfield¡¯s body hadn¡¯t moved in a long time. He walked over. Anfield was standing before a dissection table. Leanna was lying on this dissection table. She too had a gash in her abdomen and a smile on her face. But she wasn¡¯t the only one there. Yu Feichen looked down to see a man gripping her hand, kneeling in front of the dissection table, his head resting on the table surface. With a smile on his face, his forehead was resting against their joined hands, his hand carrying burn wounds. It was the corpse of the chemistry teacher, Gerold. They had died together. Everyone gathered around in silence, looking at this scene. ¡°I think I know what¡¯s going on here,¡± Bai Song muttered. CH 13 Yu Feichen examined Gerold¡¯s corpse. The shape of the burn wound on Gerold¡¯s right hand was extremely irregular. The wound went deeper nearer the core of the wound, eventually so deep that bones could be seen, and the flesh and bone were completely charred. As there weren¡¯t any blisters, it couldn¡¯t be a burn from fire but from corrosion. ¡ªexactly the same corrosion as the mouth of the canister. Looking around, they could see a damp towel tossed to the ground nearby and many messy footprints extending from the staircase to this point. It wasn¡¯t difficult to surmise a scene in which, after the gas was leaked, Gerold used a cloth to cover his mouth and nose to ward off the potent poison, staggering up the stairs and returning to Leanna¡¯s side. Only after holding her hand did he throw the towel aside, calmly greeting death with a smile. There was only one logical explanation that the chemistry teacher, who wasn¡¯t supposed to be here, could have arrived so promptly¡ªhe was the one who had opened the valve of the toxic gas canisters; he was the murderer who caused everyone¡¯s deaths. Yu Feichen pried open Gerold¡¯s hand. His palm was covered in crescent-shaped wounds, obviously caused by nails embedded deep into his flesh. Slipping his sleeves up, his arms were similarly covered in what should have been self-inflicted wounds. One would only hurt themselves when under extreme pain. On the other side, a folder lay on the dissection table detailing the experiments that Leanna had endured. They had used electrocution, waterboarding, strangulation, flogging, poisoning, and a plethora of other methods to inflict harm on Leanna¡¯s body, then monitored the condition of the fetus in her womb, investigating the relationship between a fetus and a mother. Following this, they brought her husband in. At first, they assigned him and a few other men to move the purified bodies. The doctor later gave them the opportunity to interact so that he could observe any changes to the fetus as a result of intense emotional fluctuation. In the end, the mother went deranged. She was unable to utter any meaningful syllables other than ¡°end this¡±. The fetus¡¯ indicators were likewise in chaos. They decided to remove this preterm fetus for closer observation. In order to remove it completely, they chose to directly cut open Leanna¡¯s abdomen with a scalpel. No one could imagine the torture that she went through. And what type of suffering did Gerold, who witnessed it all, go through? As well as the cripples, dwarfs, and albinos lying on these dissection tables, and all other Koroshans in the concentration camp¡ªthe terror, pain, and torment that they had endured in their brief life here. In the silence, the big-nosed man said in a shaky voice, ¡°We should go¡­ we should go.¡± If they stayed here any longer, someone was bound to be driven to insanity. Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress *** Please do not repost or retranslate. ¡°Honest to god, I never imagined this.¡± They returned to the cell at four in the morning. The two corpses were still lying there. Bai Song tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and blindfolded the brawny blonde to prevent him from unintentionally opening his eyes. The brawny blonde sat down, stumbling to the ground as if all his strength had been drained out of him. ¡°My ma could be lying there.¡± His gaze was slack as he said, ¡°But I don¡¯t dare to look.¡± Bai Song spoke up again. ¡°I never imagined that they would hold so much hatred for Koroshans and that they would inflict such cruel torture on every prisoner. They seriously plan to do this to every Koroshan; they want to build a bigger concentration camp.¡± The big-nosed man said, ¡°And Gerold knew this.¡± ¡°Yeah, he was brought to work there. His job was to move the purified bodies to the furnace.¡± After grief passed, Bai Song gained remarkable composure. ¡°Anyway, he knew everything that was going on in this place.¡± ¡°That day when Leanna ran over to say goodbye to us and tell us about the people disappearing every day, she was so stimulated that she kept covering her abdomen when she went back. This told the Black Badge Army and the doctor that she was pregnant, otherwise, she could have concealed it. If she concealed it, she could have been able to protect her baby.¡± He continued, ¡°But in the end, she still wasn¡¯t able to; she was discovered. The things that the doctor did to her¡­ I¡¯m not saying that the rest of their actions paled in comparison. They were killing the Koroshans like insane men.¡± The brawny blonde murmured, adding, ¡°Gerold went insane too.¡± ¡°Gerold was a chemistry teacher. He knew that they were researching toxic gases and probably even knew how it worked. Furthermore, when we were exploring the chemical plant together yesterday, he even got info on where each reagent was located. The deliberate gas leakage was something that only he could have done,¡± Bai Song said. ¡°To avenge Leanna, he wanted to kill the doctor and the Black Badge army. But he killed all his fellow compatriots as well.¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s revenge? It doesn¡¯t feel that way to me.¡± Bai Song looked up at the greyish-white ceiling. He whispered, ¡°All of his compatriots were suffering. They were being tortured and will inescapably be sent to be purified, to their deaths. To end it all, maybe¡­ maybe it was also a form of rescue. He loved Leanna, and he loved his compatriots.¡± The silence drew out. Oak Valley Concentration camp brimmed with an eerie and frenetic atmosphere, turning some men into executioners, turning the executioners inhuman, finally even warping the prisoners. Sombreness enshrouded the cell. Bai Song and the big-nosed man had lowered their heads. The brawny blonde, blindfolded, didn¡¯t move nor speak. ¡°Sir,¡± Yu Feichen said. Anfield looked at him. Yu Feichen, ¡°Lend me a pen.¡± Anfield took a pinned pen from his breast pocket and handed it to him. Yu Feichen continued, ¡°Paper.¡± Expressionless, Anfield took out a notepad from his pocket. Taking the paper, Yu Feichen began to write and draw on it. He didn¡¯t know how to comfort people. His several limited attempts long ago had all backfired, so he chose to shut up and do something else instead. The others remained motionless for a long time. After a spell, the big-nosed man choked out a sob. As if a switch had been flicked, the brawny blonde¡¯s body began to tremble as well. Yu Feichen finally heard Anfield speak. ¡°I suggest that you all get some sleep,¡± he said. ¡°Alternatively, we could consolidate what we know.¡± ¡°But my heart is still pounding like mad,¡± Bai Song said. Anfield¡¯s voice turned uncharacteristically gentle. He said, ¡°Ultimately, what you saw today hasn¡¯t happened yet.¡± ¡ªit hasn¡¯t happened yet. Midnight in the cell was a certain day in the future. On this day, the lethal toxic gas poisoned everyone to their deaths. They were either struggling for their lives in their cells or running in vain through open space, finally collapsing to the ground, their breathing ceasing. Because of an abnormally-induced twitching, their muscles pulled into a smile. This scene was purgatory on earth. But¡­ but¡­ even though this was what they witnessed, these despicably cruel events had yet to occur. The cloud of gloom that was stifling the cell finally dissipated a little. Bai Song let out a long breath from where he sat on the straw mat. ¡°So can we stop it from happening? Can we dissuade Gerold or something?¡± Right after saying so, he refuted himself, ¡°But even if Gerold doesn¡¯t release those gases, the Black Badge Army will still kill us batch by batch.¡± ¡°First, we need to know what exactly we¡¯re seeing after midnight,¡± Anfield said. ¡°A certain day in the future,¡± said Bai Song. ¡°According to that doctor¡¯s work log, it is someday after January 26¡­ on that day, everyone died.¡± ¡°Did you also go out the night before I came?¡± Anfield asked. Yu Feichen raised his head from the pen and paper, watching Bai Song contemplate briefly before opening his mouth to recount what they had seen when they went out last night. Just like that, this child freely turned coat to this enemy senior officer with pretty hair. ¡°There was no one in the concentration camp and the experimental floor was emptied.¡± Anfield distilled his description. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Bai Song, at this time, was like a student being called to answer a question in class. Anfield lightly asked him, ¡°What do you think happened?¡± ¡°I think¡­ At that time we thought¡­¡± Bai Song considered it, his face slightly ashen, ¡°We saw the chemicals and the furnace yesterday too but we didn¡¯t think too much into it. I kept feeling that things couldn¡¯t be that bad. It was only after reading the log today that I realised how much I had underestimated the Black Badge Army.¡± ¡°There was no one in the concentration camp because all Koroshans had been put to death by poisoning and burnt in the furnace. Without prisoners, the Black Badge Army and the doctor left this place.¡± The brawny blonde interjected, ¡°They probably took their experience running this concentration camp to set up the bigger one, just like what was mentioned in the log.¡± They got it spot-on. Yu Feichen watched this scene; without needing to, he wouldn¡¯t explain the situation to others, and it was certainly impossible for him to lead them through this reasoning process as Anfield had done. Not bad. Since the senior officer was more than happy to take the mantle, he didn¡¯t have to waste his breath. Then he heard Anfield¡¯s cold, calm voice speak again, ¡°This is a future of the concentration camp.¡± ¡°Yes, that was the future of the concentration camp we saw last night.¡± Anfield didn¡¯t say anything. Half a minute later, Bai Song¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. ¡°A future? You¡¯re saying, you¡¯re saying¡ª¡± His talking speed increased significantly. ¡°What we saw yesterday of the concentration camp being emptied, that was a future. And today we saw Gerold release the tox gas, killing everyone. This is a future, too. The two futures are not the same.¡± ¡°Gerold was taken by the soldiers yesterday to Leanna¡¯s barracks, which triggered the events that followed. So, the future we saw changed, right?¡± Anfield said, ¡°Perhaps.¡± What they concluded was what Yu Feichen had instantly worked out the first moment he saw the corpses in the barracks earlier too. The two futures they saw presented different outcomes. It didn¡¯t quite make sense, but it told them one thing¡ªthe future was changeable. In other words, those tragic endings might not necessarily turn to reality. Anfield said lightly, ¡°I want to know the exact date we¡¯re in right now.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°It¡¯d be better if you knew the date you were in last night as well. Although it might be too late to obtain it now.¡± Right as he said this, Bai Song mouth fell open, suddenly looking at Yu Feichen with a gobsmacked expression. Seeing Bai Song¡¯s expression, Anfield frowned slightly and also looked at Yu Feichen. Yu Feichen set down the pen and paper in his hand. As if he had long prepared for this, he reached out, pulling the blanket that Bai Song had piled near the wall aside¡ª The dreary grey wall was exposed. On the wall, where there used to be three finger-streaks of blood, there were now several vertical bloodstains of almost equal length lined next to them to the right. Due to the damp darkness of the cell, dark green mould had started to grow on the edges of the bloodstains, its growth density diminishing from left to right. Eight in all. Under Anfield¡¯s gaze, Yu Feichen spoke. Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress ¡°At midnight, January 19, I found three bloodstains here. At 5 a.m. the next morning, the cell returned to normal and they vanished. ¡°On the night of January 19, Bai Song unintentionally scratched out these three marks on the wall. I requested that from every day after that, which means to say starting from January 20, for him to make another mark. He had just finished making a mark right before you came tonight. You weren¡¯t in time to see it.¡± Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress ¡°At this time yesterday, there were seven streaks. Now, there are eight.¡± Stringing words together was exhausting; a faint drawl entered his voice. He said, ¡°So, today is supposed to be January 21, but we¡¯ve come to the early hours of January 29, sir.¡± Now, he saw that the big-nosed man had also entered Bai Song¡¯s gobsmacked camp, whereas the brawny blonde¡¯s jaw had dropped open in bewilderment. So he was forced to supplement, ¡°Starting from the 20th, eight new streaks would be the night of the 27th. On the 28th, Bai Song went to the brick kiln and died with everyone else. The corpses haven¡¯t started to fester, so today is the morning of the 29th.¡± Then, he used his eyes to gesture towards the original three bloodstains, continuing, ¡°Every time we see it, it would decay a little more than the last time. The degree of decay can be compared with the marks next to it. Each new mark has a lapse of a day from the previous. So what I saw in the early hours of January 20 is January 28, and what I saw on January 19 was January 27. Both are eight days apart.¡± ¡°Do you have any thoughts, sir?¡± Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress Anfield gazed at those marks, not saying anything for a time, seeming pensive. Yu Feichen looked at him¡ªthis senior officer always seemed to have a good grasp of the situation. But obviously, he didn¡¯t expect that there would be another person who had also made all the necessary preparations in advance. The glass oil lamp crackled softly. Anfield¡¯s gaze shifted from the bloodstains on the wall. Motionless, Yu Feichen met his eyes squarely, but neither spoke. The senior officer¡¯s gaze seemed to contain a touch of scrutiny. Yu Feichen returned him an unperturbed look. ¡ªIn this dark and gloomy concentration camp, ever since the day that he had fought the soldier barefisted, he finally felt cheery again. CH 14 Those pale, ice-green eyes reflected the glow of the glass lamp. Three seconds later, his eyelashes lowered marginally. ¡°The time warp in the cell started on January 15,¡± Anfield said. Yu Feichen, ¡°You know this?¡± ¡°Two prisoners disappeared from here on the morning of January 15.¡± Anfield spoke indifferently. ¡°I received some testimonies during the day,¡± Anfield said. ¡°One of the two prisoners who escaped was an architect. He had once tried to dig a tunnel to break out and had continually received many unreasonable punishments for this infraction. At 1 a.m. on the 14th, he was even brought out of the barracks by a drunk soldier to write a work report for him.¡± Yu Feichen had known that Anfield was deployed here to investigate the case of the prisoners¡¯ disappearance. However, it mustn¡¯t have been easy for this senior officer to obtain useful testimonies considering the enmity Oak Valley Concentration Camp showed the investigator. He recalled the faint whiff of blood from Anfield that day, as well as the chief warden¡¯s hateful and fearful attitude. In the cell that they were in, once it passed the stroke of midnight, time would be different from what it once was in the concentration camp. If someone peered in from outside, everyone inside would appear asleep. But perhaps if they opened the door, they would be spirited into the future as well. Whereas on the morning of January 14, soldiers were still able to bring the people inside out, which was indicative that during that time, everything was normal. So, the time anomaly started on January 15. Yu Feichen wrote on the paper. ¡°Then we don¡¯t have much time.¡± Anfield nodded imperceptibly. In the sombre atmosphere, Bai Song¡¯s puzzled voice rang out. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Looking at Bai Song, Yu Feichen sighed, just as though he was looking at his previous employers. ¡°Since January 15, the people in this cell were able to see the state of the concentration camp eight days later.¡± He said, ¡°The question is, what exactly are we looking at, and in what form does it appear to us?¡± ¡°Perhaps the gods are sending a prophetic vision as a warning to us,¡± Bai Song said. ¡°The friar thought so, too. And now he is not even a speck of dust,¡± Yu Feichen said. Certainly, this couldn¡¯t be any kind of prophecy of the Gods, but a fault that had appeared in this world, whereas the cell was like a node that connected the two different time points. But the question now lay in whether or not the future shown to them was real. If it was an accurate portrayal of the future, then why would it change according to the events that occurred in a new day? No continuity existed between what they saw on the 28th and the 29th. But if it was simply a prophecy presented based on the unfolding of events, then why did the friar and the short-statured man die? Anfield opened his mouth. ¡°It is real and it follows rules. Also, its sphere is limited to this concentration camp,¡± he said. Yu Feichen also believed so as well. It might not be their real future, but it was still a real time point that existed. Otherwise, the short-statured man wouldn¡¯t have disappeared upon seeing his corpse. As for how they knew the sphere was limited to this concentration camp¡ªthat was obvious. Once the friar opened the gate and walked outside, he vanished. Where he was now was anyone¡¯s guess. Perhaps, just like that, he had vanished into the unending void, because where he was heading was a place that never existed. Since it was a real and not a so-called prophecy or illusion, then there must be a way in which the actual time point they were in and this time point in the future intersected. ¡°The anomaly began from January 15,¡± he said. ¡°In that case, it will likely end on the 22nd.¡± The gobsmacked expression returned to Bai Song¡¯s face. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°After midnight on the 22nd, we¡¯ll arrive to the 23rd.¡± Bai Song nodded. ¡°Right,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°However, the 23rd had already appeared on the 15th.¡± Bai Song gave a start. ¡°In other words, it has already been prophesised.¡± Yu Feichen changed his wording. ¡°And¡­ and so?¡± Bai Song asked. ¡°So it won¡¯t end well for us once we pass the 22nd.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t make sense.¡± Bai Song gave it a thought then said, ¡°Based on the rules in these few days, the 15th allows a vision of the 23rd, and when the actual time turns to the 23rd, we should see the 31st.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that possibility,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, it has nothing to do with us.¡± ¡ªit would be like a movie of a parallel world was being broadcasted at a fixed timing every day and had nothing to do with them whether or not they watched it. It didn¡¯t represent anything, nor did it allude to anything. They only needed to go on normally and work hard to escape. Bai Song still maintained that expression of ¡®you don¡¯t make sense¡¯, saying, ¡°Then if it¡¯s as you said, what does that have to do with us?¡± Anfield chuckled when he heard this. He said, ¡°Then, it becomes relevant.¡± ¡°Generally, 23rd should come after the 22nd,¡± Anfield said. ¡°But will it really?¡± ¡°Yeah it should.¡± Bai Song¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Time¡­ time moves forward. The 23rd should come after the 22nd.¡± ¡°But the 23rd has already passed.¡± Yu Feichen broke the silence, saying, ¡°It has already happened with the 15th.¡± Bai Song was dazed. A while later, he seemed to suddenly grasp something beyond terrifying. His befuddlement was exposed in his eyes, the way humans always reacted when encountering something that they couldn¡¯t comprehend. After a long time, he finally spoke, ¡°So¡­ what is going on here?¡± Yu Feichen took out the notepad that he had been scribbling on just now. The page that he flipped open to had the sixteen digits between 30 to 15 written vertically downwards. ¡°Normal time flows like this.¡± He drew an arrow pointing upwards from 15 to 30 with the pen. 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 ... 15 ¡û Bai Song nodded. ¡°However, based on our present circumstance, there¡¯s a fault in time. It has disconnected.¡± As he spoke, he drew a horizontal line splitting 22 and 23 apart. 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 | 22 ... 15 ¡û He flipped to the next page on the notepad. It was still those numbers, but they had turned from one into two lines at the cut-off point. 30 to 23 ran downwards on the left side, whereas the right side showed 22 to 15. Also, accordingly, there were 8 lines in total. ¡°After time breaks off, it overlaps like this. This is what we¡¯ve experienced in the past few days,¡± he said. Stupefied, Bai Song took those two iron barbs that were used to pick the lock, separating them and sticking them together. Yu Feichen felt fatigued; it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to explain, rather that he had spoken too much tonight. If this fatigue persisted, he would quickly enter the state that had triggered all those complaints against him. As though able to see his fatigue and also in light of Bai Song¡¯s confusion, Anfield took over the paper and pen, drawing a horizontal line between 15 and 23, then another line from 16 to 24, 17 to 25, continuing as such until 22 to 30. 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 | | | | | | | | 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 ¡û ¡°These overlapping dates are what we¡¯ve been encountering. The 23rd appears to us on the 15th, the 24th to us on the 16th, and so on.¡± His tone was cool and crisp, and his diction precise and clear. ¡°This cell is the line that connects them.¡± ¡°It appears to be that way,¡± Bai Song nodded. ¡°And so?¡± Anfield wrote a ¡¯14¡¯ underneath the ¡¯15¡¯ and a ¡¯31¡¯ above the ¡¯30¡¯. Then, he drew an upwards arrow on the side. ¡°However, time needs to move forward.¡± Stupefied, Bai Song staggered the two overlapping barbs slightly, letting sharp tips show on the two ends. ¡°We move from the 14th to the 31st. But the sixteen days between are overlapped due to the anomaly,¡± Anfield said. ¡°So, when the 15th passes, 23rd has also become yesterday.¡± Bai Song hesitantly nodded his head. ¡°Today is the 21st. The overlap will disappear at the end of the 22nd. The question is, what will we encounter when we reach midnight of the 23rd?¡± ¡°It could be that nothing at all would happen, and we would arrive at a new 23rd, not here.¡± He pointed at the 15 and corresponding 23 with the tip of the pen. ¡°Or, if we arrive at this 23rd that has been prophesised before¡ªthat won¡¯t bode well, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Yu Feichen gazed at the notepad, recovering slightly from his fatigue. He said. ¡°Or, we could be forever stuck where time disconnected. The 22nd.¡± Anfield nodded. The tip of the pen shifted over 31. ¡°It is also possible that time would forever move forwards; After the 22nd has passed along with its corresponding 30th, we might directly join back to the concentration camp on the 31st. But we don¡¯t know what the concentration camp will look like on the 31st. Perhaps it¡¯s all corpses, just like today.¡± ¡°So what you mean is,¡± Bai Song¡¯s stupefaction turned into despair, ¡°regardless, once the 22nd is over, we¡¯re screwed.¡± Anfield, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then,¡± the brawny blonde seemed to also finally understand some of it, ¡°which is the most likely?¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaning towards the last,¡± Anfield said. ¡°In the past few days, we have only been observing a few possible futures through a channel or a window. But once we reach the 23rd, the real future will arrive.¡± Yu Feichen looked at Anfield. Tin Cloud Military Academy teaches ¡®observation¡¯ huh, he thought coldly. ¡°At that time, it would be useless to keep our eyes closed to this. In reality, it¡¯s impossible to have two identical people.¡± His voice had a subtle misty quality to it. Yu Feichen took the notepad away from Anfield¡¯s hand, keeping it. ¡°Sleep,¡± he said. Bafflement was written all over Bai Song¡¯s face. ¡°Just¡­ Just like that?¡± ¡°What do you want to do then?¡± Yu Feichen asked. ¡°Continue¡­¡± Bai Song looked at his notepad. ¡°Continue doing math, or something.¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°I don¡¯t like doing math.¡± After giving a long lecture on this math question, he ultimately came to a simple conclusion: Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress Before the 22nd passed, he had to bring every single one of his fellow Koroshans out of this damned place. He had forty hours left. This could very well be the mission the Gate of the Eternal Night had entrusted him. Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress ¡°The sphere of the anomaly is limited to the concentration camp.¡± He heard Anfield speak lightly. ¡°I will attempt to communicate with the Sr. Colonel to transfer all of you out before then.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Bai Song had switched to address him more formally. ¡°What did Tin Cloud send you over for?¡± Tin Cloud was the capital of the country to which the Black Badge Army belonged. This question was very incisive, especially when it was asked from a Koroshan prisoner to a Tin Cloud captain. ¡°Investigate the disappearance of the prisoners and verify that there are no lapses in the management of the Oak Valley Concentration Camp.¡± Anfield answered him. ¡°Then, are you going to treat the prisoners well?¡± Anfield glanced at him. ¡°There¡¯s still some controversy regarding the treatment of prisoners in Tin Cloud,¡± said Anfield. This answer fell within Yu Feichen¡¯s expectations. Controversy. This implied that the Black Badge Army didn¡¯t have a strict policy for the treatment of prisoners. This also meant that in the present at least, all their actions have been tacitly approved. Once something cruel happened, it could only get even more so. No one spoke after that. The first shaft of daylight shone into the cell, and the cell quietly transformed. The brawny blonde¡¯s corpse suddenly vanished from the cell. The person himself was, conversely, still alive and well, sitting there blindfolded. The short-statured man¡¯s smiling corpse was still lying on the ground; the corpse from the future had replaced the actual person. At the same time this scene appeared, a loud gunshot split the air. Blood sprayed everywhere. The smiling face of the short-statured man was reduced to a mass of rotting flesh by the bullet, and the smile could no longer be seen. Panicked screaming rose from the other cells. The soldiers standing guard at the door, who initially had drowsiness heavy on their eyelids, now were with their eyes flying wide, glancing inside. ¡ªAnfield kept his silver-white gun with an icy expression. None of the soldiers dared to question him. Terror showed on the faces of the others in the cell. They couldn¡¯t understand Anfield¡¯s intention. Yu Feichen kept silent. Oak Valley Concentration Camp had built high walls, not only to control the prisoners but primarily to conceal their activity in the concentration camp, especially their research into the toxic smiling gas. Once Oak Valley caught a whiff of possibility that the information would be leaked, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep their lives. The chief warden quickly came to the door. Seeing the prisoner¡¯s corpse in the cell, he turned to Anfield with a wide, genial smile across his face, a far cry from his usual grimace. ¡°Esteemed captain, did that Koroshan mongrel do something to you?¡± The chief warden said, ¡°Did his filthy hands try to touch your hair? You should know, these people are beyond hope.¡± Anfield didn¡¯t say anything. He crossed right past him, leaving this place. The chief warden spoke to his soldiers, triumph in his voice, ¡°The captain finally dropped his squeaky clean stance. Now, Oak Valley welcomes him. I¡¯ll report this to Sr. Colonel at once.¡± A new day began at the brick kiln. The local foremen today were much more vicious than they were yesterday. Oak Valley was such a place; those who treated the prisoners well were bound to be ostracised, whereas those who tortured them received recognition. Over time, everyone became accustomed to it. Again, Yu Feichen sought out those people¡ªthe ones who he had requested cooperation from yesterday. Naturally, he brought something else today as well. It had a schematic diagram of a route drawn on one side of the senior officer¡¯s notepad, and the other side detailed the task assigned to them. Yesterday, they refused him; but today, they all kept the paper from the notepad. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t know whether or not they would act when the time came and how well they would execute it. He hoped that it would go smoothly. Once, during the time that the complaints he received had peaked, the God of Contract, Mogrosh, would often invite him for tea¡ªthat was his synonym for an appointment to discuss the complaints filed against him. ¡°I know that you¡¯re used to working alone.¡± Mogrosh¡¯s gaze, at those times, would be benevolent. ¡°But you need to learn to trust your teammates. You will have to learn it sooner or later.¡± But that was still something he wasn¡¯t capable of in the present. He spent the rest of the day rehearsing countless scenarios in his mind, whether it was one person dropping ball or everyone, he didn¡¯t miss a single possibility. Late in the night, midnight of the 22nd approached. As before, Anfield came on time. If everything went as they expected, this would be their last night in the concentration camp¡ªalso the last night for them to observe the concentration camp. The previous night, they had seen all the Koroshans being ¡®purified¡¯. The night before, they had seen Gerold leaking the toxic gas, killing everyone. And tonight, what would they be looking at? Bai Song voluntarily suggested for himself, the big-nosed man, and the brawny blonde to be blindfolded to avoid the worst possible tragedy. Yu Feichen thought it was a feasible idea. So Bai Song tore off the hem of his shirt, dividing it into three strips, and blindfolded each of his two compatriots, then himself. Yu Feichen was still revising the escape route. While revising, he caught Anfield moving out of his peripheral vision, taking out a black ribbon from his right breast pocket. Then, he saw Anfield turn towards him. The silhouette was hazy under the moonlight. Anfield said, ¡°Wear it too.¡± Yu Feichen didn¡¯t feel that there was any need for him to be blindfolded as he could refrain himself from looking. However, since the senior officer was willing to go the extra length to ensure his safety, he didn¡¯t have any reason to refuse. He kept the pen and paper, watching as Anfield leaned in towards him¡ªthe ribbon covered his eyes and the dark night descended. Aside from the hazy halo of light, there wasn¡¯t anything before his eyes. Yet, because of this, Anfield¡¯s presence seemed to amplify manifold. The glacial chill of frost neared him. Yu Feichen suddenly bumped into something. It was that person¡¯s long hair that hung down, brushing against his cheek. He wasn¡¯t used to being in such close proximity to someone else. He raised his hand, intending to shift it away. ¡ªand his fingers bumped into those platinum-blonde strands of hair that carried with it a faint chill. He could even hear Anfield¡¯s breathing, close at hand, almost within reach. He felt a gentle pressure around his eyes. The ribbon was tied. He was inept at social interaction. However, this didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t understand people. He had encountered too many people of every sort across the various words, and he had dealt with people travelling between the various worlds in Paradise. In terms of knowledge and understanding, there was a wide chasm between those from a normal world and those not bound to an individual world. Put bluntly, the temperament was different. Unless one was extraordinarily gifted, this difference was miles apart. The overly close proximity gave off a disconcerting illusion that they were no strangers to each other; he asked Anfield a question that he had wanted to ask for a very long time. ¡°Sir,¡± he said in a low voice. ¡°Have you heard of the Gate of the Eternal Night?¡± Anfield¡¯s breathing paused minutely. He clasped Yu Feichen¡¯s wrist, pulling him outside. Yu Feichen couldn¡¯t see anything. He could only feel those smooth strands of hair sliding abruptly away from between his fingers. Anfield¡¯s voice rang quietly in his ears. ¡°Mind yourself.¡± CH 15 Works fine by him. In all his life, what Yu Feichen did best was minding himself. Further, his curiosity was as lacking as his memory; he wouldn¡¯t harp on a certain question. He didn¡¯t say a word. In the cell, aside from breathing, the only sound was the slender, delicate ticking of a pocket watch. The glass oil lamp was extinguished. Five minutes later, at midnight, it was lit up again. Anfield was the sole person not blindfolded because no matter how the logic went, an esteemed captain from Tin Cloud wouldn¡¯t die in a cell purposed to hold prisoners. Yu Feichen spoke. ¡°What do you see?¡± It was only after a short silence that Anfield replied to him. Stripped of his vision, his sense of hearing was magnified manifold. Anfield¡¯s frosty voice drifted into his ears, both distant and disembodied, like a voice pronouncing judgement. ¡°You have all died.¡± This was rather beyond what Yu Feichen had expected. He assumed that at least he wouldn¡¯t be among them. He affirmed once. ¡°All?¡± Anfield¡¯s answer was succinct. ¡°All.¡± ¡ªIn other words, on the 22nd that pointed towards the 30th, all of them had died in the cell. Yu Feichen reached out in rough estimation of the cell gate, but Anfield caught hold of his wrist. The grip was firm. Yu Feichen immediately understood what Anfield meant. If he wasn¡¯t stopped, he might touch his own corpse in the very next second! And the consequence of touching their own corpse was perhaps no better than seeing it. ¡°The door is locked from the outside.¡± Anfield moved his hand back to its original position, getting up. The voice was also accompanied by the rustling of clothes¡ªhe was inspecting the corpses. ¡°You were locked in here,¡± Anfield¡¯s indifferent voice carried over. ¡°The toxic gas dispersed from bottom up. Everyone wanted to get to higher ground, so you stepped on each other and ended up grabbing and stacked together at the iron gate, all killed by the smiling gas.¡± The brawny blonde, dead for the second time, swore. Yu Feichen could understand how he felt, because the scene described by this senior officer was, in truth, a tad excessively vivid, especially after they had witnessed for themselves other smiling corpses last night. The dull sounds of corpses being dragged echoed. The scene in his imagination was already queer enough; when adding Anfield in snow-white gloves, impassively dealing with the corpses, the mental image turned even more bizarre. Yu Feichen inadvertently recalled the formula for the toxic gas he had read at the chemical plant. In the work log, it was formally named Purification Water. But before its name was formalised, it was casually recorded as the Smiling Gas. In the past, missions that he received from the Tower of Creation could be very unorthodox at times, and he had thus been exposed to many branches of science. As such, it was possible for him to surmise the process by which this gas worked from the experimental records. It was simple, formed from a mixture of a toxic reagent and some kind of anaesthetic in a defined ratio. The toxic reagent paralysed the entire person¡¯s physiological system, stripping them of all functionality, eventually dying from asphyxiation due to the inability to intake oxygen. The other component paralysed the nerve centres, transmitting a certain type of neurotransmitter that induced euphoria or hallucinations, causing the involuntary surfacing of a smile on the victim¡¯s face. After inhaling this toxic gas, as a result of being poisoned, one would suffocate, experiencing an unimaginable pain akin to drowning, desperately clambering towards higher ground to take in fresh air, whilst submerging helplessly in a disorientating dream, finally struggling as one crumbled towards death. In this world that was prophesied, he had also died like this. However, he didn¡¯t believe that he would die off like this¡ªat the very least, he wouldn¡¯t be stacked together with the rest. But what was the feeling of actually dying? Yu Feichen found that he was, unexpectedly, seriously pondering this question. The sound of the lock being picked rang out, and the iron gate opened. Anfield pulled Yu Feichen, guiding him outside, then going back in to lead the others out. With the tragic demise of the short-statured man, none of them glanced back this time, only removing their blindfolds and looking at the other cells. Tonight, the moonlight cast down like snow; it wasn¡¯t necessary to use the glass lamp for them to take in their surroundings. Without a single exception, each cell had around a dozen people, stacked in contorted postures at the gates or the corners. ¡°What happened?¡± Bai Song breathed in deeply. After experiencing yesterday¡¯s horror, everyone fared somewhat better today. Yu Feichen studied these. The gates were locked from the outside and there was a discarded gas mask in a corner of the corridor, proof that this was the soldiers¡¯ handiwork. Practically every body was marred with welts, proof that they had all received punishment before their deaths. On the other hand, the tightly shut door of the barracks was to prevent toxic gas from leaking out. This was a premeditated massacre, pointing to an obvious conclusion. ¡°Sir,¡± Yu Feichen suddenly spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s move separately so we won¡¯t get in your way.¡± Anfield returned him a hum of acknowledgement that was without the faintest emotional inflection. They were exploring the concentration camp in search for an opening to escape, whereas that senior officer must have had his own reason for coming back even after finding the cause of the two disappearances. He didn¡¯t say what he was looking for, neither did Yu Feichen reveal anything relevant to their ¡®escape¡¯ plan to him. Such being the case, they tacitly agreed that splitting up would be the best choice. However, when the door of the barracks opened¡ª Yu Feichen, ¡°¡­¡­¡± The senior officer¡¯s black military vehicle was ostentatiously parked outside the door. Then, the senior officer calmly pulled open the door to the driver¡¯s seat. The door slammed shut, the headlights lit up, the engine revved, and the vehicle slowly drove off into the night. Yu Feichen thought, his words of parting were mayhaps spoken too soon. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Bai Song voiced his question. ¡°He simply had to get his lieutenant to park the vehicle here every night,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡ªJust like how he got Bai Song to add a stroke every night. Bai Song exhaled and returned to the very first question. ¡°Then why did we die again this time?¡± ¡°The escape failed. They found out,¡± Yu Feichen said. In actual time, from yesterday to today, only one thing of note happened. That would be, him writing the escape plan on notepad paper and distributing it to others; a portion of them had already begun to plan the escape. The future had changed because of this. The escape failed, and everyone was executed on the spot. ¡°Does this mean that we¡¯ll definitely fail?¡± Yu Feichen gave no response. ¡°So why did we fail?¡± Bai Song continued to ask and answer his own questions. ¡°Is it cause it¡¯s too difficult?¡± ¡°Many factors can result in failure,¡± Yu Feichen answered him when the mood caught him. He was a cautious man; with regards to possible causes of failure, he had already run through them countless times in his mind and knew them inside out. ¡°Everyone not moving according to the plan, or a spook snitching on us. Just these.¡± ¡°Probably¡­ no one snitched, right? Everyone are Koroshan compatriots.¡± At Bai Song¡¯s words, all of them startled, as if waking up from a dream, suddenly looking in the direction where Anfield had disappeared. Yu Feichen, as matter of course, noticed this reaction. This was the natural opposition of different camps. ¡°He still isn¡¯t aware.¡± He only said this, looking at a truck parked to one side. ¡°Go drive that.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s with this truck?¡± Bai Song exclaimed. ¡°Is this your doing, Yu-ge?¡± ¡°No.¡± Yu Feichen was expressionless. ¡°They used this to transport the gas canisters.¡± Bai Song drove the truck. A man who had served a year in the military would be proficient in many things. On this night, they used the truck to go through the whole concentration camp once, mapping the route. Yu Feichen paused for a long time at the drill grounds and barracks of the soldiers and foremen. The effective military strength of the concentration camp wasn¡¯t high. There were five military officers with pistols, twenty or so soldiers, ten pistols, and ten submachine guns. These aside, there were also six sentries and thirty local foremen. The foremen were only provisional recruits from amidst the locals. None were armed, and even if they were, their guns held no ammunition. Yu Feichen memorised the soldiers¡¯ shifts and patrol schedules. When leaving, he saw that Anfield¡¯s vehicle was also stopped here, but they went to different areas and didn¡¯t run into each other. It wasn¡¯t until 4:30 a.m. that the group of them turned back to the barracks. In light of their corpses, they automatically blindfolded themselves, going in by feeling the walls. When Anfield returned, Yu Feichen was leaning against the wall, feigning sleep. Predictably, once Anfield returned, the coughing would begin anew. Every night, the bulk of his hours for sleep would be stolen by the overlapping timelines. Thus, out of consideration for the preciousness of his remaining time for rest, Yu Feichen had already preemptively pushed his blanket to the senior officer¡¯s spot. The senior officer¡¯s footsteps stopped in front of him for a long time. So long that Yu Feichen thought that something was going to happen. In the silence, he heard the soft pop of buttons being unfastened, and that wool cloak landed on his body. CH 16 This cloak¡ªor cape, perhaps¡ªwas very light. Yu Feichen reached out, grabbing the edge of the wool fabric. The texture was fine and thick, a luxurious component of the uniform for senior officers to keep out the cold. However, even the finest uniform cape was no match for a blanket. In the past two nights, even with the cape, the senior officer still kept coughing from the cold. But to Yu Feichen, the thickness of this material sufficed¡­ though it wasn¡¯t as if the cold affected his body much. He didn¡¯t like touching others¡¯ stuff, but this cape wasn¡¯t beyond his tolerance level. He drew it around himself and the damp chill soon receded. Anfield had an upright and elegant manner of speaking, also giving orders as natural as can be. It gave people the impression of the ancient nobility who lived in clover, and every time he stepped out the door, there would be a maidservant spraying his cloak with the scent of pine wood. However, there was none of that in actuality. The cloak only carried the glacial chill of a winter night breeze, characteristic of falling snow. Anfield accepted his blanket as well. No one spoke in the cell. Even if time for rest should be treasured, Yu Feichen still awoke two minutes before five. The sky was faintly aglow. Bai Song was sleeping deeply, and soft snores carried over from the brawny blonde. On the other hand, the rhythm of the big-nosed man¡¯s breathing revealed that he didn¡¯t sleep, nor did Anfield. He removed the black silk ribbon that was over his eyes, passing it to Anfield. Anfield retrieved the ribbon without a word. At 5:01 a.m., Yu Feichen closed his eyes. He went back to sleep before the chief warden opened the door, calling them all awake. ¡°This is already your second night in the Koroshan mongrel¡¯s doghouse already, esteemed sir.¡± The chief warden¡¯s voice was shrill. He smiled, saying, ¡°Have you made any progress on their secret underground tunnel?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no secret tunnel.¡± Anfield brushed past the chief warden¡¯s shoulder as he walked out of the door¡ªor, well, it wasn¡¯t quite brushing shoulders, for the chief warden¡¯s shoulder only reached his elbows. ¡°Maybe we can only attribute it to Koroshan witchcraft.¡± The chief warden kept up with him. ¡°However, you can set your mind at ease, Sr. Colonel has already drafted up a new management system overnight. We won¡¯t be seeing any more people breaking out of the camp over here in Oak Valley.¡± Anfield¡¯s voice rang out coldly, but it didn¡¯t pay any heed to what the chief warden was speaking of. ¡°Bear in mind my words from yesterday.¡± The chief warden¡¯s lips involuntarily twitched at Anfield¡¯s back as he walked off. He viciously flicked the whip to the ground with a crisp pop, then cleared his throat. This was a tell that he was about to deliver a summary or a speech. ¡°Yesterday, several of our glorious soldiers were transferred to advance the sacred cause. At the same time, Sr. Colonel believes that your discipline is too lax compared to ours. We have to expend a lot of energy just to manage you. This shouldn¡¯t be the case. Oak Valley is your home, accordingly, you should keep it in good order.¡± He clapped his hands together. A guard walked up, with dozens with black leather whips in his hands. ¡°A shepherd don¡¯t herd sheep himself, because he has sheepdogs.¡± He walked to the nearest cell. He gave one of them a whip and patted the back of the man¡¯s hand. ¡°You can now enjoy a double meal every day, sheepdog.¡± Following this, the chief warden walked up to every cell and gave a random person in each cell a whip, proclaiming this new regulation: Every man who was given a whip was assigned as the ¡®inspector¡¯ of the cell, responsible for monitoring the actions of the other people in the cell and enforcing Oak Valley¡¯s rules. If there was any misconduct, the inspector would have to punish them and enforce correct behaviour. If this wasn¡¯t achieved, the inspector would be the one receiving punishment then. If anyone developed a wish to break out of the camp, the inspector had to report it to above and he would be rewarded. Otherwise, the entire cell would be put to death. ¡°Of course, if anyone really escapes,¡± the chief warden said sinisterly, ¡°each and every one of you can greet your beloved Yuryllia.¡± When he came to this point, he came to the cell where Yu Feichen and the others were. His gaze swivelled across the four men. ¡°The shyster, the young brat, the stupid bull¡ª¡± He grinned. ¡°Big-nosed, I remember your big nose. Eight of ten buggers among the mongrels have noses as big as yours.¡± Laughing uproariously, he placed the leather whip in the big-nosed man¡¯s hand. The big-nosed man lowered his head in alarm. When this was done, the chief warden didn¡¯t let them go out in turn as he had previously, but got everyone to leave the cell together. Four trucks were waiting outside. ¡°Your assignment has changed,¡± said the chief warden. ¡°Our respected, noble, motherfucking Anfield has decided that the coals in his office aren¡¯t burning hot enough. Today, all of you are to get the hell out of here to go lumbering on the northern mountain. ¡°Inspectors, stay back for five minutes. Everyone else, get in the three trucks. The captain will check the fruits of your labour at seven o¡¯clock tonight. If the quantity does not meet his standards, you can stay there chopping trees all night, you goddamn mongrels.¡± The group of them erupted in whispering. Several turned their gazes towards Yu Feichen, and even Bai Song was frozen. ¡°This¡­¡± There was no other reason than that this wasn¡¯t in the escape plan they had agreed on. That escape plan started from the brick kiln. Yu Feichen inclined his head marginally, gazing at the leaden grey sky. A northern wind; it was about to snow. Once the ground was blanketed by a layer of snow, the footprints they leave in their escape would be visible for all to see, and the probability of being caught would skyrocket. In his plan, snow was also a necessary element to take into account. The wind and timing as well. He had considered how to counter it if it snowed¡ªhe knew what to do. But when gazing at the empty expanse of sky, he still felt a sort of¡­ hollowness. Over the past day, he had arranged and planned for all the possible people who could make a hash of things, as well as all the possible elements for failure. But he didn¡¯t expect that one order from Anfield would invalidate all of his calculations. He had considered essentially every situation; the only thing he didn¡¯t take into account was Anfield. Or, put another way, he didn¡¯t expect Anfield to move faster than he did. ¡ªAnd there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. When he finally shifted his gaze from the sky, he met Bai Song¡¯s enquiring gaze. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bai Song asked. ¡°Yes,¡± replied Yu Feichen. ¡°You look like a man¡­¡± Bai Song organised his words, ¡°¡­betrayed by his wife.¡± Expressionless, Yu Feichen looked at Bai Song, wondering where on earth this boy got his strange sense of humour. ¡°Get on,¡± he said. Birds of a feather flocked together. The men of the brick kiln spontaneously got onto the same truck. Three local drivers each drove one truck. They also doubled as foremen, and each of the three trucks had a guard with a fake gun and a soldier with a real gun. This also meant to say that there were a total of three guards with live ammunition, six foremen, as well as ten ¡®inspectors¡¯ monitoring their lumbering for the day. For now, the foremen and the inspectors could be disregarded. ¡°The situation¡¯s screwed, what should we do?¡± Bai Song quietly asked him in the truck. Yu Feichen said, ¡°It isn¡¯t screwed.¡± The men went from being scattered across three locations to being congregated on the northern mountain, and the weapons in their hands had transformed from bricks into lumbering axes. The situation wasn¡¯t screwed; it was, in fact, even better than before. ¡ªSimply that he had to arrange the groupings all over again. The night before, they with Anfield deduced the truth behind the time anomaly in the cell. The conclusion was that at midnight on the 22nd, the timelines would fracture and realign, but it was impossible to predict what horrific future awaited them. Anfield had said that he would do his best to move them out before then. However, it was clear that the senior colonel wouldn¡¯t allow the prisoners to be shifted elsewhere for the long term. Making sure that the prisoners wouldn¡¯t be in the concentration camp at midnight was already the greatest kindness Anfield could bestow them. But this wouldn¡¯t solve the root of the problem. Time in the concentration camp had warped out of shape. In a sense, the eight days between 23rd and the 30th didn¡¯t exist. By their hypothesis, the most likely scenario was that at the stroke of midnight, the future of the 31st would descend directly on the concentration camp, replacing the original concentration camp. However, what the future of the 31st would be like hinged on what they did. When they had first arrived at the shelter, they didn¡¯t do anything. What they got was the future of the 28th, where everyone died from the toxic gas and was incinerated. The next day, Gerold moved to the chemical plant. What they got was the future of the 29th, where everyone died from the toxic gas leak. Another day later, they and several others communicated an escape plan. What they got was the future of the 30th, where someone snitched, putting all of them to death. So, before midnight, he had to create a new scenario. A scenario that would leave them unharmed no matter what was foretold. Bai Song asked again, ¡°How should we deal with the snitching that was shown in last night¡¯s prophecy? There are even inspectors now, do we not tell them? We can¡¯t, no?¡± This was a plan that involved everyone. When the time came, everyone would know. Next to them, the brawny blonde muttered, ¡°If no one snitches, we might succeed, or we might fail. If we succeed, all of us would be free, if we fail, all of us would die. ¡°If someone snitches, they might put us all to death,¡± he continued. ¡°It¡¯s also possible that it might just be us who die and others still live, and the Black Badge Army would slowly torture them to death.¡± Precisely. Only two fates lay ahead of them. Everyone lives, or everyone dies¡ªwhat they witnessed last night was evidence of this. ¡°Yeah, no matter what, we¡¯d all die,¡± Bai Song said. ¡°No one will snitch.¡± ¡°Unless it¡¯s Captain Anfield.¡± ¡°But the captain is a good man.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± said Yu Feichen. Almost everyone was used to attributing their failures to others. The success of their escape had never hinged on snitching, because someone snitching was also a form of slip-up, which he had accounted for in his calculations. A brief spell of silence came upon the two of them, allowing Yu Feichen some respite. However, as the truck shuddered, driving towards the northern mountain, they started talking again. ¡°There are no good men in Tin Cloud.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s so, who among the Koroshans would snitch?¡± Fortunately, at this moment, the truck stopped shuddering. They had arrived at the northern mountain. CH 17 Unlike the oak mountains to the south, the northern mountains only had a sparse few oak trees, while the remaining were birch and beech trees, and dense shrubbery. According to those assigned to the expansion of the concentration camp, there was now a high demand for wood sleepers to lay railway tracks. In the depths of winter, cold winds howled. Only a few foremen came down the trucks to keep an eye on them, while the soldiers stayed in the driving compartments. When the inspectors came down from the fourth truck, a soldier stuck a megaphone out of the window and gave them a stern talking to. After that, even the foremen hid out in the trucks. In order not to be punished by the soldiers, the inspectors needed to monitor the other Koroshans at all times. On the other hand, in order to prevent themselves from being punished, at the same time working hard to avoid their fellow Koroshan inspectors from being punished, the rest needed to work hard. A new order had been born. Those carrying whips didn¡¯t need to do labour, whereas the others had to work their lives off without pause. Yu Feichen¡¯s group was assigned to chopping birch wood¡ªwhat was also going to be firewood for Captain Anfield. An axe was distributed to every person. The big-nosed man was responsible for supervising them. However, it appeared that he hadn¡¯t yet adapted to the role of an inspector; his expression was still recoiling with fear. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t put his mind into chopping the wood. This place wasn¡¯t far from the concentration camp. The northern gate of the camp was nearby, and the Black Badge Army had erected a tall wooden watch platform, which he had taken note of last night. The sentries could easily see them chopping wood at the northern mountains from the watch platform, though their view shouldn¡¯t be too sharp. So, everything they did had to be kept under the sentries¡¯ notice. Time was another important factor. If they chose to flee en masse in the morning, this would be discovered when someone came to deliver lunch at noon. The concentration camp would then launch the chase during the day. Due to the Koroshans¡¯ lack of training, it would be easy for them to be caught. Only under the darkness of the night would their chances of successful escape be greatly increased. As he thought this, someone came to the work on the tree next to him. It was one of the people he had requested aid from. ¡°The situation¡¯s changed, what should we do?¡± that person asked him in a low voice. ¡°Same as before,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°We¡¯ll move in the afternoon, you¡¯ll be dealing with no. 2.¡± As they didn¡¯t know the names of those soldiers and foremen, they could only use numbers as a substitute. A while later, someone came over. According to the plan, the one he was supposed to be responsible for, no. 4, wasn¡¯t present. Yu Feichen glanced towards the soldiers in the driving compartment. Then, he turned his gaze towards the concentration camp in the distance. The soldiers watching them did decrease. Each truck used to have two armed guards, but now there was only one stationed in each. The chief warden also mentioned in the morning that ¡®several glorious soldiers had been transferred to advance the sacred cause.¡¯ While the number of soldiers watching over them wouldn¡¯t significantly affect the difficulty of escape, this statement gave Yu Feichen an important piece of information. With the Black Badge Army, the ¡®sacred cause¡¯ could only be invading other nations. And now, this alleged sacred cause was unlikely to be progressing smoothly¡ªotherwise, the soldiers originally assigned to the concentration camp wouldn¡¯t be pulled out again, neither would the concentration camp be in such urgent need for a more effective management system. Either Korosha had started a counter-offensive, or another country had joined the fray. ¡ªIn any case, the battle at the frontlines was intense. ¡°Deal with that new foremen,¡± he said. After that, he studied the man¡¯s build. ¡°Do you know how to drive a truck?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± Professional truck drivers would have subtle differences to normal people in the posture that they walked, sat, and laid down. In actuality, every profession would leave its marks on the individual¡¯s body. ¡ªNow, they had their second driver. Intermittently, several people would seem to inadvertently wander over to this side, and among them was an inspector. The fifth person was an unfamiliar face. His countenance was gaunt. One side of his spectacles had broken and his clothes were stained with grime. Nevertheless, he still looked refined in manner; he should be a learned man. ¡°I heard that you guys are leaving.¡± His words were terse. ¡°I know this area. My company used to have a supply line to Oak Valley Chemical Plant.¡± Yu Feichen looked at him. ¡°This is Schiller, the Black Badge Army has occupied this area for over three months now, commandeering the train station and the port for their use.¡± He said, ¡°If we can get out of here, don¡¯t go near the city, head westwards. Korosha is in the west.¡± This gentleman was speaking the truth. Yu Feichen had studied the map in the military base of the concentration camp. However, heading westwards wasn¡¯t in his plan. He had never thought of bringing everyone back to Korosha. Korosha wasn¡¯t a state with strong military power. Due to its excessive dependence on trade and commerce, the nation had become lax. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t believe that the other cities of Korosha would be spared the blitzkrieg of the Black Badge Army. There was a higher probability that, upon going through the pains to flee back to their Koroshan territory, they would find that it was now occupied by the Black Badge Army. At present, the only advantage they had was that essentially a third of Koroshans were out of the country. ¡°We¡¯re headed the south,¡± he said in a low voice, ¡°to Sasha.¡± That gentleman¡¯s eyes widened. This was the only choice that Yu Feichen could think of to guarantee the highest survival rate. Based on the understanding he gained over these few days, Sasha was a small, neutral country. In the past, it didn¡¯t possess any vital resources and its geographical location wasn¡¯t ideal. The Black Badge Army had gradually occupied the several few nations surrounding it then pointed its spear towards Korosha, never taking it within their consideration. Further, the battle at the frontline now could go either way, it was even less likely that they would waste troops at a place like that. As Sasha was neutral and with commercial ties to Korosha, it was only logical that there also would be Koroshans that had gathered there. ¡°We¡¯re not going to Korosha?¡± The gentleman shook his head at first before realisation seemed to dawn on him. ¡°May Yuryllia protect us,¡± he finally said. A tense and strange atmosphere of secrecy crept amidst the Koroshan prisoners. A portion of them was already in the know, whereas a portion of them was oblivious to it all, there were inspectors pretending not to know anything, and some weren¡¯t. For example, the big-nosed man. He spent the entire morning preoccupied, the corners of his eyes occasionally twitching in his nervousness. Perhaps his thoughts kept gravitating around the scene from last night of everyone¡¯s deaths. It was nearing noon by the time he finally asked what was on his mind. ¡°Is it really going to work?¡± he said. ¡°They have guns.¡± Bai Song and the brawny blonde had both asked similar questions, but Yu Feichen didn¡¯t bother with them. He didn¡¯t like such meaningless questions. But at this time, gazing at the big-nosed man, he spoke. ¡°They have no intention of letting a single Koroshan live to see the end of the war, no matter what he did,¡± said he. ¡°I think you know this too.¡± After the big-nosed man left with his brows tightly furrowed, Bai Song looked at Yu Feichen. ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± he said, ¡°you seem to be hinting at something.¡± Following the strange humour and meaningless questions, Bai Song finally said something of value. Yu Feichen was astonished by the dramatic improvement. This caused Yu Feichen¡¯s mood to turn a little better, and the expression on his face that sparked Bai Song¡¯s curiosity also became much more agreeable. He decided to draw upon the service attitude that he used for ¡®coaching¡¯ back in the day. ¡°Last night, Anfield moved the corpses blocking the gate.¡± In a calm and inflectionless voice, he said, ¡°How many did you hear him move?¡± Bai Song, ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Yu Feichen didn¡¯t elaborate. He concentrated on chopping the wood. Last night, Anfield said that they were all dead. However, anyone with ears could tell that there were only two corpses. ¡ªit was merely that no one noticed. CH 18 ¡°Yu-ge.¡± ¡°Yu-ge.¡± ¡°Yu-ge.¡± After the successive, non-stop calls came Yu Feichen¡¯s turn of his head. He turned over to look at Bai Song. Bai Song not only did not have the enlightenment he hoped for, but his face was also flooded with bewilderment and puzzlement instead. ¡°Yu-ge.¡± Bai Song¡¯s expression was anguished. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, please explain further.¡± Yu Feichen considered it for a while. ¡°He moved quite a few times,¡± he said. ¡°But if you listen carefully, he only moved two corpses.¡± ¡°Two?¡± Bai Song was astonished. ¡°Is this something that humans can tell?¡± The question he asked wasn¡¯t the question that Yu Feichen hoped he would. He thought that Bai Song¡¯s question would have a little more value, such as ¡°Anfield lied?¡± or suchlike. This voided the previous coaching process that he had planned when thinking just now, and he could only start afresh. Since Bai Song couldn¡¯t even tell that it was two corpses, he naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the weight of the corpses, much less deduce who were the people being moved. He said, ¡°You, and him.¡± ¡®You¡¯, naturally, referred to Bai Song. When saying ¡®him¡¯, Yu Feichen looked towards the brawny blonde. Last night, it was only those two corpses in the cell. ¡°Me, and Grange?¡± Bai Song¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that we all died? Anfield even said that the four of us were stacked together¡ªhe didn¡¯t move you and Waddams?¡± The moment that these words were spoken, Yu Feichen¡¯s newly planned coaching process was voided again. Another minute more, Bai Song belatedly said, ¡°So, Captain Anfield¡­ wasn¡¯t telling the truth?¡± Finally returning to the correct trajectory, Yu Feichen imperceptibly let out a breath of relief. Bai Song looked at Yu Feichen, then cautiously glanced at the big-nosed man. At this time, the big-nosed man was also gazing at them from afar with a slightly probing look. Suddenly enlighted, a chain of questions shot out rapid-fire from him, ¡°You and he didn¡¯t die in the cell? Why did the senior officer say that we all died then? Was he trying to scare you?¡± Yu Feichen pressed on Bai Song¡¯s shoulder, hinting for him to shut his mouth. ¡°The escape failed. Everyone died in the cell. Only big-nosed and I weren¡¯t there.¡± His voice was low. ¡°I was the mastermind behind the escape; I wouldn¡¯t receive the same treatment as the rest of you.¡± He didn¡¯t finish his words. But on this last step, Bai Song didn¡¯t have any reason not to hear the words that were left unspoken. Everyone was executed; only two weren¡¯t there. The mastermind of the escape received special punishment, possibly enduring various tortures, possibly shot in the field, or also possibly already with his ashes scattered to the wind. Or, it was also possible that he was far stronger than others and had survived. Then, what of the big-nosed man? Why didn¡¯t the big-nosed man, who was completely ordinary and played no special role, die in the cell? There was only one answer to this¡ªhe was the snitch. He had cowed for a long time under the might of the Black Badge Army. In the end, due to his fear of death, he survived by betraying everyone. And this was something that Anfield couldn¡¯t disclose. If the big-nosed man had long harboured thoughts of snitching, once Anfield revealed the truth in the cell, he would immediately realise that his life had been spared because he had snitched. In that way, his thoughts of snitching would only grow exponentially, resulting in unimaginable consequences. ¡°Why? I can¡¯t figure it out.¡± Bai Song said. ¡°I also have areas I can¡¯t figure out.¡± Yu Feichen said, gazing into the lead-grey horizon in the far yonder. ¡°Whoa, you have things that you can¡¯t figure out as well?¡± Bai Song said. Recalling everything that happened last night, Yu Feichen¡¯s eyebrows subtly creased. At around 4:58 a.m. today, he had removed the ribbon that blindfolded his eyes and even passed it back to Anfield. It meant: I¡¯m going to look. And Anfield retrieved the ribbon without a word, which meant: Look, then. So he did look. Sure enough, only Bai Song¡¯s and the brawny blonde¡¯s corpses were in the cell. His and the big-nosed man¡¯s were absent. In that case, why had Anfield caught his wrist when he reached out to feel towards the gate, not allowing him to touch the corpses? Taking a step back, since they only had to fend against the big-nosed man, why had Anfield said that all of them had died? It was weird, very weird. He couldn¡¯t figure out the logic. Right then, Bai Song¡¯s expression suddenly turned nervous. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that Senior Officer Anfield could tell that big-nosed snitched?!¡± He stammered. ¡°Th-then, that senior officer would definitely be able to guess that¡­ you¡¯re going to lead our escape.¡± A chilly gale howled, curling a corner of the leaden grey sky. Yu Feichen suddenly gave a start. Like sparks flying from steel and flint, he suddenly understood! Anfield had first seen this cell, in which Bai Song and the brawny blonde were dead, but was without the bodies of Yu Feichen and the big-nosed man. When he looked over at the opposite cells, everyone was dead. So, piecing together their purposeful scouting of the concentration camp, he could immediately arrive at a correct conclusion: Yu Feichen had planned the escape, the big-nosed man had snitched, the escape had failed, and everyone was executed. But before this, the senior officer had already told the chief warden that they were all being brought to chop wood tomorrow. In other words, Anfield had his own plans for where to bring the people of the concentration camp. Anfield, who already had a plan thought out, found that there was another person also with his own plan. Further, their plans didn¡¯t mesh together, possibly even counteracting each other. What Anfield must have felt at that time was probably similar to how Yu Feichen felt when suddenly informed in the morning that they were to go lumbering. So next to him last night was a senior officer who was possibly in a poor mood because his plans had been disrupted. That was the key. So those words¡ª¡¯You are all dead¡¯¡ªalso not allowing him to touch the corpses, weren¡¯t only to dissuade the big-nosed man from snitching, but also to give him a hard knock to his head, telling him not to attempt vainly to escape. Or perhaps there weren¡¯t that many twists and turns to it. It was obvious that the senior officer had long held a position of power where no one dared to disobey him and was used to everything going according to plan. He was probably a bit annoyed at the appearance of factors beyond his control. Yu Feichen continued to step into the other¡¯s shoes. If Anfield had been beside him when the chief warden had announced their lumbering, he would surely have been unable to resist making a few snide remarks to the senior officer too. So, everything had its own reason. They had both tripped the other and got even. Yu Feichen suddenly felt much better. The reason why he couldn¡¯t figure it out before was also instantly clear to him. Subconsciously, he hadn¡¯t even considered Anfield¡¯s subjective emotions. Why was that? ¡°Yu-ge, Yu-ge!¡± Bai Song¡¯s hand was waving before his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re spacing out.¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s thoughts pulled back to reality. The northern wind blew a falling leaf that scraped past his hair. He did get distracted. Translated on ninetysevenkoi.wordpress *** Please do not repost or retranslate. At noon, the truck for carrying timber brought back lunch for the prisoners. The soldiers and foremen finally came out from the driving compartment, bringing their bread, bacon, and abundant wine to make a fine spread on the grass. Situated a distance from the concentration camp, the northern mountains gave them more freedom than at the brick kiln due to the lack of supervision from above. The afternoon wasn¡¯t as bitingly cold as the morning. The foremen¡¯s interest in waving their whips around was reignited, and with it came an unceasing tide of screams that got the three soldiers to laugh. Two Koroshans drug a beech log that had been vertically split in half on a rope, and a drunken soldier jumped onto its cross-section, standing with his arms crossed like a coachman on an imperial horse, bellowing at them to hurry up. But his weight put a tremendous burden on the wood haulers, additionally with the unevenness of the mountain road, after barely a few steps, he was upended and fell off. Seeing this, the two other soldiers laughed raucously. He climbed up from the ground, laughing and cursing as he raised his gun, shooting down one of the two wood haulers. The Koroshans gave a start at the echo of the gunshot, and then they silently lowered their heads and went on with their work. Yu Feichen passed through a thicket. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Bai Song whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me,¡± Yu Feichen said. With his axe, he slowly weaved through the crowd and walked to the back of a truck parked on the fringe of the lumber camp. There were two people hard at work chopping stumps, producing a loud noise. Ten minutes later, the big-nosed man, as their inspector, dutifully wandered over to the vicinity. All was as it should be. This was a hidden nook. Only a corner of it could be seen from the centre of the lumber camp. The soldiers were tipsy with drink and playing games amongst themselves in the middle. No one was worried that any prisoner would make a break for it, because the lumber camp had been cordoned off with an electric fence, on which was a sign that read ¡®Minefield Area¡¯. However, Yu Feichen¡¯s objective for coming over wasn¡¯t to escape through the minefield. He wandered erratically in this nook, sometimes concentrating on chopping firewood behind the truck, sometimes helping his fellow wood haulers lift the heavy beechwood onto the cargo bed of the truck. ¡°Why are you walking around?¡± A Koroshan finally asked him. Yu Feichen motioned for him to stay silent. He carried a bundle of firewood from the back of the truck to the doorway of the truck tent. ¡ªone of the soldiers, drinking and making merry in the middle of the grassy area, suddenly lifted his head to look at him. Yu Feichen also happened to be looking right over that way just then. They stared at each other for a full three seconds. Three seconds later, he averted his gaze and got into the back of the truck, placing that bundle of firewood inside. When he came back out from the cargo bed, out of his peripheral vision, he saw that that soldier had already picked up a beer bottle, swaggering over towards this way. Yu Feichen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He turned over to go back behind the truck, sitting on a high stump, continuing to chop firewood, doing work assigned to him by that Captain Anfield. People had limited attention spans, especially when surrounded by the activities of many people in a lumber camp. At this time, only those who made peculiar actions or noises would be given special attention. But Yu Feichen didn¡¯t consider himself to be someone who played to the gallery. Snakes could only see moving objects. In actuality, humans also followed a similar principle. If something flickered in and out of one¡¯s vision, it would be hard to go unnoticed. His frequent pacing back and around the sides of the truck was to attract this type of attention. The one who he was luring over¡ª Heavy footsteps crunched on the fallen leaves and twigs. The person walking over had a big build, and his breathing, coming out in pants, was like a boorish beast. ¡ªwas a man that Yu Feichen was familiar with. It was the very man that he had sparred nine rounds with at the brick kiln, the stocky soldier ultimately knocked down to the ground by him. Yu Feichen still recalled the vicious look in his eyes when he got back up that day, the gaze directed to him clearly stating¡ªMark my words, sooner or later, I¡¯ll get you killed. Except, not only would he appear overly enraged from shame, it would have been a dishonour to draw a gun on the man who had just defeated him. The stocky soldier didn¡¯t give Yu Feichen a hard time, even calling him ¡°good boy¡± through clenched teeth. He wasn¡¯t on duty at the brick kiln the next day because he was still recovering from his injuries. Yu Feichen was clear of his strength; those injuries would force him to bed rest for a day. By now, the stocky soldier had recuperated. In that case, it was only a matter of time that he would get back at him. Yu Feichen had already felt his gaze following him in the morning from the truck window. So, after the soldiers got out of the truck, he went to the fringe of the lumber camp, finding a way to attract that stocky soldier¡¯s attention, as well as a suitable place for their inevitable confrontation. The footsteps neared. He could hear the gun crisply knocking against the stocky soldier¡¯s belt buckle. To ease communication, he had numbered several of the soldiers he often encountered. This stocky soldier was no. 1, the first to bear the brunt. The number one didn¡¯t refer to the bulk of his build, but that he was the only one, among these soldiers, who had professional military training. From the way he stood, the way he held the gun, to the way he fought, all of it irrevocably proved this point. He held a pistol rather than a long, imposing rifle like the other soldiers, because this wasn¡¯t a battlefield. Rifles were far less adaptable than pistols. His uniform bulged slightly at his shoulders, a sign that he was wearing a bulletproof vest. There wasn¡¯t any need to wear an item that would only bring discomfort in a concentration camp. The only explanation for wearing it was habit. Then, there were those two beastly eyes; the bloodthirst spoke of experience with real combat, not something that could be gained just from torturing a few defenceless prisoners. This was also the primary reason that Yu Feichen had picked a fight with him. When finding an opponent, he only chose the strongest. The dazzling sharp blade cleaved the second last birch log when no. 1¡¯s footsteps stopped beside him. The muddy sound of his breathing also came just inches away. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t pay him mind. He didn¡¯t turn his head, nor did he even turn his eyeballs. He merely brought the last birch log before him, raising his axe and splitting it in half. ¡°Good boy.¡± The coarse voice spoke again, seething with rage. Yu Feichen¡¯s motive was simple. He had always carried things through. Since he was chopping firewood, he had to finish the last one. But when he heard that wrathful ¡®good boy¡¯, he confirmed that he had inadvertently grown in his ability to anger others. He picked up the two halves of firewood, placing it right on top of the pile, where it formed a perfect equilateral triangle. Then, in an even tone, he spoke. ¡°Good afternoon, Sergeant.¡± CH 19 ¡°Afternoon, Koroshan.¡± After the initial scowl, No. 1¡¯s expression didn¡¯t turn to rage. Instead, he smiled. He undid the flask of alcohol by his waist and pulled off the cork. ¡°I¡¯ve come to drink with you, boy.¡± ¡°Have you forgotten?¡± Yu Feichen said indifferently. ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink.¡± The last time, he poured no. 1¡¯s drink onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve come to drink with you.¡± No. 1 repeated his words. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t speak, because as No. 1 was talking, he raised the flask high above him. Clear liquor sloshed out, spilling over the crown of Yu Feichen¡¯s head. He angled his head slightly to evade it; the strong liquor wet the strands of his hair, continuing downwards, soaking the right side of his clothes. The pungent reek of alcohol wafted out, but it still smelled better than the 78¡ã proof alcohol at the zombie base. Yu Feichen was deep in thought. He wasn¡¯t thinking about no. 1, but what Anfield¡¯s plan was. Could there be other ways to free the prisoners apart from direct confrontation like this? At the sight of his face, almost dazed from how hard he was thinking, no. 1 gave a short, happy bark of laughter. The soldier was aware that Koroshans regarded alcohol as filth that caused one to sink into the pits of depravity. Yet now, this fellow was drenched in strong liquor. There could be no greater humiliation in the world. However, with this laugh, the injury on his shoulder started to throb dully again. Memories of that fight surfaced in his mind¡¯s eye. He grinned hideously and raised his gun, training it to this guy¡¯s skull. No, that¡¯s not right. He should be pulling out the whip. Before indulging in putting a bullet through this guy, he had to wring every last drop of satisfaction from torturing him first. ¡ªBut Yu Feichen¡¯s eyelids merely flicked up, levelling him a look. The next moment, his right hand abruptly caught hold of the wrist with the gun, tugging it firmly downwards! Drunk and unsteady, at this tug, no. 1 immediately lost his centre of gravity and stumbled. When he spread his feet to regain his balance, Yu Feichen used the momentum to swing forward, twisting his wrist and leaping over him, squarely striking the back of his right shoulder with a knee. No. 1 staggered and plunged forward suddenly, his chest slamming into a wooden stake protruding from the ground. Yu Feichen rapidly put no. 1 in a deathly tight chokehold, unable to make a sound at all. ¡ªto hell with Anfield¡¯s plan. Let him play it rough the way he liked it. No one could tell how this had happened. They only knew that after a gust of the northern wind raked the fallen leaves, Yu Feichen had felled no. 1, slowly releasing the grip on his throat. This man had already lost his voice, for his windpipe was basically crushed, along with the entire lobe of his lung. In the dusky daylight, only the clacking of his teeth filled the air. Yu Feichen¡¯s fingers skimmed his body like a surgeon planning where to make the incision. The right pocket carried several strings of jewellery and the left pocket kept an expensive gold pipe. Both were high-quality goods. He found a few gold teeth bearing bone fragments in a leather wallet. He tossed them away, staring condescendingly at no. 1 from above. The last radiance of the setting sun faded from the sky, and turbid, wrathful words were harshly emitted from no. 1¡¯s throat. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ dead¡­ meat¡­¡± ¡°Me, dead meat?¡± Like hearing a joke, Yu Feichen softly repeated the two words. No. 1 panted and gritted his teeth, glaring upwards, refusing to believe that he would die at the hands of a Koroshan. But he suddenly met Yu Feichen¡¯s gaze. Amidst the sickly stench of blood, an unmasked wave of malevolence assaulted his senses. A glimmer of insanity could be faintly discerned from his otherwise completely blank eyes, as if the man before him had been switched out for another. It resembled a lowly beast meeting the king of the jungle, or an ordinary mortal meeting the death god. No. 1 gnashed his teeth, instinctively starting to shake, using the last ounce of strength to grip the gun in his hand. ¡°Let me tell you the only way to stop me.¡± Yu Feichen slowly and methodically fractured the soldier¡¯s elbow, causing the arm to hang down limply. The gun clattered to the ground. Clean white frost dusted the wilted winter grass, and Yu Feichen wiped the handle of the gun over it a few times before holding it in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t let me get a gun.¡± The words descended like a symphony pulling to deathly rest. No. 1 gasped violently a few times before his breathing came to a sharp halt. Yu Feichen stood up, icy cold alcohol sliding down by his right cheek. He breathed in gently, recovering his usual frame of mind. Sometimes, he felt that he was by no means anything good. A beast that had devoured a man would always devour more. A knife that had seen blood would always see more. He had come across many, ruled by lust and violence, who had eventually gone mad. But he was always able to control himself. He looked to the side. The two Koroshan wood haulers were staring over blankly, and it was hard to tell if the expression in their eyes was fear or ecstasy. Yu Feichen beckoned to them and they silently came over, helping to cover the corpse with a nearby pile of firewood. It was a wretched, undignified death, but no one pitied him. The white plume of the chemical plant was still curling unflaggingly in the air. There was no law in war, only blood debts to be paid. When Yu Feichen came to the door of the truck, the other two soldiers were still drinking and making merry, neither one aware of what had happened on this side. His other two compatriots, however, were each carrying an axe, wandering in their vicinity. Seeing him come out from the nook, they exchanged a look. These two soldiers weren¡¯t any cause for worry. The foremen weren¡¯t armed and could be easily disposed of as well. The sentries on the northern platform couldn¡¯t clearly make out specific movements over here, only a mass of heads and the trucks. After the soldiers and foremen were taken care of, they would pretend to be driving the trucks to transport wood back to the concentration camp, and Yu Feichen would get out and soundlessly deal with the sentries. Then, the Koroshans could move freely. Yu Feichen would continue to infiltrate further into the concentration camp to handle things over at the side holding the women and children. The trucks would be dumped to the north and west sides, creating the illusion that they were fleeing to Korosha. But they would actually be heading to the oak mountains in the south, crossing the river that winded around the entire Oak Valley Concentration Camp, then continue their journey through the dense forest. By the time the concentration camp perceived anything wrong, everyone would already have scattered into the dense alpine forest at night. The acorns on the oak mountains would do nicely for long-term sustenance, and the water from the winter snow would ensure a source of water. In seven to ten days, the Koroshan prisoners, escaping the imminent peril, would be like their forefathers in the legends¡ªcutting through thorns and crossing the mountains, to arrive at Sasha, a neutral country, making contact with their homeland. This wasn¡¯t at all a bad plan and was also smooth going in the present. The soldier that posed the biggest threat had been dealt with and freedom was close at hand. Everyone thirsted for it. Even the big-nosed man, who had been weighed down by anxiety, breathed out a sigh of relief. Yu Feichen¡¯s gaze slowly scanned the field. He kept feeling that there was something amiss. The big-nosed man¡¯s guts weren¡¯t as big as his nose. From the way he was acting, as long as Yu Feichen¡¯s plan had the potential to succeed, even if he didn¡¯t dare to participate, he wouldn¡¯t snitch either. He would only snitch under one circumstance¡ªif the fleeing prisoners were at an absolute disadvantage. But Yu Feichen believed that he, regardless of the time or place, would never make a careless mistake. Such a situation shouldn¡¯t occur. But in the prophesised events last night, the big-nosed man had snitched. Was it possible that there were things that cropped up outside of the plan? Yu Feichen¡¯s brows furrowed, swiftly calculating the odds. At the same time, the axe-wielding Koroshans gradually edged closer towards the backs of the targets that they had been assigned to. They gripped the handle of their axes and slowly raised them high¡ª When, just then, a train whistle suddenly split the air from the distant mountains shrouded in rolling fog. CH 20 The train whistle was piercing, especially abrupt amidst the silence that shrouded the vast land under the skies. A rumbling tremor immediately followed. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look towards its source. A black steel train slowly peeked out of the northern mountain range. The crowd broke out in whispers. Everyone here had a deep impression of the train¡ªbecause the train that brought them to Oak Valley Concentration Camp was precisely a black steel train, just like this one. ¡°What¡¯s there to look at!¡± The soldier that was assigned no. 3 shifted his gaze away, roaring. ¡°Guess you guys have more brothers joining this family.¡± No. 2 scanned his surroundings, grinning. He was the one who had hopped onto the beech log today, after which killed a wood hauler. Behind no. 2, a Koroshan with broad shoulders and strong arms was gripping the handle of his axe, looking towards Yu Feichen. Through a distance, across the pervasive mist, Yu Feichen nodded at him. Seeing this, the man with welts crisscrossing his neck pursed his lips, his eyes turning steely with his resolve. ¡°Tin Cloud isn¡¯t giving us supplies, yet they keep sending us train after train of Koroshan pigs. But this is also¡ª¡± The edge of the blade glinted snow-white under the daylight. The sharp blade struck the man, whose larynx was still vibrating from speech, squarely on the back of his neck. Soldier no. 2 suddenly faltered. His body swayed, slumping forward weakly. No. 3 suddenly turned around upon hearing the disturbance, but he was a step too late. The Koroshan behind him, having gathered his strength, struck him hard on the back of his head with the back of the axe. With a dull thud, he, too, fell. The Koroshans who knew the plan swarmed together and pounced on the foremen near them. For a while, the scene degenerated into chaos. One of the foremen yelled loudly, but they were in the middle of nowhere. No one could hear him. They struggled and they fought. A burly foreman broke free from the few men subduing him. He ran away, screaming, but he was soon stopped in his tracks. ¡ªBecause when he turned his head back to check the situation in terror, he saw the pitch-black muzzle of Yu Feichen¡¯s gun pointing straight at him. After wavering for a moment, the foreman raised both arms in surrender. He was immediately and securely tied up with the same rope used to bind the wood, alongside the several other foremen. Yu Feichen bent over, reaching out to break each foremen¡¯s jaw. As the hinges of their jaws went slack, their mouths were only able to hang open, unable to form intelligible sounds. The commotion of the crowd ceased. They did cause some ruckus; however, while the sentry on the northern platform should have vaguely noticed something unusual, they¡¯d only assume that the soldiers and foremen were torturing the Koroshan prisoners again. The Koroshans watched this silently. Those informed of the plan were naturally aware of the situation, and those uninformed naturally were made aware when they saw this development. Yu Feichen gazed at the foremen that were tied together. ¡°What do you want to do with them?¡± These foremen were recruited from the locals in this region and had been constantly brutalising Koroshans during these days. However, unlike the ten soldiers who were guilty of unpardonable evil, at the end of the day, they had not killed anyone. Yu Feichen glanced around him. No one spoke, but hatred, as well as hesitation, complexed their expressions. He knew the answer. Koroshans were docile and kind by nature. So he didn¡¯t touch on it further, only tersely saying, ¡°Bring them into the back of the truck.¡± The foremen were flung into the truck compartment, resting next to the chopped logs. When they were thrown in, no traces of their previous ferocity and authority were visible. Their eyes were wide with abject fear, whimpering prayers from their throats. Meanwhile, Yu Feichen stood in the clearing, looking towards the concentration camp. Bai Song retrieved a pair of binoculars from the driving compartment for him. While they were dealing with the guards, the train slowly approached. Right then, rumbling steam rose from the train as it stopped at the south gate of the camp. Soldiers jumped out of the carriage. From afar, there were roughly twelve men, exactly one full military squad. A rhythmic whistle shrilled from the south gate. Two long, one short, and one long. Yu Feichen lifted the binoculars and looked towards the south watch platform. Only to see a sentry face the south gate, blowing a long whistle, then turning towards them, blowing two more long whistles in succession. Yu Feichen recalled briefly that he would also hear these whistles usually. It should be the mode of communication between soldiers across far distances. He went to a thicket and searched the fallen body of no. 2. Not hearing a response from them, two more long whistles came from the watch platform. Bai Song anxiously said, ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡ªTwice more. Time was running short. Yu Feichen¡¯s brows creased slightly as he rummaged no. 2¡¯s pockets with his right hand, finally bumping into a small metal object in the shape of a whistle. Found it. He raised the whistle, unhesitantly blowing a long whistle into the distance. Based on what he just heard, after the whistle from the south gate, a whistle came from the north gate. So, he guessed that a single long whistle represented ¡®copy.¡¯ (heard and understood) As expected, the watch platform stopped after this long whistle died down. If a long whistle was ¡®copy¡¯, then what did two long whistles represent? There was no way to be sure, but when putting it together with the train that had just pulled up at the south gate, he could speculate this¡ªthey were calling for those at the lumber camp to return. Return; return to the south gate, where there was possibly work for them to do, perhaps moving things down from the train. Yu Feichen swiftly considered all of this. His first guess was that the train carried a new batch of prisoners, as supported by soldier no. 2¡¯s words. However, if it was new prisoners, why would they be called back? Was it something else? He couldn¡¯t think of any large objects worth using a train to transport to a concentration camp. This was by no means a military stronghold. Regardless, the train had disrupted all of his prior plans. He was clearly aware that today¡¯s situation wouldn¡¯t end well. ¡°Get on the trucks,¡± he said, ¡°all of you.¡± Whether or not the newly arrived train carried more Koroshan prisoners, his first priority was to get this group of prisoners out. Someone asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to turn dark soon.¡± Yu Feichen glanced at the sky. Nightfall came early in the winter. ¡°Drive deeper in and dump the truck in the mountains. You guys head to the oak mountains.¡± With that, he looked at the truck dragging logs. ¡°Leave that truck to me.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Bai Song asked. ¡°I¡¯m returning to the concentration camp.¡± He got behind the truck and peeled the bulletproof vest off the stocky soldier, putting it under his own clothes. It was fortunate that this model of manufactured goods had adjustable sizing; it wasn¡¯t too noticeable when worn on him. ¡°They¡¯re still in there,¡± he heard someone say, ¡°my younger sister is still in there.¡± Exactly. The women, children, and elderly, as well as the pregnant women and disabled people, were still in the concentration camp. Moreover, a new batch of prisoners might have arrived on this train. He hadn¡¯t received any mission objective or hints when leaving the Gate of the Eternal Night to this godforsaken place, so he¡¯d just have to attempt to rescue everyone. He fastened the topmost buckle and said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if anyone wants to help.¡± There was a short silence. Then, something surprising happened. A man walked out first. Following this, three more came out from the crowd, gathering next to him. After which, practically half of them had come forth, whereas the other half were still deliberating. Yu Feichen broke into laughter. Sometimes, these Koroshans were so soft it gave him the impression of a flock of lambs being brought to slaughter. Sometimes, some of them were adorably kind. Perhaps, softness and kindness were one and the same. ¡°All with whips go over that side.¡± He started by stuffing all the inspectors into the leaving group, including the big-nosed man. This eliminated all possibility of the big-nosed man ratting them out, sparing him from the condemning weight of his conscience bearing down on him for the rest of his life. Yu Feichen felt that he had done a good deed. Soon, he chose ten strong and fit men from those willing to assist him. The brawny blonde was among them. Bai Song wanted to come too, but Yu Feichen mercilessly excluded him. ¡°You know the route; lead them away.¡± ¡°Can you handle guns?¡± he asked, noticing the calluses on a man¡¯s hands. ¡°I can,¡± that man replied, ¡°I often go hunting.¡± ¡°Not bad,¡± Yu Feichen patted his shoulder, giving the rifle that originally belonged to no. 2 to him. Someone else voluntarily offered up¡ªI can handle guns, too. Yu Feichen gave no. 3¡¯s gun to him. That both of the guns were put to use, neither wasted, put him in a good mood. Immediately after, it was time to assign the drivers. There were only three in the crowd who were proficient in driving trucks in mountainous terrain, including Bai Song. The remaining could only drive cars. However, they had four trucks. Three of the trucks would be filled with Koroshans, driving into the night canopy. This left one to bring Yu Feichen¡¯s group to the south gate, carrying wood for cover and a few immobilised foremen. There weren¡¯t enough hands. ¡°What should we do?¡± Bai Song fretted. Without turning a hair, Yu Feichen got the brawny blonde to change into a foreman¡¯s uniform, sitting in the front passenger seat of the fourth truck. Then, he sat in the driver¡¯s seat, expertly checking the coolant and firing up the engine. ¡°Oh I see, you know how to drive too.¡± Bai Song, who was forced to drive the truck on a tour around the camp last night, inclined his head, looking up at him gloomily. Yu Feichen was convinced that Bai Song¡¯s attention always strayed far off the mark, relaxing at intense moments and tensing at lax moments, focusing on insignificant trivialities. He watched Bai Song, saying sincerely, ¡°I can drive anything.¡± Bai Song nitpicked with him. ¡°Can you drive a plane, then?¡± Yu Feichen changed the gear, starting the truck. ¡°Yes.¡± His tone was matter-of-fact, as though he was saying: I know how to drink water. Bai Song still wanted to carry on, but Yu Feichen brought the conversation back to business. ¡°Take the binoculars,¡± he said, ¡°when you see that the sentry is gone, lead them away.¡± Bai Song nodded at him. Yu Feichen silently recited to himself the sentence Mogrosh told him about ¡®trusting your teammates¡¯, and drove the truck towards the north gate. Midway there, the watch platform discovered that there was only one truck driving over, and began whistling manically. However, no matter what they blew, Yu Feichen only responded with one type of whistle. Copy. Copy. Copy. Finally, the sentry lost the patience to keep whistling. The moment the truck was driven through the north gate, the sentry came running down the watch platform. Yu Feichen stopped the truck, speaking in a low voice to the brawny blonde next to him, dressed as a foreman. ¡°Keep calm.¡± The brawny blonde took in a deep breath, and he nodded. Soon after, Yu Feichen snapped the buckle of a soldiers¡¯ cap on his head, put on a military jacket, and opened the door on his side of the truck. Soldiers were familiar with each other, but soldiers and sentries might not necessarily be. So, he got the brawny blonde to roll down the window on the other side of the truck first to talk to the sentry. ¡°Where are the others?¡± the sentry asked. ¡°Everyone is to assemble at the south gate.¡± ¡°The trucks broke down.¡± The brawny blonde poked his body out, his bulk blocking the entire window such that the sentry was unable to make out Yu Feichen¡¯s silhouette. He asked, ¡°Why are so many people needed at the south gate?¡± ¡°It appears that new prisoners have arrived. I¡¯m not sure, either.¡± The sentry¡¯s tone was frenzied. ¡°Three trucks down? Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be over right after fixing them up.¡± ¡°What are you guys up to?¡± Yu Feichen got off the truck, circling around towards the sentry. At this time, the sentry¡¯s gaze was wholly fixed to the brawny blonde. Yu Feichen was only wearing the Black Badge Army¡¯s military uniform that was familiar to sentries, so it wouldn¡¯t attract attention. The next moment, an icy cold gun muzzle was pressed to the sentry¡¯s temple. In another moment, the sentry became the first to surrender and was knocked unconscious, tossed to the back with the foremen. Yu Feichen turned his head over, gazing at the trucks driving from the lumber camp in the distance, hiding into the dense forest trails. The dusty grey horizon at dusk was tinged blood red. He inhaled deeply and returned to the truck. ¡ªThe night had only just begun. CH 21 The truck wove through the entire concentration camp, moving from the north gate to the south gate. By then, the twilight glow had emerged, hanging over the ravine as fog curled over the horizon, turning the distant mountains into looming shadows. The electric lamps kept thrashing around amidst the fierce gales, striking the shadows of the senior colonel and his squad against the carriages of the black train that quietly slithered like a long snake on the tracks. Even if the senior colonel didn¡¯t seem to be an intelligent man, Yu Feichen didn¡¯t believe that he would fail to recognise prisoners that he had seen a mere three or so days before. As such, after subduing the sentry, he and the brawny blonde changed uniforms again to wear the clothes of an ordinary prisoner. When the truck drove to the gate, he slammed on the brakes and got down from the truck, going up to the senior colonel. ¡°Sir, the Sergeant got us to come first.¡± The slightly bulging eyes of the senior colonel, still suffused with blood vessels from neuroticism, looked towards their truck, growling lowly, ¡°Where are the others?¡± ¡°Report,¡± The flatness of Yu Feichen¡¯s tone made him appear to be telling the truth, ¡°the other trucks have broken down.¡± A muscle twitched on the senior colonel¡¯s face; he flew off the handle. ¡°Do you only have two trucks? Get those bastards and mongrels over!¡± ¡°We have four trucks, sir,¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°but only the drivers know how to fix them. They¡¯re working on fixing those trucks now and will bring everyone over when they¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Bloody hell.¡± The senior colonel pulled his gun and pointed it at his head, roaring, ¡°Those motherfucking worthless Koroshan trucks¡ª¡± Yu Feichen put forth a submissive attitude, dropping his gaze. In his peripheral vision, the senior colonel viciously lowered his gun and roared again, ¡°Get everyone on the truck to come down!¡± Yu Feichen opened the door at the back. Apart from the two holding guns, who Yu Feichen instructed to hide further inside instead of coming out this time, his companions got down the truck again. ¡°Bloody fuck!¡± The senior colonel saw that only a dozen or so had come and a smothering flame once again licked the insides of his guts. His thunderous voice echoed through the empty valley, even stirring a horrifying echo in its wake. ¡°They¡¯ll be over soon,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°By the time those bastards fix their scraps, this hearse is going to stink!¡± The senior colonel yelled a soldier¡¯s name and said, ¡°Get those pussies over too!¡± After yelling, he commanded another soldier to bring a mechanic to the lumber yard to find those ¡°bastard and mongrels¡±. Yu Feichen didn¡¯t bat an eyelid. The brawny blonde whispered in his ears, ¡°James, what should we do?¡± Yu Feichen reached up and undid the top two buttons of his shirt collar, letting the cold breeze bore in and clear his head. He said, ¡°Soon, not yet.¡± His eyebrows creased slightly as he looked towards the train veiled by the fog. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the senior colonel had said a word earlier. He said¡ª¡±This hearse¡±. In what situation would a train be termed a hearse? While he pondered this, the senior colonel waved his hand, indicating for them to move upfront. A soldier carrying a dim kerosene lamp led them to the first carriage, then opened the door. The light shone into a compartment packed with weak prisoners that raised their heads blankly at the light. They were driven down the train. Yu Feichen watched them, not missing a single detail. All these men had their heads hung low, their eyes frightened and confused, and their lips pressed tight, not uttering a single word. They formed a long line of their own accord without the soldiers telling them to, heading out of the door. Most prominently, they were all wearing a free-size grey prisoner uniform. Other than that, they were all men between youth and young adulthood. They walked silently with their heads bowed in this manner, like a procession of living zombies. The soldier opened the second carriage. Similarly, prisoners woodenly filed down the train. By all logic, these prisoners were also free labour. But now their gazes made them appear like the most ghastly of dead men walking, stumbling and faltering, with many strenuously dragging their fainting companions along with them. Others trembled as they walked and fell to their knees, muttering words along the lines of ¡°don¡¯t kill me¡±. Yu Feichen couldn¡¯t help but speculate that the senior colonel, after finding out that these prisoners were utterly useless, thought of calling back the prisoners from the lumber yard. These prisoners didn¡¯t seem like newly captured Koroshan citizens, but rather resembled prisoners having come from a long-running concentration camp. Now, a single concentration camp could only hold two thousand people. The Black Badge Army must have set up more than one. Then, the third carriage. ¡°New prisoners,¡± the brawny blonde mumbled. ¡°What did they call us over for, then?¡± Yu Feichen didn¡¯t speak. This lawyer¡¯s body had an average build and sense of smell. Yu Feichen could only outperform with sheer force of will. Fortunately, his will was of use. When the soldier opened the fourth carriage, he had completely affirmed his suspicions. This train most definitely didn¡¯t hold only these silent prisoners. He said in a low voice, ¡°Have you smelled it yet?¡± ¡°What?¡± The brawny blonde was beyond bewildered at first, but he struggled to sniff the air after hearing those words. His expression abruptly changed. ¡°A really strong smell of blood.¡± That was right. Blood. An unremitting reek of blood was being blown over by the cold wind. And it wasn¡¯t only the stench of fresh blood. It was the muddy, odious reek of blood that had been fermenting for more than a day. Only slaughterhouses that had been slewing pigs for years would reek like this. The stench was too strong, such that it completely masked all other smells. It took three minutes for Yu Feichen to pick up another scent amidst the foul reek of blood. The miasma of corpses. It was in the deep of the night. Because of the fierce winds, the stench of blood and corpses gradually grew more pronounced. ¡°Creak¡ª¡± The soldier opened the fifth carriage. About three hundred prisoners had walked down from the first four carriages. They formed a long monotonous line of grey, slowly entering the south gate. However, when the carriage was opened this time, no one came down. The soldier waved at them, saying loudly, ¡°Carry them there.¡± He pointed at the cylindrical greyish white tower near the south gate. Yu Feichen had scouted that place before and was aware that it was a large furnace. The soldier handed the kerosene lamp to him. He led the brawny blonde and the rest up. The dim amber light pierced through the greyish white fog. At the exact moment that they stepped into the compartment, the smell of blood billowed into their faces, denser than anything else. An ashen white corpse lay right in front of Yu Feichen, sandwiched between the joint connecting the fourth and fifth carriages. It carried a fuzzy bullet wound on its head, where the bullet had bored through. Blood matted the hair on its head, and blood had pooled under the body. To the right was the fourth carriage. Several silhouettes were lying inside, still breathing, seemingly people who had passed out. As for the left side¡ª He shone the light in his hand over. Corpses. Hands, feet, knees, heads¡­ all limbs could be scavenged from this pile. At first glance, he¡¯d thought it was a myriad of broken body parts. But when he fixed his eyes on it, he saw that it was dense layers of intact corpses piled layer upon layer on top of each other in the carriage. The arrangement of corpses was disorderly and bloody, with mottled, pale arms and legs drooping down limply. Black, bloodied heads were tangled in the limbs of others, each with a bullet wound in its head, the blood so pervasive that it permeated everything. Constrained by reality, it was impossible for the corpses to fill the entire compartment without leaving a gap. When Yu Feichen raised the light, there was a distance of twenty centimetres between the pile of corpses and the top of the compartment. So, a deep, wide gap extended towards the carriages behind, jutting and caving with the shapes of corpses. The light was only able to illuminate the front, and it was only a blur of black shadows further back. One could only imagine that this would be a sight prevalent in all the later carriages. This was, indeed, a hearse full of corpses. Seeing this purgatory, everyone was stunned, unable to react. Then, the senior colonel¡¯s voice reverberated like a demon from behind. ¡°What are you standing there for?¡± He thundered, ¡°Hurry up and move them!¡± Move. Move the corpses. Move the corpses to the furnace¡ª Yu Feichen gave a harsh exhale in the turbid air. The senior colonel wasn¡¯t wrong. Even though it was in the depths of winter, if these bodies weren¡¯t disposed of, they would fester and stink up the train, turning into pus that could never be cleared. A Koroshan behind him vomited. Another person burst into tears. The brawny blonde began to shudder. After all¡ªthese corpses were their Koroshan compatriots. And now, each of their compatriots bore a bullet wound to the head, piled without dignity in a train like discarded pig entrails from a slaughterhouse. It was hard to imagine what they had been through. The senior colonel¡¯s thunderous voice was still echoing through the compartment. Of the people passed out in the fourth carriage, two of them stirred. Yu Feichen walked over and patted them. One of them snapped his eyes open in fright, gasping violently. Another one woke up as well, but his eyes were slack, and the irises were trembling uncontrollably. He¡¯s lost his mind, Yu Feichen thought. ¡°I¡¯m Koroshan.¡± Yu Feichen spoke to the lucid one. ¡°Where are you from? What happened?¡± ¡°From¡­¡± That man caught the hem of his clothes in a death¡¯s grip, muttering, ¡°Highland Concentration Camp¡­ They said¡­ they wanted to send us to¡­ to Oak Valley Concentration Camp.¡± ¡°This is Oak Valley Concentration Camp,¡± Yu Feichen said. ¡°What happened to the group of you?¡± The man¡¯s pupils shrank, like he had seen the worst horrors on this earth. ¡°Our¡­ our camp¡­ someone wanted to escape. He blew up¡­ blew up the furnace¡­ and he was discovered.¡± He continued, stuttering, ¡°The others didn¡¯t do anything at all¡­ but they still wanted to put us¡­ all to death¡­ The others¡­ have all died.¡± Yu Feichen asked, ¡°Then what about you?¡± The corners of that man¡¯s lips twitched into a contorted smile. ¡°They used up the bullets.¡± The bullets were depleted. The remaining people weren¡¯t executed. The furnace had been blown up, so there wasn¡¯t any way to manage the corpses. So, everyone, no matter whether dead or not yet dead, was transported to Oak Valley Concentration Camp. Next to him, the man who had gone insane suddenly burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯ve urged him to give up thoughts of escape.¡± His voice was hoarse. ¡°It¡¯s all fine now, it¡¯s all fine now¡­¡± Yu Feichen sighed, casting his eyes downwards. He wasn¡¯t a Koroshan; he was merely a traveller passing through this world. But despite this, what he witnessed and experienced over the past few days in Oak Valley Concentration Camp still shrouded him like a dense gloom. Even the lives of those in the last world, living amidst zombies, were far less suffocating than this. Such that, when placed next to the institutionalisation of concentration camps, the zombie world even appeared innocent and pure. He took a few steps in and turned back to look out of the door. The senior colonel was smoking a cigar outside at the south gate. As he took a drag, he stomped his foot neurotically, like an impatient overseer. Yu Feichen stared at him dead-on. There was a hint of agitation and tenseness in the ferocity of this fleshy face. Did these mountains upon mountains of corpses spark a trace of anxiety and nervousness in the senior colonel¡¯s heart? Yu Feichen didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t care to fathom the heart and soul of this senior colonel. He simply crouched down next to the piled corpses, peering out. The narrow train door blocked everything inside, but when he gazed out from inside, he had an unobstructed view of everything. It wasn¡¯t a high vantage, but it was a perfect position for a sniper, especially when the target was the senior colonel¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t have a sniper rifle. But the short distance of sixty metres was well within the shooting range of a pistol. Outside, cold winds moaned. The senior colonel started to howl and bellow again, this time firing a shot into the sky. Obviously, he was very dissatisfied that they hadn¡¯t started moving. Inside, the depressive reek of blood almost curdled in the air. This was the moment that Yu Feichen was most tempted to end it all. But it wasn¡¯t yet time. He said in a low voice. ¡°Move them.¡± Then, he hauled a first corpse by its shoulders. The brawny blonde silently grabbed its feet, and they lifted this heavy corpse, carrying it out. The senior colonel muttered agitatedly as they passed by. ¡°Fuck this, fuck it all.¡± He spat out a hazy smoke ring. ¡°I just argued with that fucking uppity Tin Cloud poser in the afternoon, and at night Highland sent trash over to me. Bloody hell, does anyone still have any respect left for me.¡± Yu Feichen inadvertently glanced at him again. From the looks of it, a large part of the senior colonel¡¯s anxiety and nervousness stemmed from life not going the way he wanted it to. From what he said, he had even argued with Anfield earlier in the afternoon. Yu Feichen couldn¡¯t imagine Anfield arguing with this senior colonel. Perhaps this senior colonel was exaggerating it to some degree, and they merely had a discussion. However, Anfield¡¯s mode of resolving problems was in line with his appearance; gentle and refined. While deep in thought, he passed by the grey line of prisoners and neared the furnace. A soldier was in front of the furnace to take the corpse. Like setting down a heavy burden, the brawny blonde let out a long exhale. But he involuntarily shuddered again when he saw the soldier move the corpse into the furnace, forever lost. Yu Feichen patted his shoulder and they headed out. The buildings in the area of the chemical plant were densely packed. The small two-storied building wasn¡¯t far from the furnace. The ground floor of the building was illuminated by an eerie white light, and a dark shadow was leaning against the window. From the silhouette, he appeared to be gazing over. Yu Feichen recognised this silhouette to be the ¡®doctor¡¯ of the concentration camp. A man who lived next to the furnace on the upper floor of the building containing the gas canisters, the same man who was researching the smiling gas and conducting human experiments. While other concentration camps executed prisoners by firing squad, he had invented an efficient system of gassing them en masse and incinerating them on the spot. The scenes from the previous nights naturally emerged before his mind¡¯s eye. Immediately after, the brawny blonde¡¯s steps faltered and he bowed over, vomiting. Regardless, they still had to go on. Only, when he was done vomiting, the brawny blonde buried his face into his wide palms. ¡°James.¡± A vulnerable tremor was exposed in his voice. ¡°If we fail, will our kin become like this as well?¡± Yu Feichen pursed his lips. After gazing upon that abysmal scene, even the strong-willed blonde was shaken. It was no wonder that the big-nosed man had snitched in last night¡¯s future. He said, aloof, ¡°Then do you want to see the smiling gas being used in all concentration camps?¡± The brawny blonde gave a start. A long time later, he clenched his fists, uttering lowly, ¡°For Korosha.¡± As they returned to the south gate, a sound came from behind them. It was those soldiers who had, per the senior colonel¡¯s command, come with two hundred women and elderly. The situation was urgent and other men were nowhere to be seen, so the elderly, the weak, and the crippled were naturally brought to fill the ranks of the labourers. They were obviously unaware of what was happening outside. A faint commotion carried over. Something cold landed on Yu Feichen¡¯s face. He lifted his head. Under the light, pure white particles were fluttering about. It had started to snow. The corpses, the living. The Black Badge Army, the prisoners. The senior colonel, the doctor. The train, the furnace. Men, women, elderly. The northern wind, the heavy snow. It was like the will of Heaven. On this final night, all that should be present had come. He inhaled deeply, climbing back into the train. In the silence, those motionless corpses seemed to be staring at him. He checked his bulletproof vest and took the gun. Load, cock, aim. There was a hurried clatter as the Koroshan who had lost his mind from fright suddenly crawled, tumbling from the carriage. He cried out, his voice hoarse and shrill, breaking the silence of the night. ¡°Someone¡¯s trying to escape¡ª¡± Yu Feichen abruptly pulled the trigger. CH 22 The moment the gunshot rang out, a splash of crimson erupted from the senior colonel¡¯s forehead. His head remained cranked to the side from when he heard the madman shout. He must have heard the bullets whizzing past his body because his eyes were bulging and his face set in a look of shock. It was the very expression the old Koroshan man had on his face on their first day at Oak Valley Concentration Camp when he was shot to death by the senior colonel because he refused to remove his clothing. The air around them was silent for a moment. Nobody could process what they were seeing, and some did not even realize what was going on. Even the madman was taken aback. But then, he covered his head amidst the sound of gunshots, cowering. This was followed by a heavy thud as the senior colonel¡¯s heavy body fell to the ground. His mouth was wide open as if he were about to criticize them again, but only blood poured out of his throat, the hot fluid melting the snow piling on the ground. ¡ªHis life of sin ended at that moment. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me!¡± The shout of the madman rang out in the midst of the deathly silence. The shrill shout woke the frozen soldiers like a crack of thunder shattering their dreams. The senior colonel¡¯s adjutant stepped forward and shouted, ¡°Everyone on alert!¡± The sound of guns colliding rang in a continuous clink. After making his shot, Yu Feichen stuck closely to the wall of the carriage, turning into a ghostly shadow inside the connected, unlit carriages as he ran towards the fourth car, quickly reloading his gun at the same time. In just a short few seconds, he arrived by the small door of the fourth car and looked out. The soldiers outside all had their guns drawn. Some were aiming at the madman, but others were aiming at the dark entrances of the train cars. Surprisingly, some of Oakland Valley¡¯s soldiers were pointing their guns at the new guards from Highland who were by the train. Apparently, the gunshot from earlier had come so suddenly that nobody even realized what had happened. Nobody would even have expected that someone with a gun would be present among the defenseless prisoners. The rest of the prisoners crouched down with their arms over their heads. A few more seconds later, the soldiers finally made a connection between the direction where the gunshot came from and the madman¡¯s sudden shout, and the guards beside the train gathered around the entrance to the fifth car. At the same time, Yu Feichen pressed the muzzle of his gun to the fourth car¡¯s door before aiming at the institute¡¯s entrance. There, the senior colonel¡¯s adjutant was giving out orders. His view was split in two, one side the dark walls of the carriage and the other the Black Badge Brigade¡¯s adjutant colonel standing in the snow. Soon, he concentrated his vision on the adjutant. He had always been a good shot, especially at such a close distance, but he had a habit of practicing good attitude before each shot. The north wind was howling, but it was completely silent in his mind. The trigger clicked softly, then another gunshot erupted in everyone¡¯s ears. ¡ªThis time, it was the adjutant who went down with a bang. In the next moment, the lightbulb shattered! After the blinding rain of sparks subsided, the only major source of light left was the fog lamp of the sentry building, but it could not provide a clear view. A dimness enveloped this place with only the scattered paraffin lamps reflecting off the snow. The guards clamored. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± This time, the soldiers caught the source of the noise. Three of them moved towards the fourth carriage¡¯s door while three others hopped up to the fifth carriage¡¯s door, quickly making their way toward the fourth carriage. Yu Feichen did not move. There were a few seconds more before the soldiers surrounded him. His eyes quickly swept over the insignias on each person¡¯s shoulder. After the senior colonel and his adjutant died, a single lieutenant became the highest-ranking soldier left in the field. The soldiers were without a leader. A soldier saw him, then there was a shout, followed by a gunshot. Sparks flew as the bullet hit the carriage wall just after grazing his cheek. Yu Feichen grabbed the iron door and propelled himself out of the entrance. Then, he raised his hand and fired another shot at the nearest soldier! As the soldier fell, Yu Feichen yanked the submachine gun off his body and fired again in front of him. The sentry guard on top of the sentry tower was just about to blow the alarm whistle when a bullet hit him on the right shoulder. Brass whistle falling to the ground, he clutched his arm and screamed out in pain. He immediately tossed the gun to the ground after just one shot. Countless gunshots rang out ahead of him, but Yu Feichen dragged the dead shoulder by the chest with his right hand and used him like a shield, soaking up the bullets streaming his way as he grabbed his own pistol with his left hand, firing three shots in succession into the rear carriage door. Three soldiers with submachine guns who had just rushed out of the carriage fell to the ground. Yu Feichen shouted towards the carriage. ¡°Shut the door!¡± The blonde inside reacted quickly and slammed the door to the fifth carriage shut, then there was the sound of running as he sprinted toward the fourth. Once the door was shut from the inside, the soldiers had no way of running through the carriage and getting behind him. In a barehanded fight, or even against opponents with knives, it didn¡¯t matter if he was outnumbered or surrounded from all sides. But in a gunfight, he always made sure his back was safe. After the first slam of the door was heard, he immediately turned back to face the front, but the sparks from the discharged bullets were blinding in the night, burning specks into Yu Feichen¡¯s vision that would not dissipate in a short amount of time. There were also soldiers with flashlights, but in order to avoid getting hit as much as possible, Yu Feichen constantly kept himself moving at a high intensity. With the flashlights waving about, not only did they fail to hone in on him, they were even disrupting the visibility of the other soldiers. Tossing aside the bloodied corpse in his hands, he quickly moved to the right, swapping his gun back to his right hand as he moved, firing rapidly at two separate points. The pressure from the opposing side decreased as their two best shooters were taken down. Another gunshot suddenly sounded from the other side of the darkness. Instincts acting faster than his consciousness, Yu Feichen turned his body sideways and took a shot in that direction, but a round of gunshots rang out at his front, and the dense barrage of bullets hit the soldier who was shooting from the side. Yu Feichen looked over and from the shape of the vague outline, it was the two fellow hunters who were hiding in the truck with guns. They had gotten out and were now firing from the cover of the wheels¡¯ shadows. The snow fell even heavier, covering the blood splattered on the ground in barely a moment. Only endless pools of crimson continued to spill out underneath the dead bodies. A moment later, Yue Feichan was surprised to catch another gunshot from behind him. However, the bullets were not aimed at him, but at the Black Badges in front of him¡ªIt was the blonde who shut the door to the fourth carriage earlier. He had arrived at the third carriage and picked up the guns of the dead soldiers inside, joining the fray. Gunshots broke out from three directions simultaneously. The Black Badge Brigade, now without a leader to command them, couldn¡¯t figure out where the enemy was, which disrupted their rhythm. It was then that Yu Feichen suddenly appeared like a specter in the densest thicket of soldiers. He raised his foot and kicked the back of the knee of the soldier nearest to him, who stumbled back and crushed another soldier beneath him. Someone shouted, and the soldiers in the vicinity turned their guns over. However, their guns were too long to be of any use in this range. Even a wooden stick would¡¯ve been more useful. The soldier slightly off to the side of him had just raised his gun when he was dispatched with a sidearm. At the same time, another stocky soldier lunged over from behind, grabbing Yu Feichen¡¯s gun-arm by the wrist with his bare hands. A silver glint appeared in Yu Feichen¡¯s left hand, reflected from the sharp silver dagger he had hidden on his body for a long time. Without even glancing at the stocky soldier behind him, Yu Feichen threw his hand back, and the silver dagger pierced right into the soldier¡¯s throat. He quickly flung the body away from himself so as to avoid being stained with his blood. Then, the lieutenant¡¯s insignia that he had been watching for a while gleamed in the snowlight. He raised his hand and fired two shots at two soldiers lunging toward him, throwing his left arm over the lieutenant¡¯s shoulders from behind and pressing the muzzle of his gun against the man¡¯s temple. ¡°No, don¡¯t! Please¡­¡± This was probably the first time in the lieutenant¡¯s life that he had been held at gunpoint. That fear was compounded by the bodies constantly piling up around him, which made him whimper as soon as he was restrained. Immediately afterward, he shouted without any prompt from Yu Feichen, ¡°Nobody open fire!¡± He was very self-conscious as a hostage, but Yu Feichen had no intention of letting him go. With one dull sound, the bullet pierced through his head. The gunshot was like a terrifying finale, gradually dissipating into the wind. It was unclear whether the soldiers were merely obeying the lieutenant¡¯s orders or because the death of their companion had come too suddenly, but nobody dared to fire their guns. Yu Feichen tossed the lieutenant¡¯s body aside and looked to the center of the field. There, women, the elderly, and even children were crouched on the ground, cowering in fear, trembling as if they were the ones being shot at by the Black Badge Brigade. They were all terrified, and everything happened so suddenly that they were given no opportunity to process what had happened. Some of them might even believe that the Black Badge Brigade were just shooting at random prisoners. The broken prisoners brought in from Highland Concentration Camp were all taken aback by what they saw. ¡ªThis was what life in the concentration camps taught them. Yu Feichen took a deep breath and turned to them. A loud shot suddenly rang out from underneath the truck, shouting the exact thing he wanted to say. The thick and powerful voice echoed through the snowfield. ¡°Run!¡± The first to react were the women who looked around them in surprise at hearing the Koroshan accent. They were shocked at first, then amazed. Then, helping up the elderly and the children, all of them saw a shocking sight¡ªthe corpses of the cruel Black Badges who reveled in their cruelty and murder were now strewn all across the ground. A second man repeated the words of the first man nearby the truck. ¡°Run!¡± The door to the third carriage opened and the blonde tumbled out with the corpse of a Black Badge before running toward the clearing in front of the locomotive with the body in tow. Shouting as he ran, ¡°Run¡ª¡± Watching him run motivated the first woman to scream as she ran in that direction, followed by a mother with her child locked tight in her arms, running southwards through the snow. The surviving Black Badges shouted, ¡°Stop them!¡± The gunfire resumed. As the one who stood at the frontmost, the blonde was the most obvious target, but he learned to shield himself using a corpse by watching Yu Feichen earlier, blocking a fatal shot. Gunshots rang unceasingly, but things were no longer the same. Practically everyone had begun running south. Some slipped in the snow, but they crawled back up and continued to run. Those who were hit by stray bullets in the darkness also gritted their teeth and pushed forward. The sound of gunshots no longer scared them. It was as if something had been shattered or reborn. Eventually, there were cries of pain but also joy among the Highland prisoners as dragged their exhausted bodies to keep up with the women and the children into the endless curtain of snow to the south amidst the ring and flashes of gunshots. The footsteps of nearly a thousand men beating against the snow echoed through the dark mountains alongside the shouting. One of the two armed hunters switched on the headlights of the truck before fleeing as well. The bright light illuminated the stretch of road that led them from the camp to freedom and a new life. Behind them, Yu Feichen continued lurking inside the darkness. He grabbed a new gun and some ammo from the lieutenant¡¯s body before heading toward the south gate, and from this direction, he could see the incineration tower and the small two-story building. A low-power light was lit in front of the door with a familiar figure standing in front of it¡ªGerold. Remembering what he saw the other day, he understood. Turning his head, he fired his gun a few more times to ensure the safety of the fleeing Koroshans. Listening to the gunshots that were gradually fading again outside, he also pressed himself against the wall and made for the small building. The building was silent, and he crawled up from the back, stepping on the window frame and climbing up to the half-open window on the second floor. Just then, a snowy light suddenly came on, aiming straight toward this building. It was an extremely powerful spotlight that was so penetrating that it could illuminate everything through a distance of two hundred meters, including the fleeing prisoners. At the same time, a gentle voice came from the radio speaker mounted on the side of the small building. ¡°Dear friends of Korosha, please stop in your tracks.¡± The owner of the voice had once questioned the chemist¡¯s wife, Lianna, in the same gentle tone, saying, ¡°Dr. Silver and I will take good care of you and your children.¡± However, the voice held a strange dull quality to it then, as if it was separated by something. ¡ªIt was the doctor. The distant sounds of footsteps and shouts did not cease for even a moment. ¡°Please stop in your tracks, I repeat.¡± The voice was louder now, to the point where it was deafening. Otherwise, we will release toxic gas in your direction. Gas that will reach lethal concentrations in a short amount of time and send you before your God.¡± At the same time, a group of soldiers wearing gas masks ran quickly toward the south gate. The gas masks were white in color with black oval lenses covering each eye hole, and the black tube extending from the nose and mouth region was attached to canisters, which made them look like a bunch of ghosts with skulls as heads. There were also thin tubes in each of their hands that extended out from the ground. Smiling gas. In the blink of an eye, it could make one smile as they suffered in agony before dying. It had finally accompanied Oak Valley Concentration Camp from the beginning to the end. Yu Feichen tumbled in through a window from the second floor and a lab assistant in a white coat looked at him in horror, but he didn¡¯t dare to make any noise as Yu Feichen was pointing his gun at him. Firing the gun would alert the people below, so Yu Feichen knocked the assistant unconscious with the butt of his gun. This place was also connected to a separate storage room. Yu Feichen wanted to search for it, but after he had untied all the pregnant and disabled people who were restrained on the autopsy tables, the doctor¡¯s voice coming from the radio had become very threatening. ¡ªHe went down the stairs. The radio unit was on the first floor, he remembered it well. The ground floor was very dim as the tall shadow of the poison canister blocked out part of the light. The doctor in the white coat was also wearing the skull-like gas mask was speaking slowly into the microphone. ¡°I will begin counting down now. 10, 9¡ª¡± Then, the south door opened with a clear view of the outside. From the window, he could see the Koroshans running in the snow without turning back. At this moment, their desire for freedom overshadowed their fear of death. ¡°8, 7, 6¡ª¡± The soldiers in gas masks activated the devices at the tips of the pipes in unison. The doctor was serious. ¡°5, 4¡ª¡± Yu Feichen raised his gun and pointed it at him from a distance. ¡°3, 2¡ª¡± A calm voice suddenly rang out from between the cluster of canisters occupying most of the room. ¡°Doctor.¡± The doctor turned his head abruptly. A figure slowly climbed up to the top of the canisters, his hand pressing against the heavy valve on top of the largest canister in the room as he held a large brown bottle in his other hand. In this world, certain extremely corrosive and acidic liquids were required to be kept in such containers. ¡ªIt was the chemistry teacher, Gerold. ¡°Tell them to stop,¡± said Gerold, whose voice had never been so still. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll open the valve or pour this on.¡± Either opening the valve or pouring corrosive substances over the tank would instantly result in massive spillage of the toxic gas. ¡°Your and everyone else¡¯s gas masks won¡¯t filter this concentration of gas, Doctor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± The doctor¡¯s expression was unreadable beneath the mask. ¡°Are you truly committed to making this decision?¡± Gerold looked condescendingly down at him from above. His fingers were trembling, but his gaze was firm. He enunciated, ¡°Let. Them. Go.¡± The doctor laughed. ¡°If I remember correctly, your wife is still upstairs. She¡¯s still awake.¡± his voice grew gentler and more sincere as if he were employing some sort of placating technique on him. ¡°Won¡¯t you like to talk to her?¡± As he said that, he slowly turned his head, gaze moving up the stairs. ¡ªUntil he paused abruptly. There, high up on the stairs, Yu Feichen looked back at him with a smirk as he played with his handgun. CH 23 Smiling Gas XIX Translated by xiaohei Edited by xiaohei There was a momentary pause in the doctor¡¯s actions, but soon, his eyes scanned around his surroundings. Of course, there was no sign of anyone present apart from Yu Feichen and the chemistry teacher, Gerold. All the soldiers had either left to stop the fleeing Koroshans or stood at the south gate with their smiling gas pipes, ready to release the deadly gas in the direction of the fleeing people. No one could help him. There was a faint sound of chaotic footsteps upstairs as if many people were moving around. Gerold¡¯s eyes darted, and the doctor seemed even more uneasy than before. The doctor¡¯s gasp could be heard in the cold air, then he stumbled back a few steps. ¡°Guards, to the first floor,¡± he ordered over the radio with feigned calmness. The doctor¡¯s countdown came to an abrupt end before reaching its finale. The soldiers were surprised at the unexpected situation, but a team of them immediately rushed over as soon as they heard the order. The south gate was only a short distance away from the building. It would only take half a minute for them to arrive. The doctor seemed relieved and stood with more confidence and composure compared to before. Then, he pulled a brown pocket pistol from his belt! His breath trembled faintly in the dead silence. Both hands held onto the gun, its muzzle pointed at Fei Yuchen. Step by step, he backed up, moving closer to the door. ¡°Drop the gun, Doctor,¡± Gerold demanded in a deep voice. As he said so, he put his hand on the valve as if he were going to turn it. With his eyes turned to him, Fei Yuchen knew that Gerold was not playing around. That tank was the main tank they used for storing smiling gas, containing an extremely high volume of it. Once the valve was opened, then an extremely high concentration of smiling gas will instantly spread throughout the small building. The filtering capacities of the gas masks were limited, it was simply impossible for them to filter out this volume of smiling gas. Once the gas reaches their system, everyone will die. There was no threat more effective than this. The doctor¡¯s body tensed up and he turned abruptly, pointing his gun at Gerold. Everything happened in just an instant. Bang! Yu Feichen had long since moved from his casual gun-spinning pose and raised his hand, firing a bullet that cut through the air in a straight line, piercing a hole right through the doctor¡¯s head. The doctor had the quickest reaction speed he had witnessed all night. The very moment the bullet entered his body, he had also pulled the trigger and fired on Gerold. Two gunshots were picked up by the radio¡¯s microphone and amplified countless times, thundering through the entire concentration camp and echoing through the valley in ripples that startled the countless black birds inhabiting it. Unfortunately, the Doctor had never received proper gun training, and the visual warp from the eyeholes of his gas mask also created a disruption to his vision that stopped him from firing accurately. Sure enough, the gun whizzed past Gerold, missing him by 20 centimeters and scraping through the metal tank, leaving sparks in its wake, leaving behind a blackened groove after the crackle of ¡°fireworks¡± subsided. Meanwhile, the doctor¡¯s body swayed left and right a few times before he began to fall. His gun-holding posture left his center of balance to his front, so he leaned forward and fell face-first. The gun slid out of his hands, which formed a surrendering pose as they bounced off the floor upon impact. Half of the blood spilled out from the bullet hole on his gas mask while half of it pooled up inside of the mask, flooding his face with the red and sticky fluid. The doctor, always standing high above the rest, ending countless lives through gas or electricity, was respected in the concentration camp for his insane cruelty, and he was proud of himself for that fact. However, he still left the world in such an undignified position. Before leaving the world completely, the doctor even choked on his own blood as they filled his airways, coughing painfully before finally going still. ¡ªA death no different than those of the defenseless Koroshans rid of all dignity. Death took no pity on the Koroshans, neither did it show any kindness to the Doctor; all humans stood equal in the face of death. Just then, the soldiers finally made it into the room in a hurry. All of them were shocked when they saw what had happened, and they raised their guns, aiming them at both Yu Feichen and Gerold who were in the room. Yu Feichen¡¯s expression did not change. All humans were also equal in front of him when he held a gun in his hand. What was more, he wasn¡¯t the only person in there. On this night when the rest of his compatriots were all running for freedom, Gerold, the chemistry teacher, was exceptionally calm and composed. Mogrosh told him that he had to trust his teammates sometimes, and those words seemed to make sense to him now. ¡°Drop your guns,¡± Gerold said, ¡°or I¡¯ll unscrew the valve and release all the smiling gas in here. I¡¯m sure you know what the consequences of a leak would be.¡± The soldiers were all silent for a moment, none of them opening fire. The soldiers were holding guns, but Gerold was holding the valve. They were both threatening each other, both fighting for superiority. The first one to flinch would be the loser. However, there was nothing for Gerold to fear. His compatriots had already fled and were on the glorious path to freedom away from here, and his beloved wife, her fate unknown, was right upstairs. It was a contest that if he won, he would be able to scare the Black Badges into backing off, granting him freedom; if he lost, then he would die with his dear wife who had endured endless torture. He was not afraid of anything anymore. He was willing to die honorably. On the other hand, the low-ranking Black Badges still wanted to live, and it was obvious who had the upper hand here. Some of the soldiers were already showing weakness in the grip of their guns, and faint tremors could be seen from their muzzles. It was at that moment that Yu Feichen walked down the stairs step by step with his gun in hand. The sound of footsteps thudded on the wooden stairs, growing nearer. His presence was so strong that all eyes went up toward him. A few locks of sweat-soaked hair hung down the sides of Yu Feichen¡¯s forehead. His features were both handsome and deep, while those eyes were cold to the point of lifeless. He walked down the steps unflinching with a steady hold on his gun. The top two buttons on his work shirt were unbuttoned, revealing a perfectly muscled chest. Some blood, still yet to dry, stained his shirt, and his grip looked more skilled than any one of them, just like a killing machine or a grim reaper here to reap their souls in the dim gaslight. Somehow, a man like him seemed even more frightening to them than Gerold, who held the deadly valve. Someone recognized him as the man who started the chaos tonight, and faint whispers broke out among the soldiers. One soldier¡¯s hand trembled. At once, Yu Feichen¡¯s gun swiveled over, aiming straight at him. ¡°Put the gun on the ground.¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s voice sounded slightly husky and deep at the moment. ¡°5, 4¡­¡± The soldier, who had the gun pointed at him, was utterly crushed by his own fear, and he tossed his gun to the ground. At the other end of the room, Gerold pressed his hand on the valve again and picked up where Yu Feichen left off. ¡°3, 2¡­¡± The sound of his countdown inside the empty room was just like the gradual approach of death. A second soldier dropped his weapon. Following that, clatters could be heard as weapons were being dropped. The doctor¡¯s body was still laying in miserable condition on the floor while they had to face the double threat of Gerold¡¯s valve and Yu Feichen¡¯s gun. Under the psychological pressure, the Black Badges eventually surrendered. Yu Feichen commanded, ¡°Stand back.¡± Nobody resisted and they all stepped back, moving away from the weapons that were on the ground. Yu Feichen continued pointing his gun at them, but at the same time, he glanced slightly behind him. A dwarf standing in front of the stairs on the second floor was the first to react and quickly rushed down to pile up the guns dropped by the soldiers, holding them in his arms before running to Yu Feichen¡¯s side as if to claim his merit. Yu Feichen glanced at the Black Badges as he reached down to pat the dwarf¡¯s head like a form of compliment, and the latter beamed in response to it. It was at that moment that Gerold suddenly looked up. It turned out that he was so absorbed in the fight with the doctor and the soldiers that he had completely missed that the pregnant women and the disabled being studied upstairs were rescued by Yu Feichen. Not only were they rescued, several of them were standing at the staircase to the first floor, silently watching the situation unfold below. There among the crowd stood a woman with a slightly cumbersome body. She had a withered appearance with dull flax-colored hair, but her turquoise eyes were as beautiful as always. It was Lianna, and she was still alive. The Black Badges had already been disarmed and the danger was lifted. Nervously, she called out with a sob in her voice, ¡°Gerold¡­¡± Gerold¡¯s firm gaze faltered for a moment, and his eyes had also filled with tears. However, rather than act immediately, he looked toward Yu Feichen. Yu Feichen could read what he was trying to say. Gerold was asking whether or not he could move away from the valve now. He nodded. Gerold shuddered for a moment, then he crawled clumsily down the tank. At the other end of the room, Lianna held her belly with one hand and supported herself on the handrail with the other as she walked down. Finally, they reunited at the bottom of the stairs. Gerold held Lianna tightly in his arms and his voice was shaking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Yu Feichen did not know why exactly he was apologizing. Maybe it was because he hadn¡¯t been able to protect Lianna and left her to be taken to the doctor¡¯s experimentation lab, but maybe it was because of how he had threatened the doctor and the soldiers earlier. If he did unscrew the valve, then not only would he himself die, Lianna would also be gone from the world. Lianna smiled as she cried. Holding Gerold¡¯s face, she said, ¡°I saw what you did.¡± Then, she could be heard whispering, ¡°You¡¯re a hero, Gerold.¡± The two lovers continued to embrace each other. Touched sobs had also emerged behind Yu Feichen, which were followed by excited gazes of admiration directed at Yu Feichen. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you¡­¡± Lianna said as she wiped her tears. Yu Feichen looked at both her and Gerold. Previously, in one of the futures that the barracks was leading up to, the doctor would cut open Lianna¡¯s belly and take out her unborn child, then Lianna would be tortured to death. A distraught Gerold, already devastated by his wife¡¯s death, would break down in utter despair when he saw the Koroshans being poisoned to death by the Black Badges and their corpses incinerated. He would open the main valve of the smiling gas tank, allowing the gas to spread throughout the concentration camp, ending the suffering of himself, the test subjects, and all of his compatriots, as well as making all the perpetrators of violence in Oakvale pay with their lives. Though everyone does certainly return to Mother Earth on such an ending, it was after all, a bit cruel. And now, they had changed all of that. However, now was not the time for celebrations. ¡°Go south,¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°quickly.¡± Gerold jerked back to his senses and helped his wife out the door while the rest hastily followed suit. It was then that the sound of glass bottles breaking could be heard upstairs, followed by a scream, ¡°Fire!¡± Yu Feichen¡¯s brows knitted into a frown, and he rushed up the stairs. He was in far too much of a hurry earlier to search the storage room, but when he arrived, he saw a doctor in a white coat fleeing quickly from the storage room¡¯s direction, flames burning up behind him. This man must be trying to destroy any evidence when he realized that the Black Badges had lost their advantage. Yu Feichen raised his gun and made quick work of the doctor. Then, he rushed to the reagent and data cabinets which had been set ablaze. The data cabinet and the large desks in front of it carried vital research materials, including the process of creating smiling gas and its molecular formula. There were even records of how exactly their prisoners were mutilated, as well as the number of test subjects in each case. These were vital pieces of evidence that would be of great use if one could get their hands on them. If Yu Feichen knew nothing about them, he would surely have been at a loss as to what to do when he saw the blaze. However, this was not the case. As he had already gone through the materials previously during his nightly probes, he was able to memorize the location of key materials so that he could save time in the future. Now, the fire had already been set, and the doctor must have added something to fuel the flames. The wooden cabinet was crackling and the flames were spreading out in his face. Without any attempt to avoid them, Yu Feichen took a big step forward and pulled a military jacket hung over one of the chairs. Pulling up the collar, he used the large jacket to stir up the air and fan in front of him, and as soon as the fire retreated slightly, he rushed straight in, blocking the flames out with the jacket as he quickly opened the cabinets and pulled the documents out of them. As the flames licked the jacket, it took barely a moment for the leather jacket to burn through. However, Yu Feichen was already done searching the cabinets and pulled the drawers on the left side of the desk open, pulled out a thick stack of documents without even looking and jumped onto the desk while holding them in his arms. He tossed the jacket into the sea of flames while jumping off with the documents. Behind him, the file cabinet crackled before crumbling in the flames and falling over. Through the raging flames and smoke, Yu Feichen passed over the heavy dissecting table and made his way back to the stairway, where the Koroshans were still waiting for him. A few of them had even come forward to help. ¡°Go!¡± He said quietly. Smoke and heat bombarded them as they rushed out of the small building together. The outside of the building was safe for now. Yu Feichen distributed some of the less important information to them to lessen his own burden. The dwarf handed him the soldier¡¯s submachine gun, but Yu Feichen only left three to them for protection. Most of the sick and disabled were unable to wield the guns, so it would only be dead weight for them to bring any more. Following that, he dismantled the remaining guns, chucking out the most important parts and rendering them useless. Then, Yu Feichen took them toward the south gate. The north wind was howling through the air, chilling the mountains deeply under the night, but none of them were afraid of it. ¡°Head for Oak Hill. They haven¡¯t gone far, there are still footprints in the snow,¡± Yu Feichen gave them simple instructions, ¡°If you can¡¯t catch up with them, just keep going south.¡± Gerold, who stood at the front, nodded. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to grab a few more things from the barracks, their maps and so on.¡± Yu Feichen said, ¡°See you in Sasha.¡± Gerold nodded and took Lianna¡¯s wrist, leading the disabled prisoners on the same path where the others escaped. The snowfall continued, covering up the blood all over the ground. The fleeing Koroshans were smart enough to have picked up any remaining weapons off the ground. A noise emerged nearby. A soldier who had managed to survive was waiting at the doorway. He had a young appearance and his lips were pale from shock. He muttered a few words of bravado and struggled to stand up with his gun aimed at the fleeing group of people. When Lianna heard the noise, she jerked back around. That action caused her flaxen hair to flutter up in the snow, and her turquoise eyes were so clear and crystalline that it was astonishing. She locked eyes with the Black Badge soldier. During this moment, her right hand was held over herself, protecting her slightly raised belly. A woman¡ªpregnant, with a fragile life inside of her, was the frailest and most deserving of protection in the world. Yet at this moment, she was running for her life through the cold winds and the bodies littered on the ground. The soldier¡¯s hand which held the gun began trembling heavily all of a sudden. Yu Feichen was able to watch this scene unfold through the heavy curtain of snowfall. He also noticed the Black Badge¡¯s extremely rusty hold of his gun. During the warring years, many of the recruits were ordinary civilians who were drafted into the army on short notice. perhaps, this man was just an ordinary man from an ordinary family just two months ago. The same two months ago, Lianna would also have been well-clothed and well-fed, living a decent life as a housewife. If they could have met then, then perhaps that boy would have shown respect to women, courtesy to a pregnant madame, and offer her directions with a polite smile. But war and faith changed everything in the blink of an eye. The peaceful dream was shattered. Some took up guns, and others were reduced to cattle as the world lay bare its cruel nature. The victors, unwittingly, took violence and murder for granted. Once the madness hidden within the hearts of men peeped its head, it was no longer possible to end things respectably. Yet at this moment, through their terrified locked gazes, their pupils quivered as did their souls, both of them seeing the truth for what it was. The young Black Badge suddenly wailed in sorrow as he fired several shots into the snow before throwing his gun down. He too dropped down to the snow and cradled his head with his arms, his body shaking as he broke down in tears. Yu Feichen exhaled a cold breath in the biting chill of the northern wind. War and domination¡ªcomplete and utter violence, an affair that changes everyone. Without further thought, he watched as Gerold and the others disappeared into the snow. After scrapping the gun thrown down by the crying soldier, Yu Feichen no longer paid him any mind and headed back into the concentration camp. He had already done what was necessary to facilitate the prisoners¡¯ escape. The rest of the Black Badges would be handed over to the law post-war for a fair sanction; his bullets were limited. Inside the south gate, the small building had already burned down completely. The chemicals inside stoked the fire and the smoke was suffocating. The flames burned away the snow fluttering in the air and formed a red haze in the sky. Yu Feichen flipped through the documents in his hands and found the composition and properties of smiling gas. Its conditions in high temperatures were recorded there, and fortunately, smiling gas was unstable and would denature quickly once exposed to heat. He breathed a sigh of relief. This way, even if the tanks were damaged, it would not have too detrimental of an effect, and he still had time to go into the barracks to search for other information that may help the Koroshans in the war. ¡ªIt was his first time entering the Gates of Eternal Night, so he had no idea what the exact criteria were for the mission¡¯s completion. He had to do everything that he could. The fire illuminated the surroundings, and he looked toward the barracks. Suddenly, something came to mind. Not once since the very beginning had Captain Anfield shown up. What was he up to? Very quickly, Yu Feichen collected a pocket watch from one of the other soldiers and retrieved another two to calibrate the time. It was currently 10 p.m., two hours before the final hour of 12. There was not much time left. He had to complete everything within two hours and leave this place. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable. He immediately headed in the direction of the barracks. On the way, whenever he passed through the prisoners¡¯ quarters, he would go in and check, thus saving the prisoners scattered elsewhere who did not participate in the events outside. Almost all of the soldiers in the concentration camp were gone, either dead or fled far away. The only ones who remained were the guards and quartermasters. They had not killed anyone. When they saw Yu Feichen come in with a gun in hand, they were all shaking in fear. Yu Feichen said to them, ¡°Get out of here.¡± Hurriedly, all of them scrambled away. After arriving at the barracks, Yu Feichen went into the senior colonel¡¯s office first. Based on what he could remember, there was a lot of important information in this place¡ªmaps marking the locations of the various concentration camps, plans for the construction of larger, more efficient camps, the next war deployment, and telegrams to and from Oakvale and Xiyun. ¡ªAt first, things went smoothly as he expected. But as he searched, he realized that something was wrong. ¡ªSomething was missing. Plans, telegrams, there were pieces missing from all of them. Though they did not affect the whole picture, they were still important parts. The missing parts were chosen with precision and nicked with great skill. The drawers and cabinets looked completely untouched. It was a clean job. After searching through the files, Yu Feichen put the documents away and shut the cabinet door before walking out with an expressionless face. He patrolled the area nearby and quickly locked in his focus on a suite diagonally opposite the senior colonel¡¯s room. This place was clean and neatly furnished, obviously belonging to a senior officer. The charcoal fire was still burning inside, showing that the owner of this room was no good with the cold. A coat was hung on the stand, bearing the captain¡¯s insignia. So, the odds were high that this may be the office of Captain Anfield, the man with long platinum blonde hair that spent half the time helping him out, and the other half adding to his problems. Yu Feichen¡¯s face stiffened further. The office was empty, but the lights were still on. The tea was barely warm, bordering on cold. The man must have been gone for at least half an hour. At the same time, Yu Feichen caught the smell of something burning in the air, which gave him a slight sense of foreboding. He followed the scent and sure enough, there were some ashes covered with soil in the flower pot on the desk. On the other side, a telegram machine was placed on a small table by the desk. He walked over and opened up the machine. It was still faintly warm. Clearly, it had been working intensely just a while ago. Of course, there was no need to even guess what had happened. Given that there were ashes left behind from burning paper, the key information must have been disposed of by Anfield. This man was meticulous, completely different from the likes of the senior colonel. He would not leave dangerous information behind. So, Gu Feichen didn¡¯t even try to search the office. He turned away from the desk, grabbing an empty briefcase along the way to store the documents. Then, he went into the suite restroom to grab a towel and wet it. In just over an hour, the fire in the south had turned into a large disaster. Smoke was harmful to the lungs when inhaled, so a wet towel might be a useful protective measure. After he was done, he left the office. Only the sound of the door shutting was slightly louder. It wasn¡¯t a necessity for him to figure out what Anfield was doing. That knowledge probably wouldn¡¯t be of any help to him anyway. It was just that there were still things in the concentration camp that he did not have full control over yet, and that feeling left a bad taste in his mouth. It was 11:40 when he left, time was running out. However, fifteen minutes was enough to get from here to the south gate with his speed. Since Anfield had the leisure to destroy the information, it meant that he was still alive and well. This man knew that he had to leave the camp before midnight, so Yu Feichen no longer paid him any mind and focused on making his way out. The closer he reached the south, the brighter the firelight became, and the smoke was also getting heavier on his lungs. Fortunately, the snowfall dampened the effects to a range that he could deal with. The flames that spread from the two-story building had spread to the incineration tower and even reached the womens¡¯ and childrens¡¯ quarters. The brick houses were not very sturdy. Several of them had already collapsed amidst the flames. He passed through the ruins and continued on. The night was silent, with only the wind and the crackling hum of the flames to be heard. The smell of blood was just as strong as the smoke; this place was hell on earth for the Koroshans, and the scene that was left now truly seemed to be on par with hell itself. Just then, there was a tiny rumple from within the ruins! Yu Feichen snapped back around. The noise continued, followed by voices and a faint cry. He rushed over the rubble in a large stride, making toward the source of the noise. After passing through a collapsed building, the first thing that caught his eye was blonde hair glowing in the firelight. At the sound of bricks crumbling beneath his feet, the man looked up at him. It was Anfield! Anfield was draped in a cloak and wearing white gloves, but he was down on one knee in the rubble, trying to pull something out of the ground. Looking over, Yu Feichen saw the torso of a young girl. Her body was trembling, which meant that she was still alive. She must have been the source of the crying. Then, there was a yelp. Anfield looked back down and spoke as he pulled her out. Yu Feichen had never heard him use this tone of voice before. It was a very gentle voice. ¡°Move a little to the left,¡± he said. Yu Feichen approached them. The girl seemed to have been left behind in the barracks and did not flee alongside the others. Somehow, she had gotten stuck under the collapsing building. It was not only bricks and concrete slabs that were trapping her here, but also the interlocking steel frames. She moved carefully out of fear of being hurt by the steel frames, crying with her eyes shut. Yu Feichen quickly went over to Anfield¡¯s side and swept his eyes over the intricate steel frames, picking out one of them. Anfield looked at him again. The moment he raised his head to look at him, Yu Feichen saw it¡ªthis man was crying. But in the next moment, his gaze focused. What he saw earlier seemed to have been a fleeting illusion. There were no tears on Anfield¡¯s face, there was nothing. The dazzling firelight illuminated the young captain¡¯s face clearly. The two of them had never faced each other in such a clear environment before, and that was when Yu Feichen realized the source of his mistake. Under Anfield¡¯s right eye¡ªclose to the iris¡ªjust under the base of his lashes was a small and faint mole like an old scar, resembling a teardrop that was about to roll down. ¡ªThough, Yu Feichen had only glanced at it for an instant. After that, he grabbed the steel frame with both hands and pulled up with all his might. The mass that the steel frame was holding up was extremely heavy, so he could barely move it. When the charred masonry came tumbling down, the girl screamed and leaped forward, where she was caught under Anfield¡¯s arm and was yanked out of the rubble. Yu Feichen let go and the wreckage which had been pried up came crashing onto the ground. Anfield then held the girl by the wrist and stood up amidst the charred rubble. Yu Feichen checked his watch and met his eyes. He had a stony gaze, and the chill in Anfield¡¯s green eyes was biting. ¡ª11:58. He had no time to lose. Just then, the wind blew the smoke in their direction, causing Anfield to break out in a violent cough. Yu Feichen sighed and covered his nose and mouth with the towel he had supposedly prepared for himself. Learn more Pause Unmute Anfield¡¯s eyes widened slightly at first, then he accepted the towel in understanding. Then, Yu Feichen grabbed Anfield by the shoulders while Anfield held the girl¡¯s wrist tightly. The three of them ran for their lives through the fire, the smoke, and the debris, running toward the south gate 400 meters away from them. CH 24.1 Smiling Gas XX Translated by xiaohei Edited by xiaohei Usually, running 400 meters in two minutes would be no problem at all. However, rubble and debris covered the ground beneath their feet. They had to be wary lest they trip over or were cut by something along the way. At the same time, smoke was billowing over, causing low levels of oxygen in the vicinity which in turn depleted their physical energy sharply. Not to mention, he was bringing along a young girl with him, only the around the age of 6 or 7, as well as a sicky officer he could not help but worry about. After stumbling around for a few moments, Yu Feichen could not stand to see things go on like this any longer. He immediately moved to Anfield¡¯s right and picked up the young girl. Taking the officer¡¯s right hand, he pulled him forward with force. Fortunately, Anfield¡¯s balance was good and he did not end up falling on the rubble. After a few minutes, they finally broke out of the ruins. There were still 300 meters before they were at the south gate. Yu Feichen looked back at Anfield. With a white handkerchief covering his nose, only the officer¡¯s eyes could be seen. His skin was visibly pale, but he could still stand. That was all he needed from him. Looking at the flat road ahead, Yu Feichen took a deep breath and dragged him forward, running quickly without looking back. Run. Get out of this place. There were no other thoughts in his mind but those. The wind whistled in his ears and the excessive exercise and thin oxygen from the atmosphere were starting to suffocate him. It felt like his lungs were being wrung out and his vision was starting to grow distorted¡ª The south gate was getting closer. However, just one step away, he spotted a corpse lying right in front of them. Yu Feichen had no time to care about whether they had the time or whether Anfield noticed the corpse by his feet. He was worried that he himself no longer had the strength to step over it. Almost by instinct, he yanked the man forward, holding him with one arm before raising his legs, up and over the corpse. He was running out of energy and the load he had to bear was too great. The moment his body went forward, he lost his balance. However, everything was within his expectations. He used the forward momentum to lunge forward onto the ground. Anfield held the little girl tight while Yu Feichen protected the back of his head with his right hand. The three of them rolled around twice on the ground. The two pillars of the south gate had already turned into gray streaks in Yu Feichen¡¯s field of vision that quickly whizzed by. They were finally out! Yu Feichen tried to lift himself up with his arms while Anfield had also let go. The panicked little girl looked up and moved away from Anfield. She was in an okay condition, or rather, she was completely unaware of what had just happened. Yu Feichen had only glanced at her once before looking away to check on Anfield below him instead. The side past the gate was unaffected by the flames. Anfield¡¯s long silver hair lay disheveled on top of the snow, and there were two wet curls stuck to his forehead. He was still gasping for air in an irregular rhythm. There was a slight red at the corner of his eyes, which looked slightly out of focus. Yu Feichen stared for a while and pressed on his chest, approximately where his lung was located. ¡°Breathe deeply, quick!¡± he urged him. Smoke, heat, oxygen shortage, carbon monoxide, strenuous exercise, lung disease¡­ The consequences of these factors combined together were carbon monoxide poisoning and asphyxiation! There did not seem to be any response from Anfield. In the dead silence of the night, time seemed to flow infinitely slower. Yu Feichen seemed to hear his heart drumming. Ba-dump ba-dump*. Two sounds. He patted Anfield¡¯s cheek and called out to him in a hoarse voice, ¡°Sir, wake up.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± ¡°Anfield.¡± Anfield blinked slowly, snowflakes resting on his long eyelashes. Then, his eyes shut and opened again as he blinked. He was still conscious. Yu Feichen breathed a sigh of relief. He continued compressing his chest. ¡°Breathe.¡± He could feel the movements of his breathing from the palm of his hands. At first, it was slightly chaotic, but eventually, his breathing was regulated. He looked down and saw Anfield pursing his lips tight. His body was trembling, but his breathing was gradually returning to normal. Taking a deep breath on the verge of suffocation was a very painful thing to do. That was because his lungs could no longer withstand such an action, but only by breathing deeply would he be able to bring him back without any means of providing first aid. Clearly, Anfield knew what he had to do, and he had enough willpower to force himself through the pain. After a few short breaths, his breathing had calmed down considerably. ¡°Lift me up.¡± Yu Feichen heard a light and hoarse voice, just like the snowflakes on the ground. He slipped his arm underneath Anfield¡¯s body to lift up his shoulders, making him lean on his body before he sat the two of them up. Anfield coughed a few times. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Yu Feichen answered. He also adjusted his own breathing. Earlier, all his attention was on Anfield who was one foot in the grave. Now that his mind cleared up a little, the pain in his own heart and lungs finally crashed on him all at once. His physical strength was exhausted and it felt like his chest was filled with sand. He could even vaguely taste blood in his throat. However, this was fine. He had gotten used to situations like this after years of going through all sorts of dangerous situations. Only the thumping of his heart felt strange and unfamiliar to him. He took in a deep breath, attributing his unusual reaction to the intensity of the situation earlier. As he was thinking about that, Anfield grabbed onto a corner of his sleeves to steady himself while he popped open the cover of his pocket watch with his other hand. Almost twenty seconds have passed since they stumbled out of the gate. Right now, the slim second hand of the pocket watch was pointing at the number 11. 11:59:55 ¡ª5 seconds before midnight. At this moment, the two of them coincidentally looked up at the camp behind the walls. The crimson sky, the tall cremation tower, the remaining flames. The ruined walls were burned black and there were bodies near and far. Everything they saw looked like it came straight out of an apocalyptic scene from ancient legends. What will happen when the clock hits 12 and the timeline shifts again? Yu Feichen backed away from the camp with the officer, counting down silently in his mind. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The moment the second hand reached ¡°12¡±, it was as if time stood still. His breath also hitched all of a sudden. At that moment, though visions of flames still remained clearly in his retinas, no shadow of spark or flame could be seen in the concentration camp in front of him. It was difficult to describe how those flames had been extinguished, whether they suddenly disappeared from the world or dispersed like fireworks in the sky, because the naked eye was simply incapable of capturing such a quick change. Like a videotape that was playing normally until jamming at a certain frame, and a completely different image appeared afterward. With the flames gone, even the sky, lit red from the reflection of the fire, also returned to pitch darkness. A cold breeze blew over and even the heavy smell of carbon had faded. Looking past the south gate, the camp was dark and in ruins, just like before. It was silent all around them. The strange changes happened within the walls, but they were outside of it. All of a sudden, a soft but unemotional robotic sound played in his ears. ¡°Escape successful.¡± At the end of the system notice, everything around him suddenly vaporized and disappeared. When he blinked his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a gray void that seemed to run infinitely in all directions, but it was completely devoid of anything. In the next moment, a cloud of grey appeared in front of his eyes, flowing slowly. Then, vague shadows and images appeared in the cloud all of a sudden. Yu Feichen backed up a few steps and saw the image in its entirety¡ªIt was a three-dimensional model of the camp drawn out of Grey and black lines of smoke. He reached out his hand, only to pass through the image, unable to influence it in any sort of way. Then, the system notice sounded again. ¡°Please begin deconstructing.¡± Yu Feichen heard the voice clearly. Did the successful escape from the concentration camp refer to escaping from the premises within a set time? Then what did ¡°begin deconstructing¡± mean? After the notice ended, there was no change in the hazy image, and the only other thing present within this empty space was the model and himself. In which case, there was no doubt that the system was telling him to ¡°begin deconstructing¡±. The meaning of ¡°deconstruct¡± was implicit. Its definition was to take something apart, to uncover its pieces. And, he was currently presented with a virtual image of a concentration camp with a problem¡ªmost likely his prompt to uncover just what was going on in that place. It was just like a test question. Yu Feichen focused his mind and quickly went through everything that happened in recent days. Then, facing the image in the fog, he gave his answer. ¡°Oakvale Concentration Camp was where the Black Badge Army held and executed their Koroshan prisoners. Prior to January 15, everything was normal. ¡°From the 15th on, a disturbance in time-space was noticed within the camp. ¡°Every night at 12 o¡¯clock, I could see the events that would happen eight days later from the entrance of the barracks I resided in, but I was not brought to the future. I merely saw a parallel timeline. A split overlapping eight days in the timeline, which was only supposed to go one way. The 15th and the 23rd took place simultaneously, as did the 22nd and the 30th, and so on. ¡°Due to the split in the timeline, the cause and effect links were disrupted, thus the scenes presented at midnight were not strictly the eventual future, but a logical extrapolation based on the events that happened in the real timeline.¡± After reaching this point, Yu Feichen paused. He was not completely sure about his hypothesis, but this was the only explanation he could think of at the moment. ¡°Thus, what happened during the day would affect the vision that was shown at night. ¡°On the 22nd, everyone escaped from the containment camp. At the same time, a fire broke out. So, the only possible extrapolation that can be extracted from that point, 8 days onwards, was that the camp would become burned ruins devoid of life. After a pause, he continued, ¡°Once 12 hit tonight, the timeline had exceeded the overlap, and we were brought directly to the 31st. ¡°With that, the future as predicted would become reality. Today, the camp as depicted was the camp on the 31st. The fires have already burned out, and the buildings were reduced to rubble. As for the real concentration camp from the original timeline as well as everything inside of it, all of it was gone. ¡°In conclusion, the only way to ensure a successful escape was to leave the camp before 12 o¡¯clock hit on the 22nd day of the month.¡± The gray fog continued flowing in silence. He reviewed everything he said before announcing, ¡°I have finished speaking.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the system sounded again. CH 24.2 Smiling Gas XX Translated by xiaohei Edited by xiaohei ¡°Deconstruction beginning.¡± All of a sudden, a bright golden light bloomed from the image in the fog, emerging as a luminescent string in the darkness. The threads of light enveloped the gray concentration camp, then, Yu Feichen saw the image tremble and disintegrate, turning into a flowing golden aura as the threads moved across it as if it were being dissolved by the light. The dissolution began from all sides, the speed differing from one point to another as if following some mysterious law. However, when only the barracks they were in were left behind, it stopped. A notification announced, ¡°Deconstruction progress: 86%.¡± 86 percent? Yu Feichen frowned. It was not a high number. However, in the next moment, an indescribable and huge force suddenly shook through the space that seemed to be able to shake one¡¯s soul directly, and the barracks formed out of the remaining fog instantly shattered into a sky full of stars. The system¡¯s cool voice announced, ¡°Deconstruction complete.¡± The gray fog had completely disappeared, and little sparks were dancing in the space just like meteors in the night sky. It was hard to describe the feeling that one felt just from seeing the lights. It was soft yet brilliantly radiant. Yu Feichen¡¯s eyes widened. He watched some of the lights fly into the distance before disappearing without a trace, but some of them flowed to him instead, disappearing into his body. After the final glimmer faded away, the space turned empty again. Yu Feichen stood in place. he needed some time to sort out what just happened. Was that a presentation of the Gate of Eternal Night¡¯s rules just now? First of all, without thinking about what the meaning of ¡°deconstruction¡± was, did ¡°deconstruction success¡± mean that he had completed his task? According to the process that he was familiar with, once the task was finished, then he will be transported back to Paradise after that. However, the countdown did not sound in this place. What were those golden lights that entered his body? Was that the reward? For a moment, countless guesses flitted past his mind. However, in the next second, just like its sudden appearance a few minutes ago, the space disappeared just as abruptly. A chilling wind cut through the wind to his face. Yu Feichen found himself outside of the gate of the concentration camp again, and the second hand on his watch had just passed twelve. The space that appeared a moment ago was in a separate time. In fact, nothing had happened. No¡­ it did happen. Yu Feichen discovered that all of the strength he exerted previously had returned to him. Looking up at the concentration camp, the shadows of the buildings in the darkness were clear¡ªIt should be known that the body of the barrister he occupied suffered from some minor short-sightedness. Not only that, his sense of hearing and smell seemed much sharper than before, and his muscles were stronger than they had been, as if his entire body had been strengthened. It was a thought-provoking experience, but the tremble he felt on his shoulder pulled him back from his thoughts. Anfield was coughing again. Yu Feichen was at a loss at first, but then he patted his back to offer him a symbolic form of comfort. As he did so, he frowned. This time, his cough was different. Sure enough, when Anfield finally stopped coughing and removed the handkerchief, the white fabric was stained red with blood, and a considerable amount of it at that. Anfield¡¯s lashes drooped slightly, but he remained calm as he folded the handkerchief and covered his mouth again, coughing softly into it twice more. He acted unconcerned, but the girl saw it. She had been jumpy with panic this whole time after being saved from the rubble, and she was so shocked that she could not speak when the fire mysteriously disappeared in the blink of an eye. Now that the person who saw her was looking weak and coughing up blood, she burst into tears. Anfield was coughing up blood and the girl was wailing, both things that Yu Feichen could not handle. He had never felt as troubled as he was today. Weighing the severity between the two, he decided to ignore the crying one and turned to Anfield instead. ¡°Do you have medicine?¡± Anfield nodded. Then, he pulled a small white vial from his pocket. Since there was no water here, he gulped it down with just his blood alone. Yu Feichen helped him up. ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to spend the night for now.¡± Right now, it was imperative that they find the captain some warmth. Even though they had ¡°escaped successfully¡±, he still preferred not to go back into the concentration camp before daylight. Looking around, he decided to set up camp in the logging train for the night. The unconscious sentry and guard have already woken up and run away at some point in time. The corpse of the large man was still inside, which he dragged out before cleaning the inside of the wagon and bringing Anfield and the girl in. After some coaxing from the captain, the girl¡¯s crying eased up slightly, which was a great relief for his throbbing headache. The next step was to drive the train to a sheltered spot in the mountains. They couldn¡¯t start a fire in the wagon, so Yu Feichen left the door ajar and gathered the firewood into a pile before lighting it with the lighter he had on hand, leaving it to burn next to the door. That way, the air inside the wagon would be kept fresh while the heat from the fire would come through. Considering Anfrield¡¯s sickly condition, he added a handful of extra firewood to the fire¡ªwood that he had chopped himself during the day. That said, the firewood was meant to keep Captain Anfield warm, and now it was fulfilling its purpose. After the fire was started, there was no need for them to worry about wild beasts approaching them from the mountain. Even if there were, then Anfield had his gun with him, and his aim was more than acceptable. With that assurance, Yu Feichen could go further away from the railway and pick a few ripe acorns they could eat. There was no other reason for him doing this other than just an excuse to avoid hearing the girl cry. At the very least, the kid should be more well-behaved with something to eat. The campfire illuminated the snowfield, the wagon¡¯s interior, and the surrounding oak trees. He followed the light back to the train. When he arrived at the wagon, Anfield was holding the girl and patting her gently. The girl¡¯s hair was golden blonde, a deeper hue than Anfield¡¯s, but their hair color seemed almost indistinguishable under the firelight. They must have heard him returning as the two turned to look in his direction. Anfield had a calm and gentle look in his eyes, whereas the girl¡¯s were still glistening faintly with her tears. Without saying anything, Yu Feichen stuffed the acorns into the hands of the girl and sat down against the wagon wall, positioned to their right where the door was, acting as a shield against the wind. After his physique was enhanced, he was now in peak condition. The girl looked exhausted and on the brink of falling asleep. It did not take long before she shut her eyes while holding the acorns. Anfield¡¯s condition seemed to have improved as well. He patted the girl¡¯s body gently with his hand, lulling her to sleep. Yu Feichen was silent, merely watching on. He wasn¡¯t trying to learn any childcare techniques from Anfield, but Anfield had glanced at him a few times today, so he was just repaying the favor. Even though Anfield looked skillful at what he was doing, the shock that the girl had to endure was far too great, thus she would jolt awake every time she tried to fall asleep. Her face was pale, and after going through that several times, she looked to be suffering. On the fourth panic attack, Yu Feichen saw Anfield stroke the girl¡¯s hair. A look of sadness appeared in his green, downcast eyes. After that, Anfield¡¯s pale lips moved faintly. a very soft and slow tune drifted through the wagon illuminated by the campfire, just like snow-covered pine leaves. It was a lullaby, perhaps something else, but the melody seemed ethereal, there at times, gone the others. Yu Feichen could not tell what language it was. Perhaps it was just a simple melody. Under the lull of his song, the girl¡¯s breathing gradually calmed down. Even Yu Feichen¡¯s own breathing slowed down, he discovered, growing long and deep as Anfield¡¯s lullaby. In a split moment, he seemed to be pulled into a dreamlike slumber himself. He saw an ethereal white temple. The large building stretched on for hundreds of miles with many inscriptions on the walls. White doves were flying around and flowers were in full bloom. He could see the girl¡¯s furrowed brows gradually relaxing along with the tune of the lullaby, and her long, relaxed breaths were proof that she had fallen into a deep slumber. There was a sweet smile on her lips. Perhaps she saw what he had just seen as well. Vaguely, the lullaby faded away and the song disappeared as if it never existed. In the silence of the night, the only sound left was the crackling wood in the fire. Even the snow stopped. Looking past the firelight and through the oak trees, far away over the endless, sloping mounds of snow, the wreckage past the south gate was still visible. Anfield asked, ¡°Did you do all that?¡± Yu Feichen knew what he was referring to, and he did not feel the need to hide it. He answered, ¡°Yes.¡± Anfield continued staring in that direction, but it was not known what he was thinking about. The moonlight grew slightly brighter when the train snaked across the valley. Yu Feichen said, ¡°I heard they¡¯re prisoners from the Highlands Concentration Camp.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Anfield answered. ¡°They were going to transfer a batch of prisoners to other concentration camps for execution. I knew that you were planning an escape, so I had them transferred to Oakvale.¡± As expected, the captain wouldn¡¯t give him a hard time, Yu Feichen thought. ¡°What else did you do besides that?¡± He sat with his hand on his cheek, looking at Anfield. ¡°Are you just sitting around and watching the chaos unfold?¡± He was referring to the documents that disappeared from the senior colonel¡¯s office. Anfield looked askance at him, his eyes not tinged with the usual coldness but was rather much gentler. ¡°There¡¯s a coup happening within Syn tonight.¡± Seemingly afraid of disturbing the girl¡¯s rest, his voice was soft, almost a whisper. ¡°I came to Oakvale to check on the status of the camp and to gather some necessary information for the department I belong to.¡± He went on, ¡°If it succeeds, many things will change, including how prisoners are treated.¡± ¡°Looks like I was wrong about you.¡± Yu Feichen asked casually, ¡°So, how did things turn out?¡± Anfield answered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say.¡± Expecting his meticulousness, Yu Feichen changed the subject. ¡°What exactly was the future we saw in the camp?¡± He asked, ¡°What do you think, Captain?¡± ¡°That¡¯s already in the past,¡± Anfield answered, ¡°Are you still thinking about it?¡± Yu Feichen was frank. ¡°I am.¡± According to the system notice he heard in that strange space, he had only completed 86 percent of the camp¡¯s deconstruction. It was just as unbearable as scoring 86 out of 100 in an exam. He had never encountered such a thing before and found it difficult to accept to the point where he was haunted by it. ¡°Perhaps what is presented every night is the everchanging future that we are meant to see.¡± Anfield¡¯s voice was faint. ¡°But there are always those who move beyond the expectations of time, so the future can only keep on changing.¡± Yu Feichen could tell. A moment ago, he had been slightly snarky with Anfield, and now it was Anfield¡¯s turn to point his finger at him subliminally. Forget it, he wasn¡¯t going to get at him for that. He leaned against the wagon wall. ¡°Still, it¡¯s strange. ¡°It feels split.¡± Somewhere in the mundane world, something had gone wrong and the timeline was broken. He had never seen anything like it. Anfield answered with a somewhat philosophical line. ¡°In many parts of the world, that¡¯s what normal is.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Yu Feichen wondered. ¡°Are all young Syvians erudite like you?¡± Not only was he knowledgeable, he was calm and collected as if he had seen such freakish occurrences countless times before. This time, Anfield didn¡¯t say, ¡°Mind your own business¡±. ¡°Just like the Koroshan lawyers have to train in marksmanship and combat before they join the bar?¡± His articulation was both elegant and polite. ¡°No, actually,¡± Yu Feichen answered, unperturbed. ¡°I trained at the air force academy for two years before switching to law.¡± That was all Anfield said to him. Yu Feichen looked at him and found that the captain was looking at himself too, a vague play of amusement in his eyes. Feeling confronted, he shifted his gaze downwards, where he noticed that light tear mole under his eyes again. Though, maybe it couldn¡¯t be called that since it was so close to his eye, hanging right by the base of his lashes. Unless examined closely, it only seemed like his lower lashes were slightly denser. But then again, it was indeed where a teardrop would first land as soon as it left the eye. It added an unearthly calm and sorrow to Anfield¡¯s otherwise expressionless, cold, and proud face. Yu Feichen had no idea how to describe what he felt when he saw that look of sorrow on his face. He wanted to brush the mark away, but he also thought it was beautiful. At that moment, the girl in Anfield¡¯s arm stirred. While he looked down at her, Yu Feichen turned his gaze to the mountains and the forest outside of the wagon. The silvery moonlight spilled over the snow-covered valley. Occasionally, a starling would perch on the trees, causing the snow to shake off the branches of the oak trees. He stared for a long time, not out of some leisurely interest or the like, but the night felt so vastly empty that it was inevitably stirring. When his eyes returned to the side, the girl in Anfield¡¯s arms also fell back asleep. At around the age of 6 or 7, the child was thin, but she couldn¡¯t be that light. Sighing, he eventually pulled the girl out from Anfield¡¯s cloak and rested her against his own body. CH 25 Smiling Gas XXI Translated by xiaohei Edited by xiaohei When dawn peered over the edge of the horizon, the fire which had been burning for half the night gradually went out. The temperature in the carriage gradually dropped. Yu Feichen could feel a gentle force on his shoulder. It was Anfield who had unknowingly leaned over in his sleep. His soft, curly hair also draped over his chest and shoulder. Even Anfield¡¯s left hand was resting on top of his arm. As the carriage grew cold, his body had more or less become a source of heat, and it was by instinct that the sleeping Anfield sought that warmth, but it was still unexpected that Anfield was so at ease around him that he could sleep so defensively. He looked down at the hand on top of his arm. It was slender, well-defined, and his skin looked delicate. He could faintly see the green veins traveling underneath it. Everyone could change their appearance and body at will in Paradise, and many people have turned themselves into hulking macho figures like small mountains in order to show off their strength, but he didn¡¯t find that kind of style admirable. He preferred the appearance of being able to lift large weights with ease, and it was one of the few aesthetic choices he had. ¡ªAnfield¡¯s hands, for example, were a good fit for wielding both guns and knives. Outside, a squirrel scuttled across the snow while carrying an acorn, and the rustling noise interrupted his thoughts. Only then did he realize what he was just thinking. Anfield was certainly relaxed in his current state, but an enemy officer that he could not claim to know well was still leaning on his shoulder and holding his arm, yet he did not hold his guard up against him at all. Instead, he was even observing this person¡¯s appearance. Those hands were certainly pretty to look at, but there was no doubt that it had pulled the trigger before and was stained with blood. Carrying both a gun and a dagger, the officer could show off his dangerous side at any moment. Even after judging the possibility of Anfield stabbing him in the back all of a sudden like calculating the possibility of his teammates dropping the ball at the last second, Yu Feichen still failed to get himself to put up his guard against him, which ended with the result of him finding him a little unpleasant. However, in that process, their bodies also grew a little closer. In the end, Yu Feichen simply closed his eyes. Nothing happened during the night. When the morning sun shone over the mountains, Anfield moved slightly in his arms, which caused Yu Feichen to wake instantly. Then, he saw Anfield slowly open his eyes. The pale, icy green eyes looked dazed for just a moment before regaining their clarity, reflecting a bit of the morning light coming in. Unconcerned, he moved away as if leaning and sleeping against someone else for the whole night was something that was as normal as breathing to him. Without any fuss, he retracted his hand and brushed down his hair a little. Then, Yu Feichen saw the officer looking quietly at the sleeping girl. The child had slipped from Yu Feichen¡¯s arms onto the carriage floor as she slept with only her head still on his lap. She was in good health, so she would be fine. For that reason, Yu Feichen did not bother to pull her up and just draped a flak jacket over her to keep her warm amidst the cold wind. Then, the officer turned quietly to look at him. It was indeed problematic for him to have left the child on the floor when he was supposed to be taking care of her. Under the officer¡¯s gaze, Yu Feichen reflected on his faults and peeled all the acorns for breakfast as compensation. While he was peeling, the girl was munching on nuts, while Anfield was coughing. After a bout of coughs, the handkerchief was stained red again. Yu Feichen saw it. Either his condition had worsened, or the smoke from last night had caused new injuries to his lungs. Yu Feichen suggested, ¡°You need to see a doctor.¡± It was an ominous sign for one to be coughing up blood during such an underdeveloped aura. It was usually a sign that one¡¯s life was beginning to wither away. Anfield replied, ¡°I know.¡± And that was that. After breakfast, they left the train carriage. The water tank was frozen, so there was no way they could start the train, so they had to walk on foot. Yu Feichen walked ahead while holding the girl¡¯s hand, while Anfield was walking slightly to the side behind him. This way, his body could block part of the wind before blowing toward Anfield. In the past, his employers would occasionally treat him this way, at an extra cost. Then, after finding out that certain employers were interested in sending him off to deal with menial tasks in lower worlds for good money to kill time, and after asking around, he decided to take on dangerous tasks at the seventh gate instead. It was seven o¡¯clock in the morning when they reached the south gate. The sky overhead was an ashen blue. Looking in through the gate, they were met with a depressingly decrepit sight, but the ruins were slightly different from what they saw yesterday. Yu Feichen looked over at the fence, and the charred marks left from the fire had been covered by a fine layer of dust. Clearly, several days had passed since the fire. ¡ªThen, it was the 31st day without a doubt. His speculation was correct. Anfield stepped forward and also reached out his hand to confirm the dust left on the gate. After that, he took a step inside. Yu Feichen stood outside, unmoving. Under the clear, cold light of day, Anfield turned back to look at him. The pale, icy green eyes adorned by a single tear mole stared calmly at him as if waiting for him to speak. Looking at him, Yu Feichen said, ¡°This is the end of the line for me.¡± What happened last night was destined to remain no secret. The Black Badges from the surrounding camps will notice that something is wrong and will come to investigate in a couple of days. At that time, the events that happened at Oakvale Concentration Camp would cause a commotion. With practically all of the soldiers wiped out and all the prisoners escaping, the result was undoubtedly defeat for the Black Badge Army. The senior colonel was dead, so they could not pursue the matter with him. In that event, as the only surviving officer, the responsibility for this failure would land on Anfield¡¯s shoulders. He believed that Anfield himself should be well aware of this fact. They exchanged glances, but neither side spoke. ¡°You can come to Sasha with me,¡± he said after a moment of contemplation. Anfield shook his head. He slowly turned his head back to look at the crumbling ruins. Though Yu Feichen could only see his back, he could imagine what expression he had on his face. In the cold wind, Anfield whispered, ¡°This is my country.¡± Yu Feichen understood what he was implying. Because this was his country, he was unable to turn his back on it, even if his back was weighed down by sin toward this barren wasteland. Even though Yu Feichen expected this answer, he still thought it was unfortunate. ¡°Take care,¡± he said. ¡°See you again.¡± Anfield¡¯s voice traveled through the wind like a drifting snowflake. ¡°Thank you.¡± He did not turn back. Still holding the girl¡¯s hand, Yu Feichen turned around and walked into the white mist ahead. Footsteps of varying depths tracked through the snow. There were three sets when they came, yet only one when they left. The girl walked reluctantly, turning back every few steps. She kept on tugging on his arm and asking, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mr. Officer coming with us?¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Why is he staying there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go, mister. I¡¯m not going.¡± Yu Feichen did not respond the whole time. It wasn¡¯t until he trekked up a tall mountain that he noticed the girl¡¯s condition. Her face was wet with tears and her cheeks were red from the cold. Stubbornly, she stared in the direction of the camp through her tears. The frailty of a child and the unpredictable changes of their moods were overwhelming. Yu Feichen sighed and went down on one knee to face the girl, then he wiped off her icy cold tears with his sleeve. Besides when she was in shock yesterday night, she was a well-behaved girl. Head drooping, she sobbed. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be separated.¡± Yu Feichen looked at her for a long time. Though he looked absent on the surface, he was in fact thinking of how he could comfort the girl. ¡°We all have our own places to go, and we¡¯re destined to part with many things in that journey.¡± He finally spoke. Contrary to his expectations, his words had the opposite effect, and the girl¡¯s eyes welled up with sadness. Silence was gold, he should remember that. He patted her head and stood up and looked in the direction where they came. He could see all of the camp from the mountain in one glance. He saw Anfield, too. The officer in his black officer¡¯s coat stood quietly on the empty ground in front of the crematorium. The tall structure was the color of gray cement on one side, and pitch black the other from the fire. Anfield was watching it. Remnants of the ash were picked up by the wind, and the breeze was so that even his black coat was stirred. Several crows perched on top of the tower. For some reason, there was a sanctity amidst the decadence of this scene, just like when the flames burned away the sin of this place last night. After one final glance, Yu Feichen retracted his gaze and picked up the girl, making his way south without turning back again. Just as he told her, one eventually gets used to separation. After going through countless worlds, he occasionally endowed things that he thought were worthy of reminiscing at first. Yet, in the end, only Paradise and the Tower of Creation were eternal. After tossing what happened in the camp to the back of his mind, he began making towards the destination he set his mind on. Even though he had a kid with him, it did not ginger the speed of his journey too much. In 5 days, they arrived at Sasha. CH 26.1 Smiling Gas Final Translated by xiaohei Edited by xiaohei Here was a frontier town within Sasha¡¯s territory. It wasn¡¯t a particularly prosperous place, but as it was still currently free of the scourge of war, it was peaceful and quiet. Yu Feichen was an unfamiliar face with a catchy but travel-worn appearance, drawing the attention of many as soon as he stepped into town. Fortunately, he was bringing along a cute little girl with him, which helped to lower the guards of the townspeople. Many Koroshans worked in trade and were not too difficult to find around. Yu Feichen headed to the nearest store to ask whether or not the Koroshans had a chamber of commerce here, and the shop owner provided him with both directions and the address. The address led to a medium-sized bank. After informing the doorman of the purpose of his visit, a middle-aged Koroshan man in a suit came out to greet him. Yu Feichen gave him a brief rundown of the massacre that happened at Oakvale, to which the man listened with a grave expression. He asked him to rest here while he headed off to report to his superior. A day later, the little girl was taken away by other staff at the establishment while he was given a fresh change of clothes. At noon, the middle-aged man from the chamber of commerce brought an elderly man with snow-white hair, a black tie, and gold-rimmed glasses. ¡°I¡¯m the president of the Koroshan Federation in Sasha and I¡¯ve arrived here as soon as possible after receiving the telegram.¡± The old man pointed to the gold badge on his chest. ¡°Now, tell me in detail what you saw, child.¡± Omitting the fact that he dealt with dozens of soldiers at the south gate alone, he gave the old man a detailed account of the brutal genocide that took place at the Oakvale Concentration Camp. The president¡¯s hands were trembling and he was silent for a long time after listening to his story. ¡°News about the Black Badges invading Korosha and incarcerating our people in their camps have already reached our ears,¡± he finally mustered. ¡°But, child, what you¡¯re saying here¡­ It¡¯s simply hard to believe. I wouldn¡¯t dare to believe in it.¡± Yu Feichen answered, ¡°It really did happen.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to provide tangible evidence to back that up,¡± the old man said, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid nobody will believe you.¡± Yu Feichen had the documents in his bag, but he didn¡¯t bring them out immediately. Instead, he said, ¡°More of my companions are on the way.¡± On the third day, another group of a dozen travel-worn Koroshans appeared outside of the town, and the Koroshan Chamber of Commerce, which had been instructed on their arrival, quickly headed over to fetch them. This was part of the first group of escapees that traveled by truck. So as to reduce the possibility of them being caught, they divided into small groups as Yu Feichen told them to do, and fled in separate ways. It was Bai Song who led this group. Fortunately, he was able to get everyone to Sasha in one piece. Unfortunately, they had encountered a pack of wild wolves deep in the mountains two days ago. Bai Song bravely protected everyone with his axe, but the price he paid for their safety was a severe injury to his thigh, so he had to be carried here by his group. The doctor¡¯s initial recommendation was amputation, then Bai Song was arranged a ward by the chamber. With a knock on the door, Yu Feichen let himself in. Bai Song was excited to see him and tried to sit up, but he was pushed back down to his bed by the quick-witted nurse. When Yu Feichen sat down next to his bed, Bai Song called out to him with a quaver in his voice. ¡°Brother Yu.¡± Yu Feichen told him that everyone was able to escape the camp. When he heard that, a smile blossomed on Bai Song¡¯s face before he could even stop his tears. At that moment, the old president entered. ¡°I¡¯m not if I¡¯ve overstepped any boundaries, but I have to tell you what happened,¡± he said to Yu Feichen, ¡°We decided to separate everyone and question them individually, and we compiled all of their testimonies to ensure that the information is reliable.¡± Yu Feichen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the proper way of doing it.¡± This was an old method of interrogation. Comparing the details between each person¡¯s attestations enabled the greatest level of accuracy and allowed one to detect whether a person was lying. That also showcased how seriously the president took this matter, which meant that he could rest easy. After a day of questioning, the old president and the president of the chamber visited him again, both sitting opposite him. ¡°We got the testimonies. Even now, I find it hard to believe that such a nightmare could descend upon our people and that they had to go through that much suffering, but we will do everything we can to help them.¡± The old president seemed to have aged a decade in a single night. His lips trembled as he said, ¡°Thank you, child.¡± Yu Feichen nodded. Then, he took out the documents from his bag and slid them over to the two presidents. When they received the documents and scanned them, their faces turned grave. ¡°You¡¯re like a messenger sent down to us by the holy Yuryllia,¡± the old president said while holding his hand. They said that they would do everything within their power to send out telegrams to reliable organizations and countries throughout to discuss measures that would allow their compatriots to escape safely. All Yu Feichen had to do now was wait for the results. Many days passed, and there was constant news pouring in. Records from Oakvale Concentration Camp were not only constantly coming in, but also secretly being circulated in many places. The unbelievable atrocities that the Koroshans suffered through in the concentration camp shocked not only their surviving countrymen but also astonished the people of other countries. At the same time, the escaped prisoners arrived at several of Sasha¡¯s frontier towns. They did not have an exact headcount, but they were sure that most of the imprisoned Koroshans were able to make it out. A month later, Blondie heard some news from another town and rushed over to look for Yu Feichen and Bai Song. He said that he found his mother, but his other relatives had all been separated in other trains. ¡°A dozen others, including myself, have decided to join five-country allied partisans against the Black Badge Army. This revolution will become our life¡¯s work. Big Nose is going to look for his family, and he¡¯ll look out for our families too.¡± Bai Song hugged him with emotion welling in his eyes. ¡°May Yuryllia bless you, Grange.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come and see you once my leg recovers.¡± He lay against Grange¡¯s shoulder, wiping his eyes and pretending he didn¡¯t cry. In fact, he had been bawling his eyes out in front of Yu Feichen before Blondie arrived. ¡ªThe conservative treatment failed and his entire right leg was going to be sawn off tomorrow. Blondie had no idea and was patting his back to reassure him. ¡°You¡¯ll recover soon.¡± Yu Feichen stood by the window, watching the two brothers in distress as they talked. All the dust finally settled. Right now, the man called James Adams had already done all that he could for his suffering country within his capacity. What¡¯s more, the system informed him that deconstruction had been successful the other day¡ªalthough the results were less than satisfactory for him. If this wasn¡¯t enough to get the job done, then he¡¯d have to join the army as well. It was then that a knock came on the ward door. The old president entered. ¡°I heard you were having a meeting here.¡± He had a smile on his face and could barely hide his excitement. There was a telegram in his hand, and the news was also being broadcast on the radio. ¡°These are the best news you¡¯ll have heard in days.¡± ¡°The surviving cities of Korosha, the five other nations that were invaded by the Black Blade Army, and also the nations that were willing to reach out an olive branch to these nations in need, they had long had the desire to form a joint army together. After what happened at Oakvale reached them, the process toward that ideal was accelerated. Just this morning, someone has been elected as the joint army¡¯s leader.¡± The old man paused for a moment, taking in the shocked and joyful expressions of those in the room before continuing, ¡°If nothing goes wrong, then the first thing the army will do is dispatch an air service unit to blow up the incineration towers and other killing devices they¡¯ve set up in the shelters everywhere and free all the Koroshans.¡± His words gradually overlapped with the voice on the radio. The two young nurses in the ward wiped their tears and hugged each other. Bai Song and Blondie, who were already in a brotherly embrace to begin with, held each other even tighter. The only two left in the ward were Yu Feichen and the old president. The old president glanced around and cleared his throat. Then, he performed a traditional Koroshan celebratory salute to Yu Feichen and knocked his fists together. At the same time, celebratory shouts could be heard from the streets inhabited by the Koroshans, and banners were put up. The old president looked into the distance. ¡°Justice prevails in the end.¡± CH 26.2 Smiling Gas Final Translated by xiaohei Edited by xiaohei While everyone was filled with hope, Yu Feichen felt a familiar sensation coming from his body. The gray space from before was back again, but unlike last time, there was a huge map in front of him. Upon closer inspection, Yu Feichen realized that it was the map of this world, and all the patterns were created from a series of intertwining gray lines. The system sounded, ¡°Occupation begins.¡± In the next moment, a brilliant dor of light appeared where the Oakvale Concentration Camp was located, followed by thin golden lines that spread out in all directions. Shortly after, an even brighter dot appeared at the edge of Sasha that spread out just like before. A thought came to mind. Perhaps these dots represented the impact he created on this world. When the spread stopped, a prominent golden section appeared on the gray map that covered about an eighth of it. ¡°Core position occupied successfully.¡± ¡°Conversion begins.¡± Then, the map seemed to stay the same, but when he looked closer, Yu Feichen noticed that the golden lines were slowly, almost imperceptibly, creeping toward the other areas. Given enough time, the world would surely be covered by this soft and dazzling golden glow. At this moment, the system sounded again. ¡°Victory.¡± ¡°Please select your believers.¡± The scenery changed, and everything was foggy. He was back in the world, but everyone was still. Blondie, Bai Song, the nurse, the president. Before entering the Gate of Eternal Night, the voice had told him, ¡°You should bring those who follow you wholeheartedly. You may bring one back from each adventure.¡± However, Yu Feichen realized that he couldn¡¯t just pick his believers as he pleased. First of all, many people had things they wanted to do in their worlds, and he admired people like them. For example, Anfield and Blondie. Not only had Blondie made the decision to enlist in the military, he also had someone he fancied. Bai Song had his own dreams, too, but it didn¡¯t seem like they were attainable anymore. He walked up to Bai Song. If he were to pick this child as his teammate, he would seem a bit ordinary in every aspect, but compared to others like him in this world, he didn¡¯t seem so bad after all. Never mind, he thought. The past was already sealed in his memory, but when he first walked into Paradise, he was just as lacking in everything. As he looked toward Bai Song in the still scene, Bai Song suddenly moved and opened his eyes. ¡°Bai Song,¡± he called out to him. Bai Song seemed taken aback for a moment. ¡°¡­Brother Yu?¡± ¡°What do you plan to do in the future?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he answered. ¡°I don¡¯t have any family left, and my leg is also no more¡­¡± After some thought, he continued, ¡°Once I get used to losing my leg, I¡¯ll find something within my means.¡± Yu Feichen wanted to take Bai Song with him. But¡­ What should he say? The surreal scene made him feel as if his entire mind was immersed in a dreamlike void. His thoughts were jumbled like never before. He suddenly wondered. How did I come to join Paradise in the first place? Where did I come from? Who brought me there? He had a bad memory, and many things in his past were just blank slates to him. It wasn¡¯t a habit for him to forget, it just wasn¡¯t a habit for him to think back to the past. Following these thoughts in his heart, it was as if the dense fog gradually cleared away¡­ A drowning sensation swept over him. His entire body was submerged in seawater, and he was constantly sinking down. Possibly from the reflection of sunlight, a brilliant golden halo crowned the surface of the sea like the peak of dawn. A hazy voice seemed to come through the dazzling blue seawater, beyond this mundane world. ¡°Will you come with me?¡± The moment the voice rang out in his ear, he lost control of his body and repeated to Bai Song, ¡°Will you come with me?¡± Bai Song looked confused, and he asked the same question that he asked before. ¡°¡ªWhere to?¡± ¡°To¡­ dangerous places, places where you¡¯ll have to risk your life.¡± ¡°To return to the land of no return, save those who have not been saved, redeem the sins that are still to be redeemed.¡± ¡°Until you¡¯re buried in eternal night.¡± ¡°Or maybe you¡¯ll live forever.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll go.¡± As soon as Bai Song gave his answer, the world spun around. A familiar and gentle voice emerged in Yu Feichen¡¯s mind again. ¡°Eternal Night 49314 completed.¡± ¡°Return channel opening in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,¡­¡± As the countdown began, he looked at the world around him, one final look.¡± People were laughing and celebrating, an atmosphere of impending victory engulfed everything. This world was also going to become a part of the past. If he had any regrets¡­ His eyes finally settled on the newspaper on the coffee table. It was a copy of the Black Badge Army¡¯s internal newspapers that the alliance had been trying to collect. A message was printed on one inconspicuous corner. Due to illness, Captain Anfield has resigned from all duties and his condition is unknown. Continued observation is necessary. ¡°¡­4, 3, 2, 1.¡± ¡°Welcome to Paradise.¡± The first thing that came into Yu Feichen¡¯s view was endless darkness. When his eyes adjusted, he saw some faint, deep violet spots floating in the air. Then, someone grabbed his sleeve. It was Bai Song. Suddenly, a dim white light lit up ahead, illuminating a black metal chair wound with chains. On the chair was a man dressed in black, the upper half of his face hidden underneath a good, gray hair spilling out at the sides. A beautifully-shaped chin and pale skin could be seen. ¡°Hello.¡± The man seemed to be smiling. His voice sounded deep and relaxed. ¡°My name is Klaros, the gatekeeper.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Yu Feichen returned the greeting. In the silence, Klaros leaned back and rested his elbows on the armrest before interlocking his fingers. ¡°Firstly, I sincerely apologize for not explaining the rules clearly to you before you entered the gate.¡± Yu Feichen said nothing upon hearing this. He just looked at him silently. ¡°Due to an accident, a minor rupture fell through our checks in the world you entered, which meant that you were forced to complete both the war and deconstruction tasks that normally would not occur simultaneously in order to return.¡± As he spoke, he raised his wrist to reveal a chain wrapped around it. ¡°I have already received punishment for neglecting my duties.¡± ¡ªSo that¡¯s what happened, Yu Feichen thought. Klaros smiled. ¡°Secondly, I congratulate you with the same sincerity for completing your first adventure in the Gate of Eternal Night. You are now officially grown up.¡± Then, he raised a hand and pointed behind Yu Feichen. ¡°¡­Look.¡±