As if it had heard Long Biao’s words, that thing suddenly raised its head. All of them momentarily fell silent.
“It can’t hear.” Lian Chuan said.
“How do you know?” Long Biao yapped back in a hushed voice, “It turned its head.”
Perhaps because their mission didn’t require them to take action, and they could just observe from there, Long Biao was more chatty than usual. Normally, when they had to cooperate on a mission, Long Biao would stay silent, leaving everything for Lian Chuan to figure out on his own. Ironically, it created an illusion of them having a rather good understanding of each other, which annoyed Long Biao greatly.
“It can sense the vibrations. “Lian Chuan closed his eyes, “Someone is approaching.”
Boss on the opposite ladder had also already reacted, slowly retreating to the rooftop.
The people were still far away, but Lian Chuan could hear them—or rather, feel the vibrations. He could even discern that these footsteps, different in weight and pace from those of ordinary people, were due to them wearing gear.
He frowned. It was the Internal Defense Department’s public order squad.
Three people per unit, responsible for the internal order of the Main City. During the Festival Day, both the public order squad and the city guard squad had reinforced their personnel, with one protecting from the inside, and the other from the outside.
If the people from the public order come here and see the bewildered class K29 monster below…
The situation would become very troublesome.
In theory, the cleanup squad was also a child of the Internal Defense Department, but compared with the city guards or the public order squad, the cleanup squad was more like an illegitimate son better kept under wraps. For it to do the dirty job in the dark corners of the city while the two big brothers mocked it together was kind of a tradition within the Internal Defense.
“Who are they?” Cui Ping asked.
“Public order squad.” Lian Chuan glanced in the direction of the approaching sound. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were about to start patrolling Astrolabe Street, “They’re almost here.”
“What kind of lousy mission is this?” Long Biao was not happy with it.
Although he didn’t continue speaking, Lian Chuan could deduce Long Biao’s intentions from the way he changed his position. He wanted to drive away the creature below to prevent it entering the public order squad’s patrol route.
This method wasn’t in accordance with the protocol. They were assigned with a non-contact mission, and their only knowledge of the target was limited to the basic biological data they had just scanned. Clearly, Long Biao was acting on an impulse.
Lian Chuan signalled to the other side, indicating Boss to be prepared to protect Long Biao.
He didn’t warn Long Biao, as this guy had always kept true to his impulsive and irascible nature, never straying away from it. Lian Chuan also knew the reason behind Long Biao’s decision to take this action.
When Long Biao charged out from a side alley, Cui Ping followed suit, rushing out from another side road to create a pincer formation behind the monster along with him.
As long as Lian Chuan and Boss controlled both their flanks well and no accident happened, they would soon be able to guide the monster into the labyrinth-like depths of Astrolabe Street’s alleys.
This would be very risky, but Cui Ping needed to cooperate. A married couple can still divorce, but once you got a partner assigned in the cleanup squad, there was no changing of it. Your life was forever in their hands.
So when Long Biao charged out, he had to charge out as well. At crucial points in time, he couldn’t let Long Biao act dumb alone, so they had to dumb through it together.
They were now making a bet that the target wouldn’t attack and would instead flee in the direction they pressed towards after getting startled. But just as they rushed from the alleys, even before they were close enough to see the target clearly, they already lost their gamble.
The target suddenly turned its head and rose on its legs. The straightened legs and the suddenly stretched-out neck momentarily made it tower much higher above them. This brave posture didn’t seem like it would run away, and even more so, it didn’t appear to be frightened into fleeing.
It was even preparing for an attack.
When a heavy hiss resounded deep from inside the target’s body, even Lian Chuan, who prided himself on his superb speed, didn’t have time to react in any way.
It wasn’t just because this sound came suddenly, nor was it solely due to its volume, like the sirens blaring to warn against the Travellers invading the city.
It was because Lian Chuan had never heard any creature cry like the one in front of him. It felt like a blunt knife stabbing directly into his brain. In the initial moment, he even felt as though time had come to a standstill, and the entire world had turned blank.
When Cui Ping regained consciousness, he was already kneeling on the ground. His body seemed beyond his control, and had he regained consciousness any later, he might have already knocked his head against the ground before the target.
“Quick, retreat!” Lian Chuan’s voice echoed in his ears, and then he got yanked up from the ground.
“I’m calling for reinforcements.” Long Biao said as he retreated with them into another alley.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Don’t,” Lian Chuan responded decisively.
Obcu Dljb vlvc’a tjnf alwf ab jrx obg atf gfjrbc jr atf ugfslrt atlcu fcnfibqfv lc bqjdef jfgbrbi iecufv abkjgvr atfw, jgwr bearagfamtfv.
Rb jaajmxlcu—la kjr jc bgvfg atfs jyrbieafis mbeivc’a nlbijaf. Obcu Dljb tjv cb mtblmf yea ab mbcalcef gfagfjalcu, agslcu ab ifjv atlr atlcu lcab jcbatfg qjat ab jnblv atf ojra jqqgbjmtlcu qeyilm bgvfg rdejv.
However, despite appearing not very intelligent, this thing possessed impressive strength and speed. In a defensive posture, Long Biao was thrown against the wall before he could even react.
The length of its arms exceeded Long Biao’s expectations, but he didn’t have time to dwell on this mistake. Despite the cushioning of his exoskeleton, his back still hurt from the impact.
The second attack began before he had even fallen to the ground.
He got hit in the gut.
However, this time it was Lian Chuan’s caracal. Boss kicked him out of the attack range.
“Who’s there!” Someone shouted—with that over-confident tone, it was clear who they were, “Prepare to attack!”
The public order squad with a death wish arrived as promised. Although they were shocked by the sight before them, the three of them still raised the weapons in their hands.
Unlike with the cleanup squad, the public order squad’s work wasn’t as complex. Anything that could pose a threat to the lives and property of the Main City’s people was their enemy.
If they raise their guns, it’s already sure it’ll go pew pew pew.
Long Biao didn’t say anything; it wouldn’t matter if he did at this point. There were already witnesses.
The witnesses were going to attack the self-destructing target.
The witnesses’ identities were sensitive.
But he didn’t have time to consult Lei Yu for the next course of action.
Boss growled deeply beside him and he immediately looked across the alley.
Lian Chuan stood there, his weapon aiming right in their direction.
“Who is he going to kill?” Long Biao muttered quietly.
.o0o.
“What is this?” Nail leaned back on the mattress, pointing at the thing in Ning Gu’s hand with his foot.
“Stun grenade,” Ning Gu explained as he carefully put it into his bag.
“You’ll be fine if you follow my big brother,” Nail said, “Leader said that his ability is almost on pair with Li Xiang’s.”
“And what’s so good about that?” Ning Gu continued packing his bag, “Leader also said that any of the Main City’s weapons can outdo the scope of his ability with its range and power.”
“But then again, he hasn’t died every time he went.” Nail said.
“I haven’t died either.” Ning Gu retorted.
“But you haven’t entered the Main City.”
“You’re too scared to even go there.” Ning Gu looked at him.
Nail laughed and took a look at the goggles in his hands. They were Ning Gu’s old pair, repaired and given to him. Although they no longer leaked air, there was always a black streak in his line of sight, making it uncomfortable to see through them.
He tapped on the goggles, “If you happen to go to the underground market this time, help me find a pair.”
“Mhm.” Ning Gu nodded.
Nail didn’t say anything else, just watching Ning Gu pack various small items he had collected—some for beating up people, some for taking the beating, some for escaping, and even some to eat.
“Are you coming back?” Nail couldn’t help but ask.
Ning Gu’s hands paused for a moment, “Why would you ask that?”
“Just asking,” Nail said, “I just have this feeling that if you had a chance to leave, you wouldn’t even look back.”
“The Main City isn’t this attractive to me.” Ning Gu said somewhat disdainfully.
“From outside the Fog.” Nail said.
Ning Gu fell silent for a moment, then sealed the bag and lifted his head to look at Nail, “Same old rules. Don’t tell anyone I got on the train; otherwise, the moment I come back will be the moment you start running for your life. Be late by one step, and I’ll have you buried at Tongue Bay.”
.o0o.
The train was coming through from the black fog, steam rising from the sealed-off front of its locomotive. No one has ever entered its cabin, and they only knew that it followed a track with no known beginning or end, adhering to the unknown rules as it came and went. The starting and ending points of the Travellers’ journey were just two small stops on its mysterious track.
It hadn’t arrived yet, and nobody knew when it would. But when it did, everybody would be aware. In the black fog, its sound resembled the bellow of an ancient beast as it pierced the sky over the Ghost City. It was distant yet resonant, eerie and somewhat supernatural. It echoed in their ears, as if coming from a distant horizon.
“It’s the call of a whale.” Crazy Uncle had said.
Ning Gu didn’t know what a whale was, and Crazy Uncle also had never drawn it for him. However, every time he mentioned other things, he would casually scribble a few incomprehensible lines. That’s why Ning Gu reasonably inferred that Crazy Uncle didn’t actually know what a whale was, which was why he couldn’t even imagine how to draw it in a few crooked lines.
But Crazy Uncle insisted that this was a call of a whale, and Ning Gu guessed that his only reason might be that he believed machines couldn’t produce such a sound.
A distant, long whistle from the sky made the bunch of people who had been squatting or sitting by the pile of metal frames the entire day stand up. They all simultaneously lit the flash bottles in their hands and raised them.
This kind of radiant glow only appeared in moments like this, struggling to tear open the smallest of openings in the black fog.
Li Xiang, like everyone else, looked to the right. It wasn’t because the sound was coming from the right side—nobody could tell where this sound was actually coming from. However, everyone knew that once this sound died down, the train would arrive from the right, following the old track extending from the black fog.
“Turns out the timing we estimated was fairly accurate,” Captain remarked, “Have you checked it?”
“Hm?” Li Xiang glanced at him. They had taken this phantom train to the Main City countless times, and Captain seldom inquired about such matters. Nevertheless, Li Xiang didn’t elaborate, only nodding his head. “I did, nothing’s missing.”
“There’s a lot of people coming this time.” Captain looked around. All the people were now standing, but no one was moving, everyone awaiting his lead.
Even though those people were all familiar with this train, they would never let their guard down. After all, this train came from the places they couldn’t go, travelling destinations they couldn’t reach. The number of people who went missing on this train was beyond count, and even among them, there was no unanimous consensus whether it was an inanimate metal object or a living being.
“Yes,” Li Xiang responded softly, “I didn’t see Ning Gu, so he’s probably being obedient this time.”
“You’ve also watched him grow up, yet you actually trust him this much?” Captain chuckled, “If you ever do spot him, it’s only because he isn’t afraid of being spotted. When he doesn’t want to be discovered, who has ever managed to find him?”
Li Xiang let out a quiet sigh.
“If he boards the train this time, he’s definitely heading to the Main City.” Captain’s gaze was fixed on the train slowly coming to a halt in front of them.
Li Xiang turned his head, somewhat surprised. They all knew that Ning Gu used to sneak aboard the train secretly, but due to Captain’s words, he had never ventured beyond the stopping point. Captain’s remark left Li Xiang with a mix of emotions—a combination of melancholy, concern, and bewilderment. He kept feeling that something was about to happen.
The train came to a silent stop on the railway tracks before them. It wasn’t particularly long, sometimes consisting of seven carriages, other times eight. Each carriage was identical, completely devoid of any objects or windows, with only two opposing doorways, waiting silently.
“Doesn’t it look like a monster maw?” Nail whispered as he squatted by Ning Gu’s leg.
“Mhm. Once you enter, you don’t know whether you’ll get spat out or crapped out.” Ning Gu said.
Those who were spat out lived, and those crapped out all met their end.
Ning Gu absentmindedly ran his fingers over a small metal cube in his hand—occasionally, you could find some genuinely valuable stuff from Land King.
The small round button on top, once pressed, could temporarily shield all of his biological traces, rendering him invisible even to someone with Li Xiang’s perceptive ability.
Although there were too many people gathered at the moment, and even someone with Li Xiang’s formidable perception would struggle to distinguish them, he still had to ensure he came prepared just in case. He wanted to come along and see the Main City.
He had never felt such a powerful urge before.
Captain approached the opening in the carriage, stepping onto the edge with one foot to peer inside. When he finally moved into the carriage, the previously still and quiet Travellers suddenly erupted into a cacophony of loud cheers and whistles, surging into the carriages.
Some people leaped directly into the carriages, others climbed onto the roof, and a few ran alongside the tracks, continuously leaping forward and kicking towards the carriages, as if they were soaring alongside the train.
Although they were aware that every time, some of them wouldn’t come back, that their journey to the Main City was always a reckless gamble of life—nobody believed that this time it would be their turn to die.
Or perhaps, they simply chose not to think about their end at all.
They were Travellers. Much like this train, they had no starting point or destination, they had gathering places, but no home. They possessed an instinct to survive, but no fear in the face of death.
It was merely yet another journey.
The time between the first person touching the train and its setting into motion was very brief. Ning Gu couldn’t wait until the end; he had to rush in when most people were getting inside to avoid Li Xiang.
“Goggles! Don’t forget!” Nail shouted softly behind him, “Bring me back a pair!”
Ning Gu gave him a reassuring OK sign over his shoulder.
Goggles weren’t all that essential for Nail, who could spot a feather in the howling wind with his eyes squinted all year round.
He just feared that Ning Gu would never return.
.o0o.
“Lian Chuan, we will now ask you a few questions about the handling of today’s mission, and you need to answer truthfully.”
“Okay.”
There were four people in the meeting room, and Lian Chuan sat on the chair in the centre. On the opposite side of the long table sat three people in a row. In the centre was Secretary Chen, to his right was the top officer of the public security squad, Xiao Lin, and to his left was the secretary of the Internal Defense Department disciplinary committee.
Lian Chuan had experienced this kind of situation many times, usually after a mission was completed in an unconventional manner. However, if he remembered correctly, it was the first time a cleanup squad member had fired upon a member of the public security squad.
Xiao Lin’s face was ashen, and from the moment he entered the meeting room, his gaze had been daggers aimed at Lian Chuan.
“During today’s mission, you fired and killed three members of the public security squad,” Secretary Chen looked at him, “Is that true?”
“Yes.” Lian Chuan answered.
“The reason being?” Secretary Chen continued his inquiry.
“The requirement of this mission was to ensure there were no witnesses.” Lian Chuan replied.
“Why didn’t you use the retrieving unit to attack?” Xiao Lin suppressed his anger, “Was there a need to use the destructive weapon?”
Lian Chuan looked at him, and a moment passed before he answered, “Ensuring there are no witnesses also means ensuring the witnesses wouldn’t appear again.”
“Why didn’t you ask for instructions?” Xiao Lin continued his interrogation.
“There was no time,” Lian Chuan answered, “I also had to ensure the target’s self-destruction.”
“Ensure, ensure,” Xiao Lin nodded with a mocking snicker, “They were your compatriots, your comrade-in-arms, and you didn’t feel like you needed any instructions?”
“I didn’t, and there was no time,” Lian Chuan repeated again, “There were only two major factors of the mission: the target’s self-destruction and leaving no witnesses behind.”
“So you just felt like they were only witnesses?” Xiao Lin asked.
“Yes.” Lian Chuan replied.
Xiao Lin glared at him for a very long time before he finally spat out, “Ruthless.”
Before Xiao Lin spoke again, Secretary Chen lifted his hand to stop him. At the same time, as if to match Xiao Lin’s comment, the lamplight before them suddenly went out, and everything around them fell into darkness.
It was only a moment, like a blink of an eye. Only after the light came back did the people in the room realise that this absolute darkness meant it wasn’t only the lamps in the meeting room that went out.
The sunlight of the Main City outside the window had also gone out along with it.
Just for a mere moment.
Author’s note:
In the last chapter, I changed the ‘096’ to ‘K29’. ‘096’ originates from the SCP Foundation, specifically ‘SCP-096’, ‘The Shy Guy’. Under the Foundation’s Creative Commons License, when using its setting for creative purpose, it is necessary to specify the source and provide attribution. In the previous chapter, I overlooked this requirement (but thanks to everyone who reminded me), and I sincerely apologise for that. After carefully checking this licence, and considering that this story isn’t intended to be a derivative work set in the SCP universe, I thought it would be best to change its name and appearance to avoid any unintended infringement.
Was a lil confusing… But I got it at the end!.. I think 🤔 .. Damn. Lian chuan is ruthless 😤
Спасибо за перевод!❤