Black Sky - Chapter 29

Sitting in the jeep, watching the scenery outside the window receding, Bai Zi seemed to be transported back to ten years ago, when she followed her parents to camp in the deep mountains—of course, Bai Sang was also with them.

Those were some of the few happy moments in Bai Zi’s life.

But now, she couldn’t say for sure what she was feeling. If she had to use a word to describe it, it would probably be “peace”—that is, a state of relaxation and freedom from worries.

On the road, the tall man, as the driver, wore a poker face the whole time, concentrating on gripping the steering wheel.

Because there was no music and no one spoke, a slightly depressing atmosphere filled the entire car.

Mao Mao, who was always mischievous and playful, also seemed to sense that something was wrong, and sat obediently next to Meng Yilan. Except for occasionally stretching out its long hand, reaching through the bars to pat Bai Zi’s face, it only drooped its head on the backrest and dozed off.

And the person Bai Zi cared about the most hadn’t said a word since getting into the car, and hadn’t looked back at Bai Zi once.

But Bai Zi didn’t feel disappointed because of this. Being able to ride in the same car with her was already very satisfying.

The car stopped and started, and time flew by quickly. Everyone seemed to be relaxing, and even the tall man couldn’t help but open his mouth secretly, quickly yawning.

Just as Bai Zi was staring blankly at Meng Yilan’s ponytail, Mao Mao suddenly stretched out its arms, and yawned like the tall man, but it wasn’t polite at all, opening its mouth as if it could fit a basketball.

Suddenly, Bai Zi noticed that a small paper ball had been stuck to the circular nameplate that was hanging around Mao Mao’s neck.

If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t be able to notice it at all.

Bai Zi had originally thought that Mao Mao had accidentally managed to escape from the You cousins, running back to her side on its own.

But now it seemed that things weren’t that simple.

Bai Zi pretended to be nonchalant and put her right hand on the bars. Seeing this, Mao Mao bared its teeth and leaned closer, gently biting Bai Zi’s finger with its teeth.

The tall man immediately turned his head, glancing warily. After noticing that Bai Zi had broken free from Mao Mao’s bite, and was only casually scratching Mao Mao’s chin with her hand, he turned back to stare at the road ahead.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when the car made a sharp turn, and the tall man turned his head, Bai Zi slightly bent her fingertips, forcefully tearing off the small paper ball that was stuck to the nameplate, and hid it in her palm.

Seeming to notice Bai Zi’s movements, Meng Yilan turned her head.

The two made eye contact for the first time since getting into the car.

Meng Yilan, who had never liked to have too much intimate contact with Bai Zi, didn’t immediately turn her gaze away this time. Instead, she stared straight at Bai Zi.

Perhaps it was because Meng Yilan’s gaze was too complicated, Bai Zi not only found it difficult to understand the other party’s emotions, but even felt a little nervous. She could only look back blankly, clutching the paper ball that she had just taken from the nameplate extremely carefully in her hand.

Just then, the car stopped.

Meng Yilan finally turned her head back, and the eye contact between the two finally ended.

Not far ahead, the small car had also stopped.

They saw that the doors of the passenger seat and the back seat had been opened, and Mr. Liu, Shi Lei, and Sister Hua had gotten out of the car, and were walking towards the dense forest by the highway together.

“Um,” the tall man said a little awkwardly, “Miss Meng, sorry, I…need to get out of the car to use the restroom, and also refuel the car. If you need to, you can come with me…”

Meng Yilan softly declined: “No need.”

The tall man nodded slightly, and didn’t turn around to ask Bai Zi. Instead, he directly opened the door and got out of the car.

It seemed that in his eyes, Bai Zi was just a “goods” that didn’t need to eat, drink, or use the restroom, and didn’t even have a life.

Outside the car, the four people, holding weapons, warily looked around, and slowly walked into the forest, their appearance looking quite comical.

Inside the car, only Meng Yilan and Bai Zi were left, and the atmosphere seemed to have suddenly changed again, at least that’s what Meng Yilan felt.

Her back, which had been tense all along, finally relaxed, and she leaned back against the seat, and then subconsciously raised her eyes, secretly looking at Bai Zi in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

The other party was lowering her head, lost in thought.

Meng Yilan, as if possessed, glanced at the empty driver’s seat, and a crazy idea suddenly popped into her mind.

Take advantage of the driver’s absence, jump into the driver’s seat.

Engage the gear, release the handbrake, step on the gas pedal.

Drive the car, and take Bai Zi away from this place.

But at the same time, the face of Lin Quwei floated into her mind.

As if suddenly waking up from a dream, Meng Yilan’s back, which had been relaxed, straightened up again.

And in the back seat of the car, Bai Zi, who was completely unaware of Meng Yilan’s bold fantasy, was taking advantage of this rare opportunity to secretly lower her head, examining the small paper ball that she had just taken from the nameplate.

She quickly unfolded the paper ball with her fingertips, and discovered that it was a map of Pinghua County.

Bai Zi frowned, thinking of what You Xin had said before, that her last stop had been a place called “Pinghua County.” This small paper ball must have been torn from You Xin’s temporary identity certificate and crumpled up.

But why was it on Mao Mao’s nameplate?

Before Bai Zi could think too much, the driver’s seat door opened, and the tall man returned to his seat.

Bai Zi immediately sat up straight, crumpled the piece of paper again, pretended to cover her mouth and cough softly, and took the opportunity to swallow the paper ball.

The tall man, who had just sat down, immediately sensed that something was wrong. He turned his head, glanced at Bai Zi, and then looked at Meng Yilan, discovering that the two seemed to be lost in thought, as if something important had happened in just a short while.

“Miss Meng,” the tall man said, stepping on the gas pedal, “Did something happen?”

Meng Yilan shook her head. She turned her head to look out the window, but couldn’t see anything clearly: “How long until we get there?”

The tall man turned the steering wheel, and like a computer AI, replied politely and without emotion: “About three hours.”

Next, the car fell silent again.

Before long, the jeep followed the small car, slowly driving onto an unknown suspension bridge.

There were many vehicles that had obviously been abandoned for a long time parked on the wide bridge surface. Fortunately, there was still a lane in the middle, allowing them to pass.

Bai Zi looked out the window. Although there wasn’t a trace of light, she could still clearly see that there was an endless sea under the bridge.

It had once been, besides the sun, Bai Zi’s favorite thing.

But now, the sea, which had completely lost its light source, no longer had its former sparkling waves. Instead, it was like a huge ink-colored piece of paper, or a bottomless black hole, undulating lifelessly in the wind.

Looking at this depressing scene, Bai Zi thought of those two words again—”Pinghua County.”

Perhaps You Yuyi and You Xin wanted to tell her through Mao Mao where they were going next.

But what was the point?

She probably wouldn’t have the chance to reunite with those two cousins, and she would never have the chance to ride in the same car with Meng Yilan like she was now.

“Do you know,” Meng Yilan’s voice suddenly came from the front, “What kind of experiments people who are immune to the virus will undergo after they go in?”

The tall man’s hand, which was gripping the steering wheel, tightened slightly, and once again replied politely and without emotion: “Sorry, Miss Meng, I’m not too sure.”

Mao Mao, who had been lying on Meng Yilan’s lap sleeping, woke up. It sat up, rubbed its eyes, and habitually stretched its long arms through the iron bars towards Bai Zi, baring its teeth, wanting to beg for food.

Meng Yilan skillfully took out a small piece of compressed biscuit. Mao Mao was probably really hungry, and immediately took the food, which it had already gotten tired of eating, and ate it contentedly.

Seeing this scene, Bai Zi couldn’t help but curl the corners of her mouth.

She believed that without her saying anything, Meng Yilan would arrange for Mao Mao’s life in the future.

Leaving the suspension bridge, the car drove through a large area of abandoned factories, and also passed through several dense forests.

When it stopped again, it was three hours later.

Bai Zi looked around, and discovered that this wasn’t an ordinary residential area or commercial district, but a large area of empty and flat gravel ground.

In front of them, there was a short, flat building about three or four stories high. The building was surrounded by high stone walls, and the walls were covered with densely packed barbed wire.

It was like a fortress.

The sound of an electric iron gate opening came from the front. The tall man stepped on the gas pedal again, following the small car into the walls.

Looking at the walls made of barbed wire, and the rusty signs hanging on the walls, Bai Zi finally realized that she was now in a large prison.

On the road, many people holding weapons were patrolling back and forth. Before Bai Zi could take a closer look, the car stopped in a small courtyard.

The tall man coughed lightly: “Miss Meng, we’re here.”

Outside the car, Mr. Liu was walking quickly towards the jeep. He took the initiative to open Meng Yilan’s car door, and bowed slightly: “Miss Meng, please come with me first.”

Shi Lei and Sister Hua were standing behind Mr. Liu, looking relaxed, in a state of joy that they were about to complete their work.

Meng Yilan didn’t move: “What about her?”

At this time, the freckled woman opened the back door of the jeep, signaling Bai Zi to get out of the car.

Mr. Liu glanced at Bai Zi, who was obediently getting out of the car: “She will be taken for an examination. If there are no problems…” He paused, lowered his voice, and said with a smile, “You’ll be able to meet Mr. Lin soon.”

Seeing Bai Zi being led further and further away by the freckled woman towards a five-story building, Meng Yilan also quickly got out of the car: “Wait a minute…”

But Bai Zi didn’t stop, but instead walked further and further away with the freckled woman.

“Miss Meng,” Mr. Liu comforted, “Don’t worry, we will definitely keep our promise. After all, we will definitely have many places where we need to cooperate in the future…”

“I don’t know what Shi Lei told you,” Meng Yilan interrupted the other party with resolute words, “But I have nothing to do with ‘Hongya’ from now on…”

At this time, Mao Mao suddenly jumped up, jumping out of the car and running towards Bai Zi.

Seeing this, Mr. Liu shouted lightly, and the tall man immediately rushed forward, kicking Mao Mao to the ground nimbly.

His strength was great, and without saying a word, he grabbed Mao Mao, who was screaming miserably, wanting to stuff it into the back seat of the jeep, but his elbow was grabbed by Bai Zi, who had suddenly appeared behind him.

At the same time, the freckled woman took out a remote control from her pocket, and after pressing the button, Bai Zi’s neck was immediately pierced by an electric current, and the intense stinging pain made her kneel down instantly.

The tall man glanced at Bai Zi, as if he was used to it, and calmly stuffed Mao Mao into the car, closing the door.

Meng Yilan wanted to rush to Bai Zi’s side, but was forcibly pulled back by Shi Lei, and the freckled woman had already put away the remote control. The electric shock collar stopped working, and Bai Zi gritted her teeth, standing up again.

“Miss Meng,” Mr. Liu blocked Meng Yilan’s view of Bai Zi, “This kind of electric shock collar doesn’t cause any substantial damage to the human body, you can rest assured.”

Meng Yilan pushed Mr. Liu away with a cold face, and discovered that Bai Zi, who had been in so much pain that she couldn’t stand just now, was silently following the freckled woman, continuing to walk into the distance.

Wanting to shout the other party’s name, but Meng Yilan couldn’t make a sound for a long time.

Since things had developed to this point, what else could she do?

Shi Lei leaned close, looking ingratiating: “Miss Meng…”

Meng Yilan’s face turned cold, and she walked to the side of the jeep, opening the back door. Mao Mao, who had been locked inside, immediately jumped to the ground with a wronged expression, grabbing Meng Yilan’s pants, and hiding behind her.

The tall man wanted to step forward to grab Mao Mao again, but was stopped by Mr. Liu: “Alright, let’s not delay any further. Miss Meng, this way please.”

Meng Yilan turned her head again, looking towards the direction where Bai Zi had left, but the other party had long disappeared.

In an instant, that feeling of emptiness that had suddenly surged up when Bai Zi had left in the subway station reappeared, and this time, it was even more suffocating and depressing.

“Miss Meng, let’s go,” Shi Lei urged softly again. “They’ve arranged everything.”

Meng Yilan took a deep breath, suppressing the annoyance that was running rampant in her heart, and then, nodded towards Mr. Liu, taking Mao Mao, and following Mr. Liu towards another building.

The group was led to a place that seemed to be a reception room. Mr. Liu warmly invited everyone to sit down, and saw that the room had been cleaned spotlessly, with sofas and carpets, and even tea and snacks with steaming smoke were prepared on the coffee table.

Everything here seemed to have been frozen a year ago, like world that had never been invaded by the mutant virus.

Mao Mao, who had been trembling and hiding behind Meng Yilan, saw the snacks on the table, and couldn’t help but pout her mouth and reach out, grabbing a strawberry cake from the coffee table and stuffing it into her mouth.

Shi Lei and Sister Hua also couldn’t wait to sit down, preparing to enjoy this rare “afternoon tea.”

Mr. Liu turned on an old-fashioned stereo by the wall, and pleasant jazz music came from it. He began to ask Shi Lei and Sister Hua some irrelevant questions, and everyone chatted happily, saying one sentence after another.

Only Meng Yilan had only sat down for less than five minutes before standing up again and walking to the side of the wall, looking out the window with a restless expression.

The building where Bai Zi had been taken to for examination was standing not far away, and only a handful of windows were lit.

The scene of Bai Zi kneeling on the ground after being shocked by the electric shock collar floated into her mind again, and Meng Yilan’s eyebrows furrowed even tighter.

She didn’t know how long had passed, but the communicator in Mr. Liu’s pocket suddenly vibrated slightly. He took out the communicator, looked at it for a while, and then looked up at Meng Yilan excitedly: “Miss Meng, the examination has been completed, everything is fine.”

At this time, a knock came on the door.

The door opened, and the tall man led a man of medium height in.

Although this man was dressed simply, and had a thick beard on his face, it couldn’t hide his handsome features. He was a little taller than Meng Yilan, and his short hair and beard were neatly trimmed, exuding an elegant temperament.

As soon as he entered the door, he immediately focused his gaze on Meng Yilan, and then his expression became excited, his eyes instantly turning red: “Yilan!”

Meng Yilan immediately turned her head, and saw the man for whom she had once devoted everything and worked hard for so many years.

So many days and nights, it was all to exchange for this day of reunion.

All kinds of past memories surged into her heart. Meng Yilan had imagined thousands of times the scene and mood of reuniting with Lin Quwei, but never had she felt so confused and entangled as she did now.

Before Meng Yilan could open her mouth, Lin Quwei had already walked quickly over, forcefully pulling her into his arms.

Mao Mao, who had been grabbing Meng Yilan’s pants, was frightened and let go, cowering next to the curtains.

Reuniting with an old friend, Meng Yilan also hugged Lin Quwei back. Smelling the familiar scent, Meng Yilan thought she was back in the busy days of work, and tears welled up in her eyes.

But for some reason, besides happiness and emotion, there seemed to be some kind of indescribable feeling that was silently surging and roaring in a corner of Meng Yilan’s heart.

This feeling seemed to have nothing to do with Lin Quwei.

Lin Quwei finally let go, and the two of them were both in tears, looking at each other without speaking.

Seeing that the time was right, Shi Lei quickly walked to Meng Yilan’s side, saying as if taking credit: “Miss Meng, I’ve already told Mr. Liu that we’ll have them send a car to take you and Mr. Lin back to Bei City in a while, or now.”

Now? Back to Bei City?

Meng Yilan’s excited expression slightly subsided. She looked blank, and blurted out: “What about Bai Zi?”

Everyone was stunned, even Meng Yilan herself froze in place, lost in thought.

The deal was complete, there was no reason to ask about this matter anymore, but Meng Yilan couldn’t help but think—

Was it over just like that?

But just now, I hadn’t even said goodbye, and Bai Zi hadn’t even looked back once.

Would we never see each other again?