Mental Illness Evolution Manual - Chapter 84

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The desert is a no man’s land, the environment is harsh. Although there is now technology for storing water, with the current level of technology, it is perfectly possible to live in the desert.

But who would want to?

The world is so big, even if radiation has turned many places into dead zones, there are still many habitable environments left. Who would be idle enough to build a city in the desert, leaving behind good places with mountains and water, just to eat sand all day long?

There were fifty guards escorting the convoy, Xu Zhen was the captain.

The convoy was actually very strange. They were all trucks, they had their own guards, and they were all dressed in thick clothes, with scarves covering their faces, only their eyes were exposed.

They wouldn’t say a word to them, even when they were resting, and they prepared their own food.

The leader of the convoy would say a few words about the itinerary, but he was also taciturn, he wouldn’t speak unless necessary.

The trucks were loaded with boxes, big and small, long and short. The long ones were two meters long, the short ones were only half a meter long. They were sealed with black iron sheets and marked with a white cross. They didn’t look like good things.

The closer they got to the desert, the hotter it got.

Everyone took off their jackets and put on short sleeves, but it was still unbearably hot. Fortunately, the cars had air conditioning.

When they entered the desert, they changed to resting during the day and traveling at night.

At first, there were still people talking and chatting in the team, but the desert scenery was too monotonous. It was easy to get irritable after looking at it for a long time. Gradually, they lost the mood to speak.

Until one night, before they set off, the leader of the convoy found Xu Zhen and said, “We need to wear protective suits for the next part of the journey.”

Xu Zhen narrowed her eyes.

Protective suits? The higher-ups didn’t say they needed them, and they didn’t prepare any for them.

The leader of the convoy said briefly, “Bring a few people with me.”

Xu Zhen randomly chose a few people and followed him to one of the trucks in the convoy.

The leader pointed to the two rows of boxes on the outside and said, “These two rows are protective suits. Take them and put them on.”

Xu Zhen waved her hand, and a few team members carried two boxes each and went back.

When they opened them, there were exactly fifty sets of snow-white protective suits inside. They were completely airtight from head to toe, with breathing apparatus on the face, and a green arc logo printed on the chest.

Everyone didn’t pay much attention, but Tan Yiyuan’s face changed, he said in a low voice, “This is a radiation symbol.”

Were they going to enter a radiation zone?

Even people who hadn’t been to school knew that radiation wasn’t a good thing. It would cause people’s genes to mutate, they would become deformed, sick, and it couldn’t be cured.

Some people started to feel uneasy, but it was impossible to turn back and quit.

Everyone put on their suits, they looked at each other to make sure there were no problems, then they got back in the cars.

After the people in the truck convoy also put on their protective suits, they set off again. They drove for half a day, then the convoy stopped.

The leader got out of the car and said to Xu Zhen, “You can go back the way you came, the escort ends here.”

His voice was muffled and unclear because of the protective suit.

It reminded Xu Zhen of the NPCs in those horror games.

“Are you sure you don’t need us to escort you any further?” she asked.

The leader: “Yes.”

The order from above was for her to listen to him. Since that was the case, Xu Zhen sent a message to her team members over the radio. The rear team became the front team, they turned around on the spot.

She didn’t want to stay in this radiation zone for even a second longer.

The truck convoy continued to drive forward. When dawn was approaching, they stopped in a patch of yellow sand. There was nothing around, but soon, the sand in front of them began to sink, revealing a passage leading underground.

After the cars drove into it one by one, the barrier rose again, the yellow sand on both sides caved in towards the middle, covering it.

The cars drove underground for a while, then stopped in a spacious square. The people got out of the cars and walked to the entrance on one side of the square. They went through the door, underwent a full disinfection, took off their protective suits, and changed into gray robes.

Then they walked out of the room and started to move the boxes from the trucks.

At this time, another team of people came from another entrance. When they met, they simultaneously pointed their index fingers at their foreheads and said in unison, “Praise the Mother Goddess.”

The two teams took the boxes away, each sending them to different areas.

Some boxes contained strange-shaped ores, some contained various foods, some contained experimental equipment, medical devices, some contained daily necessities, and some were cold when they were opened. Inside lay complete people, covered in white frost. Some people were soaking in green liquid, their eyes closed, their chests rising and falling slightly.

Shangyuan City was a small city, nothing outstanding about its economy or culture, it was very inconspicuous.

Perhaps that was why the church chose it as its base.

Due to its underdeveloped economy and unremarkable location, the city boasted a small population with a relatively high average age. Most ambitious young people left to seek opportunities elsewhere, leaving it an ideal retirement destination with a slow, relaxed pace of life.

There weren’t any wealthy families or tycoons, and the security was relatively better. After all, the underworld couldn’t make much money here.

…

The Resistance didn’t have a base here either, so when Yan Xianchuan and her team arrived, the first thing they did was to rent a few rooms. They couldn’t be next to each other, but they couldn’t be too far apart either. They had to be able to support each other.

Five people stayed in hotels, some rented apartments. Yan Xianchuan, of course, stayed with Lu Mingqiu.

It was an old neighborhood, the walls of the buildings in the neighborhood were a bit mottled. When she was following the landlord to see the house in person, she even saw a few old people sitting on benches, chatting and singing. They were so leisurely.

This was a scene she had never seen before.

The last time she saw this kind of scene was in her previous life.

Everyone in this world was in a hurry, as if they always had something to do, as if something was chasing them. If they stopped moving, they would be caught.

And the only people she had seen who could be considered leisurely were the homeless people lying on the side of the road.

They were always drunk, like dead dogs. They couldn’t be described as leisurely, to be precise, they were waiting to die.

The room was also very simple. There was a metal table in the living room, covered with a brown cloth, with chairs on both sides. It was a dining table.

There was an old leather sofa, no sofa cover, no coffee table, no TV.

The bedroom had a large bed, a wardrobe, and nothing else.

The rent was also very cheap, Lu Mingqiu rented it for a month.

They had been driving for several days, and it was already midnight when they arrived in Shangyuan City. Although Lu Mingqiu was a little anxious, she also knew that people were not able to do things when they were tired.

So she told everyone to rest first, and they would figure out how to scout the area tomorrow.

After they both washed up, they went to bed together.

There was only one blanket in the room, but there were two pillows.

Lu Mingqiu didn’t mind, she got into bed first, “Sleep.”

Yan Xianchuan was a little embarrassed, she tiptoed to the other side, reached out and turned off the light by the bed.

“Goodnight,” she said softly.

The two of them in one bed felt very different.

The part of the blanket between the two bodies was suspended, cold air crept in, but the heat source nearby was also obvious, it was hard to ignore.

Lu Mingqiu slept well, she lay on her back and didn’t move around.

Yan Xianchuan was also lying on her back, but she couldn’t help but focus on the side. After a while, she turned over with great self-control, facing away from the person next to her.

She knew that Lu Mingqiu was very concerned about this mission, she didn’t want to disturb her sleep, and she also wanted to fall asleep quickly and get enough rest, so that she could get twice the results with half the effort tomorrow.

Sleep, sleep, sleep…

She didn’t know how long it had been, but she fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was suddenly bright outside. The scenery in front of her was familiar, it was her bedroom, she was at home, the home where she had her parents.

What was going on?

Yan Xianchuan found a mirror and saw herself wearing a school uniform, her face was still young.

Am I dreaming?

She pushed open the door and went downstairs. Her parents were sitting at the dining table. Her mother called her name, “Cui Cui, come and eat breakfast, or you’ll be late for school.”

Her body moved uncontrollably, she walked over to the dining table and sat down. She took a sip of porridge first.

“Why are you so dazed?” Her father said with a smile, “Have you decided where you want to go tomorrow?”

Yan Xianchuan was startled, but she found herself saying, “Let’s go to the aquarium, I suddenly want to go.”

Her heart turned cold.

Don’t go, don’t go to the aquarium.

But she couldn’t say a word.

Her father said, “Okay, let’s go to the aquarium, then let’s eat hot pot, how about that?”

She nodded, after breakfast, she took her schoolbag and went to school.

Time passed quickly at school, in a blink of an eye, it was time to go home. Yan Xianchuan put her schoolbag back on and was about to go home.

When she was halfway there, a phone call came in. It was an unknown number. She didn’t want to answer, but her body answered it automatically.

“Hello? Hello,” she said.

Yan Xianchuan suddenly floated up, she became a god’s perspective, watching her own indifferent expression suddenly stiffen, slowly turning into a confused look.

“I don’t understand what you mean, can you say it again?”

The voice on the other end of the phone was so loud, it almost shattered her eardrums.

“Are these your parents? They were in a car accident, they’re at the Third People’s Hospital.”

Yan Xianchuan watched herself put down the phone, hail a taxi, and rush to the hospital. A policewoman was waiting outside the operating room.

She had a look of pity on her face, she said softly, “The accident happened on Chunxi Road, the driver hit and ran. Looking at the surveillance footage, it seems like he was drunk and ran a red light.”

“A passerby called the police and called an ambulance. We’re still looking for the license plate number.”

The policewoman had come to the hospital after learning about the situation. She wanted to comfort her and tell her what was going on.

Her expression was still confused, “Was the car accident serious?”

The policewoman looked reluctant, “Very serious.”

Yan Xianchuan floated in the air, watching herself sit down on a bench, she didn’t say a word, she stared at the red light that said “Surgery in Progress.”

It wasn’t long before a doctor came out. He was startled when he saw her, he took off his mask and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” She suddenly couldn’t understand. Why apologize?

“The surgery failed,” the doctor said.

Her parents were wheeled out, they were temporarily sent to the morgue. Two men in plain clothes came over and asked her if she wanted to send her family to the funeral home. They had a full range of funeral services.

Yan Xianchuan watched them quietly.

The policewoman reluctantly walked over and said, “Give me your business card, I’ll arrange it.”

The two men saw that she was a police officer, they didn’t dare to ask any more questions. They gave her their business card and left.

“You have the license plate number, will it be quick to find the driver?” Yan Xianchuan suddenly asked.

The policewoman nodded solemnly, “Don’t worry, the police will definitely catch the driver.”

“Can you tell me when you find him?” she asked.

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