Chapter 110: She is Alive
Translator: Letty Editor:
“Just tell me here, there is nothing that you need to hide.”
Chang straightened his back but didn’t stand up.
The soldier gave up on his persuasions, keeping in mind Chang’s position. He could only lower his voice before saying, “Alright, but please don’t tell others that I’ve talked to you about this.”
“No problem.”
Chang nodded.
“Do you know about Officer He?”
The platoon leader made his voice almost inaudible, worrying that what he said next would be heard by people in the gym other than Chang.
“You mean, Zhizhi? What happened?”
Chang was surprised that the platoon leader would mention someone that had died in that battle.
“She was my childhood friend, we grew up in the same neighbourhood.” The soldier kept his voice low. “She was one of my best friends.”
“Alright. Then?” Chang struggled to tighten his rigid brow muscles to make an expression. “What do you want to tell me?”
“I was trying to... trying to let you know that she is not dead.”
“Are you sure?” The soldier’s words shocked Chang, and the finger bone pendant on his chest shook. “It’s impossible, Qing Shui told me that she died in the explosion.”
“She is still alive!” the platoon leader whispered in Chang’s ear. “I saw her with my own eyes! She is in Chief Li’s lab, immersed in some kind of chemical.”
“Immersed?” Chang recalled that when he requested to see Zhizhi’s corpse, he was informed that corpses from the battlefield were being well handled. “How are you sure about her condition?”
“She twitched. I wasn’t from electroshock but a voluntary twitch, she must not have died!” The soldier looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to their conversation. “Please, don’t tell others that I’ve talked to you about Zhizhi, otherwise I won’t be able to see tomorrow’s sunrise.”
“How can Qing Shui be so cruel...” Chang pressed his face into his palms. “Then what is the difference between him and Zhuo?”
“I don’t think he is the second Zhuo. I was just saying the worst possible consequence. Chief Li has a gentle disposition and we all know that. He must have his own reasons to keep the truth away from you.” The platoon leader lowered his head. “Now that I’ve told you Chief Li’s secret, my life is in your hands if the secret slips out. So please don’t tell anyone about this.”
Chang promised to keep the secret, then asked, “How did you know I was close to Officer He?”
“I’ve been prying to seek people she was on good terms with.” The soldier smiled. “Although my ranking isn’t as high as Officer He’s, I know her better than almost anyone else. And quite a lot of people who participated in that battle saw you and Zhizhi standing close to each other, so it wasn’t hard to tell the relationship between you and her.
“I saw her alive on the battlefield, but as a platoon leader myself, I really couldn’t do anything... The only person who can save her in this institute is Chief Li, and I think you might be the only person who can change his mind.” The platoon leader’s voice was both begging and requesting. “So please save her!”
“Well, of course I’ll figure something out if what you just told me is true.” Chang nodded in agreement. “You should leave now. You might get into trouble if you’re seen in contact with me too often.
“Especially if I’m planning to talk to him about this in a few days, you wouldn’t want it to be known that we’ve talked, would you?”
As if the soldier was reminded of something, he stood up and left hastily, without saying goodbye.
The soldier’s back disappeared behind a corner, and Chang was left to dwell on his thoughts.
He had became more mature through experience, no longer that naive high school kid from a couple months ago. A series of lives and deaths taught him to bear emotions with forbearance. Even though he was overjoyed at the news about Zhizhi, he didn’t lose his rationale and run to Qing Shui immediately.
Qing Shui had changed, and he knew that.
However, no matter how much a person had changed, he would still be restrained by feelings of camaraderie. Chang pondered for days to unearth a way to rescue Zhizhi without hurting their bond.
Few days later.
“Jing, Chang, it’s been a while since last time we saw each other.” At dusk, Qing Shui passed by their room with a basket of fruits. “A new type of fruit that’s a natural product, free from artificial elements. It has the taste of an apricot but at the same time is as aromatic as an apple. A patroller found it at the edge of the jungle, and it’s delicious. I thought I should bring you guys some.”
Qing Shui’s voice had an uplifting tone. It was rare that he couldn’t stop talking. After stepping into the room, he placed the basket on the desk. “Try it! Jing, come try it!”
“Okay.”
Jing left her unfinished painting behind, joining Chang and Qing Shui. She grabbed a tangerine fruit from the basket and took a crispy bite.
The unique aroma filled the room.
“It does taste good!” Chang too grabbed one from the basket, smiling. “You’ve been talking, what’s got you in such a good mood?”
“Remember the Modifier I talked to you about the other day? I confirmed the safety of the formula from the test results of rats and human subjects. None of my participants were negatively impacted or bothered by the side-effects.” Qing Shui continued to smile. “The gene sequence rearrangement is a process, so it’ll take some time. But the syringe I gave you is safe to inject.”
“That’s good new to hear.”
Chang took out the syringe that had been securely kept in the pocket.
“Yours is the most sophisticated one I made. The pureness of the red fog concentrate and the accurateness to portion was more than a hundred times better than what I used for testing.” Qing Shui chortled. “Let’s wait until the Modifier takes its full effect, you’ll be much more powerful than Zhuo’s gene-altered soldiers.”
“Thank you, Qing Shui, thank you.”
Chang curved the corner of his mouth, putting back the syringe into his pocket. He was interuppted when he was about to menttion Zhizhi.
“There is no need to say thank you between you and me. You must have something on your mind, am I correct?” Qing Shui asked, looking at Chang.
“I can’t hide it, can I?” His face had sold Chang’s secret away, but he knew that he couldn’t hide from the reality, either. “I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, and it seems it’s the right time to talk about this.
“Jing, can you stay in the room? We’re heading out for a brief talk.” Chang’s hesitation was obvious, and hence Qing Shui pulled him out from the room to somewhere private.
“Tell me, what is it?”
“Zhizhi, do you remember her?” Chang rephrased his request in the hallway. “Can you let her go?”