After getting the unconscious military guy to the fourth floor, she leaves Wei Shengyuan to clean him up and do the bare minimum to make sure their rough treatment of him didn’t make anything worse. Removing his standard military mask reveals that it protected him so well, there’s only a single bruise on his face.

  Honestly, though, aside from some electrical burns on the back of his neck and on his hands, and some fish bites on his toes, he wasn’t actually that injured elsewhere. Just unconscious.

  “We’re not washing him off in my bathtub,” Wei Shengyuan says.

  Technically, it’s not his bathtub. It’s her bathtub.

  “You can use my bathroom!” Jiang Jin offers.

  Jiang Jin is not in the room with them. In fact, she’s in the room next door, putting up her soundproofing. While wearing her own earbuds.

  She’s been more and more casual about the fact that she can hear them wherever they are in the building, which on one hand shows trust and comfort, and on the other hand is really annoying.

  “He’s also not sleeping in this apartment,” Wei Shengyuan says. “There’s no room.”

  That’s not true. He could be unconscious on the couch.

  “You’re right,” Zan Xinyi says, because she doesn’t want him on her couch. “I’ll clean out a room for him while you wash him. With your powers, since you don’t want to use the tub.”

  Wei Shengyuan uses his powers to conjure a water ball that makes a decent attempt at growing a middle finger.

  “You should also work on your fine control,” Zan Xinyi says.

  The water ball splashes onto the back of her neck and drips down her spine.

  Zan Xinyi shows him what a real middle finger looks like and then goes to scout out which of the few remaining rooms on the fourth floor this guy is gonna get. There are six apartments on her floor, and she and Wei Shengyuan have hers, Jiang Jin has the next door one, and the plant has one at the other end of the hall.

  Plenty to spare.

  Zan Xinyi picks the smallest unit for their guest. In terms of surveillance, it doesn’t really matter-- Jiang Jin will hear him no matter what, and even if she chooses to keep her own counsel, there’s a solution.

  “The soldier we brought in? He’s a guest unless he attempts to go down the stairs without accompaniment or permission,” Zan Xinyi says to Qingguang. “Then he’s not a guest.”

  She raps her broom against a vine trailing down the corridor until she gets a sense of agreement.

  “This guy is how we’re going to get information about your kids,” Zan Xinyi adds, remembering only after she swung her broom around that there was an easier way. “So even if he tries to run, don’t kill him.”

  Every single strand of vine within her vision goes still and then turns in the direction of Wei Shengyuan and the soldier like they’ve found their new sun.

  “Wei Shengyuan!” Zan Xinyi yells. “Are you done yet?”

  This is taking up valuable working hours. Though she’d basically already consigned this day to a bust.

  “You have to carry him out!” Wei Shengyuan yells back.

  She has to find it funny.

  That’s right. He didn’t wake up when a weird dog dragged him out of the river. He didn’t wake up when he was jostled around in the back of a truck. He didn’t wake up when she carried him up four flights of stairs. He didn’t wake up when Wei Shengyuan washed him and did basic first aid.

  But there in the comfort of a bed she’d specifically cleaned, he stirs.

  Then he immediately reaches for a weapon he’d probably lost in the river.

  “Where am I?” he snaps, eyes wide as he takes in the new environment. “Who are you?”

  She doesn’t know what’s got him so scared. It’s a normal apartment, and she doesn’t even have any mutations. Sure, the lights don’t work so the only illumination comes from the green glow outside the window, but that’s plenty bright enough to see.

  He should be glad she gave him a room with a big window.

  “I’m Zan Xinyi, and this is a room in my apartment building,” Zan Xinyi says, widening her ownership. “And who are you?”

  He keeps glancing at the window and then quickly looking away.

  “I’m-- First Lieutenant Guan Yu.”

  This appellation means nothing to Zan Xinyi.

  “Well Guan Yu, we rescued you. So when you eventually get back to the military base, we expect to collect the bounty reward. Also, come with me for a second. I need to see if you recognize some pictures.”

  “Zan Xinyi!” Jiang Jin says, knocking at the door and then immediately opening it. “I heard our new guy is awake. Hi, Guan Yu. I’m Jiang Jin. It’s nice to meet you, you look more handsome than I thought you’d look. And don’t breathe so fast, there’s something a little wrong with your lungs and that will only make it worse!”

  Jiang Jin’s feathers bounce up and down every time she talks, fluffing up through her hair and over her skirt. The bell hanging by her side rings slightly with the sound of a flute.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “I must be hallucinating,” Guan Yu says, dazed. “Or...”

  He desperately looks down at his hands and then the rest of his body, even going so far as to crane his head and try to stare down his own back and running a hand through his closely cropped hair.

  “Or I’ve been corrupted,” he mutters. “Polluted...but why can’t I see it? Is it just my eyes? What kind of animal sees through a green tint? My eyes and ears? What color is my hair?”

  “A human animal,” Zan Xinyi says, annoyed. “And your hair is dark brown. You barely breathed in any of the mist. And the research that your own base keeps broadcasting says that it’s the already mutated that are the most vulnerable to drastic worsening, not someone like you. Stop freaking out before you even have any symptoms. You don’t even have any black veins. For a while everyone in this part of the city had those.”

  “Broadcasting?” Guan Yu says. “We haven’t been able to broadcast outside of the base in over a month. Is this some cruel prank, and I’m actually inside the base? Mingze? Junfeng? Is that you?”

  Jiang Jin looks at Zan Xinyi.

  “Oh,” she says, in a whisper so loud Zan Xinyi would be shocked if Wei Shengyuan couldn’t hear it down the hall. “I didn’t realize the radio was like the showers. I thought it was normal.”

  “It is normal,” Zan Xinyi says. “As long as you keep the tag on it.”

  Jiang Jin nods seriously as if Zan Xinyi has just said something profound.

  “This part of the city?” Guan Yu repeats. “This part of the city.” He again glances at the window. “I’m...this can’t be Zone A. Can it?”

  “We’re actually right in the center of Zone A!” Jiang Jin says. “Wow, you’re so smart.”

  “But being in the green mist drives mutants crazy,” Guan Yu says. “Even...even my squad, they’d demand we could only stay there for an hour before heading out and changing shifts.”

  “But we have Qingqing!” Jiang Jin says. “So no problem. As long as you don’t leave this floor.”

  “As long as I don’t leave this floor,” Guan Yu repeats. “So, I’m a hostage.”

  “A guest. The military base is offering a credit bounty for returned people.” Zan Xinyi hates repeating herself.

  “Oh. Oh and you know that because your radio works...”

  “No, because we met another group of you guys,” Zan Xinyi says. “Why are there so many of you venturing into this zone, anyway? You seem so unhappy to be here.”

  “There’s still groups of them at the fringes,” Jiang Jin says. “I don’t hear them shoot that much anymore, though!”

  “That’s classified information,” Guan Yu says tensely.

  “The world’s ended, nothing’s classified,” Zan Xinyi says. “Does it have something to do with your electricity burns?”

  “I’m sorry,” Guan Yu says. “But I really need to return to the base. I’ve got information I have to deliver. And I need to find out if any of the rest of my squad survived-- and my brother, I’ll miss it if he drops by the base...”

  “It’s unlikely any of your squad survived,” Zan Xinyi says. “You were unconscious floating in the river.”

  “But you never know!” Jiang Jin says. “You made it, after all. They could too.”

  “I need to return,” Guan Yu repeats hopelessly. His head falls forward and then jolts back to stiffly upright as the change immediately hurts the burn on his neck.

  “As long as you’re willing to do some things for me real quick, there’s nothing stopping you,” Zan Xinyi says. “You can hotwire a car once we’re done here. Just have someone come back with the credits sometime. The base is easy to find.”

  “I-- I can’t do that,” Guan Yu says. “If this is really the center of Zone A, no one’s ever managed to reach this far in since we started attempting to-- as we started re-surveying the area. There’s a high amount of dangerous mutated creatures, berserk zombies, and the green mist itself induces a loss of reason that leads to wrong turns even in individuals with a mutation index less than 10%.”

  “Wow!” Jiang Jin says. “I guess it was a bad idea to resurvey it, if it’s that risky for you.”

  “You wouldn’t be having problems with the zombies if you just stopped using guns,” Zan Xinyi says.

  “Yes, but...” Guan Yu says. “Still, I can’t go out alone.”

  Now this is a problem.

  “Then it looks like you’ll be here for a little while,” Zan Xinyi says. “Jiang Jin, how long do you think it’s going to be until we have to do another supply run?”

  Jiang Jin shrugs so expansively that her entire body shifts with the motion.

  “We picked up a lot this time! Probably not until the next phase of the game is finished. I now have everything I need, and I think it might be best to give Shi Yan some time to decide about my old things. It’s not good to pressure him.”

  Zan Xinyi is fine with pressuring him, but she’d love to, for example, know what kind of mutation and power he has and how to take precautions against it before she did that.

  “So,” Zan Xinyi says. “Looks like you’re here for the next month and a half. Then we’ll drive you there. No problem.”

  “I--” Guan Yu says, frowning. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to go sooner? It truly is urgent. I can attempt to assist you with whatever ‘game’ you are working on.”

  “Can you code?” Jiang Jin asks.

  “What? No.”

  Shame.

  “If it’s not urgent enough to share, it’s not that urgent,” Zan Xinyi says. “Now, this way. I need to see if you recognize some pictures.”

  She opens the door and waits for him to tentatively step into the hallway and fall in behind her as she starts walking.

  “Don’t faint!” Jiang Jin says worriedly.

  Ignoring the way he jumps and squeaks every time one of Qingqing’s tendrils moves around him, she opens the door to Qingqing’s room and walks back to the living room.

  The contract Wei Shengyuan cut into the walls is still completely clear, and so are the framed photographs of the children.

  Guan Yu stops in front of the contract.

  “Don’t bother with that,” Zan Xinyi says. “You see those kids? They should have been safely evacuated into the military base. Do you recognize any of them?”

  It’s a long shot. Honestly, it’s fine if he doesn’t. Then she can just threaten him a little and tell him to find out more information on them after they’ve sent him back. She doesn’t really know what to threaten him with once he’s safely ensconced in the base where they can’t reach him, but she’s got an imagination. She can figure something out.

  Guan Yu goes silent, closely examining each portrait in turn before finally shaking his head.

  “There’s too many people at the base,” he says. “I rarely interact with people outside of my own unit.”

  Ugh.

  Zan Xinyi starts thinking of what she can threaten.

  “But--” Guan Yu says. “This is their house, right? You want them to know their home is still here?”

  Hm?

  “Yes!” Jiang Jin says.

  Guan Yu straightens up.

  “Of course, I’ll attempt to find them and inform them once I return. Everyone is yearning for answers as to what happened to the life they left behind, but few ever receive any. I’ll be honored to deliver good news.”

  Honestly...Zan Xinyi shakes her head, a bitter smile on her face.

  This type of thing makes her sick. It’s better to go back to working on the game.

  patreon.