Chapter 55

Unlike Z City, W City has many high mountains that stretch for a long time. Wen Shaocheng and his men tracked the target to the foot of the mountain but lost sight of it and had to turn back again.

“They must have had locals lead the way in. The mountain is their territory. Major, you made the right decision to bring people back, otherwise they might have ambushed us.” Liu Wanqi greeted Wen Shaocheng, who was returning late at night, and handed him a cup of hot water and pushed a thermos over to him. “These are dumplings that Tong Shu brought you. She originally wanted to give them to you for your New Year’s Eve dinner, but it’s past midnight now, so consider them your first meal of the new year.”

Wen Shaocheng's face, which had been frozen by the cold wind, finally warmed up a bit. He picked up his chopsticks, took a dumpling, and put it in his mouth. Even though it was cold, it didn't mask the delicious taste of the dumpling.

"Old Liu, you should eat with us." Liu Wanqi must be hungry by now, so Wen Shaocheng invited him.

"I won't eat. The New Year's Eve dinner on the supply ship tonight is quite sumptuous." Tong Shu said that he was to share the food with the major, but anyone with eyes could see that there was something between the two of them, and he didn't want to be the one who was oblivious to the situation.

Wen Shaocheng went with him. He was indeed tired today and hadn't eaten much outside. His stomach had been empty for a long time, so he ate the dumplings one after another very quickly. Soon, he finished the whole bucket of dumplings.

As the sky begins to lighten, the first rays of the sun will rise on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Liu Wanqi said goodbye and left. There was no need for intensive training for the next two days. He arranged for the daily patrols, and everyone else was free to do as they pleased. Wen Shaocheng cleaned up the thermos and then returned to his residence, feeling tired.

Around 7 a.m., people in the community gradually woke up. Many people dressed and came out of their homes, carrying some food in their hands, some freshly cooked, and some leftovers from the previous day's Lunar New Year's Eve. These people came out from different apartment buildings and all headed towards the same destination. Before long, a group of people gathered outside the north gate.

In just a few months, the once-bulging mound of earth has been flattened by the wind, and impurities have accumulated in the ice, making it murky and only vague outlines can be seen.

The sound of sobbing could be heard again in the wind. Fortunately, no new bodies were buried in this temporary cemetery after that. People who came to pay their respects mourned their departed loved ones and also came to let the spirits know that they were safe and sound, hoping to be blessed in the new year and not to be separated from their loved ones again.

At Tong Shujia's house, Shuya looked out the window at everything outside the North Gate. Turning to look at her sleeping daughter beside her, she felt a sense of relief. It was just a hair's breadth away... Even those who froze to death could be laid to rest. If Qin Xiaoxiao had had an accident that time, they wouldn't have been able to find her even if they wanted to.

Tong Shu got up early as usual and did intensive training in the training room. For some reason, she felt uneasy after waking up. After completing her goal for the day, she rushed to Nini's house to see if the crystal ball had any new prophecies.

The crystal ball still showed the frozen earth. Tong Shu didn't dare to be careless and stared at it carefully for a while before finally noticing a subtle difference.

She called over Nini, who was flipping through a magic book, pointed to a thin, thread-like vine in the corner, and asked, "Nini, look at this, do you know what it is?"

Following the direction Tong Shu pointed, Nini obediently squinted her eyes and carefully examined the area. After a while, she finally noticed something and said, "Island Master, I think I see a small green leaf. This looks like a plant!"

Plants? Could it be that the severe cold is finally coming to an end, and spring will soon return to the earth and all things will revive? Thinking of this, Tong Shu shook her head again; she dared not be so optimistic.

The crystal ball had undergone a change, and Tong Shu, preoccupied with something, ate lunch in a sullen mood.

"What's wrong with Shushu today? Mom specially made braised beef for you, isn't that your favorite?" Shuhua asked worriedly.

"...It's nothing, I ate too much this morning, so I can't eat much at noon," Tong Shu said evasively. She subconsciously didn't want to talk about the island and the disaster with her family anymore. Tong Shu casually ate a few mouthfuls of rice to fill her stomach and then went out to find Wen Shaocheng.

Halfway there, Tong Shu bumped into Wen Shaocheng. He was carrying a thermos of dumplings and walking slowly on the ice. When he saw Tong Shu, he stopped and greeted her: "Going to the supply ship? Looking for me? I thought you would sleep in a little longer today."

Tong Shu shook her head, leaned closer to him and whispered, "The prophecy has changed."

Wen Shaocheng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly led her toward the supply ship.

After the two closed and locked the door, Wen Shaocheng asked urgently, "What happened? What's next?"

"I'm not entirely sure either. This change is different from before. In the past, it was always a large-scale change, but today I found a plant inside the crystal ball..."

"plant?"

Tong Shu nodded: "A plant grew in the frigid environment." She glanced at Wen Shaocheng's expression and guessed: "Do you think it's possible that the disaster is about to end?"

Whether it's the arrival of spring or the symbolism of plants, these should normally be considered positive developments. However, Wen Shaocheng subconsciously felt that things might not be so simple. "...Although I also hope that the disaster will end soon, my intuition tells me that this may be a sign of a new disaster."

Tong Shu gasped for breath. Wen Shaocheng felt the same way; they both thought the new changes were not optimistic.

"...Does the disaster caused by plants mean that some plants develop self-awareness and then grow out to strangle humans?" Tong Shu looked at Wen Shaocheng, seeking his approval.

Wen Shaocheng looked at Tong Shu with a complicated expression, "...Your guess is quite far-fetched."

"Isn't that how it's always written in novels?"

Wen Shaocheng rarely reads this kind of literature and has limited imagination: "...The situation you described is indeed quite tricky. In addition to dealing with their own kind who have ill intentions, humans also have to guard against those who have developed consciousness, um...plants."

The more Tong Shu thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Her heart pounded with nervousness. Even though she had accidentally trained for a while, she had no confidence whatsoever in the face of those plants that might come with intelligence to attack humans, not to mention the many people in her family who needed protection.

"Let me make this clear first: if what I suspect is true, I'll have to find a way to protect my family first," Tong Shu said earnestly, looking directly at Wen Shaocheng.

Wen Shaocheng didn't see anything wrong and nodded: "You're different from us. Just take care of yourself. With you here, there's still hope for humanity."

Tong Shu was burned by Wen Shaocheng's burning gaze and began to wonder if she had been too heartless. After hesitating for a long time, she stammered, "...How about I help you prepare some more supplies during this time? It's my way of doing my part."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work again." He was referring to Tong Shu's task of moving the supplies all by herself. Tong Shu blushed, shook her head, and walked away, lost in thought.

At home, Wang Jie was watching a variety show with Qin Xiaoxiao. He had recently taken out his old psychology elective textbook that had been gathering dust, felt that he had learned a little bit, and started to try to guide Qin Xiaoxiao to get out of it.

Having come from farming on a small island, Tong Songming could never have too many supplies. Plus, his daughter seemed to be secretly trading goods, and although he couldn't find out anything, he did what he could to help. He had just harvested a batch of wheat, and Tong Songming was covered in sweat. He reached for the kettle on the coffee table. Qin Xiaoxiao had been glancing at him out of the corner of her eye ever since he came out. Seeing Tong Songming reach for the kettle, she jumped up from the sofa with a start, scrambling to a corner of the living room and curling up.

Tong Songming was so frightened by the commotion that he dared not move and looked nervously at Wang Jie for help.

Wang Jie frowned and sighed, then said in a low voice, "Uncle, Xiaoxiao has post-traumatic stress disorder with men your age. Her dad is avoiding her as much as possible now. Until Xiaoxiao recovers, you should keep your distance from her. You should also tell my dad so that he doesn't accidentally scare Xiaoxiao."

Tong Songming understood immediately. He responded and, feeling a pang of sympathy, grabbed his water bottle and ran back to the island.

Tong Shu watched silently from the side. Qin Xiaoxiao's problem was psychological; only when the culprit was brought to justice could she be fully cured.

After arriving at the island, Tong Shu took stock of the accumulated supplies. The flour that could be stored for a long time was piled up in the warehouse again. When Tong Shu moved supplies for Wen Shaocheng last time, she noticed that their salt reserves were running low. Now that the sea was frozen, there were very few ways to obtain salt. Tong Shu exchanged several hundred kilograms of salt at the island's shop in one go. Wen Shaocheng had given her a lot of military supplies in the past few times. Her encyclopedia quest had progressed a little further, and she had received the next stage's collection reward. This amount of Forest Coins was just right to be used to exchange for salt.

Wen Shaocheng cleared out a small fishing boat. The cargo hold of a fishing boat is different from the cabin of a passenger ship; it is below the deck. There are many such small fishing boats in Z City. Wen Shaocheng had someone select a relatively clean one, cleaned it up briefly, and used it to carry Tong Shu's next batch of supplies.

Upon seeing the salt Tong Shu brought, Wen Shaocheng smiled sincerely: "I was just having trouble finding salt recently, and this is truly a godsend."

Tong Shu waved her hand: "Don't be polite. If things really turn out as we guessed, everyone might have to go their separate ways. You'll probably still be guarding the north of the city. Consider these supplies as me doing a good deed for my family."

A vague emotion welled up in Wen Shaocheng's heart. He felt a little sad, but he also knew that the situation might indeed be as Tong Shu said. Wen Shaocheng remained silent and looked down at Tong Shu throwing bags of grain into the warehouse one by one.

Grain filled a small cargo hold, and salt was piled haphazardly on the deck. Tong Shu straightened up, wiped the sweat from her brow, and reached out to Wen Shaocheng: "Give me anything, it's part of today's deal. The military chocolate you gave me last time was pretty good, or you could give me that one back."

Wen Shaocheng didn't answer her, but took out a black bag that he had prepared beforehand and handed it to her: "Here, take this and look at it when you get home."

Tong Shu glanced at his expression, wondering what was so mysterious about him, but seeing that Wen Shaocheng didn't seem to be in a good mood, she nodded in agreement, casually stuffed the bag into her backpack, and followed Wen Shaocheng back.