Chapter 52.1 – Tongwan Hospital (6)
◎ ROOT ◎
“I have seen, seen this person before.”
An Qiwen straightened his back, and his despondent expression vanished: “Really? Don’t joke about this!”
Song Ke didn’t dare to be careless and looked carefully again. Although she wasn’t certain if it was the same person, she had indeed seen someone similar: “Really, very much alike.”
An Qiwen’s first reaction was astonishment. After calming down, doubts filled his mind: Was it really this coincidental? Could it happen every time like this?
During their time in Hua City, when Wu Juemin needed to repair T014, Zhuang Qingyan, the “advanced weather simulation system maintenance technician,” happened to show up. Although he did eventually fix T014, proving his words and barely dispelling their suspicions, now again, Song Ke said she had seen Xie Zhan, who the Azure Phoenix squad hadn’t found for half a year.
Continuous coincidences, either it was fate or someone orchestrating it.
People from the Azure Phoenix never believed in fate.
So, who was manipulating everything behind the scenes?
If it wasn’t for him personally taking Song Ke and Xu Xing out of F177 Disctrict, An Qiwen might have suspected the origins of the two a long time ago.
But after Song Ke said “seen,” her expression remained calm, showing no signs of lying or guilt.
An Qiwen hesitated, could it be she had really seen him?
Song Ke didn’t think too much about it; she gazed at the blurry and distant image named Xie Zhan.
It was said that the youth was only fifteen at this time, and his indifference had already begun to show. The Xie Ningyu she had seen earlier was clearly an adult, and the way he spoke, the disdainful look in his eyes, seemed more arrogant and unrestrained, giving a significantly different impression from the Xie Zhan in the image.
But their faces were excessively alike.
Could it be that as he grew older, his personality also changed? Song Ke guessed wildly.
“What she said is true, we have all seen him,” Zhuang Qingyan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. “As for whether he is the person you’re looking for, we can’t help, you’ll have to verify it yourselves.”
“Where did you see him?” An Qiwen inquired.
“Ferrara,” Zhuang Qingyan answered.
An Qiwen repeated softly, “Ferrara, indeed… the intelligence is accurate.”
Song Ke provided another valuable clue: “Not only him, but also, also his friend.”
Xie Ningyu appeared at the same time as Lu Xinglan. That cunning and malicious blue-eyed person at Mirror Lake had given her trouble more than once, so revealing his whereabouts to Azure Phoenix’s people. Song Ke felt no guilt.
“We didn’t have an image of him, but his friend does, and there are recordings of the competition.”
The Throne Race was Ferrara’s nationwide feast, having extremely high popularity locally. Starting from the main competition, each round was live-streamed. As long as they followed this clue, the Azure Phoenix squad would find the man with a teardrop mole in the corner of his eye—it was only a matter of time.
“However, the person we saw is called Xie Ningyu.”
Zhuang Qingyan propped up the wheelchair casually and reminded, “The name is a bit different, you know.”
An Qiwen paused for two seconds, “Real or fake, we’ll figure it out.”
Names were just code names, a principle understood by intelligent people. Regardless, this was an important clue.
An Qiwen could hardly contain his excitement as he paced back and forth. “I’ll inform the captain right away.”
After searching aimlessly for so long, there was finally a glimmer of hope. How could he sit still?
An Qiwen took two steps away, dialed the terminal, and quickly reported to the other side, nodding occasionally.
Zhuang Qingyan looked at his retreating figure, his eyes deep.
However, Song Ke remembered another detail. An Qiwen had initially mentioned—they were looking for a “key.”
“A key, what is it?” she asked Zhuang Qingyan curiously.
“Who knows?” Zhuang Qingyan replied casually.
“You, you rea-really don’t know?” Song Ke was surprised.
“Of course, I’m human too. How can a person know everything? Admitting one’s ignorance doesn’t mean denying oneself.”
Zhuang Qingyan lightly tapped her head. “Come on, volunteer, break time is over.”
The next day, Song Ke learned some good news from An Qiwen: Tongwan truly lived up to being the medical capital. Not only did the doctors save Wang Qiang, but they also provided a treatment plan that could prolong his life.
The damaged right half of Wang Qiang’s body would be replaced with bionic materials, allowing him to survive in a semi-mechanical form, somewhat similar to the “Anna Knights” they encountered in Ferrara. However, the surgical risks were enormous, and Wang Qiang had not yet passed the critical period. An Qiwen had to stay in Tongwan for a while.
“After Qiangzi’s transplant is done, come visit him. We’ll have a meal together!”
An Qiwen’s voice was as loud as ever, and he had regained his energetic demeanor.
“Oh, I’m going out tomorrow. You’re a volunteer at the hospital, right? Help me support Qiangzi’s side too.”
Song Ke was speechless. Big brother, I’m a volunteer for zombie cleanup. My daily job involves running back and forth to the incinerator. How can I support Wang Qiang? Throw him into the incinerator?
“Oh, I forgot. That’s so inauspicious! Forget what I said. I’ll ask the attending doctor for help.”
An Qiwen slapped his forehead on the other end, the sound echoing, and Song Ke could hear it through the terminal.
“Where are you going?”
“Going to U-Lab to retrieve some data.”
What An Qiwen was going to do tomorrow wasn’t a classified mission, and he didn’t hide anything. He told Song Ke openly.
…
“Where did he say he was going?” Zhuang Qingyan put down the light screen in his hand and asked, raising his voice.
“What, what U…” Song Ke recalled for a few seconds, but she couldn’t remember what the full name An Qiwen said was.
“Unique Laboratory,” Zhuang Qingyan’s voice was low.
“Yes.” Song Ke tilted her head, that was the correct name.
Zhuang Qingyan lightly tapped the wheelchair with his fingers, and after a moment of contemplation, he said something startling, “He doesn’t have any help, and tomorrow we happen to be free. Why not go and help?”
A question mark slowly appeared on Song Ke’s face.
She jumped off the writing desk, folded her arms, and stared at Zhuang Qingyan silently.
Zhuang Qingyan raised an eyebrow, “What’s the matter?”
Song Ke pursed her lips, “Liar, you’re not really this, this kind-hearted.”
Was she supposed to be that naive? Since when did Zhuang Qingyan start caring about others’ lives? Even lending a hand, not stepping on them is considered good enough.
Zhuang Qingyan chuckled, his peach blossom eyes forming a charming curve. “Oh dear, you’ve seen through me. Do you know me so well?”
“Speak, what, what do you want to, to do?” Song Ke wasn’t swayed, pressing for a clear answer.
Zhuang Qingyan feigned resistance, spinning his wheelchair halfway. Song Ke circled around to face him and steadfastly blocked his way.
He turned right, and Song Ke followed. ‘Smack.’ She reached out and firmly held the wheelchair still. “Speak!”
No way to escape.
Zhuang Qingyan reluctantly raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but you have to let go first.”
Song Ke didn’t believe him. “You, you tell me fi-first.”
“U-Lab is promoted as an independent laboratory to the public, but in reality…”
“In reality, what?”
“Few people know that it’s a suborganization Qinglan uses to research special biological entities.”
Qinglan, again related to Qinglan. No wonder Zhuang Qingyan was so concerned upon hearing the name.
“So what? What do, do you want?” Song Ke remained puzzled.
“For two reasons. On one hand, I want to know what An Qiwen is retrieving. After all, I am affiliated with Qinglan, so it’s understandable, right?”
“On the other hand, this incident also reminded me, the homeless man in Luo Shelter wasn’t willing to talk, right? Some things in U-Lab can make him talk. Don’t look at me like that; it’s legitimate.”
“Is it dan-dangerous to go the-there?” Song Ke, as the captain of V587, naturally had to consider the safety of her companions.
“Yes, the risk rating for U-Lab before the apocalypse was H (high-risk zone). As for now, I’m not sure.”
A special laboratory, researching bizarre biological species and conducting illegal experiments like gene fusion. Before the apocalypse, it was a restricted area with a high degree of confidentiality. Zhuang Qingyan couldn’t be sure what the things inside had turned into now.
He thought for a moment and cautiously spoke, “But since An Qiwen dared to go alone, the Azure Phoenix must have cleared things beforehand. No need to worry too much.”
If it was really dangerous, An Qiwen wouldn’t act alone, and he even had the leisure to communicate with Song Ke, showing no signs of nervousness.
“Then shall I ask him?” Song Ke reached for the terminal.
“Wait,” Zhuang Qingyan cleared his throat lightly, “since it’s about helping, how about leaving a little surprise for him?”
Surprise? Are you sure it’s not a shock?
Song Ke secretly complained, finding Zhuang Qingyan’s casual suggestion quite unexpected.
Her fingers slid and she accessed another communication. Since the mission seemed a bit challenging, she decided to get some more help.
The so-called “coolie” was, of course, meant to be ordered around. After all, one shouldn’t make oneself suffer when they can make others do it.
…
The next day, An Qiwen, dressed in a sharp combat suit, glanced at the sleeping Wang Qiang through the visiting window and walked out of the 119 Hospital.
As he stepped out of the main entrance, he stopped after a few steps.
On the opposite street, five people, some sitting and some standing, turned their gazes towards him.
This was a team that, even if one couldn’t discern their rank, was definitely not to be messed with.
A tall woman stood leaning against the shade of a tree, her appearance dazzling. She was delicately laughing, covering her lips. Beside her was a tall, wild man, his eyes lowered, exuding a restrained aura of danger. His taut muscles could erupt into combat at any moment, appearing to be a formidable opponent.
In front of the two, a handsome young man sat in a wheelchair, tilting his head slightly as he chatted with a girl with shoulder-length black hair. At the very front was a ten-year-old boy, his fingertips surrounded by two sparkling snowflakes, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Upon seeing him, Xu Xing immediately put on a smiling face. “Uncle An, we’re here to help!”
An Qiwen couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh,” the tone fluctuating melodiously, resonating deeply.
Well, if you’re helping, just help. Did everyone need to come together like this?
