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The man they encountered was likely a mutant. Though his body showed no changes, Lin Feng trusted his intuition at that moment; the feeling of life being threatened was not just his imagination.

After helping Li Ying gather the scattered scraps of paper into a bag, they hurried down the stairs to the back door of the police station.

“Sir, we found no one,” a soldier reported, following the commander back to the previous location.

The commander frowned deeply upon seeing that the destroyed documents had been completely removed.

“Retreat.”

“Yes, sir.”

— Change of scene —

In the shadows of a street corner, Lin Feng broke the silence. “What do you plan to do next?” he asked, observing Li Ying as she switched off her voice recorder and tucked it into her pocket.

“I’m thinking of going to the quarantine station to record what’s happening there, and to highlight the officials’ inaction. After that, I plan to visit the university. I just hope 17 days will be enough.”

“Understood. We’ll part ways here, I need to focus on escape preparations and can no longer accompany you. If you run into trouble at the quarantine station, head to this hotel for safety. Avoid direct confrontations with the gangs. And if you need help disseminating your report, you can leave the documents with someone at the hotel or come to XX Road’s mall.”

Lin Feng handed her a map marking the locations of the hotel and mall, thinking of Anna, the doctor, Mengqi, and Song Zhe, who were probably there.

Lin Feng couldn’t promise to escort Li Ying out of the city; with the impending missile strike, everyone’s fate was uncertain.

“Alright, let’s part ways here then. Thank you for your help in getting to the police station,” Li Ying said, still seeming to struggle with her disappointment. It made sense – being so close to revealing the truth only to see it destroyed was a hard blow to bear.

After sharing a meaningful glance with Lin Feng, Li Ying walked towards the small car he had found for her.

“Hey,” Lin Feng called out.

“Hmm? Is there something else, Lin Feng?”

“Take this,” he said, offering her his only silenced pistol. He had come to respect her journalistic determination and hoped she would survive beyond the impending catastrophe.

“Thank you,” Li Ying accepted the weapon without a second thought, recognizing its necessity in her quest for the truth. With Lin Feng no longer by her side, she couldn’t afford to turn down any assistance.

As Lin Feng watched Li Ying drive off towards the quarantine station, he stretched lazily and pulled out some grilled fish from his bag. Li Ying was quite skilled at cooking fish; in a different situation, spending more time with her would have been an appealing option.

Mounting a small scooter, Lin Feng set off towards the museum. After his recent mishap with
a larger vehicle, he was content with the scooter; not like he had evolved some skill that allowed him to pilot any vehicle, right?

“Crackle, Lily, are you dead? Answer me!” she shouted into the walkie-talkie.

…

“Damn it, you little brat! Keep your curses to yourself!” Lin Feng retorted, grabbing the walkie-talkie and firing back at Anna on the other end.

“Whew, Lily, you finally responded. I was worried… Where are you now?”

“I’m heading to the museum. Weren’t you supposed to be at the hotel? Why are you at the mall now? Hey? Hey? What’s going on?”

With no reply coming from the walkie-talkie, Lin Feng sighed, a mixture of concern and frustration in his voice, and continued his journey towards the museum.