Apocalyptic Island - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

“This is what you call the ‘lowest risk’?” She gripped Bai Mi’s hand firmly, lifting it between them.

She shouldn’t have expected anyone associated with her to be a saint; she was truly moved to angry laughter by Bai Mi’s actions.

Bai Mi coldly withdrew her hand and turned away, causing Wen Yishu to stumble and nearly fall on all fours. She coughed, forcing herself to stand by bracing her hands on her knees, as she heard Bai Mi’s receding voice: “I have my own way of calculating. I’m going to get some things; wait for me to return.”

Familiar words. Wen Yishu leaned against a wall for support, the freezing air filling her chest. She surveyed her surroundings, staying alert while she rested. Most of the rose’s withered branches had been pruned away, revealing the thick main stem that had been shrouded beneath.

In her pocket, the String of Pearls cautiously poked out a tip, observing the root system on the ground. Wen Yishu picked up a discarded flower; the scent of a rose is naturally light, and now it was undetectable. She crushed the petals, finding nothing unusual—no crystal. It seemed to have reverted into a plain, ordinary flower.

Wen Yishu tossed the flower branch aside and brushed off her hands just as Bai Mi returned carrying a compact, collapsible iron shovel. The wounds on Bai Mi’s hands had been simply bandaged. She picked up the shovel and began to dig.

The black earth had been turned into heavy clumps by rain and blood; combined with the freezing weather, digging was no easy feat. Fortunately, it hadn’t frozen into solid ice. Clods of wet, sticky mud were shoveled up one by one, piling up like a small mountain on the nearby asphalt. Bai Mi maintained her posture, her shovel swinging rhythmically like a precision machine.

Her efficiency was high. Soon, the powerful, serpentine root system beneath the grey, woody main trunk came into view. The rose’s crystal nucleus was locked tight deep within the roots, almost at the very bottom of the flower bed.

Noticing the faint traces of blood seeping through Bai Mi’s forceful grip, Wen Yishu snatched the shovel from her hands and took over the digging.

The two dug for an hour before finally unearthing the pink crystal. Bai Mi stripped the thorns from the remaining branches, preparing to bundle them up to take home. A thoroughly dead mutated plant would not sprout anew and served as excellent fuel. Unsure how long the city’s power would last, Bai Mi suggested preparing in advance.

Wen Yishu felt a sudden urge to retrieve her original belongings from Rhine. She wasn’t sure if that area was under total surveillance now, but given the current chaos in the city, Rhine likely had no time to spare for it.

The news of successive defections from Rhine acted like drops of water into a boiling vat of oil, the discussions among the public growing more heated by the second, exploding into everyone’s ears.

After a shower, Wen Yishu lay on the sofa. The faint, lingering scent of blood drifted into her nose, making her sneeze. She watched Bai Mi, who sat nearby quietly tapping away at a laptop.

Wen Yishu had already reconnected with Huo Xiaoguan and the others. They had been cleared of suspicion and released. They had now gone to Rhine’s Western District headquarters—a destination Wen Yishu privately mocked as being far from a “good home.”

Bai Mi used an encrypted network to speak with them. Ling Shuang received the message that the two were safe. Bai Mi gave a brief account of how Wen Yishu had rescued her and mentioned You Zhi’s use of torture. The three on the other side of the screen cursed You Zhi tooth and nail. The phrase “serves him right to be dead” was repeated countless times, and the ordeal made them realize that Rhine was indeed no place to stay.

Wen Yishu wondered if she should help all three of them break away; after all, talent is welcome anywhere. However, the three agreed that staying at Rhine allowed them to better monitor the company’s internal movements without immediate danger. Since You Zhi was dead and Bai Mi had escaped alone, the others’ suspicions had been largely cleared. It was a risky move, but one with a high chance of ensuring their safety for the time being.

Binhai City had entered the rainy season. Since the mutations were inextricably linked to the rain, they planned to stay put to avoid the dangers of outdoor duty.

The team provided Wen Yishu with a piece of intelligence: the remaining two mermen at the Rhine apartments would be secretly captured and transported by the headquarters today. Because the three of them had escaped from there, the higher-ups ordered You Ning to accompany the mission.

Though the two hadn’t set out yet, they were aware of this. They didn’t understand Rhine’s true motive for not simply exterminating the variants. There were cameras at their doors and even in the labs; the headquarters did not fully trust them. However, they had finally gained a presence before the upper management; passing information in the future might not be so easy.

The helicopters were set to depart this afternoon. After relaying this, the camera on Ling Shuang’s end wobbled, and she waved goodbye before cutting the transmission.

A bold idea suddenly sprouted in Wen Yishu’s mind. She watched Bai Mi close the laptop and sit up straight. Wen Yishu looked at her and said, “What do you think about us heading back to the apartments?”

Bai Mi pressed her lips together, her fingertips twitching. “Rhine? Haven’t you had enough trouble for one day?”

Wen Yishu stretched lazily. “It’s fine, I’ve rested enough. Xiaoguan said the higher-ups decided to go today. They can’t exactly use cars, can they?”

Bai Mi’s fingers tightened around her water glass. “What do you mean?”

Aix in the earpiece and Wen Yishu spoke almost in unison: “They’ll go by helicopter.”

Wen Yishu leaned down with a grin. “You’ll help me, won’t you, Team Leader?”

Bai Mi gave a cold snort and set the laptop aside, refusing to look at her, yet her hands were already moving fast to check the gear on the coffee table.

“By the way, did you also smell the flower fragrance earlier?”

This illusion had felt different. After the initial shock, Wen Yishu began to wonder why she had remembered that specific moment. Was the dream woven by the rose really the time she missed most? It was just a plain afternoon, a distant memory of an ordinary interaction with her mom. Why had she remembered that so clearly, sinking into it when her childhood memories were usually so blurred?

Bai Mi’s fingers slid over the black backpack as she listened to the inquiry. Turning to see those smiling, expectant eyes, Bai Mi’s gaze flickered almost imperceptibly. “I’ll tell you when you get back.”

She put on her glasses, data flashing before her eyes, and quickly double-checked the backpack, calculating if they could bring everything back. “Press the left side to connect to the dialogue with You Ning. Be safe.”

Wen Yishu nodded. She stepped out and felt the biting air. Most people were taking shelter at home, waiting for the city’s extermination squads to clear the plants. With so few people on the streets, it was the perfect time for her to move. Guided by Aix, she vanished into the alleys blurred by the rain.

Bai Mi sat on the second floor, quietly watching her receding figure. Wen Yishu’s coordinates on the computer continued to advance. Aix’s habitually gentle voice came through the earpiece.

“I was right, wasn’t I? She would go back.”

Bai Mi’s expression was icy. “If you don’t want to be discovered, you’d better stop appearing.”

Aix chuckled twice, that gentle voice becoming hauntingly charming. “When do you plan to tell her about me?”

“She is my companion, not yours. We are the same kind. I don’t want the mistakes of fifteen years ago to happen again, losing two lives for nothing. Besides, I only have this one companion. Hide your tail well—either keep quiet or let the whole world know, your choice.”

Bai Mi’s stance was unyielding.

“I just feel that wandering in the ocean of data without anyone to talk to is so lonely. If the day comes when human civilization is overturned and I can make a friend like you did, then I would certainly hope for this world to be destroyed, even if the price is my own disappearance.”

The breathing light on the earpiece flickered, and the gentle female voice went completely silent.

The security isolation zone at the city gate was established by Rhine. Following You Zhi’s assassination, and because the zone couldn’t be moved, the guards had been increased severalfold. The base had been screened repeatedly; no internal issues were found, meaning the intruder came from the outside.

The vents connected to the grayish-white outer walls now had layer upon layer of security netting. Rusted wire mesh had been replaced, and the welded grey screws were flush with the wall, making them impossible to turn. They must have discovered she entered through the ventilation ducts, so they had indiscriminately blocked them all.

Wen Yishu rubbed her chin, staring at the high wall in contemplation. She asked, “Do you think it’s reliable for me to climb the wall this time?”

Bai Mi’s voice came through the earpiece: “There are grappling hooks and spiked climbing plates in the backpack.”

Wen Yishu pulled the backpack off, satisfied. Humans couldn’t use the vents anymore, but they certainly hadn’t figured out how she had gotten through the city gate. She quickly strapped on the tools Bai Mi had prepared and fired the grappling hook upward. Using the wall for leverage, Wen Yishu moved like a black gecko, climbing rapidly.

The rooftop of the hangar was significantly higher than the surrounding structures. Wen Yishu spent a dozen seconds scaling the roof and quickly stowed the rope back in her pack. She didn’t bring the flamethrower this time—it was too cumbersome. Instead, she tucked the pistol she had scavenged from You Zhi into her waistband.

She was as lithe as a cat, crawling soundlessly across the roof to blend in with the black tarmac of the helipad. She lay at the edge, waiting for the helicopters below to emerge and take flight. While waiting, she saw the messages and photos sent by You Ning.

Many people were going this time, with five or six helicopters deployed. Knowing Wen Yishu wanted to retrieve her things, You Ning had applied to go in a large-scale transport helicopter. There would only be a thirty-minute window for her to load the goods. Wen Yishu clicked through the photos, memorizing the two black helicopters You Ning had identified.

Using this downtime, Wen Yishu provided some protection for the String of Pearls, adding a layer of thermal cotton padding around it. Although it didn’t strictly need it, the plant was “moved to tears” by the gesture.

As she finished the last loop, the rooftop floor vibrated. Looking down from her high vantage point, the helicopters began to rise slowly from the platform below, the cold metal lifting boards reflecting the rotating blades.

Wen Yishu felt her heart racing.

With a roll, she hung herself over the outer wall, gripping the exterior tightly as she listened to the activity above, wondering if she would be spotted. The helicopters took off. You Ning stood on the right side, blocking the entire window on that side while fiddling with a data pad, using her peripheral vision to peek toward Wen Yishu’s location.

Below, the commander operated a task robot to hook up the airtight cages to the bottom of the craft amidst powerful winds. Once everything was ready, the robot trotted away. The helicopter received the signal and began to climb. The chains snapped taut instantly. Wen Yishu seized the moment, scrambled back onto the roof, and leapt just before the cage cleared the ledge, grabbing onto the exterior chains.

The cage wobbled in the air before stabilizing. Inside the cabin, a crew member felt the jolt and frowned. “What was that?”

You Ning watched as the woman outside reflexively tilted her head, her heart nearly hammering its way out of her throat.

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