The sun shone bright, casting playful shadows beneath the swaying trees.
The remnants of a torn dress lay scattered on the ground, helpless against the wind's playful dance, yet the stones weighing it down kept it firmly in place.
From the soil, a tiny black centipede slowly emerged, making its way toward the pile of clothes.
Instead of climbing directly onto them, it meandered around, circumnavigating its large fabric companions, back and forth in a curious manner.
However, after realizing it couldn't burrow into the clothes, the centipede grew decidedly impatient and left to explore elsewhere.
Suddenly, a black hand darted out from the pile of clothing, quickly capturing the centipede.
In an instant, the hand pulled back into the heap, and the centipede vanished along with it.
Not long after, the pile of clothes seemed to be gripped by invisible hands, pulling sideways and causing the stones to roll away.
The clothes billowed and twisted as if alive, heading toward the gathering place near the post office.
With a sudden rip, an envelope tore open, revealing a sheet of letter inside.
Yu Hong carefully read the message that had reached him against all odds.
"I am Lin Yiyi. I have been at this seaside base for three days now. According to protocol, our team will be stationed here for a long time, so you can send future letters directly to this address listed below. But remember, do not send any important items, as they may get lost along the way."
Relief washed over Yu Hong.
"So it really is Yiyi."
Seeing that the little stutterer was safe relieved some of his earlier worries.
He continued with the letter.
"I left in a hurry that day, but honestly, I don't regret it. Baiqiu Village is becoming increasingly unfamiliar and dangerous for me."
Some words scratched out suggested there was more that had been said but was erased.
"My father and grandfather are missing, and my mother suddenly went out one day and never returned. I remember back then when the food ran out in our house, I resorted to eating mice and insects. Eventually, even they became scarce, so I tried eating tree bark and mud. My stomach grew round, and my mind became muddled, making me realize I couldn't eat mud and bark any longer. So, I set out."
"I spent one night outside, and you wouldn't believe it, but fortunately, there were no black bugs that night, and I survived. I stayed near the village's peridotite mine. If you ever find yourself in a bind, you should go there too. But make sure not to stay too long. I got a fever the same day I returned. I can't remember much after that, only that an old man trying to steal into my home saved me."
"I was still young and naive back then, not understanding anything, so I gave him everything I had. Later, whenever I was on the verge of starvation, he would appear and give me some food. However, once I grew a little older, I never saw him again. He may have died."
"Anyway, I've said so much to let you know that I'm fine and healthy, so don't worry about me. By the way, my roommate Anselin wrote this letter for me. She is a really good person and treats me well. If you have anything nice, please send some to her."
At the end of the letter, Yu Hong couldn't help but smile.
That line was clearly something the little stutterer wouldn’t have written on her own but was likely a note from her roommate, polished and fluent.
That didn't matter much, though.
The content affirmed that the little stutterer was indeed okay and, moreover, in a stable environment.
Upon finishing the letter, he flipped it over and, as expected, found a somewhat shabby map on the back.
It marked Baiqiu Village, the post office, the town, the peridotite mine, and an ancient ruin, connected with lines labeled with numbers.
Yu Hong scrutinized the map and realized the numbers were likely the estimated time it took Lin Yiyi to walk between locations.
A gentle expression crossed his features.
With this rough map, he now knew precisely where the mine and ruins were.
Just as he was about to fold the letter and tuck it away, his eyes caught something on the map.
Pausing, he reopened it and studied it closely.
Indeed.
Right next to the ruins was a small black dot.
Though it was small and inconspicuous, it was marked with a red cross, accompanied by a short warning: "Do not go!"
"Even Baiqiu Village wasn’t marked like this. It seems this place is far more dangerous."
He memorized the location carefully.
After securing the letter, he quickened his steps toward the cave where Jenny and her daughter lived.
Soon, he stood before the entrance.
He scanned the surroundings to ensure no one else was nearby before taking out a large piece of peridotite and approaching the entrance.
Crouching before the door, he inserted the key, turned it, and pulled up.
With a click, the wooden door disguised as a lawn creaked open to reveal a dark and deep tunnel.
A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.
In a place like this, if he were to get trapped inside without an exit, it would mean certain death.
If Jenny and her daughter were still around, they would undoubtedly know about any additional exit routes.
But he was not the owner and had no idea of the dangers and exits within.
With a soft sigh, he closed the wooden door and locked it again, turning to leave. 'I need someone to guard outside before I dare enter and search,' he thought.
There was another method, but now was not the time to employ it.
Rushing away from Jenny's home, he headed straight for Doctor Xu's abode.
Unlike Jenny's cave, Doctor Xu's was a typical buried cellar.
The door was solid, with a cross-shaped window on one side, giving the outside a hollowed-out hill appearance.
Knock, knock, knock.
He approached the door.
"Who is it?!" Doctor Xu's wary voice came from inside.
"It's me, Yu Hong."
"When was the last time we parted ways?"
"Before the surge, when you were checking the peridotite for reactions," Yu Hong reminded her.
There was a brief silence, then after a few seconds, the wooden door clicked open.
Doctor Xu peeked out, appearing tired and worn but with eyes noticeably brighter than before.
"You've arrived at just the right moment! My herbs worked!" Her tone was laced with joy.
"I tested it with a mouse and discovered it can truly replace the treatment for wound inflammation and disinfection! Its effectiveness is only slightly weaker than antibiotics. Of course, I’m also creating penicillin and other forms, but I need better sterilization equipment."
She pulled Yu Hong inside, quickly locking the door behind them and eagerly leading him further into the abode.
The cellar contained three rooms: one served as her bedroom, another stacked with various tools and vessels clearly used for her work, and the last was a storage room that also appeared to be a restroom.
The air within the cave was thick with a damp, musty odor, a common attribute of underground spaces.
"Come, over here! The herbs I promised you are real this time!" Doctor Xu's face flushed, clearly showing signs of excitement.
She led him into the workroom, pointing to a bowl of green mush stirred into a paste.
"This is it! I did it! I tested it on a mouse, and the inflammation completely disappeared! This is a brand new anti-inflammatory medicine; if society were still in order, I could make a fortune! Earn so much money!"
"That’s impressive!" Yu Hong nodded, feeling a sense of admiration for Doctor Xu's capabilities.
If her herbs worked as claimed, it meant they could consistently have access to medicinal supplies, a huge boon for them given the medicine shortages they faced.
However, his purpose in coming wasn't just to see the new herbs.
As she went on excitedly, he patiently waited for her to settle down before gathering his thoughts and seriously asking, "Do you remember Jenny's daughter, Eve? The one who tried to infect us with the black mark?"
"Of course. With the time that has passed, she must've died by now, right?" Doctor Xu frowned, gradually calming down and sensing something off about Yu Hong's sudden visit.
"She did."
Yu Hong nodded.
"Her mother, Jenny, also died."
"Jenny's dead too?" Doctor Xu seemed surprised but accepted it quickly.
"Right, with her daughter's condition, it is likely she infected her as well. It's better this way; now I've seen their true colors."
After a pause, her eyes locked onto Yu Hong with sudden seriousness.
"There’s a new courier; do you know?"
"Yes, I just met him. His name is Li Runshan. He seems like a good person."
Yu Hong confirmed with a nod.
"We can send letters through him. Yiyi sent me a letter, and I plan to reply, though the price is a bit steep."
Doctor Xu frowned.
Yu Hong contemplated the situation as well.
The weight of peridotite made it cumbersome to mail, and there was a high risk of it being lost or seized.
"Well, it works out. While Jenny and her daughter may be gone, their supplies and belongings are still here."
Yu Hong spoke softly.
Doctor Xu's eyes sparkled at this suggestion.
After a brief moment, the two of them made their way back to Jenny's cave.
Yu Hong lifted the lid, exposing the dark tunnel below, and then turned to Doctor Xu, "Who is going in?"
Although he trusted Doctor Xu more than most, the thought of entering a sealed tunnel still made him uneasy.
"I'll go," she said decisively without hesitation, bending down and disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel.
Before long, he waited by the entrance, remaining vigilant.
After about five minutes, noise emerged from the tunnel as Doctor Xu struggled to drag a large plastic bag out with her.
"I got it!" She emerged covered in dirt, beads of sweat soaking her hair and her grey top, highlighting her full figure, but she hardly seemed to mind.
"There are plenty of good things inside, but... I didn't dare take too much. I felt uneasy about touching many items."
"What do you mean?" Yu Hong frowned, pulling her outside.
"Many things inside had no traces at all, but when I got close with the peridotite, they all reacted."
Doctor Xu revealed a piece of peridotite she had been wearing around her neck; half of it had turned a chalky gray.
"However, I did manage to retrieve the most critical item; the rest can be collected later."
With a swift move, she pulled out a small black box from her pocket.
It resembled a pager, palm-sized, with a gray LCD screen in the center.
(End of Chapter)