Chapter 623: The Origin of That Thing
In truth, Chen Ye, Chu Che, Sun Xixi, and the others didn't really believe Xi City could hold out long-term.
Taking it was perhaps somewhat possible.
But holding it indefinitely? That was tough.
They figured the Silent Council knew how difficult this was too, yet they insisted on pushing forward regardless.
Thinking about it, some things in this world just needed to be done by someone.
And someone had to carry them out!
Throughout human civilization, many changes started with things that seemed impossible.
As for borrowing personnel, Chen Ye and Chu Che briefly discussed it before deciding to request people from the Skeleton Convoy and the Post-Apocalyptic Opera Troupe Convoy.
One was that Rebellious Girl with her ear-length short hair, the other was Wu Zehui.
Both were strong enough; they should handle the situation at the Housheng Hotel fine.
As for Gong Yong, that useless Mechanic Sequence superhuman, forget it—let him stay with the convoy.
Xu Lina didn't lack combat courage, but her strength was just too low to make a difference in a situation like this.
Just then.
Elder Hou Junji arrived at the Fair Convoy's camp, along with that insufferable bird of his.
Seeing him approach, everyone immediately understood what was going on.
It had to be about the woman they'd brought back.
He'd probably gotten some news.
"Elder Hou, did you get any information?"
"Yeah, we found out the origin of that thing!"
Hearing the bird on Hou Junji's shoulder speak, Chen Ye and Chu Che exchanged a glance, both seeing caution in each other's eyes.
The bird on Elder Hou's shoulder continued, "Actually, we weren't planning to let you know about this!"
"But since you're the ones who brought that thing back..."
"And besides, the world's already like this—it can't get any worse. Knowing won't hurt you!"
"It's just... are you mentally prepared?"
Chen Ye's heart stirred slightly.
What did 'mentally prepared' mean?
What was this about?
Hou Junji pulled several sheets of paper from his chest: "This is a transcript from our colleague's interrogation. Take a look!"
Of course, it was still the bird on Elder Hou Junji's shoulder speaking.
Chu Che took them.
These were just plain A4 paper, covered in dense handwriting.
"Alright, we're keeping that thing. It's still useful to us!"
"We'll also compensate you accordingly!"
"No objections!"
Squad Leader Chu replied readily.
If that thing really ended up back with the Fair Convoy, it'd probably be a huge headache.
Leaving it with the Silent Council was fine too; they likely had their own way of handling it.
Hou Junji left.
Everyone looked curiously at the papers in Chu Che's hands.
Chen Ye lit a cigarette and sat by the bonfire.
He'd already guessed some of the clues.
But even those faint traces had stirred a slight tremor in Chen Ye's heart.
He gently exhaled a plume of smoke, savoring the rich aroma filling his mouth and nose.
It scattered some of his thoughts.
Chu Che didn't hide anything from the group. He sat by the bonfire and started reading through the thick transcript.
As he read, Chu Che's face turned extremely grim.
Gong Yong curiously leaned in.
Chu Che handed him the parts he'd already finished.
Gong Yong glanced at Chu Che, noticing the captain's tense expression as he continued flipping through the pile of documents.
Gong Yong lowered his head and flipped through them too.
After about four or five minutes.
Gong Yong's face looked even worse than the captain's.
As he kept reading...
"Waaah~~~"
Suddenly, Gong Yong spun around and dashed toward the darkness.
The sound of vomiting echoed.
Dantai Bie glanced at Gong Yong, then at Chu Che.
Finally, he picked up the few pages from the ground.
A few minutes later, Dantai Bie couldn't take it anymore either.
Pale-faced, he put the papers down and got up to leave the bonfire.
By then, Chu Che had finished reading everything.
He took a deep breath, and the few strands of hair on his head looked even sparser.
"Aren't you curious about what it says?"
"I am!"
"Then why didn't you read it?"
"I'll read it slowly after you guys finish!"
"Honestly, I'm pretty curious too. That thing looks human, but its aura reeks of Anomaly—three parts of it."
"If it's an Anomaly, its behavior and mannerisms are exactly like a living person!"
"I've never seen anything like this!"
"Me neither!"
Sun Xixi picked up the papers, took one glance, and put them down.
She didn't dig deeper into reading them; she just grabbed her sword and walked away.
The girl had once carried a strong youthful aura.
But as the apocalypse dragged on, that girlish vibe faded, replaced by growing maturity.
Remember, she was only nineteen.
If this were before the end, she'd just be a sophomore.
Besides her face, the girl's presence had grown sharper and steadier.
Maybe it was everything she'd been through in this apocalypse.
She had changed a lot.
Ding Dong didn't touch those papers. After eating, she just listened to a few words from Hou Junji and Chu Che, then left.
Ding Dong had already moved all those Ideal Grain Seeds off the vehicles.
She'd specifically marked off an empty plot in the base as a planting zone.
The ultra-fast maturity of Ideal Grain Seeds gave many people hope, but unfortunately, the rate of high-quality seeds remained unsolvable.
Apart from routine combat, this woman devoted almost all her attention to those Ideal Grain Seeds.
The papers finally reached Chen Ye's hands.
Chen Ye lit a cigarette and started reading.
"My name is Ye Xiaowen, twenty-two years old, just graduated from university..."
"Yes, I came to Xi City for my graduation trip—me and my boyfriend, plus my best friend and her boyfriend!"
"The four of us came together!"
"Yeah, Xi City is beautiful, especially the sunset on Sunset Avenue. When I saw it, I thought nothing in the world could compare!"
This transcript read like a memoir.
Like a diary written by a fresh college graduate full of hope for society!
He'd tried asking that woman back on the seventh floor, but her mind seemed restricted; she couldn't answer his questions properly.
He had no idea what method the Silent Council used.
These words didn't sound like something a mentally disturbed person would say.
Chen Ye kept reading.
"My boyfriend proposed to me. I was so moved!"
"But I know he's not good enough for me!"
"He always believed hard work pays off. In a family like his, believing that is fine!"
"Because hard work is the only thing he can believe in!"
"But for someone like me, some things you either have from birth, or you never will!"
"Our connection was just because we went to the same university, the same class!"
"The only reason we had a relationship was that I thought he was decent within his current circle."
"But that kind of decency means nothing in the real world!"
"I'm happy my boyfriend proposed, but honestly, I'd already decided—after this graduation trip, I'd break up with him!"
"Dear, I'm deeply moved, but that's not love!"
"Mom already bought me a house in Shanghai. It's not big, but it's something this man could never afford in a lifetime!"
"I just never expected that the end would break out right during the proposal!"
"The apocalypse came violently, catching us completely off guard."