Sixteen Years

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Shao Xuefan, seventy-seven years old, a renowned scholar in the field of bioengineering, had been living abroad for years, leading a stable and uneventful life.

He was devoted to his research and rarely discussed personal matters in public. However, a few years ago, during a media interview, he had accidentally revealed that he had struggled to have children and only became a father in middle age.

“…Because he was born in late autumn, so I named him Shao Qiu,” Shao Qiu said.

As expected, thought Liu Ruosong.

“From a biological perspective, he is indeed my father,” Shao Qiu said with a faint tone as he casually threw a small twig into the fire. “But it ends there.”

Liu Ruosong held the lukewarm cup, unsure of what to say.

Shao Xuefan had mentioned Shao Qiu’s name before his death, and at that moment, Fu Yan had paused, which had puzzled Liu Ruosong. However, with so many things happening afterward, he had forgotten to inquire further.

Now, in hindsight, Fu Yan probably had guessed something.

“Well…” Liu Ruosong licked his lips, dryly saying, “My condolences.”

“Thank you,” Shao Qiu raised an eyebrow and said sharply, his tone cold and detached. Liu Ruosong could tell that this anger was not directed at him, so he lowered his head and took a sip of hot water, thinking about the mess Shao Xuefan had created by abandoning his wife and son, resulting in his son’s strong aversion to acknowledging him as his father.

But out of politeness and for the sake of maintaining appearances, Liu Ruosong refrained from asking any questions. Shao Qiu’s teammates, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care much.

“Before, I never heard you mention…” He Feng begun saying, but Shao Qiu interrupted.

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“It doesn’t matter,” Shao Qiu said, patting off some dust from his hands. “He pursued his research with or without me. He doesn’t see me as a son, and I don’t see him as a father.”

He didn’t seem inclined to elaborate further, so he glanced around, changing the subject. “Where’s Little Rabbit?”

Liu Ruosong wasn’t sure about the exact conflict between Shao Xuefan and Shao Qiu, but judging solely from the fact that even Fu Yan didn’t know about their father-son relationship, it was clear that Shao Qiu’s feelings towards Shao Xuefan were quite negative.

Although Shao Xuefan had expressed some guilt before his death, Liu Ruosong, standing in the shoes of a stranger, found it difficult to utter the words from the “last words.” Hurt couldn’t be erased so easily, and guilt alone couldn’t redeem a person who had spent years tarnishing his reputation.

So Liu Ruosong hesitated for a moment, choosing to hold back those words and tell Shao Qiu later when the timing was right.

“Little Rabbit went to search for the signal source in the vicinity,” He Tang said, glancing at her watch. “He’ll be back for assembly in twenty minutes.”

Liu Ruosong, slowly sipping his water, felt that their special forces team’s code names were too abstract and not at all related to the owners. Earlier, He Tang had instructed him to return to the temporary camp to find “Little Rabbit” to dress his wound. When he arrived, there was only Yao Tu and another fair-skinned young boy at the temporary camp. Liu Ruosong had almost instinctively approached the latter. It wasn’t until Yao Tu, with a grim face, patted him on the shoulder from behind that he realized “Little Rabbit” was the burly man, and the young boy was just a local guide they had borrowed temporarily.

“…Your criteria for code names are too abstract,” Liu Ruosong commented with a deadpan expression.

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“It’s fate,” He Feng floated past him, picking up a one-meter-square briefcase from the open car door behind him. He added with glee, “Because code names are decided by drawing lots, and guess who drew the hidden jackpot.”

However, “Little Rabbit” had a personality that was completely opposite to his physique. He was big and, although he appeared to be a front line soldier, he magically took on logistical duties. He argued with others and had a sharp tongue but efficiently repositioned Liu Ruosong’s ankle. The moment he reconnected it, Liu Ruosong didn’t even have time to feel the pain.

From this, Liu Ruosong concluded that Fu Yan’s team consisted of extraordinary individuals.

Summer nights were short and quickly turned to day. After finishing his cup of water, it was already bright outside, yet Liu Ruosong still felt an inexplicable chill. He wondered if it was a side effect of hitting his head. He reached up to touch his forehead but couldn’t feel whether he had a fever through the thick bandage.

“Before Fu Yan and I separated, he mentioned something about a mission,” Liu Ruosong said. “Aren’t you supposed to go to Pengcheng to meet him?”

When he brought up business, everyone suddenly became more serious. They exchanged glances, and in the end, Shao Qiu stepped forward to set an example.

“That was the original plan,” Shao Qiu said. “But we received news of the train derailment in the middle of our journey, so we came here temporarily.”

If Shao Qiu didn’t mention the train, Liu Ruosong would have almost forcibly forgotten about it. Now, when it was suddenly brought up, images of the “half-person” left in the explosion involuntarily resurfaced in his mind.

Liu Ruosong licked his lips and asked, “Local military units are also involved in the rescue, right?”

“They have dispatched troops to the scene as well,” He Tang replied. “They will make every effort.”

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He Tang didn’t provide a clear answer, but Liu Ruosong still breathed a sigh of relief.

“As for us, our main purpose is to protect the blood samples,” He Tang said gently, looking at him. “We initially located the accident scene according to the coordinates, but we didn’t find any blood samples or fragmented specimens on site. Fortunately, we later encountered a wounded survivor among the zombies, who happened to be one of the security personnel who had escorted you onto the train. He provided us with your information, and that’s when we learned that you were the one transporting the blood samples.”

“So you came here specifically to find me?” Liu Ruosong asked.

“You could say that,” He Tang said. “In addition to the blood samples, we’re also here to protect the family members of our team leader.”

Liu Ruosong chuckled at her playful remark, accepting her good-natured teasing.

“The blood samples are here,” Liu Ruosong said, reaching into his worn-out backpack, whose zipper was stuck halfway. He forcefully pulled the zipper open and reached inside, retrieving two blood sample bottles.

These two bottles were wrapped in thick fabric, and apart from being slightly compressed, they showed no signs of damage. Liu Ruosong examined them and handed them over to Shao Qiu.

Liu Ruosong said. “What’s your plan now?”

Shao Qiu observed the two bottles in the sunlight, besides the eerie word “specimen,” he couldn’t discern anything else. He shook his head and put the items back into the cloth bag, just as they were.

However, this time he didn’t return the items to Liu Ruosong. Instead, he instructed He Feng to retrieve a small refrigerated box from the car and placed the two samples inside.

“The orders from above are for us to split our team to escort both you and the blood samples back to Yan City,” Shao Qiu said. “The rest will continue following the original route to support the Captain.”

Liu Ruosong felt a slight stir in his heart and said, “Is it necessary to escort me or the blood samples?”

“It’s actually to escort the blood samples,” He Tang scratched her face and said, “But don’t worry, we’ll also ensure your safety. It’s a quick drive back to Yan City from here, at most nine—”

“That’s fine,” Liu Ruosong interrupted, pushing the refrigerated box out. He spoke quickly, saying, “I request to go to Pengcheng with you.”

“I won’t slow you down,” Liu Ruosong said. “My skills may not be as good as yours, but I have a lot of outdoor survival experience. I can handle self-defense without a problem. My static shooting score is at least 9.3, and dynamic shooting is 8.5… Most importantly, I don’t trust Fu Yan too much.”

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He openly expressed his personal desires, and the others stared at him, somewhat surprised. They couldn’t believe that their Captain, who was known for his stoic personality, had found such an amiable companion.

“But that’s not possible,” He Tang said regretfully. “I understand your feelings, but you’re an ordinary civilian. We can’t take you to a dangerous area for a mission, and the Captain wouldn’t agree either.”

“You should wait for him in Yan City,” He Feng added, trying to comfort him. “The Captain will be back soon.”

Liu Ruosong’s heart stirred, and he was about to argue when the mobile phone placed on the car’s rear seat suddenly rang. Shao Qiu gestured for calm and then took a long stride, stepping over to answer the phone in front of everyone, calling for the Captain.

Liu Ruosong instinctively looked at him, and the telephone wire in Shao Qiu’s hand was stiff. He lowered his head slightly and listened attentively to the conversation on the other end.

Not knowing what Fu Yan was saying, most of the time, Shao Qiu just listened, occasionally uttering affirmations like “yes” and “I see.”

After about two to three minutes, Shao Qiu turned around with a smile, teasingly asking, “Liu Ge, did you put a spell on the Captain or something?”

Liu Ruosong was puzzled, not understanding the source of his words. Shao Qiu didn’t explain further, just smiling, remarking, “I get it; it’s the unspoken understanding of an old married couple.”

With that, he handed the phone over to Liu Ruosong.

As soon as Liu Ruosong placed the receiver against his ear, before he could say anything, he heard Fu Yan urgently ask, “Are you okay?”

Through the mobile signal box, Fu Yan’s voice sounded slightly distorted, and Liu Ruosong couldn’t help but smile before responding, “How did you know it was me?”

“I recognized your breathing,” Fu Yan replied matter-of-factly. Then, he quickly followed up, “The evacuation train overturned. Are you injured?”

“I have a minor ankle twist,” Liu Ruosong replied nonchalantly. “Nothing else, though.”

Liu Ruosong heard a sigh of relief on the other end.

“What about you?” Liu Ruosong asked.

“I’m fine,” Fu Yan replied promptly. “But there’s something that may require your help… I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Liu Ruosong was slightly taken aback and asked, “What is it?”

“Just now, Fang Sining called and reported new information,” Fu Yan’s voice suddenly paused for a couple of seconds, then continued, “Shao Xuefan indeed had something in his possession. It’s said to be a highly classified core research document, extremely confidential. Fang Sining hasn’t seen it himself; he’s just been entrusted with the key to safeguard it.”

“What kind of research?” Liu Ruosong inquired.

“I don’t know,” Fu Yan replied. “It’s a research project Shao Xuefan was involved in during his time abroad. I’m not sure if he brought it back without proper authorization.”

Liu Ruosong furrowed his brows.

“This shouldn’t have been your responsibility,” Fu Yan’s voice remained calm, but Liu Ruosong could sense a subtle tone of apology. “But I couldn’t find anyone else reliable on such short notice, so I had no choice but to ask you… I plan to retrieve the research document after meeting Fang Sining. If your injuries aren’t severe, could you join Shao Qiu and the others to meet up with me?”

“I need someone trustworthy to examine this document,” Fu Yan said.”