Chapter 74: The ecology of Zhengzhou
Translator: Letty Editor: Jello
North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power was where Chang and Ming Yi
agreed to meet. It was located near to Zheng Kai Avenue and was not far away from the
welcome sign where they had a brief meeting.
The trek was about to end as they trudged on the street. Although the concrete had not yet been
broken through by the plants, there were cracks here and there that showed the vitality gifted
by the red fog of some plants. The ever-bustling campus was now dilapidated and rusted. The
plants seemed less aggressive here compared to the jungle, where they ruled.
“The gate is locked, and someone must have used the lock recently.” Qing Shui paid attention to
the manmade details, opposed to how he had behaved in the jungle. “If it’s locked, that means
there are human activities. It is also a sign that there might’ve been humans hiding here before
Ming Yi came.”
“How do you come to that conclusion? What if the lock was placed by Ming Yi?”
“They were only a group of three, locking the gate is meaningless.” Qing Shui rubbed his chin.
“Only if there are large amount of people staying in here would locking the door be effective to
prevent an attack on the people. Otherwise, they can just hide anywhere convenient. It makes
no sense to lock the door. Do you know what this suggests?”
“What does it suggest?” Chang shook his head with chagrin. “Just tell me the conclusion next
time. I am not smart as you, and I can barely answer your questions.”
“I too was actually asking myself when I was asking you.” Qing Shui climbed the wall, and
continued to talk to himself, “If there are more than 100 people living in here, it means it is
easier to survive in Zhengzhou than in Kaifeng. You just can’t find a big group of people living
in a school in Kaifeng. In fact, the environment is too harsh for any human to survive, except
under the shelter of the military base. I am pretty sure the ecology of Zhengzhou is more
beneficial to humans than to other species.”
“Well, that sounds like a good news.” Said Chang. “Rare good news.”
“Indeed.”
While they were talking, Qing Shui had climbed to the top of the wall. As he found a stable
position, Chang handed over Pangzi’s body to Qing Shui so that they could go behind the wall
altogether.
“I got him.” Qing Shui jumped off the wall with Pangzi on his back.
Chang’s climb looked effortless as he climbed and jumped over like a cat.
“How do we find them though?” The campus seemed empty. Perhaps it was because it was dark,
but they had found no trace of life.
“The grass! Someone walked here before, if they weren’t Ming Yi’s, then it must be someone
else’s.” Qing Shui asked Chang to carry Pangzi again. He then pointed at a spot under the light
North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power was where Chang and Ming Yi
agreed to meet. It was located near to Zheng Kai Avenue and was not far away from the
welcome sign where they had a brief meeting.
The trek was about to end as they trudged on the street. Although the concrete had not yet been
broken through by the plants, there were cracks here and there that showed the vitality gifted
by the red fog of some plants. The ever-bustling campus was now dilapidated and rusted. The
plants seemed less aggressive here compared to the jungle, where they ruled.
“The gate is locked, and someone must have used the lock recently.” Qing Shui paid attention to
the manmade details, opposed to how he had behaved in the jungle. “If it’s locked, that means
there are human activities. It is also a sign that there might’ve been humans hiding here before
Ming Yi came.”
“How do you come to that conclusion? What if the lock was placed by Ming Yi?”
“They were only a group of three, locking the gate is meaningless.” Qing Shui rubbed his chin.
“Only if there are large amount of people staying in here would locking the door be effective to
prevent an attack on the people. Otherwise, they can just hide anywhere convenient. It makes
no sense to lock the door. Do you know what this suggests?”
“What does it suggest?” Chang shook his head with chagrin. “Just tell me the conclusion next
time. I am not smart as you, and I can barely answer your questions.”
“I too was actually asking myself when I was asking you.” Qing Shui climbed the wall, and
continued to talk to himself, “If there are more than 100 people living in here, it means it is
easier to survive in Zhengzhou than in Kaifeng. You just can’t find a big group of people living
in a school in Kaifeng. In fact, the environment is too harsh for any human to survive, except
under the shelter of the military base. I am pretty sure the ecology of Zhengzhou is more
beneficial to humans than to other species.”
“Well, that sounds like a good news.” Said Chang. “Rare good news.”
“Indeed.”
While they were talking, Qing Shui had climbed to the top of the wall. As he found a stable
position, Chang handed over Pangzi’s body to Qing Shui so that they could go behind the wall
altogether.
“I got him.” Qing Shui jumped off the wall with Pangzi on his back.
Chang’s climb looked effortless as he climbed and jumped over like a cat.
“How do we find them though?” The campus seemed empty. Perhaps it was because it was dark,
but they had found no trace of life.
“The grass! Someone walked here before, if they weren’t Ming Yi’s, then it must be someone
else’s.” Qing Shui asked Chang to carry Pangzi again. He then pointed at a spot under the light
he said, “As long as we can find a human, that means we are one step closer. We just need to
follow these foot tracks.”
“There is a trace? Are you sure?” Chang looked down at the grass, but he couldn’t spot any
differences.
“You probably can’t tell, just follow me.”
“Hmm..” Chang caught up with Qing Shui and tried to crack a joke. “If you had such a keen
ability of observation before the red fog, then I think you would have made a good private
detective.”
“I don’t think so. Even if I had this ability, I would still be a teacher. I like teaching.” Qing Shui
picked up the topic as he said, “But you all would never be able to cheat. I would have caught
you right away. Hahahaha.”
“Uh…” Chang sunk back into silence, “I don’t know what to say about your joke…”
Qing Shui nodded expressionlessly to end the conversation and continued to be the guide.
They soon approached a building, and Chang and Qing Shui worked together to find an
entrance. Not long after, they found a modified room with windows sealed by wood. The door
was reinforced to resist any potential attack. It was obvious that these could have only been
modified by a human.
“Here it is.” Qing Shui’s knuckles drummed on the door insistently.
“Who is that?” A voice of vigilance sneaked through the door immediately.
“We’re just passing by here. Can we stay for a night? We are looking for someone.” Qing Shui
shouted.
His words caused a burst of disturbance in the room, soon after, a familiar voice asked, “Mr. Li?
is that you?”
It was Ming Yi who spoke. The door was opened from the inside, asMing Yi revealed himself
from the dark.
“Chang! Mr. Li! Come on in.”
“This is our day, isn’t it?” The flashlight in Qing Shui’s hand illuminated the room.
Other than Ming Yi, there were another 7 or 8 figures lying on the ground, covered by blankets.
All of them were so thin that they seemed emaciated with sallow faces. They looked like
refugees in a famine. Chang glanced at them one by one. It was easy enough to tell that they
were students. The sudden arrival of the red fog probably blocked their way back home.
Loneliness and fear kept them together, but it seemed like they would soon starve to death.
“How did you get in?” Although they were grasping for their last breath, their mental guards
were never put down.
“Wasn’t too hard. I shared some of my food with them, and they let me in for exchange.” Ming
Yi walked to the other end of the classroom to keep some distance with the students. “Of course,
we had disputes and they are still unfriendly. But that shouldn’t be bothering us as we will be
leaving tomorrow. Let’s not talk about them, I am just so happy to see you back. You guys did it,
you rescued Pangzi!” Ming Yi smiled with joy.
“It’s true that we rescued him, but the openings on his body with the spider eggs could kill him.
I don’t know how to deal with them.” Chang placed Pangzi on the table and asked, “How is
Jing?”
“She is over there.” Jing lay on one of the desks. “She is better, but still in coma.”
“Good to hear that. Alright, let’s think about how we can get rid of these spider eggs.” Chang
made sure Pangzi was lying comfortably. He tried to gently squeeze out some green spider eggs
from Pangzi’s arm. The stickiness felt awful in his hand. Chang felt slightly desperate as he
turned to Qing Shui and said, “How are we going to clean out the spider eggs? There are so
many!”
Chapter 74: The ecology of Zhengzhou
Translator: Letty Editor: Jello
North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power was where Chang and Ming Yi
agreed to meet. It was located near to Zheng Kai Avenue and was not far away from the
welcome sign where they had a brief meeting.
The trek was about to end as they trudged on the street. Although the concrete had not yet been
broken through by the plants, there were cracks here and there that showed the vitality gifted
by the red fog of some plants. The ever-bustling campus was now dilapidated and rusted. The
plants seemed less aggressive here compared to the jungle, where they ruled.
“The gate is locked, and someone must have used the lock recently.” Qing Shui paid attention to
the manmade details, opposed to how he had behaved in the jungle. “If it’s locked, that means
there are human activities. It is also a sign that there might’ve been humans hiding here before
Ming Yi came.”
“How do you come to that conclusion? What if the lock was placed by Ming Yi?”
“They were only a group of three, locking the gate is meaningless.” Qing Shui rubbed his chin.
“Only if there are large amount of people staying in here would locking the door be effective to
prevent an attack on the people. Otherwise, they can just hide anywhere convenient. It makes
no sense to lock the door. Do you know what this suggests?”
“What does it suggest?” Chang shook his head with chagrin. “Just tell me the conclusion next
time. I am not smart as you, and I can barely answer your questions.”
“I too was actually asking myself when I was asking you.” Qing Shui climbed the wall, and
continued to talk to himself, “If there are more than 100 people living in here, it means it is
easier to survive in Zhengzhou than in Kaifeng. You just can’t find a big group of people living
in a school in Kaifeng. In fact, the environment is too harsh for any human to survive, except
under the shelter of the military base. I am pretty sure the ecology of Zhengzhou is more
beneficial to humans than to other species.”
“Well, that sounds like a good news.” Said Chang. “Rare good news.”
“Indeed.”
While they were talking, Qing Shui had climbed to the top of the wall. As he found a stable
position, Chang handed over Pangzi’s body to Qing Shui so that they could go behind the wall
altogether.
“I got him.” Qing Shui jumped off the wall with Pangzi on his back.
Chang’s climb looked effortless as he climbed and jumped over like a cat.
“How do we find them though?” The campus seemed empty. Perhaps it was because it was dark,
but they had found no trace of life.
“The grass! Someone walked here before, if they weren’t Ming Yi’s, then it must be someone
else’s.” Qing Shui asked Chang to carry Pangzi again. He then pointed at a spot under the light
North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power was where Chang and Ming Yi
agreed to meet. It was located near to Zheng Kai Avenue and was not far away from the
welcome sign where they had a brief meeting.
The trek was about to end as they trudged on the street. Although the concrete had not yet been
broken through by the plants, there were cracks here and there that showed the vitality gifted
by the red fog of some plants. The ever-bustling campus was now dilapidated and rusted. The
plants seemed less aggressive here compared to the jungle, where they ruled.
“The gate is locked, and someone must have used the lock recently.” Qing Shui paid attention to
the manmade details, opposed to how he had behaved in the jungle. “If it’s locked, that means
there are human activities. It is also a sign that there might’ve been humans hiding here before
Ming Yi came.”
“How do you come to that conclusion? What if the lock was placed by Ming Yi?”
“They were only a group of three, locking the gate is meaningless.” Qing Shui rubbed his chin.
“Only if there are large amount of people staying in here would locking the door be effective to
prevent an attack on the people. Otherwise, they can just hide anywhere convenient. It makes
no sense to lock the door. Do you know what this suggests?”
“What does it suggest?” Chang shook his head with chagrin. “Just tell me the conclusion next
time. I am not smart as you, and I can barely answer your questions.”
“I too was actually asking myself when I was asking you.” Qing Shui climbed the wall, and
continued to talk to himself, “If there are more than 100 people living in here, it means it is
easier to survive in Zhengzhou than in Kaifeng. You just can’t find a big group of people living
in a school in Kaifeng. In fact, the environment is too harsh for any human to survive, except
under the shelter of the military base. I am pretty sure the ecology of Zhengzhou is more
beneficial to humans than to other species.”
“Well, that sounds like a good news.” Said Chang. “Rare good news.”
“Indeed.”
While they were talking, Qing Shui had climbed to the top of the wall. As he found a stable
position, Chang handed over Pangzi’s body to Qing Shui so that they could go behind the wall
altogether.
“I got him.” Qing Shui jumped off the wall with Pangzi on his back.
Chang’s climb looked effortless as he climbed and jumped over like a cat.
“How do we find them though?” The campus seemed empty. Perhaps it was because it was dark,
but they had found no trace of life.
“The grass! Someone walked here before, if they weren’t Ming Yi’s, then it must be someone
else’s.” Qing Shui asked Chang to carry Pangzi again. He then pointed at a spot under the light
he said, “As long as we can find a human, that means we are one step closer. We just need to
follow these foot tracks.”
“There is a trace? Are you sure?” Chang looked down at the grass, but he couldn’t spot any
differences.
“You probably can’t tell, just follow me.”
“Hmm..” Chang caught up with Qing Shui and tried to crack a joke. “If you had such a keen
ability of observation before the red fog, then I think you would have made a good private
detective.”
“I don’t think so. Even if I had this ability, I would still be a teacher. I like teaching.” Qing Shui
picked up the topic as he said, “But you all would never be able to cheat. I would have caught
you right away. Hahahaha.”
“Uh…” Chang sunk back into silence, “I don’t know what to say about your joke…”
Qing Shui nodded expressionlessly to end the conversation and continued to be the guide.
They soon approached a building, and Chang and Qing Shui worked together to find an
entrance. Not long after, they found a modified room with windows sealed by wood. The door
was reinforced to resist any potential attack. It was obvious that these could have only been
modified by a human.
“Here it is.” Qing Shui’s knuckles drummed on the door insistently.
“Who is that?” A voice of vigilance sneaked through the door immediately.
“We’re just passing by here. Can we stay for a night? We are looking for someone.” Qing Shui
shouted.
His words caused a burst of disturbance in the room, soon after, a familiar voice asked, “Mr. Li?
is that you?”
It was Ming Yi who spoke. The door was opened from the inside, asMing Yi revealed himself
from the dark.
“Chang! Mr. Li! Come on in.”
“This is our day, isn’t it?” The flashlight in Qing Shui’s hand illuminated the room.
Other than Ming Yi, there were another 7 or 8 figures lying on the ground, covered by blankets.
All of them were so thin that they seemed emaciated with sallow faces. They looked like
refugees in a famine. Chang glanced at them one by one. It was easy enough to tell that they
were students. The sudden arrival of the red fog probably blocked their way back home.
Loneliness and fear kept them together, but it seemed like they would soon starve to death.
“How did you get in?” Although they were grasping for their last breath, their mental guards
were never put down.
“Wasn’t too hard. I shared some of my food with them, and they let me in for exchange.” Ming
Yi walked to the other end of the classroom to keep some distance with the students. “Of course,
we had disputes and they are still unfriendly. But that shouldn’t be bothering us as we will be
leaving tomorrow. Let’s not talk about them, I am just so happy to see you back. You guys did it,
you rescued Pangzi!” Ming Yi smiled with joy.
“It’s true that we rescued him, but the openings on his body with the spider eggs could kill him.
I don’t know how to deal with them.” Chang placed Pangzi on the table and asked, “How is
Jing?”
“She is over there.” Jing lay on one of the desks. “She is better, but still in coma.”
“Good to hear that. Alright, let’s think about how we can get rid of these spider eggs.” Chang
made sure Pangzi was lying comfortably. He tried to gently squeeze out some green spider eggs
from Pangzi’s arm. The stickiness felt awful in his hand. Chang felt slightly desperate as he
turned to Qing Shui and said, “How are we going to clean out the spider eggs? There are so
many!”
