Global Evolution

by Steffen Schmidt

  As he spoke, Qing Shui raised his hands up high indicating that he wouldn't revolt against the military. At first, the captain was stunned, but then he ordered two soldiers to detain Qing Shui from the room.

  The other two soldiers loosened their guard as the captain left the room; as long as there was no organization or personnel that could stand against the military, the control of the military was immovable.

  Therefore, those two soldiers removed their concealment and acted eagerly as they greedily stared at the barrels behind Chang’s back. Their Adam’s apples bobbed up and down and their faces were twisted with hunger.

  “Hey bro, it seems like you’re quite capable to get this much meat,” The two soldiers implied.

  “But it’s a pity that the meat isn’t valuable to us anymore, I don't even know where I’ll be soon.” Chang understood their implication, so he removed two pieces of frog meat from the barrel and handed it to the soldiers and said, “It must not be easy for you these days; I heard that you guys only have one meal a day. Make yourselves comfortable, I probably won’t be able to bring these with me anyways.”

  “Thanks mate!” Their fingers were trembling when they received food from Chang’s hands. “Although we have fixed meals every day, that small piece of biscuit isn’t enough at all! We felt like fainting all the time. You’re really generous, mate!”

  “You’re welcome; my friend will be safe with the captain, won’t he?”

  “He…. he will be fine!” As if they were afraid of being discovered by the captain, they devoured the piece as soon as it was handed to them. Of course, they didn’t forget about divulging the information that they traded with.

  “Let me tell you, if that man is an EM, he will be treated like a treasure. We just got in touch with the military division in the capital city, and we only received three priority orders from above. The first is to maintain the stability in the base, the second is to attempt to grow mutated crops, and last but not least, is about EMs. They really care about these people and I heard from one of my folks from the provincial research institute that an EM has power equal to that of a military base. Man, I don't know if this information is a rumor or not, but your friend will definitely be safe,” The soldiers explained as they tucked into the frog meat hungrily.

  “Good to hear that,” Chang relieved with a long sigh. He pulled Jing over from the doorway and glanced at the doctor who reported them; they all stood quietly in the room to wait for the judgment of their fates.

  Time passed in silence, and after Chang waited for three or four hours, Qing Shui returned. But this time, not only did the captain and two soldiers accompanied him, but also a middle-age man who appeared to have higher rank than any of the others. Chang squinted to count the stars on the man’s epaulet, and he soon learned that this man was a colonel.

  Kaifeng was such a small city that a colonel was the highest commander in this military base.

  The colonel was skin-headed and his hair showed traces of gray. His face was tanned and expressionless. He had a small belly, but overall he seemed healthy and energetic.

  “Are they your companions that you told me about?” The colonel pointed at Chang and others.

  “Yes,” Qing Shui nodded.

  “Alright, I can fulfill your request, but you need to go to the provincial research institute in Zhengzhou with our soldiers as soon as possible, and this is mandatory. I hope you can understand.” The colonel turned to Qing Shui “Of course, there is no doubt that the journey will be dangerous and difficult; we can’t drive cars to send you as we are running out of resources. The wild field is much more dangerous than in the city, therefore I will send troops to protect you on the way to Zhengzhou. This is all I have to say; I’ll be waiting outside of the room. You can discuss your decision with your friends, but give me an answer as soon as you can.”

  The colonel closed the door and brought the captain and soldiers with him. They left the room to Qing Shui and others.

  “What were you guys talking about?” Chang asked.

  “They asked me to join the research group in the provincial research institute in Zhengzhou. It seems like they were interested in the red fog since 2 years ago, and recently they have become particularly interested in EMs. They want to built an elite team there to conduct research on the red fog and human genes.” As Qing Shui spoke, he threw his hands in the air, “However, it’s not promising, and I don't know whether they will invite me to the team or dissect me as a research subject after we get there.”

  “Then what should we do?” Pang Zi and Lin seemed to be distressed.

  “We don't have much of a choice… unless Chang is 10 times stronger than he is now. Only then can he can ensure our safety when living outside of the base. For now, we can only obey their orders…” Qing Shui laughed, “But the possibility of them dissecting me is low. I have my own plans as well, so don't worry.”

  “And what did the Colonel say?” Chang asked a critical question.

  “He didn’t say a lot, but he meant to force me to go to that institute. And you guys… he said that if I obey the order, they will still let you live in the base freely. However, you can also choose to leave with me; the choice of bringing companions was my only request to the Colonel.” Qing Shui grinned reluctantly and glanced at the doctor who appeared to be anxious. He continued to say, “I never thought that this time would come so soon… I was planning to leave this place when I prepared sufficiently or when Chang became stronger and more powerful…But now I must leave, and I didn’t plan for this. How about you guys, do you want to stay here or leave with me?”

  “I…” Pang Zi was going to shout out his decision, but Qing Shui interrupted him.

  “You don't need to make a quick and careless decision as the Colonel said. The wild fields are extremely dangerous. Even in the world now, the urban areas are still dominated by humans as the asphalt pavement and all sorts of architecture have slowed down the growth of plants and animals. But when we get into the wild fields, such as a forest or grasslands, the danger will increase exponentially since there will no longer be those barriers.”

  “Therefore, I believe it’d be lucky if half of us ever get to Zhengzhou. So think carefully whether you’re leaving or staying.”

  “I’m going with you.” Pang Zi shouted out even before Qing Shui finished his sentence. “My mom is dead anyways, and I don't have other relatives here. I just want to be with you guys. Even though this path is unpredictable and dangerous, I still want to stay with you. I will probably die somewhere in this f*cking world, but dying beside you is less sad and lonely.”

  “Okay, so you’re coming; what about you, Lin?” Qing Shui turned to Lin, “Don't let other people affect your decision. We won’t blame you for your decision.”

  “I…” Lin looked into Qing Shui’s eyes, and then she looked away. She glanced at everyone in the room and lowered her head as she said, “I…I am afraid…”

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Ming Yi Shen - Ming Yi is his first name that typed separately. It is a kind of names that often associated with the political environment when he was borned. It fits his background if you recall that he was borned and raised in a small village, which is usually isolated from big cities like Beijing, Shanghai. The impact of Mao, the 1st Chairman of PRC isn’t completely vanished in this small town and newborn babies are usually named patriotically. Therefore, Ming usually means bright, honesty, integrity and Yi can mean “be the number one” or just simply because he is the first kid in the family.

  Chapter 55: Leaving

  “No problem.” Qing Shui nodded, “Take good care of yourself.”

  As he spoke, he approached Ling and gave her a hug, and he looked at the others as he passed around the question.

  “Where do you want to go?” Chang didn’t answer the question himself and instead asked Jing first. “Although you’re still young, you should know that this decision is critic
al and important. Take your time to consider whether you’re leaving with Qing Shui or staying in the base.”

  “I’ll go wherever you are going,” Jing stepped forward and said determinedly.

  “You don't need to…”

  “I’m going to follow you wherever you go.” This was the first time that Jing interrupted Chang; she repeated the exact same words stubbornly.

  “Alright,” Chang read the emotions in her eyes and gave a long sigh. He pulled her over and then patted on Qing Shui’s shoulder and said, “We are following you.”

  “Are you sure?” Qing Shui hesitated and asked again.

  “We are sure.”

  “Good, then I will let the Colonel know that four of us are leaving for Zhengzhou.” Qing Shui took another glance at Lin. He turned away from everybody as he opened the door, and soon he was surrounded by those soldiers. He explained to the Colonel with lively gestures. After the Colonel nodded, most of the soldiers were dismissed except for 2 soldiers who were guarding the door and the window.

  Qing Shui didn’t leave until everyone went away, and then he threw his hands onto Chang and the others and said, “That’s it.”

  “When are we leaving?” Pang Zi asked.

  “Tomorrow, early in the morning. It’s a bit too late if we leave today. We will go along the Zheng Kai Avenue at sunrise. The Zheng Kai Avenue is about 75 km long, and including the smaller paths, it’s about 80 kilometers in total.” Qing Shui counted the number with his fingers as if it could make a greater impression of these numbers to the others. “It will take about an hour and a half to get to Zhengzhou if we could still drive. I’ve also went there before by bike, and it took me about 4 hours. If we were to walk to Zhengzhou, the time we need would be more than double. But fortunately, it’s summer right now, which means that there’s daylight for more than 14 hours. We’re all stronger than before the red fog, so although the journey is going to be tough as we won't really have a flat and wide path to walk on, if we keep our pace at a certain rate and leave early in the morning, we should be able to get to our destination before it gets dark.”

  “I see; then we need to prepare as much as we can.” After listening to Qing Shui, Chang knew that this trip was not only going to be alarmingly dangerous, but also rough. If they couldn't get to Zhengzhou before sunset, then they would very likely die on the road.

  After all, the jungle at nighttime was too dangerous.

  “Jing, there will be a troop of soldiers accompanying us. You only need to stay with me at that time. Don't call out when you notice danger around us; just tell me with a low voice and I will inform everybody.” Chang hunkered down and looked at Jing, and then carefully exhorted Jing again. “If the situation isn’t urgent, don't let others know that you are an EM, because when we get to Zhengzhou, we don't know what we are facing. Do you understand what I am saying?”

  “Understood.”

  “Alright. Tonight, we can have as much food as we want, as we can’t bring these with us anyway, nor can Lin finish all the frog meats in a few days.” Qing Shui pointed at the barrels. “We can cook the frog meat today, since the military knows we have food already, and we don't need to worry about being discovered.”

  At the same moment that everyone cheered up, the door opened again. The captain brought another soldier in the room.

  “I brought you someone.” The captain coughed to get their attention, and put his right hand on this young soldier’s shoulder. He seemed lean and robust, “The colonel referred him to me; he said this young man is one of the best EMs in our base, and it is said that he has had a greater degree of evolution than others after the Deadly Evolution period. He is strong and powerful. The colonel has already put him in the troop; I am just sending him here so that you guys can get to know each other in advance.”

  “Hello everybody, I am Ming Yi Shen.” As the captain made an introduction, the young man smiled ingenuously. He seemed like an honest and trustworthy person.

  “I see, please say thank you for me to the Colonel and his subordinates.” Qing Shui also grinned at that young soldier and nodded to the captain.

  “Sounds good!

  After sending the captain away, Qing Shui went to the kitchen with that young soldier – apparently, he wanted to become closer to this highly evolved individual and at the same time, he also wanted to ask for some useful information – this was going to be beneficial to the group.

  And more importantly, this young man’s mission was not limited to getting closer to Qing Shui and others, but also to watch over them. Therefore, it would be impossible to leave this young man behind, even though they didn’t plan to do so.

  In this way, both parties carried out their own purposes and walked into the kitchen.

  “Jing, what is his index?” Chang was at the end of the group when he carefully asked Jing with concern.

  “9, it is a high index; that captain didn’t lie to us; he is definitely one of the best EMs in this base,” Jing whispered.

  “Got it.” Chang stared at the back of this lean man, but he still couldn't figure out how this body was stronger than the giant wolfhound he ran into. Somehow, he started to compare that man to himself – if he were to fight this young man, who would win?

  Could he withstand the power of a pistol? How fast he could run and how high could he jump?

  His questions would be answered tomorrow, so Chang left his concerns behind and put a smile on his face to have the last great meal in Kaifeng.

  During dinner time, everyone was highly satisfied because of the cooked food, and since the atmosphere was harmonious, they got to know a little about this young soldier’s background.

  The highly evolved soldier was only 19 years old, and came from a small village from the north. He just enrolled in the army when the red fog was already there, so he couldn't use guns deftly. He was only sent to protect Qing Shui because he was a high level EM of the physical category.

  Qing Shui and Chang loosened their guard after knowing that this young man didn’t hold bad intentions. They went back to the dorm together after dinner. Chang spent almost 2 hours packing before going to bed – he left his giant backpack beside his pillow and hugged his crossbow in front of his chest.

  The colonel sent an officer to wake them up before sunrise. Soon, they saw about 20 soldiers being brought over, led by the colonel.

  “These men have been carefully chosen from my division to escort you to Zhengzhou; I kept the size of this troop relatively small as the effectiveness of escorting isn’t determined by the number of people you have. But don't worry, they are elite soldiers.” The colonel asked the four to come out of the room and pointed at the row of soldiers. “Their physiques are stronger than others in my division, and they are experienced with weapons and fighting, so they can definitely ensure your safety on the way to Zhengzhou.”

  “Thank you, Colonel,” Qing Shui bowed to the Colonel.

  “No worries, I got this order from above, so you should say thank you to those people instead of me.” As the Colonel spoke, he glanced at everyone one by one and said, “Are you ready? Do you have any other requests?”

  “We are pretty much ready to go, but I have one last request.” Qing Shui reopened the door and pointed at the doctor as he said, “I wanted her to come with us, because my friend Lin is staying in this dorm, and the doctor happened to had argument with us. I’m concerned about her safety since she will be here all by herself.”

  Chapter 56: The Grand World

  The Colonel pondered for a few seconds after hearing Qing Shui, and as if he understood Qing Shui’s implication, he nodded and said, “Of course, it’s also our duty to assure the safety of related personnel of our EMs.”

  The Colonel waved his hands as he ordered the soldiers, “Bring her!”

  “No!!!” Doctor Huang screamed desolately as she was detained by those soldiers. “You can’t do this!!! You are abusing power; I didn’t commit any crime and you can’t expel me from the base!!!”r />
  Her cries alarmed the whole building, and some people were awakened from their dreams. These vigilant people opened their doors one by one to look for the cause of the scream, but they all shrank back when they noticed the uniforms in the dark.

  However, at this moment, there were countless ears spying on them behind the closed doors.

  “Someone from this woman’s room went missing. Therefore, all of you are suspected of homicide. Under the govern of our temporary policy, you are all expelled from the Kaifeng military base.” After the colonel announced this, he gave an order with a nod. The soldiers rudely pushed the doctor from the room to the corridor.

  “Alright, I have fulfilled your requirement.” The colonel glanced at the doctor with disgust, and then he held out his hand and shook hands with Qing Shui, and lowered his voice with caution as he whispered, “I hope you can keep your promise as well.”

  “Of course.” Qing Shui gave the colonel confirmation with a determined nod, and then he withdrew his right hand and took out a letter from his pocket. “This letter contains my experience of meeting an intelligent organism, I hope you have a chance to read it.”

  “An intelligent organism?” The colonel took the letter, but his eyes revealed disbelief. “That’s impossible; do you have any idea of how long it has been? Even though the evolutionary rate is rapid now, I still don't believe that there is an intelligent life form other than humans out there.”

  “In fact, if I weren’t facing it in person, I wouldn’t believe it either.” Qing Shui said, “I have informed you and given you the letter, so you can choose to believe it or not. I just think that humans should know about this before it is too late...To be honest, whether you believe it or not doesn't bother me at all, because considering the size of Kaifeng and the power of the military here, it’d be impossible to find it, not to mention intimidating it in any way.”

  Qing Shui’s words apparently caused the colonel’s mind become uneasy, he put the letter into his pocket with some doubt. Time passed faster than they expected; the sky was slowly lit up by the sun.