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Global Evolution

Page 39

by Steffen Schmidt


  “To be honest, I don’t know how to explain the reason to you. I can only tell you that there is an intense political struggle in the research institute, and I think staying in there won’t be safe anymore.” Chang smirked, saying, “Please, don’t denounce us again.”

  “Hahaha, I don’t see a point for doing that again. I didn’t know you guys that well when I was in Kaifeng. Looking back, I was terrified and hence made that regretful decision.” Dr. Huang’s face revealed a sense of relief as she smiled. “I thought Qing Shui planned to murder me when he got me into the jungle. So I was astounded when he actually took care of me, and that’s when I started to sense that he had a good heart. Now I understand that he wanted me to be safe when he forced me to leave the military base in Kaifeng.”

  “You would know he isn’t a conspiracist at all if you were willing to leave behind your prejudices about him and get to know him earlier. He is kind but he protects himself with cold-heartedness. And it is the only personality you will perceive if you keep on not letting yourself to know him.” Chang made a quick nod. “Let’s talk about you now. You seem to have a decent life here, you even got a job in the management office.”

  “Everybody is nice to me here.” Dr. Huang seemed much happier than when she was in Kaifeng. She even became talkative. Chang thought that the stable life provided by the community must have made her return to her natural state.

  “When I got out of the jungle, I didn’t run far away from it but stayed here under an alias. I happened to treat a patient’s injury using my skills, and that’s how they accepted me.

  “And because I am a doctor, I am needed on a daily basis. Even though I don’t have medical equipment with me, I am still able to treat some common diseases. As you’ve seen already, getting injured or poisoned is not rare anymore. Evreyone treats me well because I can save lives. And when I’m not on medical duty, I work as a receptionist and bookkeeper. In this way, I utilize all my skills to keep the community running.”

  “That sounds great. Can Jing and I stay here for sometime? I can be a security guard,” Chang said. “You know my abilities already.”

  “Of course! I will let them know later. The only thing you need to do is to register your name on the list.” Dr. Huang pulled out a binder from the shelf. “You are lucky that I work here, otherwise they will need to examine your background thoroughly.”

  “Is it that disordered around here?” Chang was curious from Dr. Huang’s tone.

  “It is not only disorder but also violence. It can be seen wherever you go. Without law enforcement, scuffles, homicide and rape are happening under the sunlight all the time. A lot of groups are fighting for the Crystal Pea seeds periodically distributed by the military. Remember how we used to have the military force to discipline the citizens back in Zhengzhou?

  “The situation is completely different here since the military ran out of food reserves long time ago. No one listened to them when they stopped handing out food, and now the only thing the military does is to distribute the seeds on a daily basis. They leave the distribution station as soon as the seeds run out. They just don’t care about us anymore. Every single inhabitant here is fighting over the tiniest issue, and the nature keeps on bringing new pressure, straining everyone’s conscience with every new immoral thing they have to do to survive. You probably don’t feel it at this moment, but you will know what I am talking about after staying for a bit longer... ”

  Chapter 88: Gangs

  “We’ll see.” Chang nodded. “We survived through the deadly evolution period. Can this be any worse than that?”

  “Of course it’s not as bad as that.” Dr. Huang smiled slightly. She was reminded of her parents when Chang mentioned the Deadly Evolution, and Chang recalled his own, too.

  “Well then, let’s complete the registration so we can stay here long term.”

  “Sure.” Dr. Huang handed him a pen and the registration binder.

  After they did it, Dr. Huang introduced them to the staff members as well as helped Chang collect his armband from the security office.

  “Welcome to the security team! From now on, you are a security guard in our community. We usually patrol the grounds by ourselves and only gather when a problem too large for a single guard to solve arises.” The person who introduced Chang to the security team was the guard he met in the abandoned apartment. “I saw your name on the list already, you are Chang Liu, aren’t you? We have the same last name. I am Rui Liu, nice to meet you.”

  “Mr. Liu, nice to meet you, too.” Chang bowed to Rui.

  “I am only a few years older than you, just call me Rui, please.” The man seemed to have an even-tempered personality.

  “Rui.”

  “Today is your first day at work, so I should show you around the community before you begin patrolling on your own. I think some people are out food searching at this time, and some are busy with their own business. It’s rather peaceful at this moment, so I’ll guide you and your sister to the landscapes,” Rui said, waving to Dr. Huang as he left the office with Qing Shui and Jing. “See you later.”

  The three roamed around the streets and chatted casually to get to know each other.

  “Chang, what are you carrying on your back?” Rui asked, starting the conversation by mentioning the object that he was curious about. “I wanted to ask about it when first I saw you. It doesn’t look like a gun since the size is quite big. What is it exactly? Your secret weapon or something?”

  “It’s a handgun,” Chang answered with a smile.

  “No way is it a handgun! I’ve never seen anything like this before. It has the shape of a gun but the length made me suspect that it might be an assault rifle. Is it like a model gun or something?” Rui patted the holster curiously. “Oh… It’s made out of metal, is it heavy?”

  “Not too weighty, at least it’s not bothering my movement.”

  “Well, if it’s as solid as it looks like, it can be used as a baton as well,” Rui joked.

  Chang caught his drift. “Of course, the impact received after swinging it is no laughing matter.”

  “Chang, I heard that you are planning to live with us for long term, is it true?”

  “It is, at least for a few weeks.”

  “I see. In this case, I think it’s necessary to tell you more about the circumstances around here.”

  “Thank you, Rui,” Chang said, eager to hear more about his place.

  “No worries. After all, we now have to look after each other. I’ll show you our fields for growing the Crystal Pea.” While speaking, Rui led Chang to the center of the residential area. It was supposed to be a nice central garden encircled by apartment buildings, but the residents cultivated the meadow into farmland. As expected, the only relief grain they were growing was the Crystal Pea, whose seeds were distributed by the military.

  “These are the fields where we always have guards watch for thieves.” Rui squatted, rubbing a leaf. “The pea matures in seven days, and generally, it rots slower than other plants and meat. But even though its resistance to bacteria growth is slightly better, it still cannot be stored overnight.” Rui had mixed feelings when gazing at the thriving plant. “However, you cannot replant the pea that you harvested. Its seed is only available from the official distribution. Otherwise we would no longer need to worry about food.”

  “That’s interesting… An irreproducible crop.” Chang stripped a pod, revealing the transparent pea.

  “We tried, but they didn’t germinate at all. The explanation they gave us was that this transgenic crop has irreparable DNA breakage and that’s the cost of making it… I really don’t understand what this means, besides that we have to line up for the daily seed distribution”

  “I see… So our living still relies on the authorities,” Chang muttered to himself.

  “We’re also terrorized by gangs, unfortunately.”

  “Gangs?” Chang burst into laughter. “What gangs?”

  “You don’t know they exi
st, do you?”

  “I don’t know about them at all. I’ve only seen them on TV, but not in real life,” Chang explained with honesty.

  “This is unbelievable! I’ve no idea what kind of life you were living before... It’s as if you were sheltered from the outside world! These kind of gangs are all over the place. There is around one in every block, and they heavily rely on us for a living.” Rui was startled by Chang’s response, but he kept on explaining patiently, “I don’t know if you’ve heard about the Hong Kong Triad Society back in the 90s, but these gangs are mimicking the infamous gang. They pressured us into paying a part of our harvest for protection. The way it works is this - the gang collects the seeds, and so do we. But they don’t do the farming, instead forcing us to do all the manual labor. Then we have to return their harvest, as well as occasionally providing something else, such as extra peas or… girls. Of course, by doing so, we’re almost free from the scuffles and robbery of other gangs. And this is how they survive in this area.”

  “I don’t understand. We have our own security team, why do we listen to them obediently?” Chang asked, puzzled.

  “Look at us, our community is made up of people in their 30s, and most of us have kids. We are impotent against these young people. As much as I saw, the majority of the young adults choose to form or join a gang. They’re impulsive and aggressive. Some even have firearms. My point is, if they weren’t backed by their youth and weapons, who would listen to them?” Rui laughed reluctantly. “At the end of the day, the cost of provoking them isn’t affordable to us.”

  “Makes sense.” Chang nodded.

  “If you’re still in doubt, just come with me at dusk. They’re collecting the harvest every day around that time,” Rui added.

  “Sure, I’m curious to be honest.”

  Chang and Jing bowed to Rui to show their appreciation, and then went their own way. During the day, Chang didn’t encounter anything unusual except for having to rescue a girl from a homeless man who was attempting to rape her. He broke the man’s leg before leaving the scene.

  The time slipped by quickly, and the dusk arrived.

  The farmers harvested the matured Crystal Pea and sowed the new seeds in their place. They removed the pods and filled containers of different shapes and sizes with this transparent pea.

  As if it was a ritual, the inhabitants who searched for food in the city returned to their nest at dusk. The gang also appeared on time, coming from the other side of the street. Its people were yelling, howling with laughter and swinging their weapons about.

  Chapter 89: We all have intentions

  As if it was an unwritten rule, the majority of the inhabitants awaited the arrival of the gangster quitely. The leading members even prepared the portion of the Crystal Pea that was to be handed over to the gangster.

  “Fifteen kilograms of the Crystal Pea, you can have it weighed on the scale.” The leading member was the stout woman he saw in the office. She handed the container to a man who held a semi-automatic rifle.

  “Why do they have firearms?” Witnessing the process so far, Chang turned his head, asking Rui.

  “You can see them with guns from here?” Rui was perplexed, standing in the crowd.

  “I guessed, the shadow seem like guns.” Chang answered ambiguously, adding, “Why do they have guns? I thought only the military have them.”

  “It’s because they have connections in the military.” Rui dropped his question about Chang’s unusual vision. “The military would have confiscated them if they were not shielded.”

  “I see.”

  The gang didn’t leave yet as the man checked the container. He pushed the three girls who the gang had taken away before to the stout woman.

  “These cuties are from your community, aren’t they?” The leading gangster was a muscular man with tattoos covering his body, and it was him, who carried a semi-automatic rifle. “Our people are done using them, so we’re returning them to you. We don’t have extra food to keep them around.”

  The leader commanded the inhabitants to line up in two rows and looked at their faces one by one.

  “I’ve returned your girls scot-free! I kept my promise already. Don’t hate me on this, this is the way the world should be.” The two lines slowly formed as the leader ordered them to do so. He tilted his head to hint for another three gangsters to come from the gang and examine these inhabitants’ faces. “Let’s search for some beauties.”

  As the tattooed man ordered, the gangsters scanned and examined the inhabitants one by one. If they found a young woman, they would size her up to check her face and body. If it was a man, what they did most of them time was just to glance, unless what they carried intrigued the examining gangster.

  Chang was unfortunate that his handgun gathered interest.

  “What is that thing on your shoulder? I can’t tell if it’s a gun or bazooka.” It was the leader who checked Chang, his finger slight moving away from its usual place on the holster. “I want to see it, take if off!”

  “This is a fake gun, there is no point for you to waste time on it.” Rui cut into the conversation before Chang could explain.

  “Who the f*ck are you? Go away.” The leader goggled at Rui then stared at Chang again. “I said take it off!”

  “...” Brows knotted, Chang refused to move even an inch. The handgun was his last chance of survival if the gene-altered soldiers ever found him, he simply couldn’t give it up.

  However, if he didn’t give away his handgun now, an argument could easily start between him and the gang. If it came to that, they would be tangled in a bout of fierce fighting. Although he knew that these autonomic groups were nothing to be afraid of, but since they had connections with the military, it might get involved if he killed any of them.

  The consequences of attracting military’s attention was obvious - he might once again be spotted by Zhuo. In this critical moment, he didn’t want to cause trouble for Qing Shui.

  Thus, after weighting the advantages against the disadvantages, Chang decided to turn in his handgun to the gang leader.

  It was at the exact moment he made a decision when the leader lost his patience. Perhaps he was irritated by the fact that his scouting didn’t work well, and that made him feel disgraced. He lifted his right leg, kicking at Chang’s stomach.

  Chang clearly saw the leader’s each move as if the gangster kicked in slow motion. Every inch of the motion’s curve was captured by his eyes, and the information entered his brain through the retina. The world seemed static to him in this second. He could predict when and where the foot would go up and down. It was all clear as day to him.

  In a blink of an eye, Chang already knew what posture he should use to receive this attack and at the same time how to kill this person in the most effortless way. He even had ample time in that brief moment to assess how he could avoid the blood splashing on him by having the dagger on his waist prick on his neck out of instinct.

  This was Qing Shui’s ability - micro observation, rapidly using analytical skills and observation to cope with an attack while preparing for a precise counter-attack.

  This wasn’t a real fighting technique but more practical than any move. In combat, it was all about strategy. However, humans weren’t computers. They couldn’t make the best moves by calculation. The only way of improving strategic planning was through repetitive practice so that it became an instinct.

  Qing Shui’s ability was different. He could employ a big part of his frontal cortex into rapid calculation. He wasn’t a super computer, but he was stronger than any calculation machine when in crisis.

  Chang was gifted this ability from the transgene operation. Therefore, he calmly waited for the foot’s impact with his stomach, even though he could kill the man in a flash.

  Chang was thrown to the ground, but it wasn’t painful at all. He didn’t even feel that the leader’s kick held any power. If he didn’t act deliberately, the kick couldn’t have thrown him on the ground. Chang
decided to finish his act and wrinkled his face as if he had suffered from the impact.

  “Please, I’ll give it to you.” Chang pressed on his stomach with one hand and removed the handgun from his shoulder. He pushed it forward to show his submission.

  Picking up the handgun, the leader realized it was unusually heavy. His face betrayed his astonishment.

  “It’s a real gun, huh?” The leader flipped the cover of the holster to check the mechanics. He was extatic when he realized he’d found a jackpot. The handgun was pointed to Chang’s face, and the man smirked. “An alteration, isn’t it? Feels nice in my hand. Where did you get it, little bastard?”

  Chang didn’t dare to loosen his guard as the muzzle was pointing right at his face and thought up an excuse. “I found it on a corpse.”

  “I see,” the leader murmured, distracted by the giant bullets in the cylinder. After a bit, he casually asked, “I am taking this beauty away, what do you think?”

  “Nothing that I want to say.” Chang shook his head innocently. “It is the rule that I must comply with.”

  “Good.” The leader laughed, happy with his harvest, while pulling Chang up from the ground. He carried the handgun the way Chang had, on his shoulder. The leader seemed overly delighted when he dusted off the mud from Chang’s shirt. He moved to the next person afterward.

  Every witness, including Rui, had pity painted on their faces.

  Among the crowd, there were only two people remaining calm, and both of them knew Chang - Dr. Huang and Jing.

  They didn’t feel pity for the lost gun but the gangster.

  The brief disturbance settled since no fight had happened. The people might even forgot about it in a few hours.

 

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