Wen Zheng snapped out of his daze, suddenly stiffened, and quickly looked at his phone.
It was a series of short beeping sounds; it was indeed a telephone, but it was a number whose ringtone he couldn't change.
Wen Zheng answered the call, listened for a minute without saying a word, looked at Deng Puyue for a while, and then turned his gaze to the glass exterior of the restaurant, where the person who had just momentarily captured his heart was sitting.
"Hmm." He finished the call, gave a final reply, and hung up. Deng Puyue asked curiously, "What's up? You've been so busy lately. I don't even know where you went yesterday morning. Sigh, I'm not your cutest little Yu anymore..."
Wen Zheng sometimes hated his own inarticulateness. He had a lot to say, but he couldn't say it. So he opened his arms and gave Deng Puyue a big hug, so tight that Xiaoyu screamed for murder in his arms.
"I'm leaving," Wen Zheng said. "If you don't come back before going on stage, you'll have to perform on your own."
If I don't come back after today, then just forget about me.
"Huh?" Deng Puyue was shocked: "How can our five-person program be without you?! We've already memorized the lines in segments, who's going to read them if you don't come?!"
Wen Zheng laughed: "You guys divide it up again, one sentence each. If I can get back in time, I'll go. You guys wait and see." After saying that, he didn't delay any longer: "It's urgent. If I really leave, please tell Bai Shuang and Bei Sining for me."
After saying that, he gripped his phone tightly and strode away. Xiaoyu called his name after him, telling him to let her know if he was alright.
Wen Zheng pursed his lips, quickened his pace, and walked out of the restaurant.
It is 5:03 PM now, and the sun has already set.
Wen Zheng glanced at the map, crossed the street, and entered a high-rise office building a hundred meters away. His phone beeped on the card-swipe elevator. Although the security guard thought he looked unfamiliar, he didn't think much of it and watched him take the elevator to the top floor.
On the 80th floor, the elevator doors opened, and Wen Zheng found the stairwell and continued climbing. After three floors, he unlocked the rusty iron lock, pushed the door open forcefully, and a strong wind blew in from the rooftop.
Life is fleeting, it's not easy to live, and things can't always go as planned...
Wen Zheng was panting heavily, and only continued singing after the second verse of the song had been sung.
"Um?"
"Where are you?!" Bei Sining's voice sounded like it was about to explode: "When are you coming back? You didn't go to that mall again, did you?! Are you crazy? Don't go there!... Huh? Talk to me?... Xiaoyu, look, did I touch anything? Why can't I hear him? What kind of junk is this...?"
Wen Zheng: "Cough, the phone isn't broken."
"Oh, I heard you! Did you hear me? When are you coming back? If you don't tell me, I'll come find you right now."
"...Don't come." The wind was so strong it was whipping his face. He had his back to the wind, and his words were still being blown around, becoming increasingly muffled: "Be good and stay with Xiaoyu. I have something urgent to do and I don't know when I'll be back, but if you leave, how will our show go on?"
After a long pause, Bei Sining reluctantly said, "Okay."
The roar of aircraft could be heard from afar in the sky. Wen Zheng lowered his voice, using a coaxing tone he used when talking to Da Hei: "I'm hanging up now, I need to shut down the machine. The show is up to you."
The aircraft slowly floated above the rooftop and dropped a silver rope made of a special material.
Wen Zheng turned off his phone, stuffed it into his pocket, his jacket billowing in the wind, his hair a tangled mess. He grabbed the end of the rope with one hand, the buckle clicked shut, and the man in military uniform in the driver's seat yelled down to drown out the roar of the engine: "Hold on tight!"
"receive!"
The aircraft rapidly ascended, piercing through the clouds. The ropes swung upwards, and Wen Zheng crawled into the cabin from the bottom. The floorboards closed, and the noisy wind abruptly ceased.
"Major Wen Zheng, hello!" There was another person in the cabin, dressed in a black uniform, looking nervous and awkward like a newcomer. He didn't know how to be attentive, offering water and food as if he wanted to empty the entire aircraft.
"Quiet," Wen Zheng said softly, his gaze cold.
The newcomer sat upright, intimidated by the school's superior, but his eyes held an undisguised admiration.
The aircraft was very fast, taking only 48 minutes to travel from Lecheng to the Beihai base in Dongcheng. He felt as if he had just closed his eyes to rest against the softly padded cabin wall, and landed at his destination after only a few minutes.
"Major!"
Wen Zheng jumped off the aircraft, and a row of soldiers saluted him. He walked quickly without stopping, only nodding.
"Major Wen Zheng, come with me." A female civilian employee in a skirt suit appeared on the run, leading Wen Zheng quickly across the training ground of the Beihai Base and into the operations department.
She wasn't physically strong enough, and soon she fell several meters behind Wen Zheng. Wen Zheng told her not to follow and entered the headquarters conference room with practiced ease.
"bite--"
He pushed open the door, and the scanner at the entrance quickly activated, emitting a notification sound indicating that someone had entered.
"S-class special operations unit, A08 squad, Major Wen Zheng." The electronic voice continued after Wen Zheng had walked several meters away: "Identity verification complete."
At the far end of the spacious conference room, a huge screen was embedded in the wall.
Several windows were displayed on the screen at the same time, with black backgrounds, red and blue curves, and dazzling data.
A long, silver-white metal table stood in the center of the hall, and more than thirty people were already seated around it.
"Team Leader Luo." Wen Zheng accurately located his target and saluted a tall, muscular man standing there.
"Xiao Zheng," Captain Luo patted him on the shoulder, "find a place to sit down first."
"Brother Zhengzheng!" A clear child's voice rang out, and the boy who called him rushed over like a cannonball, crashing into Wen Zheng's arms.
Wen Zheng caught him, picked him up, and weighed him in his arms: "He's too heavy."
Chen Xiaochen was also an orphan of the previous batch of soldiers. However, Wen Zheng at least grew up to be ten years old and had a good relationship with his parents. Chen Xiaochen's parents sacrificed their lives when he was just one year old.
Although the government provides special funds for compensation, and Chen Xiaochen's adoptive parents treat him very well, he still can't spend money as he pleases. Wen Zheng spends a lot of his salary on him and the other children, on their adoptive parents, or on buying new electronic devices.
Chen Xiaochen entered the training base at the age of six, while Wen Zheng was fifteen that year. The older brother took him to play many things, and when he was tired or suffering during training, Wen Zheng took care of him and comforted him. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was raised under Wen Zheng's watchful eye.
These past few years, I've been living in different cities and haven't seen him as often, but the kids still cling to him.
Wen Zheng slipped a piece of candy to Chen Xiaochen and then focused his attention on the large screen.
The red and blue lines were fluctuating wildly, and the alarm next to them indicated that it was in a high-risk band.
After watching for a while, he stopped Captain Luo, who was about to leave: "Xiao Chen is only fourteen years old."
Team Leader Luo was tall, dark-skinned, and had a square face; he was a true elder. He said solemnly to Wen Zheng, "He's fourteen years old."
Wen Zheng clenched his fist and then relaxed it: "...Like this."
Team Leader Luo was also heartbroken, but he only left one sentence before quickly passing him by: "We haven't set off yet, the situation isn't at its worst, but we'll have to sign the volunteer forms again in a bit. Fourteen years old is the bottom line that all countries have agreed upon, and it's not just Chen Xiaochen."
6:20 p.m.
Everyone was present; there were fifty-seven people.
The meeting room was completely silent.
The person in charge, Luo Yu, and the senior leader, Zhang Jincheng, pushed open the door together and walked in. Looking at the young faces in front of them, they forced themselves to harden their hearts.
Luo Yu handed out the thick stack of application forms, and Zhang Jincheng said slowly, "Thank you for coming."
“Similar scenes have played out many times, and each time, everyone has been brave and fearless. I sincerely admire each and every one of you for your tremendous contributions to the country and the world.”
"The subspace is Earth's enemy. This life-or-death struggle has lasted for a hundred years. Our blood-related ancestors have followed one after another, sacrificing their lives time and time again to ensure the continuation of Earth. And we are fortunate enough to perhaps bring this struggle to an end."
"There is never an inevitable end, but one must have the resolve to die."
The red and blue lines behind him kept fluctuating to new peak values. Zhang Jincheng glanced back and calmly reported the data to everyone.
"As you can see, the subspace suddenly experienced violent fluctuations three hours ago, exceeding the 70-wave warning line, and is currently at a high of 74.8. The Arctic observation station has sent an emergency communication, and all countries are assembling and on high alert. When the peak reaches 80, it will be ready to enter the Arctic, and we will set off for the Arctic."
"Now, please open your application forms and fill them out completely."
No instruction is needed; those present have filled out this document many times before.
Thirteen years ago, the minimum age for participating in the disaster was sixteen. In other words, none of the warriors in the world who could enter the warp were over thirty years old.
The so-called voluntary declaration includes a confidentiality agreement, various documents, and a pre-written will.
Although secrecy was required, it wasn't strictly enforced. Immediate family members had the right to know, and the recipients of soldiers' wills were generally given preferential treatment.
Wen Zheng's previous wills were always blank, but today, he inexplicably felt like writing something. His master and Bai Shuang were both in the know, so without him saying anything, he would give one copy to Deng Puyue and one copy to Bei Sining.
If he comes back alive, that would be wonderful; if he sacrifices himself, it would at least give them some closure.
It's easy to write for Xiaoyu; it's just about coaxing him.
Wen Zheng also found it strange that many things he couldn't say aloud flowed much more smoothly when written down. Phrases like "you're cute," "you're good," and "you're excellent" came effortlessly to his lips.
The last sentence is my wish for your happiness, and that you will never regret it.
Wen Zheng took out a new sheet of paper, intending to write to Bei Sining, but his pen suddenly stopped.
How should I write it?
Do we need to let him know that he's not actually smart?
Or should I just keep it a secret? The person's already gone anyway. But if I don't tell, will I regret it when I die?
Wen Zheng was momentarily conflicted, biting his lower lip with his canines until it turned purple.
He thought for a long time before picking up his pen.
[Dear Comrade Mingzhu.]
Wen Zheng's lips curled up.
[Greetings.]
We've known each other for over a month now, and you're such a lovely cat!
Every morning when I wake up and touch your fluffy tail, I feel that you are more and more lovable each day, and even your little flaws are simply adorable.
Please believe me, the reason I could guess is not because you're stupid, but because I'm too smart. So don't be sad or angry; anger is bad for your health.
I didn't mean to hide it from you, but the way you tried so hard to conceal it, so full of life, really touched me.
Meeting you in this life is the greatest stroke of luck in my otherwise dull existence.
[The house in Wutong Garden is yours, along with all the furniture and equipment. You can live there or come visit occasionally. The property rights have thirty years remaining. If you don't know how to handle things after that, you can ask Xiaoyu for help. The guqin is also yours; take good care of it, it might appreciate in value.]
As he wrote this, Wen Zheng suddenly realized that he was just an ordinary mortal, no wonder Xiao Yu mocked their royal family for selling their bodies for 200,000.
He thought for a moment, and it seemed there was nothing more to say, so he continued writing.
[The notarized documents are attached.]
Author's Note: (There's more below, but I deliberately left a chapter broken because I was crying so loudly.)
Chapter 59
After finishing, he stacked the other completed forms together, put them in an envelope, and a special department would help him complete them.
Most people were still writing furiously, and the peak value on the screen in front of them hovered around seventy-five.
This gathering was too rushed; there wasn't even any restorative training. Wen Zheng had a bad feeling about it. But there was nothing he could do; you can't reason with the subspace. And whether it came sooner or later, this day would eventually come.