Little Mushroom - Chap 23
“I’m not.” An Zhe whispered.
He handed the work manual to Lu Feng, who raised his eyebrows and took it.
“Your clothes too.” He took off the coat and handed it to Lu Feng. “Thank you.”
Lu Feng placed the coat over his arm and looked down at An Zhe.
“You didn’t need to wait for me.” He stated. “Just put it at the gate.”
An Zhe didn’t answer. He and Lu Feng stared each other in the eye for a few seconds before carefully saying, “You… are you okay?”
Lu Feng shifted his gaze. “I’m fine.”
He had a light tone, as if nothing had just happened.
An Zhe muttered, “…Oh.”
He continued, “Where are you going?” ”
Lu Feng stared at him. The green eyes always made An Zhe think of some cold things and combined with the city’s cool breeze and the fact that he just took off the warm coat, he flinched back slightly.
Lu Feng reached out and threw the coat back into An Zhe’s arms. “I don’t know. I’ll send you back first.”
An Zhe put on the coat again. After wearing it, Lu Feng raised his legs and walked forward and An Zhe followed.
On both sides of the road were people holding banners. They looked serious, their mouths taut and drooping. The banners in their hands hadn’t been put down and the paper was blown by the night wind.
Everyone gazed at them silently, postures tense as the green, purple and orange colours of the aurora shone on their faces, mixing with their skin to create a strange, metallic colour. From those eyes, An Zhe saw clear hatred and alert vigilance. If they weren’t afraid of Lu Feng’s gun and his privilege to kill people at any time, they probably would’ve done something.
Those same eyes fell on An Zhe. It could be said that a large number of them were looking at him. An Zhe couldn’t help leaning toward Lu Feng. Now he knew why Lu Feng wanted to send him back. He actively approached the Judge so his opponents were staring at An Zhe like wolves.
Fortunately, the size of the crowd wasn’t small but it wasn’t large compared with the whole city. Within five minutes, they left the demonstration area and set foot on the road to the residential area.
The buildings in the residential area were illuminated by the aurora. The grey cement road was divided into black and grey patches by the light and shadow. They cast long shadows on the ground, those irregular patches of light stacked layer by layer.
An Zhe didn’t know what to say to Lu Feng and Lu Feng also didn’t take the initiative to speak.
Although it was night, this place wasn’t peaceful. A large military truck rumbled past them and stopped at the fork in the road. The door opened and the residents who entered the district gate to take refuge were released. A group of soldiers and a staff member of the city office in a white shirt and holding a record book led them into a building for placement.
A man asked the soldier, “How long will we need to take refuge here?”
The soldier replied, “Look at the situation.”
Another resident asked, “I heard that District 6 is okay. Can you guarantee the safety of District 6?”
The soldier said, “There is no exact information. Wait for the Lighthouse to study it.”
“Then…” Someone else wanted to ask a question but was immediately interrupted by the soldiers. “Follow me quickly.”
Footsteps were heard and they entered the building. An Zhe looked up at the right on the upper right side of the building. This was Building 55. Lu Feng’s footsteps didn’t stop as he walked another 30 meters and came in front of Building 56. Building 56—
Something in An Zhe’s heart was touched. He looked up at the sign and then the dark unit door in the middle of the building. This area was close to the isolation gate. The military had started to resettle people in Building 55 and it would soon be Building 56.
Lu Feng’s voice was heard. “Do you want to go in?”
An Zhe shook his head.
Lu Feng’s tone was flat. “Go in if you want.”
An Zhe, “…”
He suspected that the judges and the Judge was trained in mind-reading.
He said, “Let’s go.”
Lu Feng turned and headed for Building 56. An Zhe walked next to him, taking an ID card out of his pocket. There was a series of numbers printed on the card: 3260563209. This represented Room 9, floor 2, unit 3, building 56.
This wasn’t An Zhe’s room or his ID card. It belonged to Vance, the man who took him to the Northern Base. On that day when Vance’s body was carried away, the soldier handed the ID card to An Zhe as a relic and he had been carrying it with him ever since.
An Zhe opened the door with this ID card. It hadn’t expired, indicating that the base hadn’t yet reclaimed the right to use the room. He went in and turned on the light. It was a simple room and the quilt was piled on the bed like the owner had just got up and left. On the table were some household goods, water glasses, cigarette boxes and a lighter. This was Vance’s home.
It had been a month since Vance’s death and An Zhe sometimes remembered him. He kept wondering why Vance still chose to return to the base despite the possibility of infection. However, after witnessing the death and fear of so many people today and passing by Building 56, he felt that he understood Vance in a sense.
He was dominated by his own instincts, risking deep to go deep into the base to find his spore. Humans might not agree with his motive. Unlike monsters dominated by instincts, humans were a species dominated by emotions. They did things that didn’t conform to common sense and didn’t need too many reasons. As long as he understood this, he wouldn’t be confused by the inexplicable behaviour of humans.
An Zhe thought so as he pressed the ID card gently under the cigarette box. He remembered Vance smoking. Having done all this, he turned and left. Lu Feng was leaning on the door frame and waiting for him. His eyes fell on An Zhe like a falling snowflake and seemed different from the past.
“What’s wrong?” An Zhe asked.
“I subjectively believe that you are human.” Lu Feng declared before turning and walking out.
An Zhe followed silently, not wanting to make a sound. The Judge was constantly doubting that he wasn’t human.
Back on the road, Lu Feng’s communicator rang and there was a doctor’s voice. “The detector has been put into the trial process at the gate and the residents’ emotions have been somewhat appeased. Five more devices will be sent by the Lighthouse tomorrow but the speed still can’t keep up. Judge, you might have to come back.”
“I know.” Lu Feng’s voice was cold. “I’ll go back during the day.”
“Thank you, have a good rest tonight.” The doctor paused before continuing, “Director Howard is dead. What next? You are the only colonel left in the outer city with executive power. The colonel of the city office is a civil servant and the deployment of emergency supplies alone can make him lose his hair.”
“The Trial Court will temporarily take over the city’s defense station and all troops will temporarily be placed into rescue work. After Judgment Day, I hope that the Lighthouse can help us formulate a plan to restart the dispersers everywhere.”
The doctor said, “Of course.”
Lu Feng hung up and started to dial the Trial Court to arrange affairs. An Zhe quietly pricked his ears and listened. The Judge’s wording was simple and clear, his tone as cold as ever. Many things had happened tonight but Lu Feng was still Lu Feng.
An Zhe turned to look at Lu Feng’s side profile and understood the doctor’s meaning. This man would return to the city gate tomorrow. He himself acquiesced to go back. The young judge said that the colonel was fighting against unimaginable monsters. Perhaps Lu Feng was already used to it. His only abnormal behaviour tonight was to turn around and leave.
Once the call was over, they had arrived at Building 117. It seemed that Lu Feng knew the road better than him. The two of them successfully came to his place. After turning on the light, everything was the same except for one thing missing by the wall. However, even if ten guts were given to An Zhe, he wouldn’t dare ask the man where the doll was now after being seized.
An Zhe asked Lu Feng standing by the door, “Would you like to come in and sit down?”
“No need. You rest.”
An Zhe hesitated for a moment before asking, “That… where are you going?”
Lu Feng frowned slightly like he was thinking. After a brief moment of thought, he replied, “I don’t know.”
The communication screen showed that it was 11 at night. After counting the hours, he came to the conclusion that the colonel hadn’t rested for nearly 40 hours.
He knew that today’s incident was urgent. Many things were temporarily arranged by Lu Feng and Howard. They did their best to settle the residents in District 6. However, like the soldiers, the staff of the Trial Court and the city’s defense station, they might not have a residence or office for a while. Or they might simply be arranged to rest in the residential area near the gate for the night.
However, he felt that Lu Feng might not want to return to the gate. An Zhe felt very complicated. His fingers subconsciously tensed and he pursed his lips.
Lu Feng asked, “What’s going on?”
His voice was a bit low and the hallway lights behind him were very dark. Perhaps it was due to the light but his silhouette wasn’t as strong as usual.
An Zhe made up his mind. Even if it was just for his spore, he had to build a better relationship with the colonel.
“If… if you don’t have a place to go—” An Zhe looked up at Lu Feng. “You can stay here with me.”
Thanks to LostMySoulFromStress for the fanart
