Chapter 5: Sudden Incident
Silence—ten long seconds of silence.
After a moment, the gun pressed against his waist eased slightly.
Yan Chuanbai withdrew from him, the tall figure swaying toward the desk. A sharp snap sounded, and the room lit up.
Qi He, regaining his breath, got up to look.
Yan Chuanbai was leaning against the desk, lighting an oil lamp.
His slender fingers turned the lampshade, the shadows of his lashes falling faintly under his eyes—languid, unreadable.
Qi He sat up from the sofa.
“System, is this scene over?”
The system had been stunned ever since he chose to “steal someone”. Now that it recovered, the whole thing was trembling: [Just five seconds of plot, and you couldn’t pick something better to steal!?]
“What’s there to choose, when it’s all stealing?” Qi He shook his head. “Eavesdrop? Peep? Steal half a day of leisure?”
[You could have stolen a book.] The system braced itself, cheeks flushed: [For a scholar, that doesn’t count as stealing.]
“…”
While they were bickering, Yan Chuanbai set the oil lamp down on the table and turned around.
“Planning to commit misdeeds against me?” He crossed his arms.
“Is that so? Let’s hear your plan.”
Qi He met his gaze head-on: System, he hasn’t even v’d me 50 yet.
[……]
After a pause, under Yan Chuanbai’s steady eyes, he said, “No plan. Just improvising.”
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze dropped on him. “Looking at you now…” He let the words hang for two seconds.
In the dim yellow light, Qi He was half-leaning on the sofa, his T-shirt wrinkled in a few places, his skin flushed hot beneath it.
Yan Chuanbai went on, “What exactly could you do to me like this?”
Qi He gave nothing away. “Plenty I could do.”
“Oh…” Yan Chuanbai braced both hands behind him, the picture of a man unafraid of boiling water poured on a dead pig. “Then here’s your chance. Let’s see what you’ll do.”
Qi He, weary, replied, “I’m not in the mood anymore.”
“…”
He stood. “It’s late. Let’s both get back to sleep.”
With that, he headed toward the inner room.
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze followed him the whole way, but he neither pressed further nor stopped him. Qi He had just pushed open the inner door when a voice came from behind, light but firm:
“No matter what it is you’re after…”
Qi He turned his head. Yan Chuanbai was leaning against the desk, his shadow shifting faintly on the wall. His voice was calm, almost devoid of warning: “If it endangers the teammates in this squad, I won’t show mercy.”
“That goes for anyone.”
Qi He paused slightly. “All right.”
The door clicked shut.
Darkness swallowed the inner room again. Qi He leaned against the door, thought for two seconds, and spoke:
“So his first sentence means, he doesn’t care what I’m after.”
The system choked hard: [His point was probably the second half.]
Qi He had already felt for the bed and lain down. “But I am after something from him. Tomorrow will be soon enough to deal with it.”
—
By the time he woke the next day, the sky was already bright.
Qi He didn’t know how long he had slept. Judging by the light, it was well past the time they should’ve set out, yet Yan Chuanbai hadn’t come to wake him.
He sat up, feeling less dizzy. “Tong Yiji.”
[?]
“What’s my temperature now?”
[…37.2°C. And stop giving me random nicknames.]
No sooner had it spoken than the door was pushed open.
Qi He turned his head and saw Yan Chuanbai standing at the door.
Bright sunlight poured through the window, lighting up the whole room. Qi He’s gaze was clear now, his complexion normal. Yan Chuanbai looked him over, but said nothing about last night.
“How are you feeling?”
“Pretty much over the fever,” Qi He replied.
Hearing a quiet “mm,” he quickly added, “I sweated a lot. I’d like to take a bath.”
Yan Chuanbai frowned slightly, but in the end nodded. “All right.”
Qi He had been coveting it for a long time—at last, he got his hands on that bucket of bathwater.
…
When he came out from washing, the others were sitting downstairs.
Meng Yan, seeing him, immediately asked, “Are you feeling better? Anywhere still uncomfortable?”
“The fever’s gone. I’m fine.”
Zhou Ziqian let out a relieved breath. “Good. So should we stay one more night to keep watch, or keep moving?”
Yan Chuanbai said, “We’re low on supplies. Let’s move forward.”
Once they decided, everyone grabbed their things and got in the car.
As usual, Zhou Ziqian slid into the driver’s seat.
Just as Meng Yan was about to open a door, Yan Chuanbai said, “You sit in the front. I’ll sit in the back with him.”
Meng Yan didn’t quite understand, but did as told. “Oh.”
Qi He glanced at him: the three-day incubation period wasn’t up yet. Yan Chuanbai still didn’t trust him.
Zhou Ziqian, cheerful as a paramecium, started the car. “Well, of course! Brother Yan brought him back—if he’s sick, he’s gotta look after him personally!”
Meng Yan suddenly understood.
Qi He thought Zhou Ziqian really had a knack for getting under Yan Chuanbai’s skin.
The car door slammed shut with a “bang.” Yan Chuanbai fixed his eyes on Zhou Ziqian’s head. “You’re also someone I brought back. Do you need me to look after you too?”
Zhou Ziqian blinked. “Huh? But I’m not sick.”
Qi He: “…”
…
Today the rain had cleared, and the sky stretched cloudless for miles.
The car drove steadily into the mountains and forests.
All around were tall, dense trees. Qi He glanced out the window and indeed saw some mutated plants: some sprouted flowers directly from their trunks, others had roots grown so thick they sprawled across the middle of the road—only to be crushed under the wheels of their vehicle.
“Have these mutated plants ever been studied?”
Yan Chuanbai answered him, “Yes.”
“What did the results show?”
“Not sure. That’s the inspection department’s work. We haven’t been in contact with the base for a while now.” After speaking, his gaze drifted lightly toward the very instigator.
Qi He looked straight ahead. “No worries. You don’t have to be all-knowing.”
This whole region was mountainous.
After driving for some time, it unknowingly reached mealtime. Just as Zhou Ziqian was saying they should find a spot to park, they spotted a flat stretch of grass.
It looked as if it had already been cleared—signs of a campfire and traces of someone once encamped there.
“Let’s stop there,” Yan Chuanbai said.
The car turned and rolled onto the clearing, and they got out.
Yan Chuanbai glanced at their supply pack. “Let’s cook those two buckets of instant noodles. If we drive fast, we’ll reach Base I by tomorrow afternoon. No need to save them.”
Meng Yan and Zhou Ziqian both cheered aloud.
Qi He asked, “We’re that close to Base I already?”
Yan Chuanbai gave a quiet “mm.” “The closer we get to the base, the easier it is to run into others. Just like—”
Before he finished, a sudden “Eh?” rang out.
Meng Yan, holding the instant noodles, had walked to the old firepit. The weeds all around had been cleared, and a fallen tree trunk served as a seat.
She stared at the ground beneath her feet. “What’s this?”
Qi He and Yan Chuanbai walked over to take a look.
The rain-softened earth made it easy to leave marks. By the ashes of the burned-out firepit, several large lines of carved words stood out:
“To those who come after us: The air after rain is so fresh, the branches so damp. We just finished a grand bonfire feast—what can I say, having a fire-type ability is just that convenient.
By the way, we already picked up all the branches around here.
Ah~ may you have good luck gathering firewood. Don’t make it too hard on yourselves.”
Beside the words was a little chibi-style caricature, with a single line carved through the hair—its identity was obvious.
Qi He and Yan Chuanbai stared at it, the same face surfacing in their minds.
After reading, Zhou Ziqian couldn’t hold back: “Damn! This guy really is…”
Qi He spoke up, “Just a couple drops of vinegar can produce carbon dioxide.”
Zhou Ziqian was baffled: “?”
Qi He added, “Baking soda.”
“…”
After marveling at Qi He’s sharp tongue, Zhou Ziqian turned his head and saw Yan Chuanbai crouched down, finishing off the last stroke of a carving. He put away his knife.
“Brother Yan, what are you doing now?”
Yan Chuanbai rose lightly. “Nothing.”
Qi He glanced over—and sure enough, another line had been added to the empty space:
“If you’ve got the guts, come kill me~”
“…”
Qi He thought: System, Yan Chuanbai isn’t exactly a saint either.
The system had no words.
—
In the end, they went to the nearby woods to chop firewood.
Meng Yan’s wood-type ability came in handy.
Before long, a strong flame rose from the firepit, water in the pot already boiling for instant noodles.
The four of them sat around together.
Qi He pried open a can with his knife. Back when he played survival games, he had stayed in the wild for as long as half a month. With a quick crack, the lid popped off—his movements practiced and smooth.
Yan Chuanbai cast him a glance.
Qi He handed out the food.
Zhou Ziqian and Meng Yan, both naturally outgoing, chattered away as they roasted canned meat over the fire.
In the middle of their talk, Yan Chuanbai suddenly let out a laugh. “Speaking of birthdays—you just reminded me of something.”
He rarely mentioned anything about himself, so Zhou Ziqian immediately perked up. “What is it?”
Qi He noticed Yan Chuanbai’s gaze shift onto him.
“I never celebrated my birthday before—only once. Aunt Wen and Uncle Qi came to the city where I was studying on a business trip. They took me out for a meal, and that happened to fall on my birthday.”
“Uncle Qi…” Zhou Ziqian put it together, glancing at Qi He. “Qi He’s parents?”
“Mm.” Yan Chuanbai looked at Qi He. “They told me quite a bit about your family, and even showed me your photo.” He gave a small smile. “You’ve changed quite a lot.”
Qi He met his eyes, paused for a second. “Really. They never mentioned it to me. But, well, boys change a lot as they grow—my looks opening up is only natural.”
After a few seconds of eye contact, Yan Chuanbai passed it off casually. “True.”
The conversation soon shifted to something else.
Qi He calmly roasted the meat over the fire, crackling and popping. “System, Yan Chuanbai is suspicious of me.”
The system hadn’t dared to breathe a word since that moment just now.
None of this was in the script—it had no idea either.
[And yet you denied it without hesitation.]
“In a situation where I don’t know if he’s probing, denial is the safest choice. The gap between me and the original host is too big—Yan Chuanbai suspecting me is only a matter of time.”
Just not to the point of guessing time-travel.
But the fact that he hadn’t doubted him at first glance showed that his appearance was somewhat similar to the original host—or to his parents. Most likely, Yan Chuanbai suspected that the original host had another brother who had taken over his identity.
[So what do we do now?]
“Since things have come to this, let’s eat first.”
—
The meat was already charred, yet the water still hadn’t boiled.
Zhou Ziqian squatted nearby, keeping watch for a while before asking Qi He again, “By the way, how are you feeling now? Still dizzy? Any sign of relapse?”
Hearing that, Qi He took a moment to check himself.
If Zhou Ziqian hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have noticed: his body now felt unusually light, and the fever had completely subsided. He figured it must be thanks to eating meat.
“I’m totally recovered. I feel like I’m bursting with strength.”
The three others: “…”
Yan Chuanbai gave him a glance. “If there’s any abnormal symptom, you tell me immediately.”
Qi He nodded. “All right.”
Just as the words left his mouth, a sudden sound came from Yan Chuanbai’s backpack: beep beep beep… beep beep beep…
They all froze.
Yan Chuanbai pulled out a communicator. “We’re close to the base now—the signal’s starting to come back. I’ll go take this call.”
He stood up and walked into the woods.
Zhou Ziqian didn’t comment further. That wasn’t an ordinary phone, but the special communication device used by their unit.
Qi He didn’t ask either, just focused on the fire. “Why isn’t the water boiling yet?”
“Oh, this pot doesn’t conduct heat very well. Maybe… add more firewood?”
…
On the other side, Yan Chuanbai walked some distance before finally answering the call.
The line crackled with static as he spoke:
“Major General Zhong.”
From the other end came the voice of a man in his forties or fifties, with a hint of laughter: “Chuanbai, finally we’ve gotten through to you. Where’ve you been all this time?”
“Near Base I. Took care of some personal matters.”
“Base I?”
The other man paused for a moment, then said, “That’s perfect. Headquarters was just talking about sending someone to take over the two major bases. Since you’re already there, I’ll leave it to you.”
Yan Chuanbai said bluntly, “I want to return to headquarters.”
Back in the army, he’d always been a hard-to-manage troublemaker. If he hadn’t constantly offended his superiors, his rank probably would’ve risen much faster.
Zhong Panqing was used to this and sighed. “The two bases are still leaderless. If it drags on, it’ll spiral into another mess. Chuanbai, you’re capable enough for this.”
Yan Chuanbai: “Others can handle it too. Anyway, once I drop someone off at Base I, I’ll—”
A faint sound rustled behind him.
His sharp instincts made him stop mid-sentence and turn instantly.
Qi He emerged from behind a tree. He also paused when their eyes met.
From the communicator came a voice: “…Chuanbai?”
Qi He took a step back, speaking softly. “I was just out looking for firewood. Go on.”
With that, he turned and headed off in another direction.
Yan Chuanbai pulled his gaze back. “It’s nothing.”
“Oh.” Zhong Panqing went on, patiently trying to persuade him, appealing with both reason and sentiment.
He went on for a good three minutes.
Suddenly, crash—a burst of movement came from the other side of the forest.
Yan Chuanbai glanced over.
A cluster of treetops swayed slightly. Not too much, not too little. Soon, everything went quiet again.
“…Chuanbai, what is it now?”
That didn’t sound like zombies. Yan Chuanbai replied, “Nothing. Probably just a wild animal in the forest.”
“Then be careful. Contact me again once you’ve reached Base I.”
The call was just about to end—
When Yan Chuanbai looked up and saw Qi He coming back through the trees.
He: ?
Qi He stopped a few steps away and explained softly, “So… I do have an abnormal condition.” He thought about it, then raised both hands. “I feel like my whole body’s brimming with strength.”
Yan Chuanbai opened his mouth, about to tell him to cut it out—
Only to watch as Qi He turned, wrapped his arms around a tree as thick as a man’s waist, and with one heave—crack, crash.
Qi He hoisted the entire tree onto his shoulder and locked eyes with him.
Yan Chuanbai: “……”
From the communicator, Zhong Panqing, hearing the loud rustling practically in his ear:
“Uh, Chuanbai, is that wild animal right next to you?”
**TN
Stealing someone (偷人) – having an affair
Tong Yiji (System Yiji) – probably Kong Yiji – a failed scholar who is poor, proud, and eventually resorts to theft, becoming a symbol of the problems in China’s old imperial system and the challenges faced by educated but unemployed youth in modern China.
A wild animal indeed, a wild Qi He😂