Chapter 47: Ranran Said You Two Were Fighting Last Night

The next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

Sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and spilled across the room. The two people in bed had sweated a thin layer in their sleep.

Someone knocked on the tightly shut door, and Lan Ran's voice came through from outside.

Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye opened their eyes at the same instant, and at the same instant rolled over to grab the long blades propped beside the bed. The moment the blades slid from their sheaths, they saw each other's movements.

Identical vigilance, identical nakedness. Their gazes swept over each other's bodies, and then, simultaneously, they both relaxed.

Xie Li laughed, tossed the blade aside, and flopped back onto the bed. Jin Zhaoye rolled over, sprawled across Xie Li's chest, pressed her cheek against her collarbone and nuzzled it, then urged softly, "Hurry up and answer her."

Xie Li cleared her throat and called toward the door, "We're up. Give us a minute, we'll be right there."

"Fine, hurry it up. Fang Mai already fixed the truck." With that, Lan Ran turned and headed downstairs.

The room fell quiet again. Xie Li wrapped an arm around Jin Zhaoye's waist, reluctant to let go, and Jin Zhaoye was in no hurry to get up either, just lying on her chest, listening to her heartbeat.

After a while of tender lingering, Jin Zhaoye finally pushed herself up, unwilling.

The blanket slid off her shoulders, revealing an upper body covered in red marks. Xie Li squinted at her, apparently quite satisfied with the fruits of her labor—maybe even a little unsated.

Jin Zhaoye's ears burned under the stare, and she gave her a light kick. "Stop staring at me like that. My underwear—hand it over."

Xie Li chuckled, felt around the bed, found the underwear she'd carelessly flung aside the night before, and passed it over.

Jin Zhaoye took it, turned her back to Xie Li, and put it on, reaching a hand in to adjust things into place before stretching toward the quick-dry shirt crumpled into a ball at the foot of the bed.

"Don't wear that." Xie Li caught her hand and pulled a white long-sleeved shirt out of her space—soft fabric, a cotton-linen blend, breathable and comfortable, cool enough even for summer. "Wear this. It'll cover the marks."

Jin Zhaoye took the shirt and glared at her.

Xie Li hastily raised her hands in surrender. "I only bit you once. You bit me plenty last night—my neck's definitely covered in your teeth marks."

Jin Zhaoye, embarrassed, dropped her gaze, not daring to look at Xie Li's neck.

The gland at the back of that woman's neck was swollen and red, impossible to hide—one look and anyone could tell it had been thoroughly ravaged.

She shook out the shirt, pulled it on, and buttoned it one button at a time with lowered eyes, leaving only the topmost undone.

The shirt was a bit loose, the sleeves too long. Jin Zhaoye rolled the cuffs up twice, exposing a stretch of slender pale wrist.

"Dr. Jin is the best-looking woman in a shirt I've ever seen. Scholarly elegance from head to toe."

The corner of Jin Zhaoye's mouth curved slightly. She bent down, picked up Xie Li's crumpled T-shirt from the bed, and tossed it over her face.

"Compliment me all you want, I'm still not dressing you."

"I never asked you to," Xie Li mumbled, tugging the shirt off her face. She climbed out of bed and pulled on her clothes in a few quick moves.

Properly dressed, the two went downstairs side by side.

In the courtyard below, Lan Ran and Little Bao sat on the steps enjoying the shade. Little Bao clutched a foxtail grass, earnestly teasing the ants on the ground.

Hearing footsteps, Little Bao looked up. Seeing Jin Zhaoye and Xie Li, her little face broke into a sweet smile. "Sister Gift, Sister Jin! The sun's already roasting your butts and you only just got up!"

"Mm, your sisters are lazy and love sleeping in," Xie Li replied with a grin.

Little Bao tilted her head, thought about it, then shook it. "No. Sister Ranran said you two were fighting last night and got tired from fighting, that's why you got up late. Why do you like fighting so much?"

The smile on Lan Ran's face froze instantly. She reached to cover Little Bao's mouth, but the little one was too quick—everything that should and shouldn't have been said came tumbling out like spilled beans.

Xie Li's face flushed red at visible speed, starting from the base of her neck.

Jin Zhaoye was far more composed. Without changing expression, she walked over, bent down, and lifted Little Bao out of Lan Ran's arms, smooth as flowing water, her face utterly unruffled.

"I'll take the child out for a stroll." Jin Zhaoye swept a glance at Xie Li, the corner of her mouth curving faintly. "You two carry on."

With that, she carried Little Bao out of the courtyard.

The white shirt fluttered gently in the morning breeze, her back the picture of unbothered calm. Little Bao lay on her shoulder, waving her little hand at Lan Ran and Xie Li in confusion, all innocence—completely unaware of what kind of bomb she had just dropped.

The moment the courtyard gate closed, the air filled with murderous intent.

Xie Li slowly turned her head to look at Lan Ran.

Sensing danger, Lan Ran took a step back. Facing that murderous expression, her mouth pulled into a stiff smile. "Um... would you like to hear my explanation?"

"Explain it to my fists."

Xie Li cracked her knuckles and lunged, pinning Lan Ran beneath her. Headlock, tickling—a whole combo later, Lan Ran was laughing until tears streamed down, begging for mercy over and over.

"Jin Zhaoye told you not to talk nonsense in front of the kid!" Xie Li tickled her while grinding her teeth. "What kind of garbage are you teaching her?"

"I didn't—hahaha—I really didn't—"

Tickled half to death, Lan Ran raised both hands high, protesting her innocence. "She asked me why you two weren't up so late, so I said you fought hard last night and got up late. What's wrong with that?"

"And you still claim you weren't spouting nonsense!" Xie Li increased the pressure indignantly. "Couldn't you have said we were keeping night watch? Corrupting a child like this—what happens when Jin Zhaoye gets mad?"

Throat locked, laughing until her face and neck were red, Lan Ran wheezed between laughs, "I was wrong, I was wrong. Save your strength—weren't you tired enough last night?"

Xie Li snorted coldly and, in a great show of mercy, let her go.

Lan Ran took the chance to gulp air, tears of laughter still clinging to the corners of her eyes.

"The death penalty is waived, but punishment remains. You're cooking for the next three days."

Lan Ran clambered up from the ground and made a solemn bow. "This humble commoner pleads guilty."

Xie Li couldn't hold it in and broke into a grin.

The courtyard gate creaked open, and Jin Zhaoye, back from her walk, came in carrying Little Bao.

Watching Jin Zhaoye return with such perfect timing, Lan Ran suddenly caught on—the goddess had deliberately taken Little Bao out so Xie Li could deal with her.

She wiped away a tear of grievance and whined, "Goddess, you're back just in time. Eat the noodles, they'll go soggy if they sit any longer."

The four finished breakfast and packed their luggage.

Before long, Fang Mai arrived with her people, her dark face wearing an honest smile. "Once you're packed, we set off."

The group followed the path up to the national highway. The truck sat right where they'd left it by the roadside, tires intact, doors shut—nobody had pried it open.

Made sense. The truck was battered to begin with, and the engine had died. Even if someone had passed by in the night wanting to steal it, once they found it wouldn't start, they wouldn't have bothered further.

"I'll drive. You all can rest in the cab." Lan Ran volunteered for driving duty.

Xie Li tossed her the keys, carried Little Bao aboard, and squeezed into the passenger seat with Jin Zhaoye to rest.

Fang Mai led her band of old and weak teammates, packs on their backs, into the truck bed. Luckily Xie Li's group drove a truck—the bed was roomy enough that everyone could squeeze in.

The children and elderly were settled in the middle, with the young people spread around the edges like a fence of flesh, shielding the old and the small.

Lan Ran started the engine, and the battered truck rattled onto the road, speeding toward the Dapan Mountain Army Base.

The rest of the road went fairly smoothly. There weren't many abandoned vehicles on the asphalt; now and then one or two lay overturned in the roadside ditches, ignored by everyone.

With the bed full of people, Lan Ran drove steady and slow, not daring to speed, ambling along the whole way. Both Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye were rocked to sleep.

It wasn't until they neared Dapan City that the road grew congested again. Abandoned vehicles appeared everywhere, strewn every which way across the asphalt, leaving only a single narrow lane passable.

Between the cars wandered many zombies. Lan Ran's grip on the wheel tightened. Her gaze swept over the zombies, then flicked back to the people in the truck bed.

"Goddess, is there another route we can take?" Lan Ran asked Jin Zhaoye, who was dozing beside her.

Jin Zhaoye woke at the sound, opened the map, and glanced at it. "There is, but it's a long detour. We might not reach the base tonight."

Fang Mai slapped the side of the truck bed and called to the people in the cab, "Just drive on through. If zombies come close, we'll handle them."

Jin Zhaoye nodded. "Stick to the original route. There aren't many zombies, and we're not entering the city. The danger is manageable."

"Okay." Lan Ran answered and stepped on the gas. The truck wobbled forward.

The sound of the engine drew every zombie nearby toward them.

"I'm going out to help." Xie Li handed Little Bao to Jin Zhaoye, grabbed her blade, climbed out the window, and leaped onto the truck roof.

She steadied her balance and swung down one-handed—a zombie clinging to the door had both hands sheared off.

In the truck bed, Fang Mai and her people moved too. Several young people armed with steel pipes and long blades stood at the edges, stabbing down any zombie that tried to climb aboard.

The truck ground its way through the horde. Xie Li, guarding the front, was like a human meat grinder—wherever the wheels passed, severed limbs and shredded flesh scattered the ground.

It took over half an hour for the truck to pass steadily through the congested stretch. The road ahead opened up, speed picked up, and the zombies could no longer keep pace.

Xie Li flicked the blood and filth off her blade, sheathed it, and climbed back in through the window.

Skirting the city, the truck turned onto the main road to Dapan Mountain. The road became remarkably clear—smooth and wide, without a single abandoned vehicle in sight. Perhaps the military had cleared it in advance.

Blue sheet-metal signs lined both sides of the road, white paint marking directional arrows and kilometer counts.

The group followed the signs onward. At the foot of the mountain, Jin Zhaoye spoke up. "Stop at the base of the mountain for a bit. Let everyone get out, rest, and take care of business."

Lan Ran obediently hit the brakes and parked by the roadside, letting everyone off.

Fang Mai hopped down first, stretched her limbs, then led her people into the woods to find somewhere concealed to relieve themselves.

Many vehicles were parked at the mountain's base—at least a dozen at a glance. Groups clustered in twos and threes, mutually wary, keeping to their own cars, eating and resting, none paying the others any mind.

There were also many travelers on foot with packs on their backs. Some marched on in silence; others chose to rest at the foot, gathering strength for one push up the mountain.

Xie Li got out carrying Little Bao, stood by the roadside, and looked up at the mountain road that wound beyond sight.

The highway before her was like a gray-white giant python, coiling around the mountainside, now vanishing into the woods, now revealing treacherous bends, finally disappearing into the cloud-wreathed summit.

Jin Zhaoye stood beside Xie Li, blade always in hand, fingers resting on the hilt, ever on guard.

Xie Li asked, "From the signs, isn't it just a few dozen kilometers left?"

"Mm, but it's all winding mountain road. There won't be anywhere convenient to stop and rest."

Jin Zhaoye lowered her voice to explain. "Dapan Mountain's terrain is peculiar. To reach the base, you have to take the mountain road up, cross the summit, then descend the other side to get inside. Mountains on four sides, a basin in the middle—the base is built in that sunken hollow. So even though it's only a few dozen kilometers, the switchbacks alone take half a day."

Xie Li nodded and asked no more. They waited by the roadside a while; when Fang Mai's teammates returned from their business, everyone climbed back aboard, and the truck crept up the winding road.

The mountain road was indeed treacherous. Several times Lan Ran felt she was about to drive off the edge. She'd been a bit drowsy, but once they started climbing, she snapped wide awake.

After more than an hour of switchbacks, the truck crossed the summit and began descending the far side.

Looking down from the height, the full view of Dapan Mountain Base appeared before them for the first time.

Dapan Mountain as a whole resembled a half-curled palm. The flat, open palm was packed with rows upon rows of gray-green buildings, with an open ground at the very center—likely a training field.

Around it rose layer upon layer of defenses: barbed wire, sentry posts, high walls, ring within ring. Beyond those stretched an unbroken ridge line, like a natural city wall hiding the entire base airtight.

Everyone in the truck bed stood up, gripping the rails to look down, hot tears welling in their eyes. For ordinary folk, finding the nation's organization in a time of crisis brought the deepest sense of safety.

The descent was slower than the climb. After another hour or more, the truck finally rolled onto level ground and arrived safely before the base gates.

Up close, the towering scale of the gates was even more striking—gray concrete gate pillars five or six stories tall.

Above the pillars stretched barbed wire and searchlights; high walls flanked both sides, with armed soldiers patrolling atop them. Every few dozen meters stood a sentry post, dark machine-gun muzzles poking out.

The base gates stood open, but layer upon layer of barricades and checkpoints had been set up. Every vehicle and person entering had to pass strict inspection.

A long line stretched before the gates, and Xie Li's group was no exception. Lan Ran pulled the truck into the convoy, creeping forward bit by bit behind the vehicle ahead.

Watching the people queuing to enter, Xie Li made small talk. "What's life like inside the base?"

Jin Zhaoye thought about it. "My experience probably doesn't hold anymore. Bases used to be where soldiers trained—barracks to live in, mess-hall meals, strict discipline, regular schedules. Now, with this many survivors pouring in, the management is bound to change. New standards, new rules, I'd guess."

Xie Li grabbed her hand, uneasy. "Will we be separated?"

"The base might manage Alphas and Omegas separately. Don't worry—we'll probably need to quarantine at the gate for a while first. We won't be split up that quickly." Jin Zhaoye laced their fingers together, stroking the back of her hand soothingly.

Xie Li watched the convoy crawl forward and said nothing more. They hadn't been separated yet, but she seemed to already have a touch of separation anxiety.

There was a persistent fluster in her chest. Strange—the base looked like such a safe place, yet it didn't make her feel as secure as wandering outside had.

Perhaps because everything here felt foreign and repelling to her—and because once Jin Zhaoye returned here, she would no longer be the Jin Zhaoye who belonged to her alone.

Time flowed quickly through Xie Li's anxiety. The line kept shortening, and the sky beyond the window darkened by degrees. As dusk settled, the searchlights at the base gate swept over.

Several soldiers in protective suits came over carrying rifles, muffled voices coming through their masks. "Park your vehicle to the side. Everyone out for inspection."

Lan Ran parked in the designated area and turned off the engine, and the whole group got out.

Two spray nozzles extended over the checkpoint, and white mist poured down on everyone, drenching them all through.

The mist reeked of concentrated disinfectant, pungent and harsh, setting the children coughing nonstop.

Xie Li pressed Little Bao against her chest, shielding her firmly, while her own eyes stung red from the fumes.

"Alphas over here. Omegas and Betas to the other lane. Children follow their adults."

The rifle-carrying soldier waved them on. From the checkpoint onward, the group would be split.

Xie Li looked at Jin Zhaoye and reluctantly loosened her grip on their clasped hands.

Sensing her tension, Jin Zhaoye soothed her. "It's fine. Once quarantine is over, I'll come find you."

Before her words had fully fallen, a cry of surprise came from inside the inspection lane. "Young Miss!"

A middle-aged woman in her forties emerged from within. She wore plain dark clothing, her hair pinned up immaculately, her face fair and clean—a world apart from the refugee-like survivors outside.

The woman crossed the inspection lane and hurried all the way to Jin Zhaoye, seizing her hands and looking her up and down. "Young Miss, you're finally back."

Jin Zhaoye looked at her with some surprise. "Wang Ma, what are you doing here?"

"The Madam told me to wait here. She said you'd return within a day or two—and just as she said, here you are." Wang Ma pulled Jin Zhaoye's hand, meaning to lead her into the base.

The soldiers at the gate recognized Jin Zhaoye's identity and snapped to attention in salute.

The lead sergeant stepped forward, tone respectful. "Dr. Jin, the Major General has instructed—once you return, you may enter the base directly and quarantine at home."

Jin Zhaoye turned back to look at Xie Li, held several meters away by the soldiers.

Xie Li stood in the Alpha line holding Little Bao, her hair soaked with disinfectant and plastered wetly to her forehead—bedraggled yet defiant.

Their gazes met, and Xie Li's eyes looked a little aggrieved.

Jin Zhaoye asked the sergeant, "Can my friends enter the base directly and quarantine at home as well?"

The sergeant looked troubled. "My apologies, Dr. Jin. We don't have that authority. All survivors must quarantine in the isolation zone for forty-eight hours. It's for the safety of the base. Please understand."

Jin Zhaoye didn't press her. The base's rules existed precisely to constrain ordinary people—and as someone who had enjoyed privilege since childhood, she understood that better than anyone.

She turned, walked back to Xie Li, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Stay here. Once quarantine ends, I'll come find you. All right?"

"All right. Don't worry—I'm with Lan Ran and the others," Xie Li answered just as softly.

Hesitation flickered in Jin Zhaoye's eyes. Reason told her she should hurry home to report her safety, yet her feet seemed rooted, unable to take a single step.

"Young Miss, let's go home quickly," Wang Ma urged, stepping up beside her. "The Madam and Director Jin will be so happy to see you back."

Jin Zhaoye fixed her eyes on Xie Li and said without turning her head, "Wang Ma, you go back first. I'll stay here with my friends and enter the base once their quarantine is done."

Wang Ma wanted to press further, but seeing her young miss's resolute gaze, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.

After so many years serving the Jin family, she knew this young miss's temper all too well. The young miss took not after the Madam but after Director Jin—the same iron will at the core. Once she made a decision, no persuasion could move her.

"No need. Jin Zhaoye, go home," Xie Li refused gently. "You've been away so long—go home and let them know you're safe. Your mother and them must be dying to see you. We're already inside the base; what could possibly happen?"

"You really don't need me to stay?" Jin Zhaoye confirmed, her gaze on Xie Li's face as if checking whether she meant what she said.

Xie Li shook her head, baring her little white teeth in a grin. "Really, no need. I'm not some clingy three-year-old. I can manage."

"All right. Then I'll head back first and bring you food later."

"Mm, go on." Xie Li waved at her.

Jin Zhaoye turned and walked into the base. Wang Ma followed half a step behind at her side.

She cast several discreet glances at Xie Li.

This young person could actually sway the young miss's decisions so easily. She silently committed that face to memory.

Jin Zhaoye looked straight ahead, as if she hadn't noticed Wang Ma's little movements.

Only after the two had entered the base did she suddenly speak. "There's no need to mention her. I'll speak of it myself."

Wang Ma froze for a beat, then caught on and nodded hastily. "Yes, Young Miss."

She hurried a few steps to the military jeep parked at the base entrance, pulled the door open, and stepped aside to wait for Jin Zhaoye to board.

Jin Zhaoye bent into the vehicle, and through the window took one last look in the direction where Xie Li and the others had vanished.

Xie Li was no longer visible at the gate. They had followed the protective-suited soldiers into a long, narrow passage, solid concrete walls on both sides, an emergency light embedded every few steps.

Beyond the passage lay the isolation zone.

The isolation zone sat at the base's outermost edge, built right against the mountainside. At the mountain's foot stretched a connected expanse of gray-white prefab cabins, each one small—ten or so square meters by the look of it.

Narrow lanes ran between the cabins, and protective-suited soldiers hurried through them.

Xie Li's group was led to the largest cabin. The soldier stopped, faced the bedraggled survivors with her rifle, and spoke.

"Line up here and take turns going in to shower. Don't put your dirty clothes back on afterward—staff inside will give you clean ones. If you want to keep personal belongings, have them sealed in bags for you. Don't sneak anything into your pockets. Everything gets inspected and disinfected before entering the base. Understood?"

"Got it, big sister!" Little Bao answered at the top of her lungs.

The soldier nodded, her tone softening a few degrees. "Mm. Good kid."

The line moved fast, a batch every few minutes, and soon it was Xie Li's group's turn.

Carrying Little Bao, Xie Li went in together with Lan Ran, Fang Mai, and the others.

The protective-suited staff watched the crowd file in and briskly handed each person a set of clothes. "Head further in, find an empty stall, and shower. Be quick."

Xie Li took the clothes into her arms and walked deeper in.

The shower stalls had no doors—just a simple showerhead jutting from the wall, with a low partition between each stall. Standing inside, you could see the shoulders and heads of the people next door. No privacy whatsoever.

Lan Ran reached toward Xie Li. "Give me Little Bao. I'll wash her."

Xie Li handed the child over, stepped into a stall, stripped, and turned the tap.

Freezing water gushed out, and the shock of it on her skin made her shiver, goosebumps rising all over.

She'd had no shortage of cold showers lately, but the base's cold water seemed somehow colder.

After a quick rinse, Xie Li shut off the tap, shook the water droplets off, and changed into the clothes the staff had given her—black shorts ending above the knee, and a loose navy T-shirt with a round collar a bit too wide, exposing a small patch of skin below her collarbone.

The freshly washed crowd, all in identical clothes and identical plastic slippers, clapped their way outside.

Staff guarded this end of the showers as well—a long table, several protective-suited workers, a stack of forms on the table, and a computer.

One worker beckoned to them. "Come fill out forms and register your information."

Everyone queued up and filled out forms one by one.

Xie Li took one and looked it over. It resembled a job application—a single A4 sheet, headed "Dapan Mountain Base Survivor Registration Form."

The fields were nothing more than name, age, occupation, special skills, gender, history of illness, history of infection, and the like.

Pen in hand, Xie Li filled them in one by one.

Lan Ran leaned over beside her, nudging her shoulder. "Gift, what do we put for special skills? And Little Bao—what do we write for her?"

"Write whatever you can do," Xie Li said carelessly. "Singing, dancing, whatever. For Little Bao... put 'can eat a lot'?"

"Then I'll put piano," Lan Ran muttered.

Fang Mai stood behind them and, looking at the skills column, wrote very earnestly: auto repair, welding, carpentry.

They finished and handed in the forms. The staff had them stand before a camera for photos, then casually flipped through their forms—until her gaze stopped on the skills column.

Her brow furrowed slightly. She looked up at Xie Li and Lan Ran, her eyes sweeping back and forth between their faces.

"Your special skill is dancing?" She looked at Xie Li, her tone somewhat incredulous. "And you—yours is piano?"

Xie Li and Lan Ran nodded in unison.

"Don't you two have any more practical skills?" The worker sounded helpless. "Don't write nonsense on these. Dancing, piano—what, are you planning to put on a variety show in the base?"

Xie Li asked quietly, "Does killing zombies count as a skill?"

"Me too," Lan Ran chimed in.

The worker looked at the two college kids in resignation, took up her pen, and added a note in the skills column: combat experience.

"Done." She set down the pen and jerked her chin toward the storage baskets beside the table. "Put your luggage there. Come collect it after your quarantine ends."

Xie Li and Lan Ran unslung their long blades and packs and placed them in the baskets.

The worker bent down, stuck labels on the baskets, wrote their names and numbers, and set them aside for high-temperature disinfection.

Luggage stored, the worker looked up to find the two still rooted in place, gazing longingly at their weapons.

She waved them off. "All right, stop lingering. Nobody's going to lose your weapons—no one in the base wants your stuff. Follow the line forward; there's another inspection ahead."

Xie Li silently followed the line through a heavy iron door. Behind it stretched a long, narrow corridor, the air thick with the smell of disinfectant.

The examination room was much larger than the showers, and much emptier. Pale, bright lights left nothing in the space anywhere to hide.

Inside there were not only medical staff conducting the examinations but also fully armed soldiers. The soldiers stood along the walls, dark gun muzzles trained on the door.

Every survivor who stepped into the examination room stood under the gaze of those muzzles—blood drawn, clothes stripped off, bodies turned over by the medics' hands, like lambs awaiting slaughter.

Standing at the back of the line, Xie Li watched a female Alpha about her own age take off her clothes and stand naked beneath the lights, arms hanging at her sides, head bowed, while a flashlight beam roamed over her body.

The beam slid from the girl's chest down to her belly and thighs, like an invisible knife, slicing her human dignity open for inspection.

The female Alpha kept her lips bitten tight the whole time, bitten white.

Xie Li looked away, yet found nowhere to rest her eyes. Everything around was white—white lights, white walls, white protective suits. The only other color was the black of the gun muzzles.

That color was the symbol of power. From the moment you stepped into the base: disinfected, showered, changed into uniform clothes, then stripped bare without dignity for examination.

In this way, the base told every person standing here: once you enter the base, you no longer possess an independent self. Whatever your identity before the apocalypse, your name and your past no longer matter.

Only one thing mattered—obey. Obey the inspections, obey the rules, obey the base's management.

Xie Li thought of the orphanage of her childhood.

It had been like this back then too. The aunties would gather the children and take them into a room one by one, strip them, and check for skin diseases, for parasites.

Xie Li remembered the feeling of bare feet on ice-cold tile. What she couldn't resist as a child, it seemed she couldn't resist as a grown-up either.

Sure enough—no matter when, she hated this kind of life that demanded she blend into a collective.

But she had come anyway. Because Jin Zhaoye was here.