Feng Qian stood before the heavy door, which resembled a bank vault, and took one last look outside.
The once familiar city skyline was blurring and melting away, like a snowdrift under the scorching sun, its edges silently collapsing, replaced by a deep, pure darkness that seemed to devour the soul. It wasn't the darkness of night; it was absolute "nothingness." A chilling coldness shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, freezing his blood.
"Feng Qian." A deep but undeniable voice sounded from behind.
Feng Qian shuddered suddenly, turning around as if waking from a dream. Cheng Linzhou, the director of the Investigation Bureau, was standing just a few steps away from him.
The bureau chief, dressed in a crisp, dark gray uniform, had his epaulets gleaming coldly in the harsh light of the emergency lights. His refined yet hypocritical face revealed little expression, except for his eyes, sharp as scalpels, which were now fixed intently on Feng Qian. There was no relief at surviving, no concern for his subordinate, only a cold, almost ruthless assessment and...scrutiny.
Feng Qian subconsciously swallowed. This was the first time he had seen Cheng Linzhou like this. This bureau chief usually displayed an overt greed, a strong desire for control, and acted like a complete idiot. But thinking about it carefully, how many people who could sit in this position were truly stupid?
"Director Cheng?" Feng Qian's voice was dry and hoarse.
Cheng Linzhou didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on Feng Qian's face for a few seconds, as if confirming something, or perhaps making a final decision. Then, he slightly turned his body, nodding his chin towards the massive door gleaming with cold metallic light, his movement concise and powerful. "Time is short. Come in with me."
Feng Qian naturally knew what "not much time left" meant. The apocalypse had completely destroyed this world, and the Investigation Bureau sent people to explore the dark red wasteland on the other side of the hole, trying to find a new living space. Unfortunately, all the explorers who entered the hole never returned.
The experimental project has failed.
The Supernatural apocalypse is progressing too quickly, giving humanity no chance to catch its breath. The world is doomed, and those who can afford it are choosing to hide in safe houses.
Feng Qian had a survival spot in Cheng Linzhou's safe house. His survival instinct made him unable to think any further, and he stepped through the heavy alloy door that was slowly closing.
A dull, resounding crash, like a boulder falling to the ground, abruptly closed in behind, completely isolating the vanishing world outside.
Inside the door lies another world.
The soft, bright light didn't come from light bulbs, but rather seemed to emanate from the intricately patterned alloy walls themselves. The air was fresh, carrying a faint scent of ozone and the cleanliness characteristic of a sophisticated air circulation system.
Beneath your feet is a gleaming metal floor that reflects your image, leading into a wide passageway wide enough for two cars to drive side by side. On either side of the passageway are rows of tightly closed, equally heavy and sturdy alloy doors, each marked with a cold number and function label: Central Control Room, Ecological Circulation Zone, Medical Center, Core Living Area A, B, C... Cold, efficient, and orderly, like a giant interstellar ark sailing in the void.
Led along, Feng Qian wandered aimlessly through this metallic forest, like a dwarf who had stumbled into a giant's palace. Occasionally, people in uniforms or civilian clothes would hurry by, their faces showing lingering fear, but more so a sense of relief at surviving a disaster and a feeling of security at finding solid support.
The appearance of Cheng Linzhou and Feng Qian attracted the attention of many people, whose eyes held a deep sense of awe, dependence, and even a hint of fanaticism.
Finally, Cheng Linzhou and Feng Qian stopped before a door that appeared heavier than the others, adorned with intricate golden patterns. This was the core living area, A. The door slid silently open, revealing a brightly lit and luxurious interior. Soft, top-quality carpets, genuine leather sofas, and a massive curved screen occupying an entire wall, displaying surveillance footage of key areas inside and outside the safe house—outside lay a chilling void that constantly eroded the world; inside, busy figures moved with tense efficiency. The air was filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee and the enticing scent of food.
A beautiful lady dressed in exquisite silk loungewear hurried forward to greet him; she was Liu Man, Cheng Linzhou's new wife.
Feng Qian knew that Cheng Linzhou's previous wife had died in a Supernatural event, but he didn't expect that Cheng would find a new one so quickly and keep it so well hidden that almost no one from the Investigation Bureau knew about it.
At this moment, Liu Man's face was still wet with tears, and she forced a smile, "Lin Zhou! You're finally back! Just now... just now outside..."
Cheng Linzhou gently patted his wife's back, but his gaze passed over her and landed on a sprightly, white-haired old man in the living room. That was his father, Cheng Yuanshan, who had once been a government official but had long since retired.
The old man sat in a large armchair, holding an antique-looking, dark-colored teapot in his hands. His face held a calmness born of experience, but deep in his eyes, there was a barely perceptible tension. Cheng Linzhou nodded slightly to his father as a greeting.
"It's alright, everyone's safe now." Cheng Linzhou's voice was calm and reassuring.
After he finished speaking, his gaze finally fell back on Feng Qian, who was standing at the door.
"Let me introduce you," Cheng Linzhou's voice echoed clearly in the spacious living room, "Feng Qian, the most responsible comrade in our bureau, and also my best brother. From today onwards, he will also be living here."
He didn't explain why, nor did he need to. Many people had heard of Feng Qian's good fortune, but few had actually witnessed it themselves.
Liu Man and Cheng Yuanshan's gazes instantly focused on Feng Qian. A perfectly timed hint of surprise and inquiry flashed in Liu Man's eyes, which quickly transformed into a warm, welcoming smile, "Mr. Feng? Welcome, welcome, please come in."
Cheng Yuanshan merely raised his eyelids, his worldly-wise eyes lingering on Feng Qian for a moment, his gaze deep and unreadable, before lowering his head again to focus on taking a sip of tea from the pot, as if that were the most important thing at that moment.
Although Feng Qian already knew that Cheng Linzhou had secretly built a safe house, he had never been there in person before, let alone knew that Cheng Linzhou had gone to such lengths. It was inevitable that he would be shocked when he first came to such a luxurious residence made entirely of gold.
However, Feng Qian had already shaken off his nervousness. With his Koi Constitution, he had nothing to fear and spoke with a confident and poised manner, "Hello, Madam Cheng, hello, sir. I apologize for bothering you."
Cheng Linzhou nodded and personally led Feng Qian to a spacious and fully equipped private room. The door closed gently behind him, cutting off the cryptic gazes from the living room.
Leaning against the cold metal door, Feng Qian let out a long, silent sigh. "Cheng Linzhou... is now the master here..."
Life in the safe house unfolds in a highly tense yet orderly atmosphere. The central control room is the heart of the entire fortress. On the huge screen, the "elimination" from the outside world is like a silent tide, continuously and steadily swallowing up the remaining area markers on the map. Every time a point of light on the screen map dims and goes out, it means that another piece of land, another possible survivor stronghold, has completely disappeared into nothingness.
The oppressive atmosphere, like a heavy lead weight, pressed down on everyone's hearts. Even those living in the safe house, who were mentally prepared, often showed barely concealed anxiety and confusion on their faces. Food reserves, energy core status, air circulation index, mental stability monitoring... any slight fluctuation would trigger a suppressed whisper and intense attention in the control room.
It was in this suffocating atmosphere that Feng Qian's mysterious and elusive Koi Constitution began to manifest itself in a subtle yet incredibly clear way.
The first incident occurred during an emergency meeting regarding redundant pumps in the core energy cooling system. A critical unit in the standby pump group suddenly reported a critical fault, with an abnormal drop in coolant pressure. The engineering and technical supervisor's voice trembled slightly. "Director Cheng, if we cannot successfully repair or switch it off within half an hour, the core temperature will exceed the safety threshold, and the consequences..." No one dared to utter the consequences. The control room fell into a deathly silence; the air seemed to freeze.
Just then, Feng Qian unconsciously moved his chair, and the chair leg creaked loudly in the absolute silence. A technician next to him was startled by the sound and accidentally knocked over a thermos cup that was placed on the edge of the control panel. The half-full cup of water spilled precisely into a corner of the fault alarm control panel.
"Damn it!" The technician's face turned pale, and he frantically began to wipe it clean.
"Wait!" The engineering manager suddenly rushed to the control panel, staring intently at a newly refreshed data stream. "Pressure... pressure is rising? The anomaly signal disappeared? The backup pump... it switched over by itself! Status normal!"
The tense atmosphere instantly ignited, and suppressed cheers and incredulous discussions erupted. The technician looked at his hand that had caused the mess, then at the data that had returned to normal, and was completely bewildered.
Feng Qian sat calmly in the chair, while Feng Qian Cheng Linzhou's surprised gaze lingered on him for a few seconds.
The second time, the natural light system in the ecological cycle area of the safe house malfunctioned, causing several specially cultivated precious medicinal plants to wither, one of which was crucial for maintaining the bodily functions of Cheng Linzhou's father Cheng Yuanshan.
The botanist was sweating profusely, having tried all known remedies to no avail; despair enveloped the small nursery.
Feng Qian happened to be passing by at that moment. He walked through the busy crowd and tripped over an exposed irrigation pipe. He fell forward, and the folder he was holding flew out of his hand and into a recycling bin full of waste culture media next to him like a dart, splashing various culture media mixtures all over him.
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Feng Qian scrambled to his feet, frantically wiping himself.
The botanist, however, seemed frozen in place, his eyes wide as he stared intently at the few dying herbs. The plants, which had been drooping and their leaves curled and yellowed, visibly began to unfurl their leaves at a rapid pace after coming into contact with the splashed mixed waste culture medium. The yellowing edges miraculously faded, revealing a faint hint of green again!
"This... how is this possible?" The expert rushed to the plant, his fingers trembling as he touched the leaves. "Activeness... is the activity being restored? That discarded culture medium contained some unknown... growth-promoting factor?" He turned sharply to look at Feng Qian, who was disheveled and still apologizing, a look of understanding and fervor flashing in his eyes.
Similar incidents occurred more and more frequently, to the point that even Feng Qian himself found it strange. The "luck" that used to only come into play in life-or-death situations was now being given away for free, influencing everything around him without restraint.
During a routine inventory check at the A-zone warehouse, the inventory clerk was dismayed to discover a huge discrepancy between the inventory record and the actual count of a high-energy compressed food product—a full third of the quantity was missing.
This was enough to cause panic. Just as the inventory clerk turned pale and was about to report, Feng Qian pushed a small cart by, and the wheel got stuck in a tiny, almost invisible gap in the warehouse floor.
He gave it a hard push, and the cart lurched violently. A heavy box labeled "scrap parts" fell to the ground, its lid slamming open—inside were neatly stacked, perfectly packaged boxes of the "missing" high-energy compressed food! The quantity matched the shortage perfectly! The warehouse manager looked at the unexpected "treasure" and then at Feng Qian, so excited he almost gave him a hug on the spot.
Even more astonishing was the equipment maintenance. During a critical inspection of the active defense array on the outer layer of the secure house, a priceless and intricately structured scanning probe array suddenly jammed its core calibration module when it was being returned to storage, refusing to reset. The engineers tried all sorts of conventional and unconventional methods, even risking damage by forcibly disassembling it, but the core module, smaller than a fingernail, remained completely still, as if it had been welded shut.
The entire array was at risk of becoming unusable, which meant that the security room's monitoring accuracy at the "elimination" edge of the outside would be greatly reduced. Just when all the engineers were at a loss and ready to give up, Feng Qian passed by the maintenance station and curiously peeked at the probe that had been dismantled into pieces.
He instinctively reached out a finger, wanting to touch the stubborn module. The young engineer in charge of recording instinctively reached out to stop him from touching the precision instrument, but the movement was too forceful, and his elbow knocked over a small beaker full of cleaning solvent on the repair table. The pale blue solvent was precisely poured onto the stuck module.
"Oh no!" The engineer's face changed drastically; this solvent was corrosive to precision electronic components!
However, the anticipated short circuit or damage did not occur. The moment the solvent seeped into the module's gaps, there was a very slight "click," and the stubborn core module miraculously popped out automatically and returned to its normal position! The engineers looked around the "resurrected" module, exchanging bewildered glances, and finally all their eyes turned to Feng Qian, who looked completely innocent and whose finger was still hanging in mid-air.