Whenever a battle ended, the NAT base held a celebration. Humans were far more optimistic than one might imagine; every time they survived, they sincerely thanked heaven for granting them another miracle.
Qin Miaomiao found it strange. Back when people could live in peace, all he heard were complaints and grievances. Only when death loomed did they realize that simply being alive was a gift.
Their return counted as a triumph this time, too. Everyone waited at the base gates, lining the road to welcome them amid a sea of cheers.
Li Weisen stood on the patrol vehicle, looking every inch the hero-and every inch a preening peacock. He accepted everyone's praise and gratitude without a trace of embarrassment, as though he were touring the crowds and shaking hands after an election.
Lei Ouyan got out before they reached the gates. He had never liked occasions like this and intended to use another entrance.
Qin Miaomiao lay on the weapon strapped to Lei Ouyan's back, his hands behind his head and his legs crossed, a carrot dangling from his mouth. The sun warmed him all over.
Still, it was hardly surprising. Lei Ouyan was so unpopular that people would probably throw eggs at him if he walked down that welcoming path.
A sudden jolt nearly sent Qin Miaomiao sliding off. He looked back to find Lei Ouyan giving him a sidelong glance, as though he could hear every slanderous thought in his head.
Qin Miaomiao hurried to ingratiate himself, tilting his head to nuzzle him. Lei Ouyan pushed him away expressionlessly, his face saying one thing: Don't even try.
Tch! What's there to be so smug about? Qin Miaomiao folded his arms and haughtily turned away.
Only then did he notice a little boy standing nearby, perhaps five or six years old, staring at him in bewilderment. The stare made Qin Miaomiao uncomfortable. He knew he was cute, but was that really any reason to stare so hard?
The child asked, "Mister, is that a mutant?"
"..."
"No." Lei Ouyan lifted the rabbit off his back and stuffed him into his pocket. His voice was cold. "But he's no good, either. If you see him again, remember to hide first."
It was one thing for the child not to recognize a rabbit, but what did he mean, no good? Qin Miaomiao stamped his feet inside the pocket. Lei Ouyan held him down and said, "Most animals here are mutants. He's too young to tell the difference."
That meant he should keep as far away as possible from anything that might have mutated.
Qin Miaomiao understood at once. If Lei Ouyan told the child he was an ordinary rabbit, the boy might feel drawn to other animals he encountered, unable to distinguish them, and get hurt.
But mutants looked pretty different from him, didn't they? Fine, Qin Miaomiao thought. I'm a generous little rabbit. I'll let this slide.
Then, all of a sudden, he felt sad. Why didn't the child recognize a rabbit? Why did he only know what mutants were?
He turned to look. There seemed to be a school over there, with cheers and laughter drifting out. The children were carefree, probably still unaware of what an apocalypse meant. They had only seen half a sun and a city hemmed in by defenses, yet all those missing pieces still formed their paradise.
The man and rabbit returned to the base. Instead of the main entrance, they passed through an arched tunnel, where deep blue ion beams scanned them from head to toe like a banknote detector.
The equipment showed no response. Lei Ouyan glanced at the rabbit and pressed his lips together without speaking. Qin Miaomiao was puzzled before realizing this must be a security checkpoint that performed a preliminary scan for signs of mutation. Yet he had passed safely?
He glanced back, finding it strange himself. Had he not mutated back then, but unlocked his true strength instead? Or was it because of that little ball? But so many days had passed; surely he had digested it by now. Qin Miaomiao rubbed his belly, so absorbed in thought that he never noticed someone stopping Lei Ouyan along the way or what they said to him.
Lei Ouyan was injured all over, his clothes still stained with blood. Without finding time to deal with it, he went straight to Remiya.
One look at him, and Remiya immediately summoned Shi Jinse.
When Shi Jinse arrived, he stood politely in the doorway and greeted him. "Captain of Squad One." Then he waved to the rabbit behind him. "Little rabbit."
He neglected none of the proper courtesies. Qin Miaomiao raised his ears in greeting, too, as though they were old friends.
Lei Ouyan glanced sideways at the rabbit. "You're pretty popular."
Qin Miaomiao planted his hands on his hips. Of course. I'm the one and only adorable, noble rabbit in the whole world. Everyone loves me except you.
Qin Miaomiao jumped off his back and hopped over to Shi Jinse. Remembering that he had yet to thank him, he circled his feet.
Shi Jinse crouched to play with him for a while, then looked at Lei Ouyan. "Captain, let me check your injuries."
"They're nothing." Lei Ouyan had already given his hand a rough bandaging, and there were no significant injuries elsewhere. "Check the rabbit."
What's there to check? I'm perfectly healthy, aren't I? Only when Remiya and Shi Jinse both turned to look at him did Qin Miaomiao realize what Lei Ouyan meant.
He knew this was standard procedure, but he still thought Lei Ouyan was heartless. How could he sell him out? Couldn't they just pretend that inexplicable mutation had never happened?
But even if Lei Ouyan said nothing, battlefield footage was transmitted to command in real time. Everyone present there had seen the rabbit mutate.
The news had spread quickly, too. Now the whole NAT base knew Lei Ouyan had a mutant with him. Besides Lei Ouyan himself, they had another target to condemn: the rabbit.
If they actually saw the rabbit in person... That was also why Lei Ouyan had avoided the main entrance. Not for his own sake, but to keep the rabbit from being frightened and harassed. A rabbit did not need to endure what he could bear.
"I'll go clean up first." Lei Ouyan turned to leave, then paused at the door and looked back at the rabbit.
Remiya immediately saw what was worrying Lei Ouyan.
She followed him out and reassured him. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of the rabbit."
"Thank you."
"Are your injuries really all right?"
Lei Ouyan glanced at his palm. "They're manageable."
"When you get back..." Remiya lowered her head. "There's something I want to tell you when you get back."
Lei Ouyan was silent for two seconds. "Is it about Damon?"
Remiya looked startled, then smiled. Of course. What else could it be, other than her relationship with Damon?
Their engagement from ten years ago was finally going to be honored.
Damon had no feelings for her; he was even more distant with her than with a colleague. But that was how this era worked. A man and woman did not need feelings for each other. If genetic testing determined they were suitable for producing offspring, they had to be together, to create a better next generation.
No one could decide for themselves.
Remiya had always taken such things lightly. Even though she had once had feelings for Damon long ago, the fact that he was finally coming to fulfill their engagement stirred nothing in her.
She knew she was merely one part of his plan. He never did anything outside his plans.
Lei Ouyan's gaze darkened. "I'll be back soon."
Shi Jinse was like the winter sun: warm and dazzling to look at, yet without the slightest heat. Even standing in its light, one still felt a bone-deep, heart-piercing chill.
Looking at Shi Jinse in his white lab coat, Qin Miaomiao unconsciously backed away. Even if they seemed unlikely to do anything to him now, what if the tests really showed he was a mutant? Would they kill him without hesitation?
After his experience with Lei Ouyan, he had long since understood how tenuous his ties to this world were.
Shi Jinse approached and crouched in front of him. He started to reach out, but seeing the little rabbit's resistance, he rested his hands on his knees instead and coaxed him gently. "Don't be afraid. It's just an ordinary examination. It won't take long, and it won't hurt."
Feeling strangely guilty, Qin Miaomiao darted under the table and refused to come out.
Shi Jinse was quite patient, offering tea and water and even presenting some excellent carrots. Qin Miaomiao was actually a little hungry, but a rabbit had to have principles and refuse to sell his dignity for a meal.
He decided that an occasional glance at them would be enough to fill him up. Qin Miaomiao stubbornly turned away, still refusing to cooperate.
Shi Jinse coaxed him for quite a while without success, but did not get angry. Looking down, he fiddled with the carrots in the basket and murmured to himself, "If the gentle approach doesn't work, I suppose I'll have to use force?"
What does that mean? Qin Miaomiao instinctively tensed.
At some point, a remote control had appeared in Shi Jinse's hand. As he spoke, he gently pressed a button. With several loud clangs, iron bars dropped around Qin Miaomiao. Had the table just turned into a cage? That was not all. The floor suddenly began rising, and glass made from a special material gradually filled the gaps between the bars, forming a sealed chamber that stood in the middle of the room like a test tube. His feet felt wet. Water was flowing in.
Had he prepared this all along? Qin Miaomiao stared at Shi Jinse in shock. This person was terrifying. He always looked so harmless, yet when it came time to strike, he was faster than anyone.
Qin Miaomiao frantically slapped the glass, but the water flowed faster and faster, soon reaching his belly, his neck, his nose, and his eyes.
"Sorry."
Floating in the water, Qin Miaomiao felt like one of the specimens preserved in formalin he had seen in chemistry class. Before long, he lost consciousness.
Shi Jinse put on medical gloves. Sunlight fell across his face, making part of the boy's outline look as though it had been erased, leaving only an almost transparent curve. He walked to the tube and placed a hand against the glass. Like a magnet, the rabbit was slowly drawn toward him.
Shi Jinse looked surprised and turned around. Remiya stood in the doorway, watching the rabbit with a complicated expression. Shi Jinse's eyes were full of confusion, too, as he softly called, "Mia..."
Remiya approached and activated the testing program. Data appeared on the screen little by little. Shi Jinse assisted her and asked, "If the rabbit really is a mutant, will they kill him?"
"Whatever the results are, they won't let this rabbit stay."
"Why?"
"Because everyone believes their own eyes and the base regulations. Mutants are supposed to be disposed of."
"But the rabbit hasn't done anything bad..." Shi Jinse muttered. "There are mutants everywhere outside. Now that an ordinary rabbit has finally appeared, doesn't that prove the earth is getting better?"
Remiya smiled and ruffled Shi Jinse's hair, then looked at the rabbit floating in the pale blue liquid. "Yes. Everything is getting better."
About three hours later, evening had arrived, and the sky was gradually turning a dusky yellow. The laboratory equipment beeped in steady rhythms.
Qin Miaomiao woke groggily to find himself floating on the surface of the water in a glass tank. Startled, he nearly sank. After a few frantic strokes, he climbed out and sat on the nearby laboratory bench, panting.
Shi Jinse came in, and their eyes unexpectedly met. Qin Miaomiao sat bolt upright like a gravely ill patient jolted from bed, watching him warily.
Shi Jinse held freshly picked carrots, seemingly here to apologize. With every step he took forward, the rabbit retreated, until there was nowhere left to go.
Shi Jinse smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'll treat you to carrots. Would you consider forgiving me?"
Qin Miaomiao did not believe him at all. Pressed against the wall, he watched Shi Jinse reach out, unsure what he intended. His ears snapped upright. Suddenly, he leaped up and bit Shi Jinse's hand. Qin Miaomiao froze, and so did Shi Jinse.
Qin Miaomiao let go. A tooth mark marred the boy's delicate, pale skin, and blood immediately seeped out.
Had he bitten someone? Perhaps too much had happened lately. Qin Miaomiao's thoughts were a tangled mess, as though biting someone proved he really was a monster. He could not face Shi Jinse, much less himself.
Qin Miaomiao did not even dare look at Shi Jinse's reaction. He dodged around him and ran outside.
"Wait!" Shi Jinse stood and tried to chase him, but a wave of dizziness struck. Looking in the direction the rabbit had vanished, he softly murmured one word: "Danger."
Then he passed out.
A group had gathered in Damon's office. Remiya stood at the edge of the room. She placed the newly completed test report on Damon's desk and stepped back before speaking. "These are the reports from us and the medical team. Neither detected any mutant response."
Everyone present was surprised. They had all seen the rabbit's transformation, yet now the reports said he was normal. How could that be explained?
Damon leafed through the reports without speaking. He leaned back and tiredly rubbed the corners of his eyes.
"But..." One of the researchers from Experimental Team Three hesitated. He gave Remiya a cautious glance, apparently too wary of her to state the truth. Remiya remained composed, as though none of this had anything to do with her.
Damon raised his eyes. "Go on."
"We collected debris from the scene, including a sample resembling rabbit fur, and brought it back for testing." As he spoke, he handed over another report. "Sir, it showed mutant fluctuations."
Remiya's gaze shifted almost imperceptibly. After a moment of silence, Damon said, "What do you think, Remiya?"
Her expression unchanged, Remiya did not answer Damon's question. Instead, she asked the researcher, "Where is the sample?"
"In our third laboratory."
"Are you certain it's the rabbit's?"
"We compared it against the sample taken by Shi Jinse from the medical team. Yes." He deliberately emphasized Shi Jinse's name. Everyone knew Shi Jinse worked under her. The researcher continued, "So we believe this rabbit is still fundamentally a mutant. Even if everything appears normal now, perhaps something is temporarily shielding his mutant nature. Like..."
He considered for a moment before finding the word. "Like a suppressant. It only suppresses the mutant's nature temporarily. Once it wears off, the consequences could be unimaginable."
The office fell silent, save for the rhythmic tapping of Damon's fingers on his desk.
"A suppressant," he repeated, then turned to Remiya. "What do you say?"
"I want to test the sample again."
"Very well." Damon agreed readily, then added, "Until then, hand the rabbit over to the inspection team."
Remiya looked at him in surprise. Placing the rabbit with the inspection team was no different from putting him in the Variant Prison. Before the final results even came out, they might use their own methods to turn him into the result they wanted. Besides, she had promised Lei Ouyan she would protect the rabbit until he returned.
"I disagree."
"Remiya." Damon looked at her with an indifferent gaze. "I've already made plenty of concessions to you. Don't do anything unnecessary."
Leaving Damon's office, Remiya went straight down to the eighth basement level.
Besides the Variant Prison, this floor housed another facility: the isolation ward. Everyone returning from combat had to remain here for three full days. Only after confirming they showed no signs of mutant infection could they return to the base.
Lei Ouyan was here.
Lei Ouyan lay inside a capsule-shaped chamber, wearing only a pale striped shirt, with black suspenders hanging loosely from his shoulders. His face was deathly pale, and monitoring leads covered his body. Blood marked his temple, and bandages wrapped his right hand. Perhaps because it had not been properly treated, blood was seeping through.
"Ouyan..." She rushed inside and was about to open the isolation chamber to wake him when a dark figure suddenly appeared behind her. She turned. It was one of Damon's people.
"Miss Remiya, I'm sorry."
Then Remiya lost consciousness.
The base building had a complicated layout. Qin Miaomiao had been so focused on running that he had no idea where he was. He avoided crowded areas, and only when he came to his senses did he realize he was heading toward Lei Ouyan's quarters. As though Lei Ouyan would take him in.
A swaying steam lamp hung from a colorful cord. Qin Miaomiao jumped up and pressed the switch beside it. The door opened, and he rushed inside. The room was pitch-black, and Lei Ouyan was not there.
Qin Miaomiao was about to turn back when the door opened. Light from the corridor cast a person's shadow down over his head.
There were actually two identical-looking men. One wore a white baseball cap and black clothes, while the other wore a black baseball cap and white clothes. Apart from that, their expressions and builds were exactly alike, making them look like the Black and White Impermanence brothers.
For a moment, Qin Miaomiao even thought he had died and was seeing the messengers of death. Still, he probably was not far from death now. These two were clearly here to capture him.
Qin Miaomiao watched them warily. He was reasonably familiar with Lei Ouyan's room. The window was still open, and the breeze had blown the curtain outside.
The two simply stood there, apparently waiting for the rabbit to obediently surrender. But Qin Miaomiao was no fool! He edged backward step by step until he was against the wall beneath the window. The carrot he had left here last time was still there!
Just what I need. Qin Miaomiao steeled himself and took a deep breath. He swiftly picked up the carrot and hurled it at the two men while twisting around and leaping, all in one smooth motion.
He had thought he was already embracing moonlight and freedom, but then came a startled yelp-Black merely raised his hand and pulled the trigger. The animal trap's claw caught his leg precisely, then reeled him in with almost no effort.
Qin Miaomiao clung to the window frame, refusing to let go, but his struggles were plainly useless. He was dragged back like a dead fish, leaving only a trail of claw marks.
White crouched, seized Qin Miaomiao's ears, and stuffed him into a transparent box. The brothers had not spoken once throughout, yet their coordination was perfect.
Qin Miaomiao seethed. Why didn't he have a brother who moved in perfect step with him?
He jumped around inside the cage, trying to make a commotion, but once shut inside, he seemed cut off from the world. He could hear nothing outside and could only see blurred images through a layer of glass that resembled photographic film.
But where were they taking him? Qin Miaomiao was carried out of the room. This was his first time in this part of the base, and he did not know the surroundings. The brothers carried him across a glass walkway into another building. The moment the automatic doors opened, Qin Miaomiao sensed something was wrong.
He pricked up his ears and twitched his nose. The strange scent carried on the air left him unsettled. His body's memory seemed clearer than his mind's; every hair on him trembled in resistance.
At last, he realized it was the smell of mutants. Nightmarish memories flashed before his eyes. This was the Variant Prison! Why were they sending him to the Variant Prison again?
Qin Miaomiao shivered inside the cage, helpless to do anything else. All he could do was clutch his head and pray to heaven. Dear heavens, someone please save me!
Just then, Qin Miaomiao's ears twitched. He seemed to detect a faint, familiar presence-Lei Ouyan.
Excited, he pressed himself against the glass wall and peered through the dim partition.
They were on a downward escalator. It was so long that its depths vanished from sight; he had no idea which basement level it led to. Beside it was the corresponding upward escalator.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness, his lean frame gradually coming into view-it really was Lei Ouyan! His face was bloodless, as though he had only just recovered from a serious illness. Only the blood on his hand stood out painfully bright.
Qin Miaomiao frantically pounded the box, trying to get his attention. But nothing could be heard outside. This box was designed specifically to transport mutants, and once closed, it seemed to seal off an entirely separate world. Besides, the base was full of people like these brothers, transporting mutants in black cages. To Lei Ouyan, it was an everyday sight. He had always been indifferent to his surroundings, too, so naturally he noticed nothing. As one went up and the other went down, he passed right by his rabbit.
Qin Miaomiao watched Lei Ouyan's retreating back in despair. He felt like a flame that had lost its fuel, finally flickering out.
Suddenly, the box jolted. Qin Miaomiao and the box fell to the floor together. Perhaps it had hit some switch, because the film-like partition vanished, and the clamor of the world rushed in. Qin Miaomiao quickly turned to call for Lei Ouyan to save him, but it was clearly too late.
Turning back, he saw Shi Jinse and White both sitting on the floor. So Shi Jinse had crashed into them just now. Who would have thought such a slight body could hit so hard?
Qin Miaomiao had no idea what was happening.
Black helped White up. Shi Jinse stood as well and hastily apologized. "Sorry. I was in too much of a hurry."
Black and White said nothing, their faces cold. White silently picked up Qin Miaomiao while Black watched Shi Jinse warily, intending to let White leave first.
But Shi Jinse made no move. He stood with both hands in his pockets, smiling faintly. Whenever he wore that expression, Qin Miaomiao knew something bad was about to happen.
Sure enough, a moment later, White abruptly stopped and toppled straight over. Black hurried to catch him, and the box fell to the floor again. Shi Jinse walked over and picked it up without the slightest effort.
"Don't worry. White is fine. He's just asleep. He'll wake up in two hours."
Black's eyes instantly turned vicious. He drew a long staff from behind his back and swung it at Shi Jinse. Shi Jinse was good at underhanded tricks, but in a direct fight, he was about evenly matched with Qin Miaomiao the rabbit. He could not fend Black off at all and could only flee this way and that.
Qin Miaomiao sat inside the box, watching the show. So that's what I usually look like when I'm getting beaten up!
Reinforcements would arrive soon. Shi Jinse could not afford to drag this out any longer. He ducked into a corner and opened the box. Qin Miaomiao crawled out, feeling a little awkward as he remembered their earlier unpleasant parting. He instinctively glanced at Shi Jinse's hand. It was clean and slender, without a single wound?
But hadn't he clearly bitten Shi Jinse? Had he remembered the wrong spot?
There was no time to think. Looking over his shoulder, Shi Jinse stuffed something that looked like a small badge into the little cloth pouch Qin Miaomiao wore. Then he cupped him in his hands and placed him in the wall vent. "Follow this vent outside. Remember, don't come back."
Why?
Qin Miaomiao could not ask. Black had already caught up, and Shi Jinse urged him on. "Run! If we get another chance to meet, I'll treat you to carrots again."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Jinse was restrained by the reinforcements Little Black had brought.
DNT Base Headquarters activated a level III alert, mobilizing everyone to capture a mutated rabbit.
Lei Ouyan stood in the lounge, looking at the trail of claw marks left on the wall beside the window. His communicator was filled with orders directing the search for the rabbit. Chris stood behind him, her expression tense and solemn. "This time, it's District 13."
Following the previous incident, another aberrant had entered the base. To avoid causing panic, they had neither made it public nor informed the other teams. Instead, they had chosen to pull Lei Ouyan out of his chamber on emergency orders, even though his current condition made that inadvisable.
But if they wanted a problem resolved quickly, Lei Ouyan really was their best option. Chris was only following orders from above.
She simply wasn't sure whether Lei Ouyan would go to District 13 first or rescue the rabbit. Outside the window, the night was deep, and the moon had become jagged, hanging broken against the darkness like a gap in the sky.
Chris said, "The rabbit's gone. We couldn't find him anywhere. He probably escaped."
Lei Ouyan said nothing. He dressed and picked up his weapon. Apart from his frighteningly pale complexion, he seemed no different from before, as cold and unapproachable as ever.
But Chris knew Lei Ouyan too well. She remembered accidentally losing his favorite toy when he was little. The boy had ignored her for nearly half a month.
This time was no different. Watching Lei Ouyan's retreating back, she smiled helplessly. She had lost his rabbit. How long would it be this time? Perhaps six months, perhaps the rest of his life. There was no telling. In this age, a lifetime could end just like that.
The base's ventilation shafts ran in every direction, countless and chaotically arranged. Finding a rabbit in them was no simple task. All they could do was order every vent sealed, but some were inevitably overlooked.
Qin Miaomiao's keen hearing actually gave him an advantage in this maze. Though he nearly ran straight into a gun several times, he managed to escape in the end.
He jumped down from the exit of a long, narrow passage. The surroundings were desolate, with abandoned cables tangled into a small mountain. The jagged moon hung overhead, and hurried footsteps sounded in the distance.
Qin Miaomiao crept forward, as though afraid of waking someone from sleep. Suddenly, his expression sharpened. A dark figure flashed past faster than he could move, stirring a fierce gust. With a few nimble leaps, the young man landed atop the heap of discarded cables and raised his weapon. There was a muffled bang, then a lump of black sludge fell in front of Qin Miaomiao.
It had taken only a few seconds. Qin Miaomiao hadn't even had time to react. He backed up a little before realizing that what lay before him was an aberrant's corpse.
Qin Miaomiao looked up. Lei Ouyan hadn't noticed him. He put away his weapon and prepared to leave. Qin Miaomiao wanted to call out to him, but someone approached-a girl with short hair, wearing the Execution Team's uniform.
Qin Miaomiao shrank farther into the corner. The night wind was chilly and made him feel like sneezing.
The girl was probably there on Chris's orders to assist Lei Ouyan. She glanced in astonishment at the aberrant he had already dealt with, then looked at him admiringly and said something.
But Lei Ouyan remained silent throughout. He seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, a trace of impatience between his brows.
Suddenly, Qin Miaomiao couldn't hold it back and sneezed. Hearing the sound, the girl looked his way.
Panicking, Qin Miaomiao tried to hide, then froze. He stared blankly at his hand, opening and closing it. There were five unmistakable fingers.
He touched his face. It was no longer furry, and his long ears were gone too. Had he turned human?
Holy shit! I'm human!
"There he is!" The girl looked over in delight and told Lei Ouyan, "Officer Chris said there was a boy trapped here. That wraps everything up."
Lei Ouyan cast a dispassionate glance over. The boy crouching in the corner was small and thin, wearing a white T-shirt and a green crossbody bag, his face full of panic. He seemed somewhat familiar, but Lei Ouyan paid him no mind.
"I'm leaving."
"Hey!" Lei Ouyan walked away without looking back. Unable to stop him, the girl could only go help Qin Miaomiao first.
Qin Miaomiao still couldn't process what had happened. Why had he suddenly turned human? What was going on? Would he turn back again?
Qin Miaomiao looked up. Lei Ouyan was already gone.
The girl ran over, staring at him curiously with large, round eyes. "Did that scare you? It's all right. The aberrant's already been dealt with."
Noticing where Qin Miaomiao was looking, she glanced back. "Him? He's the captain of our Execution Team's first squad. He's a really good person, just a little bad-tempered."
It was the first time Qin Miaomiao had heard anyone call him a good person, and he was rather surprised. Listening more closely, he found her voice somewhat familiar. Was she the one who had found Lei Ouyan at the combat command center earlier?
"You're not hurt, are you?"
Qin Miaomiao shook his head. The girl tilted her head and studied him. "Can you not speak?"
Qin Miaomiao was surprised too. He tried, and it seemed he really couldn't make a sound. It was as though he hadn't fully returned to his original self, and might turn back into a rabbit at any moment.
That thought made Qin Miaomiao panic. Everyone was hunting the rabbit now. He had escaped for the moment, but he had to leave this place. At the very least, he had to get out of the main city.
"Where do you live? Shall I take you home first?" the girl asked. "Oh, right, you can't speak. Where's your pass, then?"
The pass was probably something like an identity card, but how could Qin Miaomiao have anything like that? As he wondered how to explain or bluff his way through, the girl looked at his bag. "Isn't it in your bag?"
Qin Miaomiao was still puzzled that the bag had grown along with him when he turned human, as though it had become part of his body. He made a token attempt to rummage through it.
There seemed to be something inside. He took it out and found a badge.
"That's it!" The girl took it from him and examined it. "So you're from District 73. I didn't realize you lived so far away. That's almost at the border..."
Qin Miaomiao was baffled. It was the thing Shi Jinse had put in his pocket. Why had Shi Jinse given him a pass, and why was he sending him to District 73? Or was it all just a coincidence?
"Come on." The girl stood up. "I'll take you through the checkpoint first. You should still be able to catch the last bus to District 73."
The checkpoint was the passage separating the main city from the secondary city. Beyond it lay the outskirts. Though less secure than the main city, they were still a safe zone.
The girl held Qin Miaomiao's badge against the sensor. With a beep, the gate opened. She returned the badge and instructed him, "Once you're off the ramp, follow the signs ahead to the bus station. Take the number 73 bus, and you'll get home."
Qin Miaomiao nodded. His nose felt itchy, so he sniffed and nodded his thanks.
The girl thought he was rather cute, like a little animal. She smiled. "All right, then. Bye! Be careful next time, and don't go running into dangerous places again."
She waved goodbye. Just after Qin Miaomiao stepped outside, he sneezed, then sneezed again. Dimly sensing something was wrong, he reached back to touch his bottom and froze-what was that furry thing?
His rabbit tail had appeared! Luckily, the little cloth bag covered it, or he would have been exposed.
Now he was certain. This transformation into a human was only temporary, like Conan taking a pill to grow up. Once it wore off, he would become a rabbit again.
He had to get away fast. Glancing back, he saw the girl still standing there, and all but fled.
Watching Qin Miaomiao's retreating figure, the girl thought she had frightened him. She turned around just as Chris drove past.
The vehicle slowly came to a stop. She jogged over and reported, "Officer, the person trapped in District 13 has been rescued."
Chris finished her call and looked up at her. "Who are you talking about?"
"The..." The girl pointed back. "The person I just sent off..."
Chris's expression grew serious as she looked in the direction the girl indicated. An aberrant had appeared in District 13, and a boy had been trapped there-that was the information they had initially received. But the trapped boy was someone else.
Chris said, "The medical team just picked him up. He's on his way to the hospital now."
The girl's expression slowly stiffened, becoming anxious and flustered. "Then who was he..."
"Get in first." Chris sighed. It didn't seem important. After all, nothing except that rabbit could move freely around the headquarters grounds without raising an alarm. "I'll have someone look into it."
She had come here because she had just received word that Lei Ouyan hadn't returned to his isolation chamber after the fight, and had even left headquarters without permission.
She finally got through to Lei Ouyan and immediately demanded, "Where on earth did you go?"
There were a few seconds of silence before he answered quite openly, "To find the rabbit."
Chris hadn't expected him to admit it. All her anger was instantly extinguished, and she said wearily, "Come back."
Chris said, "The rabbit's already been sent away."
Qin Miaomiao had seen the outskirts from the lookout tower before. They weren't particularly prosperous, but resembled the shopping streets he had visited as a child, bustling with figures that didn't disappear just because night had fallen.
He quickened his pace and followed the signs, finding the station without much trouble. It was like a large bus terminal, with buses heading to all the different districts.
Qin Miaomiao finally found the number 73 bus the girl had mentioned and nearly missed it. The driver was about to leave. Qin Miaomiao hurried over, failed to notice someone in his path, and collided with his shoulder. He staggered a few steps, looked back, and froze-it was Lei Ouyan. Why was he here?
Perhaps having his ears tugged so often as a rabbit had done something to him, because Qin Miaomiao felt as though something was about to sprout from his head. He instinctively covered it with his hands, looking rather dazed and foolish.
Lei Ouyan probably thought so too. He glanced at him but showed no reaction, apparently having forgotten that he was the boy trapped in District 13 just now. He merely frowned slightly, looking impatient.
Qin Miaomiao rarely saw emotion on his face. Looking back at Lei Ouyan's retreating figure, he felt that he was like a block of ice slowly melting, finally revealing a little warmth.
Suddenly, he didn't quite want to leave.
Lei Ouyan walked straight ahead and got into a patrol vehicle. He had just checked all the departure records, but found no trace of them sending the rabbit away.
Lei Ouyan calmed down and turned to gaze into the endless night. He didn't know what he was doing, or why he had done something as absurd as coming out to search for a rabbit.
The station manager bowed and scraped beside him, terrified that this formidable figure might get annoyed and tear the place apart.
The bus honked angrily at Qin Miaomiao twice. The driver snapped, "Are you getting on or not?"
Qin Miaomiao came to his senses, only to be stopped as soon as he stepped aboard.
"Where's your fare?"
I need money too? Qin Miaomiao rummaged through his bag. Apart from the badge, there was only half a carrot inside. Why didn't Shi Jinse give me any money...
But then again, who could have imagined he would turn human and need money?
He looked up awkwardly. The driver was just about to lose his temper and throw him off when the manager up ahead waved a hand.
Qin Miaomiao looked over. Lei Ouyan seemed merely annoyed by the commotion, so he had signaled the station manager with a glance, meaning he would pay the fare and they should hurry up and leave.
Lei Ouyan didn't have a good reputation, but his position ensured that people dared not voice their anger. The manager was simply fawning over him, while the driver was furious-at both the penniless passenger and the wealthy traitor behind him. Still, he picked the easier target and snapped at Qin Miaomiao, "Hurry up!"
Qin Miaomiao tightened his grip on his bag and hurried aboard. The bus slowly flowed outward with the moonlight, passing Lei Ouyan. Only after they had gone a long way did Qin Miaomiao dare look back. At last, he no longer had to hide anything, and his gaze was open and sincere. Watching Lei Ouyan's receding figure, he sighed inwardly. Thank you, Lei Ouyan. If fate allows, we'll meet again. If not, that's fine too.
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