"So I sent those three prisoners back with a message: we've taken over the nodes in the Blind Zone, and if they come again, we'll bomb them," Snow Empress mumbled, chewing on a biscuit. "But this is just a scare tactic. The system's protection mechanism only works against unauthorized personnel. If Old Dao manages to obtain authorization or sabotages the nodes from the outside, we can't prevent it."
Old Zhou nodded, pulled a notebook from his drawer, and jotted down a few notes. "I submitted a report to the bureau this afternoon, requesting a team to be stationed in the Blind Zone. The three checkpoints need regular inspections. Also," he looked up at Snow Empress, "You three have worked hard this time. The bureau approved a temporary allowance, not much, but enough for a few good meals."
The Vein Guardian found a tap in the yard and washed his face. He was drying his face with his sleeve when he heard this and turned around, saying, "There's a subsidy? Then I want to eat the mutton noodles at the corner store, a big bowl."
"Eat, eat, eat." Old Zhou waved his hand with a smile. "Go eat first, then come back and write a report. Snow Empress, you write it, A Yao draws the diagrams, Vein Guardian... you dictate it, and A Yao will help you write it down."
The three of them left the Spirit Vein Bureau courtyard and headed towards the mutton noodle shop at the street corner. As they passed the repair shop, Old Liu, the mechanic, was squatting at the door patching a tire. Seeing the three of them covered in mud and dirt, he waved the wrench in his hand and said, "Hey, where did you all come from? You look like you were dug out of the ground."
" Blind Zone!" The Vein Guardian's voice boomed, audible halfway down the street, " Old Liu, the spiritual vein in the Blind Zone is alive! Even the grass at the bottom of the cliff has sprouted!"
Old Liu was stunned for a moment. "Really? When I was a kid, my grandpa told me that you could farm in Blind Zone, but they were abandoned later, weren't they?"
"It's alive! All three nodes are online, and the coverage is over 50%. Just wait, in two years we'll be able to graze sheep in the Blind Zone."
Old Liu twice, half believing and half doubting, then lowered his head to continue patching the tire, but a smirk played on his lips.
The mutton noodle shop wasn't crowded, and the three of them found a table at the back. Vein Guardian ordered a large bowl of mutton noodles with an extra side of mutton offal, Snow Empress and A Yao each ordered a small bowl. The noodles were served steaming hot, with a layer of bright red chili oil floating on top. Vein Guardian ate with slurping noises, sweat beading on his forehead.
A Yao ate slowly, examining her bamboo cane as she ate, leaning it against the edge of the table. A small piece of paint had chipped off the iron band at the bottom of the cane, and the bluish sheen on the cane had completely faded; it looked like an ordinary old bamboo cane.
"How many years have you had this staff?" Snow Empress asked.
"It was passed down from my master. It's been almost ten years." A Yao touched the bamboo joints on the staff. "The blue light used to shine for half a foot, enough to light the way. But it's not good anymore. The spiritual veins were broken for ten years, and the spiritual energy in the staff has almost dissipated."
" The Blind Zone ley line is active; can the staff be restored?"
A Yao thought for a moment, "Yes, but it needs time to heal. Insert the staff near the spiritual vein node and slowly absorb spiritual energy; perhaps it can restore about 70-80% of its original strength."
The Vein Guardian looked up from his bowl of noodles, half a noodle hanging from his mouth. "That's easy. Go to node 01, stick the staff next to the control panel, and let it absorb the energy for two days."
"It's not that simple," A Yao laughed. "It depends on the stability of the Spirit Vein Circuit. Newly activated circuits need to run for a while until the coverage increases."
After finishing their noodles, the three returned to the Spirit Vein Bureau to complete their reports. Snow Empress wrote down what had happened, A Yao drew a rough sketch of the node locations, and the Vein Guardian squatted beside them, verbally describing the details of the blind Blind Zone' terrain that he remembered: which ditch was passable, which slope was prone to collapse, and which location was suitable for setting up a patrol point. Old Zhou listened and nodded, occasionally interjecting, "Write this down," or "Mark that clearly."
It was already past noon when the report was finished. Old Zhou put the materials into a file folder and sealed it. "I'll have someone send it to the bureau tomorrow. You three take a couple of days off and wait for the bureau to make arrangements."
Snow Empress came out of the Spirit Vein Bureau and stretched her shoulders on the side of the street. A Yao followed her out, leaning on her bamboo cane. The Vein Guardian was the last to come out, still clutching a pack of cigarettes that Old Zhou had given him. He didn't usually smoke, but Old Zhou said, "Take this to entertain guests," so he put it in his pocket.
"What have you been up to these past few days?" A Yao asked.
"Go to sleep." Snow Empress yawned. "Sleep for a day first. Then," she thought for a moment, "Then go to the flea market. The equipment Old Dao and his gang use is all legitimate stuff—short crowbars, buzzers, shotguns—these things are all sold on the black market around the Blind Zone. Maybe we can find some clues about Old Dao if we go there."
The Vein Guardian tucked his cigarette away. "I know the secondhand market well. I'll come find you the day after tomorrow morning."
"OK."
The three parted ways at the street corner. Snow Empress headed east back to her residence, A Yao went west, and the Vein Guardian went south. After a few steps, the Vein Guardian suddenly turned around and called out, "Hey, Snow Empress!"
The Snow Empress turned back.
"I'll go back and modify that buzzer, and install it under the node cover. That way, if anyone pries open the cover again, we'll know immediately."
Snow Empress waved her hand at him. "You decide what to do. Just don't blow yourself up."
The Vein Guardian chuckled, then turned and left.
Snow Empress slept for fourteen hours. When she woke up, the sun was already shining through the window. She rolled over and lingered for another half hour before finally getting up to wash. The clothes drying in the yard were already dry, so she took them down, folded them neatly, boiled some water, soaked a bowl of leftover rice, and ate it with some pickled vegetables.
I went to the Spirit Vein Bureau this afternoon. Old Zhou said the bureau called back and sent a six-person inspection team to the town tomorrow. They'll stay there for half a month to familiarize themselves with the terrain around the three nodes. Also, I reported Old Dao's matter to the police, but they said "things in Blind Zone are hard to handle" and they can only file a report for now.
"Let's register it then," Snow Empress said. "We'll keep an eye on it ourselves."
After leaving the Spirit Vein Bureau, she turned into a hardware store at the street corner and bought a roll of black duct tape and two new batteries. Then she went to the repair shop to ask Old Liu for a piece of used inner tube, intending to use it to wrap the handle of her knife. While Old Liu was cutting the inner tube for her, he asked her about the Blind Zone. Snow Empress only mentioned what she could say. Old Liu clicked his tongue in admiration. "You young people are really brave. I didn't dare to go into places like the Blind Zone when I was young."
"You'll be able to walk later. In two years, you'll be able to herd sheep in the Blind Zone."
"Me, herd sheep?" Old Liu chuckled. "I can't even keep chickens alive."
The next morning, the Vein Guardian arrived as expected, bringing with him an acquaintance, Zhao the Lame, who ran a general store in town. Zhao the Lame had a limp in his left leg and walked with a cane, but he had extensive connections and was familiar with the black markets in several surrounding towns.
" Old Zhao said a batch of new stuff recently came into the secondhand market, and it matches the Blind Zone equipment," said the Vein Guardian, squatting on a stone bench at the entrance of the Snow Empress's Academy. "Short crowbars, climbing ropes, and a few signal guns."
Snow Empress tucked the wrapped knife behind her waist. "Let's go. Let's go take a look."
The secondhand market is located on the riverbank at the south end of the town, opening on the 5th and 10th of each lunar month. Today is the 10th, and a row of stalls has already been set up on the riverbank, selling all sorts of things: old farm tools, old clothes, old books, and radios that have been repaired many times. Zhao the Lame led them to the far end of the riverbank, where there were fewer stalls, but the goods were more "authentic."