New World
This was a brand-new world, a relatively civilized and absolutely safe area on the wasteland, beyond the reach of war.
Song Zhi was assigned an apartment with six bedrooms and a living room. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and a twenty-four-hour hot water supply. There was also a small kitchen, fully equipped with a coffee maker, water dispenser, microwave and other appliances.
"Officer Miller, do I have any other roommates?" Song Zhi looked around, then turned to Miller.
"Uh... not for now. Make yourself at home, and don't worry about the other rooms. Someone's assigned to take care of them. You'll be staying in that one..." Miller pointed to a south-facing bedroom.
"Get some rest. We'll need to take care of the paperwork at eight tomorrow morning. Remember not to eat beforehand; you have a few specialized tests to take. We should be finished before lunch, and you'll need your identity card before you can eat in the cafeteria... Um... You'll have the afternoon free. You can buy some clothes and shoes or something. There are shops in town..." Miller spoke rapidly, then closed his folder to signal that the arrangements were complete.
"Thank you." Song Zhi nodded.
Miller looked at Song Zhi's hair, which looked as though a dog had gnawed on it, and sighed softly. For the first time, the Frenchman felt like doing a good deed. "Your haircut... is cool... I happen to be free tomorrow afternoon, so I'll show you around town. You can get a haircut while we're there. I'm sorry, but I can't pay for you..."
"That's all right. I have money. Hill... the lieutenant and the others lent it to me... It's a loan..." Song Zhi handed Miller the paper bag she had been clutching, showing him that she had cash.
"Oh, God, they actually 'lent' you money? What a caring bunch of guys!" Miller couldn't resist teasing her. His lips curved into a smile. "Well, good night, mascot. I'll come get you tomorrow morning."
Only after seeing Miller out did Song Zhi breathe a small sigh of relief. She turned to survey the apartment. It was very nice, but reason told her not to wander into other people's spaces, so she went straight to her bedroom door and stepped inside.
As the door closed, Miller, who had supposedly left, emerged from the shadows outside. He had been secretly watching Song Zhi's actions. Only after confirming that she had done nothing dangerous did he stop watching.
"She didn't go into any of the other rooms to look around. Do you suspect she's a spy?" Miller spoke to the person on the other end of the radio.
"She's not a spy. She just thinks she's clever. Keep an eye on her." Lai'en's voice sounded unreal as the signal cut in and out.
"OK, I'll keep you updated on what she's doing. Have fun in Algiers!"
Miller chuckled and ended the transmission.
Let's hope the mascot Group A brought back doesn't cause me any trouble...
The next morning, Song Zhi woke in the bright sunshine. Through the bright window, she could also hear birds calling.
She quickly washed up, grabbed the bag of cash, put on her shoes and opened the door.
Miller was already waiting outside in uniform. He raised his wrist to check his tactical watch, then lifted a brow and teased, "7:50. Perfect timing. Do you like arriving at class just as the bell rings, too?"
"Sorry, I should have been a little earlier..."
"It's fine. There aren't many people, so we'll be done before lunch. Let's go." Miller jerked his chin, signaling Song Zhi to get moving.
The hospital was in the eastern part of the camp, right beside the sea. It was large, and quite a few people had come for examinations. Most were young women, though there were a few children as well.
The girl from the rainforest was there too. Their eyes met briefly, but they had no further contact. Song Zhi's priority privileges had carried over to the Sri Lanka Base Station, and she was the first to enter the examination room under the somewhat blank, vacant gazes of the others.
Height, weight, blood pressure, a complete blood count, an electrocardiogram, an ultrasound, a five-virus panel, even a routine gynecological examination...
She lay uneasily on the examination bed, even feeling that the examination was oppressive and humiliating to women.
Damn it! That feudal, old-fashioned way of thinking should have been reduced to ashes in the nuclear explosions!
She repeatedly reminded herself, even forced herself, to cast aside all that talk of women's rights and human rights. This was the fucking apocalypse! Those so-called rights couldn't be exchanged for clean water and food!
"Relax, dear. Every woman who comes back from the front has to undergo this examination. We're not doing this to hurt you. We have a responsibility to look after your health, and you have a responsibility to yourself too! Nothing is more important than life and health!" the female doctor conducting the examination reassured her gently.
"Thank you." Song Zhi's emotions settled somewhat.
Just then, a startled cry came from the examination room next door.
"Oh! My God! What did they do?! Poor child, you need to be hospitalized..."
The doctor then arranged surgery over the phone, interspersed with words of comfort and the girl's quiet sobs. Song Zhi could tell it was the girl from the rainforest. Song Zhi knew everything that had happened to her.
When Song Zhi came out of the examination room, she happened to see the girl being wheeled into the operating room.
Watching the girl disappear into the distance, she found herself feeling relieved, even a sense of luck that bordered on shame. She had encountered Group A. Thankfully, Lu Yu was in Group A, and the others weren't all that bad either... She had some ability to protect herself... She had picked up a gun during the fight in the rainforest... She... thankfully, they hadn't used violence that night...
Song Zhi was inexplicably irritated. What am I thinking? The deal is over! Hasn't my new life already begun? She could get a job through her own abilities... not through an exchange, and not through "training."
The final examination took place in a sunlit consultation room. The psychologist was an elegant Swiss man named Hans.
"Welcome, Song. Have a seat. What would you like to drink? An Americano? A latte? A cappuccino? Or black tea?" Hans had a resonant voice, like a deep-toned cello, that naturally inspired a favorable impression.
Perhaps every psychologist had a good voice. After all, communication required skill, and an appealing voice was an advantage.
"Thank you. Anything is fine." Song Zhi's voice sounded a little youthful in the quiet consultation room.
"A latte?" Hans adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and offered her an option.
"All right. Thank you!"
What Song Zhi didn't know was that the psychological assessment had quietly begun the moment she knocked and entered. The choice of drink had different meanings as well, and "anything is fine" was among the hidden options, along with "no, thank you," "I'm not thirsty" and "plain water."
It also included how she behaved after entering the room and sitting on the sofa, whether she looked at the seaside scenery outside the window, anxiously examined the furnishings in the room, or secretly watched the doctor's actions.
All these actions reflected a person's mental activity.
What had Song Zhi done? She hadn't looked out the window or examined the furnishings, and she hadn't even made eye contact with Hans for more than three seconds.
She had, however, drunk the coffee Hans handed her without any guard.
Their conversation was pleasant. Hans was highly professional and didn't delve into Song Zhi's past, instead chatting like an old friend about her plans for the future.
When Hans said she was welcome to visit Switzerland someday, Song Zhi's eyes lit up for a moment. The perceptive Hans caught the subtle expression at once.
What a cunning girl...
"Unfortunately, without its year-round snow, it looks more like the Irish grasslands now," Hans joked self-deprecatingly.
"That is a shame. Nuclear blasts don't care about neutrality treaties." Song Zhi shrugged along with him.
The morning's examinations were all complete. By the time Song Zhi walked out of the hospital lobby, Miller, who was sheltering in the shade of a tree, had just finished transmitting all her test results.
The mental health assessment Hans had given her was far from encouraging—an extreme tendency toward silent violence.
"Are you sure you want to keep this 'violent loli' around?"
"Keep observing her! Hill will keep you updated on her lessons!"
"Whoa! Man, you guys have unusual tastes. Between a super sadist and a super masochist, you chose to court death! Good luck." Miller hurriedly cut off the radio and turned to meet Song Zhi with a practiced smile. "Hey! Thanks for your hard work!"