Chapter Forty: The Final Journal
Just as I was carefully approaching him, the entire control room was suddenly flooded with blinding white light. All the lights activated at once, and the once gloomy control room was immediately restored to brightness.
“Please enter command...”
“Please enter command...”
“Please enter command...”
Puzzled, I glanced at the large display screen that had abruptly come to life in front of me. It showed an interface where surveillance cameras monitored the military restricted zone.
Looking at the corpse slumped in the chair, I sighed. This man had taken his own life, shooting himself through the temple.
It seemed he had fallen into utter despair.
“Command not detected. Initiating 180-second countdown...”
“179...”
“178...”
“...”
I listened to the countdown with grave concern. It was obvious that nothing good would come of this; from scenes I'd seen in movies before, there was a high chance it was some sort of self-destruct sequence.
Would the whole depot explode when the countdown finished?
“Huo Bing, can you crack the command?” I shouted anxiously toward Huo Bing.
“I’m trying—just give me a moment. This command is a bit more complex than an electronic lock’s password. I need some time.” Huo Bing was remarkably calm, her slender, pale fingers tapping rapidly across the instrument, occasionally pressing buttons on the console.
I fixed my gaze on the countdown displayed on the screen; less than a hundred seconds remained.
“It’s not me giving you time—it's this fellow. I suspect once the countdown ends, we won’t be able to escape.”
For some reason, I felt a strange sense of subtlety, and was grateful I'd brought Huo Bing, who was skilled in electronic decryption.
Sweat beads had appeared on Huo Bing’s forehead. I walked over and gently wiped them for her, smiling, “Don’t rush. Stay calm. The more nervous you get, the more likely you are to make mistakes.”
“Mm, I know.”
Listening to Huo Bing’s composed reply, I suddenly realized it might be a mistake to always treat her as a little girl. The most vivid impression I had of her was back at the convenience store.
Back then, her recklessness had led to the deaths of several teammates, and with her weak abilities, she had almost been abused by Tong Jia. In my eyes, she was the very definition of weakness—not even grown up.
But seeing her now, focused and determined to break the code, I suddenly understood how wrong my assumptions had been.
“Self-destruct sequence countdown: 10 seconds...”
“9...”
“8...”
“7...”
“...”
“Command input validated. Terminal computer activated. Cai is at your service.”
The electronic female voice echoed from the screen. Huo Bing and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. When the countdown for the self-destruct sequence appeared, I felt doomed—there was no way to escape such a massive depot if it self-destructed.
Huo Bing collapsed against the desk as if drained, taking a slow, deep breath. Clearly, she’d been very tense moments before, but she had forced herself to stay composed.
“Cai? Do you remember me?”
I spread my arms toward the camera above the big screen. Every person who entered the depot left traces in this terminal computer; theoretically, there should be records of me.
“Searching records... You are Captain Cao Fusheng of the Swordfish Special Operations Unit, directly under the National Military Command. However, according to Cai’s database, Captain Cao Fusheng was reported to have died in action during a Class B mission on an island 514 days ago. He was posthumously awarded the Honor Medal and the rank of Major General.”
Ha! How ironic—so that’s how my affairs were handled. An Honor Medal? A rank? All of it is fleeting; the old era has long been reduced to ashes, and nearly every regime worldwide has collapsed.
“National Military Command? Captain of the Swordfish Special Operations Unit?” Huo Bing stared at me in shock and suspicion. I laughed, “What? Doesn’t fit?”
“No, no. I’ve heard of the National Military Command—it’s the most elite force in Z-country. There’s a saying: if the sharpest blade in the world can’t pierce a wall, a single soldier from the Command could blow it down with a breath. But I’ve never heard of the Swordfish Special Operations Unit.”
“Cai will explain the Swordfish Unit. There are eleven official members; reserve members are drawn from the entire Command. Only if a team member is killed or reassigned will a vacancy be filled from the Command.”
“The Swordfish Unit is the nation’s most formidable special operations force, having participated in Class A missions, including assassinations of heads of state from M-country, R-country, and others. Access to Class S missions is restricted in my database...”
“Alright, that’s enough. No need to go on,” I interrupted the artificial intelligence before it could continue.
Huo Bing muttered discontentedly, “Come on, keep going! I haven’t had enough. If Class A missions involve assassinating foreign leaders, then Class S...”
“Youngsters ask too many questions,” I shot Huo Bing a look and replied gruffly.
“Brother Cao, I had no idea you used to be so incredible. I never would have guessed. How did you end up so down and out when I met you? Wait—the data said you died... Are you a ghost or a man? Don’t come any closer!” Huo Bing suddenly widened her eyes, covering her mouth.
Cai: “Database confirms Captain Cao Fusheng is deceased.”
Me: “...”
“I am not dead! Enough nonsense. Pull up the last uploaded logs and data for me to review.” I folded my arms across my chest, staring intently at the screen.
“Retrieving data...”
The screen displayed the following:
June 1st, 2126.
Since the disaster struck, supplies from the depot have been dispatched wave after wave, equipping and supporting nearby troops. But a month ago, our last contact with any unit was lost; now, we are utterly isolated.
July 26th, 2126.
More than another month has passed. No matter what we try, we cannot reconnect. We must conserve power and fresh water. Fortunately, living supplies in the depot will last the remaining few dozen of us for half a year. As long as we endure, there is hope!
September 9th, 2126.
It’s terrifying! Some corpses managed to crawl in through the waterway! We had no choice but to seal the ventilation and sewage pipes. Guo Qing, Sun Liang, Ah Sheng, Zhu Xin, Li Yuan... all dead. They’re all dead. Now only about twenty of us remain. The company commander said he’d lead a dozen volunteers out to scout the situation. I hope they return alive...
September 20th, 2126.
They did not return alive. I watched through the cameras as they entered the guard tower, then lost contact entirely... Despair fills our hearts. What has happened to this world? How could everything change so suddenly?
December 25th, 2126.
A comrade has committed suicide. Panic and a terrible atmosphere are spreading among the survivors in the depot. Some have begun to lose their minds. Recently, a few more comrades rushed out despite warnings; as expected, none returned.
February 16th, 2127.
It’s New Year’s...
March 18th, 2127.
Only I remain. There is no hope. This is humanity’s catastrophe. I have thrown all my dead comrades into the waste pool, for I simply cannot manage to bury or cremate them alone. Thankfully, this time when I opened the waterway, I didn’t encounter anything strange.
April 20th, 2127.
Today, I finally decided to follow in their footsteps. Perhaps death is the best release in this world—better than becoming one of those monsters, certainly better than being devoured by them. It’s a shame the depot’s remaining equipment will never be used again.
After a long silence, Huo Bing and I both let out a sigh.