C27 Chief Ding

One of the guards led them to the dormitory area of the police station.

Everything seemed in order, nothing amiss. The officers didn't come across as malevolent, and the dormitory's management even provided them with a room.

"Please use this room for now."

"Thank you." Urendir glanced around the room, noting the four beds. It wasn't as luxurious as Jiang Feng's residence in Heyday, but for ordinary refugees, it was more than adequate.

"The guard mentioned you two are mother and daughter?"

"That's right."

"Oh? You appear quite young. Where's your husband?"

"We were separated from him," Urendir offered a vague excuse.

"Sigh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in these apocalyptic times, being separated often bodes ill."

No sooner had the person finished speaking than little Jiang Wei burst into an exaggerated wail, "You can't talk like that, my dad is definitely okay!"

"Absolutely, your dad will surely overcome any adversity. Little miss, don't be upset, I misspoke earlier."

Urendir was taken aback by Jiang Wei's convincing performance.

"Uncle, do you have any food? We haven't eaten in days."

"Of course, just give me a moment. I'll have someone from the kitchen prepare something for you."

Once the staff member had left, Jiang Wei quietly shut the door and locked it, then turned to Urendir. "Sister, when they said Dad was likely in danger, why didn't you react? You didn't seem upset at all, they might get suspicious."

"Ah, that... I apologize, it slipped my mind." Urendir was inwardly exasperated, thinking to herself that Jiang Wei truly was Jiang Feng's daughter, inheriting his flair for drama.

"Sister, when they return, you need to show how much you miss your husband. Ask if they've seen any refugees wearing black clothes with a middle-parted hairstyle, maybe we can glean some information."

"Alright, I'll do my best." The thought of having to act made Urendir feel somewhat out of her depth.

Ten minutes later, two dormitory staff members returned with steaming dishes.

Urendir and Jiang Wei were pleasantly surprised by the lavish meal before them — steamed rice smothered in meat sauce accompanied by a hearty vegetable soup.

As they set the food on the table, the hosts encouraged them, "Enjoy your meal, you both must be famished."

Jiang Wei, tired of the monotony of biscuits, eagerly devoured her portion. Urendir, on the other hand, dined with grace and poise. Between bites, he inquired, "Gentlemen, have you come across any refugees today dressed in black, with a middle-parted hairstyle? He could be my husband, Jiang Feng."

Unable to feign tears, Urendir instead spoke with deliberate slowness, infusing his words with a tinge of sorrow.

"Sorry, but aside from you two, we haven't had any other refugees today. Keep an eye out; more might arrive this afternoon," one of the slender administrators offered, trying to console them.

"Eat up, we've got other matters to attend to," the other manager interjected.

Leaving Urendir and Jiang Wei to their meal, the two managers exited and closed the door behind them.

Urendir mused, reassured by their demeanor, "These folks don't seem malicious. Jiang Feng should be safe, then."

She reached for the spoon, eager to taste the vegetable soup. But as the soup touched her tongue, Urendir recoiled in alarm. That taste?

It was bizarre, reminiscent of a potent narcotic.

Urendir quickly cautioned Jiang Wei, "Jiang Wei, are you okay? Don't drink the soup!"

"Ah? But I've already had more than half," Jiang Wei responded, her voice distant, her balance faltering.

Cursing inwardly, Urendir regretted not sampling the soup sooner. She had extensive experience with illegal substances from her past cases and recognized the drug's signature effects.

Jiang Wei slumped into Urendir's embrace, unconscious and drooling, deep in slumber.

Now what? Urendir was at a loss.

Suddenly, the sound of the door lock clicking signaled someone attempting to enter. In a rush of urgency, Urendir sprawled across the table, feigning unconsciousness, ready to uncover their true intentions.

Three men armed with submachine guns entered the room, their faces breaking into relieved smiles upon seeing Urendir and Jiang Wei unconscious.

"Looks like they're both out cold," one of them said, nudging Urendir with his gun.

"The meat juice they consumed was derived from evolved animals, laden with a high concentration of zombie toxin. It's likely they've both undergone mutation by now."

"Let's not take any chances. Give them five minutes, just to be sure. Start the timer."

As the seconds ticked by, the five-minute mark approached.

"Time's up. Let's check on them."

The lanky manager edged closer to Urendir, scrutinizing her complexion before peeling her eyelids back.

"No change in skin tone, and the whites of her eyes are still clear. She's not a zombie; she's evolved."

Evolved human? So that's what they called biochemical humans.

Satisfied with Urendir's condition, he applied the same examination to Jiang Wei.

"Wow, talk about good fortune. Both are evolved humans."

Urendir pieced it together—the food was spiked with zombie toxins and potent sedatives. They'd incapacitate the refugees, then induce mutation. If their skin darkened and the whites of their eyes blackened, they could be killed off as zombies.

Suddenly, Urendir felt a chill, a sense that someone was undressing her.

Could it be? No, it couldn't be.

She balled her fists, ready to react.

But before Urendir could spring into action, another voice barked, "Stop! Who gave you permission to touch her?"

That voice—it was the manager's.

Biting back her rage, Urendir decided to feign unconsciousness a little longer, curious about their intentions.

"What's the problem? This is how it's always been. If she's a woman, we can do as we please. And this one, she's just my type. Are you trying to compete with me?" the interrupted man complained.

"The rule is clear: if a woman is accompanied by a man, we're hands-off. Her husband might still be alive, and he could find this place."

"Wait for him to show up? You're clearly just protecting them."

"The boss made it clear: women with partners are off-limits. We're running low on men here, and they're too valuable to lose."

"But who's to say her husband's still alive, or if he hasn't turned into one of those evolved humans?"

"Nobody can prove he's dead," the tall, lean man called out.

"Fine, I'll give him a day. If he doesn't show by tomorrow, I'm taking what I want. Then we'll see whose side the boss takes." With those words, the thwarted man stormed off in a huff.

"Don't mind that lecher. Here, put these iron rings on them," the lanky supervisor instructed his colleague.

The other man produced two small iron rings, each marked distinctively, and slipped them onto the wrists of Urendir and Jiang Wei.

In this refugee camp, the iron rings were a clear signal: these women were under someone's protection, and no one was to mess with them.

"Director Ding, why go out of your way for these two?"

"Zhao, drop the formalities. It's Brother Ding, remember? This woman seems familiar, like I've seen her with Director Lee before. We'll sort it out once they're awake."

Urendir realized then that the tall, thin man was Director Ding from the Elk District police station, a friend of Director Lee's. They might have crossed paths at a dinner or two, but she couldn't quite place him.

"Brother Ding, in this so-called sanctuary that's more of a den of vice, how long can those iron rings really protect them?"

"We do the best we can. These days, we're all at someone else's mercy just to survive. But let's not forget, we were cops once. If we can protect even one person, it's worth it. Now, let's get them to bed so they can rest easy."

Director Ding and Little Zhao gently settled Urendir and Jiang Wei onto the bed, then quietly shut the door, securing it with an iron chain from the outside, presumably for the women's protection.

Once the silence outside assured her they were alone, Urendir opened her eyes, gave Jiang Wei a gentle shake, but found her deeply asleep.

She dabbed at the drool on Jiang Wei's mouth with a tissue and sighed, "What now? We'll just have to wait for Jiang Wei to wake up."

Meanwhile, in the interrogation room of the Elk District police station, Jiang Feng was bound tightly to a chair, having endured a grueling interrogation for twenty minutes.

"Spill it, are you the kid's backup?" demanded a short, stout man before landing a punch in Jiang Feng's gut.

"Are you freaking kidding me? I've said it a million times—I'm not. Do you get a kick out of hitting me for twenty minutes straight?"

"How dare you call us dumb?" Another interrogator slapped Jiang Feng across the face.

"Damn it, I admit it, okay? It hurts like hell! Please, just let me go," Jiang Feng pleaded.

Truth be told, Jiang Feng had no other option but to beg. The eight people in the room had been taking turns beating him for a solid twenty minutes.

Jiang Feng's pleas weren't born out of pain, though; he was simply tired of the pointless beating.

It was all because Jiang Feng had made a joke at the start.

Initially, the interrogators were serious about their business, but Jiang Feng felt no pain, while the interrogators' hands started to ache. In their confusion, Jiang Feng quipped that he was a wizard from the Magic Forest, impervious to their blows.

That joke led to twenty minutes of them playfully engaging with Jiang Feng, even sharing details about the police station.

But the novelty was wearing thin—it's no fun to keep getting hit.

"Enough, enough, no more beating. The boss is on his way," someone announced as they entered the interrogation room.

A minute later, an older man with an intimidating presence walked in. He appeared to be the leader of the entire refugee camp.

"Put down your rifles, and someone get those handcuffs off him and untie him," he commanded, catching Jiang Feng completely off guard.

Once freed, Jiang Feng was unexpectedly offered a glass of water.