Global Evolution

by Steffen Schmidt

  “Well, of course I’ll figure something out if what you just told me is true.” Chang nodded in agreement. “You should leave now. You might get into trouble if you’re seen in contact with me too often.

  “Especially if I’m planning to talk to him about this in a few days, you wouldn’t want it to be known that we’ve talked, would you?”

  As if the soldier was reminded of something, he stood up and left hastily, without saying goodbye.

  The soldier’s back disappeared behind a corner, and Chang was left to dwell on his thoughts.

  He had became more mature through experience, no longer that naive high school kid from a couple months ago. A series of lives and deaths taught him to bear emotions with forbearance. Even though he was overjoyed at the news about Zhizhi, he didn’t lose his rationale and run to Qing Shui immediately.

  Qing Shui had changed, and he knew that.

  However, no matter how much a person had changed, he would still be restrained by feelings of camaraderie. Chang pondered for days to unearth a way to rescue Zhizhi without hurting their bond.

  Few days later.

  “Jing, Chang, it’s been a while since last time we saw each other.” At dusk, Qing Shui passed by their room with a basket of fruits. “A new type of fruit that’s a natural product, free from artificial elements. It has the taste of an apricot but at the same time is as aromatic as an apple. A patroller found it at the edge of the jungle, and it’s delicious. I thought I should bring you guys some.”

  Qing Shui’s voice had an uplifting tone. It was rare that he couldn’t stop talking. After stepping into the room, he placed the basket on the desk. “Try it! Jing, come try it!”

  “Okay.”

  Jing left her unfinished painting behind, joining Chang and Qing Shui. She grabbed a tangerine fruit from the basket and took a crispy bite.

  The unique aroma filled the room.

  “It does taste good!” Chang too grabbed one from the basket, smiling. “You’ve been talking, what’s got you in such a good mood?”

  “Remember the Modifier I talked to you about the other day? I confirmed the safety of the formula from the test results of rats and human subjects. None of my participants were negatively impacted or bothered by the side-effects.” Qing Shui continued to smile. “The gene sequence rearrangement is a process, so it’ll take some time. But the syringe I gave you is safe to inject.”

  “That’s good new to hear.”

  Chang took out the syringe that had been securely kept in the pocket.

  “Yours is the most sophisticated one I made. The pureness of the red fog concentrate and the accurateness to portion was more than a hundred times better than what I used for testing.” Qing Shui chortled. “Let’s wait until the Modifier takes its full effect, you’ll be much more powerful than Zhuo’s gene-altered soldiers.”

  “Thank you, Qing Shui, thank you.”

  Chang curved the corner of his mouth, putting back the syringe into his pocket. He was interuppted when he was about to menttion Zhizhi.

  “There is no need to say thank you between you and me. You must have something on your mind, am I correct?” Qing Shui asked, looking at Chang.

  “I can’t hide it, can I?” His face had sold Chang’s secret away, but he knew that he couldn’t hide from the reality, either. “I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, and it seems it’s the right time to talk about this.

  “Jing, can you stay in the room? We’re heading out for a brief talk.” Chang’s hesitation was obvious, and hence Qing Shui pulled him out from the room to somewhere private.

  “Tell me, what is it?”

  “Zhizhi, do you remember her?” Chang rephrased his request in the hallway. “Can you let her go?”

  Chapter 111: Four Years

  "Well..." Qing Shui sunk into a brief moment of silence. He didn't remark about Zhizhi's death but smiled instead. "You know that she is still alive."

  "I do," Chang agreed. "We lived together for some time, I just don't believe that she could've died that way."

  "She couldn't, however, if I hadn't conducted my research on her, she would've been dead a long time ago. I didn't lie to you about the internal bleeding from the rupture of viscera." Qing Shui stood up, patting Chang's shoulder. "But then, since you've asked about this, I can't betray your expectations. When the sun rises up tomorrow, I'll take her to you."

  "Thanks." Chang nodded. "Can I ask you something? Why did you choose Zhizhi as your experiment subject?"

  "There wasn't any particular reason. I didn't know her beforehand, and she worked under Zhuo at the time, so I felt less burdened using her," Qing Shui answered calmly. "That was my first reason; and the second is that EMs are rare, especially in the sensory category. We only have two or three of them here, and that's why I developed an interest in her.

  "After all, her ability is closely related to my current project - the Modifier. I was thinking that her mutation must have some sort of relationship with gene sequence. Thus, she made herself a great subject." As Qing Shui spoke, his voice became lower and lower. "When I found her on the battlefield, she was indeed lingering on her last breath. I wasn't confident about whether she could make it or not. Please, don't blame me on this.

  "I knew that she was your comrade, and I'm still conscience-stricken because I've tested on her."

  "Don't feel guilty about it. I'm just glad that you're willing to let her go." Chang heaved a sigh, saying, "We all have our own plans and thoughts, and I'm forever grateful that you always make a concession on mine."

  "Thank you, Chang."

  The skin around Qing Shui's eyes wrinkled as he smiled.

  "But... I don't want to live in the institute anymore," Chang said. "Here... It's not somewhere I belong to. I'm vigilant every second in the institute even if you're here. I want to live outside this place."

  "No problem, you can do whatever you want to. Let's keep in touch. When you are in trouble, or need help, don't forget that I'm here. I can offer you food and weapons, anything that you ask for." Qing Shui lowered his head. "I just hope that our brotherhood doesn't end today."

  "I understand that, Zhizhi is neither me nor Jing, and she's just a nobody to you, so there is no reason for you to take care of her anyway." Chang smiled wryly. "I think this is what they call politics. And politics and friendship should never collide with each other."

  "So what's your plan after you get out?"

  Qing Shui quietly avoided the topic, lit a cigarette for Chang, and handed it to him.

  Chang took the cigarette between his fingers, taking a deep inhale so that the nicotine reached the bottom of his lungs. "I don't have one yet, we'll see. I'll inject the Modifier before I leave, then, I think my ability can at least keep me from starvation."

  "I do believe that, after all, you fond your own way to survive even in Kaifeng." Qing Shui's smile was warm. "About the Modifier, I have to remind you that the rearrangement of your gene sequences is a prolonged process, it won't have instant effects. And I only learned that recently.

  "For example, if you were to develop a sensitive olfactory system that skews at the right end of the normal distribution, you have to have more olfactory cells grow in your body. That means, even if your gene sequences are successfully modified, it will still take time to transform the structure. Only when you have a functional feature will the transformation is completed. Fish without gills can't survive underwater.

  "This is what I found these days. The effect cycle of the Modifier is as long as your life, so prepare yourself before the injection."

  "Understood." Chang nodded. "Take good care of yourself as well after we leave here."

  "Don't worry. No one would dare to touch me except for that source of the disturbance. No one is capable of causing harm to me." Mentioning himself in the conversation, Qing Shui seemed reluctant. "I feel like that disturbance is targeting me as I can always feel its presence these days. It's been wandering around the institute."

  "What
do you think it is?"

  "I've no idea, but that means it's a formidable life form. It seemed to be interested in my research, which means it's intelligent." Qing Shui smiled. "It's always observing me from far away, but it never initiates a rash approach."

  "You aren't intimidated, are you?" Chang asked with deep concern.

  "No need to worry, it is prudent. And I've also planned my counter-move. However, it's always looking at me, perhaps my genetic research intrigues it," Qing Shui said. "And then I was thinking, maybe it's looking into ways of reproduction."

  "Reproduction?"

  "A life form like it has a low chance of mutation, and it must have gone through a rapid evolution during that period. The odds of another organism evolved in the same path that it has gone through is infinitely small, thus, it is one of a kind. That being said, it can't mate with an opposite sex of its kind because there is none. No matter how intimidating it is, it's still a singular organism that can't cause harm on a large scale, unless it is the Willow."

  Qing Shui then continued, "Though, I don't think it is the Willow. Then thing is just learning how to reproduce. From his behavioral pattern, it's not its first time approaching a human."

  "What will you do now? To deal with the unknown," Chang asked.

  "I'll do nothing. It's good at disguising itself, and I don't see a chance of capturing it. I can only sense its presence by the feeling of being disturbed dangling in my heart, which is almost always here," Qing Shui replied. "However, you don't need to worry about me at all. Firstly, if it's as intelligent as I think it to be, it should never show itself. And secondly, if it reveals its identity to me, it's doomed to die."

  "Good to hear all that." Chang nodded for one last time. "My mind is at rest as long as you're safe."

  "I'll bring her to you tomorrow morning. And I'll contact you when the news about your relatives comes."

  "Thanks."

  "I should leave, take a good rest." Qing Shui took back the half of the cigarette and inhaled until his lungs bloated up. He squeezed out the last bit of flare on the windowsill and left without looking back.

  The next morning.

  Zhizhi was escorted to Chang's room when the sun rose up. One of her arms was lost in the spider den and one of her remaining fingers hung on Chang's pendant.

  Zhizhi seemed to have recovered well from the explosion but her eyes were fatigued. Her expression turned grateful when she saw Chang standing in the hallway.

  "I'm leaving with Jing, do you want to join us?"

  A full washed-out backpack was on his back, and Jing was sitting on his forearm, though Chang's facial muscles were still rigid.

  "Let's go together."

  Zhizhi nodded.

  "Alright."

  Chang took the lead to step out of the institute.

  Officer He followed suit without saying a word. The moment they 'escaped' from the institute, emotions surged in waves in their minds.

  They had fled from the eye of the storm, and being away from which would lead them to a long period of peaceful life. Of course, it was merely an inner peace and temporary, from being freed from the political struggles. However, the rivalry between humans and nature was not going to stop, challenges would come repeatedly, leaving humans no time to take a breath.

  The pace of global evolution won't take a rest for anyone. Species who occupied this planet would continue to evolve and mutate, leading to a more complicated food web.

  Yet it was still unknown whether humanity would be dragged down from the throne.

  ...

  Four years later.

  In the city of Zhengzhou

  Inside the Chortle.

  "Yo! Where are the strippers?" some drunkard swaying his tankard shouted out. "We live on the policy made in the Institute, selling them the new species that we found in the jungle. After all that hard work, you're telling me that there is no stripper performance? What kind of sh*tty bar is this!"

  "This bar is clean, they don't provide services like that," someone reminded the boisterous drunk, and his just as lively companions. "This is a place for drinks only, we never saw strippers here. I bet you've came from another Area."

  "First time here, we came all the way from Area 2." The mercenaries burst out into vulgar laughter. "We had no idea that there was a bar at a backstreet like this, but once we saw it, we knew that there should be some nice services provided in a place like this. I'm really disappointed now, I want my strippers!"

  One of the mercs hammered onto the table, cleaving out a hole. The quake sent the tankards crashing to the ground.

  "You better not incur unnecessary troubles. We all know who takes care of this bar," the person on the next table continued to warn them. "Perhaps it's an urban legend, but we heard that the owner is close to the military, and he's on good terms with the higher ups. Some juvenile gang attempted to merge this bar with theirs once but on the next day, their leader was beheaded, and his corpse was fed to the tentacle monster in the sewage... You better behave yourselves..."

  It seemed like the person was reminding them with good intentions but his tone was actually threatening. Anyone with a clear mind would notice his provocation.

  As expected, the outsiders were enraged by his remarks. One of the drunkest stood up on his chair, shouting with anger, "F*ck this sh*t. Everybody has some sort of connections these days, and they're all yelling that they ain't afraid of death. They're all liars, liars!

  "My name is Sanpang Mo, I shall see who dares to challenge me!"

  The man behaved with unbearable insolence, attracting attention from everyone in the bar.

  Chapter 112: Monkat

  As the man had said, Sanpang's arrogance was ignored by both the bartenders and the waiters.

  Sanpang lost his interest when the boredom of being ignored hit him. He stepped down from the chair, and started boasting about his achievement, "Listen, listen. What I got in the jungle is incredibly valuable, because I found a kind of insect that had just evolved..."

  Sanpang kept flaunting himself, and that attracted the attention of a one-armed woman who had a hook installed on her stump. She supported her chin with the heel of her other hand, listening as if the stories told were also experienced by a person that stayed in her heart.

  At the same time.

  Something tense was happening in the jungle.

  A troop fell into a trap, and some of the members were tied up by ropes that had been buried under the dry leaves on the ground. All of those caught were hung upside down, and they started crying out of fear.

  "What!"

  "Ah!"

  "What is it?"

  Those men bawled.

  "Someone untie us! Who set this trap up? F*ck this sh*t!" A man hung between the branches, shouting to his comrades underneath beneath him. "Get me loose! I'm already having a bad day for getting lost in the jungle at night."

  "Hey! Someone answer me!"

  Those men who hung upside down could only see red and blue colors through the optic goggles that they had bought from the institute.

  Looking through the shrouding red fog, their companies didn't instantly rescue them from the trap but stood still, as if they were alerted by something moving around them.

  "Hey! I said..."

  Those men hurried their companies, but then a few bulbous lumps bulged out from underneath the ground. A kind of animal that had a strange appearance poked out from one of the lumps, then another, and another.

  "There's something coming from beneath the ground!"

  Those who stood on the ground were stabbed by the organisms that sprang up from below. Their hight was up to an adult's abdomen.

  "Monkats! They're monkats! Run! Run!" the mercenary shouted out, firing his repeaters towards monkats. Some of these fierce animals that had monkey bodies with rat faces and claws were shot immediately.

  Yet monkats were fearless and obsessed with fighting. They didn't mourn for their companions' deaths but got excited by blood. They squea
ked even louder while throwing their wooden spears at the mercenaries, and those crude weapons penetrated through one of the men's chests.

  "Don't touch their spears! They're poisoned!" A man who knew about the monkats called for withdrawal. "Run! They aren't something that easy to deal with," the man shouted out, fleeing.

  However, a monkat threw a fruit-like object and hit his chest.

  The fruit exploded upon impact, releasing green mist from within. The person couldn't help but inhale a bit of that mist out of shock and fear, and then fainted.

  The monkat which had hit its target with the fruit squeaked with pride.

  Those who hung upside-down refrained from shouting, instead, they bent up to reach for their daggers that were hidden in their boots to cut the ropes. However, wooden spears rained on them, scratching their skins when passing by. All of the mercenaries began to twitch when the poison entered their systems.

  For those who were on the ground, the fight with monkats wasn't enjoyable or blood-boiling—they withdrew to the jungle while dodging the spears.

  The leader of monkats squeaked loudly again when it saw the humans fleeing in all directions. His subordinates followed the command by jumping off the trees to the ground. They were rolling over the obstacles, springing between the bushes with great speed. Monkats were no doubt much more flexible than monkeys from before the apocalypse.

  Apparently, humans were disadvantaged when competing in speed. Besides, even nowadays they could only see two meters further with the optic goggles, while monkats were gifted with night vision.

  The mercenaries simply couldn't get away from their pursuers.

  There was a great disparity in strength, given that one side was fleeing with limited vision and speed.

  So the mercenaries collapsed one by one from the wooden spears thrown from overhead, and it wasn't even a long distance later that there were only three or four remaining.