Chapter 367: The Strange Child
As the motorcycle approached, the town’s sign, resembling that from “Deadwood,” finally appeared in the sight of Su Jiu and another person. A few old streetlights stood lonely beside the sign.
“Why does this town feel lifeless? It must be because it’s so early,” Su Jiu said, slowing down slightly. She gazed at the empty town entrance in the distance, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. The onlookers they had seen earlier had given them strange looks, their eyes darting away with a touch of fear.
This Chocala City was vastly different from the international city they had just left. It was surrounded by white brick walls, not very high, about three meters tall. Looking through the “city gate,” they could even see some older European-style buildings. The streets visible to the naked eye were deserted, and the dim streetlights flickered intermittently, making one feel uneasy.
Su Jiu could clearly sense the strangeness of this city. Not only were only rolled-up “grass” (风息草) visible at the city entrance, but more importantly, despite being occupied by Yela, there were no Yela soldiers.
“Are these the gazes of the residents? We need to find someone to ask for directions.”
Squinting at the peeking eyes above the three-meter-high wall, Su Jiu steered the motorcycle straight in. Along the way, she felt many curious stares peering out from various houses. Fear? Or awe? Both, perhaps? Shouldn’t seeing someone in a white coat make them happy?
Under those gazes, Su Jiu circled the town on the motorcycle for about two and a half laps but couldn’t find a gas station. Even the passersby, wearing yellow scarves, looked terrified and hid when they saw Su Jiu and the other person.
Finally, she decided to slow down the motorcycle and stopped in front of a house with a well-maintained courtyard. “What are they so afraid of? And it’s too strange that there are no Yela soldiers around. This city should have been completely occupied, right?”
“I’ll go ask for directions.”
Under a streetlight, Su Jiu removed her helmet. She glanced at the furtive eyes peeking from behind a curtain in a house to her left and nudged Bairnis with her elbow, whispering, “Keep an eye on the bike, don’t let anyone take it.”
“Are you awake? Excuse me, how do I get to the nearest gas station?”
Su Jiu quickly stepped forward and knocked on the door, but only silence answered. Just as she was about to knock again, a small figure suddenly darted out from the house opposite.
Su Jiu calmly observed the approaching figure, realizing it was a child wearing a cartoon t-shirt. The child stared intently at her, and there was a hint of hostility in their coffee-brown eyes, but Su Jiu could also sense another emotion – pleading.
Before Su Jiu could speak, the child took a step forward, bowed slightly, extended their hands, and respectfully said, “White Feather, sir, I am willing to have my arm modified, as long as you give me food.”
“White Feather, sir?”
Hearing the child’s words, Su Jiu paused, looking at them with confusion. She examined the child more closely, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“Are these… alchemical materials for eyes? Did what he said earlier about being willing to be modified have something to do with this?”
She noticed the child was very thin and that their left eye seemed strange. She could clearly sense a scent of alchemical apparatus emanating from it.
“Can you tell me what this ‘White Feather’ person is all about?”
Su Jiu’s brows furrowed in thought, awaiting the child’s answer. It seemed the reason for the town’s condition might be related to this so-called “White Feather.”
The thin child froze slightly upon hearing the question. They glanced at the white coat Su Jiu was wearing and then examined her more carefully. Noticing no significant difference apart from a red ribbon on her arm, they asked confusedly, “Aren’t you White Feather? But your clothes…”
“I am a member of the International Red Cross, not this ‘White Feather’ you speak of…”
Su Jiu was about to explain, but seeing the child’s continued look of bewilderment, she felt a bit helpless. At this moment, Bairnis nudged her shoulder with a finger and whispered, “Didn’t he ask for food? Give him some canned meat. I remember you kept two storage bags.”
“Oh, right…”
Suddenly reminded, Su Jiu quickly took out two cans of meat from her white coat’s storage bag. Smiling, she handed one to the child and said softly, “We’re not bad people. Take this food and answer our questions properly.”
“This is… the canned meat that was cleared out from the supermarket?!”
The child’s eyes lit up upon seeing the canned meat in Su Jiu’s hand. However, they cautiously glanced at Su Jiu’s white coat, their hand holding the can hovering in mid-air. In the end, the desire for food overcame their caution. They snatched it, opened it, and began to eat ravenously.
“Is this a girl?”
Hearing what sounded like a girl’s voice, Su Jiu was a bit surprised. However, they weren’t in a hurry and quietly watched the child finish, waiting for an explanation. Soon, the child finished the can and looked at the other can in Su Jiu’s hand again.
“First, tell us, what exactly is ‘White Feather’?”
As the child reached for the can, Su Jiu smilingly held it higher, asking gently.
“Sister, are you really not White Feather?”
“No… Does my Eastern face look like it belongs to the White Feather organization?”
After the child took another serious look at the Red Cross emblem on Su Jiu’s arm and Su Jiu and the other person exchanged glances, they produced their International Red Cross identification and emphasized it multiple times…
The child fell silent for a moment. Their left eye, which looked mechanical, rotated slightly. They lowered their head, clenched their fists, and said in a low voice, “White Feather isn’t one person. They are a group of demons wearing white coats. The adults say they just want to use us common people as experimental subjects, to modify our bodies with alchemy.”
“Alchemy modification?”
Hearing this, Su Jiu immediately thought of that organization – the Crow. However, the Crow seemed to differ from this White Feather. The Crow bought civilian bodies, while White Feather seemed to modify them. But she could sense a significant connection between them. Although the two groups seemed far apart, they were part of a supply chain: one for modification, the other for purchase.
“Yes…” The child’s left eye trembled slightly, catching the metallic sheen of the streetlight. They suddenly grabbed Su Jiu’s white coat, their breathing becoming rapid.
“Alchemy. Our food and water are cut off by Yela. To get resources, we can only trade with White Feather. We thought we could escape, but every person who left the city would inexplicably turn into a corpse the next morning, hanging from the streetlights of our town.”
“Some people still thought they could escape without being discovered. My father was one of them, but…” The child paused, their right eye widening as if recalling something terrible. Their whole body trembled like a sieve. After a long while, they said word by word, “The next day, they were all hung on the church’s cross, where the White Feather stayed… with no breath left!”
“On the church’s cross…”
When the child said this, Su Jiu suddenly remembered that the Crow had also been in that church. Just as she was about to ask again, a clear, distant chime rang out, as if tolling for the entire silent night. Lights in houses suddenly flickered on.
“They’re choosing people again…”
The voice came from the child beside Su Jiu. They looked towards the left sky with a face full of fear. A tall building stood there like a crane in a flock of chickens. Su Jiu could see the small cross decoration on its top – clearly a church-like structure. However, the bell sound didn’t seem to come from there…
Su Jiu narrowed her eyes and looked at the gradually brightening lights in the distance on the street, which seemed to be a jeep approaching.
