Chapter 59: Her Last Call |
"You are going to Green Island City alone? Why?"
It was not just Leader Jack; even the Sheriff could not understand Shi Rang's decision.
Shi Rang tried to explain that his new job required a visit there, then fabricated a story about a friend needing his help. Finally, under the intense scrutiny of over three hundred pairs of tiny eyes, he had no choice but to reveal a little more of the truth.
"The Management Authority might be conducting some operations there. That is what the Alliance member who hired me said. Perhaps I can find news about your other companions, and because it might be dangerous, I have to go alone—"
"If you leave, even going downstairs will be a problem for us," the Sheriff argued fiercely right beside his ear. "We might starve to death in this house. This is the tenth floor!"
"I will make it a quick trip, probably just two or three days..."
"What if you get caught? The Management Authority will definitely come and search your house," the Sheriff protested, standing on the edge of his ear.
As for the crowds of Mini-Humans in the miniature town below, one could vaguely make out that they were also protesting.
"Why not just bring everyone along? We can even help you out."
Shi Rang grumbled inwardly.
However, he really could not find a reason to continue objecting, so he eventually had to nod in agreement.
"Alright, but when the time comes, you all have to follow my orders."
"No problem, I will make sure everyone follows your arrangements." The Sheriff rustled something by his ear. "I have already compiled the roster. Based on everyone's skills, I have divided the entire group into combat, medical, production, and logistics teams—which basically means the handymen."
Shi Rang replied, "We also need to assign a Centurion for every ten people, and then three Commanders of a Hundred to relay information to you, which will finally be summarized and reported to Leader Jack. This way, we will avoid a repeat of the previous situation where everyone shouted at once and ended up distracting Jack..."
It was already afternoon by the time Shi Rang accepted the job and returned home. He discussed tactics with the Mini-Humans while making dinner, even holding up a Magnifying Glass to meet with the representatives of each team. Out of the over three hundred Mini-Humans, a full hundred were Miniature Human Newborns, all of whom were combat members. The very first of the Miniature Human Newborns was also among them—Newborn Robbie, who was already a month and a half old.
The teenager looked no different from the others, which put Shi Rang's mind at ease.
Today had been smooth sailing. The mysterious third party had not come knocking, no one had come to arrest him, and there was even a rare piece of good news.
His first day after resigning was turning out to be a pretty good day.
At dinner, watching the stir-fried vegetables disappear from the plate at a visible rate, Shi Rang added a few more chopsticks' worth to the Mini-Humans' special dish. Yet, their stomachs seemed like bottomless pits. He had eaten half the meal, and surprisingly, the Mini-Humans had polished off the other half.
It seemed he had underestimated the Mini-Humans' appetites...
It was not that they had eaten little last night; rather, it was because Shi Rang had been wolfing down his food, leaving only a few noodles for them.
Fortunately, his job was already secured; otherwise, in a little while longer, he would truly be eating dirt.
'I am sorry, Management Authority. Although we have no direct grudges against each other aside from our opposing factions, I am just really strapped for cash.'
After washing the dishes, Shi Rang began catching up on the chores he had neglected recently, bustling around the house. As he carried the mop past the coffee table for the second time, he noticed Leader Jack waving half a tissue at him from the edge.
"Some of the Tiny Ones asked me to pass on a message to you!"
"What do they want to say?"
"They are asking when the other person in your house is coming back, and if we need to hide."
"Oh..." Shi Rang glanced toward Ying Shang's bedroom. The door was wide open to let the moisture on the floor dry, and the blanket on the bed was neatly folded. "If she comes back, she definitely will not mind you guys."
"Who is she?"
"My wife."
That statement immediately excited the Mini-Humans.
Gossip is human nature, let alone for the Mini-Humans who had been disconnected from society for so long.
The tiny people, still digesting their dinner, were burning with curiosity. The colorful, fine sand-like crowd quickly gathered at the edge of the coffee table, jumping up and down in a desperate attempt to catch his attention. Everyone talked over each other, trying to get Leader Jack to relay their questions first, completely confusing the poor man as he repeatedly shouted, "One at a time!"
Because some of them spoke the common tongue with a heavy, difficult-to-understand Third District accent, the miniature Sheriff climbed up to Shi Rang's ear to help translate and correct certain words.
"You are married? I really could not tell!"
"Is she pretty?"
"This really brings back memories. I got married so many years ago. Do you have any photographs? I have never actually seen modern young people's wedding photos."
Shi Rang tried to gloss over it with a slightly sorrowful and lost expression, followed by silence, but the Mini-Humans' enthusiasm remained undiminished. He had no choice but to stop, leaning on the mop handle as he attempted to brush the topic off.
"Of course, she is the most beautiful."
"It is already ten o'clock. Is she working overtime today? Are you not going to pick her up?"
"Today, she... is not coming back for now."
"Did you two have a fight? Did we cause it?"
"No, it is not because of you."
He simply could not bring himself to say the word "missing." It felt as though, as long as he did not utter the truth aloud, Ying Shang would still walk through that front door someday in the future.
"Why do you have two bedrooms? Are you sleeping in separate rooms? That is not good for a young couple; your relationship will fade."
Shi Rang could not help but curl his lips into a smile. "Because she likes to stay up late, always drawing until the wee hours before resting. Back when we only had one bedroom, she would work in the living room with a small lamp on so she wouldn't disturb my sleep. When she finished, she would quietly slip into bed. However, I am a light sleeper, so I woke up every time and knew exactly how late she stayed up. It ended up with me tossing and turning, leaving both of us poorly rested. I was worried she would ruin her eyes, so I cleared out a room to act as a studio for her to draw in, but it was still inconvenient. We then made up our minds that when we bought a house in the future, we would prepare a space for each of us where we could stay up late without bothering the other—as a result, I stay up playing Tabletop RPGs, and she stays up binge-watching shows. Sometimes, when we step out at one or two in the morning to grab snacks, we bump into each other. If one of us wants to supervise the other and stop them from staying up, we just take the initiative to crash in their bed. Truthfully, both beds are comfortable, but the mattress in her room is a bit softer than mine, and she was still thinking about... Anyway, that is how it is."
He sat down on the Sofa, reminiscing about the past with the Mini-Humans.
Despite their vast numbers, Shi Rang did not feel the pressure of being stared at by a crowd, allowing him to relax and speak at length.
That feeling of saturation deep within his mind surfaced again. It was as if he had completely recovered from an old illness, leaving him feeling refreshed and pulling him back from his happy memories to the present.
Shi Rang gave the mop a shake and glanced at the alarm clock.
"It is time for bed. Shall I take you all back on my way?"
The Mini-Humans complained loudly, very much like children unwilling to go to sleep, but Shi Rang did not leave room for negotiation.
After dropping his passengers off at the miniature town, he carefully guarded the sense of happiness in his heart, hastily finished his tidying, and climbed into bed. He lay down, hoping he would dream of that phone call again tonight, that he could see his beloved's figure once more.
The dream arrived right on schedule.
The last call before her disappearance rang out once again.
"Honey, are you home yet?"
She sighed on the other end of the line.
"I am sorry, did you come to pick me up? I was not at the studio this afternoon. I took time off, and I just finished my business now."
"It is good you didn't come, saves you a wasted trip. I was worried you would panic if you couldn't find me... Yeah, I am heading back now. Have you eaten yet? How about we go out tonight—wait a second."
Ying Shang seemed to pull the phone away from her ear.
On his end, Shi Rang also fell silent, worried about interrupting her.
'Perhaps there are still follow-up procedures for that earlier subsidy?'
"Is there a problem? Did you not say I could leave—hey, give that back!"
Her voice suddenly grew distant from the receiver. The sheer panic in her tone sent Shi Rang, who was far away at home, sprinting out of his house.
He shouted her name, but his voice completely drowned out the stern words of a stranger on the other side. When he gripped the phone tightly and desperately forced himself to stay quiet and listen closely, he heard a terrifying commotion—
Tables and chairs were kicked over on the other end of the line, and something crashed heavily to the floor.
A man was letting out a bizarre scream. It sounded utterly agonizing yet completely deranged, like a wild beast howling.
"Unknown armed forces have appeared in the quarantine zone! We are encountering—we need backup!"
Amidst the stranger's shouts, many others were screaming and fleeing in terror.
"Ying Shang?"
"Where are you, Ying Shang?!"
"Get away from her!"
Since the elevator was still in use, Shi Rang dashed into the emergency stairwell, flying down the steps three at a time.
Just as he sprinted down to the third floor, Ying Shang's phone dropped to the ground.
After two heavy thuds of the device hitting the floor, a sharp, authoritative voice echoed from a distance.
"Put down your weapon!"
"I said put down your weapon!"
In the chaos, Ying Shang tried to say something into the receiver, but the shouting drowned out her voice.
Then, a Gun fired.
Before the call cut off, she was screaming.