Gene from the 13th Department of Bright City

11 o'clock sharp

Tian Ai stood by the sink slightly tiredly, looking at the densely packed bowls in front of her, she frowned slightly and shouted outside.

"Hoke, you bastard, get over here and help me."

There were bursts of laughter in the tavern, and Hawke was still drinking and talking and laughing with a bunch of regular customers. This would happen almost every day. Tian Ai held up his slender fingers, which were covered with scars. The knuckles are also covered with calluses.

"I'm only 22!"

boom

A plate was smashed to the ground by Tian Ai, and then Hawke rushed in and asked softly.

"What's wrong love love."

"Look at my fingers?"

Hawke grabbed Ai'ai's hand and looked through it carefully.

"I don't know how to read palms."

"Who asked you to read your palm? I'm only 17 years old. Do I want to be a waiter in this shabby tavern for the rest of my life?"

Hawk blinked and scratched his head.

"Is the salary too low?"

Tianai shook off Hawke's hand and snorted coldly.

"With the miserable salary you gave me, when will I be able to live in a big villa?"

Hawke smiled awkwardly.

"Okay, love, just be busy every night. You don't have much time at other times. Do you want to try writing your own songs? You don't like singing very much."

"There are many people who can sing better than me, and"

Hawke pressed Tian Ai's shoulder and said with a serious expression.

"I think Ai-ai, you are very talented. Didn't I see you quietly learning music theory recently?"

Tian Ai's expression was slightly angry for a moment, and he punched Hawke in the abdomen, but Hawke immediately laughed.

"How dare you peek into my room, you pervert."

Hawke patted Tian'ai on the shoulder, walked to the sink and started washing dishes.

"Love, love, if you like something, just go ahead and do it, I will always be with you."

Tian Ai's expression softened. She walked to the sink and washed the dishes with Hawke. She nodded slightly. The revenue of this tavern was actually good, but Hawke only kept part of it every month, and then he would buy some. Food is delivered to local orphanages.

Tian Ai has said this question countless times, why should we care about other people's lives and lives, but every time it comes to Hawke, he always avoids this question. Tian Ai has also asked Hawke about his past, but Gene never said, no matter what No matter how much Tian Ai pesters the coquettish Jean, he always just smiles and excuses her.

"It's okay, Ai Ai. Although that boy Tianhen sometimes does things without thinking, he has a certain strength and there will be no problem. Besides, you have lived in the barrier zone for so long."

Tian Ai hummed, and Hawke could always see through other people's thoughts at a glance. At this time, the guests outside shouted again, and Tian Ai went out to greet them. This tavern could have recruited more people, but Hawke One person can handle most things and keep everything in order. Tian Ai often only needs to cook and clean. These tasks are easy or difficult.

For Tian Ai, this kind of work is a bit tedious, but the only advantage is that she can hear the guests from different places talk about some interesting things.

Tian Ai, who was originally smiling, now became serious again. She put down the bowl in her hand, still very worried about Tian Hen. Tian Ai also heard from Jean that the current situation in the barrier area was better than theirs. At that time, the barrier area became even more chaotic, with armed forces of all sizes standing on the cold land of the barrier area.

The danger of marching is very high. What worries Tian Ai the most is Tian Hen’s caring character. On the surface, he looks cold and sometimes unkind, but in fact he takes good care of the people around him. He is too kind-hearted. Many times in the past in the barrier area, Tianhen felt sorry for other people living in the barrier area, so they ended up starving.

Tianhen's character has not changed because he has lived in the barrier zone for so many years. He will not abandon his friends and relatives easily. Moreover, Tianhen seems to have something very heavy and difficult to express recently. Tianhen has come back several times. , Tian Ai would ask him seriously, but Tian Hen would not say anything.

Tian Ai knew very well that Tian Hen had done something that he could not bear. This matter had always been in his heart, making him entangled and even very uncomfortable.

No matter what happens to Tian Hen, he will keep it in his heart and will not say it at all. Tian Ai has known this since he was a child. No matter what pain he has, he will not tell the people around him, especially those close to him. will not say.

snap

When the water splashed, Tian Ai immediately wiped her hands, turned around and ran to the bar and took out her phone. She was still worried and planned to call Jean. Although such a request was a bit unreasonable, after all, Tian Hen was not a child anymore. .

Hawke glanced at Tianai, who was holding the phone with a serious expression, and smiled slightly. The brother and sister were very awkward, and they had been like this since they were young. Hawke was very clear about the situation of the brother and sister, and Tianai was no longer worried about this. I'm afraid Tou's personality will never change in his lifetime, and so will Tian Hen's dull personality that doesn't say anything.

"Really, two troublesome kids!"

Hawk stood up and walked over. It seemed that Gene's number could not be dialed, so Hawk took out his mobile phone.

"Many times, it is impossible to call the section chief directly. The congressional network will block dialing from non-senior members of the executive section. Use my mobile phone."

Tian Ai didn't know why, but he still took Hawke's call. Sure enough, after pressing the 0013 number, the call was connected.

"Is something wrong Hawke?"

"It's me, Jean. I have something to ask you."

11:50

Tianhen stood quietly on the Weeping Bridge, waiting for the teams in front to set off. The figures of each team had disappeared into the darkness. The directors and officers around him were still busy. They would be in the future. In a few days, we took a lift to some safe place and established a temporary supply base.

A total of more than 1,000 roads were covered, and they had to walk at least 30 kilometers every day to complete the march in more than a month. Tianhen was extremely familiar with the situation in the barrier area, and they were marching with heavy loads, which was a double physical and psychological test.

Ren Jia was talking and laughing with several women in the team. Everyone seemed too relaxed about the march plan in the barrier area.

"Stop talking. As I said before, you must be careful when you reach the barrier area."

Tian Hen turned on the light and shadow screen and looked at the routes above. He had watched these routes many times before the start of the march, as well as some on-the-spot videos.

Tianhen glanced at the appearance of many teams. They were all similar to his own team. They were not too worried about this march because they all believed that no matter how good the armed forces in the barrier area were, they would not use force. .

In the last incident, all the mutated people who sneaked up on them were dealt with by Jean from Section 13. Most of the staff at the scene saw the situation at that time.

In Tianhen's view, many people who have been bathed in the sun for too long have no idea what anger and hostility really mean. People in the barrier area hate people in the city very much.

The team in front started to move, and Tian Hen led the team to move forward. At this time, Ren Jia behind him was holding two backpacks, and the other male team members also had to help the female staff carry their things.

"I say again, don't mess around. The most important thing about this march is physical strength. It is important to ensure your physical fitness."

The team members said nothing more and each carried their own things. Ren Jia smiled helplessly. After a few minutes, Tianhen and the others set foot on the land of the barrier area.

"action!"

Tianhen led the team to walk quickly, Xima was at the end of the team, and Owen was in front of him. No one in the team spoke anymore, because after setting foot on this land, even if they were wearing special clothes, Even after wiping the underwear made of it, I could still feel the biting chill through my fingertips.

The resting point that Tianhen and his team arrived at first was nearly 30 kilometers away from here. Tianhen expected to take at least 3 hours to arrive. The wind and sand had begun to get bigger, and the only thing they could rely on was the route indicator on the light and shadow screen.

After traveling for half an hour, Tian Hen was a little confused because the cursor in front of him was slightly different from the road map he had seen repeatedly before. He raised his hand and ordered the team to stop.

Ren Jia and Xima both came over, and Tianhen expressed his inner doubts, but the two did not notice anything was wrong. This time the road map had already been stored in their light and shadow mobile phones, and they only needed to follow the road map according to the Just follow the direction indicated by the cursor on the screen.

Although there was no problem with the terrain on the route map, Tianhen felt keenly that they were going downhill. In front of him was a large pile of rocks with low visibility in the wind and sand.

"Let's get to the first location first."

In the end, everyone had no choice but to continue on the road, because the actual situation in the barrier area was completely different from that on the map. Soon Tianhen stopped again. In front of him was a relatively large slope, and there were a lot of obstacles on the rugged road. Rubbish.

Tianhen watched for a long time with the night vision device, and finally decided to go around. He didn't know the situation below at all, so he could only go around the edge.

After marching for a few minutes, many team members became alert and took off the automatic rifles they were carrying, immediately released the safety, and sporadic lights appeared in front of their eyes.

Some dilapidated houses stand at the end of a slope. If you want to go around, you have to pass over there. Now it is gradually clear that there is a big pit below. If you go down to the bottom, you have to climb up again.

There seemed to be a lot of people in this dilapidated town next to the big pit. Tianhen raised his hand and gestured. The team members began to separate. They began to approach quietly, 100 meters outside the town. , Tianhen stopped and could see clearly that someone holding a gun seemed to be standing guard in the wind and sand.

"Captain, the situation is the same over there. There is a place to go down, but to climb up, we seem to be on a ridge."

Tianhen nodded. At present, the easiest way is to pass through this small town. You have to carry things down to the bottom and then climb up. Although it seems to be only three or four kilometers away, it will actually consume a lot of the team members' physical strength.

Tian Hen directly took off his backpack, ran quickly, and disappeared directly into the wind and sand. Soon Tian Hen touched it quietly and looked at some places with lights on, and there were still people talking and laughing. , this small town on the ridge is not large, with about four to five hundred people.

Tianhen silently touched the door of a relatively solid building with the brightest light, and saw that there were many people sitting inside with guns. They were discussing something and seemed very happy. This should be somewhere. A garrison of armed forces, this place is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with rugged hillsides to the north and west.

The straight-line distance from the southern guard station is no more than 10 kilometers at most. It had been more than an hour when they were dawdling, and the march plan had been slowed down a lot.

It's just that Tianhen's mind is full of doubts at this time, because the route plan is customized based on the actual route sent back by the special inspectors active in the barrier area. The people above should not let the team pass through places where some armed forces are entrenched. .

After Tian Hen walked around and observed for a while, he immediately returned to the brightest building at the end of the town. He could already determine that an older man was the leader. He looked like a mutant. Tian Hen smiled slightly. .

Suddenly, the few people who were still talking and laughing in the room were stunned. They looked at Tianhen standing at the door of the room. They started to move in an instant, but the next second they were all unable to move. Light red particles dispersed in the air. middle.

"Good evening everyone, please forgive me for showing up in such a rude way."

Tianhen just explained his intention to the leader. They had no ill intentions and just wanted to pass here. The leader nodded.

Xima, who received the signal a few minutes later, led the team into the town. Many residents appeared around, looking at them eagerly. Tianhen stood next to the leader, smiling and waving to them.

The leader seemed a little angry at this time, but he did not dare to move, because once they did, they were no match at all.

"My lord, may I ask? What are you doing in the barrier area?"

Tianhen smiled and did not answer.

Three minutes later, Tianhen and the others successfully passed the town. The near-miss experience made many members of the team very excited.

Xima and Owen both raised their guns and retreated with their backs facing each other, still on guard.

The marching route returned to the correct road again. In front of him was a large flat plain. It looked much easier to walk than before. Tian Hen ordered to speed up.

At this moment, not long after Tianhen and the others left, an off-road vehicle drove out directly from the ridge town, and the leader looked solemn.

"Why do people from the business department come here? We have to bypass them and rush back to report."

As the outpost of the Southwest United Forces, the leader naturally knew that this matter was not simple. He didn't know what the group of Section 3 people were doing here. Maybe it was to capture someone. If they were all the kind with red particles. Mutants are very dangerous to their armed forces.

2:38 am

Tianhen looked at the road map in front of him in confusion. They did not find the resting place marked on the road map. It was surrounded by a flat land, but soon a team member shouted and saw a dilapidated ruins in the north. Although Tianhen had doubts, he still took the members of the team over. It was indeed a large ruins. It seemed that he could rest here for two hours before continuing to march.

At the moment of approaching, Tianhen felt something was wrong. He immediately raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. Then Tianhen leaned down and saw some ropes standing on the ruins on the ground.

"We took the wrong route."