Chapter 86 - 82: Red Function Card
"Nice shot! Great Archery Skill," Zhao Pu praised.
Qin Ziwen replied humbly, "I’ve practiced before, but only on stationary targets. It’s nothing special."
He wasn’t lying. In college, one of his roommate’s family had opened an archery range near campus.
He and his friends used to help out there part-time, and they could practice for free after their shifts or whenever there were no customers.
"What’s the draw weight on your Compound Bow?" Zhao Pu asked.
"Fifty pounds." Qin Ziwen walked to the base of the tree where the Black Falcon lay on a bed of dead leaves, its legs twitching.
The Arrow had pierced its body, the broadhead tearing a large gash in its abdomen. It was bleeding profusely and clearly wasn’t going to survive.
He picked up the Black Falcon from the ground. It was large, nearly the size of a Beaked Eagle, but its talons and beak were shorter.
With one of their own dead, the remaining Black Falcons didn’t dare to get closer.
They just circled high above, watching them from a distance.
"Let’s head up the mountain first. Protect your heads and don’t waste time on these birds."
The group climbed the slope, and a dark cave finally came into view.
The Black Falcons circled far overhead, seemingly wary of the cave and not daring to approach.
Deng Guang joked, "These birds are like the altar’s guardians, attacking us just for showing up."
"This is it. Everyone be careful; there are a lot of bats inside," Qin Ziwen said, looking up at the cave before them.
The cave entrance was about six or seven meters high and over ten meters wide. It hadn’t looked that impressive in the video, but standing in front of it, they realized the entrance was actually quite large.
Looking in from the mouth of the cave, they saw the altar was deep inside. A small red point of light was visible in the distance, standing out sharply in the pitch-black interior.
’Is that the Card...?’ Zhao Pu muttered to himself. This was his first time seeing a Card. He stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck to peer inside.
The cave was pitch-black. He couldn’t see anything clearly except for the red dot deep inside.
Based on the length of the video, Qin Ziwen deduced, "It should be over a hundred meters away."
"I’ll go." Deng Guang stepped forward, placing the items in his hands on the ground.
Seeing that Qin Ziwen was about to protest, Deng Guang waved him off. "We can’t let you take the risk every time," he said candidly. "You guys just cover me from the entrance. You went last time, so it’s my turn now."
As he spoke, Deng Guang tugged at his leather jacket. "Besides, this jacket is tough."
He took the flashlight from Qin Ziwen.
Deng Guang switched on the flashlight and aimed it inside. The ground was covered in a thick layer of bat droppings.
As he moved the flashlight beam upward, he saw the ceiling was covered with giant bats, hanging upside down and packed together in a dense, black mass.
The light hit them, and a chorus of screeches erupted.
"SKREEE SKREEE SKREEE~"
Deng Guang took a deep breath and slowly walked inside.
Qin Ziwen and the others watched the flashlight beam recede into the darkness.
When the beam finally fell upon the Card on the altar, Qin Ziwen broke out in a cold sweat for him.
The beam of light turned and started heading back the way it came.
"Bro, those bats look huge, like little dogs," Qin Ziwu said, pointing to the cave ceiling.
Qin Ziwen said, "Remember the bats we saw the night we first crossed over?"
Qin Ziwu’s throat went dry. ’Don’t tell me all the ones in here are that big...’
Qin Ziwen replied, "I’m not sure, but they look pretty similar."
As the two talked, the screeching of the bats overhead grew more frequent.
Zhao Pu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. ’There are so many bats.’ If they all swarmed out and attacked, getting bitten to death would be a secondary concern. The main thing was the sheer number of bacteria and viruses that would get into the wounds. As a medical student, the thought alone made his blood run cold.
"CAW! CAW!"
The Black Falcons cried out from behind and above them.
Amidst the calls of the Black Falcons, Deng Guang walked out of the cave, flashlight in hand.
Seeing Qin Ziwen, he broke into a wide grin and handed over the red Card. "Got it. This thing’s a Function Card."
Qin Ziwen took the red Card.
The Card’s name appeared in his mind.
[Function Card]Insight.
...
"As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters."
Jiang Dingguo was consoling Li Yue. "Your foot might be injured, but you’re still alive. As long as there’s life, there’s always hope. I’ve been here for so long, and with my bad leg, all I can do these days is chat with the other old folks."
At this, Jiang Dingguo sighed. "You know, when we first started gathering to chat, there were about a dozen familiar faces. Now, there are only seven or eight of us left."
Leaning on his cane, Jiang Dingguo pointed to Wei Zhaohua not far away. "My son-in-law over there... he’s a steady man. Doesn’t fool around. He might be a little dense sometimes, but he’s good to my daughter, and that’s what matters. I know that when her mother and I are gone, there will still be someone to care for her."
When people get old, they tend to talk more.
Jiang Dingguo gazed at the murky river water and remarked wistfully, "Xiaoqin is a good man, too. We don’t have much to do anyway, and these Earth Cages have given us an easy job. We just sit here, and at the end of the day, we get a share of the fish and shrimp. We old folks don’t have big appetites; a little bit is enough to fill us up."
Li Yue sat beside him, listening silently while poring over a book on metallurgy.
As they were talking, a group of people approached from behind them. The most conspicuous thing about them was that many had long hair.
After arriving, the group immediately surrounded them, forming a circle.
Sensing their hostile intentions, Jiang Dingguo stood up with his cane and walked up to their leader.
The leader’s calm gaze swept over the crowd of old folks, women, and children.
Jiang Dingguo spoke in a powerful voice, "And who might you be?"
"I’m looking for Qin Ziwen. I heard he’s got guts—that he took down some bandits with a blade. I came to pay him a special visit. Is he not here?"
The others remained silent.
Seeing their reaction, the leader chuckled. "No need to be nervous. My name is Zou Jianghe. You may not have heard of me, but I’m sure you know about the recent sale of saplings and baked earth. I organized those events.
"I have now formed an Alliance Mutual Aid Association with fifty-seven other households, dedicated to building an organization that can help more of our countrymen survive. We are sincerely inviting all capable neighbors to join us. I hope that when Qin Ziwen returns, you will pass on my message: meet at the south gate of the Gated Community tomorrow at ten in the morning. Of course," he added, "this is an invitation, not a threat."
Only after he and his people were far away did Xiao Xuemei speak up. "I’ve heard of this Mutual Aid Association. They say he’s won over most of the residents in Building Two and that they’re doing pretty well."
Jiang Dingguo stared at Zou Jianghe’s retreating back, his eyes narrowing slightly. "If he can really help most of the people in this Gated Community survive, then it would be a good thing. But I’m afraid it’s all just a respectable facade, hiding corruption and depravity."
(PS: I’ve received everyone’s feedback. After mulling over this part of the plot, I agree there are quite a few problems. Some character introductions were too abrupt. Since this only affects the latest two Chapters, I will be replanning the storyline.)
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