abyss rose

Chapter 31

It was a sentence that people didn't know how to respond to.

Chu Ci's tone was very calm, as calm as in the past, making it impossible to hear sadness or joy.

But Chai Yuening just felt that something bumped into her heart.

It didn't hurt, but it also made her temporarily forget to breathe.

I don't know how long the silence in the darkness lasted.

Chai Yuening came back to her senses and wanted to say something, but found that the breathing of the person beside her had become flat and slow, most likely she was asleep.

She slowly closed her eyes and involuntarily took a deep breath that was almost silent.

The dream that night was messy.

After waking up from the dream, it was the morning of the second day.

But there should be sunrise in the morning, but there is no sunrise at the base, only warm yellow light.

Chu Ci was still asleep, Chai Yuening gently closed the bedroom door, and then turned on the chandelier in the living room in the dark.

At this time, the base does not have a human voice broadcast, but it can be tuned to the morning music station.

Chai Yuening turned the volume to the minimum, lay down on the sofa, stared at the white ceiling in a daze.

From outside the room came the sound of Youlan asking Lu Qi for help with errands and shopping.

Chai Yuening came back to her senses, sat upright subconsciously, and looked forward.

On the tea table, the poetry collection Chu Ci was reading last night was quietly upside down in front of her eyes.

As a person who gave up her studies very early, Chai Yuening doesn't like to read these literary things.

But for some reason, at that moment, she stretched out her hand out of nowhere.

She saw the upside-down page of the poetry book.

"The Last Rose"

— Pablo Neruda

I am a desperate man,

Words without echo.

lose everything,

And have it all.

the last cable,

My last wish babbles and sings for you.

In my barren land,

You are the last rose.

Chai Yuening didn't quite understand what was the last or not.

She thinks that poets always love to write such incomprehensible things, which most ordinary people cannot understand.

It's just that for some reason, the originally soothing piano music seems to suddenly have a bit more sadness.

In the bedroom, there was a creaking sound from the old bed board.

Chu Ci should have woken up.

Chai Yuening put the collection of poems upside down.

She stood up, walked to the door, and opened the door.

You Lan, who was just about to close the door diagonally across the street, saw her and hurriedly waved her hand to say hello: "Captain Chai is so early?"

Chai Yuening: "You just asked Lu Qi to help you do the shopping?"

"I haven't eaten fruit for several days, and I was dreaming about it last night." Youlan said, "It is said that the fruit in the main city is fresh, so I asked Lu Qi to buy some for me to try."

"Is that expensive?"

"People are alive and enjoy themselves in time." Youlan said, just in time to see the disheveled Chu Ci walking behind Chai Yuening, and raised his eyebrows ambiguously, "Captain Chai should know better than me."

"Cough..." Chai Yuening coughed dryly twice, and changed the topic back: "If you buy a lot, sell me a little?"

"How can I sell it? Let's eat together!" Youlan said, winking at Chai Yuening and said, "Timely enjoyment doesn't matter whether it's sooner or later, I won't bother you."

With that said, he closed the door behind his backhand.

The corners of Chai Yuening's eyes twitched, and she walked into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of hot water that she had boiled when she got up.

Chu Ci came out of the bathroom after washing up, and asked very casually, "What does Boss You want you to enjoy in time?"

"Later she will treat everyone to eat fruit." Chai Yuening said.

"I haven't seen you buy it before, it's not cheap."

"It's more expensive than eggs." Chai Yuening said with a smile, "But this time it doesn't cost money."

"Boss You is so generous."

"Yeah, when we were arguing about the middle fee with her, I really didn't realize that she also has a generous side." Chai Yuening muttered in a low voice.

More than an hour later, Lu Qi drove back with two bags of fruit.

The fruit bag was big and heavy, and when Lao Xiang heard Lu Qi yelling downstairs, he hurried downstairs to help.

When the items were resisted, the whole corridor could hear him sighing: "Is this a wholesale business? I have bought 'one' to satisfy my hunger all my life. I have never seen so many fruits. Boss You is really willing." !"

Lu Qi: "It's nice to have money."

Old Xiang: "It's nice to be rich!"

Amidst bursts of emotion, those fruits that most residents in the outer city could not afford to eat were cut into pieces by Youlan and Lonicera, and placed into beautiful fruit platters one after another.

The production of fruits in the base is far from enough. If this kind of platter is placed in the outer city, one plate alone will be enough for ordinary people to eat for a month or two.

Everyone was embarrassed at first, but in the end they opened their stomachs amidst Youlan's brainwashing of "enjoyment in time".

Although no one mentioned it, it is true that no one knows what the future of the base will be like.

So they went on like that for another day in a daze.

At noon on the second day, Chai Yuening, who was cooking vegetable soup, received a communication from the military.

Xue Zhou: "Captain Chai, the locator of the floating city has been successfully repaired. Considering that the base is located deep underground, without the ground signal tower and without any means of signal diffusion, communication waves of various frequencies are possible. Being blocked, the base decided to send people to the ground to wait for rescue."

Chai Yuening: "Can't it be hidden somewhere on the ground?"

Xue Zhou: "The black vines are growing crazily, and herds of beasts appear from time to time. There is no corner on the ground that is absolutely safe. Before reinforcements arrive, the base must ensure that this fingernail-sized thing will not be damaged again."

Chai Yuening: "How many people does the military plan to send?"

Xue Zhou: "Captain Chai, the military doesn't have many manpower left."

Chai Yuening couldn't help but suffocate, and she couldn't help asking: "Why?"

"The ninth district lost contact, just before the base was about to send people to the ground." On the other side of the communicator, Xue Zhou said in a deep voice, "If there is hope, then the base does not want to give up any outer cities before dawn. "

He said that all the remaining troops of the military will lead all mercenary teams willing to respond to the military's call to rescue the Ninth District before the arrival of reinforcements from the Floating Void City.

He said that the No.13 mercenary team has far more experience in ground operations than most military teams. If there is a shortage of manpower so that only a few people can be sent to the ground to perform this mission, then the No.13 mercenary team is the most trusted by the base. .

He said that if the No.13 mercenary team is willing to accept this task, the base will provide them with the best equipment and the most sufficient supplies.

The rotten vegetables stick to the pot, and a smell of burnt wafts out of the pot, Chai Yuening hastily turned off the fire.

She tightly held the military communicator in her hand, and replied in a deep voice, "No. 13 mercenary team, willing to fight for the base."

After a long period of silence, a helpless exhortation came from the other end of the communicator.

"On behalf of the base, I thank you for coming forward. All the necessities, including the locator, have been sent to the elevators in the main city." Xue Zhou's voice was exhausted, "Captain Chai, Lu Qi is begging you."

Chai Yuening couldn't help thinking that before the major general got her answer, he might have selfishly thought that she could refuse.

But the selfishness that some people can have is destined to be limited.

Chai Yuening turned around and looked at Chu Ci who was standing at the door of the kitchen at some point.

She spread her hands and smiled helplessly: "There are always troubles that make people unable to eat well."

Chu Ci: "Should I call everyone now?"

Chai Yuening: "Of course, get ready, we're leaving."

As Chai Yuening said, she put on her small purse, pushed the door out, and knocked on the door of Lu Qi and Lao Xiang's room.

She shouted loudly: "Work has resumed, everyone come out to work!"

"Resume work? Go to the ground?" Lu Qi rushed out excitedly.

"What's the situation?" Youlan opened the door with a look of shock, "You guys are going to the ground? What are you doing on the ground? The radio has been talking about it for the past two days. It's recorded, it's scary! Ah, the base doesn't want you to get samples of those things, does it?"

Lao Xiang also opened the door: "The samples from the outer city are not enough for Dr. Ge's research, do they have to be from the ground?"

"This time we don't kill the alien beasts, and we don't want samples. The mission the military gave us this time is probably..." Chai Yuening paused, and said seriously, "Go for a ride on the ground."

"Huh?" Lu Qi scratched the back of his head.

"How long?" Old Xiang asked.

Chai Yuening thought for a while: "Come here from Floating Void City."

Old Xiang: "My good fellow, I have to prepare an extra box of oil for us."

Chai Yuening: "Must."

Old Xiang: "Are you going now?"

Chai Yuening: "I'm going now."

As soon as Chai Yuening finished speaking, she saw the door of Lonicera's room was gently pushed open.

"Captain, I'll go too." The girl in the wheelchair had firm eyes.

"you……"

"Du Xia is not here, there must be a gun in the team." Liandong said, and smiled with a bent eyebrow, "I can replace her, captain."

"..." Chai Yuening couldn't help falling into silence.

Lao Xiang patted Chai Yuening on the shoulder, and said softly: "Let her go, she hasn't been on the ground for many years, it's good to get some air."

Chai Yuening pondered for a long time looking at Liandong's expectant eyes, and finally nodded.

At that moment, a gleam of joy flashed in Liandong's eyes, as if the melancholy that had been suppressed for a long time was relieved at this moment.

In the face of danger, no one wants their existence to be meaningless.

"Are you all leaving? Then I..." Youlan blinked hesitantly, and clenched his fists at everyone, "Shall I cheer you up?"

"Thanks, I'll come back to meet you for lunch." Chai Yuening responded, turned her back and waved, and walked ahead.

"It's been a long time since I went to the ground."

"Yes."

"Captain, will we encounter a super-big beast?"

"If you do, I'll throw your crow's mouth out of the car and stuff it between its teeth."

"..."

The team, who hadn't left the base for a long time, got into the car chattering like every time they went out.

They rushed to the ground, watching the dawn.