Chapter 56 - 52: Changes

Deng Guang stared blankly at the square stone altar. "So this is the altar they were talking about."

Qin Ziwu’s breath hitched in excitement. "Brother Qin, we found the altar!"

"But there doesn’t seem to be anything on the altar." Qin Ziwen’s words were like a splash of cold water, snapping the other two back to reality.

Following the beams of their flashlights, they saw that the altar was completely empty.

"The Card floating over the crocodile corpse was bright and conspicuous, but there’s nothing on this stone platform." Qin Ziwen glanced around, connecting this to the tracks they’d seen earlier. "Someone must have taken the Card from here today."

Hearing this, Qin Ziwu and Deng Guang looked a little disappointed.

"Brother Qin, when does the Card refresh?"

"I don’t know. But based on my gaming experience, it would normally be at midnight. Of course, it could also be at six or seven in the morning."

Qin Ziwu suggested, "Why don’t we stay here and wait for the Card to refresh? We can grab it and then go."

Qin Ziwen was tempted for a moment, but he quickly shot the idea down.

The Gated Community was about a mile away as the crow flies. But in this uneven forest, with all the slopes to climb and pits to navigate around, it would take at least two or three hours to get back. And that was during the day; traveling at night was another matter entirely.

Traveling through an undeveloped, primeval forest in the dead of night was far too dangerous.

Qin Ziwen’s voice was firm. "We’re going back. But we can set out earlier tomorrow. We’ll leave at five a.m. sharp and come here to see if the Card has refreshed. Remember to bring all our gear tomorrow and be ready for anything."

"Okay!"

Having made their decision, Qin Ziwen turned his gaze back to the cave. ’We’ll be in a hurry tomorrow, so we won’t have time to scout the cave then,’ he thought. ’I’d better use this time to map out a route and check for any threats inside.’

He looked at the deep pool inside the cave. As he swept his flashlight beam across it, he could see particles of sand and silt suspended in the water. Beyond a certain depth, the light was simply swallowed, the boundary between light and shadow blurring into a deep, profound blackness.

The water from the pool extended out of the cave, carving a winding channel from the entrance. This was the source of the stream.

Qin Ziwen picked up a stone and tossed it into the pool.

PLOP!

Ripples spread across the water’s surface.

Beneath the surface, a vague, dark shape was startled into rapid motion.

In the beam of his light, he saw two bright eyes reflecting from beneath the water.

Deng Guang cried out in alarm, "There’s something in the water!"

The creature only seemed to glance around before quickly swimming off into the depths.

Qin Ziwu analyzed, "It didn’t look like a snake. It was kind of flat and thick, like a crocodile. But there shouldn’t be crocodiles in a mountain cave like this, right?"

Qin Ziwen guessed, "Could be a giant salamander or a large catfish."

Just inside the cave entrance, hugging the wall, was a narrow path extending from the rock face.

Following the path further in, the way widened until it became the stone platform beside the pool.

"Let’s go. We’ll head back for now and come back earlier tomorrow."

The journey back to the Gated Community was tense, but they encountered no real danger.

Halfway there, they encountered a leopard in a tree. It had a powerful build, almost like a small tiger.

The leopard, perched in the tree, stared down at the three of them. Perhaps because it wasn’t hungry, it didn’t attack.

By the time they returned to the Gated Community, it was already past six in the evening, and the sky was growing dark.

Qin Ziwen saw many neighbors outside the Gated Community’s gate, digging up soil. They were carrying it back to their homes to build up gardens on their balconies.

Downstairs, he saw Xiao Xuemei and Deng Wen. The two of them were struggling to carry a large, two-tiered box that was nearly half-full of soil.

"Old Deng, you’re back!" Xiao Xuemei set down the box and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Deng Wen called out, "Dad! Brother Qin!"

After calling out, the young woman pursed her lips. She knew they had spent the day deep in the forest, and that it wasn’t safe there.

Deng Guang hurried over to help. "What are you two...?"

Xiao Xuemei smiled. "We’re planting things. We have to find something to do while we’re stuck at home all day. We can’t always rely on you."

"Xiao Xuemei, I saw a lot of our neighbors moving soil, too."

Xiao Xuemei said, "That’s right. Someone was selling seedlings in the Gated Community this afternoon, and someone else was teaching us how to grow vegetables and prepare the soil. This soil has all been baked to kill any pest eggs and weed seeds inside. It makes it easier to grow things."

Qin Ziwen looked toward the south gate, where smoke was rising from beyond the courtyard wall. "Is that where it’s happening?"

Xiao Xuemei nodded. "Yes, that’s the spot. Baking the soil is free, too. Everyone can get one pot’s worth for free with their ID. If you want more, you have to trade supplies for it."

Qin Ziwu was surprised. "Are they a charity? That’s really generous."

Xiao Xuemei said, "Not exactly. They’re also buying fruit and vegetable seeds. Oh, and... they also said we can leave buckets of our... waste... outside our doors after we use the bathroom. They’ll come around to collect it for free every day at a set time."

Deng Guang watched the many neighbors coming and going with containers and couldn’t help but remark, "Looks like a lot happened in the Gated Community while we were gone."

Xiao Xuemei added, "That’s right. And now there are people selling ’medicine’ in the Gated Community. It’s all very professional. They even hung up a sign outside that says Renxin Hall."

"’Medicine’? You mean like pills?"

Xiao Xuemei shook her head. "No, they’re homemade salves. Some stop bleeding, some reduce inflammation, and others can treat minor things like colds and sore throats. I heard Renxin Hall is run mainly by a retired old traditional Chinese medicine doctor and his son, who’s also a doctor. They’ve even taken on a few apprentices. The old doctor lives in Building 9, Unit 1, on the fourth floor. They own both apartments on that level."

Qin Ziwen glanced at the adjacent Building 9.

Buildings 9 and 8 were on the west side of the Gated Community, right next to the perimeter wall. Before, you could see the street from there, but now all you could see was the great forest.

’No one can guarantee they’ll never get sick,’ he thought. ’Having a doctor around at a time like this—especially a TCM practitioner, who might be better suited for this environment—is definitely good news.’

Qin Ziwen decided he would go next door to check it out later.

There were over a thousand people in the Gated Community, from all walks of life.

He suspected there had to be more than just one person with a medical background.

On their way upstairs, they found the hallway blocked by two neighbors who were in the middle of an argument.

Qin Ziwen recognized one of them as the man who lived on the floor below him.

He recognized him instantly because of his distinctive salt-and-pepper hair. The man didn’t look old, but his hair was already white.

The man he was arguing with was short and stout, with a medium build.

"What gives you the right to lock the rooftop?"

"I live on the top floor. Why can’t I lock it?"

"Who says the rooftop belongs to the top floor? You dare say that in front of everyone in this building? When I bought my apartment, the developer said it belongs to all the property owners!"

"The apartment across from me is empty! I’m the only one on the tenth floor, so the rooftop is mine!"

The man with the salt-and-pepper hair glared. "The rooftop is yours? Say that again! I’m telling you, the rooftop is for common use by everyone in this building. If you dare lock it, I’ll just break the lock. And I’ll pick clean every last thing you’ve planted up there."

"You wouldn’t dare!"

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