The return journey was always faster than the departure.
Shi Rang found a clearing with no shade and stepped into the dimming sunlight to warm his body. Only then did he realize the Lighthouse had already appeared in the distance.
He looked back down the mountain.
The Old Industrial Zone was now overflowing with people. Vehicles and figures swarmed through the ruins like ants, as if dismantling the very carcass of the industrial park.
He had spent less than a day down there, yet it felt as agonizingly long as several months.
Only now did he truly feel that he had escaped that night of madness.
Clutching his Camera, Shi Rang quickened his pace. He needed to reach the Lighthouse before the temperature plummeted, change into his spare clothes to survive the night, and then head down the mountain tomorrow to deal with the aftermath—repairing his phone and returning to Yunling City.
Perhaps smelling the scent of death clinging to him, a flock of vultures let out strange, harsh caws as they circled above the Lighthouse, weaving a distant vortex against the half-orange, half-grayish-blue sky.
Shi Rang narrowed his eyes, gazing past the final stretch of the trail toward the Lighthouse.
Someone seemed to be standing at the entrance of the Lighthouse.
Was it debris? Trash blown to the door by the wind? An illusion born of light and shadows?
Staring at the silhouette, Shi Rang cautiously approached.
Finally, his footsteps caught the figure's attention. The man lowered his binoculars and waved.
"I have been waiting for quite a while, Mr. Shi Rang."
The terrifying moments of last night had cast a heavy shadow over Shi Rang. He stopped in his tracks, only daring to step closer after recognizing the familiar logo on the man's coat. "Are you with the Pan-Continent Alliance?"
"Pingyuan City Regional Investigation Supervisor. It is a pleasure to meet you."
The man generously extended his hand, but aside from emphasizing his title, he neither introduced himself by name nor presented any identification.
Suspicious, Shi Rang hesitated for a moment. Only after confirming there was no one else in sight did he reluctantly shake the man's hand.
This was the first time today he had interacted with someone who didn't show an expression of disgust. Looking closely, however, the Supervisor had two wads of paper stuffed up his nose and was forcing a polite smile.
'This job really isn't easy either.'
"I wanted to find you a few days ago to chat about your investigation and see if there were any potential violations, but I could not find you in the city. After that, I came here to wait, though it seems I still missed you. A massive incident occurred in the Old Industrial Zone yesterday, didn't it?"
Shi Rang's heart skipped a beat.
He had only been active in Pingyuan City for a very short time, heading straight to the Lighthouse as soon as his preparations were complete, yet he had actually been under surveillance all along. But thinking about the true source of the absolute authority granted by the investigation rights, he felt relieved.
The investigation privileges had indeed been a massive help... and this was simply the price to pay.
The man truly hadn't provided detailed proof of his identity, but those words were the best evidence.
"This is my first time applying for authorization. What should I do? Give a statement?"
"I already have a basic understanding of the situation. I just need to copy the data from your Camera. It will take less than five minutes."
The Supervisor pulled a device smaller than the palm of his hand from his pocket, asked for the memory card, and slotted it into the device.
The fierce winds at the mountain peak whipped at their clothes, leaving the bare-chested Shi Rang and the Supervisor freezing and their cheeks stinging. Coinciding without agreement, both men stepped inside the Lighthouse.
Shi Rang lowered his head to open his bag. Only after verifying his wallet was still there did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Sitting stiffly to the side, he pulled on his spare shirt and gripped his wallet tightly, listening to the low humming of the small device while hoping the man would leave quickly.
"You are a citizen born in the Second District, right, Mr. Shi Rang?" The Supervisor leaned near a small window, gazing out at the breathtaking sunset over the sea, admiring the colors bleeding across the water. "Why did you come to the Tenth District?"
Shi Rang looked up defensively.
"...Is this part of the investigation?"
"No, just my personal curiosity. Did you know the Tenth District used to be quite a nice place? During the economic boom, it even earned the nickname 'Little District One'. Unfortunately, it was ruined by the border policies, and now it is sitting at the absolute bottom. I have submitted immigration applications to the Second District many times, but they were all rejected. I am starting to suspect the rumors are true—maybe they just particularly favor Asians there. Many want to climb up, but those who willingly step down are rare. So, why would you choose to live in our smog-filled little corner of the world?"
Shi Rang's gaze lingered on the wallet in his hands for a moment. "For freedom."
There was nothing to hide. He no longer cared about the past.
If he hadn't escaped that house back then and completely severed ties with his birth family, he would never have met Ying Shang, and he never would have imagined what a normal person's life looked like.
This answer was clearly outside the Supervisor's expectations—Shi Rang felt a touch of satisfaction seeing the man's mouth fall slightly open in surprise.
Though it only lasted a fraction of a second, he caught it.
"You truly are a... unique individual. If it were me, I would not have given up on the Second District."
The small device let out a sharp beep.
"I am glad you could cooperate with my work. Once you return to Yunling City, your authorization will expire. Please return all items related to the investigation rights to the office at that time."
The Supervisor fired off his closing remarks, handed the memory card back, and left the Lighthouse.
It was getting late, and after just a few steps, he melted into the darkness of the night.
Shi Rang didn't ask how the man planned to get down the mountain at night, nor did he intend to follow him back to the city.
Right now, he preferred to be alone.
The glow of the charcoal stove illuminated the base of the Lighthouse. Shi Rang closed the door and sat by himself.
The wind shattered against the cliffs and reefs with a deafening roar, seemingly questioning him about where he would go next.
He lifted his Camera. Bathed in the red light of the charcoal stove, he flipped through the photos unrelated to the case, the ones he had used to practice photography—magnificent sunrises and sunsets, a few potted succulents on the balcony, a neatly organized room, an old photograph of him and Ying Shang...
After surviving such a life-and-death ordeal, his heart desperately needed this vitality and warmth to melt away his thick outer shell of self-preservation.
For the first time since Ying Shang's disappearance, he began to seriously plan for the future.
-----------------
The Facility Committee approved the reconstruction of Facility 031. The location was set right over the facility's ruins, not deviating an inch from its previous coordinates. The "Seed of Doom" had obliterated the architectural structure, but the geological makeup of the area remained unchanged, making it still the optimal site for rebuilding.
Upon receiving their orders, the Theta-10 "Windmill" Mobile Task Force sprang into action.
Not all mobile task forces were composed of highly combat-capable military personnel. Engineering Teams like "Windmill", which specialized in search, screening, and cleanup operations, were granted mobile task force designations due to their exceptional capabilities. Non-Combat Units like theirs often boasted massive numbers and maintained several internal divisions of their own.
After multiple Engineering Squads worked around the clock in shifts, all buried inert containment objects were fully recontained, and the construction waste and wreckage at the Facility Original Site were swept completely clean. Once the construction barriers were removed, a pristine Giant Pit was revealed.
The engineering crew then took over, laying down the new foundation and structural framework.
The General Commander of the "Windmill" site took off his hard hat. He had just grabbed his communication device when the New Facility Director lifted the tent flap and walked in.
"Thank you for your hard work these past few days. It is an honor to achieve such smooth cooperation with the mobile task force right after taking office."
The new director was in his early fifties, which was considered quite young given the clearance level of the position. He had also been living at the construction site these past few days, occasionally joining the manual labor himself and coordinating between various parties. He had undeniably earned the General Commander's immense respect.
At this moment, however, the General Commander's expression darkened.
"I was just about to contact you, Director. I have bad news."
The new director immediately turned serious. "Is it regarding the 'Hippies'? I just received word that they lost track of at least three Anomalous Creatures near the Border Line, and no corpses or remains were found in the mountains. Director Bjorn and the Classified Data he stole are still missing..."
"It is not bad news from their end. My colleagues just completed their second sweep of the surrounding area and conducted intensified interrogations on CVA-C-888. Their new representative confessed that they lied about their population numbers earlier. The true number of C-888 individuals inside the Containment Room was actually nine thousand—a significant discrepancy from the amount we managed to recontain."
The director lowered his head slightly, evidently simulating the possible sequence of events in his mind.
A few seconds later, his frown deepened.
"C-888 does not possess long-distance movement capabilities and could not have bypassed the surface perimeter fences. There are no containment objects in the facility capable of high-speed movement either, except for..."
The commander nodded heavily.
"They hitched a ride on that new type of Infected Entity.
"At least three thousand individuals are already in a state of Containment Breach."