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Chapter 357: Chapter 357: Familiar Faces in a Foreign Land

Having said that, trying to find a specific person in a city is almost as hard as reaching the sky. Even if Jiang City has only a hundred thousand survivors left, these people are scattered across different areas, with intermittent contact between them and no unified identity management system. It’s nearly impossible to pinpoint a target with just a name.

For example, at Sha River Metro Station, backpackers from other bases occasionally appear. Chen Xuan spent quite a few Credit Points asking them about Lin Qing, but this effort yielded little reward, and there have been no clues for half a month.

Wang Baihu, Little Pigeon, and Jiang Siqi, while gathering intelligence, have also been helping him search for the person. They’ve almost combed through Sha River Station. Currently, it can be basically confirmed that Lin Qing is not within this base.

Chen Xuan plans to check out the Celestial Ridge District subway station across Sha River next.

It’s said that over twenty thousand people are hidden there.

Of course, the worst result is that Lin Qing is not in the city at all.

As the old residents say, Jiang City went through a period of massive population influx and a rapid exodus, with tens of millions of residents evacuating the urban areas to flee to rural regions, Lin Qing is likely among them. This would mean all his efforts are in vain, and since Jiang City is sealed by the Celestial Patrol, he can’t even verify this.

The fact that room 202 hasn’t turned into an empty room only proves one thing: Lin Qing does indeed exist in this world.

"Are you Mr. Chen? ... Thank you for saving my life!" The young man accompanying Zhuang Yu deeply bowed to Chen Xuan, "On the way back, I was in a daze, thinking I was going to die, maybe I said some nonsense, please don’t take it to heart."

Chen Xuan remembered his name: Zhou Zhixuan.

He was also Zhuang Yu’s partner.

Chen Xuan immediately reached out to pull him up, "No need to be so courteous, are you alright now?"

"Yes." Zhou Zhixuan lifted his clothes, showing the healed wound on his abdomen, "The stomach is basically saved, the doctor said if I was sent two days later, I would have spent the rest of my life in a wheelchair."

Such a major injury, even after healing, inevitably leaves severe surgical scars, but he had only a faint mark on his skin, indicating the medical abilities of the shelter are still quite reliable.

"Can’t you get a new stomach?" Chen Xuan half-joked, "I see your partner got a new arm."

"Arms are simple, but the chest and abdomen are hard." Zhou Zhixuan answered honestly, "There are no prosthetic body parts in the whole Sha River station, and I don’t know about other districts, but if there are, they must be sky-high priced."

Indeed, whether it’s protective suits or prosthetics, they are relics of the last era, and the metro station does not freely provide these "strategic materials"; to go outside for a stroll, one must first save up enough Credit Points to buy a protective suit.

In other words, only those who can afford a protective suit qualify as a Searcher.

"Are you setting out again?" Chen Xuan had already guessed their intention.

Zhuang Yu nodded, "You are now a famous person in the base, even if I’m gone, I believe you can thrive. And the base’s demand for resources never ceases, we also hope to bring back more morale-boosting items, so..."

Chen Xuan waved his hand to interrupt, "No problem, when do you plan to leave?"

"After restocking water and food at noon."

"Alright, let’s gather in the canteen for a good get-together, consider it a farewell party for you two. My treat."

"This... we already owe you so much..." Despite saying this, Zhuang Yu couldn’t help but swallow.

No way... the wild boar leg meal is just too delicious.

"Precisely because of that, owing another meal is nothing." Chen Xuan laughed, "Then it’s settled—"

Suddenly, a burst of chaotic noise interrupted their conversation.

Chen Xuan turned his head and found a large crowd gathered in the "Square" area, yelling and laughing intermittently, creating quite a commotion.

The so-called Square is actually the hub area connecting the 1st and 2nd Layer; it used to be a ticket hall, with open space and a statue fountain in the center. It’s the place with the most foot traffic in Sha Jiang District. However, on normal days, everyone is busy earning Credit Points, rarely gathering in such large numbers.

"Sigh, the Fireline Band is still so popular..." Zhuang Yu remarked with emotion.

"Popular? I think they’re just trying to grab attention." Zhou Zhixuan sneered at this notion.

"Fireline... Band?" Chen Xuan found it hard to associate this term with the shelter.

"You misunderstood," Zhuang Yu chuckled, "Fireline Band is just a name, they’re not indulged in music, they’re more like a special search team."

"What’s special about them?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Special in that they never focus on serious matters, like bringing a bag of vacuum-sealed curry potatoes back to the base." Zhou Zhixuan openly displayed his disdain, "They waste a lot of resources, shuttling between different bases, just to promote their ridiculous theories... like eliminating nano-living bodies and reclaiming Jiang City."

"Aren’t these people residents of Sha Jiang District?" Chen Xuan remarked surprised.

"No, their team is very large, with people from various regions. Precisely because of this, the Fireline Band is a stray dog team that regularly roams between different bases."

"Alright, don’t be so harsh." Zhuang Yu lightly nudged his partner with his elbow, "At least they risked their lives to lay many communication cables, bringing us news from other bases. Also, the most accurate living patrol map is crafted by the Fireline Band; without it, Searchers wouldn’t dare venture far from the base."

Interesting... Chen Xuan thought to himself.

After living here for more than half a month, he had a basic understanding of the future Jiang City situation. Humans are incapable of resisting nano-living bodies that grow to a certain size, relying solely on shielding devices to avoid risks. This means that once leaving the base, people essentially entrust their lives to the protective suit. If the suit’s shielding function fails, there is virtually no way out but death.

And these heavy protective suits are all products of the last century.

Given their ever-increasing usage period, their stability is anyone’s guess.

A two-person team like Zhuang Yu’s wouldn’t stay out for more than two weeks, not because they can’t carry enough supplies, but due to concerns about the equipment brought along.

However, the Fireline Band actively chooses long treks, making patrolling a routine. This kind of reckless behavior is akin to seeking death.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit of curiosity towards these audacious people.

Chen Xuan walked towards the crowd, immediately engulfed by a wave of clamor.

Even with his keen hearing, he couldn’t discern exactly what each person was saying.

But overall, most seemed to be mocking and ridiculing.

"Here they go again... This time they actually set their sights on the Ghost Subway, they must be insane... Have we not tried before?"

"Yeah... 120 tons of concentrated explosive charge, plus a suicide squad, and a maintenance tunnel at the expense. And what happened? The tunnel collapsed, the demolition crew was wiped out, and the subway kept on running as usual."

"This thing can’t be dealt with at all! I say, believing the Evangelical Association is better than believing in them!"

"Exactly!"

Though there were supporting voices, they were much weaker than the ridiculers.

"The problem is, the Ghost Subway does kill people on the surface! Didn’t you hear what that person said? 2nd Layer Station is already wiped out!"

"Bullshit, the subway only runs along the tracks!"

"But they took photos on-site, those tracks did crawl into what’s supposed to be the topmost ticket hall."

"Just because there are photos, it’s true? Those things can easily be faked!"

The closer you get to the center of the crowd, the more such doubts and disputes arise. Listeners enthusiastically showed middle fingers, waved fists, and loudly expressed their opposition, as if aiming more to overpower the other party with momentum rather than reasoning.

The Fireline Band’s proponent stood on the panda statue at the center of the Square area — although this statue hadn’t spewed water for a long time and its surface looked worn and mottled, it didn’t affect the proponent’s performance at all.

She spoke eloquently, not retreating in the face of overwhelming opposition, with her back straight, much like a steadfast pine tree standing tall in the storm.

Even amidst boos, she remained unflinching. If this were a battle, one could tell she had a reason she couldn’t afford to lose.

Chen Xuan only looked at her once and was stunned.

For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent.

He saw Lin Qing.