Chapter 14 First Outing
The blizzard finally stopped completely on the seventh day, but the bitter cold showed no signs of abating. The sky was a oppressive, uniform leaden gray, like a frozen metal dome.
Snow blanketed everything, transforming Cuiping Mountain and the distant city ruins into a strange and dangerous white desert. The constant spring within the fortress contrasted sharply with the desolate ice field outside, creating two separate worlds.
Wen Yu knew he couldn't remain holed up in his fortress forever. Information was another form of oxygen, especially in this world in the early stages of upheaval.
He needed to know the specific situation down the mountain, the extent of road congestion, whether there were any signs of large-scale survivor gatherings or movements, and... to retrieve the last batch of "special supplies" he had hidden in another secluded rock crevice on the mountainside during the early stages of the fortress's renovation—mainly several pieces of high-altitude cold-weather gear, a set of high-power radio relay equipment parts, and a sealed titanium alloy box containing some highly sensitive "gadgets" that were not suitable for storage inside the fortress.
More importantly, he needed to use this trip to test the fortress's autonomous operation when its "master" was briefly away, and... assess Su Ran's reaction in unexpected situations.
He told Su Ran about his decision at breakfast.
"I'm going out today." Wen Yu put down his chopsticks, his voice calm, as if he were saying he was going downstairs to pick up a package.
Su Ran, sitting opposite him, paused, his chopsticks holding a fried egg hanging in mid-air. He looked up, and his beautiful eyes, which were always misty with tears, widened instantly, clearly showing shock, worry, and a hint of panic.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only gave a soft "hmm," lowered his head, and continued to eat the fried egg in small bites, but his movements obviously slowed down.
Wen Yu's attire was simple, but every item was carefully chosen. The bottom layer was a top-brand thermal underwear, the middle layer was a lightweight, high-loft down lining, and the outermost layer was a polar expedition bodysuit that could withstand temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius, and was also scratch-resistant, abrasion-resistant, and had some cut resistance. The clothes were matte dark gray, providing excellent camouflage in the snow.
He wore heated polar boots and thick, touch-sensitive tactical gloves. He also wore a thermal mask and goggles, leaving only his calm, sharp eyes visible.
He carefully inspected his gear in the equipment room: a composite bow, disassembled, maintained, and reassembled, was slung over his shoulder; twenty carbon fiber arrows were tucked into his quiver, their arrowheads gleaming coldly under the light. A sharp machete hung at his waist, and a high-powered flashlight, a tactical knife, and a military slingshot (equipped with steel balls) were secured to the straps on his thighs. A multi-tool and a walkie-talkie were hanging on his chest.
Finally, he slung a medium-capacity tactical backpack over his shoulder, containing the necessary tools, ropes, crampons, energy bars, and a first-aid kit.
Su Ran followed silently behind him, watching him check and put on his gear one by one. His gaze followed Wen Yu's every deft movement, watching as the cold weapons and equipment were skillfully put back in their place, his lips slightly pursed, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes.
When Wen Yu finally slung the compound bow over his shoulder and adjusted the shoulder straps, the bow and Wen Yu's upright back formed a powerful silhouette, causing Su Ran's heart to skip a beat.
Wen Yu turned around and looked at Su Ran. Fully armed, he appeared even taller and stronger than usual. The jumpsuit outlined his broad shoulders and lean waist. His eyes behind the goggles were not clearly visible, but his calm and stern aura emanated from him.
Su Ran subconsciously took a small step back and looked up at him.
"After I leave," Wen Yu's voice was low and muffled through his mask, but every word was clear and strong, "lock all the doors to the internal passageways. Do not enter any other areas except your room, the kitchen, the dining room, and the sunroom, especially the basement and the control room area."
Su Ran nodded vigorously, her eyes serious.
"Stay on the first floor and keep watch in front of the monitor." Wen Yu pointed to the secondary monitor in the small living room next to the restaurant. "Keep an eye on what's happening outside. If anyone approaches, no matter how harmless they seem, no matter what they say, don't open the door or respond. The fortress's defense system is automatic, but you need to confirm any abnormal alarms. If you see anything you can't determine, call me immediately on the internal phone." He pointed to the internal communicator hanging on the wall.
"I...I understand." Su Ran's voice was a little tight, but she tried her best to remain calm. "Mr. Wen, how long...how long will you be gone?"
"Uncertain, probably three to five hours." Wen Yu glanced at the multi-functional tactical watch on his wrist, which integrated an altimeter, barometer, compass, and a special dial for low-temperature environments. "If I don't contact you or come back after six hours…" He paused, seemingly considering his words. "Just follow the procedure on page three of the emergency manual and enter Level 2 lockdown. There's enough food and water for you to last a long time."
Su Ran's face turned deathly pale. He understood perfectly what "Level 2 lockdown" and "using it alone for a long time" meant. He shook his head violently, his voice trembling slightly: "No, you...you will definitely come back! I...I will wait forever!"
Wen Yu looked at his face, which had suddenly lost all color, and his eyes, which were instantly covered with tears but were trying hard to keep them from falling, and remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, he reached out, not to comfort her, but to pat Su Ran's shoulder—the force was light even through the thick clothing, yet it carried a peculiar, heavy meaning.
"Keep an eye on the house." That was all he said.
Having said that, he didn't linger and turned to walk towards the airtight chamber. One heavy door after another closed and locked behind him. Finally, the outermost fake door slid open a crack, and a chilling, bone-chilling draft rushed in, only to be quickly shut off by the closing door.
Su Ran rushed to the secondary monitoring screen, his fingers trembling as he switched between the external camera feeds. He saw the dark gray figure, like an agile and silent snow wolf, quickly disappear into the shadows of the snow walls surrounding the fortress, and then reappear in the distant mountain forest.
Wen Yu moved extremely fast, yet his movements were exceptionally light. He left almost no obvious trace in the knee-deep snow. Soon, his figure became a small dot and disappeared at the edge of the vast snow-covered forest.
The fortress fell eerily quiet.
The constant, low-pitched white noise of the system seemed to be amplified countless times. Su Ran could even hear her own heartbeat, which was a little too fast.
He stared intently at the monitor screen, his eyes unblinking, his fingers icy cold. The screen was divided into more than a dozen small sections, displaying various angles of the fortress's perimeter. Apart from snowflakes blown by the wind, there was nothing there.
Time passed slowly, second by second, a agonizingly slow pace.
Su Ran forced himself to calm down. Following Wen Yu's instructions, he checked all the locks on the internal passageways to make sure they were locked. Then, he returned to the small living room, dragged a chair to the monitor, and sat down in front of it, clutching a cushion he had taken from the sofa, as if drawing warmth and courage from it. His gaze swept back and forth between the various screens, not missing a single detail.
About an hour later, the indicator light on the internal phone suddenly started flashing and making a soft "beep" sound. Su Ran was startled and almost lunged to grab the receiver.
"It's me." Wen Yu's voice came through, mixed with the slight noise of wind and snow, but still quite clear. "We've reached the first marker, everything's normal. What about you?"
"Everything is normal!" Su Ran replied immediately, her voice rising slightly with tension. "There's nothing outside…there's nothing outside."
"Stay alert. I'll keep moving forward and contact you every hour. If the signal drops, don't panic; it's probably just terrain obstruction." Wen Yu's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.
"Okay...okay! Be careful!" Su Ran said quickly.
The call ended. Su Ran, still holding the warm receiver, slowly sat back down in her chair and let out a long sigh of relief. Hearing Wen Yu's voice, knowing he was safe and sound, eased the lingering panic somewhat. But a deeper worry followed. It was so cold outside, so dangerous…
He dared not leave the monitor screen, even running back and forth to the toilet. Lunchtime arrived, but he had no appetite, only munching on a few biscuits and drinking some water. His entire attention was focused on the screens, his ears perked up, catching any unusual sounds inside or outside the fortress.
Around 2 PM, Wen Yu contacted Su Ran for the second time, briefly reporting the progress: some supplies had been retrieved, and they were en route to the last hiding place. Su Ran felt slightly relieved again.
However, about half an hour after the call ended, an anomaly appeared on the monitoring screen.
It's a camera located on the west side of the fortress, near the path leading uphill. The footage shows several unsteady figures struggling to climb the snow-covered path. There are four people in total, wearing bulky but clearly unprofessional winter clothing, their gait unsteady, looking cold and exhausted. They appear to be carrying sticks or something similar.
Su Ran's heart leaped into his throat. He immediately sat up straight, staring intently at the split screen, his fingers unconsciously gripping the cushion in his arms.
The four men walked and stopped intermittently, glancing around every now and then, finally stopping about a hundred meters from the outer wall of the fortress. They pointed in the direction of the fortress, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion. Due to the distance and the snow, the specific content could not be heard, but judging from their actions and expressions, there was definitely no goodwill involved.
One of them, perhaps the boldest or simply too cold to bear, began to approach the fortress. He moved cautiously, his eyes constantly scanning the ground and the walls.
Su Ran remembered Wen Yu's instructions, and he also remembered those people who had been driven away by the defense system last time. He didn't move, but just held his breath and watched.
As the person stepped into the invisible sensor zone, a piercing electronic warning shattered the silence once more: "Warning! Private territory, do not approach! Leave immediately! Warning!"
The man was so frightened that he took several steps back and almost fell. His companions also became agitated, gathering together and pointing at the fortress, but they did not leave immediately.
The warning was repeated three times. The four men hesitated, stamping their feet in the snow, seemingly both afraid of the fortress's defenses and unwilling to leave empty-handed. They began to shout:
"Hey! Is anyone inside?"
"Please have mercy! Give us some food! Or let us go inside and warm up!"
We're freezing to death! Please help us!
"Damn it, there's definitely someone in this house! Stop pretending to be dead!"
The sound, faintly transmitted through the directional microphone, carried despair and a rising sense of resentment.
Su Ran's face turned pale, and his body trembled slightly. He wasn't afraid of these people rushing in, but rather the feeling of being maliciously coveted and relentlessly pursued made him feel as if he had returned to the moment of his escape on that snowy night.
He glanced at the intercom, barely suppressing the urge to call Wen Yu immediately. Wen Yu was outside, possibly in danger; he couldn't afford to distract him.
He stared intently at the screen, watching as the four men, after their warnings proved ineffective, seemed to have reached some kind of consensus. Two remained where they were, observing, while the other two, including the bolder one from before, began to try and find a weak point in the wall or a place to climb over it from the side.
We can't wait any longer.
Su Ran took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He recalled the defense system operation that Wen Yu had briefly explained. He found the "active deterrence" option, which had several sub-items: intense flashing light, high-frequency noise, and... non-lethal deterrent gas.
He selected "high-intensity flash" and "high-frequency noise," aimed at the area with the four people, his fingers trembling slightly, but he pressed the confirm button firmly.
Several concealed, high-powered searchlights on the outer wall of the fortress suddenly lit up, not for continuous illumination, but for a frantic flashing at an extremely high frequency. At the same time, a sharp, extremely irregular high-frequency noise, almost piercing the eardrums, burst out from the hidden speakers and was aimed at the four people!
"Ah! My eyes!"
"What the hell is that sound?! My ears are going to explode!"
"Run! This place is creepy!"
The four people were instantly stunned by the sudden audio-visual attack. They covered their eyes and ears, screamed in pain, and scrambled to their feet, completely disoriented. They fled back the way they came in a disheveled state. Some of them even fell into snow pits in their panic, but were dragged out by their companions and continued running. They soon disappeared behind the cover of the mountains and snow.
Su Ran watched them disappear and immediately turned off the bright lights and noise. Silence returned to the fortress, broken only by the howling wind whistling through the snow. He slumped into his chair, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat, his fingers icy and trembling slightly. But a strange, faint sense of accomplishment rose within him.
He did it. He didn't open the door, didn't respond, and used the fortress's defense system to drive away the uninvited guest, following Wen Yu's instructions.
He glanced at the time; there were still more than twenty minutes until Wen Yu's next scheduled contact. He forced himself to stand up, poured himself a cup of hot water, and sipped it slowly, warming his cold fingers and tense nerves. Then, he sat back down in front of the monitor, his gaze sweeping over the screen with even greater vigilance.
This time, he wasn't just "keeping watch," but truly began to "observe" and "judge." He noticed that a flock of birds seemed to be startled and taking flight in the distant mountains, that the frost on a certain camera lens was a little thicker and might need attention, and he even began to silently memorize the blind spots covered by each camera...
When the internal phone rang again on time, and Wen Yu's calm voice came through, "I've started my return journey and expect to arrive in an hour," Su Ran held the receiver and, for the first time, answered in a relatively calm tone, even with a hint of relief:
"Received. Everything at home is normal. A few people tried to come to the neighborhood just now, but I chased them away."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"Well done." Wen Yu's voice came through the sound of wind and snow, sounding a little lower than usual. "Stay on guard and wait for me to come back."
"Mm!" Su Ran nodded emphatically, even though the other person couldn't see her.
After hanging up the phone, Su Ran looked at the still silent snowfield on the monitor screen and suddenly felt that this huge, cold, and complex fortress was no longer so frightening and alienating.
He began to understand why Wen Yu had designed it this way.
I also started to feel a little excited, when I heard the heavy, airtight door open again.