When Thuong Sinh returned to the white building, it was almost dawn.
The alarm siren outside the city had been off for a long time.
The corridors that were once full of soldiers passing back and forth also became quiet, leaving only white lights casting down on the cold tile floor.
He opened the room door very softly.
Lam Thanh Moc was still not asleep.
She sat leaning against the headboard, wearing a thin coat over her body.
Thuong An lay in the cradle beside her, small hand clutching a bronze rattle, sleeping very soundly.
Hearing the door open, Lam Thanh Moc immediately raised her head.
"You're back."
"Yeah."
Thuong Sinh closed the door, placed the Trach Huyet Sword on the wooden rack, and only then stepped over.
Lam Thanh Moc looked at him from top to bottom, confirming there were no new wounds on his body, then her gaze softened a bit.
"How was it outside?"
"A probing raid," Thuong Sinh replied. "Bac Thien has repelled it."
"And you?"
"I am fine."
Lam Thanh Moc silently looked at him.
A moment later, she only then said:
"I know you are fine. But you always say this sentence."
Thuong Sinh paused.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at Thuong An sleeping.
The soft yellow light cast upon the child's small face, completely unaware of what had just happened outside.
"This time really fine," he said quieter. "Bac Thien's people are very strong."
Lam Thanh Moc hearing so was slightly surprised.
Thuong Sinh rarely thought highly of others.
"Really?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "They know how to fight together. Without needing me, they still do well."
Lam Thanh Moc softly smiled.
"Then that's good."
"Yeah."
She pulled lightly on his hand.
"Sleep a little bit. Tomorrow morning still have to meet my father."
Thuong Sinh looked at her hand.
Then he softly nodded.
—
The next morning, the small meeting room on the lower floor of the white building already had quite a few people.
Lam Tich Khanh sat in the chief seat.
Tran Tinh Gia stood beside him, along with several officers, two perception-type esper abilities users, and a silver-haired man wearing research clothes.
On the table surface was placed a metal box.
Inside was a gray iron piece found from the corpse of the black liquid creature last night.
Thuong Sinh stepped in, Lam Tich Khanh raised his head to look at him.
"You've arrived."
"Sir."
"Sit."
Thuong Sinh sat on the opposite side.
Tran Tinh Gia poured him a cup of hot tea and only then began reporting.
"Last night, a total of forty-seven creatures were confirmed. Thirty-nine were eliminated, eight retreated."
Thuong Sinh softly nodded.
This result was enough to prove Bac Thien's defense capability.
The silver-haired man opened the metal box.
He used tongs to pick it up.
"The material contains rare alloys, inside there is also a layer of extremely thin energy-conducting fibers. We tried scanning, but all machines were jammed."
"Can the origin be determined?" Lam Tich Khanh asked.
"Not yet." The man shook his head. "But the symbol on it is more like an identification sign of an organization."
Thuong Sinh looked at the iron piece.
The eye symbol lying between wire rings was not complex at all, but the longer he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt.
"It has a link to those monsters," Thuong Sinh said.
Everyone in the room looked toward him.
"I touched one outside the city. Inside its body, there was a flesh mass used to transmit signals. This iron piece might be a part of the thing controlling them."
An officer knitted his brows.
"You mean someone far away controls the whole horde of creatures?"
"Not sure if completely controlling," Thuong Sinh replied. "Maybe only providing targets, while they act on their own."
The silver-haired man looked at him intently.
The room was quiet, but no one showed panic.
Lam Tich Khanh only cast his eyes upon the Bac Thien map hanging on the wall.
"After reviewing their advance path, we discovered many tracks starting from the north of Hoang Tho Forest. About twenty kilometers away from the city."
"Is that a populated area?" Lam Tich Khanh asked.
"No. It is an old research area abandoned before the apocalypse."
"Research area?"
"On the old map, it is recorded as Biological Observation Station No. 7," Tran Tinh Gia replied. "But for many years no one has used it."
The silver-haired man pushed the map forward.
"If that place is related to the iron piece, we should send people to check."
An officer sitting near the door said:
"A scout team can be set up, bringing along perception espers and a medical team. We shouldn't attack deep when not clear about the opponent."
Lam Tich Khanh nodded.
"Correct. This is not a task for one person to solve alone."
He looked over at Thuong Sinh.
"Do you want to participate?"
Thuong Sinh did not answer immediately.
He looked at the location circled in red on the map.
If not investigating, the opponent might continue to use that thing to test Bac Thien.
But if rashly rushing in, he would also only become a chess piece in someone else's plan.
"I participate," Thuong Sinh said.
Lam Tich Khanh nodded, saying no more.
"Good. The reconnaissance team departs at six in the morning tomorrow. The member list will be sent to you before tonight."
Tran Tinh Gia standing beside added:
"Equipment and vehicles have someone preparing. You only need to rest well."
"Yes, Uncle."
The meeting ended there as well.
Thuong Sinh stood up, bowed head to greet Lam Tich Khanh, and then left the room.
The corridor outside was still brightly lit.
Soldiers walked back and forth, several holding documents, several carrying weapons that had just been rechecked.
The atmosphere was not overly tense, but everyone knew Bac Thien was preparing for no small matter.
Thuong Sinh had just turned past a corridor bend when he heard a familiar voice sound from ahead.
"I knew right away that you were here too!"
He raised his head.
Van Binh was standing beside the window at the end of the corridor, holding a task card in hand.
Beside him were Thanh Dao and So Sinh.
Seeing Thuong Sinh, Van Binh immediately stepped over, expression both excited and surprised.
"Heard that tomorrow morning there's a team going on reconnaissance to the north, I was still thinking whether you'd go."
Thuong Sinh looked at the card in his hand.
"You guys are going too?"
"Yeah," Thanh Dao spoke up. "Our group was assigned into the scout team this time."
So Sinh crossed arms, smiling faintly.
"Seems like this time isn't just going around the camp anymore."
Van Binh held the card up in front of Thuong Sinh's face.
"Team Three. Six in the morning tomorrow gather at the north gate. Check to see if you're in the same team?"
Thuong Sinh retrieved the task card that had just been sent.
On it was clearly written: Team One Reconnaissance Biological Observation Station No. 7.
"Six in the morning," Thuong Sinh said.
"Don't be late."
Van Binh giggled.
"You rest assured, this time I'll wake up even earlier than you."
Thuong Sinh did not reply, only softly nodding and then returning to the white building.
When returning to the room, Lam Thanh Moc was sitting beside Thuong An's cradle.
Seeing him step in, she raised her head to ask:
"Finished?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow morning I go on reconnaissance with the team."
"Is anyone familiar going along?"
"Yes. Van Binh, Thanh Dao, and So Sinh also received the task, but in a different unit."
Lam Thanh Moc nodded, asking no more.
She bent down to look at Thuong An sleeping in the cradle.
The baby had just turned a little, the thin blanket on the belly slipped to the side.
Thuong Sinh stepped over, leaning down to pull the blanket back for his child.
"Tomorrow how long will you go?" Lam Thanh Moc asked.
"Don't know yet," he replied. "If only checking the outer area, then within the day will return."
"Then tomorrow morning I'll get up early to make some food for you to bring along."
"No need to prepare much," Thuong Sinh said. "The team has logistics."
Lam Thanh Moc looked up at him.
"I know. But I still want to make it."
Thuong Sinh was silent for a moment, after which he softly nodded.
"Yeah."
She smiled softly, standing up to walk toward the kitchen.
On the table there were still several food items Tran Tinh Gia had someone bring over: bread, dried meat, a few eggs, and a little green vegetables.
Lam Thanh Moc checked once over, in her heart already starting to calculate what to make tomorrow morning.
Thuong Sinh looked at her busy in the kitchen, then looked back at Thuong An.
A moment later, he opened the cabinet drawer to take out a small cloth bag, placing inside several crystals that had been cleaned up.
"You're preparing a heap of stuff again," Lam Thanh Moc turned her head to see, softly said.
"Just a habit."
"I know," she replied. "But Bac Thien is not like outside in the past."
Thuong Sinh paused his hand.
"Yeah."
Here there were city walls, there was an army, there were people strong enough to protect themselves.
He did not need to carry everything on his shoulders like those days when having only himself.
Yet the survival habit of many years was still not easy to change.
Lam Thanh Moc walked to stand before him, gently taking the cloth bag.
"Let me see."
She opened it, looking at each thing inside, then took out two medicine pills.
"Leave these behind."
"Can be used when needed."
"In the room also needed," she said very seriously.
Thuong Sinh looked at her for a moment, finally not opposing.
"Okay."
Lam Thanh Moc stored the two medicine pills back in the cabinet, then tied the mouth of the cloth bag to help him.
"Finished."
Thuong Sinh received it.
"Thank you."
"Nothing to it."
The room gradually became quiet again.
Lam Thanh Moc returned beside the cradle, sitting down on the small chair.
Thuong Sinh also sat beside her, both looking at Thuong An sleeping soundly together.
A moment later, Lam Thanh Moc softly leaned her head on his shoulder.
"You go sleep. Tomorrow morning still have to wake up early."
"Yeah."
Thuong Sinh did not immediately stand up.
Outside the window, the lights in the camp gradually turned off more.
The corridor outside also no longer had the sound of footsteps passing back and forth.
Night at Bac Thien returned to quietness.
In the small room on the tenth floor, there was only the even breathing sound of Thuong An remaining.