Chapter 111: A Gunshot to See Him Off (Part 1)

August 26, 2015, 14:00. The scorching sun of a summer afternoon poured its intense rays upon the earth.

A middle-aged man with an unremarkable face walked from west to east along Chang'an Avenue. He was clad in chainmail, a meter-and-a-half steel pipe strapped to his waist, a machete slung across his back, and a large *mo-dao* gripped in his hand. Such attire was commonplace within the Special Committee's zone, and no one took notice.

He walked past Zhongnanhai, cast a glance at the sentries standing like nails in their chainmail before the gates, passed Tiananmen, and reached the entrance of the Beijing Hotel at 14:45. He continued onward, eventually disappearing into the distance at the end of the avenue.

Today was the day Li Fengyi returned from an inspection in Tianjin. When the motorcade reached Sihui, it was forced to halt for a while because a roadblock had not been moved in time. Li Fengyi stepped out and strolled onto a pedestrian overpass. His guards fanned out at a distance, and a soldier standing guard on the overpass saluted him.

Before the apocalypse, Li Fengyi had not developed the imposing, untouchable aura of a high-ranking official that made commoners scatter at his approach. His guards were used to him chatting with survivors; they were men who had carved a path through mountains of corpses and seas of blood alongside him. They were thick-skinned and highly skilled at killing zombies, but as for the nuances of serving as the security detail for high-ranking officials—that was a skill they had yet to master.

The soldier was a middle-aged man. Under the blazing August sun of Beijing, large beads of sweat streamed incessantly from beneath his chainmail. Beside him sat a large water bottle fashioned from a canned fruit jar, still containing a small amount of water. He remained meticulous, patrolling back and forth.

Li Fengyi couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. He walked over and said, "Comrade, you've worked hard."

The middle-aged man looked at Li Fengyi deeply. It was as if he were talking to himself, yet also addressing Li, as he replied, "I am absolutely loyal to the Party."

Li Fengyi was taken aback. This was not a phrase common to this era. Whether twenty years before the apocalypse or now, even though the Special Committee was led by the Party and Li Fengyi worked with unwavering loyalty, they were simply doing their jobs; they didn't usually speak in such terms.

The middle-aged man introduced himself: "Director Li, my codename is Fire Fox. I am the former Director of the Eighth Bureau of the Ministry of State Security."

The guards noticed Li Fengyi's change in expression and moved closer. Fire Fox remained calm. Li Fengyi waved a hand, and the guards retreated to their original positions, though they were now significantly more vigilant.

"The Department of Armed Forces and the Ministry of Public Security have jointly taken over the archives of the Ministry of State Security," Li Fengyi said. "Even though it is the apocalypse, we still believe that national interest is paramount. We have been waiting for someone from the state security system to contact us."

Fire Fox looked at Li Fengyi with approval. "The situation in the apocalypse is extremely complex. Although our system has suffered heavy losses, it is still functioning. It was only after observing that you are indeed an organization led by the Party that I decided to make contact with you."

Li Fengyi thought to himself that it seemed he was destined to stop at this intersection; regardless of whether he had intended to climb this overpass, he would have been led here all the same. The Ministry of State Security, a mysterious department, had always been the highest security guarantee for the Party and the State, playing a vital role and making outstanding contributions throughout history.

"The National Emergency Plan contains a most critical provision," Fire Fox said methodically. "If all high-ranking leaders were to perish, the Ministry of State Security is responsible for observing surviving Party organizations at all levels to see if there are any capable of fulfilling their duties. If such an organization is found, the Ministry of State Security shall submit to the leadership of that new organization."

"After months of observation and audit across our various state security branches, we have concluded that you are currently loyal to the Party's cause and that your development is trending positively," Fire Fox explained, showing no concern for the opportunistic nature of this behavior. "Therefore, I was ordered to make initial contact with you."

When the motorcade departed again, Fire Fox was with them. As they reached the entrance of the Beijing Hotel, Fire Fox picked up two young men. They were equally unremarkable in appearance and attracted no attention.

Of the three top leaders of the Special Committee, Commander Liu had been stationed in Beijing. That evening, Li Qiang was notified and rushed back from Tianjin. At Fire Fox's request, they had not been told of his identity beforehand, and Li Fengyi had raised the security level to its maximum as a precaution.

Inside a small conference room at the Beijing Hotel, the two young men first walked around the room, using small devices to inspect the area, before removing a tiny gadget from behind a desk lamp.

"Director," one of the young men said, "it's done. This little device was installed by our own people before the apocalypse to monitor foreign guests. The room is secure now."

Li Fengyi, sharp-eyed, noticed the other young man quietly slipping a small device into his own pocket—one that clearly hadn't been there a moment ago. He couldn't help but gasp. If he and his people hadn't been free of ulterior motives, it would have been a chaotic situation indeed; ordinary people simply had no concept of such security measures.

The two young men took up posts, one on the balcony and one outside the door. Li Fengyi sat at the head of the conference table, with Commander Liu and Li Qiang on either side. Fire Fox sat at the opposite end, facing Li Fengyi.

Fire Fox addressed all three by their names and titles without needing an introduction. Once they knew his identity, Commander Liu and Li Qiang stopped asking questions, though their hands trembled slightly.

The room was silent as everyone observed one another.

After a long pause, Fire Fox spoke. "The State has a final emergency plan for situations where the nation and the entire Party are paralyzed. The Ministry of State Security was ordered to execute this plan. In such circumstances, we are to find a Party organization that is loyal to the Party's mission and functioning well, and the Ministry of State Security shall then submit to the leadership of that new organization. You can find this order in the secret archives of the Ministry of State Security."

Fire Fox then provided the location of the archive vault and the method to open it. Li Fengyi ordered a battalion of troops to accompany the young men sent by Fire Fox to retrieve the documents.

The Ministry of State Security was located diagonally across from the Beijing Hotel. Even so, it took over two hours to retrieve the documents, which were contained in a small black case.

Facing such a mysterious organization, Li Fengyi felt a flicker of caution for the first time. Who knew what was inside? If it were opened and it triggered an explosion...

He asked, "Do you need any equipment? The basement has more comprehensive tools."

Fire Fox smiled slightly. "That is fine. Director Li and Secretary Liu, please wait here. Deputy Director Li, would you mind accompanying me to open it?"

"I will go," Commander Liu volunteered. Although he held a high rank, he had never truly been exposed to top-secret intelligence of this level.

Li Fengyi and Li Qiang sat in the conference room, looking at each other. Before the apocalypse, both had been small figures at the bottom of the social ladder. Even though they had led thousands of troops and slaughtered zombies like cutting grass since the world ended, they still psychologically viewed themselves as small people struggling to survive. Being suddenly thrust into contact with the nation's highest secrets left them feeling profoundly uneasy.

With their fate unknown, the top-secret document left them deeply unsettled.