Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Four

It's been three or four days, and the time is passing vaguely... Sifna is moving south through the forest.She has no plan other than to survive. There was no point in trying to get back to her apartment.The city still seemed to be burning, with smoke hanging low in the sky as far as she could see.Occasionally she saw, on the horizon, billows of red flames rising straight into the sky.It seemed to her that the frenzy was showing no signs of abating, as new fires were lit every day. She could feel that her sanity was gradually returning to normal, becoming clearer day by day.She was thankful that she was waking up, as if waking up from a high fever.

But she also realized uncomfortably that she hadn't fully recovered her sanity... Using her brain is a tiring thing, and once she uses her brain, her brain will be in a mess.But she believes that she is recovering. Apparently many people in the forest have not fully recovered.Although Sifna tries to be alone as much as possible, she still encounters people from time to time, most of them seem to be seriously deranged, they are sobbing, moaning, laughing wildly, staring strangely, constantly lying on the ground. Rolling.As Sifna foretold, some suffer from mental torment from which they can never recover.Sifna realized that most people had fallen into barbarism or worse.They set fire for fun, they kill for fun.

Therefore, she had to be careful on her way.Since she had no particular destination in mind, she walked south across the forest for a while and settled down by Qingshui.The stick you got the night of the eclipse is always close at hand.Seeds, nuts, fruit, even leaves and bark... anything that looked edible, she ate.She knew that such improvised food could be tolerated by her body for about a week, but then she would definitely not be able to bear it.She already felt that her already light weight began to drop, and her body's resistance was weakening bit by bit. Moreover, due to the picking by thousands of newcomers, the number of berries and fruits in the forest decreased rapidly.

Then, on what she thought was the fourth day, Sifna remembered the hideout. Her cheeks flushed with excitement as she realized that she didn't have to live the life of a cave woman. Of course!How could she be so stupid?At this moment, only a few miles away, hundreds of university workers are huddled safely in the ion accelerator laboratory, happily drinking bottled water and eating canned food they have stored away in previous months Woolen cloth.How absurd it is to hide in a forest full of lunatics, to dig out of the earth for meager meals, to watch hungrily those little animals dancing on the branches without being able to catch them!

She should go to the hideout, there would be a way to get them to let her in anyway.At least she remembered where the hideout was, she told herself, which was a measure of how much her brain had been damaged by the stars. Why didn't she think of this idea sooner, she thought?It sucks, and, moreover, she realizes she's been traveling in the wrong direction for days. Right now, just ahead of her, was the continuous, steep mountain range to the south of the forest.Looking up, she could see the blackened ruins of houses along the hilltop, rising before her eyes like a high black wall.If her memory is accurate, the hideout is in the completely opposite direction, on the side of the road in the north of the forest, between the campus and Saluo City.

It took her another day and a half to turn back through the forest and head north to the raincoat.Twice on the way she wrestled her attackers with a club, and three times she glared and fought off young men who tried to rape her.Once she recklessly broke into a dense undergrowth, where five haggard men with wild eyes were walking slowly in a circle with knives, as if holding some kind of strange and ancient ceremony. ceremony.She fled there as fast as she could. Finally, she saw the Broad University Highway ahead, just outside the forest.Somewhere on the northern end of the road an inconspicuous country lane leads to the hideout.

Yes, it is there.It is hidden and inconspicuous, with seed-laden weeds and messy haystacks on both sides of the entrance. It was evening, and Onas had almost disappeared from the sky, and Tano and Sisar cast a relentless, ominous light on the earth, and although the air was mild, it looked like winter.Dovim, as big as little red eyes, had crossed the northern sky and was still far, far away. Sifna wondered what happened to the unseen Kargesh II, which apparently had done its horrific work and continued to move.At this moment, it may have traveled a million miles into the sky, leaving this world along its long arc, passing through the atmosphere, entering the vacuum, and going away.It will take a penitent year to wait for it to come back.Sifna calculated vigorously, even if it was the fastest, it would take at least two thousand years.A sign appeared in front of her:

Private property.No one is allowed to enter without the permission of Salo University Superintendent. Then came the second notice written in bold red letters: "!!! Dangerous!!! High-energy research facilities, entry is prohibited." Well, from this point of view, Sifna must be on the right track. Sifna had never been to the hideout, not even when it was a physics lab, but she knew what to expect.There are layers of gates, followed by pillars with scanners.Scanners monitor anyone who comes in.A few minutes later she came to the first door, made of tight metal mesh and hinged on four pieces, twice her height.On either side of the gate is an impenetrable barbed-wire fence that ends in a bush full of free-growing brambles.

The door was ajar. She looked it over, puzzled.Is it some kind of fantasy?Some trick of her unconscious mind?No, neither, the door was actually open, and the door was in the right direction.She saw the sign of the University Security Department on the door, but why was the door open?No sign of being forced open. Anxious, she walked in. The trail inside is paved with dirt, full of potholes and ruts.She walked along the side of the road, and after a while, she saw another barrier. It was not a barbed wire fence, but an indestructible and solid reinforced concrete wall without doors and windows.

The only entrance in the wall is a dark metal door with a scanner above it. This door is also open. It's getting weirder and weirder!What's up with the show-off fence that should keep out sudden madness? She walked in, and there was no sound inside.There are a few simple-looking wooden tents and warehouses in front, maybe the entrance to the shelter itself... the entrance to the underground passage is behind them, Sifna knows.So she went around to the back. Yes, the entrance to the shelter is at the back, there is a small oval door on the ground, and behind the door is a dark passage.

And there were more than a dozen people standing in front of the door, looking at her coldly and unfriendlyly with curiosity.Stripes of bright green cloth are tied around their necks as scarves.She didn't know any of them, and as far as she could tell, none of them were on the faculty of the university. To the left of the door was a small campfire.Beside the bonfire is a pile of chopped wood, each piece of firewood is carefully and regularly stacked according to its size, and its orderliness is astonishing.It looks more like some kind of detailed architectural model than a pile of firewood. A heart-wrenching sense of fear and bewilderment went through her.What is this place?Is it really a hideout?Who are these people? "Stand still!" said the man at the front of the crowd.Although his voice was calm, it carried an authoritative tone. "Raise your hand!" He held a very elegant pocket gun in his hand, aiming at her chest. Sifna obeyed without saying a word. He looked to be about 50 years old, a strong and commanding figure, probably their leader.He was richly dressed, well-mannered and confident.The green scarf around her neck has the luster of fine silk. "Who are you?" he asked calmly, the weapon still aimed at her. "Sifna 89, Professor of Archeology at Salo University." "Okay then, may I ask the professor, are you going to do archaeological work around here?" The others laughed as if what he said was ridiculous. Sifna replied, "I'm looking for the university hideout, can you tell me where it is?" "I think this is where it is. All the faculty and staff at the university were evacuated a few days ago." The man replied. "This is the fire patrol headquarters now. Tell me, Professor, do you have any flammables with you?" ? "Flammable?" "Anything you can use to start a fire like matches, a lighter, or a pocket dynamo." She shook her head. "None." "The first paragraph of the "Emergency Law" stipulates that arson is strictly prohibited. If you violate the first paragraph, you will be severely punished." Sifna stared at him blankly.What is he talking about?A thin, sallow-faced man beside the chief said: "I don't believe her, Althinol. These professors caused all this, and nine times out of ten there is a cloak hidden somewhere in her clothes, out of sight." There is something." "I don't have any ignition equipment on me," Sifna said angrily. Altinore nodded. 'Maybe yes, maybe no.We don't want to take chances, Professor, strip you naked. ' She looked at him in astonishment. "What did you say?" "Strip naked. Take your clothes off and prove to us that you don't have any illicit devices on you." Sifna raised her stick, rubbing her hands uncomfortably on the stick.She blinked in surprise and said, "Cut it off, you won't take it seriously." "According to the second paragraph of the "Emergency Law", the fire patrol may take any precautionary measures deemed necessary to prevent unauthorized ignition. According to Article 3, those who resist the law enforcement of the fire patrol may be executed on the spot. Strip off your clothes, Professor, hurry up!" He gesticulated with his pocket gun, very solemnly. But she still stared at him, and still didn't take off her clothes at all. "Who are you? What do people on the fire patrol do?" "It's the Vigilante, Professor. We're trying to restore law and order in Salo after this chaos. The city was badly damaged, you know, maybe you don't. The fire continues to spread, firefighters The department is paralyzed and there is no one to deal with this. Maybe you haven't noticed, the whole town is crazy, they think we don't have enough fires, so they start more fires. This can't go on like this, we're going to take Do whatever it takes to stop the arsonist. We suspect you to be in possession of flammable materials, someone has already accused you of this, give you 60 seconds to clear the charge against you. Professor, if I were you, I would take off my clothes immediately. Sifna saw him silently counting the seconds. Undressed, in front of a dozen strangers?At the thought of this impertinent and humiliating request, a kind of extreme anger welled up.Mostly men, they have shown signs of impatience.Despite Althinor's solemn declaration of the Emergency Code, it was hardly a safety precaution at all.All they wanted was to see her flesh, and they were entitled enough to subdue her.It was simply unbearable. However, after a while, she found that her anger began to disappear. What does it matter?Sifna asked herself wearily.The world has come to an end.Chastity is a luxury that only civilized people indulge in, and civilization has become an obsolete concept. In any case, the muzzle is an order, not to mention, this is a closed place far away from home.No one will come here to rescue her.Time was running out, and Althinol looked serious. It's not worth dying without exposing your body. She threw the stick to the ground. Then, suppressing her fury, without showing any trace of it, she began to take off her clothes, layer by layer, and threw them beside the stick. "Do you want to take off your underwear too?" she asked sarcastically. "All clothes." "Does it look like I have a lighter hidden here?" "You only have 20 seconds left, Professor." Sifna glared at him and undressed without saying a word. It's amazing how easy it is to get naked.She took off her clothes and stood naked in front of these strangers.She didn't care, she realized, that sort of thing often accompanies the end of the world.She stood there with her belly in her chest, almost defiantly showing herself, waiting to see what they were going to do next.Althinor's eyes scanned her deliberately, yet she found herself not even caring about it, a burnt indifference overwhelmed her. "Very well, Professor," he said at last. "Thank you," she said coldly, "Can I get dressed now?" He waved haughtily. "Of course, I'm sorry to embarrass you, but we have to figure it out." He put the gun in the holster at his waist, folded his arms across his chest, and watched her dress nonchalantly.Then he said: "You must think yourself in the hands of savages, don't you, Professor?" "Are you really interested in what I think?" "You'll notice that when you... um... showed your body to prove you didn't hide the ignition, we didn't squint, talk nonsense, wet your pants, or try to harass you. " "Well, you guys did a great job." "I know you won't change your mind by pointing it out when you're still mad at us," said Altinor. But I want you to know that you actually stumbled into this place, abandoned by God. The last remaining bastion of civilization in this world. I don't know where those respected government leaders disappeared. Of course, I don't think we brothers of the Flame Cult are civilized in any way. Once hidden Your college friends here have packed up and left, just like all other people who are out of their minds. Except for the professor and us." "Thank you for including me." "I never flatter anyone. You can withstand the darkness, the stars, and the paralysis they bring more than most. That's the impression you make on me. I wonder if you'd like to stay and be part of our team A member. We need people like you, Professor." "What do you mean? Wipe the floor for you? Make soup for you?" Althinol seemed indifferent to her sarcasm. "I mean join in the fight to keep civilization going, Professor. It's not a high-pitched thing, we see the mission we have. Day after day, we rush through the madhouse there, disarming the madmen, taking out the The ignition device in their hands leaves the right to start the fire to ourselves. Although we cannot put out the fire that is already burning, at least not yet, we can do our best to prevent someone from lighting it again. This is our mission, professor. We The spread of the fire is being controlled. This is the first step in making the world liveable again, and you seem to be in the right mind to join us, so we invite you in. What do you like, Professor? Want to be a member of the fire patrol Or would you like to go back to the forest and try your luck?'