Before everything goes out

Silent all night.

Li Fei was woken up early the next morning.

When I opened my eyes, a circle of curious eyes surrounded my face.

It was the children in the room, five or six of them, neatly arranged around his bed. The youngest of them was even lying on his chest, patting his face all over with his hands.

"No wonder I couldn't breathe in my dream just now..."

Li Fei picked up the child who was clinging to his chest and gently placed him beside him.

Under the unabashed gaze of everyone, he hesitated for a moment, then got dressed in bed and got out of bed.

"Uncle, why did you sleep for so long?"

"Uncle, you were drooling in your sleep just now, just like Brother Mantou."

"Eeya eeya, gurgle gurgle."

The last, indistinct sentence came from the child lying on his chest.

"Adzuki Bean".

Li Fei heard Lin Wen call him that during dinner yesterday.

"Stop crowding around your uncle, he has important business to attend to."

Bai Xiaowu put down her needlework and dispersed the children.

Li Fei put on a long-sleeved shirt that Lin Wen had prepared, slipped on a pair of worn-out sneakers, and went to the water tank.

He had a toothbrush at home, but no toothpaste, so he brushed his teeth with some salt, just like he did the night before.

This coarse salt tasted a bit strange, but its effects were surprisingly good.

Where is Teacher Lin?

Li Fei looked around the courtyard by the gate but didn't see Lin Wen.

"I'm going out to help out at Dr. Wang's."

Bai Xiaowu didn't even look up, sewing the pants very carefully.

"oh."

Li Fei finished washing up and went out.

At 10 a.m., the lighting was good, perfect for charging the fitness tracker.

Of course, more importantly, it's about preparing for tonight's escape.

For example, routes and food.

And enough sunlight to last until the next day.

As for Bai Xiaowu's request last night?

That was just a child's wishful thinking. The original owner caused the trouble, so why should Li Fei take the blame?

Moreover.

As a patient, his abilities are limited, and he can't offer help even if he wants to.

"Huanzi is here."

"Don't look, or he might retaliate against you later."

"Tch! If he doesn't hand over the man by tomorrow, it's hard to say who'll get what's coming to him!"

Walking through the village, Li Fei felt subtle, almost imperceptible, gazes.

Not only was it unfriendly, it felt like a nail was stuck in his back, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

He tried to avoid eye contact with the villagers, instead holding up his bracelet and walking around the village, noting down more information.

Although he and Lin Wen had already briefly explored the area yesterday, he hadn't decided to run away yet, and was just following Lin Wen around aimlessly, which didn't have much effect.

Nowadays.

He tried his best to memorize every piece of terrain.

"Once you leave the house, head this way. This way you can avoid the village chief's house. Go east out of the village, then follow the river to make sure you have water to drink."

As Li Fei walked, he planned his escape route.

No matter what the situation is outside, he must leave this dangerous Shuanghe Village first.

When the time comes, it's easy to decide whether to seek refuge with other organizations or find a place to wait for rescue from inside the Great Firewall.

After circling the village a few more times, Li Fei caught a glimpse of a familiar, thin figure following not far behind him.

It's Bai Xiaowu.

Whenever he slowed down, Bai Xiaowu would slow down; whenever he sped up, Bai Xiaowu would speed up as well.

Clearly, this was no coincidence; the other party was following him.

"What? Afraid I'll run away?"

Li Fei slowed his pace until he was side by side with Bai Xiaowu.

Speaking of which, being caught by this child last night is indeed a potential problem.

If the other party remains so wary tonight, it will be questionable whether he can even leave the house. It would be best to take this opportunity to dispel the child's suspicions.

"No."

Surprisingly, Bai Xiaowu shook his head and pointed to the corner not far away.

"I'm afraid they'll kill you."

Following Bai Xiaowu's gaze, Li Fei saw a bald man shrink back around the corner.

It's Niu San.

"Didn't the village chief say he'd protect me? Why isn't he even listening to the village chief?"

"Others might listen, but Niu San might not."

Why?

"Because he's not very bright, and when he's not very bright, he acts recklessly and sometimes doesn't even listen to his brother."

Is this child really only eight or nine years old?

While marveling at Bai Xiaowu's intelligence and maturity, Li Fei nodded, his resolve to escape the village becoming even stronger.

"What are you doing?"

Looking at Li Fei, who was holding up his bracelet and walking around the village, Bai Xiaowu asked.

"It's solar-powered; it can be charged by shining it in the sun."

Li Fei gave a brief reply.

"Then why do you keep moving around? Can't you recharge just as well by staying in one place?"

"It charges faster when you're on the go."

"Oh, then hurry up and help me find my mom after you've charged up."

"no problem."

Li Fei gave a perfunctory reply and continued walking.

To be honest, he was almost certain that the bracelet could be charged, but he wasn't sure if it could provide GPS location services.

Fortunately, the village chief was careless and didn't come to watch over him, otherwise he would have been exposed before tonight.

"Got it!"

at last.

Two hours later, at noon, Li Fei looked at the bracelet with surprise.

The lightning bolt symbol above has changed from red to yellow, which is clearly a sign that it is charging.

At this rate, it should be fully charged to green by this afternoon, restoring all the functions of the bracelet.

"Hey, can anyone hear me?"

Under Bai Xiaowu's strange gaze, Li Fei couldn't wait to try talking to the bracelet.

No response.

The call function is not available at the moment, so let's try other functions.

I fumbled around on the bracelet for a while, and shook it vigorously a couple of times, but there was still no response.

"Damn, how does this thing even work? It can't just have a light monitoring function!"

Just as Li Fei was getting annoyed, the bracelet finally made a sound.

First, there were two "beep" sounds, like the machine was being turned on, followed by a familiar mechanical female voice.

[Vital signs being checked...]

[Abnormalities detected in your vital signs.]

If conditions permit, please proceed immediately to the nearest outpost for inspection to rule out any potential corruption.

In addition, if you are unable to move due to an emergency, please stay where you are and wait for rescue. We will synchronize your location in real time to provide precise assistance.

【…】

[Other exploration team members have been found within 10 kilometers and have been marked on the map. Please rendezvous with them as soon as possible.]

【…】

【remind.】

This emergency procedure is for reference only; please make specific decisions based on the current situation.

【…】

Finally, we look forward to your triumphant return.

Every exploration beyond the Great Firewall you undertake contributes to the survival of human civilization.

May the light be with you.