Chapter 381: True Mountain City People

Chapter 381 The True Mountain City Dweller

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

“Order the drones to halt automatic retaliation!”

“Their weapons can’t pierce our armor!”

From his seat in the vehicle, Chen Jian bellowed the command, while noting that the refugees’ drones in the sky had already darted back into the thickets beside the road.

The gunfire fell silent; the “attack” had erupted without warning and ended in an even more inexplicable fashion.

By the time Chen Jian stepped out, the refugees’ shadows had vanished, leaving only the airborne drones, still tracking the refugees’ direction by intermittent heat signatures and the anomalous activity signals parsed by Fuxi.

“Should we give chase?”

Ji Xing, who had just alighted, asked.

“You go.”

Chen Jian answered without hesitation:

“Our firepower is weak; avoid unnecessary casualties as much as possible.”

“If we can disarm them, do it outright.”

“Understood.”

Ji Xing nodded at the words.

She had just claimed she hadn’t “bounced around” in ages, yet the moment the order arrived she sprang forward with sudden vigor.

In that instant, the power of a Source‑blooded one was unmistakably on display.

In barely a dozen seconds, Chen Jian heard the crack of gunfire echoing from the woods.

“Watch out!”

Chen Jian warned Ji Xing over the radio, and her reply came swiftly.

“All right!”

“Just two guns!”

“You can come through now!”

Hearing that, Chen Jian called Li Shi to follow; the two pressed onward along the direction where Ji Xing had vanished, and before long they sighted her, already holding the refugees at bay in a beast‑track that cut through the forest.

It would be inaccurate to call it a standoff; it was, rather, Ji Xing’s unilateral suppression.

Two of the refugees, who might have been armed, lay knocked out on the ground; the others stared at Ji Xing with terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Yet when Chen Jian and his companion appeared, the refugees instinctively tried to flee, only to discover they were already encircled.

“Don’t move!”

Chen Jian spoke.

“We mean no harm—at least not yet!”

“Where did you come from? Why did you attack us?”

The refugees looked at Chen Jian with panic, as if to speak, but then cowered and sealed their lips.

Chen Jian furrowed his brow, gave Ji Xing a glance, and the two stepped forward together, first seizing the guns on the ground, then herding the few refugees toward the side of the beast‑track.

It was then that Chen Jian realized the group was not as small as he had thought.

Twelve souls—men and women, and even three children.

A composition that fit a typical refugee squad.

Their attire and the scant supplies they carried likewise marked them as displaced peoples.

So, were they merely migrating refugees?

Had they mistaken our armored vehicle for a monster after spotting it, and rashly launched an attack?

Yet that explanation strained credulity.

They opened fire at the edge of the woods; I hadn’t even seen them—did they attack on their own initiative?

Such reasoning would have long since abandoned any hope of surviving the wasteland.

If that were true, they could never have made it this far.

Chen Jian’s brow deepened; he turned to a relatively composed woman among the group and asked once more:

“Who are you?”

“Can you understand what I’m saying?”

The woman’s gaze flickered, as if she were about to speak.

But in an instant she clenched her lips again, stubbornly refusing to utter a word.

Chen Jian was left speechless.

He looked at Ji Xing, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.

Ji Xing paused briefly, then stepped forward and seized the woman’s jaw, forcing her mouth open.

“You have a tongue; you can speak.”

Ji Xing’s expression shifted sharply; she drew a dagger from her waist and, without hesitation, pressed its blade against the woman’s throat.

The woman’s body went rigid, then began to tremble uncontrollably.

One of the three children lunged forward at the sight, but Li Shi grabbed his shirt and pinned him to the ground.

“You have only one chance.”

“Tell us—who are you?”

“I will count down three numbers!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

Ji Xing’s blade had already sliced the woman’s skin, blood seeping out, yet she remained mute.

Chen Jian was utterly stunned.

What kind of joke is this?!

This is no interrogation chamber, and the question we pose is not a riddle.

You were the ones who struck first!

We did not retaliate, we did not kill; we only wanted to know who you truly were, to uncover whatever misunderstanding lay between us!

Is it really that hard to answer?

The woman now closed her eyes, as if ready to welcome her own death.

Chen Jian grew ever more bewildered.

Could it be that your identity is a secret that must be guarded with death?

"Stop."

Chen Jian halted Ji Xing, who was about to strike—though he knew Ji Xing would never truly kill the woman, at most he would merely slash her to deepen the threat.

Yet even such a gesture had become unnecessary.

Since they refused to speak, there was no need to force them.

After all, they posed no threat to our side.

Let us pretend their gun merely misfired.

——

Otherwise, what then?

Should we simply slaughter them all?

They did not look like the ruthless bandits one might expect.

Chen Jian inhaled deeply, then addressed Ji Xing:

"Take photographs for the record."

"These people are not permitted to enter our jurisdiction unless they can prove their identity."

"Seize their weapons, then let them go."

"...Never mind, return the weapons to them as well."

Two shabby, single‑shot rifles could hardly pose any danger.

Ji Xing nodded, lifted his foot, and kicked the gun toward the woman's feet.

Then the three of them raised their guns and stepped back.

Should any of these refugees make a single errant move, the four guns—including the drone—could instantly shred them to pieces.

The distance between the two sides gradually widened.

Chen Jian spoke again:

"If you keep moving forward, you'll reach Mountain City, which lies within our jurisdiction."

"Do not go any further; turn back!"

"The Huaxia Army does not welcome you!"

As the words fell, the woman, still bleeding from her neck, stared wide‑eyed.

She stared at Chen Jian in shock, stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Aren't you… not from Mountain City??"

Chen Jian was taken aback.

"Mountain City people?"

"Mountain City belongs to us, but we are not its people."

"We are the Huaxia Army."

When the words ended, the woman abruptly sat down on the ground.

She seemed to have lost all strength, looking at Chen Jian bewildered; after a long silence she stammered:

"Mountain City..."

"...is it no longer there?"

"Mountain City still stands."

Chen Jian shrugged.

"But the people inside have long since gone."

With those words, the woman closed her eyes in pain.

Chen Jian looked at her puzzled and asked:

"What exactly are you?"

The woman let out a long sigh.

"We are Mountain City people."

"True Mountain City people!" Half an hour later, Chen Jian escorted the dozen‑plus refugees onto the waiting truck and returned to the core of Mountain City.

Throughout the journey, the woman remained silent, yet when the towering structures cast their lights, she could not help but whisper a gasp of awe.

Chen Jian sensed, in a vague way, that her "awe" differed from that of any other refugees he had met.

It was as if.

a child who had only ever seen great cities in books suddenly found herself in the most bustling metropolis.

She knew, with crystal clarity, that such things existed.

She could even comprehend how they were built.

She simply had never seen them.

That was all.

Coupled with her claim of being a "true Mountain City person," Chen Jian grew ever more suspicious of their identity.

Yet when he pressed the woman for an answer, she steadfastly refused to speak.

Only when Chen Jian asked about that "inexplicable shot" did she turn, her tone firm and earnest, insisting it had been an accident.

In her words, it was merely a "misfire."

The misfire, she explained, stemmed from the shooter seeing something familiar and becoming overly emotional.

A man who had just awakened from a coma corroborated her story, but, like her, offered no extra details.

They seemed to cling to a certain "code of silence," valuing it above even life itself.

Chen Jian could only abandon further questioning, and in quiet, escorted the refugees back to the temporary command post.

When the woman beheld the flourishing scene surrounding the command post, she finally seemed to accept Chen and his companions' identities.

For the first time, she spoke of her own accord, offering Chen a simple "thank you."

It was a good beginning.

Yet Chen felt no longer hurried.

"No need to thank us; we kept you here only because we may need your help."

"Go now; she will arrange lodging for you."

"You may first take a shower, have a meal, and rest for an hour."

"In an hour, we will meet here again."

"I have many questions for you— I imagine you have questions for me as well."

“I hope that what transpires between us will be a candid conversation.”

“Alright.”

The woman nodded, turned, and followed Ji Xing as he left.

Chen Jian sat outside the command center, his mind brimming with a thousand questions.

Are they truly people of the Mountain City?

Does that mean they are descendants of the ones who “built” the Mountain City?

Then why did they leave the Mountain City? Where have they been living up to now?

If they have already broken away from the Mountain City, why suddenly return?

Are they seeking something, or do they need to accomplish a task?

Each of these questions has an answer, yet even the decoded data from Fuxi yields not a single clue.

Fortunately, the woman did not keep Chen Jian waiting long.

Barely half an hour later, she returned with that “shooting man” before Chen Jian.

“Sit down.”

Chen Jian gestured to the chair before him and said:

“You ask first, then I’ll ask.”

The man, now clear‑headed and composed, reclaimed the lead; after a brief silence, he spoke:

“Introduce yourselves first.”

“I am Xie Cheng, and beside me is my wife, Su Mu.”

“Xie Cheng, Su Mu, greetings.”

Chen Jian gave a slight nod.

“Your names are rather unusual in this world.”

“Indeed.”

Xie Cheng exhaled softly, then said:

“We are, after all, not quite like the others in this world— but I’ll discuss that later.”

“May I ask you first, what are you?”

“I have already said.”

Chen Jian spread his hands and replied:

“We are the Huaxia Army, a force devoted to restoring human civilization.”

“I know that.”

Xie Cheng nodded, then continued:

“Every major faction in this world claims the restoration of civilization as its banner— at least that’s what they profess.”

“Yet you are clearly different from the rest.”

“You make extensive use of industrial equipment and wield a variety of weapons with skill.”

“You have drones, armored vehicles, even mechanical exoskeletons.”

“You are evidently unlike anyone else; I must ask— where exactly do you come from?”

“Are you from the Mountain City?”

“No.”

Chen Jian shook his head.

“We come from Chuansha.”

“Chuansha??”

Xie Cheng’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“How could that place possibly count?”

After a brief pause, he muttered to himself:

“Perhaps it’s a matter of memory implantation— do you know of the Nüwa Project?”

The words fell, and Chen Jian sat up alert.

He did not answer, but turned the question back:

“You know the Nüwa Project??”

“Of course we do.”

Xie Cheng stared into Chen Jian’s eyes, speaking each word deliberately:

“Stop playing riddles.”

“I will ask you a question; if it is answered, I will answer any question you pose without reservation.”

“The question is simple.”

“Are you… human?”

A faint, helpless smile appeared on Chen Jian’s face.

He relaxed, answering with a wry chuckle:

“I can guess what you’re worrying about.”

“But I can tell you plainly, we are not the so‑called ‘Suiren.’”

“The Nüwa Project has been destroyed, and the Lingxi AI has been eradicated as well.”

“The entire Mountain City— virtual or real— has been razed.”

“Now, this city is a new city.”

“A city belonging to the Huaxia Army, a city belonging to everyone on the wasteland.”

The words hung in the air, and Xie Cheng stared dumbfounded.

The muscles in his face trembled slightly, his body instantly stiffened.

“How did you… achieve this?”

“That’s not for you to know.”

Chen Jian replied:

“We have our own methods.”

“Now I have answered your question; it is my turn to ask you, is that alright?”

“Sure.”

Xie Cheng answered decisively, paused a heartbeat, and before Chen Jian could speak, he blurted out:

“We are the first, and also the last, native inhabitants of the mountain city.”

“We are the result of a split.”

“After the Nüwa Project was launched, we fled the mountain city, and since then we have hidden in some place cut off from the world.”

“If you have already destroyed the virtual realm of the mountain city, then you have most likely uncovered the background of this plan.”

“In that case, I need not tell you much more.”

“You should understand why we fled, and you should also be able to…”

“Wait.”

Chen Jian interrupted Xie Cheng.

Then, fixing his gaze on Xie Cheng’s eyes, he spoke:

“Three questions.”

“First, how is your knowledge transmitted?”

“Second, why did you leave? What exactly is the point of divergence?”

“Third, how have you survived until now??”

(End of chapter)