Jiang Baimian didn't immediately pick up the dark green canvas backpack from the corpse. She cautiously said to Shang Jianyao:
“Check the surroundings to see if there are any dangers that need to be eliminated.”
The two cooperated and quickly confirmed that the bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and other places were normal enough and that there wasn't another corpse.
Moreover, they deduced from the traces of decaying flesh remaining on the corpse that he wasn't a native of Taicheng. He should be a member of Ji Qiang's research team, Ding Ling's husband.
After completing these tasks, Jiang Baimian put on gloves and lifted the dark green canvas backpack from between the corpse's chest, abdomen, and thighs.
After unzipping it, she saw many documents and files.
Among them, several pieces of paper were folded neatly and placed on top.
Jiang Baimian placed the backpack on the computer desk, picked up the papers, and unfolded them.
They were written in Ashlands text, stroke by stroke, neatly and unusually clear, as if worried that later arrivals wouldn't be able to understand.
While signaling Shang Jianyao to be vigilant, Jiang Baimian quickly scanned the contents:
“I don't know who you are who is reading this letter, where you come from, or which force you belong to. None of that matters. What's important is that someone has finally entered this mysterious city again and found us.
“My name is Lu Fuxing, a researcher of the 'Savior Army.' By the time you see this letter, I should already be dead.
“I'm going to briefly explain the cause and effect of what happened here and why I'm writing this letter to you. Believe me, this is very important and may be related to how you and your companions can escape this mysterious city.
“More than two years ago, a considerable earthquake occurred in the northeastern part of the Icefield. After the earthquake, a weather station belonging to our 'Savior Army' that was observing the Icefield's weather conditions discovered that some creations belonging to the Old World Civilization were floating in the river. Our 'Savior Army' had long surveyed that section of the river, even further upstream, and there were no city ruins or abandoned towns.
“As a research institute responsible for surveying the geological conditions, ruins, and resource distribution of the Icefield, I and my colleagues, under the protection of a team of soldiers, came to the Icefield to re-survey that area.
“The leader of our research team was called Chen Mingqiang. He not only had high academic achievements but was also an Awakened.
“On the third day of entering the Icefield, I felt unwell. I had a stomach ache at night and wanted to find the team doctor to get some medicine. When I walked out of the tent, I found Chen Mingqiang silently pacing in the shadows between the two tents at the edge illuminated by the bonfire.
“I was startled at the time, but fortunately, I recognized him in time. Otherwise, I would definitely have alerted the patrolling soldiers.
“Chen Mingqiang also noticed me. He explained that he had some insomnia, so he came out to get some air and think about some problems.
“I didn't suspect anything. For those of us doing research, similar things often happen.
“After that day, Chen Mingqiang became increasingly strange. He used to be cheerful and liked to chat with the team members, but he became increasingly silent, often walking at the back of the team, as if he had become our shadow.
“When passing the Beian Lake rest stop, he actually ordered us to camp in the wild instead of going in to enjoy clean beds and warm showers.
“Although our mission did have confidentiality requirements, it wasn't so strict that we couldn't even enter our own forces' rest stop or contact anyone. At the time, many of my colleagues didn't understand and were suppressed by Chen Mingqiang with the excuse of obeying orders.
“In the end, the result we fought for was to send three people to the rest stop to exchange for supplies and replenish what had been consumed before.
“After leaving Beian Lake, we continued to head towards the intended location.
“I don't know why, but I felt that many people in the team were becoming increasingly strange. Like Chen Mingqiang, they became reluctant to talk and liked to walk at the back of the team.
“I tried to ask them. I thought I had a responsibility to do so. The answer I got was that they had been in the wild for too long and their emotions had become depressed.
“This is indeed a problem that similar research teams often encounter, but this time it appeared particularly early.
“Going against that river and surveying upstream for less than two days, we discovered, no, we saw a city, which is the ruin where you and your companions are currently located.
“In our original records, this area was the most severely affected when the Old World was destroyed, to the extent that the entire terrain was twisted. The corresponding city should have long since sunk into the earth and been buried by soil and boulders.
“But now, a well-preserved city ruin appeared bizarrely before our eyes.
“To confirm that this wasn't a mirage, we bypassed the fault zone and arrived at the edge of Taicheng. Yes, it was called Taicheng before the Old World was destroyed.
“That night, we telegraphed Wubei and informed them of the situation, waiting for further instructions.
“The next morning, everyone was suddenly awakened. Chen Mingqiang, who was in charge of the radio, told us that the higher-ups had instructed us to enter Taicheng and explore a place.
“I and many of my colleagues were very puzzled. Our specialty isn't exploring ruins. This should be done by a specialized team.
“However, as qualified members of the 'Savior Army,' obeying orders had been integrated into my blood. After Chen Mingqiang showed the telegram sent by the higher-ups and was jointly certified by two colleagues and a soldier, I no longer had any objections.
“Looking back on it now, I suspect that the telegram was forged because the three people who certified the whole thing had become strange before, silent and self-marginalized to the point of almost having no presence.
“He actually dared to forge orders from the higher-ups.
“After entering Taicheng, we came to a hospital. Chen Mingqiang seemed to be very familiar with the place, leading us directly into the nine-story building on the right.
“It was called 'Renhui Hospital Vegetative Rehabilitation Center.'
“That was a very terrible place. Chen Mingqiang seemed to be using us as tools to detect landmines, having me and many of my colleagues enter different rooms.
“Some people went mad, some became vegetative, some contracted 'Heartless Disease' and were shot on the spot, some became as strange as Chen Mingqiang and the others, some suddenly rushed to the window and jumped down, killing themselves…
“I don't want to recall it anymore. It's a very cruel thing for me. In short, if you enter the Renhui Hospital Vegetative Rehabilitation Center, don't casually open the doors and enter the rooms.
“At the same time as the losses, we also gained some very important and unexpected documents.
“The remaining people were unwilling to enter those rooms again and clashed with Chen Mingqiang. This included some soldiers, and there were Awakened among these soldiers.
“Those who had become silent and strange stood on Chen Mingqiang's side, and a fierce battle broke out.
“We were at a disadvantage and many people died. Finally, we found an opportunity and fled the building in a panic.
“But Chen Mingqiang didn't chase after us. He chose to stay in that Vegetative Rehabilitation Center.
“Two of us got separated during the escape, but the remaining ones still gathered together, retrieved the original vehicles, and planned to leave Taicheng, return to the camp, and ask the higher-ups for help.
“But after returning to the edge of the city, we were surprised to find that the road out of the city had been destroyed, completely isolating the entire city from the outside world.
“We wanted to try other places, but we gradually found that our spirits were declining bit by bit, and we were becoming increasingly tired. Before long, the first 'Heartless' among us was born.
“Then came the second, and the third.
“We began to suspect that everyone was infected with the 'Heartless Disease' virus and would break out sooner or later. Everyone fell into despair, as if they saw death approaching step by step.
“I'm not too young anymore and I'm mentally prepared for this. I told them to write a will and leave it behind while the disease hasn't broken out yet, so that family members might have a chance to see it in the future.
“I also took the opportunity to write this letter and organized the documents we obtained in the Renhui Hospital Vegetative Rehabilitation Center.
“In the following days, those who were still conscious were responsible for dealing with colleagues and teammates who had become 'Heartless,' and the last conscious person committed suicide.
“Unexpectedly, I was the one who lived to the end. I thought the following content would be written by my other colleagues.
“Before this, we had already found paint and made this window and the surrounding walls red so that people entering Taicheng could see it at a glance and find that there was a problem here.
“If you are colleagues, you can go to the other rooms on this floor to find the bones of my colleagues and teammates. If not, just look at the words below:
“The documents in the backpack are very important. I don't care whether they are obtained by our 'Savior Army' or some other force. They belong to all mankind.
“Friends who see this letter, if you can choose, please spread the contents of those documents, regardless of which force it is given to.
“The mastermind behind the Renhui Hospital Vegetative Rehabilitation Center is the Eighth Research Institute of the Old World. They are doing a very dangerous, very terrifying experiment involving the forbidden zone of the gods and the new world!
“I know that those documents still lack more detailed and more important content, but they can unite all the forces in the Ashlands to jointly seek the secrets buried by the Eighth Research Institute.
“Finally, there are also some wills left by my colleagues and teammates in the backpack. If you don't want to bother, just leave them behind. If you're willing, please give them to a 'Savior Army' member and ask him to send the letters to the corresponding people.
“I am very grateful that you and your companions have seen this. If you are also trapped in Taicheng, you can go to Renhui Hospital to look for Chen Mingqiang's bones. I suspect that he has the secret of how we can enter this Taicheng hidden on him, which is also the key to getting out.
“I mentioned earlier in the letter that the Renhui Hospital Vegetative Rehabilitation Center is very dangerous. You will probably have to select two to three people who are willing to sacrifice and dare to sacrifice.
“Okay, I feel that my spirit is becoming more and more scattered, and my reason is becoming more and more uncontrollable of my impulses. I plan to use a pistol to end my life.
“Please be sure to spread the contents of those documents so that a better future for mankind can be realized.
“For the sake of all mankind!”
Jiang Baimian silently finished reading and handed the letter in her hand to Shang Jianyao.