Plague Doctor

Chapter 362: Pile of Dolls

On the 13th of February, a news article shook the world. GOA’s first Special Mobile Force, The One was officially announced! The unit was formed by elites from various countries. During the press conference, the members revealed themselves to the world. There were Lou Xiaoning, Ma Feng from Phecda, Sam Watt from FBM, Maxim Kuznetsov from Russia. There were seven members in total. They turned towards the camera to read out GOA’s alliance declaration. They would put aside international conflict to swear to protect global safety.

This news was heavily reported all over the world. The biggest question was, ‘Where was Gu Jun?’ According to the official statement, Gu Jun was still resting but should The One need him, he would return. However, the public was not so easily fooled and conspiracies started to fly… That was not helped by the fact that star agents from FBM like Bell Grant and Polina Grisman from Europe were not part of the One.

They probably were waiting for WMO to form their own unit. After what happened to Gu Jun at Dagon’s Island, they were less than confident in GOA’s effort since it was ultimately led by the Chinese.

…

On the fifth day of the new year, Phecda’s special training class officially started. 50 students from Phecda University and 50 members chosen from other channels committed to a secret training at Northern Desert Phecda Division. The trainees passed their days in difficult training. The only time they could access outside information was through the newspaper provided at the canteen. The news about the One inspired them. However, most spent the break for a quick nap as mental power training required a fresh mind.

On the first day of training, the main lecturer, Prof Shen told them, “Gu Jun and Wu Siyu spent their first two years training at this place. After their training, their mental power reached a very high number. Gu Jun was 75 and Siyu 70. They both achieved 10 points increase within a month. If any of you can reach 70 points by the end of the training, then congratulations, your future will be immensely bright.” Prof Shen did not reveal to them what their initial mental power point was, he only told them to focus on their training.

On the first day of training, the students received another shock. One of their trainers was a boy around 11 years old. He was Xiao Xu, the boy who had Asperger’s. The boy started the training with Gu Jun and Siyu. Prof Shen reminded them to not underestimate Xiao Xu due to his age for his mental power was far higher than any of them and he had not even celebrated his 12th birthday yet. Even though Xiao Xu was extremely reticent, he was not unapproachable. Some of the girls even surrounded him to press him for gossip about Gu Jun.

“None of you have a chance…” Xiao Xu said softly, “When I saw Gu Jun and Wu Siyu for the first time, I knew they’d end up together…” This dampened some of the girls’ spirit but others asked him why.

“Statistics.” Xiao Xu answered, “Coincidences are sometimes actually necessities…”

The gossip was a little brightener in their training. However, Xiao Xu’s comment did cause some ripples among the young trainees, because they needed to pair up into duos before their official training started. There would be male and female in a pair, this was to mimic the success story of Gu Jun and Siyu. A close relationship was a double-edged sword, it could strengthen the pair’s bond but it was also a burden. The human heart was not made of steel. After extended periods together, feelings would surface and that could be used by the darker forces as leverage.

Prof Shen allowed them freedom to pick their own partner. Those without any partner by the end of the session would be randomly paired. Chen Jiahwa quite liked a girl he recognized from Phecda University. He approached her to ask her to form a pair. She agreed. Her name was Deng Ruoxiang, she was pretty and kind.

…

For couples, 2022 was a very special year. February 14th was western Valentine’s while February 15th was Chinese Valentine’s. For Gu Jun and Wu Siyu, these two holidays were extremely precious because after the 15th, Wu Siyu would have to report back to work. Even though her accompaniment was good for Gu Jun’s recovery, she was also needed elsewhere. For example, Lucky demanded for her to be translator for the Zoogs—he had trouble conversing with anyone on Earth except for Wu Siyu. If humanity could not even show the Zoogs that little sincerity, then there was no need to talk about an alliance.

Regarding this, Gu Jun wished for Wu Siyu to return too. He could see the big picture. Therefore, on the last two days of her holiday, they wanted to be together without any other disturbance. They wanted to spend some alone time. They travelled to Su Hang and booked a private suite by the lake. The mysterious signal did not reappear but Gu Jun knew it could not be forced so he tried to enjoy the sweet moments as long as he could. After two days of playing, the couple returned to their suite.

Before Gu Jun entered the room, he told Captain Gao’s team in a very serious tone to move their guard station away from the door. They could watch the surveillance or patrol the hotel, in fact he even told them to go on a break for the night. Just stay the fuck away from the door.

…

As night fell so did the rain at Shen Hai City. It was Kedou’s bedtime already. To train her independence, Kedou was given her own bedroom since she was young. After Mother Lee snuggled Kedou into her bed and read two bedtime stories for her, Kedou’s eyes were dimming. Mother Lee put down the book and kissed her daughter on her forehead, “Good night.” Switching off the bedside lamp, she exited the room. She had her own Valentine’s celebration with her husband. However, after Mother Lee closed the door, Kedou’s eyes flew open. Her eyes looked around. The room was dark and everything was shrouded in bleakness. Her eyes eventually settled on the pile of dolls in the corner…

As she stared at it, her young face suddenly broke into a smile. Kedou sat up in bed and said softly, “You’re finally here. I can see you now.” Then, a human figure walked out from the pile of dolls. She wore a red lion dance outfit, the mask of the smiling buddha and carried a large fan. The person took deliberate steps until she reached Kedou’s bedside.

“I want to listen to the stories!” Kedou said excitedly, “Stories about man-eating monsters!”

“Of course…” The smiling buddha wiggled its head at her and looked quite funny. Kedou broke out laughing but she quickly clamped her hands over her mouth. She then winked at the smiling buddha. The rain poured even harder, dimming the sound inside the child’s bedroom but Kedou’s laughter eventually grew so loud that she was overheard by her parents in the living room. They pushed open the door in confusion and switched on the light. They saw their daughter sitting on the edge of her bed and she could not stop laughing.

Mother Lee frowned, “Lee Kedou, what’s wrong with you?”

“Who were you talking to?” Father Lee looked around but saw nothing suspicious. Did Kedou wake up to play with her toys?

“Big sister says I can tell you now.” Kedou’s eyes brightened from joy, “She just left.”

Mother Lee and Father Lee were shocked. “Big Sister? Who is that?” As they understood, Siyu was not staying at their home.

“Brother Dirty-minded Jun’s big sister!” Kedou explained with a smile, “We are good friends, she has been coming to tell me stories every night.”