Chapter 11: Escape (Part Two)

Chapter 11: Escape (Part Two)

Only when I fired my way through the passage did I see clearly: five figures were attacking us.

I’d hit three of them. The other two had shields—one got knocked down by Gao Minjun charging from behind, the other’s electromagnetic gun went flying. He hesitated, then retreated.

That’s when I got a good look.

Police uniforms.

I shouted, “Are you insane? You just killed your own chief—Zhu Shaohua!”

Gao Minjun shouted back, “You’re the one who’s insane! Can’t you tell these people are being controlled by AI?”

I hadn’t recovered from the shock. Run first, think later. I grabbed Gao Minjun and ran outside.

Dark out, but I still spotted the old gatekeeper running toward us.

The sight of him felt like freedom itself.

Fake Gao Minjun had only held me one day, but I’d already tasted the dread of losing my life and the agony of losing my freedom.

Getting out felt good.

I was speechless.

Chief Zhu—I’d asked you to come rescue us. Why did you come alone? Why no team? You were the police chief. And now look. Gone.

Just when I thought we were safe, real danger followed.

More black-clad figures rushed out from nowhere, firing electromagnetic guns.

Several shots rang out. Two of the men behind us dropped—hit instead by waves of light from some unknown direction.

I traced the source: someone behind the ping-pong table, firing continuously at our pursuers. The same table where Ye Ziping had waited for me last time, right in front of the little black room.

The figures behind me seemed utterly unafraid of death, still charging.

“Stay low—run left!”

The figure behind the table shouted at us.

The old gatekeeper?

Who are you?

Those behind me might be police.

I was lost. No idea whom to trust.

“Run left. Listen to him.”

Gao Minjun shoved me that direction and ran, crouched low.

I didn’t dare look back, just followed. No wonder this old guy survived the Human–Machine War—his escape skills matched mine.

We didn’t stop until we reached an area with people. I’d just started toward home when Gao Minjun yanked me back.

“Where are you going? You still want to go home right now? Do you have a death wish?”

“I need my things. Bank card, clothes—they’re still there.”

Of the three items Grandma had given me, I’d torn up the address after reading it. The jade token went around my neck immediately. Only the bank card and clothes had been sitting there when fake Gao Minjun grabbed me.

Without explanation, Gao Minjun dragged me toward his place.

You won’t let me go home, so why are you going home? Isn’t that just as dangerous?

He pulled me to his building but didn’t go up—headed straight for his car instead.

The old guy had a car.

We climbed in. He started it and tore away.

Only then did I understand. Age brings cunning. Driving really was the fastest escape.

Where was he going? I had no idea. I needed Pingdu City.

The car shot out of town, heading for Daofu City. Wrong direction. I said I wanted out—I wasn’t going that way.

Gao Minjun kept driving. “I know. Can’t head toward Chengdu now—they’ll be blocking that route. We escape the opposite way.”

Made sense. The old fox had experience. Staying alive came first.

An hour later, we drove into a mountain town. Gao Minjun shoved me out.

“You’re on your own from here. I suggest heading back. That way they can’t figure out which direction you escaped.”

“Back? Won’t I run straight into them?”

Why did I feel like he wanted me to walk into a trap so he could run?

Gao Minjun said loudly, “Ever heard of hiding in plain sight? We just drove out—you think they don’t know? They’ll analyze our next move fast. So going back alone is safer. Forget what I taught you? AI doesn’t make mistakes. Humans do.”

He pulled a package from the tool compartment and handed it over. “Take it. You’re on your own. I suggest the morning bus to Yajiang—passes through Liutan Town again, more concealed. Give me the gun. Too many people on a bus—carrying it’s more dangerous.”

The moment I handed it over, he shut the door and drove off in a cloud of dust.

Holy crap. Talk about disloyal.

After I’d just pulled you along.

I was the one who found someone to rescue you, you know.

Heartless.

Gao Minjun was gone.

No choice. I asked for directions to the bus station.

Only one morning bus each day in that small town, so it was packed—merchants, villagers heading to town, people with back baskets of fruit to sell.

I squeezed into the very back corner where I could see everyone boarding from the front.

Only after sitting down did I have time to open Gao Minjun’s package.

What could be in such a small bundle? I opened it slowly.

Money. Cash. Not all large bills, but roughly twenty thousand yuan.

I glanced around quickly. No one had noticed. The money in my pocket would barely cover a ticket and breakfast—I’d been worried about what came next.

The bus finally started, painfully slow.

Western Sichuan was all mountains. Before the Human–Machine War, supposedly there’d been expressways and tunnels. War destroyed many. Now vehicles wound around mountain roads.

By the time the bus crawled into Liutan Town, three hours had passed. Three hours earlier, Gao Minjun had driven the same route in one.

At Liutan Town, more people boarded. Latecomers stood packed in the aisle.

I listened carefully for talk of that morning.

Sure enough, people were discussing it. The information was explosive:

Gao Minjun was dead.

News traveled fast.

The story: Gao Minjun turned out to be an AI being. Killed Chief Zhu Shaohua, injured police officers, kidnapped student Gu Beichen, drove toward Daofu.

To rescue the hostage, police and CWP organized a joint operation, set an ambush in Daofu, blocked him from the opposite direction. Shootout on the road. CWP killed him, car flipped into a ravine. Gu Beichen’s whereabouts unknown.

I fell silent.

Hours ago I’d hated him. Now I felt terrible.

He’d saved my life with his own, been falsely accused of being an AI being. Truth was, I’d hated Gao Minjun mainly because of the fake one—the fake caused Grandma to flee.

They looked identical, so seeing the real one annoyed me too.

Now fake Gao Minjun could replace him openly.

At that thought, I realized I was in grave danger.

I was the most direct person involved, likely the only witness who knew the truth. No force would let me go.

The bus left Liutan Town. After thirty kilometers, it passed a small village. I got off.

Didn’t want Yajiang anymore—too big. Someone would board to check.

In the village, I found a villager with a motorcycle and had him take me to Ziyang City. I’d transfer from there to Pingdu City.

Ziyang City was a prefecture-level city east of Chengdu. Under it was Anyue County—not famous, but old. An ancient temple at the mountain’s foot. I’d read about it. Long history.

Didn’t dare stay in a city hotel, went straight to the temple. Only lodging there avoided registration. Besides, I had no ID. Even hotels might not take me.

The ancient temple in Anyue was Mumen Temple. Legend said it once teemed with pilgrims and monks, called “Little Potala.” But the Human–Machine War damaged it. It had declined ever since.

The main structure stood, but mostly dilapidated. Few tourists or pilgrims. Most monks gone. One old monk remained.

I asked to lodge. He didn’t ask about my affairs—very quiet.

But he made me work for everything. Food and shelter—he only provided conditions.

The temple had donated grain, empty rooms. But vegetables—I had to gather them myself on the mountain.

Such a quiet place made me unwilling to hurry on. I’d rest my strained nerves. So I spent days at Mumen Temple, life plain as water.

Days later I wanted to leave, but the old monk stopped me. Insisted I had a root of wisdom, wanted me as his disciple.

I almost laughed.

Those idle days I’d read Buddhist scriptures, but achieved no enlightenment.

Maybe he wanted a successor too badly. Without consent, he gave me a Dharma name: Xuanchen. Insisted “Xuanchen will cross the world; his future is promising.”

I wanted to refuse, then realized—this might be an opportunity.

I’d fled without documents. Even if I had them, I wouldn’t dare use them openly—fear of tracking. The temple’s ordination certificate let me avoid worldly affairs. Another identity. Future basis for buses, lodging. Could reasonably freeload food and shelter at temples wherever I went. So I accepted quickly.

Stayed at Mumen Temple a few more days, received teachings.

During that time, I found a chance to go to Anyue County, call Ye Ziping, tell him I was safe. More importantly—asked him to personally tell Zhu Zhaojie’s father I’d seen her. She’d been hired by a tech company. Everything fine.

Everything settled, I said goodbye and headed for Pingdu City.