Chapter 38: You want to sneak in secretly?

Shen Du pulled him out from the crowd and comforted him, “So many people came out of the Mist Zone, and they were registering in a rush. There’s no guarantee there weren’t any mistakes.”

Song Nanxing nodded, murmuring, “I have to see for myself.”

He squeezed back into the crowd and asked the staff, “Excuse me, when can we go in for visits?” With a faint hope in his voice, he added, “I want to personally confirm.”

The staff shook their head. “There are too many family members like you. If everyone insists on going in to check personally, it’ll be chaos. We update the official website’s list daily. You’d better check the website more often.”

Song Nanxing wanted to say more, but his phone rang, forcing him to stop and answer.

It was Cheng Jianning on the line. His usually energetic voice sounded somewhat weak. “Since when did you start caring about this? Do you have missing relatives too?”

Song Nanxing didn’t elaborate and mumbled, “Yeah… Do you know what’s really going on with these missing people who returned? Why is Captain Chu refusing to let them go?”

“That’s still undecided,” Cheng Jianning said. “Captain Chu insists these people are suspicious and demands further observation before releasing them. But he can’t provide solid evidence to convince everyone. The online discussions have been intense these past few days. I heard several emergency meetings were held at higher levels. In the end, despite Captain Chu’s objections, they decided to release a batch of people who showed no anomalies to appease the public. Captain Chu was furious just now… We’re stuck in the middle and it’s a tough spot.”

Hearing this, Song Nanxing knew Cheng Jianning probably couldn’t help much for the time being.

After exchanging a few more words, Song Nanxing hung up and looked toward the tightly closed main gate of Tongcheng University, a decision forming in his mind.

He turned to Shen Du, “Do you know if Tongcheng University has any hidden side gates or easier ways to sneak in?”

Shen Du’s eyes flickered. “You want to sneak in secretly?”

Song Nanxing nodded. “A friend from the shelter called me earlier. From what he said, the remaining people probably won’t be allowed home anytime soon.” He pressed his lips together and said quietly, “I don’t want to wait passively anymore. I want to see for myself.”

Shen Du glanced at him and sighed. “Wait a moment. I’ll make a call.”

He dialed a number, spoke briefly, then told Song Nanxing, “I just called the dean of our college. I said I needed to return to the school to look for some important documents. He’ll help coordinate with the guards. When we get there, you just pretend to be my assistant.”

Song Nanxing hadn’t expected it to be so simple and showed a surprised expression. “That won’t cause any trouble for you, will it?”

Shen Du smiled. “Just going back to school to check some documents. How much trouble could that be?” He glanced at his phone. “Let’s go. It’s already arranged.”

Song Nanxing followed him, somewhat nervous.

At the gate, Shen Du pulled up his electronic work ID on his phone and showed it to the guard. “Hello, I’m Shen Du, a physics teacher at Tongcheng University. I need to come back to the school to review some important documents. The dean should have already spoken with you.”

The guard glanced at the ID, staring for a few seconds, then nodded. “Oh, no problem. You can go in.” He didn’t even question Song Nanxing standing beside him.

Even after entering the school with Shen Du, Song Nanxing still felt a bit unreal. He looked back and saw some family members had spotted them entering and tried to follow but were stopped by the guards and were loudly arguing.

He turned to Shen Du and said sincerely, “You’ve helped me so much. I don’t even know how to thank you.”

Shen Du smiled, “Save it for later. Let’s go to the gym to find your mom first.”

According to the news he’d overheard at the gate, the returned missing people were temporarily housed in the gymnasium.

Besides the roughly one hundred who had already gone home, nearly a thousand remained.

Tongcheng University’s gym was newly built, very spacious, large enough to accommodate all of them.

Inside the gym, rows of folding single beds were laid out on the open floor. Many of the missing people sat or lay on their beds; some gathered in small groups chatting. The atmosphere was relatively calm.

As Song Nanxing entered, the lively conversations suddenly quieted, and curious eyes turned toward them.

A few outgoing ones came closer and asked proactively, “Where are you guys from? People have been coming in batches these past days, but no one says when we’ll be allowed home.”

Song Nanxing smiled calmly and greeted them, “I’m from the shelter center. The leadership sent me to inspect the situation. For safety’s sake, we need everyone to stay a few more days. Once everything is confirmed safe, you’ll be reunited with your families as soon as possible.”

Hearing this, everyone cooperated.

Those who had come closer to see the commotion withdrew and sat back on their beds.

Song Nanxing started searching from the left side to the right, carefully examining every person without missing one.

But the further right he went, the more silent the missing people became.

At first, passersby threw curious glances, but by the middle of the right side, many simply sat blankly on their beds. When someone approached, they showed no reaction, like soulless shells.

He began to understand why Chu Yan disapproved of releasing these people immediately.

The more he walked, the heavier his chest felt.

He took a deep breath to stay calm, patiently scanning each dull, numb face.

When his gaze landed on a folding bed in the corner, it suddenly froze.

His lips parted, but no sound came out.

Shen Du noticed his odd behavior and followed his gaze, spotting a woman who had appeared in the news.

The woman still wore that white dress, her long hair loose and slightly messy, her downcast face looking gentle.

Song Nanxing’s legs felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Shen Du patted his shoulder. “Go see her.”

After a long pause, Song Nanxing nodded and dragged his leaden legs slowly over to the woman.

She didn’t react to his arrival, fixating instead on a leaf lying on the bed.

Song Nanxing crouched down, repeatedly scanning her face, his memories slowly overlapping with the woman before him.

He carefully reached for her hand and choked out, “Mom.”

The word seemed to stir something in her.

The woman slowly turned her face to glance at him.

Song Nanxing’s eyes lit up with hope, but after a moment, she turned back and resumed staring at the leaf, lost in thought.

His expression dimmed with disappointment, but finding her was already an unexpected blessing.

He took out his phone and snapped a photo of her, sending it to Cheng Jianning on WeChat, asking him to help check.

Even though she was clearly here in the gym, there was never any record of Du Shilin’s name on the official list.

Cheng Jianning quickly replied: [I checked the internal list and couldn’t find any information about the woman in the photo. Probably an oversight due to the heavy workload. I’ll report it now and ask the responsible staff to verify and update the info.]

Song Nanxing breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him.

He looked at Du Shilin, gently pressing his forehead against her hand, whispering, “I’ll bring you home soon.”

*****

Song Nanxing stayed in the gym for a long time.

He even wanted to take her away that very day, but they refused to release anyone.

He could only reluctantly tidy Du Shilin’s messy long hair before leaving, frequently glancing back.

Thanks to Cheng Jianning, the missing information was quickly reported and corrected.

When Song Nanxing saw the updated list on the official website, he immediately sent an email to claim his missing relative.

He thought it wouldn’t take long to bring her back, but for three consecutive days, Tongcheng University showed no signs of releasing anyone.

After asking Cheng Jianning again, the answer remained the same — they were still observing and it was uncertain.

Song Nanxing thought of his mother’s state and couldn’t help but worry about her living alone in the gym.

He shamelessly asked Shen Du for help once more.

Seeing his hopeful expression, Shen Du went into his room and grabbed his car keys. “Let’s go. We’ll go there later.”

Upon receiving the affirmative answer, Song Nanxing’s eyes brightened.

He suppressed his excitement and said, “Wait a moment. I’ll pack some things. There’s nothing at the gym. I’m worried Mom’s not doing well, so I want to bring more supplies.”

Shen Du waited at the door, and soon saw him dragging a small suitcase out, obviously packed well in advance.

“Why bring so much?” Shen Du watched Song Nanxing. “You might not even need half of it.”

Song Nanxing, assuming Shen Du meant his mom might be coming home soon, smiled and said, “Just in case it gets delayed again, it’s better to be prepared.”

Shen Du sighed faintly and took the suitcase to put it in the trunk.

Returning to Tongcheng University felt like old ground now.

When they arrived at the gym, Song Nanxing noticed fewer people than three days ago.

The news said another batch had been released recently.

Those allowed to go home were basically people who had repeatedly passed the mental contamination tests and whose minds were clear.

Now, most of the remaining were those with hazy consciousness and mild contamination.

They showed no reaction to Song Nanxing’s arrival.

He dragged his suitcase inside.

The huge gym echoed only with their footsteps and the soft rolling sound of the suitcase wheels on the floor.