VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 963: Calculated Moves

The rest of the night passed without ambush.

Ye Shisan’s insomnia faded, and he slept soundly until the sun neared the horizon.

Starving after missing two meals, an aroma roused him.

He stumbled up, ravenous, to find two-and-a-half women bustling in the kitchen, the table laden with dishes.

Vanilla’s sharp eyes caught him first. “Uncle Shisan’s awake!”

She lunged for his bed, but Yi Qing nabbed her. “Greasy hands? I’m not washing sheets again. Clean up before you jump!”

You Long’er served a steaming dish, tossing Ye Shisan a wink. “Steamed oysters, fresh! Eat this, and tonight…”

Vanilla bounced in. “You vixen, plotting a sneak attack on Uncle Shisan?”

“Who’s being naughty?” Yi Qing poked her head out, scolding. “Anyone sneaking around answers to me! If we sleep… all four of us!”

Her jab at You Long’er and Vanilla left her own cheeks flushed.

Ye Shisan shook his head. Traveling with all four? Trouble’s brewing.

Dressed and washed, he sat at the table like a lord, spared from cooking for once.

What a feast!

At the table’s center stood Vanilla’s hand-baked cake, topped with thirteen candles. Yi Qing offered her best home-cooked dishes, while You Long’er brought pricey seafood.

“What’s this…” Ye Shisan eyed the cake, puzzled.

Vanilla hopped onto a chair. “Sister Yi Qing said it’s our last day here, so I wanted to throw you a birthday!”

Yi Qing chimed in. “We don’t know your real birthday. The one in your file’s likely fudged by He Dali and Li Fang. You Long’er had an idea.”

You Long’er preened. “Thirteen candles, Ye Shisan—perfect, right? Aren’t I clever, darling?”

Ye Shisan stayed quiet, unsure what to say. His first birthday ever.

You Long’er had a costly red wine ready, but Ye Shisan didn’t drink, and Yi Qing feared trouble. At Vanilla’s suggestion, they each got a glass of kvass.

Vanilla raised her glass, beaming. “To Uncle Shisan!”

You Long’er clinked her glass, hooking Ye Shisan’s arm. “To my darling!”

Yi Qing stood, locking eyes with him. “To that rogue, Ye Shisan!”

All eyes turned to him.

Ye Shisan stiffened, heart racing. Since childhood, he’d never been anyone’s focus. Now, surrounded by beauties, he felt family near.

He lifted his glass. “To our happiness!”

He drained it—and silence fell.

You Long’er burst out laughing. “Darling, you’re hopeless with words! But it’s real. I love it!”

Yi Qing shook her head. “You’re chasing leads, hitting places where men seal deals over drinks. This greenness worries me.”

Vanilla, chomping a massive lobster, mumbled, “Uncle Shisan, ignore them. Fill your belly!”

The four dug in, lively and loud.

Yi Qing asked, “What’s next?”

“I’ll visit my village, check Grandpa’s mud huts for clues. But first, the asylum.”

You Long’er cut in. “The asylum? Got a sweetheart there? Hooked a nurse already?”

“Your imagination…” Ye Shisan sighed. “I’m leaving this city, maybe for good. I need to say goodbye to old friends. They looked out for me those twenty years.”

Vanilla, gnawing a king crab leg, tilted her head. “Aren’t they all patients?”

“Yeah, wardmates. But they’re not what people think—crazy. When I saw through the Pseudo-Spirit’s sight, I realized their ‘illness’ isn’t mental.”

Yi Qing perked up. “You’re saying psychiatry and psychology are nonsense?”

“Not entirely. But treating everyone with unknown causes as ‘mental’ is wrong.”

“My man’s right!” You Long’er, sneaking a gulp of wine, slurred. “Longmen Gate’s top hacker’s a nutcase. We call him ‘Mad Machine.’ Locks himself in a cage when he flips, talks to his computer…”

Ye Shisan shook his head. “Not like that. Take my wardmate, Fang Qiong. During episodes, he’d say he wasn’t from this world. We thought he was gone. Then a guard found him dead—inside a wall.”

Vanilla’s eyes widened. “Uncle Shisan, dead in a wall? So weird!”

“Fang Qiong’s head, shoulders, and arms stuck out one side, but his waist and legs stayed in the ward. Tests showed the concrete and rebar fused with his body—like he merged with it mid-cross.”

“Such a strange case?” You Long’er forgot her food, engrossed.

Yi Qing frowned. “Sounds like he didn’t belong to our world.”

Ye Shisan’s eyes lit up. “You believe me?”

“Of course. I saw reports like that in service. Time and space dimensions weave forward. When different dimensional spaces collide, odd things happen—like people slipping into another spacetime.”

“That’s scary! I’m not leaving my darling!” You Long’er clung to one arm.

“Me neither!” Vanilla grabbed the other.

Ye Shisan’s curiosity surged. “Can one really traverse spacetime?”

Yi Qing smiled mysteriously. “Want to hear about the green children?”