The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 35 A Conspiracy

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Yu Qing had no choice but to agree for now and figure out a solution later.

He thought, "Since you insist on keeping us here, I won't be polite and will give you some trouble so you'll be annoyed and wish we'd leave as soon as possible."

He suggested to Yuling that he wanted to go boating on the lake. This really stumped Yuling.

For fifty years, almost no boats have traveled on this lake. For transportation, they fly around and don't need boats; and for water activities, they are all experts and don't need boats either.

But seeing that Yu Qing insisted on going boating on the lake, they had no choice but to find a way to satisfy his request.

Yu Ling pondered for a moment and said, "How about... we drive the car to the lake for a drive?"

Yu Qing quickly replied, "That's a good idea. Anyway, our car can run on water."

This is just the surface reason; Yu Qing actually has other plans.

Once you get the car onto the lake, you'll have plenty of free space and can spread your wings and fly away at any time. Even if you can't find a chance to escape, you should still give them a good thrashing, just like walking a dog.

Yu Ling directed the cars that had surrounded Yu Qing's vehicle like an iron barrel to move away.

Led by several other vehicles, Yu Qing's car also flew towards the lake and slowly moved across the water.

At this moment, more than a dozen cars were floating on the lake, centered on Yuqing. Under such circumstances, it was obviously unrealistic to try to escape.

But doing some exciting and thrilling stunts is still no problem.

Yu Qing repeatedly ordered his second sister to skip stones on the lake, breaking through Yu Ling and the others' encirclement from time to time and leaving them behind.

When they hurriedly surrounded him, he deliberately made his second sister slow down, and when they got close, he sped away from them.

For a time, the lake was bustling with activity as everyone chased each other. Several times, Yu Qing made his second sister fly into the air, making it seem as if she was about to fly away. When Yu Ling and the others were in a flurry of activity, he would have his second sister gently float down to the lake and hover slowly.

This ordeal truly left Yu Ling and the others exhausted.

Although turtle people have long lifespans, they need to sleep for sixteen hours every day and rest after two hours of activity. Yu Qing's endless activity throughout the morning was too much for them to handle.

Theoretically, there should be an opportunity to escape at this point, but the risk is too great.

It's hard to say they didn't have any other precautions or backup plans.

The best option is to make them feel so happy that they don't want to leave, and then take action after they have completely let their guard down.

When Chang'e quietly stretched out her palm to show Yu Qing the particle he had spat out, and pointed to his mouth and ears, he understood that Chang'e had told him that what he had swallowed that morning was a listening device.

Under normal circumstances, it will eventually remain in the appendix, becoming a long-term listening device.

Yu Qing planned to use it to make a fool of Yu Ling and the others.

He deliberately told Keli that he really wanted to steal the big golden tortoise in the lobby and make a tortoise bed, and even boasted that he would go to Yulin's garden to introduce a few dragons to raise in this lake.

He added seriously, "Do you think the millions of eagles from Yaoxing might follow us here? We really shouldn't have bothered them back then."

Chang'e and Yao Dan didn't understand what he meant at first, but they just echoed, "Who knows? They're probably looking for us everywhere."

Yu Qing gestured as if an eagle were flying down from the sky to catch a tortoise, and Chang'e and the others immediately understood.

Yao Dan then added fuel to the fire, saying, "Do you think those eagles are a modified species from Yu Lin? How come there are so many of them and they're so big?"

Chang'e said, "I saw a big eagle lift a wild boar into the air and drop it down. It was terrifying."

Yu Qing said, "Forget it, stop talking. If they really come, we must stay inside the building and not go out. Our car probably won't be enough for them to play with."

Yu Qing paused for a moment, then sighed, "I originally planned to have my second sister unfold into a bed so we could sleep on the lake and watch the stars tonight, but now it seems that might be too dangerous."

Yu Qing and the others overheard their conversation. Upon hearing that millions of eagles might be flying over, they were filled with fear.

At this moment, Yu Qing had his second sister fly back to the shore and park in the outermost parking space.

Yu Ling and the others hurriedly followed, but it was no longer possible to block Yu Qing's car in the middle like they had done the night before.

Yu Qing deliberately wanted Yu Ling and the others to stretch the string too tight and break it.

After Yu Qing and the others got off the bus, Yu Ling and the others followed like tails.

Yu Qing saw that Yu Ling and the others were all sleepy-eyed and knew that they couldn't play anymore today, lest they anger them.

He said, seemingly considerately, "I'm sorry, it's been hard on you guys today. I think everyone should go and rest; there's no need to share this meal."

If it's convenient, please have someone deliver my meal directly to my room.

I'll just stay in my room and rest; I won't go anywhere. Is that alright, Brother Yuling?

Yu Ling quickly replied, "Okay, okay, whatever you say."

In fact, Yu Ling and the others couldn't be happier than this; who would really risk their life to accompany a gentleman like this?

Yu Ling and the others watched Yu Qing enter the room before leaving.

Yu Qing and the others have no choice but to stay in their rooms now.

What bothers them most is that their every word, action, and move is under the surveillance of others.

The key point is that they also have to pretend they don't know they are being monitored, and even actively let others enjoy their live broadcast.

Yu Qing gently nudged Chang'e, signaling her to move away from him and go to the window, so that the damned listening device would stay away from her.

Chang'e understood and walked over to lean against the window, pretending to gaze into the distance.

Yu Qing pulled Yao Dan to sit in the farthest corner, where they held each other's heads and whispered sweet nothings, as if they were lost in their own intimacy.

They were actually talking in hushed tones, discussing how to get out of their current predicament.

Chang'e also communicated secretly with Yao Dan using telegrams, thus participating in the conversation between Yu Qing and Yao Dan.

Yu Qing decided to stall Yu Ling and the others for another day, and then make a hasty escape early the day after tomorrow. The longer it dragged on, the harder it would be to get away.

Yu Qing whispered in Yao Dan's ear, "What do you think these turtle people are trying to do by going to such lengths to see us?"

Yao Dan whispered, "He must want to see something exciting."

Yu Qing asked, "Should we satisfy their curiosity?"

Yao Dan tugged at Yu Qing and said, "Don't think nonsense. This doesn't comply with our behavioral appropriateness guidelines. It will be sent back to the factory for refactoring."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "Why don't you perform a sexy dance? You can't disappoint that turtle man in Ma Luo too much."

Yao Dan laughed and said, "They're not interested in us humanoid beauties, so why don't you jump?"

Chang'e urgently asked in telegram, "What are you talking about?"

Yao Dan teased Chang'e, saying, "Your husband wants to use a honey trap, so you can seduce Yu Ling and have him completely under your control."

Chang'e retorted sarcastically, "You mean my husband thinks I'm more charming than you, right?"

Yu Qing knew they were bickering again, so he quickly said, "Put your energy into serious matters. Can you devise a foolproof plan to escape?"

Yao Dan said, "If all else fails, we'll fight our way out."

Yu Qing said, "We are outnumbered. We must not act recklessly." Chang'e said, "If only my husband could hold his breath, we could escape from the bottom of the lake tomorrow."

Yu Qing said, "Nonsense. Besides, when it comes to playing in the water, we're really no match for the turtle people."

However, speaking of the bottom of the lake, I did find something when I deliberately choked on water this morning.

I suspect it was a power transmission line.

Yao Dan said, "No way, isn't electricity transmitted remotely nowadays? Why would they use such an outdated method as electrical wires?"

"You're overthinking it. Flying cars are popular now, and teleportation might not be as safe as wires, so it's not surprising that there are cables at the bottom of the lake."

"What you say makes sense, sir. You're not planning to make something of the cables, are you?"

"You guys are just smarter than most people. If we cut their cables before we escaped, wouldn't our chances of success be much greater?"

"That's obvious, they'll be in complete chaos. By the time they come to their senses, we'll have already arrived and calmed things down."

"Such an important and glorious task, which of you two will take it on?"

"Who else could it be but me? Is Yao Dan as skilled with a knife as I am?"

"My lady, why are you more skilled with a knife than Yao Dan? Have you killed someone before?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, sir? I just like to play with knives in my spare time."

"Alright, you can secretly take my dagger tomorrow. You can scout it out first, and the exact time of the operation must be about ten minutes before we are ready to make our escape."

"Then what should I do, my husband?"

"You're just making a scene in the lobby to attract attention and buy time for me and Chang'e to escape."

Yao Dan believed it to be true, biting her lip and looking at Yu Qing with teary eyes.

Yu Qing laughed and said, "I was just kidding. People aren't that easy to fool."

If you were to throw a tantrum in the lobby, it would only alert them, and wouldn't that backfire?

"I'm going to throw a tantrum!"

"You really want to throw a tantrum? Why don't we put on a show right here in this room, so that those turtles in Ma Luo can watch with wide eyes and have no idea what game we're playing?"

Without thinking twice, Yao Dan picked up Yu Qing and rolled him around the room, playing with him until he was completely satisfied.

Since Yaodan didn't send a telegram to Chang'e during the subsequent conversation, she stood at a distance and didn't know what was going on.

She thought Yao Dan and Yu Qing were fighting, so she actually ran over and forcibly separated them.

Only then did Yao Dan tell her the truth over the phone, and even pushed her into Yu Qing's arms, making the two of them roll around a few more times.

Ma Luo, a member of the Turtle Clan watching the live broadcast, was truly captivated by Yu Qing and his group's actions. Some Turtle Clan members repeatedly zoomed in and replayed the details of their movements, trying to figure out exactly what they were doing, leading to endless debates on the Turtle Clan's internal network.

Yu Qing and his friends got tired of playing and fell asleep on the ground. They really kept their dreams to themselves and let others suffer from insomnia.

However, things took a dramatic turn the next morning.

Yu Qinggang opened his eyes and found a petite turtle-woman sitting next to him, with a plate of food beside her ready to serve him a meal.

Chang'e and Yaodan stood on either side with their lips pouting.

The girl was quite pretty, but her short, outstretched hands were simply too unappealing to Yu Qing.

When she saw Yu Qing wake up, she smiled sweetly at him and said, "I am Yu Ling's younger sister, my name is Yu Zhu. My brother couldn't come, so he asked me to bring you food."

Yu Qing quickly sat up, not daring to eat the food she brought. He only politely took a sip of water and said, "Thank you so much. What are Yu Ling and the others busy with?"

Yuzhu said, "These years have been very turbulent. Everyone thinks they are the best form of human life, causing chaos and upheaval."

Yesterday we heard that the Eaglemen might come here to cause trouble soon, so everyone went to prepare for battle today.

Yu Qing and Chang'e exchanged a knowing glance and smiled at each other.

It seems that Yu Ling and the others mistook his fabricated story about millions of eagles yesterday for a real attack by eagle-men.

Isn't this a golden opportunity?
However, this was the first time Yu Qing had ever heard of eagle people in the world.

Humanity's reckless actions have thrown the entire Earth into chaos. He asked Yuzhu:

"What exactly is this eagle-man you were talking about?"

Yuzhu said, "They have wings and can fly freely. They used to live in the north, but I don't know why they have recently appeared in the southwest. It is said that their numbers are astonishing."

Seeing that Yu Qing didn't use any of the food she brought, she pointed at the food, glanced at Yu Qing, then at Chang'e and the others, and hesitated to speak.

It seemed she wanted to say something to him alone. Just then, Yu Qing also wanted Chang'e and the others to investigate the cable matter, so he yelled at them, "Didn't you see me talking to Yu Zhu? What are you two doing standing here? Do you want me to find a rope and tie you up?"

Worried that Chang'e and the others hadn't understood him, he added, "Find a rope, tie yourselves up and get into the lake..."

Chang'e and Yao Dan suddenly understood, and deliberately muttered something as they slammed the door and left.

After he and Yuzhu were left alone in the room, Yuzhu suddenly threw a can into the pool, and the room was immediately filled with smoke, making it almost impossible for him to see Yuzhu's face clearly.

After a moment, Yuzhu held out her palm to him, and there it was written:

"Yesterday's food was poisoned and contained a listening device. Today's food is fine, so you can eat it without worry."

Yu Qing was shocked. He had thought they were just going to plant a bug on him, but he didn't expect they were also going to poison him.

Seeing that Yu Qing was still hesitating, Yu Zhu picked up a piece of food, broke it in half, handed one half to him, and swallowed the other half herself.

Yu Qing took it and ate it too.

He held the jade bead in his hand and wrote on her palm, "Why?"

"We won't let you leave."

"Then why poison me?"

"He won't die, he'll just be paralyzed in bed."

"Why would you keep me here?!"

"You're a living advertisement, proving we're human..."

"He's really gone mad..."

"They also want me to marry you, to prove that we can grow old together with 100% human beings..."

"But we can't be together..."

"Of course we can't combine; we're not the same kind of organism. Besides, I have my own preferred kind."

"So what you mean today is...?"