TL: Moonlit
Xiao Hen was in charge of handling all matters in the civilized city, so when Wen Qingling asked, he told him about the recent events.
All the zombies from the three major counties have gathered outside the civilized city. Agricultural machinery and diesel have been found and brought back. People who understand agriculture are currently cultivating the land with the base residents, although the crops are growing slower without Wen Qingling’s wood-based ability to ripen them.
Fang Shenlong and Miao Bo entered the Xu County Base and learned about the factional relationships there. They manipulated and rallied support, helping the weak and opposing the strong. Just a few days ago, the leader of the Xu County Base, who had always wanted to get rid of Fang Shenlong and Miao Bo, was attacked by a horde of zombies while venturing outside and died. The deputy leader thought it was his chance, but Fang Shenlong’s popularity surpassed his, and he smoothly became the new leader of the Xu County Base.
The main reason Fang Shenlong won the people’s hearts was because he proposed the development of agriculture for self-sufficiency, aiming to ensure that everyone in the base could have enough to eat. He also established connections with the civilized city to buy detoxification agents and vaccines, eliminating the threat of the zombie virus for the base residents. These factors garnered overwhelming support from the survivors.
Under the intentional promotion, news about the civilized city having detoxification agents and vaccines has already spread. Survivors from other places have been steadily arriving to seek refuge. Initially, their target was the civilized city, but upon encountering survivors from the Xiang County Base and Xu County Base, they learned that the civilized city does not accept outsiders. However, they can join the Xiang County Base or Xu County Base, both of which are affiliated with the civilized city and enjoy its protection. The survivors gladly joined these bases.
Old Zhu and the others have already accumulated a significant amount of medicine and are waiting for Wen Qingling to arrange their use.
Apart from Wen Qingling, everything is progressing in a positive direction. Now that Wen Qingling has awakened, Xiao Hen and the civilized city no longer have any worries.
After Xiao Hen finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment and said, “There’s one more thing. Lu Tianjin came to look for you.”
When those mysterious figures in black cloaks came, Xiao Hen almost mistook them for “Undead” zombies. Fortunately, the leader of the group introduced himself, and his identity surprised Xiao Hen. If Lu Tianjin hadn’t mentioned his own name, Xiao Hen would never have recognized him. The once handsome young man had transformed into his current appearance, which was quite lamentable.
Lu Tianjin wanted to see Wen Qingling, but since Wen Qingling hadn’t regained consciousness, Xiao Hen had been hiding this fact from the outside world to maintain stability within the affiliated bases and among the survivors. Of course, he couldn’t let Lu Tianjin know. Xiao Hen only made Lu Tianjin wait, stating that when Wen Qingling wanted to see him, they would naturally meet. This delay had persisted until now.
When Wen Qingling recalled the incident of working with Lu Tianjin to find Xu Shengfei, he asked, “When did this happen?”
Xiao Hen didn’t understand why Wen Qingling was still involved with Lu Tianjin and replied, “Half a month ago.”
Wen Qingling jumped off the bed and released his psychic power to find people. The first thing he discovered was the dense gathering of zombies outside the civilized city, which was even more impressive than when the “General” was present.
Wen Qingling found the black-cloaked figures in a forest outside the civilized city. They didn’t even have the qualification to enter the city.
Wen Qingling walked briskly outside, saying, “I’m going to meet him.”
Xiao Hen quickly caught up and said, “I’ll go with you.”
Throughout the journey out of the city, Wen Qingling couldn’t help but praise the tremendous changes that had occurred in the civilized city in just over a month.
Xiao Hen was very curious about Lu Tianjin’s arrival, and Wen Qingling didn’t hide anything from him. He told him about their cooperation in finding Xu Shengfei.
Xiao Hen also felt that there was a deep connection between Lu Tianjin and Xu Shengfei.
Lu Tianjin didn’t understand why Wen Qingling hadn’t seen him, but since Xiao Hen asked him to wait, he had no choice but to wait. Lu Tianjin was certain that Wen Qingling wouldn’t let Xu Shengfei go and that they would eventually meet.
Just as he was thinking about this, two figures appeared before him.
Lu Tianjin stood up and said, “You finally came.”
Wen Qingling had a cold expression on his face and didn’t waste any words on him. He said, “Have you confirmed her location?”
Lu Tianjin nodded, “Yes, I have.”
Wen Qingling asked, “Where is she?”
Lu Tianjin replied, “In the north.”
Wen Qingling raised an eyebrow. It was quite a coincidence that it was in the north again. He asked, “Where exactly?”
Lu Tianjin gestured to the black cloak he was wearing, “I don’t know the exact location, but I can pinpoint her position.”
Wen Qingling stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “Your ‘pinpointing’ better be accurate, or else my anger towards Xu Shengfei might be directed at you.”
After Wen Qingling finished speaking, he turned and left.
Xiao Hen asked, “Are you going there personally?”
Wen Qingling replied, “I must go there myself. I don’t trust anyone, and I have to see her die in front of me.”
Xiao Hen didn’t try to persuade him and simply said, “I’ll go with you.”
Wen Qingling turned his head to look at him and asked, “If you come with me, what about the civilized city?”
Xiao Hen helplessly said, “The civilized city is already on the right track. Each department has someone in charge. We can leave for a few days without any problems.”
Wen Qingling fell silent for a moment before saying, “The world has changed.”
“Hasn’t the world already changed?” Zombies were everywhere, mutations and plants were abundant, the zombie virus had broken out, and humans had been searching for the source of the infection. Various evidence indicated that severe environmental pollution and global warming had caused ancient viruses hidden beneath the thick ice of the polar regions to erupt, revealing the truth behind the catastrophe.
But now, even the environment itself was changing. The spread of the ancient virus alone couldn’t explain it. Humans didn’t want to believe it, but they had no choice but to accept that this was likely another cleansing of the Earth, just like several major extinctions in history.
A hint of mockery appeared in Wen Qingling’s eyes. “Do you think that global warming, the rampant virus, and the presence of zombies would be the end? Humans always find ways to court death. Earth’s organisms won’t go extinct, and humans won’t stop.”
Xiao Hen’s heart sank rapidly. He thought of the words he had exchanged with Old Xue. Could it be that he was right? Are humans courting death again?
“What have humans done?” Xiao Hen’s voice trembled. He didn’t want to hear any more bad news.
Wen Qingling closed his eyes slightly. “When I advanced, I saw some images. I don’t know if they have already happened or are about to happen. Humans are using energy weapons on a large scale, slaughtering zombies, and trying to reclaim the cities…”
Xiao Hen closed his eyes. He had already guessed that this day would come when the research on energy weapons was successful. He had tried to prevent it and even told Old Xue to stop it, but it seemed that Old Xue couldn’t stop it at all. Even if Old Xue had convinced Xiao Jiang, it would be impossible to reverse the situation with just Xiao Jiang alone. This was an inevitable outcome.
“Humanity wants to reclaim the cities, and some dangerous species want to occupy them too. It will become their hunting ground… I saw a ‘Mountain of Flesh,’ incredibly huge, devouring all living creatures. It can spray venom and has beautiful energy crystals growing within its stacked flesh folds… I also saw a sentient mutated ancient vine. It walks like a human, leaving the forest and heading towards the city, hunting all living creatures… Perhaps these things are not significant compared to the most dangerous presence in Yunjing City…”
Yunjing City?!
Xiao Hen almost stepped on the brakes but managed to react in time, realizing that such an action was too dangerous. He slowly reduced the speed of the car and asked, “What happened in Yunjing City? What did you see?”
Wen Qingling furrowed his brow slightly and said, “I saw a man. With a wave of his hand, mountains of corpses rose up, reaching hundreds of meters high. The crucial point is that this man seems to possess some kind of ability that can imprison my mental consciousness.”
Fortunately, he woke up at a critical moment; otherwise, he didn’t know what would have happened.
That was the first time Wen Qingling clearly felt himself being completely suppressed by someone’s strength. Even when facing the Level 8 Evolved “General,” he hadn’t felt this kind of pressure.
That man was terrifying. This was the instinctual message Wen Qingling received.
Xiao Hen’s hand gripping the steering wheel turned white. He began to doubt if he had precognitive abilities. When he went to retrieve the research equipment, he had already sensed that there was something powerful and terrifying in Yunjing City. He had even warned Wen Qingling not to go there under any circumstances. But he hadn’t expected that Wen Qingling would “see” the danger in Yunjing City in this way.
Knowing in advance might be a good thing for Wen Qingling. At least, with knowledge of the danger, he wouldn’t go toward Yunjing City and could avoid the danger.
“Yunjing City is indeed very dangerous. Signs of it appeared a long time ago. Not even a bird can fly over it. Any aircraft that accidentally passed by crashed, and there were no survivors. No one knows what exactly is in Yunjing City. You are the first person to know the specific situation there.”
Pausing for a moment, Xiao Hen, still concerned, said, “It’s too dangerous there. We should never go near it, okay?”
Wen Qingling looked at him strangely. “Do you think that by not actively approaching a dangerous existence, you can avoid the danger? I saw that he had intact legs and didn’t seem to be impaired.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
His brain refused to accept this information.
Xiao Hen was very worried about his little zombie. “Even if he comes out, we should still avoid him and not confront him head-on.”
He didn’t want to witness such a gruesome scene again. His heart couldn’t take it.
Wen Qingling raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see.”
Xiao Hen stopped the car and earnestly told Wen Qingling, “Qingling, you have to remember that you are not immortal. As long as someone observes you closely, they will always find your weaknesses. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”
Wen Qingling raised an eyebrow. “Where are my weaknesses?”
Xiao Hen tightened his lips. “Being exposed to high temperatures, evaporating your last drop of blood. You won’t be able to regenerate.”
Wen Qingling nodded nonchalantly. “To reach that temperature, someone’s ability would have to surpass mine. Is there currently such an existence?”
Xiao Hen was worried about his confidence, afraid that he would continue to confront dangers without considering the consequences. “There’s another way. If they separate you from the energy source, how will you regenerate when killed without a supply of energy?”
Wen Qingling pondered for a moment. “It’s not easy to isolate me from absorbing energy.”
Xiao Hen’s gaze darkened. “Actually, it’s quite simple. If there are no zombies and no crystal nuclei, how will you acquire energy?”
Wen Qingling tried to think it through. “You make sense. In that case, should I carry more crystal nuclei with me, just in case?”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Was he implying that now? Why would he insist on confronting danger when he knew he couldn’t handle it? Couldn’t he just avoid unnecessary risks?
Xiao Hen was clearly frustrated. No matter what he said, Wen Qingling would argue back. He just wanted to ask one question: Can’t we avoid provoking a dangerous existence? Can’t we just ensure our own safety?
Wen Qingling stared at Xiao Hen’s expression and finally reacted, his normally slow reflexes sharpening. “Are you worried that I will go to my death? Do I look that stupid to you? Even if I know I can’t win, do you think I want to play around with death?”
Xiao Hen let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t take risks. If it really comes to that, I’ll definitely accompany you.”
Wen Qingling decisively refused. “No need. If I die, I can still come back. If you die, it’s truly over.”
Xiao Hen started the car again. “If we’re not confident, we shouldn’t take risks. I won’t let you die alone anymore.”
Wen Qingling: “…”
Was the City Lord scared? Clearly not. He only paid a little attention to Xiao Hen, trying his best to prevent him from going to his death.
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