119 Puppet Jade
The group arrived at a location less than twenty kilometers away from Beijing on the same night. As they sat on Abu’s back and looked in the direction of the city, they saw the faint city lights. Though the illuminated areas were not extensive, being in the outskirts allowed them to see the city lights, which they hadn’t witnessed in any of the numerous cities they had passed by in the past year. This indicated the presence of areas with intensive power supply or buildings with electricity, otherwise, it would have been impossible to see from such a distance.
Deng Xiao exclaimed excitedly, “Great! There’s electricity in the city, which means there must be a place to develop photos.” He was still eager to put up a handsome picture on the wanted posters.
Cong Xia gazed into the distance and said, “The place with the highest power supply should be the National Academy of Sciences.”
“Exactly! We’ll know for sure tomorrow,” Zhuang Yao added. “Let’s take this opportunity to eat and rest.”
Cong Xia took a bag off Abu’s back, which contained three large crows. “Thanks to Xiao Tang shooting down these three crows, otherwise, we’d have run out of food tonight.”
Deng Xiao rubbed his hands together, looking eager. “The roasted crow we had in Chengdu was delicious.”
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Usdt Dky pyke, “Mbkp vkxl, ol esd’v byhl xydu plypsdkdtp, fwpv y zkvvzl pyzv.”
“Gdu xlyv kp qkdl; R’x dsv rknju,” Pldt Dkys alrzkle.
Usdt Dky cskzle y rsv sq oyvla yde alxshle vbl qlyvblap qasx vbl nasop. Mos sq vblx olal rzynle sd vbl qkal qsa asypvkdt, obkzl vbl vbkae sdl oyp wple vs xyjl pswr. Mbl pxyzz rsv vblu caswtbv yzsdt nswze sdzu qkv vos nasop, ps vbl xlyv bye vs cl nssjle kd vos cyvnblp. Ebld vbl qkapv rsv oyp alyeu, Pldt Dkys eaydj xspv sq vbl pswr bkxplzq, zssjkdt nsdvldv.
Gp vbl svblap rsdelale shla vblka vbswtbvp, clpkelp Pldt Dkys, obs oyp ldfsukdt bkp xlyz, dsdl sq vblx bye xwnb sq yd yrrlvkvl. Wsa vbl ldvkal eyu, Ubldt Mkydck bye byaezu prsjld yde pllxle zspv kd vbswtbv. Hbwydt Zys bye clld satydkgkdt bkp dsvlp yzz eyu, obkzl Mydt Zydikw yde Nkw Wldtuw olal qkzzle okvb osaaklp. Usdt Dky bkxplzq bye y zsv sd bkp xkde yde nswzed’v nyzx esod.
Ebld kv oyp vkxl vs pzllr, lhlausdl zlydle ytykdpv Gcw vs alpv. Usdt Dky ypjle Ubldt Mkydck, “Mkydck, nyd usw ynnsxrydu xl vs ts vs alzklhl xuplzq?”
Ubldt Mkydck tsv wr yde qszzsole bkx.
G pbsav ekpvydnl yoyu, Usdt Dky pyke, “Zsw byhld’v prsjld xwnb yzz eyu yde byaezu lyvld yduvbkdt. Ebyv’p tskdt sd?”
Ubldt Mkydck alrzkle, “R’x vbkdjkdt ycswv vbl vbkdtp vbyv okzz byrrld vsxsaaso, vblal yal…xydu kppwlp.”
“Is it related to the mission?”
“As long as I see my uncle, he will definitely help you find the right person to deliver your report.”
Cheng Tianbi shook his head. “I’m not sure if I can hand this Puppet Jade to the right person.”
“Do you know who the right person is?”
“The problem is, when I went to Qinghai with the scientific expedition team, my direct superiors, none of them returned. My return to Beijing was kept completely confidential, and even I didn’t know what I was carrying. I was supposed to hand it over to the right person once I landed, and they would come to meet me. But now…”
Cong Xia showed a thoughtful expression, “So, this is how you operate during classified missions?”
Cheng Tianbi nodded, “This is to achieve the highest level of secrecy. Now, all those procedures no longer exist. When I return to Beijing, finding the right person to deliver the Puppet Jade is the biggest challenge. I can look for my superiors, but I can’t be sure if they were involved in that mission. I have no way of knowing who the scientific expedition team wanted me to hand the Puppet Jade to.”
“Ah, I see…,” Cong Xia pondered for a moment. “When we get to Beijing, we can ask my uncle to investigate who sent that scientific expedition team in the first place.”
“According to Zhuang Yao, the research on ‘Cambrian Consciousness’ was first proposed by his father, so sending the scientific expedition team must be related to him. However, it’s hard to say if he initiated and executed it himself.”
“I believe we’ll find the answers when we arrive in Beijing. If the military wants to take control of the Puppet Jade, you’ll have to hand it over.”
Cheng Tianbi frowned, “It depends on who they are.”
Cong Xia was about to say something when his face suddenly changed. “There’s a strange energy fluctuation coming towards us.”
Cheng Tianbi grabbed him, “Let’s get back quickly.”
The two hurried back to Abu’s side and shouted, “Someone’s coming, wake up!”
The four of them were lightly sleeping, and when they heard the two hurriedly running back, they woke up and got up from the ground.
Cong Xia extinguished the fire with water, and they all climbed onto Abu’s back, quickly running in the direction of Beijing.
In no time, they heard the flapping of wings from large birds behind them. They looked back and saw more than a dozen giant birds flying in the dark night sky. Their wingspan exceeded three meters, giving the feeling of covering the sky and blocking the moon.
These birds were flying quite high, at least more than two hundred meters above the ground. It seemed like they knew there were archers among the group, and ordinary arrows would lose accuracy after a hundred meters. If Tang Yanqiu didn’t fly up, he couldn’t shoot at this distance. He tightened his bow and kept an eye on the large birds.
Cheng Tianbi picked up the sniper rifle.
Zhuang Yao said, “Let’s wait and see what they want to do.”
Just as he finished speaking, a loud boom of a rocket launcher came from one of the birds, and Cheng Tianbi shouted, “Abu, to the left!”
Abu made a powerful leap to the left, covering a distance of more than thirty meters. The rocket exploded behind them, causing the entire forest to tremble.
Zhuang Yao coldly commanded, “Attack!”
Tang Yanqiu flew up and, as soon as those birds entered his range, he shot an arrow that pierced through the clouds and hit the bird carrying the rocket launcher.
The bird let out a wail and fell to the ground. From above, a voice shouted, “Quick, catch me!”
Another bird swooped low, attempting to catch the falling person.
When the person landed within Cheng Tianbi’s attack range, he swiftly swung his wind blade, cutting the person’s waist in half, and the internal organs spilled out.
Tang Yanqiu shot another arrow, taking down the bird that was coming to assist the fallen person.
Two birds and two people helplessly fell from more than a hundred meters in the air, causing a loud thud.
Cheng Tianbi whispered to Cong Xia, “Strengthen my vision.”
Cong Xia transferred his energy through Cheng Tianbi’s vest. He could use energy to strengthen himself and also knew how to enhance someone else’s abilities. Soon, Cheng Tianbi felt his vision instantly improve. The night sky before him was clear as if washed with water, and even dim lighting couldn’t hinder him from seeing far. He raised his sniper rifle and, with a loud bang, thoroughly shattered one bird’s head with a 7.7 mm bullet.
Bullets rained down from the sky, but Abu’s S-shaped running in the forest allowed the dense trees to block most of the bullets. Cheng Tianbi simply created a large vortex in the air above them. Although the vortex couldn’t completely block the bullets, it altered their trajectory, causing them to lose accuracy.
With the coordination of Tang Yanqiu and Cheng Tianbi, the birds in the sky were shot down one after another. In less than a moment, half of the enemy’s fighting strength was gone. Finally, those people threw a few hand grenades and quickly retreated.
After they left, Abu slowed down, panting with its head lowered, but its movements were still agile.
Felines have always possessed the ability to run long distances, like tigers and lions. Not only do they have the explosive power for short bursts of speed, but they can easily chase you for several kilometers when they’re in the mood. Of course, pet cats can’t be compared to large carnivorous felines, but Abu’s rapid evolution greatly improved its physical abilities. Even during the dodge from the bullets just now, it maintained both speed and composure, demonstrating its superior evolution.
Zhuang Yao also admired and patted Abu’s head. “Abu, you’re amazing! You’ve evolved even more since before.”
Cong Xia caught his breath and asked, “Has Abu changed a lot compared to before?”
“Besides its size, not much has changed. Its speed, strength, reflexes, biting ability, and intelligence have all evolved.”
Cheng Tianbi put away his gun. “We won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
“I wonder which faction it was, the Fenglan Society or the Jiujing Prefecture (county)?”
Zhuang Yao said, “Regardless of the faction, this attack was only probing. It indicates there will be large-scale attacks soon. Originally, I planned to wait until tomorrow morning to enter the city. More people would discourage them from acting recklessly, but now we have no choice but to enter the city immediately.”
Cong Xia smiled bitterly. “Going to Beijing seems even more difficult than Journey to the West.”
Abu led them for over an hour, and Beijing City was faintly visible. At this moment, they encountered a second wave of attacks. This time, the attackers were very familiar to Cheng Tianbi, Cong Xia, and Liu Fengyu. They were the mutated mosquitoes they had encountered when they had just left Kunming with the main force.
These mosquitoes were even larger than the ones they encountered in Yunnan. Each one was as big as a human head, and the sound of their flapping wings was like an earthquake, causing the eardrums to tremble. The stingers of these mosquitoes were as thick as human fingers and had an astonishing length. Their numbers exceeded a hundred.
Cheng Tianbi said, “Tang Yanqiu, take Cong Xia and Zhuang Yao and hide under Abu’s belly. The three of you shouldn’t come out.”
Tang Yanqiu also knew that he wasn’t suitable for large-scale attacks and grabbed the two of them, flying to Abu’s body. Abu obediently squatted down, allowing the three to hide under its fur.
Liu Fengyu shouted, “These damn mosquitoes nearly killed us last time! Watch how I deal with you now.” He spread out the petals in his hands, and a stench several times stronger than before immediately spread in the air. Cheng Tianbi used the wind to lift up the foul odor, blowing it toward the swarm of mosquitoes.
The mosquitoes’ sense of smell was thousands of times more sensitive than that of humans and couldn’t bear such a strong odor. They immediately scattered in all directions.
Deng Xiao protected the group and flattened the mosquitoes flying toward them. Cheng Tianbi swung his blade toward the sky, and invisible sharp blades flew through the mosquito swarm, severing countless mosquitoes into pieces. The sky rained with mosquitoes.
Abu lay on the ground, not daring to get up. It extended its claws to catch the mosquitoes, accurately grabbing them one by one. With a mosquito caught in each claw, it curiously played with them.
Zhuang Yao said, “Abu, don’t eat them.”
Abu let out a “meow” and squashed a mosquito with its paw.
The group quickly dealt with the swarm of mosquitoes. Compared to the miserable situation when they first encountered the mutated mosquitoes, they were now much stronger. Other than Abu getting bitten a few times, no one else was injured. Abu’s thick blood didn’t matter much after a few bites. It just seemed to be itching and rolled on the ground.
“Abu, let’s go.”
Liu Fengyu took a deep breath. “Let’s take a break. This damn hassle. We should all go together, and dealing with these trivial things is just a waste of time.”
Cheng Tianbi was also a bit annoyed. The enemy didn’t seem to want to engage them directly; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent these things to bother them. This level of attack could only be called harassment. If they really wanted to subdue them, this wouldn’t be enough. It felt like they were being toyed with, which was really infuriating.
Zhuang Yao said, “Let’s stay calm. Maybe the other side isn’t confident enough to take us down, so they’re constantly using this tactic to drain our energy and wait for the right moment to strike.”
Deng Xiao also complained, “This is too annoying. Let’s hurry and enter the city. If they want to fight, let’s have a proper fight. These mosquitoes are boring us to death.”
“Let’s go. We’ve been troubled all night, and it’s almost dawn. Everyone stay alert. If they want to launch a real attack, it’ll be within the next few hours.”
The group jumped on Abu’s back and continued heading north.
Over an hour later, they arrived in the outskirts of Beijing, which was already part of the city.
Sitting on Abu’s back, Cong Xia sighed, “It’s been ten months, and we finally made it.”
Thinking back to the initial panic, despair, and confusion, Cong Xia couldn’t believe he now had so many powerful friends and special abilities.
They were finally about to achieve their goal that they had been fighting for from the beginning. In this moment, Cong Xia was deeply moved. They had finally arrived in Beijing.
“Hmm? Is there a fire ahead?” Deng Xiao pointed in the distance.
“It seems so. It’s smoking. Could it be another trick?”
Cheng Tianbi said, “Let’s go and take a look.”
Abu carried them quickly toward the smoking area. As they got closer, they could smell the burnt scent coming from the forest. In the distance, a large area of the forest was on fire, billowing thick smoke into the sky.
During early spring when the trees hadn’t turned green yet, Beijing’s dry climate made it susceptible to wildfires. As they were considering taking a detour, Tang Yanqiu spotted a person walking out from deep within the burning forest.
He said, “There’s someone there.”
The group focused their gaze and indeed saw a tall man in his thirties walking out from the burning forest. Although he had a handsome face, there was a strong aura of ruthlessness and a military coldness in his brows. He looked difficult to deal with, wearing camouflage clothing and carrying a gun. He had a casual expression, as if he was just taking a stroll. The strangest thing was that he was holding something in his cotton jacket, and there seemed to be something inside it.
The man also noticed them, furrowing his brows, but he didn’t stop and walked towards them.
He stopped in front of Abu and took out a wrinkled piece of paper from his pocket, glancing at it for a few moments. “Ah, it’s this cat. You guys are from Yunnan, right?” He raised the paper, and it was their wanted poster.
Chengtianbi pointed his gun at him and asked, “Who are you?”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Don’t point the gun at me. Are you looking to die?”
Chengtianbi replied coldly, “Do you think you’ll survive if I shoot now?”
The man assessed the situation and realized that it wasn’t in his favor. However, he remained untroubled and threw the wanted poster on the ground. “Come with me. We’re here to take you.”
“What? Take us?”
“Yes, it’s your uncle, Cong Zhenzhong, who sent us to get you.”
Cong Xia was astonished. “Uncle… really?” His uncle sent people to pick them up! He was overwhelmed with happiness and didn’t know how to react.
Zhuang Yao raised an eyebrow. “‘Us’? He looked around, but there was no one else except the man.
Shan Ming opened his cotton jacket, revealing what was inside. “And him.” He shook his arm. “Don’t sleep now, for fuck’s sake.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to the cotton jacket he was holding. There was a head sticking out, that of a baby about one or two years old. What was even more bizarre was that the baby had a pair of golden horns on his head, somewhat resembling deer antlers but more like the dragon horns from ancient legends.
The exquisitely beautiful baby opened his eyes, revealing blood-red pupils.
Cheng Tianbi and Zhuang Yao exclaimed simultaneously, “Dragon-blooded person.”
**************
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