The Return of Cambrian Period Chapter 125

125 Mystery of the End Times 

Cong Zhenzhong sighed and said, “Spring is here, and life is reviving both on land and in the ocean. We will soon face the second wave of evolutionary frenzy. After a peaceful winter, Beijing, which has been quiet for a season, is very likely to encounter large-scale attacks once again. The threat to humanity is everywhere.” He looked at the few people present, “Those who possess strength should shoulder responsibilities commensurate with their abilities. As long as the Cambrian consciousness is awake, our battle will never end.”

Cheng Tianbi spoke softly, “Are you asking us to collect the puppet jade?”

Cong Zhenzhong nodded and replied, “Not only you, but the Dragonblood Clan, Jiujiang Prefecture, Fenglan Society, and Liudao Huangquan—these powerful mutant organizations you are familiar with—all have been given the same mission: to collect the puppet jade. As long as the puppet jade remains outside, the surrounding mutant species will grow stronger day by day, and the difficulty of our collection will increase day by day. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, the Ice Natural Evolutionary in Chongqing, the Xiaoxing’anling Pine Forest in the Northeast, the Marine Clan in the South China Sea, and especially Qinghai…”

The few people were shocked. Xi’an and Chongqing were places they had experienced before. They had also personally encountered the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Ice Natural Evolutionary.

Zhuang Yao said, “Please introduce each of them to us. Xi’an and Chongqing are places we have been to.”

“I know. You also had contact with Wu Yu, right?” Cong Xia nodded.

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“Nlv xl pvyav okvb Ew Zw vbld. G qlo xsdvbp yts, obld ol qswde swv ycswv vbl Rnl Lyvwayz Ohszwvksdyau kd Ubsdtikdt, ol pldv psxlsdl vs vau vs rlapwyel bkx vs nsxl vs Jlkfkdt, cwv bl alqwple. Tl eslpd’v oydv vs vyjl saelap qasx ydusdl yde ralqlap vs pvyu kd Ubsdtikdt. Tl dso rspplpplp y rklnl sq rwrrlv fyel yde nsdvaszp vbl ldvkal Ubsdtikdt. Rv pllxp bl rzydp vs lpvyczkpb bkp sod jkdtesx kd vbl Fknbwyd-Ubsdtikdt altksd. Tkp kdqzwldnl byp lmvldele vs dlktbcsakdt nkvklp kd Fknbwyd. Wsa bkx, clnsxkdt yd lxrlasa kd pwnb hypv zyde kp xsal nsxqsavyczl vbyd nsxrlvkdt okvb svbla dyvwayz qsanl Ohszwvksdyaklp kd Jlkfkdt yde clkdt wdela vbl nsdvasz sq vbl xkzkvyau.”

Hbwydt Zys dyaasole bkp lulp, “Jwv R clzklhl Ew Zw’p yxckvksdp ts qya clusde vbyv.”

Usdt Hbldgbsdt pyke, “Vlabyrp bl oydvp vs lmryde qwavbla, cwv bkp xydrsola yde alpswanlp yal zkxkvle, ps kd vbl pbsav vlax, bl xyu dsv rspl y pktdkqknydv vbalyv. Tsolhla, alvaklhkdt vbl rwrrlv fyel qasx bkx oswze cl lmvalxlzu ekqqknwzv.”

Usdt Dky alnyzzle Ew Zw’p vlaakqukdt ldlatu qzwnvwyvksdp yde vbswtbv ycswv vbl qsaxkeyczl vlaaykd yde qyhsayczl zkhkdt nsdekvksdp kd Ubsdtikdt. Plqlyvkdt Ew Zw oswze kdelle cl lmnllekdtzu nbyzzldtkdt. Rv oswze cl clpv vs qkde y oyu vs rlapwyel bkx.

Usdt Hbldgbsdt nsdvkdwle, “Lso zlv’p vyzj ycswv Dk’yd’p Jkt Ekze Qsspl Vytsey. R clzklhl usw’hl rlapsdyzzu lmrlakldnle kv. Zys Ckydfkydt zle y esgld yehydnle xwvydvp kdvs vbl rytsey, cwv sdzu bl pwahkhle. Mbl rytsey kp qkzzle okvb nswdvzlpp kdplnvp vbyv nyd nsdpwxl vbl ldlatu sq y Eyvla Lyvwayz Ohszwvksdyau. Tsolhla, ol nyddsv wpl blyhu olyrsdp vs yvvynj vbl rytsey clnywpl psxlvbkdt okvbkd kv alpvaykdp vbspl kdplnvp. Rq vbl rytsey kp elpvasule, vbspl kdplnvp okzz kdhyel vbl ldvkal Dk’yd yde lhld ayekyvl vs xsal yalyp. Ekvb vblka callekdt prlle, kv okzz clnsxl wdnsdvaszzyczl.”

“Gp qsa vbl Jkt Ekze Qsspl Vytsey, ol byhl xyel xydu dlo ekpnshlaklp.”

“Xb?”

Hbwydt Zys zssjle yaswde, “Mblal yal rlsrzl xsdkvsakdt blal.”

Cong Zhenzhong nodded, “Yes, later I will take you to a safe place.”

“Okay, then let’s discuss the Big Wild Goose Pagoda later. Please continue.”

“Next, you might also know something about it. Do you remember the incredibly fast-evolving pine tree in the central CBD area of Kunming? It happened shortly after the earthquake.”

Cong Xia widened his eyes, “How could we forget? That pine tree used to be a bonsai in our company! It, it’s still alive?”

Cong Zhenzhong sighed, “Not only alive, but we now refer to it as the Devil Pine. There is evidence showing that it hybridized with a human, but it’s highly likely that the human’s self-awareness failed during the struggle for control with the Devil Pine. It didn’t come to the human community; instead, it went to the densely populated northeast with pine trees. Now, the Xiao Xing’an Mountains are occupied by mutant pine trees. The forest covers an area of about 130,000 square kilometers, ruling over one-third of the land’s plants, larger than Hainan Island. Moreover, it is expanding in all directions every day. At this rate, in less than three years, Heilongjiang Province will cease to exist, and the three northeastern provinces will eventually become an endless pine forest.”

Cong Xia gasped, recalling the two encounters he had with that bonsai pine tree in the office area of their company within 24 hours after the earthquake. It had already taken over their entire office space. They had considered how big it could become if it continued to evolve, but to evolve to a point where it could dominate a forest larger than Hainan Island, it was an incredibly terrifying power.

Cheng Tianbi asked, “How big is the Devil Pine’s main body now?”

“A month ago, we received the statistics, and its height exceeded 600 meters. As for its actual size, it’s immeasurable.”

Liu Fengyu exclaimed, “600… meters?” What kind of monster was that? He could hardly believe he had once attacked such a creature.

Deng Xiao also gasped, “You must have added an extra zero.”

“It really is 600 meters, and it’s still evolving.”

Cong Xia felt a sense of panic, “Maybe it will explode once it reaches a certain point.”

“That’s a possibility, but we can’t rely on that hope. What if it doesn’t explode and instead annihilates the entire northeastern region? The northeastern region is one of the least affected areas by the Cambrian energy due to its cold weather, frozen land, and slow decay of food, making it difficult for mutated flora and fauna to thrive. As a result, the death rate of humans there is lower than ours. There are still millions of people living there. The Devil Pine continuously absorbs the energy of living beings, including animals, plants, and of course, humans. It is the only known species that can strengthen itself by consuming the energy of living beings. What’s most terrifying is that it possesses a human brain; it can think, initiate attacks against probes, and even speak.”

“What did it say?”

“It told our probe, ‘Stay away from me, and get lost.'”

Cong Xia sighed, “So it also has a Puppet Jade.”

“Yes, it’s embedded within its body, protected by the vast primeval forest in Xiao Xing’an Mountains. Dealing with the Devil Pine would require massive weapons of destruction, but the Puppet Jade is not indestructible. At least it couldn’t withstand the powerful shockwave of the earthquake and shattered into pieces.”

Zhuang Yao spoke softly, “But it’s also possible that the Puppet Jade deliberately chose to break into pieces to hasten human extinction.”

Cong Zhenzhong nodded, “That’s why we can’t give the Puppet Jade any reason to fragment further.”

“Please continue, what about the marine tribe in the South China Sea?”

Cong Zhenzhong said solemnly, “Before last winter, we observed the rise of marine life. Aquatic creatures generally have larger sizes compared to land creatures. Our country’s East China Sea and South China Sea, especially the latter, have seen the emergence of many super-life forms. They are evolving at a rapid pace and could potentially invade the land in the future. People in Hainan and Taiwan have been completely isolated on their islands. Except for winged creatures, no one can leave. If they continue to evolve, marine creatures will become a force even more formidable than the Devil Pine. Additionally, we have observed the appearance of new species in Qinghai, which currently has the largest number of Puppet Jade fragments. We suspect that there are no true humans left there. Moreover, this is just within our country; Puppet Jade fragments have appeared in seven continents across multiple countries, and without exception, they have given birth to extremely challenging mutant species.”

Cong Xia pondered for a moment and asked, “Are these mutant species, like the insects in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, sensitive to the Puppet Jade?”

“More or less. Whether it’s the insects in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Devil Pine in the Northeast, the super-life forms in the South China Sea, or even some foreign mutant species, they all share a common characteristic: an obsession with the Puppet Jade. The Puppet Jade in front of us is the world’s largest, accounting for more than half of its total volume. We don’t need to go looking for them; sooner or later, they will come to take it from us.”

Liu Fengyu smirked, “Professor, are you telling us all this so we can collect Puppet Jade fragments for you?”

Cong Zhenzhong replied seriously, “Mr. Liu, not for me, but for all of us. This isn’t the responsibility of any individual; it’s the responsibility of all humankind. If we want to save humanity from the brink of extinction, we must seal the Puppet Jade and put the Cambrian consciousness to sleep. Although the revival of the Cambrian consciousness does not have a clear time pattern, it occurs in billions of years. As long as we can endure this disaster, humanity will continue to reproduce until… until we face destruction again due to other reasons. But that will be the responsibility of our descendants. Our responsibility, as people of this era, is to resist the Cambrian consciousness, seal the Puppet Jade, and ensure the survival of humanity. If we allow it to continue developing, within ten years, humanity will become a part of this planet’s history.” Cong Zhenzhong looked at them, “As mutants with special abilities, we must shoulder the heavy burden of saving humanity as a species. We are not alone in this fight; all mutants will unite to fight against the Cambrian consciousness. However, as mutants with stronger abilities, you, and many other natural-evolution mutants, will be on the frontlines facing powerful mutant life forms and reclaiming Puppet Jade fragments.”

All six of them fell into silence.

Standing on the frontlines to reclaim Puppet Jade fragments meant they would constantly have to challenge powerful mutant species, experience life-and-death trials, and face battles, bloodshed, and sacrifices. It would become the main focus of their lives, which was a far cry from their desire to settle in Beijing and lead peaceful lives.

To be honest, who would willingly shoulder such a heavy responsibility? Just hearing Cong Zhenzhong’s descriptions of those powerful mutant creatures already filled them with dread, let alone facing them in actual combat.

However, if they did nothing, they would simply be waiting for death. Either they would die from the invasion of mutant creatures or from evolving into ultimate self-destruction. Cong Zhenzhong was right; they were not fighting for others, but for themselves, to save themselves.

Colonel Tang Tingzhi, who had been standing expressionless and silent like a robot, suddenly walked over. He slid his slender fingers on the screen, and a three-dimensional image appeared before them. He said, “This shows the number of Puppet Jade fragments collected by the military and the four major mutant organizations in Beijing over the past year, as well as the number of casualties.”

They looked up to see the information.

Beijing 14th Group Army: 15 Puppet Jade fragments collected, 58,345 casualties.

Beijing 27th Group Army: 17 Puppet Jade fragments collected, 61,461 casualties.

Dragonblood Clan: 6 Puppet Jade fragments collected, 76 casualties.

Jiujiang County/ Prefecture: 7 Puppet Jade fragments collected, 378 casualties.

Fenglan Society: 5 Puppet Jade fragments collected, 297 casualties.

Liudao Huangquan: 7 Puppet Jade fragments collected, 354 casualties.

The numbers were shocking, and it highlighted the high cost of trying to reclaim the Puppet Jade fragments. The sacrifices made by each organization were substantial, and it painted a grim picture of the harsh reality they were about to face.

Behind those shocking numbers of Puppet Jade fragments collected and casualties were real lives. Each digit represented a person who had sacrificed their life in the pursuit of reclaiming the fragments.

Colonel Tang Tingzhi said, “This largest Puppet Jade before you was obtained at the cost of the blood of 200,000 ordinary people and mutants. We have been to many places, witnessed giant creatures born in swamps, fought against countless ant armies, and battled thousands of mutant vultures. Nobody wants to fight, but if we don’t, the Puppet Jade will, through a series of coincidental butterfly effects, run rampant all over the world, causing humanity to disappear from this planet. Beijing may seem safe on the surface, with 400,000 troops guarding and nearly 10,000 mutants stationed here, ensuring everyone has enough to eat and avoid freezing or starving to death. However, this situation won’t last long. Humanity cannot sit idly by.”

Cong Zhenzhong added, “China is one of the most severely affected regions by the Cambrian energy, but at the same time, it is the most prosperous region for human evolution. Last month, we passed a proposal at the United Nations, calling for the combined military strength of the entire world to help China collect Puppet Jade fragments. Although we haven’t found a definitive way to completely seal the Puppet Jade, using this tungsten metal to encapsulate it can buy humanity a few more decades. Even if it’s just for those few decades, we must fight to the end.”

Liu Fengyu bitterly smiled, “It seems what we have witnessed so far was just a small taste.”

Cong Zhenzhong placed his hand on Cong Xia’s shoulder, his emotions complex. “Xia, you are my only relative left, and I know you are kind-hearted and easygoing, just an ordinary person. If it were possible, I truly wish you could stay here. The longer I can hold on, the longer you can live safely. But both you and I cannot do that. You possess the ability we need the most, the healing power that can reduce casualties and protect high-level mutants, a power that is rarer than a natural force mutant appearing among billions of people. So far, you are unique, and we need your help.” He turned to Cheng Tianbi, “Others can refuse to continue fighting, but you, Cheng Tianbi, and Zhuang Yao, cannot refuse.”

Deng Xiao shouted, “What’s so terrifying about it? I’m not afraid! I will save all of humanity! Prof. Cong, you can rest assured, I will protect you all.”

Liu Fengyu sarcastically smiled, “As a mutant, do we even have the right to refuse? If my parents were still alive, I would fight to protect them. If they are gone, I have even less reason to fear death.”

Tang Yanqiu calmly said, “For my clan, I will stay.”

Cong Xia trembled as he spoke, “Uncle, I have no intention of backing down. From the very beginning, I understood that gaining these abilities was not just for my own enjoyment.”

Uncle Cong Zhenzhong gently patted his head and whispered, “Xiao Xia, one day when we are all gone, I will apologize to my elder brother and sister-in-law.”

Cheng Tianbi asked, “What’s the plan moving forward?”

Tang Tingzhi said, “You mentioned something about the Big Wild Goose Pagoda earlier. We want to know the latest news.”

“Uncle, we need to go to a place that is absolutely safe and confidential. Also…” Cong Xia glanced at Tang Tingzhi. He didn’t know if he should trust this man or not. After all, he was considering telling Uncle Cong Zhenzhong about the secret of the Ancient Jade. He felt that if the Ancient Jade could suppress the mutual sensing of the Puppet Jades, it might also contain a way to seal the Puppet Jades.

Uncle Cong Zhenzhong assured him, “You can fully trust Colonel Tang.”

Colonel Tang turned off the computer and said, “Follow me.”

The group followed him out of the spherical laboratory. Before leaving, Cong Xia cast a final glance at the glass display case. Even though the Puppet Jade was wrapped in tungsten alloy, they could only see it through the recorded video. But Cong Xia felt as if he could already see the eerie black mist emitted by that dark black jade. It was the very jade that had killed billions of people within a year. If they didn’t stop it, humanity would forever vanish from this planet. Just the thought of it made Cong Xia feel suffocated in this spherical laboratory.

After they left, they followed Uncle Cong Zhenzhong and Colonel Tang to the car. They passed through heavy gates and arrived at a secluded conference room hidden behind two metal doors. The room was not large, containing only a table, a computer, a projector, and a few chairs, very simple.

After closing the door, Uncle Cong Zhenzhong said, “This place is absolutely safe.”

One by one, they took their seats. Zhuang Yao pushed an SD card in front of them and said, “This is from a camera we retrieved from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It contains some footage from inside the pagoda. According to the images, the last group of mutants who followed Yao Qianjiang into the pagoda didn’t die, but some of them were infested by the bugs.”

“Secondary mutation…” Uncle Cong Zhenzhong said, “Those people were already mutants and were infested by the bugs again. We call it a secondary mutation. While this is very rare, it has happened before. If it happened in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, those bugs would become even more dangerous.”

Colonel Tang turned on the computer, inserted the SD card, and Zhuang Yao played the most terrifying footage for them. Uncle Cong Zhenzhong took in a sharp breath and pointed at the person standing in the video, “I know this person. He was the former leader of the seventh branch in the Jiujian Prefecture, named Wei Zhen. He should have died in the battle at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.”

Zhuang Yao said, “We suspect that all the footage was recorded by Wei Zhen. The first segment probably shows the moment when he was infested by the bugs.” Zhuang Yao opened the first segment of the video, showing the scene that Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia saw on the evening they obtained the camera. On the screen were the yellow pupils and the desperate cries, which clearly didn’t sound human – it was indeed Wei Zhen.

Tang Tingzhi said, “Tomorrow, I will go find Yao Qianjiang and have him identify whether the other two people are from his group.”

Cong Zhenzhong said in a deep voice, “Conservatively speaking, there are now three people in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda who have been infested by the bugs. We have been closely monitoring the situation in Xi’an, but recently, it has been quiet without any special occurrences. Could it be that these three people, just like the bugs, are confined within the pagoda?”

Zhuang Yao said, “If that’s the case, it would be the best scenario. However, with these three human infested individuals, the bugs essentially have gained intelligence. With intelligence, the bugs will definitely try to break free from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Regardless of whether these three individuals still possess their self-consciousness or not, they won’t want to remain trapped in the pagoda forever. I’m worried that they may no longer be in the pagoda, but have infiltrated human society in human form. If that’s the case, things will become complicated.”

Zhuang Yao’s scenario was the worst-case situation. With the bugs’ obsession with the Puppet Jade, once they gained human intelligence, they would undoubtedly try to break free from the pagoda and pursue the Puppet Jade. Although they didn’t know the real situation, just the thought of these bugs possibly standing before them in human form and then instantly turning into thousands of bugs made their spines tingle with fear.

Cong Zhenzhong and Tang Tingzhi carefully examined all the videos and photos. The more they watched, the heavier their expressions became.

Zhuang Yao asked, “Can you detect the whereabouts of all the Puppet Jades?”

Cong Zhenzhong replied, “We have already located all the Puppet Jades within China. The accuracy depends on the distance, with distances over 3,000 kilometers only allowing us to pinpoint the city. But if we truly need to find them, it’s not difficult. For other countries, we rely on data provided by their local military. In general, we have located all the Puppet Jades globally, with the quantity ranging from 32 to 37 pieces. Deviations are due to some areas having more than one Puppet Jade, causing overlapping and making it difficult for instruments to determine the exact number. We have already recovered most of the relatively easy-to-retrieve Puppet Jades. The one in Wei Zi’s possession would be considered of low difficulty; the Puppet Jade in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is of medium to high difficulty. The most challenging ones to retrieve would be the one to four Puppet Jades in Qinghai, the one in the possession of the Devil Pine, and the one to three Puppet Jades that have fallen into the deep sea and are now occupied by marine creatures. As for the few Puppet Jades abroad, we still don’t have specific information. We will have detailed plans for the next thirty-plus Puppet Jades. Rest assured, you won’t be fighting alone. I’ve said it before, it’s the responsibility of the national army and all mutants. We will face all the challenges together.”

Zhuang Yao rubbed his chin and said, “Starting tomorrow, I will officially join the Third Area. I want to obtain more information.”

“No problem, your work uniform, nameplate, and access card have all been prepared.”

Zhuang Yao smiled, “You guys are really not shy.”

Cong Zhenzhong smiled faintly, “Of course, although cerebral domain-evolved individuals have the freedom to choose which experimental area they want to join, I know you will definitely choose the Third Area. You have so many companions, and you won’t bear to leave them.”

Zhuang Yao glanced at them and turned his face away awkwardly, “What does it have to do with them? I’m just too lazy to change rooms.”

Deng Xiao rubbed his head and said cheerfully, “Little Zhuang Yao, you clearly don’t want to leave us. Where else would you find such a handsome and powerful big brother like me?”

Zhuang Yao pushed away his hand, lowered his head, and touched his hair without saying a word.

Cong Zhenzhong closed the computer. “We will carefully study the contents of this card. Now, I’m very eager to know the big secret you want to share with us, Xiao Xia.”

Cong Xia took a deep breath. “Uncle, as you said, this secret is the reason behind my possession of this special ability. Moreover, I believe that this secret might help us find a way to seal the Puppet Jades.”

Both Cong Zhenzhong and Tang Tingzhi’s eyes lit up.

Cong Xia looked at Cheng Tianbi, “Tianbi.”

Cheng Tianbi opened his clothes, untied layers of wrapped bandages, and took out the piece of ancient jade with Puppet Jades tied on both sides.

Cong Zhenzhong and Tang Tingzhi widened their eyes. “What is this?”

Cong Xia explained, “We call it the ancient jade.”

*************

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