14 Global Evolution
The two of them walked for two kilometers and finally emerged from the dense thicket, finding themselves on the outskirts of the city. Despite the once residential and commercial buildings being completely covered in overgrown vegetation, the entire city no longer resembled a human urban center, but rather an abandoned wasteland that had been neglected for years.
Who could believe that these changes had occurred within just three or four days?
Cong Xia let out a heavy sigh, his gaze fixed upon the city he had called home for three or four years. A feeling of overwhelming heaviness weighed upon his heart.
They ventured into the city, hoping to find something to eat or at least a source of water.
Every shop along the street had been vandalized, with shattered windows and decaying food scattered about. Weeds sprouted from the cracks in the pavement, towering higher than their own legs, giving them a sensation of wandering through a primeval jungle.
They rummaged through several shops, only to find nothing edible. However, they did manage to discover a few bottles of mineral water. Cong Xia also stumbled upon a pair of sports shoes. This particular brand typically carried a price tag of over a thousand yuan. In the past, he had never been able to bring himself to make such a purchase, yet now, abandoned and free for the taking. It seemed that, for the time being, besides food, other supplies were not in great demand. Unfortunately, it was the scarcity of food that posed the most fatal threat.
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Ubldt Mkydck tzydnle yv bkx. “Gal usw qwzz?”
“Yeah, I’m full.”
“Let’s find a hardware store. We need some pipes.”
“Why? What are we going to do?”
“We collected gasoline,” Cheng Tianbi glanced at the abandoned cars on the road. “No matter whether the planes could take off at that moment or if they were still waiting for us, we had to go to the airport and check.”
They were about seven to eight kilometers away from the city center, and there weren’t too many congested vehicles on the road. If they started from there, they should be able to drive straight to the airport.
Cong Xia nodded. “You’re right. That’s our last hope of leaving this place. I don’t know about the situation in other areas, but Beijing is the capital after all, a place where national resources converge. It must be easier to survive there. Besides, my uncle is still waiting for me.”
The two of them found a Mercedes-Benz SUV on the street. After Cheng Tianbi ignited the engine with the ignition key, they realized that the vehicle had enough fuel to travel for another thirty to forty kilometers.
“That should be enough,” Cong Xia said. “The airport is just over twenty kilometers away.”
“Who told you we’re going to a civilian airport?”
“Huh? Then which airport are we going to?”
“A hidden military airport, one you wouldn’t know about.”
“How far is it from the city?”
“One hundred and twenty kilometers.”
“That’s quite far.”
The two of them found a hardware store, pried open the rolling shutter door, and retrieved some tools, plastic barrels, and pipes.
Carrying the items, Cheng Tianbi approached a car, pried open the fuel tank cap, inserted the pipe, sucked on the other end, and then placed it into the plastic barrel. Gasoline flowed out through the pipe.
They switched to two different cars and filled up one barrel.
Cheng Tianbi was now drenched in sweat. He took off his camouflage jacket, leaving himself in a white vest. Cheng Tianbi had a perfectly sculpted physique, standing close to 1.9 meters tall. His muscles were well-defined, with a narrow waist and long legs. His strong and taut chest glistened with sweat, making him incredibly attractive.
Cong Xia glanced at his own skinny frame and then at Cheng Tianbi. He couldn’t help but feel envious. “You have such a great physique.”
Cheng Tianbi looked at the thin arm peeking out from Cong Xia’s sleeve. “Your physical fitness is too poor. Find some time to train.”
“Can I become as fit as you?”
“No, you’re too short.”
Cong Xia sighed. “You might as well not mention it.”
Cheng Tianbi lifted a plastic barrel filled with over thirty kilograms of gasoline and walked towards another car. Cong Xia followed him, carrying the pipe and two empty plastic barrels. As he watched Cheng Tianbi’s agile figure, admiration gleamed in his eyes.
Every man hoped to be strong and physically fit, especially bookworms like Cong Xia. Cheng Tianbi perfectly embodied the image of a powerful man in his mind – tall, handsome, and fearless. He was no less than a tough guy from the movies, which made Cong Xia both envious and admiring.
Cheng Tianbi was unaware of Cong Xia’s thoughts, but he noticed that he became more talkative when he was around him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk, but at first, he underestimated someone like Cong Xia, considering their stark differences in living environments and wondering what they could possibly have to talk about.
However, as they spent more time together, Cheng Tianbi discovered unexpected courage in Cong Xia. Moreover, Cong Xia’s gentle and warm personality made it difficult for him to maintain his initial coldness.
In short, this man wasn’t as weak and useless as Cheng Tianbi had imagined. Sometimes, he found him quite intriguing.
The two of them collaborated to fill up the tank of the off-road vehicle and stocked three large barrels of gasoline on board, just in case they encountered any unexpected situations on the road. Most importantly, if their plan to leave by plane failed, they would have to drive to their next destination, whether it meant returning to the city for further consideration or going to another city.
Once everything was prepared, they loaded the supplies they had obtained from the store into the car and were ready to depart.
Just then, a car approached from the opposite street and stopped beside them.
Cheng Tianbi shifted his gun to his back and coldly observed the car.
Four or five young men and women got out of the car, each carrying an iron rod. They didn’t appear to be friendly. The leader, holding an iron rod, tapped the ground and asked, “Hey, where are you guys going?”
Cong Xia wasn’t afraid of these people. He not only had a gun but also had Cheng Tianbi by his side. So he decided to assert himself a bit. “We’re leaving the city.”
“Leaving the city? It’s all the same everywhere in the world now. No matter where you go, it’s all death. It’s better to stay in our hometown and enjoy ourselves for a few more days.”
Cong Xia furrowed his brow. “What do you want from us?”
“We want to see what valuables you’ve hidden in your car. Show us, buddies.”
“Why should we show you our belongings?”
The leader’s expression turned menacing. “Quit the talking. Leave us some food, and we won’t touch anything else. If you have the audacity to resist, I’ll smash your face like a watermelon.”
Before he could finish his threat, a gunshot rang out, and his big toe was blown off.
Everyone present was stunned.
The man screamed in pain and fell to his knees.
Cheng Tianbi coldly stared at them. “Get lost.”
A chubby man behind him raised an iron rod, shouted loudly, and forcefully smashed it into the ground, causing the solid cement to crack completely, with the cracks extending at least five or six meters.
That strength!
The chubby man shouted, “You have a gun, but I’m not afraid. Don’t think we’re easy to bully. I’m a mutant, you know!”
Cheng Tianbi pointed the barrel of the gun at him. “You really aren’t afraid of a gun?”
The chubby man looked at the dark barrel of the gun, and his bulky body trembled. He had been bluffing earlier. Despite his newfound mutation that granted him extraordinary strength, just three days ago he was an ordinary person. He hadn’t acquired any invulnerability, so how could he not be afraid of a gun?
A woman pulled him back. “Big guy, let’s go.”
The chubby man hesitated for a moment, then helped his injured companion up. “Yeah, let’s go.”
“Hold on.” Cheng Tianbi took a few steps closer. “I have some questions for you.”
Cold sweat broke out on the chubby man’s forehead. “What do you want to ask?”
“You said you’re a mutant.”
Reluctantly, the chubby man glanced at the gun and nervously replied, “Yes, did you see what happened just now? That was the power I gained from my mutation.”
“Are there many mutants like you in this city?”
“Not many. Including myself, I know of only four.”
“Are they all strongmen?”
“No, three are strongmen, and one is really strange. He grew long hair all over his body, like needles that can pierce people.”
“Are there any other peculiarities among humans?”
The chubby man pondered for a moment. “I don’t think so.”
“What about the city’s flora and fauna?”
As soon as the city’s flora and fauna were mentioned, the chubby man’s expression immediately changed. “Those things have gone crazy, overgrown. There’s simply no space for humans anymore.”
“Tell me more, share everything you know.”
The chubby man sighed. “In these three days, I’ve seen all the flora and fauna mutate. The most common mutation is increased size, but the degree of mutation varies. Some pose a threat to humans, while others are merely edible. For example, there’s a giant pine tree in the city center that has grown to be more than ten stories tall. Whenever a living creature passes by, it shakes off its pine needles, turning the creature into a hedgehog, and then it decomposes and becomes its nourishment. No one dares to approach within hundreds of meters. And the city’s rats have mostly increased in size, some even reaching half the height of a person. They attack anyone they encounter. Yesterday, when a few of us escaped from the city, we were chased by a praying mantis. Its body was as thick as my wrist, not particularly large in size, but its speed was insane. It sliced open a person’s windpipe with a single strike, leaving the neck hanging by a thread of skin. Two of our group died, and we managed to kill the mantis. But the two injured ones didn’t make it through the day. They died.” Sadness and fear appeared on the chubby man’s face.
Cong Xia’s scalp tingled as he listened, and he asked, “So, according to your observations, humans had the fewest mutations?”
The chubby man sighed, “More than a few, it seemed. And they didn’t seem to be of much use either. Take myself, for example. Although I gained increased strength, a little more than an average person, I still didn’t have much advantage against those wildly mutated flora and fauna. I could be torn apart at any moment by some mutated big cat or dog.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded. “You can go now.”
The chubby man led his group of people and drove away in their car.
The two of them also got into their car and headed onto the highway.
Silence engulfed the car for a long time until Cong Xia finally sighed, “I never imagined that the city had already turned into that.”
Cheng Tianbi remained silent, but Cong Xia could sense the heaviness in his mood.
“A praying mantis killed four people… It would have been a joke just three days ago, but now it’s a gruesome reality staring us in the face.”
Cong Xia continued, “As you said, human evolution isn’t limited to the Five Elements energy. There’s also the evolution of physical abilities, like those strongmen and people with excessive hair growth.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded. “The number of evolved humans is increasing.”
“Yes, the more, the better. If the evolution of human physical abilities is a major direction of evolution, then in the future, we might see people with extraordinary vision or lightning-fast legs. Humans might regain their strength.”
With heavy hearts, the two of them continued on their journey, racing towards their destination, carrying their hopes with them.
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