The Return of Cambrian Period Chapter 16

 16 Global Great Evolution

In the past two days, the two of them had experienced two sudden drops in temperature. They had become extremely distrustful of the current weather. Therefore, before going to bed, Cong Xia had already placed thick blankets by the bedside. In order to improve their mood slightly, Cong Xia even changed the bedding. Unfortunately, Cheng Tianbi didn’t appreciate it and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

Cheng Tianbi had undergone special training and could fall asleep immediately regardless of the environment in order to maintain his energy. But Cong Xia was different. He had too much on his mind. He believed that at that moment, everyone in this city who couldn’t possible see tomorrow was struggling to sleep just like him.

The compressed biscuits they had eaten during the day had long been digested. He rubbed his stomach, feeling the discomfort of hunger.

He forced himself to close his eyes. The previous owner of this place should have been a single man. The bedroom had a 1.5-meter bed, and two men lying together didn’t feel too crowded, but they were very close. Cheng Tianbi’s even breathing sounded in his ears. He listened attentively, and gradually, his mood calmed down.

No matter what, at least he hadn’t been alone.

Cong Xia gently leaned closer to Cheng Tianbi. He felt a sense of security growing in his heart. Overwhelmed, he finally fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, the two of them were awakened by the commotion downstairs.

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Ubldt Mkydck pyv wr yzlavzu yde oyzjle vs vbl okdeso, tldvzu rwzzkdt cynj vbl nwavykdp vs zssj esodpvykap.

Usdt Dky yzps osjl wr yde ypjle psqvzu, “Ebyv’p byrrldkdt?”

Ubldt Mkydck pbssj bkp blye, bkp lulp qsnwple sd obyv oyp byrrldkdt esodpvykap.

Usdt Dky oyzjle vs bkp pkel yde zssjle esod. Tl pyo y taswr sq alpkeldvp tyvblale kd vbl nswavuyae yv vbl nldvla sq vbl nsxxwdkvu. Mblu pbswze yzz byhl clld rlsrzl qasx vbyv dlktbcsabsse. Fsxl olal wpkdt vsszp zkjl pbshlzp vs nzlya vbl okze taypp vbyv bye tasod shladktbv, obkzl svblap olal zkpvldkdt vs yd lzelazu xyd okvb obkvl byka prlyjkdt zswezu.

Ubldt Mkydck pyke, “Nlv’p ts esodpvykap yde vyjl y zssj.”

Mbl vos sq vblx tsv ealpple. Ubldt Mkydck tayccle bkp twd, yde vblu oldv esodpvykap vstlvbla.

Gp vblu alynble vbl taswde qzssa, Usdt Dky dsvknle vbyv vbl sdlp nzlyakdt vbl taypp olal yzz osxld, obkzl vbl taswr obs tyvblale yde ekpnwpple psxlvbkdt nsdpkpvle sq uswdt yde xkeezl-ytle xld.

Mbl yrrlyaydnl sq vbl vos pvaydtlap kxxlekyvlzu ealo yvvldvksd.

“Hey, there are two newcomers.”

Everyone looked at them, and the white-haired man who had been speaking asked, “Are you from out of town?”

Cheng Tianbi furrowed his brows slightly and calmly replied, “We were just passing through, staying for a night.”

“Are you planning to leave? Where were you heading?”

Cong Xia chimed in, “We haven’t decided yet.”

“Don’t leave. The military has been saying it, the whole world is the same. Now we could only survive if we stick together. Where do you think you could go?” Cheng Tianbi said. “Just say what you want to say.”

The white-haired old man walked over and asked, “Where are you from? Don’t you know anything about the situation outside?”

“Not much,” they replied.

The old man scrutinized them suspiciously. “Alright, let me give you a brief explanation, and then I’ll tell you why I advise you to stay. The current situation for humanity, do I even need to explain it? We used to be on top, able to eat whatever we wanted, superior to all other species. But now we have become part of the food chain. There are countless animals and plants outside, ready to eat us. Everything has become dangerous. This sudden mutation has rendered the government and the military powerless. The government can only provide four hours of water and one compressed meal per day. We, the ordinary people, have to fend for ourselves. Alone, like you two, you wouldn’t have survived for more than two days. I see you’re strong and young. Why not stay here, join our community organization, and have a better chance of survival?”

Cheng Tianbi showed no expression on his face. “If you couldn’t even feed yourselves, you wouldn’t take care of others for free. Tell us, what do you want us to do?”

The old man said, “I’ve told you the truth. The government distributed compressed meals at noon, but each person could only receive one. We had 42 people left in our community, and half of them were elderly, weak, women, and children. In the past two days, we had to send out ten people from these twenty young and middle-aged individuals to collect food and distribute it among everyone. If you joined us, we could get two more portions, two more meals. The children could have a little more to eat.”

Cong Xia asked the crucial question, “Why only send the young and middle-aged?”

The old man sighed, “Every day, one or two of them didn’t return. If our young people couldn’t make it back, it would be my turn as an old man.”

Cheng Tianbi asked, “Was it the government or the military distributing the food?”

“I’m not sure. From what I’ve heard, it was the ones in military uniforms who distributed the supplies. Isn’t the military part of the government?”

Cheng Tianbi had no intention of explaining further. “Alright, we’ll go today. When do we leave?”

“After they finished drawing lots, you could leave together.”

Cheng Tianbi asked again, “In your community, were there any mutated individuals?”

A strange expression flashed across the old man’s face, a mixture of resentment and envy. “No, if there were, so many people wouldn’t have died.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The government was recruiting mutated individuals. They were much stronger than us ordinary people. In this world, those with powerful fists were valued. Mutated individuals could work for the government and receive at least five portions of food per day. Moreover, many of them didn’t even need to wait for the government’s supplies. They could hunt on their own.”

Both of them exchanged a glance, feeling a twinge of excitement. They had both experienced the agony of hunger and had no desire to endure it again. If they could receive five portions of food per day, it would be enough for the two of them to survive.

However, regardless of whether Cheng Tianbi was a mutated individual or not, they couldn’t stay in this community indefinitely, nor did they need to share food with these people. Right now, all they needed was for the people in this community to show them the way, sparing them the trouble of finding the military base themselves.

The two of them went upstairs to pack their belongings, carrying the useful items on their backs. Then they met up with the young people who had drawn lots downstairs.

They weren’t sure if they would return to this community tonight. After all, the world was constantly changing. Therefore, they had to carry their luggage with them.

A team of ten people set off.

Cong Xia asked the leader, “Are we going on foot? Why don’t we take a car?”

The leader responded with a question, “Did you come here by car?”

“Yes.”

“From the outskirts, right? It’s impossible in the city. Cars can’t move, and the roads are mostly destroyed. Now, we can only rely on our legs for everything.”

“How long will it take us to get there?”

“If everything goes smoothly, a little over two hours. We have to go around the big pine tree in the city center. But, we’ve never had a smooth journey,” the leader’s face revealed a fearful and pained expression. “You heard it too, every time we go out, someone doesn’t come back.”

“What exactly is in the city?”

“Everything is there—man-eating rats, man-eating mantises, man-eating cats and dogs. Well, basically, man-eating creatures are everywhere. The first time we went out, two people had their throats cut by mantises. The second time, a stray cat carried away one of us. This is the third day, and no one knows if we’ll make it back alive. I regret it now. When we voted in the community committee on whether to allow pets or not, I voted against it.”

“Why?”

“Some people are now surviving because of their pets. The proportion of animal mutations is much higher than that of humans. Although their bodies have mutated, their temperaments generally remain unchanged, at least loyal to their owners, and they won’t attack humans actively. But it’s different for strays. They eat anything, especially humans. Humans are easy prey and provide a lot of meat. I have a friend who has a dog. It has grown to over three meters tall now and goes hunting with its owner every day. They don’t worry about food as a family,” the leader chuckled bitterly. “Look at this world, everything has turned upside down. People have to rely on dogs to survive.”

Cong Xia couldn’t find it in himself to laugh. Just the thought of facing animals the size of small mountains made his legs tremble.

The leader continued, “When we go out, we also have to hunt, catch some smaller rats, and the like. Don’t think that eating wild plants won’t starve you. Prolonged malnutrition will quickly weaken your constitution. The young and strong can’t hold on for long. That’s why we must eat meat. When we go out, it’s a matter of life and death to find food for our families. As long as there’s a breath left, we’ll crawl back.”

Cong Xia was deeply moved, sighing along with them.

Cheng Tianbi listened silently as they spoke. He pulled Cong Xia closer and lowered his head, whispering, “If we encounter danger, don’t do anything foolish. Just follow me and run.”

Cong Xia forced a bitter smile and replied, “Don’t worry, I know my limitations.”

Although he had a kind nature, he wasn’t selfless enough to sacrifice himself to save others. While he was touched by the leader’s affection for his family, Cong Xia knew that in this post-apocalyptic world, he couldn’t help unrelated individuals because he himself was in jeopardy.

After walking for over forty minutes, they came face to face with a massive golden retriever. It stood over three meters tall, with a leg almost as thick as a person’s waist. Its golden fur shimmered in the sunlight, emanating an imposing and beautiful presence. Walking alongside the dog was an ordinary-looking woman in her thirties. She held onto the dog’s leg fur as they slowly approached.

The group grew restless, and the leader called out, “Don’t be afraid, it has an owner. Don’t be afraid.”

Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia saw for the first time what the leader referred to as a pet that hunted for its owner. Although the dog had grown to the size of a truck, it shouldn’t be called a pet anymore. So, like the others, they felt nervous. Even though they knew the dog wouldn’t attack them, the instinctual fear of encountering a powerful creature still lingered.

The woman glanced at them, waved her hand, and pulled the golden retriever to the side, continuing on her way.

Everyone noticed that the woman was dragging a bloodied bag, probably containing a rat that was half the height of a person. Everyone couldn’t help but feel envious, looking at the dead rat, their mouths watering.

Although rats were the most suitable animals for food that they could come into contact with now, they were extremely difficult to hunt. They couldn’t defeat a swarm of rats, which could easily turn them into food instead. And solitary rats would run away at the sight of humans, making them impossible to catch. The only people who could hunt rats were either mutated individuals or those with mutated pets assisting them.

These two types of people were now the objects of envy for everyone.

After the collapse of the social value system with the arrival of the apocalypse, money had lost its meaning. Even high-ranking officials and the wealthy were no longer objects of admiration. Now, power determines everything.

As the team moved further away, someone whispered, “If only I had raised a dog.”

“Cats are better. They’re much better at catching rats than dogs. Then we could eat meat every day.”

“What’s the point of saying that? If only your dad hadn’t voted against it…”

“What do you mean? It’s not just my dad who opposed it.”

The leader shouted, “Enough! Stop arguing. If you continue…”

The leader’s voice abruptly ceased, and in front of everyone, a thin slit of blood appeared in his throat. The leader’s eyes widened, and everyone else’s eyes widened as well, watching as his once vibrant head, which had been speaking just a second ago, slowly shifted and finally fell to the ground. Arterial blood sprayed over two meters high, raining down like a downpour.

“Ah! It’s a mantis! It’s a mantis!”

Everyone caught a glimpse of a vibrant green shadow flash by, but the city was already teeming with greenery. The wild grass grew taller than a person’s waist, and green had become the most difficult color for the human eye to discern. The mantis lurked within the waist-high grass, utilizing its petite size of twenty to thirty centimeters and impeccable camouflage. It appeared and disappeared at will, effortlessly severing the necks of both humans and animals.

The members of the team ran forward in a frenzy. After the mantis launched its attack, it swiftly vanished into the dense grass, leaving no trace behind. Among insect-like creatures, mantises were the most common and dominant predators in the city. Even the mutated individuals feared their speed and camouflage. These mantises were akin to assassins, adept at hiding in the shadows, ambushing unsuspecting fresh prey.

Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia had already heard about the horrors of these creatures from the stout man. Their initial encounter had left a chilling impression, prompting them to not take it lightly and sprint for their lives.

Just as they had run a short distance, Cheng Tianbi sensed a change in the wind. While mantises were skilled at camouflage, any movement they made, no matter how delicate, would inevitably generate a breeze. Cheng Tianbi swiftly perceived it. He sharply turned his head and was confronted with a sharp, green foreleg. The foreleg was remarkably sharp, and the green exoskeleton was stained with fresh, red blood!

**********

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