169 Enchanted Forest
Cong Xia called a couple of times towards the depths of the forest. Just when he thought the Devil Pine would ignore him, the earth not far in front suddenly arched up, followed by a thick and sturdy tree root spiraling up and transforming into a human figure. In no time, the Devil Pine appeared naked from the waist up in front of them, but its lower half remained connected to the black-brown tree roots in the soil.
The Devil Pine looked impatient. “Why are you yelling? Are you leaving?”
Cong Xia smiled and said, “Yes, we’re about to leave. We want to bid farewell to you and Mu Fei. We plan to set off for Yunnan within three to six months, and we will definitely bring your house back.”
“Oh, do as you please. For me, half a year is just a tiny fraction of my long life. But you may not live for too long, so make good use of your time.”
Cong Xia chuckled, “I’ll take that as a blessing. We will definitely return alive.”
With its usual expression, the Devil Pine said, “Whether you come back or not doesn’t matter. Bring the house back.”
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“Plqkdkvlzu.”
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Ohlausdl qlzv y qsdedlpp qsa Yw Wlk clnywpl, okvbswv bkx, vblu oswzed’v jdso obyv raknl vblu oswze byhl vs ryu vs scvykd vbl rwrrlv fyel qasx vbl Plhkz Vkdl. Rv oyp yzz vbydjp vs Yw Wlk vbyv vbl Plhkz Vkdl bye yniwkale y “bwxyd dyvwal,” yzzsokdt vblx vs cl pryale qasx qynkdt y pwrla-pvasdt ldlxu. Mbkp oyp yzz Yw Wlk’p xlakv.
Cong Xia reached out his hand to Mu Fei and said sincerely, “Thank you.”
Mu Fei extended his hand, and it was icy cold, devoid of any human warmth. Nevertheless, it made Cong Xia feel warm from the bottom of his heart.
“We’re leaving,” Cong Xia said.
Mu Fei nodded with a smile, “Go ahead. Commander Zhang promised us that San’er will come to help us with regular deliveries in the future. I don’t think I’ll be as lonely as before.”
The Devil Pine sneered, “You’re a tree, what do you have to fear about loneliness?”
Mu Fei said, “But I’m also a human.”
Defiantly, the Devil Pine said, “But you also have me.”
Mu Fei blinked and then chuckled, “You’re right, but I still need some human things. After all, I’ve been a human for over twenty years, and I’ve been a tree for only one year.”
The Devil Pine huffed, “You’ll be a tree for hundreds or thousands of years. Sooner or later, you’ll get used to it.”
Mu Fei smiled but remained silent.
Zhuang Yao said to San’er, “From now on, we’ll rely on you for things over here.”
San’er touched his own hair, and a spirited smile appeared on his childish face, “Don’t worry, with the protection of the Pine Tree, everyone’s life will be much better. The people in my village will be thrilled.”
The expressions on everyone’s faces were relaxed; this was truly a happy ending, far beyond their expectations. They had initially imagined mobilizing numerous resources and even considering the use of nuclear weapons to deal with the Devil Pine. They hadn’t expected to resolve the situation so peacefully. Upon careful consideration, this was the only thing that could be considered “lucky” and free from any side effects since the apocalypse began.
They boarded a military vehicle and drove away from the forest, while the Devil Pine and Mu Fei stood there watching them leave.
As they got farther, they could still see Mu Fei waving at them with a smile before being pulled underground by the Devil Pine, disappearing from sight.
Deng Xiao sighed, “He was such a great big brother, but he has to spend his life stuck here with a tree.”
Liu Fengyu said, “It might not be so bad, though. I think they, well, one person and one tree, get along harmoniously.”
“But they can’t go anywhere else. They can only move around in this forest. If it were me, I’d be absolutely fed up,” Zhuang Yao said.
“You think everyone is as hyperactive as you,” Deng Xiao retorted, rolling his eyes.
Tianbi turned to look at the towering figure of the Devil Pine, disappearing into the sky, “Its lifespan is so long. It probably won’t stay here forever. After all, there’s a human living inside its body. Since that human’s thoughts and emotions can influence it, one day it will also be curious about the outside world.”
Zhuang Yao nodded, “It will happen sooner or later. It’s just that if it wants to leave this place, there will definitely be a major earthquake in the northeast region. I hope it will make this decision carefully; otherwise, the people around here will be in trouble.”
The group silently watched the Devil Pine. No matter how far they went, it still remained the most prominent landmark. It wasn’t until they boarded the plane and flew towards their destination that the Devil Pine gradually disappeared from their sight.
The plane landed at the Beijing Military Area Command airport around three in the afternoon. To save energy, they decided to take Abu back.
They bid farewell to Li Dao’ai at the airport.
Li Dao’ai shook hands with everyone, “Thank you all for your cooperation. I hope we have the opportunity to go on a mission together in the future.”
Shen Changze said, “There will definitely be opportunities.”
Zhuang Yao looked up at Li Dao’ai, “Officer Li, develop your abilities well. If you need help, you can come to me. I can provide you with a training plan for free.”
Li Dao’ai smiled, “I will come to you.”
Li Dao’ai and Zhao Zixiang boarded Hua Bai, and Hua Bai shook his mane, “Goodbye, everyone.” The majestic and powerful mountain lion galloped into the distance.
Tang Tingzhi received instructions from the captain of the stationed airport unit who came to pick them up and arranged for some samples and experiments on the plane to be transported back to the Academy of Science. They, on the other hand, jumped onto Abu and headed for the Institute of Science.
Cong Xia said, “I thought my second uncle would send someone to pick us up.”
“He did want to send someone. We used to contact him every two days, and I told Professor Cong that we would arrive tonight or tomorrow. But we arrived earlier than expected. However, the airport staff should have already contacted him, and he will meet us at the Academy of Science.”
Thinking that he would soon see his second uncle, Cong Xia felt a little relieved.
As they ran, the group suddenly felt a small energy fluctuation crawling over the ground, and then Abu suddenly yelled and took a big leap forward.
Everyone looked down and saw a group of c*ckroach-sized bugs on the ground, numbering over a hundred. They were scurrying around aimlessly, and Abu had trampled many of them with a single stomp. Some of them crawled up Abu’s legs.
Abu was quite annoyed by these creatures and yelled while shaking its body.
Carrying ten people on its back, Abu almost shook them off. Zhuang Yao grabbed its ears and shouted, “Abu, stop moving!”
Tianbi used a gust of wind to blow all those c*ckroaches away, and Abu finally quieted down.
They turned to look, and the c*ckroaches were still crawling towards them, regardless of their own safety.
“Abu, hurry up!”
Although these c*ckroaches had average attacking power, their vitality and breeding ability were extremely strong. Appearing in large groups, they could be a nuisance. However, today was abnormal; they weren’t even avoiding Abu, a large creature, but instead crawling towards it?
Abu ran swiftly, easily getting rid of those c*ckroaches. However, to their surprise, they encountered three or four waves of such c*ckroach swarms on the ten-plus kilometers journey from the airport back to the city. Moreover, when they arrived in the urban area, they found the streets nearly deserted. Occasionally, a few people flew through the air directly when they needed to go somewhere.
They realized something was amiss. There must be a new type of mutated c*ckroaches. In the early days of the apocalypse, the 35th Group Army suffered heavy losses when dealing with mutated c*ckroaches with wide-ranging threats. Now, these c*ckroaches were making a comeback. They killed without end, and even if all humans were wiped out, these lowly insects would still laugh last.
Back at the Academy of Sciences, the main gate was tightly closed, and the surrounding area smelled of pungent disinfectant.
Abu jumped over the fence directly. The courtyard was empty, with some c*ckroaches crawling around. Some were already poisoned and moving slowly, while others remained vigorous.
Tianbi frowned, “Even here, there are c*ckroaches? Aren’t they afraid of this strong-smelling disinfectant?”
Tang Tingzhi said, “This group of c*ckroaches is different from the mutated c*ckroaches we encountered in the early days of the apocalypse. They are bigger and have purple armor. Moreover, they have evolved with gliding capabilities. If they continue evolving, they might be able to fly, which will be even more troublesome.”
Cong Xia asked, “What’s going on? We were away for only ten days, and the whole city is now infested with c*ckroaches? Did they suddenly undergo collective mutation?”
“No, Beijing has been stable for a long time. The military regularly deals with mutated animals and plants that pose a widespread threat. The puppet jade’s radiation has also been shielded, so animals and plants couldn’t evolve so quickly. Either the concentration of Cambrian energy suddenly increased during this period, or… it’s artificial.”
Artificial…
At this moment, Cong Zhenzhong came out with a group of people. They were all wearing boots that reached above their knees.
“Uncle!” Cong Xia looked at Cong Zhenzhong’s pale and tired face, feeling uneasy.
Cong Zhenzhong said, “Don’t come down yet. Move a bit further in.”
The guards behind him carried disinfectant spray cans and sprayed the ground, creating a path for Abu.
The c*ckroaches scattered when they smelled the disinfectant, and Abu carried everyone into the third area.
Cong Zhenzhong quickly said, “Let Abu stay in the hall for now. The ceiling here is high enough for it to stand, but the space is a bit limited. However, it’s not suitable to stay outside; c*ckroaches are everywhere.”
Everyone slid down from Abu. Tang Tingzhi asked anxiously, “What’s going on? Why are there suddenly so many c*ckroaches?”
Cong Zhenzhong said solemnly, “Zhuang Yu did it.”
As expected, when Tang Tingzhi mentioned the possibility of human interference, they immediately thought of Zhuang Yu.
“Come inside with me.”
Everyone followed Cong Zhenzhong upstairs. He took them to an experimental area on the fourth floor, where several laboratories were filled with piles of c*ckroach samples.
Cong Zhenzhong took off his glasses and rubbed his brow wearily. “These c*ckroaches appeared about three days after you left. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. You’re too far away to help, but in the past seven days, these c*ckroaches have increased in size by an average of 18%. Their wings and mouthparts have evolved significantly, and they have developed basic gliding abilities. They can bite through human skin, and in the past two days, they’ve started attacking animals.”
Zhuang Yao calmly said, “Professor Cong, you haven’t rested for over 30 hours. Your brainwave intensity is only at 20% of the usual level, and your language organization ability has severely declined. You should go and rest now.”
Cong Zhenzhong sighed, “You’re right. Let me explain everything to you first, and then I’ll rest.”
Cong Xia felt uneasy with a deep frown on his face.
Cong Zhenzhong closed the meeting room door, opened a slide, and showed them a series of c*ckroach evolution images. “This is their evolution in the past seven days. You can see the changes with your naked eyes, right?”
“How could they evolve so quickly… Such rapid evolution was only seen in the early days of the apocalypse and the rate of evolution has since then become more stable.”
“This kind of monster was created by Zhuang Yu. Their evolution is astonishing. They are all over the city in a few days, and there is no effective way to eliminate them. Traditional medicines are effective for them at the beginning, but they have evolved. Drug resistance has emerged, as you outside just now, some c*ckroaches died, and some struggled to survive. These surviving c*ckroaches, their offspring born three days later will no longer be afraid of our medicine.”
Cong Xia said angrily, “Does Zhuang Yu wants the whole city to be consumed by c*ckroaches?.”
Cheng Tianbi said: “Zhuang Yu has planned for a long time. He chose to release these mutated c*ckroaches at the most tense moment of the 14th Army and the 27th Army. He must have a plan. Has he made any request yet?”
Cong Zhenzhong said: “Not yet, he wants to push us to the point where we can’t stand it, and then negotiate terms, the situation will be more favorable to him.”
Zhuang clenched his fist and said solemnly, “He must have a way to control these c*ckroaches. Can’t we think of a way?”
“We are working day and night to research ways to deal with these c*ckroaches. However, after three generations, these c*ckroaches are almost a new species. The remedies we develop quickly become ineffective. We found a common genetic defect in these c*ckroaches that grants them superpowers—rapid reproduction, physical strength, and drug resistance. However, the cost of these superpowers is an extremely short lifespan. Typically, these mutated c*ckroaches won’t live more than five days, but they only need three days from birth to reproduction. So, there are always new c*ckroaches filling the void left by the dead ones, leading to a continuous cycle, and the c*ckroach population keeps growing.”
Cong Xia said, “This sounds similar to the lizards we encountered in Guizhou.”
Zhuang Yao continued, “Those wall lizards also sacrificed their lifespan to gain powerful reproductive abilities. That’s their evolutionary direction. However, unlike this group of c*ckroaches, the lizard’s population growth will not last long. After a few months, they will severely lack food, and their birth rate will begin to be lower than the death rate. They will eventually go extinct. But this group of c*ckroaches is the opposite—their birth rate is much higher than the death rate, and they eat everything. The population will only keep increasing…”
Cong Zhenzhong nodded, “At first glance, these creatures seem perfect. However, their genetic defect is precisely the most advantageous weapon we have to deal with them. Due to this genetic defect, these c*ckroaches have an innate instinct—they prefer to mate with ordinary or mildly mutated c*ckroaches. Because those ordinary c*ckroaches have intact and well-optimized genetic chains, honed over millions of years of natural selection, they possess the most perfect genes for species continuation and adaptability to various harsh environments. No matter how these c*ckroaches mutate, they cannot change their instinct to mate with those carrying perfect genes. That’s our only possible breakthrough to eliminate them.”
“What’s the plan now?”
“We are trying to modify the genes of those ordinary c*ckroaches, infecting them with a carrier containing a deadly virus, so that their next generation will carry the lethal virus. After releasing a large number of these c*ckroaches, we won’t have to act ourselves. They will die in large numbers. This method is currently under experimentation, and the chances of success are high. However, the biggest problem is time.”
Zhuang Yao furrowed his brow, “The time to modify the c*ckroach genes, the reproductive cycle of ordinary c*ckroaches, and the process of releasing the c*ckroaches—all of these need to be completed, and it will take at least a month.”
“Exactly, but we don’t have a month at all. If, after six more days, which is after two reproductive cycles of the c*ckroaches, we still can’t stop this group of c*ckroaches, then there will be a large number of deaths in Beijing. Right now, the c*ckroaches are just a nuisance and not too powerful, and the death toll is still controlled within three digits. But it has caused a massive panic in the entire city. After three days, the next batch of c*ckroaches will possess complete aggressiveness. If this continues, the stable situation we have worked so hard to establish will be destroyed.” Cong Zhenzhong said, pounding the table in frustration.
Deng Xiaoxiao angrily cursed, “Zhuang Yu is a brute. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.”
Liu Fengyu said fiercely, “He’s waiting for us to beg him now.”
Zhuang Yao said, “We’ll continue to work on stopping the c*ckroaches, but I think stopping Zhuang Yu might be faster.”
Tang Tingzhi analyzed, “Zhuang Yu’s demands are no different from this: first, he wants a gene sequencing device; second, he wants all kinds of resources to support his experiments; third, he wants Zhou Fenglan to safely advance to the Second Stage. Of course, just satisfying Zhuang Yu’s demands probably won’t be enough, as Xu Ying will also take advantage of this opportunity to make his own demands, such as the weapon storage at Mount Tiāntái in Shijiazhuang.”
Cong Xia clenched his fist, filled with disgust towards Zhuang Yu and his group. Even in humanity’s most critical moment, they were still willing to use their fellow human beings’ lives as bargaining chips for their own selfish goals. Who would believe that such people could lead humanity to create a better future?
Although the post-apocalyptic world was filled with evil people, many of them only harmed those around them. However, once an evil person gained power and status, their actions could harm thousands or even millions of people.
“The immediate priority is to negotiate with Zhuang Yu. We can’t waste any more time,” Cheng Tianbi stood up. “I’ll go find Commander Cao first and see what he thinks. Professor Cong, take a rest for a while, and we’ll meet Zhuang Yu tonight.”
Cong Zhenzhong nodded, “Alright, you go. Everyone, take a rest for a while. Tonight, we’ll all go to Zone 6 together.”
After Cheng Tianbi left, Cong Zhenzhong also went back to get some rest.
The others didn’t feel tired, or at least the exhaustion was overwhelmed by their anger and determination.
They had underestimated Zhuang Yu. The violent conflict they had imagined didn’t happen, but Zhuang Yu caught them off guard in a more dreadful way. Resolving this matter would be much more challenging than pacifying an armed conflict.
After more than ten minutes of silence, Deng Xiao said, “Why don’t we kidnap Zhuang Yu? There are so many of us; we should be able to handle one Fenglan Society.”
“It’s not that simple. The Academy of Science is heavily guarded. If we do that, it might not solve the c*ckroach crisis, and instead, the two military groups might actually start fighting each other.”
Deng Xiao angrily said, “Regardless, after this is over, we should kill him.”
Zhuang Yao said, “That’s something we can consider, but killing Zhuang Yu won’t fundamentally solve the problem. There is not only him, but also other Domain Evolvers on Xu Ying’s side. To defeat Xu Ying, we must neutralize his forces and suppress the Fenglan Society; otherwise, even if we kill Xu Ying, his trusted subordinates and his 100,000-strong armed forces won’t listen to us.”
Shen Changze clenched his fist, “If we are going to assassinate Zhuang Yu, let me do it.” As he spoke, his entire fist suddenly ignited into flames.
Zhuang Yao said, “Shen Xiao, has the color of your flames changed?”
Shen Changze looked at his hand in surprise, “Yes, it seems like it has.”
“The temperature of the flames is entirely reflected in their color. I remember your flames used to be orange-red, which is basically the lowest temperature in flames. Now, the color has become lighter. When you reach the level of white flames or even blue flames, steel placed next to you will melt.”
Shen Changze looked at his flames with some anticipation, “To reach that level, I wonder how many stages I need to ascend.”
“At the current rate of progress, it will take at least four stages or more. Later, have Tang Tingzhi test the temperature of your flames and record it.”
Tang Tingzhi said, “I’ve been keeping records.”
Zhuang Yao sighed, “Every evolution of a mutant is accompanied by a surprise enhancement of their abilities, especially for those who are natural force evolvers. However, there’s one thing I can’t figure out. The Cambrian consciousness is the Earth’s balance consciousness, which attacks any individual or population causing an imbalance. But why did it create mutants like the Domain Evolvers, who severely disrupt the balance?”
Al said, “Are you suggesting that the Domain Evolvers will eventually become a thorn in the Cambrian consciousness’ side, just like the human population?”
Shan Ming lazily said, “If that’s the case, then the Devil Pine is even more powerful and eye-catching than them. If the Cambrian consciousness wants to balance things, it should start with the Devil Pine.”
Zhuang Yao shrugged, “Just a thought. After all, compared to the entire planet, even the Devil Pine is just a tiny sprout.”
Cong Xia said, “Let’s go to the laboratory and see if we can come up with any ideas to deal with those c*ckroaches.”
“Alright, let’s go and take a look.”
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