171 Enchanted Forest
After Zhou Fenglan was carried away, Zhuang Yu smiled brightly and said, “You all have worked hard. I will release a drug within an hour that can suppress the breeding time of the mutant c*ckroaches. As for the next solution, I believe you have already thought of it. It’s just that there is no time to implement it. I have bred 6.7 tons of c*ckroaches carrying perfect genes and infected with the virus. According to the plan, I will release them throughout the city tomorrow at this time. In less than a week, their next generation will die in large numbers, and I estimate that the situation can be brought under control in a month.”
Everyone looked at him coldly without saying a word.
Zhuang Yu looked at Cong Xia and said, “After all this is done, I need your help to break through to the Second Order. However, I have a feeling that you won’t keep your promise.”
Zhuang Yao said coldly, “Rest assured, as long as you keep your word, we will too.”
Zhuang Yu gave him a deep look, nodded, and then turned and left.
After Zhuang Yu and Zhou Fenglan left, everyone entered the laboratory. Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia were still sitting on the ground, resting.
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Cong Zhenshen shook his head. “He’s not afraid. In the eyes of those ordinary people who can’t even get enough food and haven’t had a decent meal in over a year, there’s not much difference between Zone Two and Zone Three, or between the 14th Army and the 27th Army. We are collectively referred to as ‘the Academy’ and ‘the Troops.’ If they find out that the c*ckroaches were released by the Zone Two Chief, it’s the same as the Academy doing it in their eyes.”
Deng Xiao angrily said, “What? Clearly, that was done by that beast Zhuang Yu, what does it have to do with us?”
Cong Xia sighed, “Xiao Deng, when you line up every day to receive relief food and haven’t had a full meal in over a year, you won’t have the energy to care about power struggles in the world that are beyond your reach. For the majority of ordinary people in Beijing, Zhuang Yu represents the entire Academy, and Xu Ying represents the entire Troops. What Zhuang Yu does is what the Academy does, and they won’t bother distinguishing the intricacies of it.
Once they stubbornly believe that the Academy is acting with sinister intentions and has caused this crisis, it will be more troublesome than the c*ckroaches themselves. Ordinary people are already highly dissatisfied with the preferential treatment given to mutants; they just dare not voice their anger. They won’t care how much danger the mutants have to face; in extreme situations, they will only think of themselves and their protection, leading them to make irrational decisions.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “Solving this c*ckroach crisis could indeed improve the Academy’s image.”
Liu Fengyu rolled his eyes, “It’s really damn complicated.”
Tang Tingzhi pondered, “Zhuang Yu came prepared this time. To cultivate so many c*ckroaches, he must have started preparing at least two months in advance. About two months ago, when Shen Changze just broke through to the Second Order, that’s when he realized that he and Zhou Fenglan would need Cong Xia to break through to the Second Order. So, he set up such a big scheme.”
Cong Xia listened and was secretly shocked. Zhuang Yu was indeed terrifying. He had not realized the danger of Brain Domain Evolvers because the Brain Domain Evolvers around him were not truly ruthless villains. His second uncle, Tang Tingzhi, not to mention Zhuang Yao, although lacking sympathy and moral sense, did not hold the same anti-human views as Zhuang Yu. They used their intelligence for positive purposes, causing him to sometimes forget the severe consequences when this frightening intelligence was applied to sinister ends, especially with Zhuang Yu having so many resources at his disposal.
Zhuang Yu was like a ten-thousand-ton bomb. If he wanted, he could easily stir up chaos in the entire Beijing City.
For the first time, Cong Xia had such thoughts of removing someone. He thought of killing Zhuang Yu and unconsciously looked at Zhuang Yao.
After Zhuang Yao received his gaze, he also glanced at him, surprising Cong Xia. He felt a momentary dizziness in his mind. Although he quickly regained clarity, he had a strong premonition that Zhuang Yao knew what he was thinking.
Zhuang Yao raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I guessed what you were thinking.”
Cong Xia was taken aback, “You… you can read minds?”
Zhuang Yao rolled his eyes, “What? It’s based on your expression, gaze, the topic we’re discussing, and the emotions conveyed in your brainwaves. You’re thinking about killing Zhuang Yu but also worried about my predicament, right?”
Cong Xia said, “Yes, you and Zhuang Yu are…”
“I and Zhuang Yu are two separate individuals,” Zhuang Yao said coldly. “Killing him would be best. The thought of sharing the same genes with someone else makes me feel disgusted. One of me in this world is enough.”
Cong Zhenzhong said, “Zhuang Yu will be eliminated sooner or later, but now is not the time. Just as I said about Xu Ying, Zhuang Yu needs to be marginalized as well. He has nine other Brain Domain Evolvers and over a hundred scientists under him, all radicals like him. Killing one Zhuang Yu won’t solve the problem, as many others will continue his research. We need to pick the right moment, ensure that we can control the Brain Domain Evolvers in Zones One and Two, the 14th Army, and the post-meeting with Fenglan. Then, we can eliminate both Xu Ying and Zhuang Yu simultaneously to put an end to potential trouble.”
Tang Tingzhi said in a deep voice, “The right moment was about to come, right at the critical point when Zhou Fenglan broke through to the Second Order. But Zhuang Yu used that group of c*ckroaches to reverse the almost inevitable defeat. No wonder after Shen Changze broke through to the Second Order, Yao Qianjiang and Li Dao’ai promptly came to show goodwill to Cong Xia. They didn’t show their intentions, and it turns out they were already laying out their plans. Zhuang Yu, this person, can never be underestimated.”
Cong Xia felt his head ache. The contest elevated to the level of Brain Domain Evolvers was beyond his speculation. It was already commendable for him to think five steps ahead, but for Brain Domain Evolvers, they calculated fifty or a hundred steps ahead. If they were left to solve this on their own, they would definitely kill Zhuang Yu and be done with it. However, after killing him, they wouldn’t be able to think further, and it could bring them more significant trouble than Zhuang Yu himself.
Cong Zhenzhong looked at his watch, “I need to go to Commander Cao now to oversee the weapons handover. Don’t worry about my safety; I have a way to handle it.”
“Uncle.” Cong Xia stood up.
Cheng Tianbi said, “I’ll follow Professor Cong.”
Cong Xia said, “Uncle, I’ve thought of a way that should help us more accurately pinpoint your location. Tianbi’s elemental transformation is only about half, and I’m afraid there are some places he won’t be able to detect.”
“Go ahead, tell me.”
Cong Xia took out a coin-shaped Hetian jade with stored energy from his pocket, “Uncle, I made this jade token, and I can distinguish the energy inside. You carry it with you; even if Tianbi loses track, as long as we have a rough direction, we can search for you thoroughly.”
Cong Zhenzhong took the jade token and threaded it onto the necklace hanging around his neck. It looked like an ordinary decoration. Cong Xia recognized the necklace at a glance; it belonged to his grandfather. Seeing the necklace again, Cong Xia felt some emotions.
Cong Xia also took out a few more jade tokens, threw them on the ground, and crushed them under his feet. He picked up the broken jade and handed it to Cheng Tianbi, “Tianbi, Xu Ying’s weapons storage is definitely well-hidden, and there might be many obstacles. If there are some places you can’t follow or if the signal from the tracker on you is blocked, leave broken jade as a mark along the way.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded and put the broken jade in his pocket.
Cong Zhenzhong patted Cong Xia’s shoulder and smiled, “Don’t worry, they won’t dare to do anything to me, and they won’t get their hands on the weapons either.”
Cong Xia nodded, “Uncle, please be careful.”
Cong Zhenzhong set off with his team, and Cheng Tianbi changed into a full-body night suit in his room. He followed Cong Zhenzhong in the darkness, with his head exposed outside the clothes completely elementalized, blending entirely into the shadows.
The others remained in the laboratory, monitoring the location of the tracker on Cheng Tianbi to determine Cong Zhenzhongās position.
Cong Xia asked Tang Tingzhi, “What’s the deal with the Tian Tai Mountain Arsenal?”
“That was originally a weapons storage site of the Beijing Military Region, 200 meters underground. The entrance to the arsenal requires a 64-bit password and confirmation of at least two Army Commanders’ iris, fingerprints, and voiceprints. Commander Cao has always been against opening this arsenal. The current light weapons reserves of the 27th Army can still last for another year or two. As for the 14th Army, their primary combat area was aerial, which was advantageous before the apocalypse.
However, fuel is scarce now, and having planes is no longer effective. Compared to the 27th Army, they have much fewer ground warfare equipment. So Xu Ying has always wanted to open the arsenal. Commander Cao has many considerations, such as the excessive flow of weapons to the public. Opening the arsenal would cause more weapons to be lost through illegal means, and it would also increase their maintenance costs. Once it’s opened, the weapons must be moved out, and Xu Ying will certainly move his share. If Commander Cao doesn’t take some, Xu Ying won’t help him open it again. This is one of their long-standing conflicts.”
“Is the reserve at that arsenal substantial?”
Cheng Tianbi explained, “Quite substantial. It contains a wide range of weapons, from light firearms to heavy artillery, as well as various types of bombs and missiles. It’s the largest weapons reserve in the Beijing Military Region.”
Tang Tingzhi nodded, “There were two smaller arsenals that were opened in the early days of the apocalypse. The weapons we are currently using are from those two smaller arsenals. The Tian Tai Mountain Arsenal is the last one remaining near Beijing, originally planned to be used to deal with marine creatures.”
“No wonder both Commander Cao and Professor Cong are resolutely against Xu Ying touching that arsenal.”
“Absolutely not. The situation in the South China Sea, as reported by our intelligence units, is getting more severe each time. Some marine creatures have evolved respiratory and crawling systems for land movement and show signs of making landfalls.”
“Landfalls?”
“Yes, though for now, they’re just sunbathing on the beaches.”
Cong Xia wasn’t accustomed to Tang Tingzhi’s humor using a robotic face, especially when it was about such a serious matter. He scratched his head, gave a wry smile, and said, “Well… we haven’t even had a chance to inform my uncle about the situation in Russia, and now we have more bad news from the South China Sea. We don’t seem to have a big enough stomach to digest all these problems.”
“The situation in Russia will have to wait until Professor Cong returns. However, I’ve dispatched intelligence personnel to survey near Qinghai and sent spies to Moscow. We should have some information within two weeks at the latest.”
Liu Fengyu asked, “I don’t understand. Why would things from the sea want to come ashore? If I could breathe freely underwater, I wouldn’t want to leave there. The ocean is much larger than the land. What are they after?”
“I’ll show you a picture, and you’ll understand.” Tang Tingzhi opened his computer and found a satellite image.
It was a satellite image with nearly half of it covered in deep blue ocean and the other half in white glaciers.
After studying the image for a while, Cong Xia exclaimed, “Is this Antarctica?”
“Yes.”
“Are glaciers really that large?”
“This is a satellite photo taken two days ago from the United States, and yes, the glaciers are that large. Do you remember last year when there were sudden drops in temperature, sometimes by twenty or thirty degrees?”
“I remember, but after the weather became warmer this year, it hasn’t happened again.”
“We analyzed and found that the sudden drops in temperature were caused by a cold factor rich in Cambrian energy present in the air. This cold factor suddenly condenses into a cold current due to the uneven distribution of Cambrian energy in the atmosphere. The uneven distribution can be caused by any slightly abnormal weather conditions like strong winds, heavy rains, or intense sunlight. Once the cold current forms, the temperature in that area suddenly drops.
Now, that strange cold factor has drifted out of China, and it’s floating aimlessly around the world. It passed over the American continent, causing them to experience months of unexplained temperature drops by tens of degrees. Unfortunately for them, it happened during their winter, and the temperature sometimes dropped to minus 70 degrees, resulting in many deaths. Now, that cold current has reached Antarctica, and with every temperature drop, the glaciers in Antarctica extend dozens of meters into the ocean. Due to Antarctica’s extreme weather, it triggers the rapid condensation of the cold factor, creating a cycle of recurring cold currents.
In just a few months, the glaciers in Antarctica have expanded by 42 kilometers, forcing many Antarctic creatures to migrate farther into the ocean, severely disrupting the marine environment in other regions. Those lower-level creatures that cannot withstand the cold and were forced to become food for the arriving Antarctic creatures are now showing a trend of heading toward the land. The food chain is an interconnected system, and the ‘escape’ of lower-level creatures causes the creatures relying on them for sustenance to follow, creating a chain reaction. As a result, there is now a large-scale trend of marine creatures making landfalls.”
Cong Xia took a deep breath, staring at the white expanse on the satellite image, unable to find words to express his shock.
Zhuang Yao said, “So, to stop them from making landfalls, we have to address the issue of glacier expansion, which means eliminating the cold factor. However, the extreme air conditions in Antarctica are what the cold factor prefers. They obviously have no intention of leaving, or rather, they can’t leave because the extreme air causes the uneven distribution of Cambrian energy, preventing them from maintaining a stable particle state, making it impossible for them to drift with the wind.”
Cong Xia sighed, “How can we possibly influence the weather? The most fundamental problem is still dealing with the Cambrian consciousness.”
“Yes, that’s true. However, the issue of marine creatures making landfalls is something we’ll have to face within the next two years. Even if they don’t come ashore, we still have to go into the ocean to find those few puppet jades. So, if they can bring the puppet jades up with them, it would actually save us some trouble.”
“Save us trouble…” Cong Xia could only laugh at the irony, “The marine creatures are dozens of meters long, killing just one could provide us with enough food for a long time.”
Deng Xiao rubbed his hands, “It’s been a while since we had any seafood, not frozen but fresh.”
The group chatted and bantered for a while and had a meal. After several hours, Cheng Tianbi returned.
Cong Xia looked at his troubled expression and nervously asked, “Is everything okay?”
Cheng Tianbi took a deep breath, “They’ve locked Professor Cong in a small weapons depot at Xiao Tangshan. It requires Xu Ying’s personal identification to open the depot, and it’s equipped with a detonation device. We can’t force our way in, as attempting a surprise attack could trigger remote detonation.”
Cong Xia’s face changed.
Zhuang Yao said, “Don’t panic; this isn’t entirely unexpected. A weapons depot won’t be enough to stop us.”
“What solution do you have?”
Zhuang Yao shrugged, “Let me think about it.”
Tang Tingzhi said, “Destroying the arsenal is not difficult, but the challenge lies in doing it without being detected. Considering our previous experience, Zhuang Yu must have kept some tricks up his sleeve. A direct assault on the arsenal would carry a high level of risk, so we need to come up with an alternative plan.”
Zhuang Yao tapped the table with his delicate fingertips, “I thought of someone who might be able to help us.”
“Who?”
“Do you remember that reporter from Xinhua News Agency? Her surname is Qiao, one of Xu Hang’s mistresses.”
“Her? Yes, I remember.”
“She deeply hates Xu Ying and Xu Hang.”
“What? How do you know?”
Zhuang Yao explained, “I saw her gaze at Xu Ying during Yao Qianjiang’s banquet. Although it was just a brief glance, I can be sure of my judgment. The way she looked at Xu Ying showed both fear and disgust.”
Liu Fengyu nodded, “Miss Qiao does not seem like someone willing to play the role of a man’s mistress and bear his offspring. I have had a conversation with her; she is intelligent and ambitious, a graduate of an Ivy League university, and a double master’s degree holder. If not for the apocalypse, she would have had a bright future.”
Zhuang Yao continued, “She is intelligent, and I believe she is also courageous. She is closest to Xu Hang, and her father is one of Xu Ying’s confidants. If she wants to change her own fate, we can make a deal with her.”
“Can she really help us, or are we going to exploit Xu Hang again?”
“It’s better not to involve Xu Hang this time. Xu Ying is already sensitive, and if we hurt his son again, he might go berserk. Don’t underestimate this woman; her identity alone could make Xu Ying lower his guard. Besides, she is a skilled journalist in capturing and collecting information. Let’s give it a try. If she doesn’t work out, we can consider other options.”
Tang Tingzhi said, “I’ll have Shen Changze invite her over.”
“No, let Tang Yanqiu do it. Let the Dragonblood Clan take a back seat in this matter. If things go awry, at least the Dragonblood Clan can maintain a superficial harmony with Xu Ying’s group.”
“Alright.”
Tang Yanqiu replied, “Give me her specific information, and after dark tonight, I’ll bring her back.”
Liu Fengyu reminded Tang Yanqiu, “Please be gentle in handling this. I have a good impression of Miss Qiao, and even if she is on Xu Ying’s side, we should still show her respect, especially since she is so beautiful.”
Liu Fengyu’s earlier comments were reasonable, but the last sentence caught Tang Yanqiu off guard, and his tone immediately turned unpleasant. “I have always respected women.”
“That’s good then.”
Tang Yanqiu struggled to hold back his words but couldn’t help himself, “Is it because she’s pretty?”
“What?”
Tang Yanqiu sarcastically remarked, “I show respect to all women, while you seem to be exceptionally courteous to the attractive ones.”
Liu Fengyu narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean? Am I the kind of person who judges others solely based on appearance? I respect all women, it’s just that the attractive ones bring a pleasant feeling. No, what the hell are you trying to say?”
Tang Yanqiu took a deep breath, “I meant to say that you’re superficial.”
Liu Fengyu retorted angrily, “If I were superficial, I wouldn’t have been attracted to…” He stopped short of mentioning the person’s name, almost biting his tongue in the process.
But Tang Yanqiu understood his unfinished words and blushed instantly.
Zhuang Yao rolled his eyes, “Can you two stop wasting time? Focus on what needs to be done.”
Liu Fengyu pointed at Tang Yanqiu, “He started it.”
Zhuang Yao said, “He’s just jealous.”
The statement left everyone present in a frozen state, looking at Zhuang Yao with weird expressions, wondering if he had developed some mental blocks in his brain.
Jealous? Tang Yanqiu being jealous? Jealous…of Liu Fengyu? This shocked them more than a shark walking ashore! But Zhuang Yao could gauge people’s emotions through their expressions, tone, and brainwaves, and he didn’t look like he was joking. All eyes turned to Tang Tingzhi, and he earnestly nodded.
Liu Fengyu stammered, “Wh-wh-what? Jealous of what?”
Tang Yanqiu, furious and embarrassed, retorted, “Nonsense!” He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Zhuang Yao shrugged, “Well, at least we saved some time.”
Liu Fengyu stood still, unable to react for quite some time.
*******************************
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