202: The Mysterious Qinghai
Rong Lan’s expression grew somber.
Mr. Sun smiled, “Let’s eat. The local produce here might not match what’s outside, but it still has its own flavor.”
The dishes on the table were indeed not as lavish as the feasts they had enjoyed in Beijing, but they were much better than the meals they had prepared for themselves during this period. They even had the rare treat of fresh fruits. Everyone started eating without hesitation.
During the meal, Tang Tingzhi curiously asked Mr. Sun about his plans for solving the water supply problem. Mr. Sun enthusiastically explained his proposal and discussed it with Tang Tingzhi and Zhuang Yao. As they talked, their conversation became increasingly technical and incomprehensible to those around them.
Rong Lan ate his meal expressionlessly and had no intention of engaging in conversation with anyone.
After they had eaten their fill, they began discussing the upcoming battle at Qinghai Lake.
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“Song Qi? Is that the spider mutant?”
Mr. Sun answered, “Exactly. He’s a higher-tier mutant who has reached the third stage of evolution. He’s a pretty decent young man. With his help, we can be more confident.”
Wu Yu asked, “Is he powerful? What abilities does he have?”
Mr. Sun cheerfully replied, “Quite powerful. He can spit out extremely adhesive spider silk that’s ten or twenty times stronger than the silk you encountered in the Spider Forest. Even if you tried burning it, it would take half a day to burn through. But he can bind you into a bundle within three seconds, like Spider-Man from American movies. Additionally, he can fly all over the place, just like him. The young ladies here are quite fond of him.”
Cong Xia became intrigued, “Are there other mutants who have reached the third stage in Qinghai? Can you tell us about them?”
Mr. Sun smiled, “Sure, but then you shouldn’t ask if they’re from the eastern or western side anymore.” He glanced at Rong Lan in a kind manner.
Rong Lan snorted coldly.
Cong Xia hurriedly said, “We won’t ask.”
“Which one should I start with? Ah, let’s begin with a chili mutant girl. She’s quite likable, cute, and righteous. Though she’s a bit hot-tempered, she’s very kind. If given the chance, you must meet her. Her ability is quite unbearable. She can release chili powder within a one-kilometer radius. Her chili powder, if concentrated enough, can damage the respiratory tract, retina, and nasal membrane, instantly rendering a person immobile. It causes intense pain when it sticks to the skin and is also highly effective against plants. In short, this girl is not to be trifled with.”
The group listened with keen interest. Each mutant they hadn’t heard of before sounded like a fresh and fascinating story.
“There’s another atavistic echinoderm mutant, a man. Every organ in his body can regenerate indefinitely. You could cut him into pieces, and he’d reassemble himself. His skin is incredibly elastic, and his body can expand to hundreds of times its size. He’s dubbed the ‘Indestructible Man.’ However, as long as you manage to incinerate him completely, he can be killed. Even Rong Lan would have a hard time dealing with him.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “Echinoderm atavistic mutant? I recall there’s one in Beijing, under Zhou Fenglan’s command, right?”
Tang Tingzhi added, “Yes, he’s a captain of the Fenglan Faction. He’s quite powerful, and his squad is responsible for the security of Commander Xu’s family.”
Mr. Sun said, “I’ve finished telling you about the mutants in Qinghai. You’ll have to tell me about Beijing now. It’s bound to be more fascinating than Qinghai.”
Zhuang Yao reassured, “No problem. Are there more? It can’t be just these, right?”
“Yes, there’s also a bat mutant. When he appears, there’s a swarm of vampire bats covering the sky. If he wants to hide, you might not even be able to find his physical form.”
The group was surprised. Cheng Tianbi quickly said, “A bat? Is he a young man? What does he look like? What’s his name?”
Mr. Sun responded, “It’s said to be a young man, but I haven’t paid much attention to his name, nor have I seen him. I’ve only heard about him. Even if you see him, he’ll be hidden within the bat swarm, and you won’t know which one he is. Do you know him?”
Cong Xia replied with a serious tone, “We’ve had contact with a bat mutant before, or rather, we’ve been adversaries. Although we didn’t engage in direct combat, we managed to snatch a Puppet Jade from him. He has a brother who is a white fox mutant.”
“I’m not sure about that. He’s quite distant from us, but what’s certain is that he’s also an outsider.”
Although Mr. Sun didn’t explicitly say it, the group suspected that this bat mutant was most likely from the western side. Could it be the two brothers, Yi Dong and Yi Nan? While it was possible that it could be another bat mutant, the description aligned closely with Yi Dong. There was at least a ninety percent chance that it was him. They never expected to have an old rival in Qinghai. Now that the tides had turned, Yi Dong had reached the third stage while they were still at the second stage. If they met, they might end up in a fight.
“I’ll send someone to gather information about his name and other details. If it truly is your old adversary, you should be cautious. This bat mutant is formidable, on par with Song Qi in reputation. I’ll tell you something you might not want to hear. Although you are natural power mutants and are naturally superior to all other mutants, there’s a significant difference in levels. Regardless of this bat mutant, Song Qi, or the Little Chili girl, if you were to engage them one-on-one, you would still have the upper hand, but it would undoubtedly be a fierce battle. They are unlike any mutants you’ve encountered before. Those first and second-stage mutants you’ve easily dispatched would pale in comparison. The third stage is an entirely different realm. You must not underestimate them.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded, “We never underestimate anyone.”
“The most famous third-stage mutants in Qinghai are these ones. There are a few more rumored ones, but I haven’t seen them in person. Most of them reside in Golmud or even within the ‘Forbidden Zone.’ Some of them have likely already reached the fourth stage. Their strength is unknown. Although Qinghai has been divided between the eastern and western sides, only Golmud remains neutral—it doesn’t belong to the east or the west. Golmud is a terrifying zone that no one should approach. It’s inhabited by free and powerful mutants and creatures. Who knows how many dreadful beings are there? Even I can’t say for sure.”
Cong Xia sighed, “Qinghai is truly terrifying.”
Mr. Sun chuckled, “Indeed, Qinghai is frightening. But all these mutants are eager to leave this place, so we’ll meet them sooner or later. Now, tell us about the latest news from the outside world. We’re all curious.”
Cong Xia vividly described the outside world, and even Rong Lan put down his teacup and listened attentively. For a group of people “confined” here, the outside world held immense allure.
After dinner, Mr. Sun reluctantly let them go after an extensive chat. He seemed to want to extract every last bit of information from their minds, as if trying to leave no stone unturned, and it wasn’t until late into the night that he finally allowed them to leave.
A few days later, Mr. Sun sent them a letter confirming that the name of the bat mutant from the western side was Yi Dong. While expected, the news still brought a sense of dismay to the group. After all, in this post-apocalyptic era, being separated from someone was almost equivalent to saying goodbye forever. They never anticipated that they would cross paths with old enemies, complicating their relationships even further. This was truly a twisted fate.
Zhuang Yao asked, “The letter didn’t mention his brother? His brother is even more ambitious.”
Cheng Tianbi shook his head, “It didn’t.”
Liu Fengyu laughed, “Speaking of which, he’s quite an old acquaintance of ours. We first encountered Yi Dong back in Guiyang.”
Cong Xia sighed with a bitter smile, “Indeed, it’s a small world. Fate has brought us together from thousands of miles away.”
Cheng Tianbi said firmly, “Don’t overthink it. If he dares to cause trouble for us, we’ll take care of him. We have enough enemies to deal with. One more won’t make a difference.”
However, Cong Xia couldn’t help but feel some concern when recalling the scene of vampire bats swirling in the sky.
For the next twenty days, they didn’t make any significant moves; they focused on training, relentlessly training. Especially for Yao Qianjiang, as a key force in the upcoming battle at Qinghai Lake, he needed to expand his elemental area of effect to at least 75 meters within the stipulated time frame. For his own safety, the further the distance, the better. He certainly didn’t want his head to sink into the water while his body was devoured by fish.
After this period of intensive training, their strengths had significantly increased. Cheng Tianbi even had a vague sense that he might break through to the third stage in less than half a year, as long as he remained in Qinghai. The environment was incredibly conducive to cultivation. Many of them had the thought of trying their luck in Golmud, just like Rong Lan and the other high-level mutants. However, they needed to adhere to the plan and hadn’t voiced their intentions.
Tang Tingzhi and Zhuang Yao naturally considered this possibility, but apart from natural power mutants, other individuals advancing still had a fifty percent chance of risking their lives. While they had Cong Xia to rely on, the environment in Qinghai was extraordinary, and if the destructive Cambrian energy ratio in their training exceeded a certain limit, even Cong Xia might be powerless. Considering all these factors, they decided not to rashly go to Golmud. They would eventually have to go there as per the plan, so they figured it was best to let things take their course.
Within the designated time frame, Yao Qianjiang expanded the range of his elemental effect to 83 meters, exceeding their expectations. Everything was in place, and they decided it was time to set off.
This morning, the cold wind blew fiercely, and the snow covered the landscape like a white blanket. The temperature had dropped to minus 43 degrees Celsius. The snow reached up to an adult’s thighs, and the doors were nearly impossible to push open. As soon as Zhuang Yao stepped outside, his lower body disappeared into the snow. Chen Shao was closer and pulled him out from the snow, handing him over to Tang Yanqiu.
Tang Yanqiu chuckled, “You haven’t grown much these past two years, it seems.”
Zhuang Yao protested, “I’ve grown by 6.4 centimeters.”
Deng Xiao burst into laughter, “But you’re still a little shorty. When I was your age, I was already 1.7 meters tall. You’re growing way too slowly. I’ve grown over a centimeter these past two years.”
Zhuang Yao huffed, “I had a late growth spurt. It doesn’t hinder my growth. And by the way, don’t you know that people who use their brains excessively consume a lot of nutrients? You definitely absorb more nutrients than I do.”
Deng Xiao ruffled his hair, “It’s because you have such a sharp tongue that you haven’t grown taller.”
Zhuang Yao retorted angrily, “It’s just not my time yet. You idiot. If you want to know how tall I’ll eventually get, just look at Zhuang Yu.”
Deng Xiao thought for a moment, “True, your genes are the same. I bet he was also a shorty when he was a child, shorter than kids his age, probably bullied all the time. That’s why he turned into such a twisted person with all his weird quirks. Just don’t end up like him. Being a bit short is no big deal. You’re so cute. As long as you don’t talk, someone will still want you.”
Zhuang Yao squinted his eyes. Even though he was being carried in Tang Yanqiu’s arms, he struggled to kick Deng Xiao. Deng Xiao burst into laughter and darted away.
After taking a few lungfuls of the freezing air, they all felt invigorated, from body to mind. They each mounted their “rides” and set off in a grand procession.
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