TRCP 207

Chapter 207: The Mystery of Qinghai

Mr. Sun mentioned, “Regarding the issue of cooperation between the East and West, I’ve been persuading Rong Lan these past few days. Though he remains quite stubborn, it’s not to the point of ignoring the bigger picture. However, it’s impossible to make him take the initiative to facilitate cooperation. The people from the West won’t lower their stance either. We’ll have to act as intermediaries in this matter.”

Cong Xia sighed, “How deep is their enmity? It’s already this situation… Mr. Sun, are you suggesting we go to the West?”

“More accurately, you should accompany me, but not to the West. We’ll be heading to the Golmud area. The division between the East and West is marked by Golmud, which is quite vast. Some areas are relatively safe. We’ll meet there. It’ll help us avoid suspicion, make the people from the West lower their guard, and you shouldn’t bring too many people either, three to five should suffice. With me there, the Westerners won’t resort to violence.”

Cheng Tianbi asked, “What if Master Xuan brings Yi Dong with him? We have some unresolved grievances with him.”

Mr. Sun chuckled, “Don’t worry, Xuan will certainly give me some face. This time, we’re discussing cooperation. Personal grudges can be settled after we leave Qinghai.”

Cheng Tianbi, with an impassive expression, said, “I’m not concerned about a fight; I’m concerned about collaborating with someone we have grievances with. Instead of worrying about his tricks on the battlefield, it’s better to resolve these issues from the beginning.”

Everyone understood that Cheng Tianbi’s idea of “resolving these issues” meant eliminating Yi Dong to prevent future problems.

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It had been a month since they entered Qinghai, and the nighttime temperatures had dropped to minus 42 degrees Celsius, while the warmest midday temperatures were barely above minus 30 degrees Celsius. None of them had ever experienced such extreme cold. They were bundled up tightly, resembling dumplings. As the temperature dropped, Cong Xia noticed that his body’s heat generation couldn’t keep up with the consumption, and he still felt cold, especially during high-altitude flights. The freezing wind cut like a knife through their exposed skin, forcing them to cover themselves thoroughly with hats, scarves, and other items.

Occasionally, large mutant birds would pass by in the sky, but most of them preyed on creatures on the ground rather than those flying in the sky. As they traveled, they carefully avoided these birds. Though they encountered attacks twice, they easily fended them off. Watching the colorful birds soar and play in the magnificent high-altitude scenery was awe-inspiring. If it weren’t for the extreme cold, they would have enjoyed the view.

After flying for a while, Xiao Wu suddenly let out a strange cry, “Damn, it’s really cold!”

Song Qi slapped its head, “You bird, stop talking like me.”

“You son of a b, you son of a b!”

Song Qi threatened, “Keep shouting, and I’ll use spider silk to seal your mouth.”

Xiao Wu seemed to have experienced this treatment before and immediately fell silent. However, it retaliated by lowering its head and making a steep dive, nearly giving Mr. Sun, who was sitting on it, a heart attack.

Song Qi quickly used spider silk to bind the three people firmly to Xiao Wu. They wouldn’t fall off, but it was definitely eerie.

The nearby Xiaozhou said, “This parrot’s screams are really annoying, it’s like choking someone’s neck. But, indeed, it’s so cold.”

Yao Qianjiang asked, “Are you still holding up? Do you need a break?”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’m fine, I can hold on. Just a little more flying, and we’ll arrive.”

Cong Xia worried, “Qinghai is already so cold. I wonder how it is in Beijing. Can ordinary people survive this winter?”

Zhuang Yao replied, “Before we left, the Academy of Sciences had already issued the first batch of new energy fuels. Judging by the timing, the second batch should be distributed by now. Ordinary people in Beijing have the best chance of surviving this winter. We need to unlock the Qinghai barrier as soon as possible, and Mr. Sun’s abilities should help us increase the rate of refining Cambrian energy by at least three times.”

Cong Xia clenched his fist, “We will definitely get out of here.”

Yao Qianjiang looked at the vast white earth beneath them, “Do you think there are still survivors in the south at this time?”

Zhuang Yao shook his head with a serious expression, “Two months ago, there were some, but now it’s hard to say. The cold front is moving from Antarctica, and the southern part of China is colder than the north due to the evolution of marine life. Islands like Hainan and Taiwan, surrounded by the sea on all sides, have almost no defense. People there don’t even have suitable winter clothing, so their chances of survival are slim.”

Cheng Tianbi added, “In the early days of the apocalypse, many people headed south. If it weren’t for the sea beasts that later blocked them, these two islands would have gathered even more people. Now, it seems…”

Cong Xia couldn’t help but sigh, it was both a blessing and a curse.

Zhuang Yao said, “This shows that there is no place in this world that is absolutely safe.”

At this moment, Mr. Sun’s voice drifted over with the cold wind, “We’re almost there. Follow us and descend.”

Xiao Wu was already descending slowly.

Compared to the small white falcon, Xiao Wu, with its colorful plumage, was very conspicuous even in the midst of snow and fog. They followed it through the white wilderness, and the outline of a small town gradually became clear before their eyes.

After landing, Song Qi dramatically collapsed to the ground, wailing, “The ground is so warm.”

Xiao Wu also spread its huge and beautiful wings, following suit, adding, “Warm, warm.”

Mr. Sun pointed at them, saying, “Xiao Wu’s intelligence is equivalent to an eight-year-old child. It has excellent mimicry and learning abilities. I can stimulate Abu’s brain area to evolve to this extent, but to give it language abilities like Xiao Wu, surgery and neural control must be performed simultaneously. I haven’t done such a surgery before, and I’m not very confident. I suggest you not take the risk because it’s not worth it. You can communicate with Abu now; does it matter if it talks or not?”

Zhuang Yao nodded. “It doesn’t matter. However, as Abu and I evolve, the situation may change. For now, I just hope it can smoothly break through the second stage. When the time comes, we’ll rely on Mr. Sun’s help.”

Mr. Sun smiled. “No problem.”

Cong Xia looked around. “Mr. Sun, is this already Golmud? Why is it so quiet around here?”

Mr. Sun led them towards the small town, explaining,”This is the most remote small town on the edge of Golmud. It’s precisely because it’s quiet that we chose it. There are no people here, and there are hardly any mutant animals because there’s nothing to eat. It’s a suitable place to stay. If we had landed in the densely populated city of Golmud, no, we wouldn’t even have to land; those birds in the sky would have fought over us. When you get to Golmud, you’ll understand what a natural wonder is. It’s like going back to the Jurassic period. Even a random ant there is bigger than an elephant, and lizards look like dinosaurs. If it weren’t for safety considerations, I’d want to live there forever.” Mr. Sun’s face showed a longing expression.

Song Qi rolled his eyes. “Don’t tease me, Mr. Sun. Last time, I almost died trying to get an egg from a chicken coop for you.”

Mr. Sun chuckled. “The capable should bear more responsibility.”

Cong Xia asked, “What’s the most formidable thing in Golmud?”

Song Qi shrugged, answering, “That’s a difficult question. Let me put it this way: when you go to Golmud and find that even a random ant is bigger than you, you’ll feel like you’ve entered the land of giants. In my opinion, everything there is formidable.”

Yao Qianjiang raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You’re so nervous with your third-stage strength?”

Just as Song Qi was about to respond, Mr. Sun said, “What Xiao Song said is right. The most dangerous thing in Golmud isn’t a specific animal; it’s the fact that everything is dangerous. Preying there is very challenging, and humans happen to look the weakest, making them the most sought-after prey. The scariest thing about Golmud is that you could be attacked at any moment, with no chance to catch your breath. When you decide to go to Golmud, be mentally prepared for this.”

As they chatted while walking, the accumulated snow underfoot was about half a meter deep. Finally, they stopped in front of a building. Cong Xia asked, “Is this where we’ll meet? Have the people from the west arrived?”

Cheng Tianbi looked at a black dot on the roof and whispered, “They’ve arrived.”

Everyone looked up, and a black bat flapped its wings, circling above them before flying into a window.

Mr. Sun said, “Let’s go in.”

They followed him into the building. In the spacious central hall, there was a relatively clean sofa, and sitting on it was a man in black clothing. He had one leg crossed over the other, partially concealed in the darkness, making his face hard to discern. Standing beside him was another man, also dressed in black. The bat that had circled above them a few times finally perched on his shoulder and disappeared. When Cong Xia and the others saw him, their expressions turned uneasy. Tall stature, stern countenance, as expected, the man was none other than the bat mutant they had encountered in Luoyang—Yi Dong.