Chapter 32: Global Evolution
The team, consisting of tens of thousands of people, stretched out sparsely for several kilometers. Along the way, they were constantly subjected to various attacks, resulting in continuous casualties. Fortunately, their large numbers prevented many animals from daring to attack them. Therefore, apart from the bitter cold and mosquito infestation, there had not been any major losses on a larger scale.
Their planned route was to travel along the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway, passing through Guizhou, Chongqing, Hubei, Henan, and Hebei, before finally reaching Beijing. The reason they chose to follow the expressway was that in the absence of satellite navigation, the expressway was the only recognizable road left. Compared to accidentally venturing into the unfathomable primitive forests of Yungui, it was safer to follow the repaired road.
With a distance of over 2,700 kilometers ahead, even if they traveled without rest, it would still take them a month to reach their destination. However, they had only covered less than two hundred kilometers so far, and more than four thousand people had already perished. Those who survived were emaciated and resembled walking corpses.
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Liu Fengyu took a sip of water. “Let’s find a place to eat.”
Upon hearing the mention of food, Cong Xia perked up a bit. They all exited the expressway and headed towards the woods, choosing a suitable spot to sit down and enjoy a meal.
At this moment, being able to have a bite of processed sausage was like a heavenly pleasure.
Liu Fengyu proudly took out a bag of vacuum-sealed sausages from his backpack. They were authentic Qiu Lin Red Sausages, and there were two of them in the bag, looking plump and tempting. Cong Xia’s mouth instantly watered at the sight.
Liu Fengyu said, “They gave us two bags, enough for us to eat for two days.”
Cong Xia nodded eagerly like a puppy, his eyes fixed on the sausages and unable to look away.
Liu Fengyu provocatively looked at Cheng Tianbi. “Hey, you can only eat after we finish.”
Cheng Tianbi glanced at Liu Fengyu but ignored him.
Cong Xia looked at Liu Fengyu with a pleading expression in his eyes.
Liu Fengyu shrugged. “Look at you, so eager. It’s harder for Brother Cheng to go hungry than for us. Just kidding, take a bite to satisfy your craving. You’re not hungry anyway.”
Cong Xia smiled. “Liu Ge, you’re amazing.”
Liu Fengyu chuckled and tore open the packaging. He took a small piece and savored the delicious taste, closing his eyes in satisfaction. He then handed the rest to Cong Xia.
Cong Xia eagerly gave the intact sausage to Cheng Tianbi. “Wow, it’s so delicious. Brother, eat it quickly.”
Cheng Tianbi took the sausage and started eating it bite by bite.
They had just had a satisfying meal the day before, so he wasn’t starving to the point of going crazy. They ate with some composure, but their craving for food increased each day due to the harsh conditions. Even if they managed to swallow everything, it still couldn’t satisfy them.
Nevertheless, they were much happier than most of the people in the group. At least they could have a meaty meal every day.
When they returned to the group, they encountered the middle-aged man with the Border Collie again. He was still living a comfortable life, sitting on the dog’s back without even needing to walk. Two tall and beautiful girls were accompanying him. In the eyes of those girls, an ordinary middle-aged man like him would not receive a second glance under normal circumstances. But now, the owner of the Border Collie has become like an emperor.
There were probably four or five people in the group who enjoyed a worry-free life along the way because they had mutant pets. They were the objects of everyone’s flattery and favor.
Even Cong Xia couldn’t help but feel envious. “If we have the chance, let’s pick up a cat or dog to raise.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “It’s not that easy. The ones without mutations or the ones that are too small have already been eaten by other creatures. Mutant pets wouldn’t acknowledge us as their masters either.”
Liu Fengyu awkwardly added, “Yeah, even if we happen to find a young one that we can bond with from a young age, what if it doesn’t mutate and just remains an ordinary cat or dog? We can’t satisfy our hunger by eating it, and we would have to provide extra food for it. How many of us can do that?”
Cong Xia sighed. Of course, he was only talking hypothetically. To obtain a loyal mutant pet was an extremely rare stroke of luck.
They walked through the afternoon, and the trees on both sides became denser. The traces of the expressway had become very faint, and they could only determine the direction of the road by using a compass and the concrete blocks beneath their feet. Looking up, they were essentially navigating through a dense forest.
With their good physical condition, they gradually moved to the front of the group, where they could hear the sound of the military loudspeakers reminding them to stay close and not get lost.
As dusk approached, the forest suddenly became foggy without any warning. The remaining sunlight was blocked by the thickening fog, and the visibility began to decrease.
Cheng Tianbi said, “Quickly, find that girl with visual mutation.”
Cong Xia didn’t dare to wander far and could only search in the vicinity. However, there were too many people, and the girl had already disappeared.
They stayed close to each other because if they got separated in the forest, it would be difficult to find each other again.
Cheng Tianbi said to Liu Fengyu, “Hey, if we get separated, let’s release a foul odor. We’ll take it as a signal to gather in the center.”
Liu Fengyu shouted angrily, “f*ck off.” Although he was annoyed, he knew it wasn’t the time to be angry. The fog came too quickly, it was very abnormal, and there must be a water source nearby.
The sound of the loudspeakers echoed ahead of them, “Everyone, stop and rest in place until the fog passes! Listen carefully, don’t wander around, and tell those behind you not to proceed!”
Cong Xia and the others leaned against each other and sat down in place, their minds tense.
They all had a bad feeling deep down.
The fog grew thicker, and Cong Xia turned his head but couldn’t see Cheng Tianbi’s face. He sensed that Liu Fengyu’s breathing became somewhat rapid.
“Liu Ge, are you okay?” Why was Liu Fengyu more nervous than him?
“I told you before, I spent ten days in the original forest with the film crew,” Liu Fengyu’s voice contained a hint of fear.
Cong Xia said, “Yes.”
“I’ve experienced a major fog before.”
Cong Xia whispered, “What could be in the fog?”
“Anything could be in there,” Liu Fengyu said in a low voice. “After that major fog, we completely lost each other and never saw anyone else again.”
Cong Xia became even more nervous, but after experiencing numerous dangers, his mentality had become much stronger. Despite the fear, he didn’t panic at all.
Suddenly, Cheng Tianbi whispered in his ear, “Try to focus on your eyes.”
Cong Xia’s eyes brightened, immediately understanding Cheng Tianbi’s meaning.
Liu Fengyu looked at them strangely.
Cong Xia mobilized the neutral energy within his body and circulated it towards his eyes. He felt a slight warmth and a tingling sensation, making his eyes feel sour as if tears were about to flow. After the sourness subsided, he gradually felt his vision becoming clearer. The space that was previously obscured by thick fog suddenly revealed some moving shadows.
His vision had indeed improved!
Cong Xia excitedly squeezed Cheng Tianbi’s hand and used his eyes to signal that it was effective.
Cheng Tianbi nodded. “Pay attention to your surroundings.”
Cong Xia’s visibility instantly improved a lot, but he could only see vague shapes and tree shadows around him. He wanted to try making his hearing more sensitive as well, but he couldn’t control the energy within his body as skillfully. Every time he tried to focus on his auditory organs, the energy flow became chaotic.
Helplessly, he had no choice but to focus on the temporary improvement of his vision.
In this suppressed environment, the group remained silently in place for five or six minutes. Suddenly, they heard the sounds of frogs.
The sound grew closer, getting louder and louder, incessantly croaking. It started from one direction but eventually came from all directions, sending chills down their spines. Like a sharp knife, it pierced their fragile nerves.
At that moment, screams came from not too far away.
“What! What is that thing! A monster! Ahh—”
The group immediately panicked, running in the opposite direction of the sound without considering the route. However, the screams echoed from other places too, accompanied by the sound of something heavy running. The entire forest trembled with its movements.
“Don’t run! Don’t run!” the impatient voice from the loudspeaker resounded, followed by the furious roar of machine guns that drowned out all other sounds.
Cong Xia felt a tremendous surge of energy coming from various directions, yes, from all directions, and their numbers were impossible to estimate.
They gathered around a tree, back to back, not moving. The frogs were partially blind and could only see moving objects. Running around at this time would only be suicidal.
Cheng Tianbi said to Cong Xia, “Can you use a gun?”
Cong Xia clenched his teeth. “Yes.” He tightly held the gun in his hand, trembling as he raised it in front of him. His bright eyes focused solely on what was ahead.
Cheng Tianbi’s voice remained calm and composed, like water. He said, “Put your hand down, or your hand will get tired before the things even arrive.”
Cong Xia took several deep breaths as the incessant croaking sound grew louder and more concentrated. Judging by the volume alone, he could imagine the size of the creature producing such a noise.
When he was young, he loved playing in the fields and vegetable gardens, especially listening to the chorus of croaking frogs. He had never expected that the sounds of nature from his childhood memories would turn into a deadly curse.
Just stay still, just stay still.
Cong Xia repeatedly reminded himself in his mind.
Finally, a massive shadow emerged through the dense fog and entered Cong Xia’s line of sight. The shadow remained stationary for a long time before leaping to a spot less than five meters away from them. The leap was at least six to seven meters high, and the ground trembled upon its landing.
Cong Xia swallowed hard. With his enhanced vision, he could fully see the appearance of this monster.
It was a gigantic frog, standing five meters tall and weighing over ten tons. Its bulging blood-red eyes were as big as its head, and its snowy white lower jaw moved up and down, emitting a low croaking sound. The dark green wrinkled skin was covered in fist-sized bumps, appearing thick and repulsive. Its robust limbs were filled with explosive power.
The frog’s tongue was approximately one-third the length of its body, meaning its tongue alone was at least six meters long. If its speed hadn’t slowed down due to its size… No, even if its speed had decreased, they couldn’t possibly move faster than its agile tongue.
Just stay still, yes, just stay still…
Sweat poured down Cong Xia’s forehead like a waterfall, and their lower bodies had stiffened, unable to make the slightest movement.
They didn’t dare to confront the giant frog head-on; they only hoped it would leave soon.
However, one of the frog’s blood-red, glassy eyes remained fixed in their direction, rotating bonelessly.
One frog and three of them stood silently at a considerable distance for a full three minutes.
Just when they began to relax, thinking that the frog couldn’t really see them, Cong Xia’s visual nerves suddenly started working at high speed. He noticed, faster than Cheng Tianbi and Liu Fengyu, that the frog was opening its mouth.
The enhanced dynamic vision allowed him to barely capture the motion of the frog’s mouth opening, appearing in his mind like a series of sequential frames. However, even though he saw it, his nerve response speed couldn’t keep up with his vision.
When Cong Xia saw a pinkish fleshy tongue shooting out from the dark depths of the frog’s mouth, he only had time to shout, “It has evolved!”
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Translator’s notes: It’s so scary! I got scared translating this. Why frogs?! My goodness. Huhu.
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Managing a Divine Beast Kindergarten in the Immortal Realm
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