54 Global Evolution
Cong Xia took the red silk and murmured, “These characters are written beautifully.” Those two characters were written in neat regular script, with a brush that displayed precise strokes resembling chisels.
They appeared both bold and conservative, emanating a righteous aura that commanded respect. Cong Xia lightly touched them with his finger. “The ink hasn’t dried yet.”
Liu Fengyu looked at the vast expanse of green in the distance and frowned. “Are they trying to drive us away? Does someone already own this oil?”
Cheng Tianbi grabbed the arrow and pulled it forcefully, bending the shaft. He coldly stared at the rather crude wooden arrow, unable to contain the trembling in his body when he thought about how this arrow could have pierced Cong Xia’s head before he had time to react.
He was a sniper himself, belonging to long-range attacks. No one understood better than him the threat snipers and archers posed to the enemy on the battlefield. As long as there was someone controlling the field with long-range attacks, the enemy’s range of action could be greatly suppressed. After all, no one could dodge bullets and arrows shot at high speeds.
The power of this arrow, its precision and strength, truly astonished them. Who could it be?
The four of them and a cat retreated to the gas station, hiding behind an oil tanker. Zhuang Yao furrowed his brow and said, “Since this person hasn’t attacked us and only issued a warning, we still have room to maneuver. We’ve arrived here; we can’t simply return empty-handed.”
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Usdt Dky rsdelale qsa y xsxldv yde ypjle, “Tso qya kp vbl dlmv pwrrzu rskdv?”
“Mbl dlmv pwrrzu rskdv kp kd Ubsdtikdt, yv zlypv vos sa vball eyup yoyu, yppwxkdt ol nyd rypp vbaswtb blal pxssvbzu. Mbkp kdewpvakyz gsdl byrrldp vs cl sd vbl aswvl R rzyddle. Rq ol esd’v rypp vbaswtb blal, ol’zz byhl vs elvswa. Ps usw jdso obyv vbyv xlydp kd vbkp hypv qsalpv?”
Rv xlydp tlvvkdt zspv, elyzkdt okvb nsxrzlm yde lhla-nbydtkdt vlaaykd, nswdvzlpp eydtlap, yde vbl elrzlvksd sq qwlz.
Ebld kv nyxl esod vs kv, vblu pkxrzu eked’v byhl vbl zwmwau vs vyjl y elvswa. Mblu bye vs rypp vbaswtb vbkp kdewpvakyz gsdl yde ldvla Ubsdtikdt.
Usdt Dky lmralpple bkp nsdnladp, pyukdt, “Jwv vbkp yanbla rsplp y pktdkqknydv vbalyv vs wp. Ebs jdsop obld yde oblal vblu’zz pbssv qasx? Rv pllxp hlau eydtlaswp vs nsdvkdwl qsaoyae.”
“El olal wdralryale clqsal, cwv dso ol yal alyeu. Rv osd’v cl ps lypu qsa vblx vs pwnnlle. Nyvla, yzz qswa sq wp okzz tlv kd vbl nya. Ssye Jwzzu kp cwzzlvrassq, yde saekdyau yaasop osd’v cl yczl vs byax wp.”
“Ebyv ycswv Gcw?”
yvXrvksdp = { ‘jlu’ : ‘819083c5141l2een81ne1c66c82l3e92’, ‘qsaxyv’ : ‘kqayxl’, ‘blktbv’ : 250, ‘okevb’ : 300, ‘ryayxp’ : {} }; esnwxldv.oakvl(”);Hbwydt Zys tzydnle yv Gcw okvb y tzssxu lmralppksd. “Ubldt Mkydck nyd nalyvl y pxyzz hsavlm yaswde Gcw’p blye. Ebld vbl yaaso ldvlap vbl hsavlm, dsv sdzu okzz kvp prlle olyjld, cwv kv okzz yzps elhkyvl qasx kvp saktkdyz vayflnvsau. Gcw kp kdpvkdnvkhlzu pbyar yde byp qypvla alynvksdp vbyd wp. Rv pbswze cl yczl vs esetl. Ohld kq kv nyd’v esetl, yp zsdt yp ol rasvlnv kvp caykd yde lulp, y pxyzz yaaso bkvvkdt kvp cseu osd’v nywpl pktdkqknydv byax. Gde kq kv eslp tlv kdfwale, ol pvkzz byhl usw. El byhl ds svbla nbsknl dso; ol xwpv xshl qsaoyae.”
Cong Xia sighed, “We have no choice but to proceed like this.”
Zhuang Yao held onto Abu’s leg, gently comforting it, and whispered, “Be careful. If you sense danger, immediately find a way to hide.”
Abu raised its other massive forelimb and lightly stroked Zhuang Yao’s back. Its sharp claws, over ten centimeters long, retracted into its fur, and Zhuang Yao only felt the softness and thickness of its paw pads.
Cong Xia touched Abu, full of envy as he said, “It’s really obedient.”
Zhuang Yao took a deep breath and said, “Go to the back and check if the oil pipeline has been blocked.”
Cheng Tianbi and Liu Fengyu went around to the backy, while Zhuang Yao and Cong Xia wanted to see if the fuel tank would still work if connected to electricity.
After a while, Liu Fengyu returned. “The oil pipeline has been damaged. This fuel depot is probably empty.”
Zhuang Yao, unwilling to give up, went to check for himself. After a while, all three of them returned. Zhuang Yao, full of disappointment, said, “It’s indeed empty here. Let’s go to the next fuel depot.”
Cong Xia looked at the map and said, “It’s over ten kilometers away, quite far.”
Who knew what could happen during such a long journey.
Normally, Zhuang Yao would ride on Abu’s back and never stay inside the car. But this time, he was forced to get into the Road Bully. The four of them drove towards the next fuel depot.
Due to the past human constructions, the vegetation here was sparser than outside, and there were chunks of cement roads on the ground, making it easy to travel. In addition, they were aware of the danger from the archer, so they drove particularly fast.
After traveling for about four or five kilometers, Abu suddenly stopped in its tracks and let out a loud cry. At the same time, its entire body bristled, with its forelimbs extended forward and its back arched in an attacking posture.
Cheng Tianbi slammed on the brakes.
atOptions = { ‘key’ : ‘819083b5141e2ddc81cd1b66b82e3d92’, ‘format’ : ‘iframe’, ‘height’ : 250, ‘width’ : 300, ‘params’ : {} }; document.write(”);Almost simultaneously, an arrow with sparks flew through the air from the front and struck the ground two meters in front of their vehicle. With a loud bang, a wall of flames rose up, completely blocking their path. The flames extended along a line on the ground for over ten meters, cutting off their forward progress.
Cheng Tianbi immediately reversed the car, backing up for about six or seven meters before coming to a stop.
Cong Xia exclaimed in surprise, “There’s a fuel line on the ground.”
It was a simple trap, digging a narrow trench in the ground and filling it with oil. As long as there was a spark, it would ignite immediately, creating a barrier of flames. This kind of trap was frequently used by ancient people during battles, although they certainly didn’t use gasoline back then, and the oil lines wouldn’t be buried on just one side but from all directions.
Typically, these narrow trenches would not exceed ten centimeters in width and were well disguised, making them difficult to notice. The oil line in front of them was particularly shallow, and it didn’t appear to be set as a trap but merely to block their path. The width of the oil line was probably only three or four centimeters, making them even more astonished by the archer’s precise marksmanship.
Abu continued to scream towards a towering tree, crouching down and preparing to leap. It seemed like he wanted to climb up. Zhuang Yao shouted, “Abu, don’t move!”
Zhuang Yao opened the car door, about to get out.
Cong Xia grabbed him and said, “What are you doing?”
“It’s fine. Since he doesn’t harm people, he definitely won’t harm a child.” After Zhuang Yao opened the car door, he climbed onto the roof, holding onto the luggage rack, and shouted at the tree, “Whoever you are, stop hiding and come out if you have something to say!”
The dense branches of the tree trembled, but no one appeared. Only a stern male voice sounded, “I’ve warned you. Leave. Take one more step forward, and don’t blame me for being impolite.”
“Who are you? We just need gasoline. We’ll take it and leave.”
“Everyone who comes here needs gasoline. I don’t think you’re bad people, so I’ll let you go this time. Don’t push your luck.”
“Even if we don’t take the gasoline, we still need to pass through here. We’re going to Chongqing.”
“You can’t reach Chongqing from here.”
“Why?”
Before the man could speak, a sudden explosion came from a distance, and thick smoke billowed from the southwest direction, causing the entire forest to tremble.
atOptions = { ‘key’ : ‘819083b5141e2ddc81cd1b66b82e3d92’, ‘format’ : ‘iframe’, ‘height’ : 250, ‘width’ : 300, ‘params’ : {} }; document.write(”);The spot where the man stood shook with the rustling of branches but soon returned to calm.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
No one responded to them.
“Did they leave?”
“Yeah, they left.”
“And that explosion…”
Cong Xia pondered and said, “They must have left because of that explosion. It seems there is more than just him here. I should say, there’s not only him, but also a group of people coming here for gasoline. This place is more complicated than we imagined.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “He’s not paying attention to us right now. Let’s pick up the pace.”
Liu Fengyu pointed to the wall of flames ahead and asked, “How do we get past that?”
Zhuang Yao scoffed, “Just drive straight through?”
“Are you sure the Road Bully can handle it?”
“A small flame of about 30 centimeters? It’s not even as tall as the Road Bully’s tires. What’s the big deal? The Road Bully’s tires are made of aviation materials and have undergone my special treatment. They’re fireproof, waterproof, acid-proof, freeze-proof, and explosion-proof. No problem. Step on the gas and drive through.”
Cheng Tianbi backed up a bit more and then stepped on the accelerator, charging directly through the flames. Abu effortlessly leaped over them.
Zhuang Yao sat back in the car and analyzed, “Since there are quite a few people coming here for gasoline, and judging by that man’s attitude, the people who want gasoline are definitely not friendly. So we shouldn’t expect there to be any leftover fuel in those fuel depots. Either it’s been looted or already collected.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded, “You’re right. Judging by that man’s tone, he seems like a regular resident here.”
Liu Fengyu lazily lay on the seat, basking in the sun. “So, he definitely has gasoline.”
Zhuang Yao revealed a sly smile, “The direction of the explosion is similar to our route. Why don’t we go take a look? Maybe we can seize an opportunity amidst the chaos. Otherwise, it’s not easy to find him in such a vast place.”
atOptions = { ‘key’ : ‘819083b5141e2ddc81cd1b66b82e3d92’, ‘format’ : ‘iframe’, ‘height’ : 250, ‘width’ : 300, ‘params’ : {} }; document.write(”);Cong Xia frowned, “He probably won’t be as easy to deal with as we think. The tree he stood on just now was at least twenty meters high. How did he get up there? And how did he suddenly disappear? Besides his precise archery skills, he’s definitely an evolver with some kind of ability.”
Liu Fengyu teased, “Either he can fly, or he’s a ninja.”
Zhuang Yao nodded, “Most likely he has the ability to fly, but I don’t believe the four of us can’t handle him.”
“It won’t be just him,” Cheng Tianbi said, “What’s the point of guarding a pile of gasoline alone? He definitely has companions.”
Cong Xia sighed, “Yes, that’s what I’m most worried about.”
“Let’s go take a look. I just calculated that the explosion site is no more than five kilometers away from us. When we’re about two kilometers away, we’ll hide the Road Bully and go check it out on foot with Abu. That way, we won’t risk our vehicle being affected by any explosion waves.”
“Okay!”
When they reached the vicinity of the explosion site, they could already smell the burnt scent emanating from deep within the forest. They cut down some large branches and covered the Road Bully, then the four of them climbed onto Abu’s back and ran towards the thick smoke in the distance.
Abu was much faster than the Road Bully, and in the blink of an eye, they had dashed out of the forest. Before them, a human settlement appeared.
Calling it a village would be an exaggeration; it was more like a temporary gathering place. Several dozen makeshift houses constructed from mobile panels were arranged on an open space. If it were a few months ago, anyone seeing so many mobile houses would assume it was a construction site. However, in the depths of this dense forest, to find such a human settlement that hadn’t been covered by vegetation, with even the ground cleared of weeds, was particularly surprising and heartwarming.
However, thick smoke filled the air here. Over a hundred people were engaged in a fierce battle, with the presence of evolvers and animals among them. The scene was chaotic and disordered.
Cong Xia exclaimed, “What is this…”
Zhuang Yao patted Abu and said, “Step back.”
Abu obediently took a few steps back. The people who had shown hostility towards them because of their arrival now shifted their attention away, continuing to engage in the battle.
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Translator’s note: This is the regular updates for yesterday and today. The bonus chapters will follow.
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