The Return of Cambrian Period Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Cambrian Consciousness

After taking a short break, everyone resumed their journey.

In order to lighten Abu’s load, they all squeezed into the Road Bully. The car was packed with fuel, making the space narrow and the atmosphere somewhat stifling as five people squeezed together.

After a while, Tang Yanqiu spoke up, “Mr. Liu, thank you for helping earlier, but I’m curious about your abilities…”

Cong Xia quickly covered Tang Yanqiu’s mouth and made a hushing gesture.

Liu Fengyu glared at him.

Cong Xia explained in a low voice, “Brother Liu is a mutated species of the Corpse King Flower. That kind of flower… is like that, but he doesn’t like others talking about it.”

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Mydt Zydikw dseele, qwzz sq wdelapvydekdt.

Gp vbl pju tayewyzzu caktbvldle, vblka hkpkckzkvu kxrashle. Mbl asye alxykdle wdlhld, cwv dso vblu sdzu bye sdl skz vydjla vawnj zlqv. Mbl uswdt xld qasx vbl kdewpvakyz ryaj vssj vwadp rwpbkdt kv, qkdyzzu shlansxkdt sdl scpvynzl yqvla ydsvbla.

Gqvla vos eyup yde y dktbv sq vayhlz, vblu qkdyzzu yaakhle kd Ubsdtikdt.

Lsv qya yblye oyp vbl ldvaydnl vs vbl nkvu’p bktboyu vszz pvyvksd. Lso ekzyrkeyvle, kv bye zsdt zspv kvp saktkdyz qwdnvksd yde clnyxl y nblnjrskdv. Fszeklap twyaele vbl vszz pvyvksd, okvb vos xyflpvkn czynj Qlaxyd Fblrblaep, shla vball xlvlap vyzz, pvydekdt wraktbv sd csvb pkelp. Mblu osal aswtb nzsvb nshlap okvb xkzkvyau kdpktdky pvkvnble sd vblx, tkhkdt sqq yd kxrspkdt yway.

Ebld vbl twyaep pyo vbl taswr sq yaswde sdl bwdeale rlsrzl, y pszekla qasx vbl Vlsrzl’p Nkclayvksd Gaxu pvsrrle vblx, “Eblal yal usw nsxkdt qasx?”

Hbydt Qsdt pxkzle, “Wasx Qwkgbsw.”

“Rp vblal typszkdl kd vbl vydjla vawnj?”

“Zlp, kv’p typszkdl.”

“We need to inspect it.”

“Sure, please.”

The soldier blew a whistle, and one of the black German Shepherds sprinted over. This dog was tall with long legs, its muscles sleek and graceful, looking very agile. Everyone raised their heads to look at it.

Abu lightly scratched the ground with its paw, staring at the military dog without blinking, while the German Shepherd also kept a watchful eye on it.

“Weiwei, come here.” The soldier blew the whistle again, leading the German Shepherd to the tanker truck.

The German Shepherd leaped onto the black roof and carefully sniffed around. After inspecting the tanker truck, it went over the Road Bully once again. The soldier pointed at the weapons inside the vehicle and asked, “Where are these from?”

Zhang Gong smiled, “They were acquired before.”

“You can bring the weapons, but no abuse is allowed. No burning, killing, or looting in the city. If caught, you’ll be dealt with immediately. Light offenses will be expelled from the city, while severe offenses will result in instant execution. You’ll have to arrange your own food, but with so many of you, you can find work once you enter the city. Just don’t cause trouble, understand?”

Zhang Gong vigorously nodded his head, his eyes filled with hope. “Understood, understood.”

“Also, after the mutants enter the city, you can register at the administration office and receive a daily ration.”

“Oh, okay, thank you, soldier.”

“Go in. Follow my colleague in the blue uniform. He will assign you a place to stay. Move quickly, the experts above said the temperature will drop soon.”

Cong Xia exclaimed in surprise, “Weather can be predicted now…”

Zhuang Yao said, “As long as there are instruments, it’s not difficult.”

“Chongqing is the most orderly human city I’ve seen so far. I believe we can gather a lot of information here.”

Zhuang Yao sneered, “Don’t expect too much. With all this oil, someone must keep an eye on it 24/7. They say no burning, killing, or looting, but with so many people in the city, with weapons and mutants, can they really control it all?”

Tang Yanqiu added, “Exactly. Someone needs to keep watch at all times. After entering the city, we should acquire more weapons.”

Zhang Gong was more thoughtful than them. He approached the middle-aged man in the blue uniform, holding a piece of frozen cured meat and smiling pleasingly. “Big brother, how are the accommodations in the city allocated?”

“The original residents of the city stay in their own homes. Houses with property rights are the responsibility of the property owners as long as they are still in Chongqing. The vacant houses are now under the management of the military and will be allocated by the military.”

“What about the rest of us…”

“You guys, with so many people, can stay in the temporary military camps.”

Zhang Gong asked, “How are the conditions in the temporary camps?”

The man impatiently replied, “They provide shelter from the wind and rain, but don’t expect warmth. Be content with that.”

Zhang Gong grabbed the man’s sleeve and handed him the cured meat, saying with a smile, “Big brother, you see we have so many people, including the elderly and children. Can you assign us a better place? At least it should be made of cement. Otherwise, we’ll freeze to death as soon as the temperature drops. Big brother, we brought a lot of gasoline. As long as you’re willing to help…”

The man squinted his eyes and looked at them, stuffing the cured meat into his clothes. “Alright, I’ll see if there are any vacant hotels or inns. But for your oil here, I’ll take thirty percent.”

Zhang Gong’s face slightly changed. This person was truly making an outrageous demand.

“What’s wrong? You’re not happy? I’m just a small allocator. I can’t make decisions. If you’re not willing, figure it out on your own.”

“No, no, big brother. It’s fine. Thirty percent it is.”

“You guys wait at the temporary dormitory. I’ll come find you when I have news.”

“Okay, okay.”

The group followed the allocator towards the city.

Indeed, Chongqing was the best city they had encountered on their journey. The main streets of the city were regularly cleared of weeds, and half of the houses still had people living in them. As long as the houses with occupants were not severely damaged, it wasn’t considered too bad. As for the ragged and emaciated people chewing on grass that could be seen everywhere on the streets, they had become ordinary in their eyes.

When people saw the gasoline, a greedy glint appeared in their eyes, but due to the large number of people in the group, they didn’t dare to openly snatch it.

After passing through several dilapidated blocks, the group walked for over an hour and finally arrived at the temporary camp. The camp was filled with rundown mobile homes and military tents, forming the “dormitories.” The conditions were much harsher than the industrial park, but compared to the constant threat of attack in the industrial park, this place appeared safer.

Many people in the camp were carrying pots, cooking something that couldn’t be identified. Some pots emitted a faint foul smell. Occasionally, one or two pots exuded the aroma of meat, and the people around them stared at it with their reddish eyes fixedly. However, due to the presence of the armed soldiers patrolling the camp, no one dared to overstep the boundaries.

Although it was called a temporary camp, it resembled more of a refugee camp. No, it was indeed a refugee camp, sheltering those who had no place to go and no one to rely on. 

Cong Xia learned from the side that the people living in the temporary camp were ordinary outsiders who were neither mutants nor had mutant relatives or friends. The warm cement houses in the city were reserved for those who were considered useful, such as mutants and their families, or people who carried important supplies. They could either use their own resources to buy a house from the property owner or the government. The once sky-high housing prices had become a distant story. Now, a house could be obtained with a gun, a bag of food, and some medicine, which many people didn’t have.

Zhang Gong realized that he had been deceived after coming here. The gasoline they brought would have been enough to buy a whole building if they only gave up one or two portions. There was no need to bribe the allocator. Even if they didn’t have gasoline, they had several mutants in their group, which should have been enough for the government to arrange better accommodations for them.

Regretting his actions, Zhang Gong didn’t know if he had offended the allocator. He decided to discuss it with Cong Xia and the others.

Cong Xia said, “Let us handle this matter. You settle everyone down first, especially the belongings. Make sure to keep an eye on them.”

Throughout their journey, Zhang Gong had regarded them as saviors, accepting everything they said without question. At this moment, it was pointless to dwell on it and he busied himself with his own tasks.

Xiao Yan picked the cleanest mobile home for the five of them and cooked the cured meat that had been frozen along the way for them to eat.

After the meal, the five of them went their separate ways. Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu went out to find suitable housing. Liu Fengyu took the Chen brothers to gather information in the city and register as mutants. Zhuang Yao went hunting with Abu. Cong Xia took a container of oil and went to find the allocator.

The allocator was standing in front of a mobile home, talking to a few military officers. After he finished speaking, Cong Xia approached him and smiled, “Big brother, do you remember me?”

“Oh, you’re from that group that came from Guizhou. What’s the matter? I told you not to rush. Things don’t happen that quickly.”

Cong Xia smiled, “We plan to solve the housing issue ourselves, so you don’t need to bother.”

The allocator’s face immediately turned dark, and he snorted heavily.

Cong Xia dragged the container of oil in front of him. “Anyway, we still want to thank you. If you don’t mind, please accept this container of oil.”

Cong Xia remained polite, and he didn’t lose anything by giving away the container of oil. As he thought about it, his complexion improved, and he accepted the container without hesitation.

Cong Xia smiled, “Big brother, we are newcomers here, and there are many things we don’t understand. Could you explain the rules here so that we don’t make any mistakes?”

The allocator chuckled, “Young man, you’re quite sensible. I’m a long-time resident of Chongqing, and I lived in this city for over forty years. There’s not a single street or alley here that I’m unfamiliar with. If you want to know something, go ahead and ask.”

“Besides the military, who are the people we shouldn’t offend in this city?”

The allocator smirked, “It seems like you have some understanding. I knew there must be capable individuals in your group since you managed to escape from that bald gang.”

“Do you know about the bald gang?”

“Of course I know. They often come to the city to exchange goods. Just yesterday, in the middle of the night, they came to the city to trade for a heavy machine gun with the people in charge. But this is a secret, don’t go spreading it around. I’m guessing the bald guy is definitely dead; otherwise, I wouldn’t dare to say it.”

Cong Xia smiled and said, “Indeed, he’s dead.”

The allocator glanced at Cong Xia and thought to himself that it was a good thing he hadn’t caused trouble for them. This group of people was definitely not ordinary, especially that big cat. He said, “The bald gang, yeah, some people up top know about them. Otherwise, do you think they would be causing trouble near Chongqing without anyone caring? The water here runs deep.”

“Big brother, if you know something, please tell me. I won’t tell anyone else. As long as we can get useful information, we have plenty of oil.”

The allocator’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Come here, let’s talk.”

The two of them walked to a secluded spot, and the allocator spoke in a low voice, “On the surface, the military is the dominant force in this city. However, there are three other forces, each with its own relationship with the higher-ups. The bald gang belongs to one of these three forces, but the bald guy isn’t the boss. He’s just a lackey. Now that you’ve taken care of the bald gang, you need to be careful. Someone might come looking for trouble.”

Cong Xia was taken aback and asked in a deep voice, “Who are these people?”

“Listen carefully, I’ll explain it to you slowly. These three forces include two local forces in Chongqing and one external force. In this city with over a million people, there are numerous gangs of all sizes, but these three forces are the most powerful, and they don’t want to give in to each other. The gang the bald guy belonged to is called Hongwei Gang. Their boss is a reversion-type amphibious mutant, extremely powerful. Even the military has to give him some respect. The other local gang is called Qingyan Gang. They have a large number of members, and their boss is the son of a deputy commander in the military district, so they have a strong military background. Most people wouldn’t dare to provoke them. As for the external force, they are called the Frost Association. Do you know why they can establish themselves here?”

Cong Xia asked curiously, “Why?”

The allocator lowered his voice to a whisper, “Their boss is rumored to be a legendary natural power manipulator and evolved human.”

Cong Xia furrowed his brows.

Furthermore, they had just arrived in the city and had already offended the Hongwei Gang. The boss being a reversion-type amphibious mutant (evolver) made him wonder how powerful he really was. The other two forces also sounded formidable. Chongqing was indeed a city with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. To think that there was even a natural power manipulator and evolved human here. However, they didn’t know what abilities the other party possessed. This city was far more complex than they had imagined. On the surface, there were fewer mutant animals, and it seemed relatively safe for humans. But the power struggles in the human world were eternal. They were carrying so many resources with them, like a piece of juicy meat.

Cong Xia had initially planned to settle the people from the industrial park and leave with Tang Yanqiu. But now it seemed that if they couldn’t ensure the safety and well-being of the industrial park residents here, Tang Yanqiu wouldn’t leave.

The allocator patted Cong Xia’s shoulder and said, “Let me advise you, get rid of the oil quickly and find a powerful backing for yourselves. Do you understand what I mean?”

Cong Xia said, “Can you give us some directions?”

The allocator whispered, “Go and exchange weapons with the Qingyan Gang. They have a large number of members and a military background. It depends on whether your goods can entice them.”

“How do we find them?”

“Just ask anyone on the main street, they’ll know where to go for the exchange. If you want to exchange for food, there are plenty of places as well—gangs, the military, independent hunters. As long as you have goods, you can exchange for anything.”

Cong Xia asked him about some other matters and requested his help in keeping an eye out for good houses. He also gave the allocator another barrel of oil and took down his address. Then, the two of them parted ways.

When Cong Xia returned to the camp, the others had also come back. They sat in the activity board house, their expressions somewhat solemn. It seemed that they had gathered enough information during their outing. Now, they were prepared to discuss and plan their next steps.

***********

Return to Home

Other Novels: 

Managing a Divine Beast Kindergarten in the Immortal Realm

The Strongest Princess Consort in the Interstellar

Refusing to Please, She Becomes A Money-Spending Sensation