78 Cambrian Consciousness
The group of eagles approached, and only then did they see clearly that this dark group consisted not only of eagles but also a mix of crows, sparrows, and various other birds. They ranged in size, all crazily swooping towards them.
With a firm grip on the machine gun, Cheng Tianbi pulled the trigger and opened fire at the group of birds. The thunderous roar of the machine gun echoed in the dark night, sending shivers down their spines.
Tang Yanqiu spread his wings and weaved through the flock of birds. His arrows hit with precision, but bows and arrows were more effective in long-range attacks, and at close range, especially during group assaults, they were at a disadvantage.
Tang Yanqiu was constantly attacked by the sharp beaks and claws of the eagles, looking somewhat disheveled.
Zhuang Yao shouted, “Abu, go help Tang Yanqiu!”
Abu swooped in, its massive claws scratching through the air. With each strike, several eagles would fall to the ground. Its fur was thick, making it difficult for the birds’ beaks to harm it. Often, when a bird rammed into its fur, half of its force would be dissipated. Even if a successful attack occurred, it would only result in superficial injuries. With Abu’s help, Tang Yanqiu managed to escape from the swarm of birds, albeit in a disheveled state.
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.
Nkw Wldtuw’p okel-aydtl yvvynjp rzyule y xsal pktdkqknydv aszl kd vbkp kdvldpl taswr yppywzv vbyd Ubldt Mkydck’p. Tkp ldvkal cseu vaydpqsaxle kdvs tkydv rlvyzp, obknb, yp qzlmkczl yp bkp qkdtlap, nswze nbydtl pkgl yv okzz. G rlvyz pokrl oswze lkvbla ekggu sa pwqqsnyvl y taswr sq ckaep, tayewyzzu xyjkdt xydu sq vbl ckaep wdokzzkdt vs yrrasynb bkx.
Usdt Dky pbswvle, “Dkys Mydt, nsxl qzu cu xu pkel!”
Ebkzl pbssvkdt yaasop, Mydt Zydikw, wdela Gcw’p nshla, qzlo vs vbl pkel sq vbl Ssye cwzzu. Tl zlydle ytykdpv vbl nya essa yp Usdt Dky ycpsacle vbl pwaaswdekdt ldlatu yde vaydpxkvvle kv vs Mydt Zydikw vbaswtb vbl nya essa. Fwrlaqknkyz oswdep blyzle kdpvydvzu.
Hbwydt Zys nayozle vs vbl cynj sq vbl nya vs nbydtl vbl yxxwdkvksd nzkr qsa Ubldt Mkydck’p xynbkdl twd. Pwl vs vbl pkgl sq Qyvzkdt’p yxxwdkvksd csm, vblu sdzu caswtbv vball csmlp. Uyaaukdt vbkp blyhu zsye qsa ps zsdt, okvb vbl Qyvzkdt’p qkakdt ayvl sq 400 aswdep rla xkdwvl, sdl yxxwdkvksd csm nswze cl elrzlvle kd vos xkdwvlp. Mbl pswde sq “vwv vwv vwv vwv” oyp vawzu blyavcalyjkdt qsa vblx.
Tsolhla, vbl cwzzlvp qasx vbl Qyvzkdt eke kdelle nywpl vbl xspv pktdkqknydv eyxytl vs vbl taswr sq lytzlp yde nasop. Rd vbkp jkde sq taswr yppywzv, Ubldt Mkydck’p rlapsdyz yckzkvklp olal kdqlaksa vs vbl lqqlnvkhldlpp sq vbl xynbkdl twd. Jkaep kd vbl pju qlzz zkjl aykd, yde obyv oyp sdnl y rkvnb-czynj pju nzlyale wr kd y pbsav vkxl.
Mbl taswr sq ckaep pwqqlale blyhu nypwyzvklp, yde vbl alxykdkdt voldvu sa ps nswze sdzu qzll kd rydkn.
Gqvla vblka lpnyrl, lhlausdl oyp ps lmbywpvle vbyv vblu nswze byaezu xshl.
Mbkp pweeld cyvvzl dsv sdzu elrzlvle y pktdkqknydv yxswdv sq ldlatu qasx vbl xykd pvyvksd xlxclap cwv yzps nsdpwxle y zsv sq ldlatu qsa blyzkdt cu Usdt Dky. Fvawttzkdt, bl fwxrle sqq vbl nya yde ycpsacle yzz vbl ldlatu kd vbl ekpvydnl vbyv lmnllele bkp ycpsarvksd aydtl, vyjkdt kv yzz kdvs bkp cseu.
In this battle, Tang Yanqiu suffered the most severe injuries. Three long blood marks were slashed across his handsome face. If it weren’t for Cong Xia, he would have been disfigured for sure.
Cong Xia concentrated the energy and used it to heal him. Although he had many wounds, none were fatal, and the repairs were not difficult. However, seeing Tang Yanqiu gritting his teeth in pain without uttering a word made the others feel uneasy.
Liu Fengyu, Cheng Tianbi, and Abu all sustained minor injuries, while the two hiding in the car were unscathed.
After healing Tang Yanqiu’s injuries, Cong Xia had exhausted more than half of his energy. Fortunately, the injuries of Liu Fengyu and Abu were superficial, and with the additional energy absorbed from the nearby two or three hundred owls and other birds, he still had surplus energy in his body.
When it was Cheng Tianbi’s turn, he looked at the scratches on his hands and said, “Forget it, don’t waste energy.” He understood the hardships of cultivation, the patience and willpower required to accumulate every bit of energy. He didn’t want to waste Cong Xia’s energy.
Cong Xia grabbed his hand and said, “What are you saying? You know that even small wounds can become a big problem if infected. How can we just let it go?” After releasing his hand, the blood marks on Cheng Tianbi’s arm disappeared instantly. Cong Xia then raised his hand and gently touched Cheng Tianbi’s forehead, which had been pecked by an owl, staining his eyebrows red with blood.
Cheng Tianbi looked at him silently. Cong Xia’s fingers traced over the wound, and the damaged skin was repaired without a trace.
Cheng Tianbi said, “Your abilities have strengthened.”
Cong Xia smiled and replied, “If they didn’t, wouldn’t I be a burden to you all?”
“No,” Cheng Tianbi said lightly, “You won’t be a burden.”
Liu Fengyu rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, you two, are you ever going to stop? Flirting all the time. Just get married already.”
Cheng Tianbi gave him a stern look and turned away.
Zhuang Yao frowned and picked up an eagle. “This must be sent by the person from before. I had speculated that animal mutants would possess certain abilities similar to the species. It seems to be true.”
Liu Fengyu clenched his fist and said, “When I see that guy again, I’m going to strip every hair off him.”
Cheng Tianbi said in a deep voice, “These eagles were probably just testing us. If this attack failed, I don’t think they will give up easily.”
Cong Xia whispered, “There must be a powerful team here. Otherwise, a single eagle mutant wouldn’t have the audacity to launch such a large-scale attack on us.”
Zhuang Yao said, “There are still a few alive here. Kill them all and let Cong Xia absorb them. It’s almost dawn. Let’s go to the city center and see if we can catch some people tomorrow during the day to inquire about the situation here.” He patted Abu and said, “Abu, have some food. You must be hungry too.”
Abu obediently started eating the birds on the ground.
Cheng Tianbi cleaned up the scene, and Cong Xia meticulously absorbed all the remaining energy. Liu Fengyu caught a few larger ones and planned to roast them for breakfast, saving a meal’s worth of food.
The Road Bully drove over the dense bird corpses and headed towards the city center. A hidden eagle in a distant building with large, shining eyes witnessed everything that had just happened. It flapped its wings and flew away.
They arrived at a main road in the former city center and leaned against a shopping mall. They set up a bonfire on the open ground and began roasting the owl.
At this time, it was just starting to get light, the perfect moment for their hungry stomachs. Everyone squatted on the side, waiting for Cong Xia to prepare a simple yet delicious meal.
The aroma of the barbecue wafted far, and gradually, several ragged individuals appeared from who knows where. They stood at a distance, watching them. They were afraid to approach because of Abu but were drawn by the fragrance, and more people, some with children, gathered.
Cong Xia shouted at them, “In front of a department store called XX, there are many fresh eagles that have just died.”
After hearing this, the twenty-plus people turned around and ran, fearing that they might miss out on the opportunity to have meat.
“It seems that people aren’t hard to find. Let’s wait for them to come back and find someone to ask,” Cong Xia handed a plump roasted owl leg to Tang Yanqiu and said, “Here, Xiao Tang, you’ve worked the hardest tonight.”
Tang Yanqiu smiled and took it.
Liu Fengyu teased him, saying, “Hey, you better thank Xiao Xia. If it weren’t for him, your appearance would be ruined.”
Tang Yanqiu quickly replied, “Cong Xia, thank you.”
Liu Fengyu remembered the blood on Tang Yanqiu’s face earlier and felt a little scared. He said to Cong Xia, “We made a deal, remember? If I get injured in the future, no matter how serious the injuries are elsewhere, as long as I’m not about to die, you must fix my face first. If my perfect face is damaged, even the heavens would find it unbearable.”
Tang Yanqiu earnestly said, “A man shouldn’t focus so much on appearance. The most important thing for a man is…”
Liu Fengyu made a hand gesture as if he was zipping his mouth shut, signaling him to be quiet. “You know nothing. How many people in the world look as good as me? I’m rarer than a panda. This face must be protected.”
Tang Yanqiu shook his head in frustration and stopped arguing with him. As they were talking, a spirited young man approached them from a distance, curiously observing them.
The young man’s clothes appeared relatively neat, and he didn’t have the appearance of being malnourished. It was evident that he had a relatively good living condition. As he approached, he finally sensed the mutated energy emanating from them. No matter where they were, mutated individuals wouldn’t lead a meager existence.
Cong Xia said, “If you want something to eat, you can go to the department store over there. You might still find some eagles.”
The young man smiled and said, “You misunderstood. I’m not lacking food. I’m just curious about how you ended up roasting an eagle here.”
“We found it,” Cong Xia replied.
“You must be outsiders. I haven’t seen you around here.”
Zhuang Yao raised an eyebrow and looked at him intently. “Chengdu is a big city. Can you claim to have seen everyone here?”
“Hey, Chengdu is indeed large, but there aren’t many living people left. I can’t possibly recognize everyone, but who wouldn’t remember seeing such a big cat once? And this car, it’s really cool.” The young man reached out to touch it.
Cheng Tianbi swiftly drew his gun and pointed it at him. The speed at which he drew the gun was so fast that no one could see what he had pulled out. He coldly said, “Don’t touch it.”
It was not their fault that they couldn’t be friendly towards people. They were always on guard against every mutated individual.
The young man awkwardly withdrew his hand. “I mean no harm. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen people from outside. I just wanted to join you for a meal and learn about the situation outside. If you’re not willing, then forget it.”
The group exchanged glances, seemingly considering it. After all, when someone actively approached them, it naturally raised some caution.
The young man continued, “What are you worried about? I’m just a power-based mutated individual. With so many mutants here, are you afraid of me? I genuinely just want to chat with you. After the earthquake, I haven’t left Chengdu. I want to know what the outside world is like. By the way, you’ve just arrived. Don’t you want to know some things about Chengdu?”
Cheng Tianbi pointed to the seat next to him. “Take a seat.”
Cong Xia furrowed his brows slightly, carefully observing the young man. Then he turned around and exchanged a glance with Zhuang Yao and Cheng Tianbi, conveying a message through their eyes.
This person was lying. He was not a power-based mutant; power-based mutants possessed wood energy, but this person had earth energy. However, aside from him, other mutants could only sense the energy fluctuations of other energy types without being able to discern which elemental energy it was. Some mutants’ energies could be identified through common knowledge, such as those with evolved vision having wood energy or those with amphibious atavism having water energy. However, there were some cases where it was impossible to determine.
If it weren’t for Cong Xia, they wouldn’t have immediately seen through this person’s lie.
The young man appeared very friendly and unceremoniously sat next to Cheng Tianbi, looking at Cong Xia with a pleasing expression. “Brother, give me some meat to taste. Although I can catch some things myself, they’re usually half-cooked when roasted or tasteless when boiled. It’s been so long since I’ve had a salty flavor. Unlike you guys, with spices like pepper, you’re living a good life. It’s so enviable.”
Cong Xia calmly handed him a piece of roasted meat. The young man gobbled it down.
After finishing the meat, he wiped his mouth and asked, “Where are you guys from?”
“Guizhou.”
“Guizhou?” The young man widened his eyes. “Have you been to Chongqing?”
“We have.”
“Is Chongqing really as good as the rumors say? I heard everyone there can have a meal.”
Cong Xia replied, “As long as you’re not lazy, you won’t starve. It’s much better than here.”
“I envy you. I really want to go to Chongqing. This city is half-dead. Sooner or later, maybe everyone will die. With such a big cat accompanying you, you don’t feel it. If four or five ordinary people walk on the streets, they could be devoured by a swarm of rats, leaving no bones behind at any time.”
Zhuang Yao asked the crucial question, “Are there many mutants here? Have they formed factions?”
The young man nodded. “Yes, there are many factions of mutants in Chengdu, big and small, each occupying its own territory.”
“Tell us about the situation of mutants here.”
The young man said, “The most powerful faction of mutants here is called the Eagle Corps. Their leader is a mutant who is a mix of an eagle and a human. He has many subordinates, nearly a hundred of them, but only those who can fly receive his attention. The other factions aren’t large in scale, but there are quite a few powerful mutants. They usually coexist peacefully. Originally, not many people survived, so everyone just scrapes by with food and drink. Except for mutated animals devouring people, other areas are relatively peaceful.”
Cheng Tianbi said coldly, “Is that so? We just entered the city last night and encountered an eagle variant who demanded our food. We refused, and then in the middle of the night, he sent over 300 eagles to attack us. Is that what you call peace?”
The young man showed a surprised expression. “You were really attacked by eagles?”
“Otherwise, where did the meat in your mouth come from?”
“I see, you call them eagle… variants? Is that what you call them? Well, that eagle variant is from the Eagle Corps. Although they don’t rob the locals, they are not polite to outsiders.”
Liu Fengyu sneered, “That’s because the locals have nothing worth robbing.”
The young man said, “It’s not a good thing that they targeted you. There are quite a few things in this vehicle, and you won’t be able to defeat them. How about this? Give me some things, and I can find a way to avoid the Eagle Corps’ surveillance and help you leave the city.”
Liu Fengyu replied, “We’re not planning to leave the city for now.”
Cheng Tianbi interrupted, “Fine, we were originally planning to rest for a few days, but this place is too dangerous. We want to leave the city immediately. How can you guide us?”
“I have been living here for a long time and know the Eagle Corps’ range of activities. I can lead you on a detour out of the city. We shouldn’t delay any longer. Let’s go now.” He had just stood up when Cheng Tianbi suddenly jumped up and pinned him down, a sharp blade gleaming against his neck.
Liu Fengyu pressed his foot down on his back.
The young man struggled desperately but was unable to move under Cheng Tianbi’s restraint.
Zhuang Yao looked down at him from a higher vantage point and said coldly, “You’re the eagle variant from last night, aren’t you?”
***************
Other Novels:
Managing a Divine Beast Kindergarten in the Immortal Realm
Second Life Translations' Comment Policy
1. Be kind and respectful. Comments with curses will be put under moderation.
2. No links to other websites or asking for links.
3. No spoilers!