The Return of Cambrian Period Chapter 8

 8 The Great Evolution

As soon as they left the convenience store,  they were attracted by the noise outside.

A group of citizens, with fervent emotions, shouted and walked towards them. Cheng Tianbi was pulling Cong Xia, trying to go back to the store, but was stopped by a middle-aged woman who loudly said to them, “What are you still looking for? There’s nothing left to eat now! People are starving to death, the world is in chaos, the power is out, the water is running out, and the government isn’t doing anything. Let’s go to the city hall!” She then tried to pull Cong Xia along with them.

Cheng Tianbi pulled Cong Xia back and looked coldly at the woman.

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Mbl osxyd oyp kdvkxkeyvle cu bkp tygl yde pyke, “Gal usw alyzzu dsv nsxkdt okvb wp? Mblal’p pvaldtvb kd dwxclap. Gv zlypv zlv vbl tshladxldv tlv wp psxl qsse. Xvblaokpl, kd vos eyup, ol’zz sdzu cl yczl vs lyv taypp yde obld vbyv’p tsdl, ol’zz fwpv byhl vs pvyahl vs elyvb.”

Ubldt Mkydck pyke dsvbkdt yde rwzzle Usdt Dky yoyu.

Usdt Dky vssj swv bkp rbsdl yde nblnjle kv. “Ls pktdyz sd xu rbsdl. Mbl dlvosaj xwpv cl esod. El’hl zspv nsdvynv okvb vbl swvpkel osaze.”

Ubldt Mkydck pyke, “Psd’v osaau ycswv vbyv. Nlv’p ts vs vbl ykarsav yp pssd yp rsppkczl.”

“The main roads are all blocked by cars now, but once we’re out of the city, the roads might be clear. We’ll find a car then.”

Cheng Tianbi nodded and said, “Let’s get out of the city first.”

The two of them hurried towards the entrance of the highway. However, the journey was not peaceful. They constantly saw incidents of looting, arson, and violence. Who could have imagined that this city was still orderly and safe just yesterday at this time?

But in just one day, the weeds that grew out of the cracks in the pavement had already passed people’s ankles. The carefully maintained trees grew wildly. Everywhere there were smashed windows, looted shops, and on one street, they even saw a group of very large rats gnawing on a homeless man’s body.

There were no normal pedestrians on the street. The entire city was filled with despair and the smell of death, like a nightmare world.

The closer they got to the entrance of the highway, the more people they saw carrying luggage. It seemed like many people had the same idea as them: to escape this city.

It took them two hours to walk from the city center to the edge of the city. After leaving the congested main road, there were significantly fewer cars on the road. Cheng Tianbi pried open a car door and, like a car thief on TV, rubbed two wires together to start the engine. The two of them got in the car and drove towards the direction of the highway.

This car didn’t have much gas. Along the way, they saw two gas stations, but they were both empty. The gas pumps were blocked by dozens of abandoned cars that were waiting to be refueled.

As they drove towards the airport, there were only a handful of cars left on the road. The sky had already turned dark, and Cong Xia was exhausted from a day of travel. Looking at the desolate highway with no villages or stores in sight, he suggested, “I don’t think we should continue on the road. We should rest in the car. It’s very dark, and the tall wild grass on both sides of the highway could be hiding anything. Moreover, what if there’s a sudden drop in temperature? We should stay in the car and rest.”

Cheng Tianbi thought about it for a moment. “The airport is about twenty kilometers away. If we keep going on the highway, we can get there before daybreak. The earlier we arrive at the airport, the better our chances of leaving. We shouldn’t waste any more time here.”

“But it’s so dark here. Have you heard the sounds coming from the grass on the side of the highway? We don’t know what’s in there,” Cong Xia looked at the tall wild grass in fear, wondering what could be lurking inside. They were heading blindly into the darkness. How far could they possibly go? He couldn’t help but feel scared.

“Would staying in the car really be safer if there’s something out there?” Cheng Tianbi got out of the car. “Let’s walk while flagging down passing cars. Occasionally, cars do pass by here. Maybe we can hitch a ride to the airport.”

Cong Xia had no choice but to follow him.

While the sun was still setting, the two of them walked quickly along the straight highway. One or two cars passed by, but they refused to stop. Perhaps the cars were already full, or maybe people were too frightened to care about anyone else. They kept walking until the sun had completely set, and no passing cars had stopped.

Cheng Tianbi’s expression remained unchanged, but Cong Xia was on the verge of collapse. Hunger, exhaustion, disappointment, and his deepest fear made him tremble with every step he took. This endless road made him feel hopeless.

Just when Cong Xia was about to give up, a car finally stopped as they waved at it.

The car was occupied by a friendly young couple with little luggage. They filled up the trunk, leaving half of the back seat for the two men. Although it was still cramped, it was much better than walking.

Cong Xia was overwhelmed with gratitude, and they quickly got into the car.

The back seat was small, and the two of them had to sit with one in front and the other in the back. Cong Xia’s legs were tightly pressed against Cheng Tianbi’s thighs, and through his pants, he could feel the strong muscles in Cheng Tianbi’s thighs. Cong Xia couldn’t help but envy his physique, and he couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter when he thought of the biceps he had touched earlier that day.

The young couple was kind and asked, “Where are you guys going?”

“We’re heading to the airport.”

The young man was taken aback, “Why are you heading to the airport? Flights have been grounded and transportation is at a standstill. Even if you have the means, you can’t fly anywhere.”

Cong Xia had no choice but to explain, “I have relatives there, and I need to find them.”

“Ah, if you locate them, leave immediately. We’re headed to Chongqing, my wife’s hometown. We can’t stay here any longer, and we don’t know if it will be any better there,” he said.

His wife let out a sigh, “I’m afraid everything has changed.”

He held her hand and reassured her, “It’s alright. Even if it’s truly the end of the world, we’ll go back and face it with our families.”

Cong Xia couldn’t help but envy the depth of their affection.

He thought about how he had lived for 26 years without even holding a girl’s hand. He was still a pitiful virgin, and now he had encountered the end of the world. He couldn’t help but feel sad. Why was he so unlucky?

Since childhood, he had only focused on studying. While his peers became interested in girls, he buried himself in his studies because good grades were the only way he could achieve a sense of accomplishment. This also meant that he had never learned how to interact with girls. Even when he went to college, he could only look at a girl’s shoes when talking to them.

After he started working, he became even more of a shut-in. He spent all his free time in the virtual world, and even when others introduced him to girls, none of them were successful. He thought he would eventually find a girlfriend with whom he shared common interests, but even that wish was a luxury. Now, he couldn’t even dream of women. If he could just have someone to accompany him, he would be satisfied.

Lost in thought, he couldn’t take his eyes off Cheng Tianbi. His perfectly chiseled features were alternately illuminated and shadowed in the dim light, and Cong Xia couldn’t stop staring.

He felt that Cheng Tianbi was like those powerful heroes in comics, expressionless and uncommunicative, but still quite unique. If Cheng Tianbi was the one who stayed with him until the end, he would reluctantly accept it.

Sensing Cong Xia’s gaze, Cheng Tianbi slowly turned his head and looked at him coldly.

For some reason, Cong Xia’s cheeks suddenly felt hot, and he chuckled, “Big Brother Cheng, are you still hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

Cheng Tianbi shook his head.

His wife turned to them, “Don’t eat, even if you’re hungry. Save what you can. We don’t know what the future holds.”

Cong Xia asked curiously, “Do you have enough food prepared? Have you considered what to do if we run out of gas?”

“We have enough food, just eat less and make it to Chongqing. Gas is our biggest concern. We have one tank in the trunk, but that’s all we have. We’ll have to figure something out when it runs out. Also, we won’t be able to take you to the airport. We need to save gas, so we can only drop you off at the exit, and you’ll have to find your own way from there.”

“No problem, you’ve already helped us a lot… Watch out!” Cong Xia shouted, his heart racing.

The four of them widened their eyes as a black figure darted across the road ahead, with Cheng Tianbi following closely behind, yelling, “Don’t turn the wheel!”

But it was too late. The young husband, inexperienced in handling emergencies, swerved to avoid an unknown object in front of them as their car raced at 130 miles per hour. Before his brain could give the command, his body had already reacted, and he forcefully turned the wheel. With so much luggage and four passengers, their small car flipped over uncontrollably, like a fragile toy, sliding out several meters before crashing into the opposite side’s barrier and coming to a stop.

The tremendous impact instantly knocked Cong Xia unconscious. Before he lost consciousness, he felt Cheng Tianbi tightly embracing him.

When Cong Xia opened his eyes again, his whole body was in excruciating pain, and even lifting a finger seemed to require immense willpower. His body was completely immobile, as if something heavy was pressing down on him.

Cong Xia let out a painful groan, and in the next second, something warm covered his mouth.

“Shh.”

A low voice sounded in his ear, and Cong Xia barely opened his eyes to see a pair of deep, bright eyes in the darkness. They were unforgettable, long and beautiful, and he recognized them as Cheng Tianbi’s.

Memories of the car accident before he lost consciousness flooded back into his mind, and although his body was in pain, he could still think. It seemed he wasn’t dead yet. He tried to ask Cheng Tianbi why he was covering his mouth, but quickly realized that their surroundings were strange.

He heard… chewing sounds.

Yes, tearing and chewing. Ripping flesh, gnawing on bones, drinking blood. Although he had never really heard the sound of someone eating raw meat, he knew that sound of an animal eating, and he couldn’t be mistaken.

Cong Xia shuddered all over, slowly turned his head, and in the moonlight, he saw the deformed car door pushed out, and several large, sturdy, four-legged creatures were tearing apart the bodies of the kind-hearted couple just two to three meters away from them.

Cong Xia’s eyes filled with tears, and he closed them in pain.

Cheng Tianbi tightly covered his mouth, afraid he might make a sound.

The two of them huddled in the back seat, with the deformed seat blocking their bodies. Perhaps those large creatures found it difficult to drag them out, so they were able to survive until now. But those creatures must have known they were inside, and with animals’ keen sense of smell, how could they give up on these two fresh pieces of meat.

“If they can’t save themselves, those beasts will eventually eat them until there’s nothing left but bones,” Cong Xia looked at Cheng Tianbi with a questioning gaze, wondering what they should do.

Sweat dripped from Cheng Tianbi’s chin onto his face, and he could feel the tension contained in that cool liquid.

In the silent darkness of the night, the two of them were forced to listen carefully and clearly to the horrifying sounds of their fellow humans being ripped apart and devoured. The immense psychological pressure of knowing that they would soon be next was something only a few people could bear.

They didn’t know how long it had been, but the sound of chewing finally stopped. Cong Xia’s eyes widened as he watched a monster slowly turn its head, its green eyes shining in their direction.

Cong Xia recognized it as a Rottweiler, with a face full of muscles and the body with tangled muscles. Even though these dogs were terrifying enough in their normal state, when they grew over two meters in size, anyone who saw them would truly understand what hell was.

At that moment, Cong Xia had only one thought – he wished he had died in the car accident just moments ago.

*************

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