80 Cambrian Consciousness
Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia were inside the car, guarding their captive. Zhang Mao was unconscious and stuffed in the back of the car with an oil barrel to prevent him from transforming into a flying state. Cong Xia got back into the car, and Chen Tianbi immediately asked, “How did it go?”
“It’s fine. That guy is not bad. He used to be a panda caretaker and now he has over forty panda cubs at home. He’s not a bad person.” Cong Xia took out a hand grenade from his pocket and handed it to Chen Tianbi. “Here, take this. I had it in my pocket and it made me feel uncomfortable, like carrying a bomb or something.”
“It is a bomb.” Chen Tianbi took it and placed it in his military vest. “Did Zhuang Yao and Abu go hunting?”
“Yes, they did. They said they wanted to make bamboo arrows for Xiao Tang. Once we’re past Sichuan, it’s hard to find good bamboo, so they’re making the arrow shafts first. Oh, by the way, Luo Xun told me some disturbing things about the Eagle Corps.” Cong Xia informed Chen Tianbi about Zhang Qian’s practice of feeding live humans to birds to increase the chances of producing mutant species.
Chen Tianbi’s voice turned heavy. “If he came up with such a method, there must be others who thought of it too. Most of them probably opt for humans eating animals instead of being as twisted as he is. It seems like there will be more and more mutant species in the future.”
“Actually, I think Zhang Qian might have realized that the chances of humans turning into mutants through humans eating animals are lower compared to animals eating humans. Although it’s just my speculation, from the mutants we’ve encountered so far, few of them seem to have eaten those animals. Also, after the apocalypse, the animals humans eat the most are c*ckroaches and rats, but we haven’t seen any c*ckroaches or rat mutants yet.”
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“Mbyv’p rsppkczl. R clzklhl vblal okzz cl alzlhydv alplyanb tskdt sd kd Jlkfkdt.”
Usdt Dky dseele. “Mblu xwpv cl eleknyvle vs pvweukdt bwxyd xwvyvksdp clnywpl xwvyvksdp alralpldv yd kdnalyple nbydnl sq pwahkhyz. R nyd’v kxytkdl obyv y taswr sq bktbzu kdvlzzktldv nlalcayz esxykd lhszhlap zkjl Hbwydt Zys oswze es obld tyvblale vstlvbla okvb vsr-zlhlz xwvydvp qasx yzz shla vbl nswdvau. Rv’p cswde vs kdhszhl nsxrzlmkvklp vbyv yal clusde swa kxytkdyvksd.”
Ubld Mkydck tzydnle yv bkx. “Gal usw osaakle ycswv Vasqlppsa Usdt?”
Usdt Dky pktble yde pxkzle yv Ubld Mkydck. “Zlp, R yx osaakle. Ps usw alxlxcla vbl alplyanb kdpvkvwvl kd Ubsdtikdt? Mbyv rzynl bye sdzu shla voldvu pnkldvkpvp yde ds alplyanbla vbyv kp y nlalcayz esxykd xwvydv. Zlv kv oyp yzalyeu ekhkele kdvs nsdplahyvkhl yde ayeknyz qynvksdp. Rd Jlkfkdt, oblal nlalcayz esxykd lhszhlap yde vsr-zlhlz xwvydvp qasx yzz shla vbl nswdvau tyvbla, bso xydu kdvaknyvl qsanlp es usw vbkdj lmkpv? Yu kxralppksd sq Flnsde Bdnzl kp vbyv bl’p y pkxrzl-xkdele alplyanbla, psxlobyv aktke yde vayekvksdyz. Ohld vbswtb bl’p kd bkp vbkavklp, bl prldep yzz bkp vkxl okvb y taswr sq sze pnkldvkpvp. Jlpkelp osaj, bl’p dsv kdvlalpvle kd yduvbkdt lzpl, lprlnkyzzu psnkyz alzyvksdpbkrp. R’x alyzzu osaakle ycswv bso bl’p eskdt kd Jlkfkdt.”
“Tl’p y nlalcayz esxykd lhszhla, ps vblal’p ds dlle vs osaau ycswv bkx. Nssj yv Hbwydt Zys.”
Ekvb Hbwydt Zys’p kdvlzzktldnl, yp zsdt yp vblal olal ds pweeld lhldvp, bl nswze qkde y oyu vs pszhl yzxspv ydu rasczlx. Mbkdjkdt ycswv bso bkp Flnsde Bdnzl bye clnsxl pwnb y rsolaqwz rlapsd, kv kdelle pllxle wddlnlppyau vs osaau. Rasdknyzzu, vblka sod pkvwyvksd oyp rascyczu xwnb osapl vbyd bkp Flnsde Bdnzl’p.
Usdt Dky pxkzle yde pyke, “Mbyv’p vawl. Mbyv jke, lhld kq ol yzz ekl, bl’zz pvkzz zkhl fwpv qkdl. Ju vbl oyu, es usw byhl ydu rlapsdyz nsddlnvksd okvb xu Flnsde Bdnzl, sa eke bl fwpv ypj usw vs cakdt xl cynj clnywpl usw byrrldle vs cl kd Zwddyd?”
Ubld Mkydck alrzkle, “R’zz vlzz usw obld ol tlv vs Jlkfkdt.”
Cong Xia felt a bit disappointed but didn’t pursue the matter further. Chen Tianbi began to feel a bit awkward about hiding something from Cong Xia. Cong Xia had been completely open and honest with him, but he…
He didn’t know how to describe this feeling. He was a soldier, and keeping secrets was his duty. However, he had been away from his military identity and the army for too long. Throughout their arduous journey, there were times when he forgot that he was a soldier, especially after the collapse of the social system. The concept of the military had become virtually nonexistent, at least in all the regions they had experienced. Only Chongqing still had a relatively decent military presence. In such an environment, his awareness of being a soldier was often forgotten, and it was his mission that constantly reminded him.
Now, he felt somewhat peculiar about hiding it from Cong Xia, especially considering that his mission was closely related to the whole situation.
Cong Xia noticed his stiff expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chen Tianbi shook his head.
“Don’t worry, if you don’t tell me, I won’t force you. I support you in maintaining secrecy. I firmly believe that our military won’t be defeated by the disaster. If we ever have a chance to rebuild our homeland, the most influential and likely force to lead us to achieve that goal will undoubtedly be our military. So, I haven’t forgotten for a moment that you’re a soldier. I know that your mission must be connected to the apocalypse; otherwise, you wouldn’t have remained steadfast in completing it until now. Since it’s so important, let’s bring it back to Beijing. Tianbi, we have a common goal, and no matter what happens, we’ll support each other.” Cong Xia grabbed Chen Tianbi’s hand and spoke with determination.
His eyes were bright, his lips slightly trembling with excitement, and his slightly longer hair brushed against his cheeks, giving him a particularly delicate appearance. Chen Tianbi looked into those eyes filled with trust and unwavering determination. In his mind, uncontrollably, scenes of their arduous journey played back, every little hardship and struggle. A surge of indescribable emotion welled up within him, making him want to embrace Cong Xia…
Cong Xia curiously asked, “Tianbi, your face is a bit flushed. The car is filled with the smell of gasoline. Did it affect you?”
Chen Tianbi quickly turned his head, “No, it’s nothing.” He pulled his hand back, clenched it into a fist, and restrained that impulse.
Cong Xia said, “Let’s get off the car and take a break for a while. It should be safe.” He glanced back at the still unconscious Zhang Mao.
“Don’t worry, he’s securely tied up.”
The two of them got out of the car to catch some fresh air. At this moment, Luo Xun’s two friends brought back two enormous bamboo poles from outside the city. These two individuals were definitely power-type mutants, effortlessly dragging bamboo poles that were over 20 meters long and as thick as a person.
After dragging the bamboo into the community, Tang Yanqiu instructed everyone to prepare by teaching them how to make bamboo arrows.
They worked busily until the afternoon when Abu returned with a large wild buffalo. That buffalo would provide enough meat for everyone to eat three meals.
The entire community became busy. Some helped Tang Yanqiu make bamboo arrows, while others prepared the buffalo meat. They hadn’t eaten lunch, so around 5 o’clock in the afternoon, everyone stopped their work and enjoyed a hearty meal.
After the meal, Liao Fengyu and Zhuang Yao took over the task of guarding Zhang Mao. Cong Xia wanted to take Chen Tianbi to see the baby pandas and ask for Luo Xun’s help.
Luo Xun happened to be inside taking care of a feverish cub, and he was somewhat surprised to see them. “Is there something you need?”
Cong Xia smiled and said, “I brought him to see the pandas.” He pointed to the cribs filled with baby pandas. “Tianbi, how about it? Isn’t it fun?”
Chen Tianbi stood next to one of the cribs and reached out to poke one of the baby pandas. They looked incredibly small. Even the mice on the streets were bigger than them.
Luo Xun said, “Pandas grow very fast. This group will be able to return to the forest in about a month. If they’re mutants, they may even be ready earlier. I actually hope they all become mutants because it would increase their chances of survival.”
Cong Xia said, “It’s rare to find people who are willing to do this kind of work now.”
Luo Xun laughed, “I enjoy it. It’s my job, after all. And as a result, I’ve become connected to the pandas. It seems like I’m destined to be linked with pandas in this lifetime.”
Cong Xia asked, “I want to inquire, are there still any military forces in Chengdu?”
Luo Xun sighed, “Yes, there’s an artillery brigade from the XX Military Region. They have a considerable number of people. It’s because of this brigade and the unity among us that the Eagle Corps hasn’t been able to touch us. But most of the military forces are just ordinary people, and weapons will eventually run out. When that happens, the Eagle Corps will likely rule the land. That’s why we want to leave.”
“Can you do us a favor and deliver something to the people from that artillery brigade?”
“What is it?”
Cong Xia took out a piece of paper from his pocket, given to him by Tang Yanqiu. “When we came from Chongqing, we got lost and stumbled upon a tourist park in Leshan. Over sixty people are trapped there and haven’t dared to leave until now. They include both park staff and visitors. Here are their identification information and the contact details of their relatives in Chengdu. They said that if possible, they hope someone can go and rescue them. They don’t want to be trapped there forever.”
Luo Xun solemnly took the paper, his mood heavy. “I will definitely pass this on to the brigade commander, but…”
“I understand,” Cong Xia said in a deep voice. “I understand. You can’t promise anything either. We told them the same thing. Everyone is struggling to survive now. But we promised them that we would deliver their information to the right people. All I can say is, if possible, please don’t forget about them.”
Luo Xun nodded and carefully folded the rough paper before putting it into his pocket. He asked, “By the way, where are you planning to go? You didn’t stay in places like Chongqing. Are you also heading to Beijing?”
Cong Xia replied, “That’s right.”
Luo Xun sighed, “Beijing is something we can’t even think about. It’s too far. But among all the groups I’ve seen heading to Beijing, yours is the strongest.”
Cong Xia smiled faintly and said, “We only hope for a safe journey. If you’re planning to go to Chongqing, let me tell you about the situation there. Additionally, we have some experiences to share from our journey, especially regarding the dangers on the road.”
“Great,” Luo Xun picked up a baby bottle. “That’s wonderful. I’ll feed them while you talk.”
Luo Xun patiently fed the baby pandas one by one while Cong Xia began sharing their experiences along the way…
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