Chapter 91

Jiang Zhi felt that the blue light was so dazzling that it was almost impossible for her to open her eyes.

Even when she was lying on Chiu Chiu's back, she still felt like she was falling.

It felt like I'd missed a step.

I don't know how much time passed.

The biting cold had vanished without warning, and the temperature was gradually rising again.

The warm, sun-kissed scent of grass grew stronger and stronger, mixed with the smell of sunshine, like the scent of freshly uncovered haystacks on a threshing floor. Just looking at it and smelling it made one feel incredibly warm.

A few seconds later.

Jiang Zhi felt the force that had been pulling her down suddenly loosen, as if someone had gently lifted her up from behind.

The blue light slowly dimmed, and its originally dazzling intensity weakened considerably.

Before Jiang Zhi could recover, she heard a clear "chirp" from the white eagle.

……it's over?

She tried to open her eyes, and the sight that greeted her left her stunned—before her lay a vast grassland stretching as far as the eye could see.

The wind was blowing, making the grass rustle.

Strangely, even though I couldn't see the sun's shadow above, I could still feel the warm, sunny atmosphere.

The grassland stretched out into the distance, with waist-high waves of grass surging one after another until they met the gray horizon.

Looking around, all you see is the same green; you can't even find a high slope or a tree shadow.

The grass bends in whichever direction the wind blows, like an endless green carpet being shaken, with no end in sight no matter how you walk.

Jiang Zhi was momentarily lost in thought amidst this verdant landscape.

here……

What exactly is this place?

Why is there a world without sun or clouds connected to the sinkhole?

Where did the beasts go?

She had far too many questions.

She patted Qiuqiu's neck, then flipped over and jumped down.

Only when my feet touched the ground did I realize that the wild grass I had been looking at from afar was actually waist-high, and some of it was even above my chest.

Each leaf was thick and hard, and when the wind blew, it swayed and rustled, like a surging green sea, completely covering the path underfoot.

Neither her mental energy nor the dashboard alerts detected anything unusual here.

She couldn't sense the intense yellow light that she had previously detected with her mental power at the edge of the sinkhole, a light so intense it could fill her mental pool.

"Chirp chirp, where is this place?"

The white eagle is still just a little baby. When it heard Jiang Zhi's question, it tilted its head and looked at her with a blank expression.

"Chirp chirp?"

Jiang Zhi: "...Never mind, forget I asked."

Just then, Jiang Shu's voice came from not far away.

"Azhi——"

Jiang Zhi was overjoyed and turned her head to look. Sure enough, she saw Jiang Shu riding Er Shun waving at her from two kilometers away.

The main force is all there.

Finding a sense of belonging among her own people instantly relaxed Jiang Zhi's tense back.

She happily flapped Chirp's wings, "Come on! Chirp, let's go together!"

The white eagle immediately raised its neck and let out a long hiss.

As soon as the clear cry ended, there was a rustling sound in the nearby grass, and the mutated creatures hidden in the grass all fled.

As they approached the main group, Jiang Zhi spotted Jiang Shan in the crowd from high above.

"dad!!"

Seeing that his daughter was alright, Jiang Shan's tense shoulders relaxed instantly, and the anxiety that had been hanging over him finally subsided.

He chuckled and scolded in a low voice, "You little rascal, really..."

Jiang Shan didn't say what came next.

But the overflowing joy in his eyes couldn't be hidden from others.

Professor Liang, who was standing nearby, heard about the relationship between the brother and sister, Jiang Shan.

His face was full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Old Yang, why don't we just let them come to our southern base? Anyway, you have so many talented people here, and they definitely won't get the same treatment as we do."

Professor Liang felt tears welling up at the thought of having to lead scientific research at the southern base at his advanced age.

Professor Ning: "Old Liang, you're wrong about that. How do you know they're not treated well at our base?"

That's because they haven't reported it to the base yet.

If the higher-ups knew that they had acquired two such talented individuals on this trip, they would definitely cherish and protect the two children like treasures.

Jiang Shan pretended not to hear what the two old folks were saying.

Going to the southern base is impossible.

Their whole family lives at the Ancheng base; who would move unless there's a reason?

A moment later, Jiangzhi rode Qiuqiu steadily to the location where Luo Yonghui and the others were.

The people around were blinded by the hurricane caused by the white eagle spreading its wings, yet they couldn't bear to look away.

Chen Shaoting was overjoyed to see that Jiang Zhi was safe and sound. "Jiang Zhi! That's great, you're alright!"

This was the first time Jiang Zhi had ever seen Chen Shaoting so openly displaying her emotions.

The area where everyone was had already been cleared by the soldiers present, making it look very clean and tidy.

She jumped off Qiuqiu and laughed, "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Chirp doesn't seem to like being with so many people.

The big head gently rubbed against Jiang Zhi's cheek, then with a "chirp," it flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind, and flew away into the distant sky.

Hu Yang exclaimed, "Sister Jiangzhi, will it come back?"

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Yes, I will."

She could clearly sense what Chiu Chiu was thinking.

Chirp is just going out to play right now.

Luo Yonghui craned his neck, staring longingly at the increasingly smaller black dot in the sky: "Jiang girl, this white eagle... is it the one you encountered in the Cloud Nest Giant Tree?"

Besides, he couldn't think of any other white eagle that could be so close to Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Uncle Luo, do you still remember that baby bird that almost died after hatching?"

Luo Yonghui had no idea, but upon hearing Jiang Zhi's words, his jaw dropped in astonishment. "You're not trying to tell me that this white eagle is the baby eagle, are you?"

Wow...the changes are too drastic!

Back then, that little white eagle was only about the height of a person and was still fluffy. How long has it been?! It has grown so big!

When Luo Yonghui thought of the enormous body of the little white eagle's mother—that level 7 mutated white eagle—he suddenly realized that it wasn't impossible for the little white eagle to grow so fast.

Just like the Amazonian anacondas I'd heard about before, which are 1.5 meters long when they're born, this white eagle was only so small when I first saw it; it was practically a "shorty."

It's only natural that I've grown up to this age.

Luo Yonghui clicked his tongue twice, "You two siblings are incredibly lucky."

Jiang Zhi just smiled.

Her luck wasn't just extraordinary.

The reason why Chiu Chiu came to find her was probably because when she sent her spiritual energy into the eggshell, the little guy remembered her presence.

He might even consider her his second mother...

As the group exchanged pleasantries, a furious roar suddenly erupted from nearby:

"Why didn't you just leave me there?! I wish you hadn't saved me at all!!!"

Jiang Zhi was taken aback and turned to look.

Just then, Zhang He, who had just been rescued by Jiang Shu, was seen grabbing her brother's collar with a look of despair on her face.

Jiang Shu blushed.

He cursed inwardly, thinking that his attempt to save someone had backfired.

The other members of Gu Kaizhi's team quickly stepped forward to pull him away, saying urgently, "Zhang He! What kind of talk is that?! Jiang Shugang saved all of us, and instead of thanking him, you're spouting such nonsense. Are you trying to make us all feel ashamed?!"

Zhang He's face was covered in tears. He slowly released his grip on Jiang Shu's collar and collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, "Gu Kaizhi, you idiot!! Gu Kaizhi, you big idiot!! Who told you to save me?! Fuck your mother!!!"

For a moment, no one knew what to say.

Zhang He, a grown man, cried uncontrollably.

No one knew that he was the only one who understood the feud between Gu Kaizhi and the Jiang family.

Before the cataclysm, he had been imprisoned for accidentally injuring someone, and one slip led to the separation of his wife and children.

After his release from prison, he faced setbacks everywhere. It was Gu Kaizhi who disregarded past grievances and gave him a chance to survive.

In the year of the Great Cataclysm, when chaos swept across the land, it was Gu Kaizhi who saved him from the clutches of a mutated country cat.

From then on, Zhang He followed him wholeheartedly.

Zhang He had always had reservations about Gu Kaizhi's wife, Feng Yan.

He couldn't understand why a man like Gu Kaizhi would choose such a selfish, ambitious woman who only wanted to climb the social ladder.

Zhang He only found out later.

It turns out that both of them were orphans who grew up in an orphanage.

Gu Kaizhi was nostalgic; he never forgot those days when they huddled together for warmth in the freezing cold and shared a single piece of dry rations.

Even as Feng Yan's true nature gradually emerged, the bond that had taken root since his youth still couldn't be let go of.

After Feng Yan's death.

It was Zhang He who accompanied Gu Kaizhi through those difficult days.

He knew the struggle in the other person's heart.

He also helped investigate the Jiang family, and he knew that Feng Yan's situation couldn't be blamed on them.

They even felt that the Jiang family was slow and inefficient.

If it were him, he would have been even more ruthless than the Jiang family.

But no matter what, he supported whatever Gu Kaizhi wanted to do.

Gu Kaizhi wanted revenge, so he rushed forward with him;

If Gu Kaizhi wanted to cause trouble for the other party, he would go all out to make things difficult for the Jiang family—in short, he would do everything in his power to help Gu Kaizhi do what he wanted.

Zhang He's life was worthless; he should have died during the Great Cataclysm. Every extra day he lives is a bonus.

but--

Along this journey.

He saw through Gu Kaizhi's inner turmoil and struggle.

Zhang He knew that Gu Kaizhi couldn't bring himself to do it.

From an official standpoint, the presence of the Jiang family is of great help to the main force. Aside from anything else, their small team has also benefited from their kindness along the way.

For personal reasons...

Even Gu Kaizhi himself knew that the Jiang family was not wrong.

As for Gu Kaizhi personally, after witnessing the strength of the brother and sister, he had even more concerns.

Deep down, he didn't think he could get revenge on the brother and sister.

If we fail, it will only drag down our brothers.

Gu Kaizhi's conflicting thoughts prevented him from taking action for a long time.

Zhang He watched as Gu Kaizhi struggled with the grief of losing his wife and the self-reproach of his moral bottom line.

Perhaps, death would be a relief for him.

Even if Zhang He knew this, he would rather it was him who died.

He gripped the remaining grass roots on the ground so tightly that his fingertips left red marks. His throat felt like it was stuffed with a wad of burning cotton, and he couldn't make a complete sound. Only suppressed sobs escaped from between his teeth.

"Damn it!!"

Everyone felt a pang of sadness seeing Zhang He's appearance.

Regardless of the relationship between others and Gu Kaizhi, those who died were their comrades-in-arms from the same journey.

If it weren't for Jiang Zhi and her brother, they might have been the ones who died just now.

Another mutant in Gu Kaizhi's team wiped away his tears and said to Jiang Shu, "Comrade Jiang Shu, I'm sorry. He has the best relationship with our boss. He was probably too upset to behave properly."

"We'll remember your kindness in saving our lives. If you ever need anything in the future, just let us know!"

Jiang Shu pursed her lips.

Although I could understand that Zhang He's actions were irrational due to grief, I was still somewhat annoyed.

However, given how heartbroken the other person was, I didn't say anything.

Seeing that Jiang Zhi looked a little upset, Luo Yonghui said, "I've heard about Captain Gu's situation. You don't need to blame yourself; it was his choice."

Jiang Zhi hummed in agreement.

The reason why the family of three went on this mission was partly because of Gu Kaizhi.

Although the other side caused them a lot of trouble along the way, it was only verbal and they didn't take any real action.

The brother and sister were initially somewhat wary of him.

Unexpectedly, the other party died just like that.

Jiang Zhi didn't know whether to say that life is unpredictable or to lament the insignificance of humankind in the face of nature.

Wu Bing usually disliked Gu Kaizhi, but he didn't say anything this time. Instead, he said, "If I die on a mission one day, remember not to cry. It's too ugly."

Chen Shaoting: "..."

She walked over and kicked him hard, yelling, "Can't you speak properly?!"

Wu Bing touched his foot, which had been kicked and sneezed, and smiled.

For these battle-hardened warriors and mutants, encountering casualties during missions is already commonplace.

Even if they have a lot of indescribable feelings churning inside them, they still have to keep looking forward.

Therefore, regardless of what happened to Gu Kaizhi's team.

The others, however, wanted to discuss what to do next.

They need to figure out as soon as possible where they are, how to get out, and when to get out.

There are also the herds of beasts that pose the greatest threat to them, as well as the mutated creatures in this place itself...

These are all things we need to be wary of, and we must come up with a plan as soon as possible.

The leaders of the two bases and several professors gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

The others will clear a space to prevent mutated beasts from jumping out of the bushes and attacking people.

Professor Yang waved to the brother and sister: "Comrades Jiang, come and join us in the discussion."

Before they knew it, the brother and sister had become the backbone of the team.

When making important decisions, their opinions are consulted to some extent.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance and walked over.

As soon as they approached, Professor Liang couldn't wait to ask, "Young comrades Jiang, we're in this deep pit now, what do you think is going on?"

Jiang Zhi looked at the professors, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Professors, what are your thoughts?"

As soon as Jiang Zhi finished speaking, the group exchanged glances but remained silent.

Professor Shen pondered for a moment and said, "Let me first share my thoughts. The mutated plants we are seeing now are the same ones we used to see on the grasslands."

"Sheepgrass, needlegrass, artemisia... these are all products of the grasslands. If this were within our Dragon Kingdom's territory, there would be many grasslands of this size, such as the Hulun Grassland and Xilin Grassland in Mengshi, and the Bashang Grassland and Qiangtang Grassland in Xinjiang... However, according to the information collected by the base, Mengshi should enter winter earlier than us. The climate here is mild, and it doesn't look like Mengshi."

Everyone listened quietly.

Professor Shen continued, "During the cataclysm, our country's satellites captured a lot of images, and General Zhou at our base happened to obtain some of the data."

Professor Yang nodded. "I've also seen the information. Professor Ning, are you saying that this place doesn't resemble Xinjiang City?"

Jiang Zhi asked curiously, "Why doesn't it look like it?"

Professor Shen smiled and said, "After the Great Cataclysm, the Earth's crust moved, and the elevation of Xinjiang City doubled, and it also separated from India."

Jiang Shu's eyes widened. "How much is 'doubled'?"

Jiang Shan suddenly spoke up: "The average altitude of Xinjiang City is 1,904 meters. If it were the Pamir Plateau, it would be 3,000 to 4,000 meters."

Jiang Shu gasped.

—Doubling that would be over 4,000, or even over 8,000…

Let alone normal people, even mutants would have a hard time surviving in this kind of environment, right?

Professor Ning: "So, this place is very likely outside our country?"

Professor Shen nodded. "That's our initial guess. I wonder what Comrade Jiang thinks."

Jiang Zhi was the only person who could see that blue light at the time.

They are somewhat different from them.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Jiang Zhi again.

Jiang Zhi thought for a moment before saying, "My thoughts are similar to Professor Shen's. I wonder if you've noticed? We've been here for so long, but we haven't seen a trace of the sun."

The sky was clear and bright across the entire grassland, there was a breeze, and the temperature was pleasant.

However, the fact that there is no sun in such an environment is quite strange.

Jiang Shu shuddered and couldn't help but mutter, "Are we going to end up in some kind of alternate dimension like in those novels?"

These words were like opening Pandora's box.

Everyone was stunned.

You know what, it really does look a bit like it.

But is it possible...?

Such a large alternate dimension?

Everyone fell silent.

Tang Mao crossed his arms and said, "You scholars can study these things later. First, let's figure out where those beasts have gone. Given our current situation, with such a vast grassland, we may not be able to find an exit in a short time. We hope we don't end up becoming food for those beasts."

Lin Yuan nodded: "Captain Tang is right. It's best to take advantage of the daylight and split up into teams to scout out the situation of this grassland and those beasts."

Captain Qian touched his nose, "We don't have a car..."

Huang Xianming said, "I can give you two cars each. Also, the professors need someone to keep watch over them."

Lin Yuan said, "Let's split into 5 groups. I'm too overworked to be a forward. I'll be working with a few professors."

He remained calm, showing no sign of distress at having his abilities compromised.

Tang Mao said, "Then we'll send two groups of people, one to be responsible for the east side and the other for the south side."

Zou Minghua quickly said, "Let Lao Luo and I be in charge of the north side."

Luo Yonghui was impressed by this sixth man.

They're just taking advantage of the fact that their team has the Jiang siblings; they're blatantly blatantly taking advantage of the situation.

Huang Xianming didn't say anything, only saying, "Then I'll take charge of the west side."

Lin Yuan checked the time. "Let's set a time. Each area will be explored for a maximum of eight hours. If they don't return within two hours, we'll assume something has happened, and the rest of us will go to rescue them."

The crowd responded, "Okay."

This trip was mainly for exploration, and everyone took their weapons and planned to travel light in the vehicle.

Jiang Shu patted Er Shun, who was rolling around in the grass: "Er Shun, we're getting ready to get to work! Are you hungry?"

Er Shun seemed to really like this place, rolling around a few times before finally turning over and barking at Jiang Shu a few times.

Suddenly remembering that her sister's white eagle hadn't returned, she asked, "A-Zhi, where's Sister Eagle? Where did she go? Can you contact her?"

Jiang Zhi said, "Yes, it ran ahead and will be back soon."

Perhaps because she had previously channeled her spiritual energy into the giant tree in the Cloud Nest, Jiangzhi still retained a special connection with it.

Although she couldn't know what it was doing, she could clearly sense Chiu Chiu's emotions.

For example, right now.

Chirping's joyful exuberance, like wings outstretched in the wind, soaring freely, gently touched her heart through the invisible bonds.

She thought for a moment and said to Luo Yonghui, "Uncle Luo, I'll go ahead with Qiuqiu to scout things out first. I'll warn you if anything happens."

At this time, there are many ways that mutated beasts can be of help.

Upon hearing this, Zou Minghua was overjoyed.

It's really comfortable to hug these thighs.

The white eagles, like those in Jiangzhi, have an absolute advantage on this grassland. If they don't encounter other birds, their group will definitely be the easiest and safest.

Not only did Zou Minghua think this way, but even the soldiers of Huang Xianming's neighboring squad looked at them with envy.

Gou An couldn't help but say to Huang Xianming, "Colonel Huang, can't we borrow Comrade Jiang Shu or Comrade Jiang Zhi to help out?"

Whether it's a white eagle or a golden retriever, they can scout ahead, their efficiency is incredibly high.

Moreover, the ginger tree's abilities can save them a lot of time.

Huang Xianming does want to.

The problem is that old bastard Luo Yonghui definitely won't agree.

Gou An understood his meaning and said, "Colonel Huang, that's because you didn't offer enough benefits!"

Huang Xianming: ...

Encouraged by the soldiers, Huang Xianming finally made up his mind and negotiated with Luo Yonghui and Jiang Shu.

"Old Luo, before we go out, how about we lend you Comrade Jiang Shu?"

Luo Yonghui: "No—"

Before he could finish speaking, Huang Xianming said, "How about 10,000 merit points, and you can choose any item at a permanent 30% discount?"

Luo Yonghui choked.

These conditions are just too tempting.

10,000 merit points is equivalent to two or three years' worth of work for their team.

If you use it to buy things, you can get a lot of powerful equipment.

He swallowed hard and looked at Jiang Shu, who looked completely bewildered.

After struggling violently, he cleared his throat and said, "Colonel Huang, I'm not the kind of person who would betray my teammates. Don't even think about it!"

Zou Minghua was utterly disgusted by this, "You hesitated just now!! Comrade Jiang Shu is blind to follow you!"

Then he turned to Jiang Shu and said, "Comrade Jiang Shu, why don't you come here instead?"

Luo Yonghui: ...I was careless, and this guy took advantage of my vulnerability.

Jiang Zhi seemed to suddenly remember something, "Colonel Huang, you said anything was 30% off, including Suyuan cakes!"

There's hope!

Huang Xianming was overjoyed.

"Of course!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu was overjoyed. "Uncle Luo, this is a great deal. How about I go help Colonel Huang first? My sister and I only want the 30% discount, and you can have 10,000 points. Is that alright?"

Luo Yonghui was speechless with emotion.

Damn it!

Indeed, there's no wall that can't be eroded, only a lack of sufficient benefits!

The brother and sister had always been fond of Suyuan cakes, so now he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Seeing that Luo Yonghui was still hesitating, Huang Xianming spoke even more righteously, "You also want to leave here and go back as soon as possible, right? We are temporarily transferring Comrade Jiang Shu for the sake of the overall situation, and we have also given him compensation. He himself is willing, so what are you still hesitating about?"

That's practically saying Luo Yonghui is petty.

Luo Yonghui was so angry he almost fell backwards.

Just as he was about to firmly refuse the 10,000 merit points, he heard Jiang Shu chuckle, "Colonel Huang, I guess Uncle Luo isn't too satisfied with your 10,000 points. How about you raise the price?"

Huang Xianming looked pained, but since things had come to this point, he couldn't back down. He gritted his teeth and said, "Twelve thousand merit points, that's the most we can do. We can't afford any more."

Luo Yonghui made a decisive decision: "Deal!"

He turned to Jiang Shu and said, "Jiang boy, remember this: we're just here to help out. You're still part of our team for this mission!"