Chapter 3 Mountaintop
Zhou Cheng replaced his car with a pickup truck, and the small cargo bed was loaded with various supplies and equipment.
Away from the areas where young people gather, there are fewer people and cars on the roads, just like the declining human civilization, which is old, silent and full of decadence.
There are few people on the road, but there are more people on both sides of the road.
They gathered in groups of three or five under the shade of the trees, seemingly chatting together. But as you got closer, you could see that many of them, though gathered together, were not talking.
They just sat there blankly, staring ahead dully and lifelessly, like a piece of lifeless dead wood.
They are too old, so old that they have no interest in chatting anymore.
The car has reached the edge of the city, and in front of us, the tall wall used to defend against the invasion of wild animals is faintly visible.
Leaving the city, the scenery is different.
A wall seems to separate the human world from the wilderness.
The road was still wide and straight, but weeds had already sprouted from the cracks in the road. On both sides of the road, beneath the sturdy roadside trees, the original greenery had long since disappeared, replaced by tangled, lush weeds.
There are some small animals moving around in it.
Further down the road, numerous abandoned houses became the vines' support. The once endless farmland had been replaced by forests and grasslands.
The car continued to move forward in such an environment.
The farther away from the city, the more obvious the changes in the environment become.
In just a few decades, nature, with its perseverance, has recovered the territory that had been occupied by human civilization for thousands of years.
On the fourth day, at noon, Zhou Cheng had already found a house to stop.
This is already a mountainous area.
Compared with the plains, the roads here are more severely damaged, the environment is more complex, and there are more wild animals.
However, the walls of this residence are very high and the gate is very strong, so there is no need to worry about any danger.
The drone took off with a roar, and under Zhou Cheng's control, it inspected the road conditions in the area from a high vantage point.
After flying in a straight line for about 20 kilometers, Zhou Cheng saw a valley sandwiched between two large mountains.
At the bottom of the valley, a river meandered through, and beside the river, a small plain was clearly visible.
There is the location of the Yangjiagou ruins, and also Zhou Cheng’s target.
In some places on the small plain, traces of excavation could be vaguely seen, and next to them were the remains of burning campfires and campsites.
Those were the traces left behind by the last archaeological team of human civilization when they conducted an investigation here seven years ago.
The entire site covers a vast area, estimated by the archaeological team to be over ten square kilometers. Some areas extend into the mountains on both sides, making construction even more difficult.
Zhou Cheng was the only one involved in this operation, and there was no mechanical assistance.
But that didn't matter. Zhou Cheng hadn't planned on excavating the entire site. His goal was simply to excavate a tomb discovered by the archaeological team during their previous visit. Excavating it with human labor alone was possible, though it would be more tiring and time-consuming.
After using a drone to inspect the road conditions, Zhou Cheng finally chose a winding and rugged road.
The next morning, the car drove out again, wandering among the mountain roads, and finally arrived at the end of the road.
The straight-line distance from here to the Yangjiagou Ruins is only about three kilometers. If you can drive there, it will only take about ten minutes at most.
But standing in front of Zhou Cheng were countless huge stones.
A landslide occurred many years ago, cutting this road in half. This is the closest place to the Yangjiagou ruins that can be reached by car.
The rest of the road can only be reached on foot, and it's over ten kilometers long.
During the journey, we had to cross three mountains and pass through countless jungles.
Zhou Cheng got out of the car, locked the door, covered the barbed wire, picked up the heavy backpack weighing 50 kilograms, took a deep breath, and entered the jungle.
The sun was already high in the sky, and even the mountainous area was scorching hot. But the moment we entered the jungle, the surrounding environment seemed to have suddenly changed dramatically.
The world suddenly darkened. The heat instantly vanished, replaced by a slightly cooler, more humid air.
There are many sounds that can be heard in the ears.
The sounds of wind, rustling leaves, chirping insects, singing birds, roaring animals, and the crunching of branches underfoot all merge into one.
But Zhou Cheng always felt that there was silence around him. It was so quiet that it felt like he was the only one left in the world.
Maybe... this is not my illusion.
Zhou Cheng knew that at this moment and in this place, he was probably the only one within a radius of hundreds of miles.
Ahead lay the ground, covered in weeds and dead branches. Surrounding it were endless trees and shrubs. Above, branches and leaves obscured the sun.
Carrying a heavy backpack, Zhou Cheng struggled forward in the mountains that seemed to have no end in sight.
Even with the state of mind that Zhou Cheng had cultivated through years of persistence, he couldn't help but feel a little chill in his heart.
He couldn't help but touch his waist.
There was a pistol with 12 rounds of ammunition in it, and four packs of 48 rounds in his pocket.
On his back, he also had a submachine gun with 100 rounds of bullets in it.
On the left side of the waist is a long dagger made of special alloy steel, extremely sharp and tough.
These weapons made Zhou Cheng feel a little relieved.
As we climb over hills, pass through jungles, and cross streams and rivers, the scenery ahead remains unchanged.
If it weren't for the compass always pointing the way, Zhou Cheng would have thought he was lost.
During this continuous journey, Zhou Cheng suddenly heard a sound like a baby crying.
His heart was instantly lifted.
Looking up, Zhou Cheng saw a monkey covered with golden fur looking at him from the trees in front of him, as if it was full of curiosity about this strange-looking big monkey.
As its mouth opened and closed, a sound similar to that of a baby crying came out.
A smile appeared on Zhou Cheng's lips.
"Hello, little monkey."
Zhou Cheng moved forward with difficulty, and the monkey jumped nimbly between the branches of the trees, always following Zhou Cheng.
I don’t know how long I have been traveling in this humid and hot jungle, how many bottles of water I have drunk, and how much sweat I have produced. Just when Zhou Cheng almost subconsciously thought that the road would never end, he suddenly saw a ray of light from the sun in front of him.
He took a few quick steps and climbed to the top of the mountain, where the view suddenly opened up.
Endless mountains and rivers roll up and down, and when the mountain breeze blows, the branches and leaves sway like waves.
The road we had come from had disappeared into the mountains and forests. Ahead, the valley and plain were clearly visible, and we could reach it by simply descending the mountain.
The cool mountain breeze blew away the stuffiness and humidity, making Zhou Cheng feel refreshed after a long time.
ah--
Standing on the top of the mountain, Zhou Cheng roared loudly.
Amidst the echoes, the golden monkey fled in panic and disappeared into the mountains and forests.
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