Chapter 66 Haicheng
It’s Yu Ziqiu.
She said something like she was embarrassed, but her body actions said the opposite. Yu Ziqiu swiftly ran into the courtyard, sat on an empty sun chair, and happily took the skewers that Gu Nian handed over.
Gu Nian almost suspected that she came all the way here just to eat for free.
Yu Ziqiu then told Gu Nian: "Good news, Lu Maoyan has been caught."
It turned out that the hunt for Lu Maoyan had paid off.
Yu Ziqiu told Gu Nian about the situation.
Lu Maoyan was injured in the earthquake. Before he could completely escape from the Yangcheng area, he was discovered by the Noah Action Team, who then arrested Lu Maoyan and others and brought them back to Jiangcheng.
Yu Ziqiu personally interrogated Lu Maoyan. The Noah Operation Team thoroughly searched the ruins of the Yongji Building and found some clues.
It is now certain that Lu Maoyan is a high-ranking member of the Bethida sect. The Noah Operation Team also found the remains of a prayer room in the underground ruins of the Yongji Building.
The decoration style and the statues enshrined in that prayer room are exactly the same as those in the mutant rat laboratory.
Wu Mo, Lu Maoyan's secretary, also confessed during the interrogation that it was with Lu Maoyan's support that Qiu Yongkang was able to complete the mutant mouse experiment in the depths of the wilderness. If it weren't for Yongji's huge financial support, Qiu Yongkang would not have been able to build a complete laboratory in the depths of the wilderness.
Not only that, Lu Maoyan also secretly captured many evolvers in Yangcheng and extracted all their blood, turning all the living people into mummies. The extracted blood flowed into the blood pool under the Yongji Building to nourish the mysterious light cocoon.
"Who was the man who took the light cocoon away in the end? What was his identity?" Gu Nian asked. Compared to Lu Maoyan, she was more afraid of the man who escaped with the light cocoon. Whether it was the man's terrifying supernatural power or strange behavior, it left a deep impression on Gu Nian.
Yu Ziqiu had a strange expression when she heard Gu Nian's question. She seemed to have no idea how to describe this absurdity. She scratched her hair and started from the beginning.
"That man was originally an evolver from Yangcheng and a devout believer of the Beshida sect. He was chosen by Lu Maoyan as a sacrifice for the God's Descent Ceremony."
"God's descent ceremony?" Gu Nian asked.
"Yes. This God's Descent Ceremony is said to summon the Son of God Bethida. The Son of God comes from the outside world and is an omniscient and omnipotent being." Yu Ziqiu looked solemn. "After the God's Descent Ceremony, the man seemed to have changed into a different person. He called himself Ymir and his behavior was completely different from before. Even his abilities were different from before. Lu Maoyan obeyed his every word, as if he had really become the Son of God."
"From what Imir did, maybe there really are so-called evil gods that have entered the human world from deep space and can even take over human bodies." Yu Ziqiu said with a wry smile. "What we don't know now is what exactly are these evil gods? Are they high-dimensional creatures? Or alien invasions? Or illusory gods?"
Gu Nian originally thought that by catching Lu Maoyan, all the mysteries could be solved, but unexpectedly, Lu Maoyan brought even more mysteries.
"What exactly is that light cocoon used for?" Gu Nian asked again.
Yu Ziqiu shook his head: "No one knows. Only the man named Ymir knows. I only heard that Ymir called the light cocoon the axis of the planet."
The mystery once again returned to Ymir. It seemed that in order to solve all the mysteries, we must find this man named Ymir.
Yu Ziqiu cheered up and told Gu Nian: "Ymir has not been found yet. We searched for the remaining surveillance cameras in the entire Yangcheng and finally determined that the last place he passed was a camp next to the highway to Haicheng. According to Wu Mo's account, Haicheng also has a branch organization of the Beshida sect. It is very likely that Ymir is fleeing to Haicheng."
"If we're lucky, we might be able to catch him in Haicheng." Yu Ziqiu concluded. "Unfortunately, I don't have enough manpower to call upon, so we can only wait and see."
Haicheng. Gu Nian's heart moved. She suddenly remembered the map given on the main task panel. She had checked it out. The area where the red dot symbolizing the wind spirit was located was near Haicheng.
"Maybe I can go to Haicheng and find this Imir." Gu Nian said.
Gu Nian had her reasons for saying this. The system asked her to find the Wind Spirit, and the Wind Spirit was in the Sea City area. Therefore, she had to go to Sea City anyway. So why not also find the whereabouts of this Imir? In this way, she could also ask Noah to assist her in the action.
Yu Ziqiu didn't expect such a sudden turn of events. She had insufficient manpower to call upon, so she could only send people to Haicheng to look for Ymir when they were free or recruited new people. But by that time, a lot of time had passed, and the opportunity was gone. Who knew that Ymir would go somewhere else?
If Gu Nian is willing to go to Haicheng, that would be the best. Yu Ziqiu was overjoyed and immediately promised to support Gu Nian as much as he could.
Gu Nian rested for a few more days, then began to gather people and head to Haicheng.
Before the natural disaster, it only took eight hours to get from Haicheng to Jiangcheng by high-speed rail, and only two and a half hours by plane. However, this convenient mode of transportation has completely disappeared with the natural disaster.
Today, public rail transportation between cities has been almost cut off, and even many highways have been destroyed by natural disasters.
In the age of natural disasters, flying on mutant beasts has become the most convenient and fastest means of transportation.
Gu Nian decided to use the Golden Feather Falcon as a mount and fly directly to Haicheng. Aurora had a total of ten Golden Feather Falcons, each of which could only carry two people at most. Gu Nian found fourteen members of the Aurora team and asked Tu Jing to lead the team.
Chi Qin stayed behind at the Aurora Base. She and Tan Cang, one civil and one military, continued to maintain the operation of the Aurora Base. Gu Nian also left Jiuwei at the Aurora Base, so that if there was a crisis, Jiuwei could return to the space directly and pass on the news to her.
She informed Yue Jian of her departure. Yue Jian had lent a hand to Gu Nian several times, which fully demonstrated his sincerity. Gu Nian thought that if he wanted to complete the main task, Yue Jian could be considered a half partner. Therefore, under the premise of keeping the system space fully confidential, Gu Nian did not mind revealing some information to him.
"So, you said you needed something called Wind Spirit, and you received news that the Wind Spirit appeared near Haicheng? So you want to go to Haicheng?" Yue Jian said.
"That's right." Gu Nian nodded.
She originally thought that Yue Jian would ask her questions, such as why do you need the Wind Spirit, what the Wind Spirit does, why do you know it is in Haicheng, etc.
Unexpectedly, Yue Jian just nodded and said, "How about I go with you?"
"You don't know the situation in Haicheng. I'll go with you and be your bodyguard and thug." He raised his thumb and pointed at himself: "And I can also help you with divination. I'm very good at divination. If the situation is not right, I can remind you to run away quickly."
Yue Jian knew that Gu Nian's statement concealed a lot of content, but he had no desire to delve into it. As a fortune teller, his professional ethics told him that getting to the bottom of everything could bring bad luck. Since he chose to believe that Gu Nian was the savior who could grab a glimmer of hope for the world, all he could do was support and follow.
Gu Nian agreed. Yue Jian was very strong, and Gu Nian even suspected that he was stronger than he showed, and his divination ability was so accurate that it seemed like a cheat. With such a person joining his team, there was no doubt that he would have a greater chance of finding the Spirit of Wind.
Choosing a relatively clear day, Gu Nian, Yue Jian, Tu Jing and fifteen members of the Aurora Team left Jiangcheng on ten golden-winged falcons.
The group traveled during the day and rested at night, and headed towards Haicheng.
Sitting on Da Jin, Gu Nian looked down at the ground with a telescope. Industrial civilization had become yesterday's ruins. The earthquakes in recent days had left all kinds of buildings with only broken walls and ruins. The once prosperous city had been completely ruined. The survivors relied on the ruins and set up tents to form small homeless camps.
Gu Nian has been staying in Jiangcheng since the end of the world. She also knows that Jiangcheng's geographical environment is unique in natural disasters, but even so, Jiangcheng has suffered serious damage. Now seeing these homeless camps, Gu Nian knows what the miserable world is.
As the sky gradually darkened, Tu Jing, riding a golden-feathered falcon, approached Gu Nian and said, "Boss, there is a camp ahead. How about staying there for a night?"
At first, only Chi Qin called Gu Nian boss, and then everyone started calling him that without realizing it.
Gu Nian said, "Okay, take a rest."
This camp is not large, and it gathers homeless people who live outside the base. The whole camp is in chaos and disorder, and even tents are rare. Most people use a few broken wood and rotten cardboard boxes to build a small shelter. Only a few people can make fire and cook food, and they usually just cook a few wild vegetables and fruits.
When Gu Nian and her group walked in, all of them were in good shape and clean clothes, and everyone looked at them with envy. Some people were ready to make a move, but when they saw the sophisticated weapons they were wearing, they gave up.
Gu Nian and others found a place to set up tent.
Yuejian’s tent is next to Gu Nian’s.
"I'll go get some firewood." Yue Jian said consciously, and turned away. By the time he got the firewood, Gu Nian had already set up the stove.
Gu Nian lit the firewood and hung a tin can over the fire, which started to boil water. Gu Nian took out a few more cans, opened the lids, and placed them directly on the charcoal to heat. Yue Jian was trading firewood for food.
Yuejian showed her again: "I also got some fruit."
It was a bunch of crystal clear purple grapes, big and plump, sweet just by looking at them, and washed clean. I guess Yue Jian exchanged the spirit crystals with someone.
We each shared half. The grapes were indeed delicious.
Soon, the cans began to boil, and the frozen blocks inside completely melted, and the fragrance attracted envious eyes from the people in the camp. Such canned meat is a rare delicacy.
"Do you have any medicine?" a woman's anxious voice came. "My daughter has a fever, do you have any medicine to reduce the fever?"
A woman was talking to someone in the tent next to her. A few wandering wilderness hunters lived in the big tent, and a few large-displacement modified motorcycles were parked outside the tent.
The bald, tattooed man in the lead looked at the woman with ill intent, and his dirty gaze made the woman flinch. She gritted her teeth and endured it silently.
The big man said, "I do have medicine, but what can you give me in exchange?"
The woman held out a bag of food. “These are all available to you.”
The big man grinned and revealed a cruel smile: "I have no shortage of food. If you want to change the medicine, then stay and entertain us brothers, five of us." He emphasized.
The woman looked defeated. Even though she was in a natural disaster, her clothes were tattered and her face was covered with dust, but her beautiful features could still be seen. She knew very well what the big man meant. The world had changed a long time ago. People no longer had security, and dignity had become a luxury.
Her daughter had a severe fever and was losing water. Death could come to this young life at any time. She had no choice.
The woman's lips trembled and her voice became hoarse as she tried to agree.
"Come change here," said Gu Nian. She heard the conversation between the woman and the big man and couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so she interrupted them.
The woman turned around and saw a very imposing girl. She was overjoyed and walked over quickly. Compared to that big man, Gu Nian looked better no matter how she looked at her.
The big man saw that the fun he had just had was gone, so he glared at Gu Nian fiercely. They were the local bosses in this camp. Gu Nian looked back without fear. Yue Jian casually flicked open the scabbard beside him, and Da Jin, who was resting by the fire, also opened his eyes.
Seeing this group of expensive and powerful mutant birds, as well as the Aurora Team's obviously excellent equipment, the big man sighed, gave up the idea of taking action, turned around and retreated back to the tent.
Gu Nian rummaged through his backpack for some anti-inflammatory medicine, took out two tablets and handed them to the woman.
The woman quickly handed over the exchanged food.
Gu Nian waved his hand: "You keep it."
The woman was a little overwhelmed, and her eyes gradually turned red. She thanked Gu Nian and insisted on leaving the food behind.
Gu Nian reached out and took out two candies from the bag: "That's enough. I like sweet things."
The woman left.
Yue Jian watched her do this quietly. When natural disasters struck, they forced people to become numb and abandon all morals. Many people naturally and without resistance underwent such a transformation, but Gu Nian did not. She still retained her precious empathy, neither proud of it nor ashamed of it, but stubbornly adhered to her bottom line.
After finishing the can, Gu Nian gave him a piece of candy. The mint flavor spread in his mouth.
Gu Nian lay down next to the fire. She wondered absentmindedly, when will the natural disasters stop, and when can humans maintain a safe life and have a little bit of basic dignity as human beings?
Gu Nian didn't want to dominate himself. Being born as a human being, being able to live a happy life is already lucky enough. Compared to the sinister hell of power, Gu Nian only wants to preserve his own little world.
But in order to live a happy life, even if the evil god is blocking her way, Gu Nian will kill him. She calls this the persistence of ordinary people.
We will arrive in Haicheng tomorrow.
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