Chapter 42 Clearing the Beasts and Entering the Forest
Cheng Zhiyu quickly learned the news, but he didn't expect that Feng Rui was such a troublemaker. Now the whole family was packed up and sent to prison.
Tian Qiao felt great: "They deserved it. Don't think that just because it's the end of the world, they can escape punishment."
Tian Manman said again, "Thank you..."
Tian Qiao clicked her tongue: "You're too kind, aren't you? Do you need to say that to me and Chengzi? What kind of relationship do we have?"
Tian Manman gave a wooden smile, looking a bit silly.
Cheng Zhiyu couldn't help but reach out and pat his head.
Xiao Hei jumped onto Cheng Zhiyu and rubbed against him, getting his fur all over him.
Cheng Zhiyu said helplessly, "Xiao Hei, I just changed my clothes."
Xiao Hei was very unhappy: "Who said they wouldn't mind me? Liar!"
The word "liar" was filled with accusation.
Cheng Zhiyu could only say, "I don't mind."
It wasn't like Xiao Hei had been just now; it looked like it was deliberately rubbing its fur against him.
Cheng Zhiyu: "Are you angry?"
Xiao Hei: "..."
Cheng Zhiyu: "Don't be angry, I'll make you something delicious."
Xiao Hei was easy to coax. It immediately jumped into Cheng Zhiyu's arms, pressed its paws against his forehead, as if performing some kind of promise ritual: "It's a deal."
Cheng Zhiyu smiled, suddenly realizing that foodies are really nice, they're easy to please.
He checked the system space and found that all the plants were normal, and the little curd had entered its growth period, showing changes compared to the previous seedlings.
As it grew a bit bigger, Cheng Zhiyu felt it resembled a vine-like plant.
He estimated that once Xiao Juan matured, she would be a combat-type character like Xiao Er.
Before the small curls matured, Zhou Min brought news that his brother's comrade-in-arms, Brother Zhang, had replied and said they could talk.
Cheng Zhiyu agreed, and the group went together to see Brother Zhang.
Brother Zhang looks to be in his thirties, and his demeanor is clearly different from that of ordinary people; you can tell at a glance who he used to be.
He still had stubble on his chin and looked tired, as if he was very busy and had no time to rest or take care of himself.
The other person knew that their appearance wasn't quite right and apologized, "I'm sorry, I've been too busy lately. I finally managed to find a little time, but I haven't had time to tidy myself up. Please excuse the poor appearance."
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "It's nothing. It's an honor that Brother Zhang is so busy but still made time to see us."
Brother Zhang shook his head, pressed his brow, which was furrowed into a "川" shape, and sighed, "To be honest, I'm here to ask you for a favor."
Cheng Zhiyu thought to himself, "As expected, if there's nothing wrong, there's no way to explain why the other party would take the time to come over."
He gently tapped Xiao Hei's head with his finger: "Please speak."
"There's no point in hiding this anymore. I reckon most of the superhumans at the base have heard something about it." Zhang took a sip of water, feeling his mouth less dry, and continued, "As you can see, there's a mountain behind our base."
Tian Qiao could tell from the conversation: "Is there something wrong in the mountains?"
Brother Zhang nodded: "Originally, having mountains was a good thing. The mountains were deserted and there would be no zombies. But unexpectedly, strange beasts appeared instead."
Cheng Zhiyu repeated the unfamiliar word: "Strange beast?"
Brother Zhang nodded: "Some wild animals have developed supernatural abilities, and we call them 'strange beasts'."
Cheng Zhiyu was surprised. He glanced down at Xiao Hei, then quickly looked away: "Animals can have superpowers?"
Brother Zhang sighed: "Humans are evolving, zombies are evolving, and I never thought that animals would evolve too. Many animals with superpowers become manic. In the past, ordinary wild animals could live in harmony with humans under human control."
But these strange beasts possess extraordinary abilities, and their destructive power far surpasses that of ordinary animals. Recently, the back mountain has been frequently harassed by wild animals, which seem to operate day and night without regard for time, making them extremely difficult to defend against.
Cheng Zhiyu and the others exchanged glances, their brows furrowing. One zombie was already annoying enough, but now there was another strange beast, which was indeed quite troublesome.
They hadn't encountered any strange beasts before, probably because the places they passed through weren't places where wild animals roamed.
Brother Zhang's expression was grave: "A prophet at the base foretold that a wave of monstrous beasts will sweep through the base in the future. If that time comes, I'm afraid we will be unable to withstand it."
Therefore, we decided to set off for the back mountain in two days to clear out a group of strange beasts and prevent them from gathering and causing a beast tide.
Cheng Zhiyu's expression shifted, and he understood what Brother Zhang meant by saying this.
Sure enough, Brother Zhang said, "But the number of official superhumans is not enough, so we are recruiting some free superhumans."
Cheng Zhiyu said calmly, "Brother Zhang should have looked for some other people with superpowers?"
Brother Zhang nodded: "Yes, some timid people don't want to go, but of course there are others who are willing to go. Our plan is to divide them into areas, but we are still short of people."
He looked at Cheng Zhiyu: "So, are you all willing to help the base overcome this difficulty?"
Tian Qiao didn't care. He was quite curious about that strange beast, but he figured it wouldn't be easy to deal with, otherwise Brother Zhang wouldn't be so worried.
He didn't agree; he listened to Orange.
Tian Manman also listens to Brother Cheng.
Cheng Zhiyu didn't agree immediately, but instead asked Brother Zhang, "May I ask you a few questions?"
Brother Zhang nodded: "Of course."
Cheng Zhiyu asked, "Are the intelligence of these strange beasts very high? Like humans?"
Brother Zhang shook his head: "How could that be? If they were as smart as humans, that would be terrifying. But they are indeed smarter than ordinary wild animals."
Cheng Zhiyu continued, "Are there many strange beasts in the forest that the base currently knows of?"
Brother Zhang: "It's not a lot, but it's not a small amount either. After all, one strange beast is already enough of a headache. The forest covers tens of thousands of acres. If it's spread out, some ability users might not get any area at all, while some unlucky ones might run into several. Nobody can say for sure."
Brother Zhang didn't intend to hide it. If he tried to deceive people into going there, those who were timid and unreliable would only be busy running away and wouldn't bother to deal with the monsters.
Rather than creating hidden dangers, it's better to be honest and recruit some truly capable superhumans.
Cheng Zhiyu nodded, having roughly figured it out; those strange beasts were different from Xiao Hei.
He asked, "The blueprints for the mechanical gun we agreed on before?"
Brother Zhang said, "Don't worry, I can give this to you before we go to the back mountain."
Cheng Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, thinking that Brother Zhang was quite straightforward. Giving it to him before going to the back mountain meant he had gained an extra helper.
"Also, if you encounter any strange beasts there and you handle them yourselves, you can take the corpses and crystal cores with you." Brother Zhang said, "Although the meat of strange beasts is not as good as crystal cores, it is still a good thing for people with superpowers."
"Also, we'll be providing a communication device so that we can contact each other in case of danger, and other superhumans in the area will come to help," Brother Zhang said. "However, we still have to rely on ourselves."
After all, people from other regions might not be willing to risk coming to help.
Cheng Zhiyu understood: "Okay, I think I understand, but we need to discuss this matter. I can't give you an answer right now."
Brother Zhang expressed his understanding: "We should indeed think about it carefully. At the latest, I'll reply to Zhou Min before 10 p.m. tomorrow so he can contact me."
Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Okay."
As they left, Zhou Min quickly followed. Zhang Ge tried to call out to Zhou Min, but she ran even faster.
Brother Zhang: "..." Never mind.
If Zhou Min's brother were still alive, he would probably prefer that Zhou Min live a happy life. He used to think that if Zhou Min joined an official organization, he could keep him by his side and take care of him.
Looking back now... he was being too naive. Even if he had someone by his side, he might not have been able to take care of them.
Oh well, let it be.
——
"Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng, what do you think, shall we go or not?" Zhou Min eagerly followed Cheng Zhiyu.
Cheng Zhiyu didn't answer, but asked instead, "What do you guys think? Do you want to go?"
Tian Qiao said, "I'd like to see the strange beast."
Cheng Zhiyu looked at Tian Manman: "What does Manman think?"
Tian asked eagerly, "Beast meat... is it delicious?"
The group couldn't help but chuckle. Zhou Min laughed uncontrollably, putting his arm around Tian Manman's shoulder: "Manman, you and I are thinking the same thing. I also want to try it. When you're alive, you have to try different things, otherwise you've lived in vain."
Tian Qiao clapped her hands: "Well said!"
Cheng Zhiyu was helpless. He originally wanted to listen to his teammates' opinions, but they were a bunch of unreliable people who only thought about eating.
He had no choice but to ask Xiao Hei, the only reliable person he knew, "Xiao Hei, what do you think? Should we go?"
Xiao Hei also wanted to try the exotic beast meat, but he noticed the way Cheng Zhiyu looked at those foodies... so he immediately pretended to think seriously: "I think we can go."
Seeing that everyone said the same thing, Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "Then let's go."
However, he looked at Zhou Min and asked, "Are you sure you want to go too?"
Zhou Min hurriedly said, "Although I'm not good at fighting, I can be a healer, in case you get injured..."
"Quickly spit it out, it's bad luck!" Tian Qiao was particularly superstitious.
Zhou Min had no choice but to spit a few times in agreement, and then said, "Anyway, I'm useful too."
Cheng Zhiyu said, "Do you know why I've never agreed to take you with me when we leave the base? You're not capable of protecting yourself."
Zhou Min scratched his head; he couldn't refute that point.
“Actually, I think you’re better suited to stay at the base,” Cheng Zhiyu said honestly.
Zhou Min seriously suspected that he was being disliked. He... wasn't that bad, was he? Well... maybe a little.
“However, combat ability can also be acquired through training.” Cheng Zhiyu smiled and looked at Zhou Min: “Why don’t you give it a try?”
Zhou Min felt this was a trap. Couldn't he just be a good nanny? However, for some inexplicable reason, he nodded, completely unaware that he would be training in tears later.
The next day, Cheng Zhiyu gave Zhou Min a dagger made from the outer shell of a vegetable planted next to Xiao Tie. It could cut through iron like mud.
Tian Manman also had one. He was strong, and after Cheng Zhiyu asked for his opinion, he got him a big knife, which the other party liked very much after receiving it.
Zhou Min also really liked his little dagger, admiring it with delight: "Brother Cheng, what is this dagger made of? It's so sharp, I don't even dare to touch it with my hands."
Cheng Zhiyu gave a brief explanation, leaving Zhou Min speechless: "Isn't that amazing?"
When Brother Zhang learned that they were willing to go and clear out the alien beasts, he readily sent over the blueprints for the mechanical gun.
Cheng Zhiyu glanced at it and thought it was good. He then summoned the system, had it scan the blueprint, and created the third form of Xiao Tie.
The system scanned the blueprints: [The third form of Xiao Tie is under construction. Please check back in three hours.]
Three hours? That's pretty fast.
To be honest, Cheng Zhiyu was really looking forward to it. It was a gun, after all. He had never even seen one before, let alone touched it.
Cheng Zhiyu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and would occasionally open the system panel to check on Xiao Tie's condition.
After who knows how many times, Xiao Hei finally lost its patience and slapped Cheng Zhiyu on the head with its paw: "Go to sleep!"
The paw was very light, without much force, but Cheng Zhiyu still touched his nose and obediently closed his eyes: "Did I disturb you?"
Xiao Hei had a knowing look on his face: "Don't make noise, it's affecting my growth."
It was a lie, but Cheng Zhiyu still believed it and didn't dare to think about it anymore. He decided to just wait and see tomorrow.
He slept soundly until dawn, and the next morning, Cheng Zhiyu couldn't wait to check and found that it had indeed been completed.
Cheng Zhiyu quickly reached out his hand: "Xiao Tie."
As soon as he finished speaking, a mechanical gun appeared in his hand. His first thought was: It's quite heavy.
My second thought: How am I supposed to use this? What if I accidentally fire it?
Tian Qiao leaned closer, her excitement overflowing: "Wow, he's so handsome! Let me see, let me see!"
As he spoke, he reached out and touched it. Seeing this, Tian Manman also joined in the fun, curiously touching it as well.
Cheng Zhiyu was on high alert: "Let's try it in the forest. I'm afraid of accidentally setting it on fire here."
The main concern was who had ever handled a gun before, so everyone was quite cautious and urged Cheng Zhiyu to put it away quickly, saying it wouldn't be too late to try it out in the forest later.
Just as Tian Qiao put the gun away, Zhou Min arrived. Tian Qiao gave him a look that said, "You don't know what you just missed," leaving him completely bewildered.
After breakfast, they set off for the designated meeting point. They arrived rather late; there were already some people with superpowers there.
Cheng Zhiyu and his group also met Zhang He and Wu Mengting, a couple they had encountered on their way to the Chaoyang base, but hadn't run into them since arriving at the base.
When Zhang He saw them, he greeted them with a smile: "I didn't expect to see you after so long. Are you also going to clear out the monsters? Mengting and I found a few people to team up with. Do you want to join us?"
Cheng Zhiyu glanced around and indeed saw several people with superpowers with them. He shook his head and said, "No need, thank you."
Cheng Zhiyu is an ordinary person, and Zhang He's invitation wasn't originally intended for him. However, the fact that Cheng Zhiyu was willing to come along suggests that he must have some ability.
Moreover, not everyone in the official ranks is a superhuman. Many of them are soldiers from before the apocalypse. They are ordinary people, but that doesn't mean they can't deal with the alien beasts.
Soon, the authorities sent over a communication device, which looked like a watch and was worn on the wrist.
"This allows you to see your location in real time, making it easier for someone to come and rescue you. If you encounter danger, you can press the button next to it. It will automatically send your location to other people nearby."
The gifted individuals listened, not having much hope for this ability. They asked themselves, would they be willing to risk their lives to save complete strangers?
Many of the people here agreed to this operation because of the benefits promised by the base, and the fact that all the alien beasts would belong to them, whether in exchange for points or something else, was quite tempting.
Others wanted to take the opportunity to prove themselves, get the authorities' attention, and join the official organization.
Regardless of the type, they were all prepared for danger and were used to it. In this apocalypse, who hasn't risked their life?
Moreover, private organizations, besides those affiliated with the government, also have close ties with the government, and there are some tasks they cannot refuse.
Next, the authorities deployed helicopters to transport each team of superhumans to their assigned areas.
Cheng Zhiyu and his group were placed in the later part of the group, and it was almost dark when they were put into their area.
The authorities were quite kind; they gave them boxed lunches with three dishes, one of which was a meat dish. In the post-apocalyptic world, a meal with vegetables, meat, and rice was considered quite substantial.
The portion was rather small, and the taste was just average. After Zhou Min finished eating, he lay down on the spot and groaned, "I'm still not full!"
After saying that, seeing that Cheng Zhiyu and the others didn't react at all, Zhou Min was puzzled and looked at Xiao Hei again: "Brother Cheng, why don't you give Brother Hei some to eat?"
The base distributes meals per person, so Xiao Hei naturally didn't get any. However, it wasn't that Cheng Zhiyu wouldn't let him eat; rather, Xiao Hei took one bite and then refused to eat anymore.
After he arrived here, he followed Cheng Zhiyu and his palate became very picky. Apart from the goat milk powder he drank at the beginning, he had never eaten anything so unpalatable. It was simply a desecration of food, and he refused to eat it.
Cheng Zhiyu chuckled: "That's how it is with communal meals; the taste is alright."
Xiao Hei: "How much suffering must you have endured before?"
Surprisingly, they thought this was acceptable.
Cheng Zhiyu was both amused and exasperated. They weren't the type to waste food, and besides, the boxed lunches weren't bad at all; they all ate them clean.
Tian Qiao patted her stomach: "I'm not full either."
Zhou Min sighed: "There's nothing we can do if we're not full. This is a desolate place, surrounded by grass and trees. We can't exactly hug a tree and gnaw on it, can we?"
Cheng Zhiyu asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Tian Qiao immediately raised her hand: "I want to eat the little pig blanket!"
Zhou Min: You're telling me to cover a pig with a blanket? Where's the pig? Where's the blanket?
Tian Manman also wanted some: "I want to eat this too."
Zhou Min laughed: "You guys have quite the imagination, don't you? Where's there any food around here?"
Cheng Zhiyu: "Tian Qiao and Manman, go find some stones and mud, and we'll make a simple earthen stove."
Then he said to Zhou Min, "Go and gather some firewood, it has to be dry."
Seeing that Tian Qiao and Tian Manman had no objections and immediately got to work, Zhou Min hesitated for a moment, but still obediently went to gather firewood.
While picking them up, I wondered, could I really catch a pig? Should I hunt it on the spot? I didn't even know if there were wild boars in the forest.
After thinking about it, I picked up a bagful and started dismantling it. There was nothing else in this forest but tree branches everywhere.
He carried the tree branch back and saw that Cheng Zhiyu had somehow gotten a flat stone slab and then cleaned it with his water-based supernatural abilities.
Zhou Min put down the firewood: "Hey? Brother Cheng, didn't you say you didn't have any superpowers?"
Cheng Zhiyu: "I really didn't, it was Xiao Hei."
Zhou Min: "!"
He only thought that Xiao Hei was smarter than ordinary dogs, but he never expected that it would have special abilities! No wonder Tian Qiao called Xiao Hei "Brother Hei"! He used to call it that just for fun, but now he looks at Xiao Hei differently.
Just as they were in shock, Cheng Zhiyu pulled out a large piece of pork.
Holy crap, it's turned into pork!
Zhou Min blinked, his eyes brimming with excitement: "Brother Cheng, you still have space?"
Zhou Min had heard before that some people had spatial abilities, but very few people would reveal this ability. After all, if others knew that you had spatial abilities, wouldn't that be blatantly telling them that you had a lot of resources?
It is easy for others to covet it.
However, he had heard that spatial systems were also divided into levels, and different levels of spatial systems could hold different amounts of supplies. He wondered how much Cheng Zhiyu's space could hold?
Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Okay, come and help."
"Okay, okay." Zhou Min quickly put the firewood aside and went over to help.
Although they only ordered a pig-shaped blanket, Cheng Zhiyu didn't intend to just make one dish. He took out cucumbers and tomatoes and decided to make a simple cucumber salad.
It was getting dark, and after eating these two meals, I wasn't worried about being too cold.
Cheng Zhiyu: "Do you know how to slice cucumbers?"
Zhou Min immediately replied, "That's easy, I can do it."
Cheng Zhiyu then handed it over to him, and then cut the pork and kneaded the dough himself.
Zhou Min can actually cook a little, but the taste can only be described as average. However, she has no problem assisting Cheng Zhiyu.
The two of them each occupied half of the stone slab. Zhou Min smacked cucumbers while secretly glancing at Cheng Zhiyu.
He assumed the cucumbers and tomatoes were freshly picked, since they looked so fresh. But strangely enough, the pork was also incredibly fresh, as if it had just been taken from the pig.
Cheng Zhiyu still noticed Zhou Min's subtle glances, but since the other party didn't speak, he remained silent as well.
Over there, Tian Qiao and Tian Manman also gathered a large pile of stones from the forest, stones with no regular shape at all. However, they only intended to build a temporary stove and didn't have high requirements.
The two found an open space and got to work, mixing some dried grass stalks into the soil to act as an adhesive.
Tian Qiao said to Xiao Hei, "Brother Hei, get me some water."
Xiao Hei had put some water in the pit he'd prepared, and Tian Qiao immediately stirred it: "Thanks, Brother Hei."
Xiao Hei wagged its tail indifferently, its eyes fixed on Cheng Zhiyu, remaining motionless.
Cheng Zhiyu finished cutting the pork and kneading the dough. After thinking for a moment, he took out two chickens from his spatial storage. These two were from the four chickens that Tian Manman had given him, so now he only had two left.
He was worried he wouldn't have time to cook tomorrow, so he figured he might as well cook tomorrow's meals tonight. Anyway, he had lunchboxes in his storage space and room to put them.
So Cheng Zhiyu started chopping chicken again, preparing to make chicken stew with potatoes. He had dug up quite a lot of potatoes.
Zhou Min watched from the side, his mouth watering, so he tried to distract himself by saying with his hands behind his back, "Brother Cheng, I'm going to take a walk around the neighborhood."
Cheng Zhiyu estimated that there was probably no danger nearby. If a stranger appeared in the short distance, the beast would sense it and wouldn't be so quiet.
However, he still instructed: "Don't go too far, remember our communication number."
The communicators they wore, provided by the base, could also send simple messages to fixed communication numbers, facilitating communication among team members.
Zhou Min gave an OK sign. His physical fitness was a bit poor, but he had been exercising recently, according to what Cheng Zhiyu had told him.
The earthen stove was also set up. Cheng Zhiyu took out a large pot from his spatial storage. Everyone had a big appetite, so he had brought the large pot with him.
If he weren't worried about not having enough space, he would have brought several more pots.
He first heated the oil for the cucumber salad, then started making the piglet stew. After stir-frying the pork to adjust its color, he covered the pot with the lid and started stewing.
He had just washed his hands when Zhou Min's excited voice came from not far away: "Come quick, look what I found!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com