Chapter 91
Pei Yuheng's mentor is Zhou Chaosheng, a PhD in bioengineering, specializing in biopharmaceuticals based on genetic engineering, with a focus on cardiovascular diseases.
Back then, the Fu family put pressure on Pei Yuheng, preventing him from pursuing graduate studies. It was thanks to Zhou Chaosheng's resilience in resisting pressure from all sides that he was accepted into the program. It's no exaggeration to say that Zhou Chaosheng was a benefactor to Pei Yuheng.
Therefore, since his mentor had gone missing, Pei Yuheng had to go to the scene to see what was going on and find him before he could feel at ease. His senior classmates informed him over the phone that they had already gone to the South City New District, and the group agreed to meet at the health quarantine center.
Xie Xubai also made a phone call to player A.
Not long after, a dark green, upgraded SUV burst into view, its wheels kicking up clouds of dust as it came to a precise stop in front of Pei Yuheng's school.
Such a powerful vehicle is practically unheard of outside of disaster movies. The students on the roadside were stunned and quickly took out their phones to take pictures and videos.
Xie Xubai's lips twitched. Not wanting to become the focus of everyone's discussion, he and Pei Yuheng quickly got into the car.
As a result, the interior modifications of the off-road vehicle were even more extensive than its jungle tree frog exterior.
Player A excitedly explained to him, "The design is a bit exaggerated, but the functionality is absolutely top-notch. The special coating on the outside can protect against wind, sand, and corrosive substances, and the glass and bulletproof steel plate interlayer are military grade. The tires have stronger grip and are more stable, so even if you fall off a ten-meter-high broken bridge, the tires won't burst."
"If you unfortunately fall into the water, look here! There's a blue button. Just press it, and a rescue airbag will deploy from under the vehicle, similar to a speedboat. We've also equipped it with a propeller—"
Pei Yuheng was still trying to contact the research team when he heard them recount all the dangerous situations in detail, along with a series of comprehensive countermeasures. He couldn't help but look over and ask, "What exactly did you go through before?"
"It's a long story." Player A sighed, stroking the interior of the vehicle. "To be honest, all this effort was just for peace of mind. The monsters in S-rank dungeons are so powerful that even A-rank items might not be enough to defend against them. What if it's a strength-type monster? One claw could tear this vehicle to shreds. Sigh..."
Pei Yuheng couldn't understand terms like "S-rank dungeon," and a hint of doubt flashed across his face as he looked at Xie Xubai: "Did you all know that something would happen in the South City New District?"
Player A's expression tightened instantly. He thought that Pei Yuheng's mentor had an accident in the South New District. If they answered "yes" but did not inform the other party in advance, would it cause a crisis of trust?
Just as I was thinking of a way to get away with it, Xie Xubai confessed directly: "Yes, we were closely monitoring the situation when the news reported that the flu virus was spreading on a large scale in the South City New District. This SUV was also purchased around that time. In addition, we also stocked up on some daily necessities, which were stored in a clinic in the South City."
Player A felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Pei Yuheng's gloomy face, sensing that the other person was about to blurt out: "Then why didn't you tell me, or notify the others?"
Pei Yuheng took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "It's my fault for being useless. Thank you for your hard work in handling things behind the scenes."
Xie Xubai was actually prepared for Pei Yuheng to argue with him, after all, even Pei Yuheng's mentor, who had been so kind to him, was involved and his fate was unknown.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "You're not angry with me?"
"What's it to you? I'm not that petty." Pei Yuheng was both amused and exasperated, but then his expression turned serious, and his brows furrowed slightly. "I only know that you won't stand idly by. If something changes and you choose to watch it happen, it's definitely not because you don't want to do it, but because you can't."
Xie Xubai remained silent for a moment, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
During the time Pei Yuheng was focused on his research, he was indeed not idle. He continued to gather clues, study the structure of the alliance's political situation, purchase supplies, recruit manpower, monitor the Fu family's movements, calculate the scope of the virus's spread in the Chengnan New District, and so on.
Pei Yuheng's mentor was invited to the South City New District, which, like the disaster, was an act of God, and the rules did not allow him to interfere.
In this era, it is unknown how many people will survive the disaster. In order to reduce casualties, Xie Xubai also tried to issue a warning.
He didn't directly say that a disaster was imminent, as no one would believe that, and it would attract the attention of the alliance's political establishment. Instead, he spread the news that prices were about to skyrocket, urging nearby residents to stockpile food and goods. It had some effect, but only a small one.
To this day, Xie Xubai still can't understand how those who didn't leave the city survived when the disaster spread.
If a disaster turns H City into a ghost town, how can it maintain its current prosperity more than twenty years later? What's even more chilling is why human civilization and technological levels remain unchanged?
Whenever Xie Xubai encountered a problem he couldn't figure out, he would miss Yan Shuo. However, at that time, Shengtian Group was still an unknown small company, without Yan Shuo or Lü Xiangcai.
The SUV got onto the highway, where the trees along the way were lush and green, and there were hardly any other vehicles in sight.
Player A, in the driver's seat, couldn't help but cough, seemingly a little cold, and rolled up the car window.
Not long after, he coughed a few more times.
"...Strange?" A strange sense of fatigue washed over Player A, and his eyelids began to tremble. "Why do I suddenly feel so tired?"
Xie Xubai's gaze shifted and then suddenly froze. Accompanied by Player A's incessant coughing, it seemed that some black substance was overflowing from his mouth.
Without a second thought, he quickly enveloped Pei Yuheng in a protective golden light, then slapped Player A on the shoulder and forcefully ordered, "Stop the car!"
"Huh? This is a highway, and there are cars behind us..."
Xie Xubai glanced at the Volkswagen Magotan behind him, his eyes darkening: "Haven't you noticed? The distance between it and us has never changed. Stop worrying about it and pull over quickly, or we'll both be in trouble!"
Player A gritted his teeth and chose to believe Xie Xubai.
Just after he stopped the car, a surge of powerlessness almost overwhelmed his mind.
With a snap, Xie Xubai got out of the car, forcefully pulled Player A out of the SUV, and simultaneously infused his body with mental energy.
A steady stream of mental energy surged into his brain, and Player A finally regained consciousness for a moment, after which he felt a choking sensation in his throat.
No, wait, that's not phlegm! It's wriggling, it's like a pupa, making Player A feel even more nauseous and vomiting, his face turning ashen.
He reacted quickly, without hesitation for even half a second, he stuck his fingers into his throat and began to gag violently.
"Wow!"
Snap.
Player A spat a saliva-covered, slimy worm, resembling a black slug, onto the road. It wasn't dead yet; it stretched out long, thin tentacles and crawled around like a sea urchin.
Player A stared at the wriggling worm, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His scalp tingled, and he stomped on it, turning it into a puddle of mud.
It was at this moment that the Volkswagen Magotan that had been following them and stopped at the same time suddenly started moving, its engine roaring deafeningly, and it floored the gas pedal, heading straight for Xie Xubai and his companion's door!
The two quickly dodged, watching as the Volkswagen Passat lost its target and began to drift and swerve on the road.
Finally, due to excessive speed, the car was unable to brake in time and crashed directly into the guardrail. Half of the front of the car was crushed, and a few wisps of white smoke were emitted.
With a loud bang, the driver's side door of the Magotan was forced open from the inside, and a blood-stained hand crawled out shakily.
Seeing this, Pei Yuheng wanted to step forward to save the person, but Xie Xubai stopped him: "Don't go over there."
The driver was no longer human; his back was bulging high, and the skin on his arms was spread out, resembling the ventral feet of a mollusk. After falling to the ground, colorless, sticky liquid kept oozing out. His skin was grayish-black, stretched to the point of being transparent, like a leech that had eaten its fill.
Player A got goosebumps. He could tell at a glance that the driver looked exactly like the disgusting worm he had just vomited up!
If Xie Xubai hadn't noticed something amiss, would he have ended up in the same situation as the driver?
Player A was terrified and looked at Xie Xubai with gratitude.
A golden line extended from his heart and connected to Xie Xubai's palm.
This means that his affection for Xie Xubai is gradually turning into faith.
Xie Xubai accepted it, but he couldn't be happy. He saw the driver, who had mutated into a black slug, reach out to him with all his might, his mouth opening and closing, his eyes wet and red, as if he were praying for something.
"Cough cough cough!"...
The three of them heard coughing coming from all directions at the same time. Looking around, their hearts sank.
Just now, several cars suddenly appeared on the empty highway. Some crashed into the guardrail, and some were rear-ended in a chain collision. The cars were smashed to pieces, and blood and flesh fragments flowed down the seats and onto the ground. The scene was horrific.
More than a dozen large slugs crawled off the vehicle, each carrying a human head.
There were middle-aged women dressed up but whose makeup was blurred by blood, and young men with plain looks and dark circles under their eyes, as if they hadn't slept well.
They were just a group of ordinary passersby, yet they suffered a tragic accident.
Xie Xubai protected Pei Yuheng as they retreated back into the car. They heard the coughing outside getting closer and closer, muffled by pain, yet full of urgency and longing.
—They saw Xie Xubai using his mental power to heal player A, so they couldn't wait to catch up and seek help.
However, these people struggled to climb halfway with their limp limbs, only to collapse without warning with a thud, like snow under the sun, instantly turning into a pool of thick black water, vaporizing and disappearing without a trace, as if they had never existed.
"That scared me to death! I thought it was going to be a tough battle, but it turned out to be a vengeful spirit," Player A said, patting his chest.
Vengeful spirits include the souls of those who died unjustly and cannot find peace. They are trapped by the cause of their death and cannot be freed for life.
If they are more powerful, they can move freely, like the strange dogs and cats that were tricked before.
If one is not strong enough, one will be bound to one place by resentment, like these giant slugs, endlessly repeating the pain before death.
Xie Xubai moved his fingers and added another layer of golden light protection to Pei Yuheng: "Wait for me."
Player A wondered what he was going to do, and the next second, he saw Xie Xubai unleash his spiritual power, enveloping the land.
Golden rays of light fell like rain, and the dozen or so large slugs that had just disappeared reappeared, their silhouettes indistinct. They seemed to raise their heads in bewilderment, their eyes wide as they searched for the golden light above them, as if searching for the sun in the night.
The enormous, bloated body split open during this process, like a cocoon breaking open, and the human soul emerged from it, swirling and floating with the golden light, flying towards the sky.
This scene, resembling a high monk converting evil spirits, left player A behind them speechless.
Pei Yuheng suddenly came to his senses, quickly stepped forward, and caught Xie Xubai's swaying body.
Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on the latter's forehead, clearly indicating that what he had just done had taken a heavy toll on him, but he smiled contentedly: "Alright, let's go."
When Xie Xubai and his group arrived at the health quarantine center in the southern new district, they found that it had changed drastically. Not only were people wearing airtight protective suits, but long yellow cordon tapes were also set up at the street entrances, with armed guards standing by.
The group got out of the car and explained the situation to the guard.
Before the guard could speak, a man in protective gear heard the voice and quickly stepped out, saying with a mixture of regret and enthusiasm, "If you're simply looking for someone, for your safety, we can't let you in. But if you're willing to volunteer and join the rescue operation, then you can come and go as you please."
It's clear that there's a severe shortage of manpower here.
Just as they were about to agree, a shout came from behind them.
"Three young punks, what can you expect them to do for you? Tell them to leave right now!"
The man turned around, seemingly exasperated: "Dr. Li, can you please stop making things worse? We've already chased away two groups of people. If we chase away these few too, you'll be coming with me to collect samples."
"If you don't have enough manpower, why don't you ask for reinforcements from above instead of dragging innocent citizens into this?" Dr. Li glanced at Xie Xubai and the others and said coldly, "Besides, can those things be left to laymen? You think you have enough trouble already?"
Xie Xubai observed the man called Dr. Li and felt that he looked familiar. However, Dr. Li took it as a provocation, his face fell, and he glared at him, saying, "What? You're still not convinced? Well, what a coincidence! This is the last place we need impulsive hotheads. Let's go, let's go!"
The man was even more speechless for a moment: "Li Anmin, can you please stop having this temper...?"
Before he could finish speaking, several people in protective suits rushed over, shouting excitedly, "Dr. Li! Dr. Zhao! We've made a major discovery!!"
"The drone just captured footage of pollutants on the C287 highway being cleaned up! The person who cleaned them up was a young man wearing glasses, who looked to be in his twenties. He had two companions with him, driving a modified off-road vehicle... Huh?"
Upon seeing the dark green SUV standing in front of them, and Xie Xubai and his two companions beside it, the staff stopped in their tracks, their eyes widening in surprise and delight: "It's you!"
Dr. Li was shocked. He quickly turned his head and stared at Xie Xubai and the others.
Player A understood immediately and burst into laughter.
Although he wasn't angered by Dr. Li's words, he didn't mind making a sarcastic remark to vent his frustration: "So, does that mean we troublemakers don't need to go home?"
Several staff members immediately started shouting, fearing that Xie Xubai, this precious gem capable of purifying pollutants, would run away, and vehemently denied it, saying, "What? Who said you're just causing trouble? Who's so blind?!"
Dr. Li: "..."
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