Chapter 77
By the time the convoy was fully assembled, it was already 7 p.m.
The already poorly lit road seemed to have suddenly turned into night.
For safety reasons, the convoy had to set off immediately to continue its journey.
The brother and sister returned to the car, and before Jiang Shu could call them, Er Shun, with great awareness, ran back.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the golden retriever shrank its body, shrinking to two-thirds its original size.
Er Shun barked once and then squeezed in through the car window without any hesitation.
Their close interaction made Zou Minghua from the neighboring car team extremely jealous.
He rolled down the car window. "Old Luo, I think your car isn't big enough. How about we let the two young comrades, Comrade Jiang, come over here?"
Luo Yonghui chuckled, "Why don't we let the golden retriever go over there?"
Zou Minghua wanted to, but he didn't dare.
Now everyone in the convoy knows that this golden retriever has rendered meritorious service comparable to a battle pet. If you don't have a good relationship with it and get bitten, it will even praise you for the bite.
He chuckled dryly, "I'm afraid it won't be happy."
These people were all incredibly annoying. Luo Yonghui rolled up the car window and said to Wu Bing, "Drive!"
To avoid being bothered by messy people.
"Woof woof woof!"
Er Shun naturally squeezed between the brother and sister, making the already cramped space even narrower.
The culprit, however, was completely unaware, his ears drooping like two soft clouds and his eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
Looking at Er Shun's satisfied expression, Luo Yonghui couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "My two ancestors, tell me the truth, is there anything else that will surprise us? Can't you tell us all at once? My little heart can't take it."
Both siblings were a little embarrassed.
Jiang Shu scratched his head. "Uncle Luo, I'm sorry, Ershun is just too well-behaved. I... I couldn't bear to send it away."
Chen Shaoting had a "I knew it" look on her face.
Luo Yonghui said, "You guys have really given me a big surprise."
The face his siblings have earned for him these past two days is enough for him to brag about for a lifetime.
Jiang Shu quickly said, "Uncle Luo, don't worry, we really have nothing to hide from you—"
"Hmm." Jiang Zhi cleared her throat, interrupting Jiang Shu, and waited until everyone looked at her before slowly saying, "Actually, there's something else..."
For some reason, the moment Jiang Zhi paused, everyone's heart skipped a beat. There was a bittersweet feeling of anticipation mixed with fear.
Jiang Zhi wasn't pausing intentionally; she was just considering what words to use.
After all, her brother's innate superpower is indeed quite special.
"It's about my brother. When he was fighting the monkey just now, it seems... well, he activated his innate superpower."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, I thought it was some earth-shattering event.
There's no need to be so surprised just because you're excited about your innate special ability.
Jiang Shu, on the other hand, looked at his sister with a completely bewildered expression.
"Ah, Ah Zhi, are you saying I activated my innate superpower? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"
“I sensed it,” Jiang Zhi said. “Brother, do you remember the feeling when you shot those two monkeys that were trying to escape with an arrow?”
Jiang Shu frowned and thought for a long time before finally remembering: "Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit different... I had a feeling back then that I was pretty sure I could kill them."
Yan Liang glanced at him, "Do you feel a surge of energy in your chest?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Shu said repeatedly.
Luo Yonghui: "That's it. This is what it feels like to use your innate ability. It seems you've really activated your innate ability."
Hu Yang asked curiously, "Brother Jiang Shu, what is your innate superpower?"
Jiang Shu subconsciously looked at his sister.
He actually had a vague answer in his heart, but he wasn't quite sure.
"...Shouldn't it be to increase accuracy?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Bing exclaimed happily, "That's great! Our team is just missing a ranged attacker, and you're perfect to fill that gap."
Seeing Jiang Shu's anxiety, Chen Shaoting said, "After your innate ability is activated, you need some time to adapt. You can use this mission time to practice more."
"Don't you have a gun?" Wu Bing readily opened the sunroof: "Here, why don't you try it now?"
At this moment, Yan Liang, who had been silent all along, suddenly reached out to him: "Bring me the gun."
Jiang Shu grunted, and although he didn't know what the other party wanted to do, he still obediently handed it over.
Then Yan Liang pulled out the gun and ripped open the barrel.
He pressed his eye against the inner wall of the barrel and then rubbed the firing pin with his fingertip.
The magazine clicked into place, and Yan Liang pulled the bolt to chamber the gun. He fiddled with the safety a couple of times, then aimed at a distant empty target and pulled the trigger. Hearing the crisp click, he nodded and handed the gun back to Jiang Shu.
"Just use it directly."
Ginger Tree: ...
He glanced at his sister, saw her "you can do it" expression, and gritted his teeth, "Let's give it a try!"
He took the gun, braced himself against the edge of the sunroof with one hand, and flipped it over, sticking half his body out of the roof.
Er Shun thought he was playing, so his ears perked up, his front paws flailing around on the edge of the sunroof, and his hind legs kicked off the seat for leverage, squeezing his chubby body right up onto it.
Jiang Shu chuckled and patted its head. "Er Shun, you're cheering me on too, aren't you?"
"Woof woof woof!"
Jiang Shu was in a great mood.
He scanned the area and finally set his sights on the mutated midges ahead.
After this thing mutated, it went from being only a third the size of a sesame seed to the size of a longan, and it was even larger in the wild than it was in the base.
It's perfect for conducting experiments.
Fearing that he wouldn't know how to use his superpowers, Luo Yonghui said, "Young Jiang, focus your attention on the target, and then listen to your body. Your body will tell you what to do."
Jiang Shu took a deep breath.
Ahead, the convoy's headlights cleaved through the darkness at the foot of the mountain, revealing dust and swarms of midges floating in the beams of light.
The outlines of potholes and crisscrossing stones on the road surface were all revealed when the white light swept across them, but quickly disappeared back into the thick darkness as the vehicle moved on.
Jiang Shu focused his attention on one of the mutated midges.
For a moment, Jiang Shu even felt that he could hit the target without aiming with the gun.
This idea grew stronger and stronger, and with such confidence, Jiang Shu couldn't help but pull the trigger.
With a loud "bang," the bullet pierced the air and struck the target directly in Jiang Shu's field of vision.
The tiny black lump burst open with a "pop," and the sticky insect paste splattered on the ground.
Jiang Shu was taken aback.
He just casually fired a shot, and it actually hit?
"Woof woof woof!"
Er Shun, who was standing to the side, seemed to know that he had succeeded. He grinned, revealing his pink tongue, and his eyes sparkled. He kept trying to snuggle into Jiang Shu's arms.
While driving, Wu Bing kept an eye on Jiang Shu's condition, asking, "How is it? Did it hit the target?"
Jiang Shu laughed heartily, overjoyed, "Am I going to become the Kamiki Gunner from now on?"
Jiang Zhi pulled him down, "Brother, what did you just hit?"
Jiang Shu excitedly chattered on and on, even describing in detail how the midge died.
Jiang Zhi only cared about the range, "Brother, just tell me how far away it was from when you hit it?"
Jiang Shu estimated it, but wasn't quite sure, "About two kilometers?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately felt it was unlikely.
What does it mean to hit the target without much aiming? What does it mean to be about two kilometers away?
Does this kid even know that the range of a regular gun doesn't exceed one kilometer?
Even Yan Liang, who was standing to the side, showed a look of doubt on his face.
Wu Bing sneered, "Young Jiang, you should at least think before you lie. The range of this gun you have is only 800 meters. You're saying it's two kilometers. Did I mishear you, or is there something wrong with your words?"
Jiang Shu became anxious when he saw that no one believed him.
"I'm serious, I really did choose a midge two kilometers away, and I had a feeling that even if I didn't use a bullet, I could still hit the target with anything else."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, Luo Yonghui pulled a dagger from his boot and tossed it to him: "Then try this one out, and choose the prey that you can throw the furthest away from."
Jiang Shu wanted to prove he wasn't lying, so this time he didn't hold back and directly chose a mutated gecko on a cliff three kilometers away.
When he tried to focus again, he found himself mentally scattered and even a little dizzy.
He swayed on the sunroof, and the movement made him even more dizzy.
"Ah Zhi, why do I feel dizzy?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi's expression changed.
Oh no, I didn't expect her brother's innate ability to consume so much mental energy.
It only took one use to completely deplete his mental energy.
Jiang Zhi hurriedly pulled out a Su Yuan Bing from her pocket and stuffed it into her brother's mouth.
Seeing this, Wu Bing also quickly reduced the car's speed.
"What's up with this kid?"
Luo Yonghui frowned: "Our mental energy is exhausted."
The crowd pulled the person back to sit down.
It took Jiang Shu quite a while to recover.
"Girl, what's wrong with me? Don't tell me my special ability went out of control after just one use. That's so useless."
Jiang Zhi thought silently, if this ability is also useless, then there are no powerful superpowers in this world. It is precisely because it is too overpowered that it consumes a lot of mental energy every time it is used.
Jiang Zhi: "How do you feel now?"
Jiang Shu felt as if he had just suffered from hypoglycemia; his whole body felt weak and he couldn't muster any strength in his hands and feet.
It took him two whole Suyuan cakes for him to recover.
The extent of the damage surprised Chen Shaoting and the others.
Chen Shaoting: "Jiang Zhi, something's wrong with your brother's superpower. I've never seen a superpower that consumes so much mental energy."
Hu Yang raised his hand: "I don't have any either."
Luo Yonghui stroked his chin, "If it's just a simple improvement in hit rate, it shouldn't consume this much energy..."
He thought for a moment, "Young Jiang, try again."
Jiang Shu also became stubborn at this point.
He simply didn't believe it.
I finally got a special ability, but it's all show and no substance.
"Okay, I'll try again!"
Jiang Shu stood up again, just like the mutated gecko that hadn't moved two kilometers away.
He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and said, "Watch closely, I said this knife will stab into the tail of that mutated gecko—"
It will definitely be plugged in!
As soon as Jiang Shu finished speaking, the dagger in his hand seemed to have its own consciousness and flew out.
The next second, Jiang Shu opened his eyes, a look of excitement on his face, "I got it!"
This time, even without looking, he knew he could hit the target.
He seemed to have already experienced the feeling of using one's innate ability, as others had described.
Luo Yonghui searched for a long time with binoculars, and only when the vehicle got close did he see the dagger with a broken tail stuck in it on the cliff face three meters above the ground.
—And he actually hit the target.
The crowd was speechless.
What kind of ability is this?
Can you hit the target even with your eyes closed?
Luo Yonghui suddenly became restless.
"Young man Jiang, your abilities are quite impressive."
There are many mutants in the base who can attack remotely, but none of them can do what Jiang Shu has done.
Not to mention such a long range.
No wonder it takes so much mental energy.
If it's really as he thinks, and he can achieve a 100% hit rate, then this mental energy expenditure is completely worthwhile.
Although Jiang Shu felt weak in the knees again, he was immediately delighted to be praised.
He also thought it was quite impressive.
With this superpower, what powerful mutated creature could be captured so easily?
Seeing his smugness, Luo Yonghui smiled and reminded him, "Try to find some large mutated creatures to test in the next few days and see if ordinary weapons can achieve the effect you want. If not, you'll need to find a few more decent weapons."
Even if you can hit 100% of the time, if your weapon isn't powerful enough, it will bounce off in no time.
These words reminded the brother and sister.
Jiang Shu: "That's right, we really need to get a couple of good weapons."
Jiang Zhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Indeed, in such matters, it is necessary to draw on the strengths of others to better leverage the advantages of one's special abilities.
She knew about her brother's special abilities from the dashboard, but ultimately, how to use these abilities and what to use them in order to unleash their full potential depended on practice.
After letting Jiang Shu test his skills, Luo Yonghui instructed Wu Bing to continue following the group ahead so as not to delay the journey.
This winding mountain road leading to Wuyu Mountain is quite wide.
Perhaps due to the climate, the road ahead was cracked like a dry riverbed. Gravel was piled up everywhere, and every now and then you could encounter mounds of mud brought down by previous landslides, covered with broken trees and lying across the middle of the road.
The group spent a considerable amount of time clearing away the obstacles on the road and continued driving towards the town at the foot of the mountain.
Some paths became very narrow due to landslides, but fortunately, the vehicle was able to barely pass by by hugging the cliff face.
The rest of the night journey was exceptionally difficult. The rugged road conditions and dim lighting made the road ahead extremely challenging, but fortunately, everyone was a seasoned veteran, and thanks to their experience and tacit cooperation, the journey went relatively smoothly.
And so, the entire convoy hurried along, finally arriving at the "Wuxu" town mentioned by Jiangshan before 9 p.m.
Seeing the familiar territory, Jiang Shan breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, things are pretty much the same here as before.
The large stone at the entrance of the town, inscribed with "Wuxu Town," has long been covered with moss, and half of it is sunk into the soil.
The dense green vines, like a giant fishing net, completely covered the entire town.
On the roof of an old house not far away, thick vines, about the size of a bowl, sprouted from the cracks in the bricks and tiles, twisting the window frames crookedly, and even turning the telephone poles into green pillars.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that these vines and the vines covering the town were actually from the same plant.
—How big does it have to be to cover the whole town?
Zou Minghua's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Captain Lin, are you... sure you want to stay here tonight?"
Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Jiang Shan said, "Don't worry, this place has always been like this. Although this vine covers a large area, it has no offensive capabilities."
At this moment, Professor Shen also spoke up: "This is a mutated wild kudzu vine. Like the ivy, it is not aggressive. Its biggest characteristic is that it reproduces very quickly."
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
After all, we've come this far, and if we don't find a place to stay soon, tonight will definitely be tough.
Everyone got off the car.
Huang Xianming was about to order his soldiers to clear away the wild kudzu vines when Jiang Shan stopped him.
"Colonel Huang, these vines cannot be cleared away; they can help mask the scent."
Upon hearing this, Huang Xianming was somewhat surprised, "This... Professor Jiang, are you sure?"
If these dense vines aren't cleared, it's like letting this group of people spend the night under them.
Putting aside how unpleasant the experience was, the green vines covering the entire town would also obstruct people's view, which would be detrimental to the nighttime curfew.
Jiang Shan laughed and said, "There are many wild kudzu vines here, and their own scent can cover up the smell of our sweat. Colonel Huang, don't worry, there are still many houses in this town that can be occupied. We can just split up and find a few nearby houses to stay in tonight."
Huang Xianming was clearly still hesitant when he heard Lin Yuan say from the side, "Colonel Huang, listen to Professor Jiang."
Huang Xianming paused, saluted, and then instructed his subordinates to make arrangements.
The professors, who had been living in fear all day, felt relieved to be able to get off the bus and were now in a better mood to observe the situation in Wuxu Town.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire town was covered by wild kudzu vines. No one knows where the main plant came from, but all the vines connected one house to another, covering the rooftops of the town's houses like a green canopy.
In addition, there are many forked vines hanging down from the canopy-like vine netting, which can easily cause one to trip if one is not careful.
In areas untouched by car headlights, moonlight filtered through the gaps in the vines, casting fine, dark shadows on the leaf-strewn ground. The lush green leaves swayed occasionally in the breeze, mingling with the chirping of crickets in the corner, creating a scene reminiscent of a ghost town.
From the outside, Wuxu Town looks like a long green tunnel, and you can't see inside at night.
The soldiers patrolled the town with flashlights and, finding no real threat, began setting up nighttime defenses.
Jiang Zhi got off the car and looked at the familiar surroundings, unsure whether it was nostalgia or something else.
This is a place where they lived for several years.
She also remembered that when they left, two families who were on good terms with them refused to leave.
Unexpectedly...
Several months later, the place is completely empty.
Jiang Shu carried Er Shun out of the car.
As soon as Er Shun got out of the car, he struggled to get off. After barking excitedly a few times, he ran off into the town.
Even though it was late at night, Jiang Shu didn't dare to shout loudly.
He scratched his head somewhat helplessly: "It seems like Ershun... really likes it here—huh?"
Jiang Shu suddenly widened his eyes, "A-Zhi, Er Shun actually ran to the place where we used to live!"
They even squatted down by the door, looking like they were waiting for them.
Its tail was wagging so happily.
Jiang Zhi couldn't see what was going on inside, and she was somewhat surprised when she heard Jiang Shu say this. "Could it be that you know we used to live there?"
Don't say it.
That's quite possible.
Er Shun's nose is no joke.
Just as Luo Yonghui and his group got out of the car, they overheard this and immediately asked, "Is this the place you stayed before? Which room did you stay in?"
Jiang Shu pointed to a bungalow not far away near the foot of the mountain: "Look, that one."
The team members were all very interested in the place where the Jiang family could survive in the wild for three years.
They didn't even bother to repair the car first, and drove it directly into the town.
When they arrived at the familiar bungalow of the brother and sister, they discovered that the once intact door had been covered by vines.
The headlights illuminated the surrounding environment.
Wild kudzu vines climbed vigorously up the cracks in the walls, windows, and balconies, wrapping the entire house tightly and even flattening the metal drain outlet on one side of the house.
From a distance, the house looks like a giant rice dumpling wrapped in a green blanket.
If Er Shun hadn't been squatting right in front of the gate, the brother and sister would have almost been unable to find where the gate was.
Wu Bing: "No, you're only staying here for these three years?"
His face was full of "Is this even a place for humans to live?" "How come we haven't encountered any mutated beasts in three years?"
Jiang Zhi laughed and said, "Why don't you go in and take a look?"
Without any hesitation, the men cleared away the vines blocking the doorway.
Stepping on the thick layer of vine leaves covering the cement floor, like after a rain of rotten leaves, you can hear the squelching sound of juice being squeezed out.
After everyone entered the house, and after scanning the empty and clean house with a powerful flashlight, Wu Bing and the others thought they had seen wrong.
Surprisingly, these rampant wild kudzu vines, which covered the entire town, did not grow into the houses.
The interior was spotless, and even the furniture was perfectly preserved.
The sofa, dining table, TV cabinet... even the full-length mirror is still intact and pasted on the wall.
Chen Shaoting touched the tabletop; it was spotless, without a speck of dust.
Jiang Zhi: "These vines have a dust-removing effect. When we lived here before, we hardly ever had to clean."
Wu Bing plopped down on the sofa: "This works great!"
Judging from the sturdy rosewood furniture, this family was well-off.
In a daze, the group had the illusion of returning to the time before the Great Cataclysm.
Jiangzhi patted Ershun's head and told him and his sister what they were thinking: "Winter is coming soon. This place is sheltered from the wind, so we plan to build a nest for Ershun here."
Chen Shaoting glanced at Ershun: "This location is good, but I'm afraid Ershun won't agree."
Jiang Zhi smiled.
The base will not allow mutated beasts to enter the area where humans are active in the short term.
Even if they were given special treatment, it would only be a huge cage for Ershun.
Her brother wouldn't want to see Er Shun suffer.
Luo Yonghui: "This place isn't far from the base. We can come and visit Ershun when we go on missions in the future."
Wu Bing crossed his arms and said, "Boss, I think it's Er Shun who came to see us."
Upon hearing this, everyone realized that Ershun's speed was indeed much more convenient than their own coming to see it.
Luo Yonghui looked at Jiang Shu suspiciously: "You wouldn't be thinking of doing that, would you?"
Jiang Shu chuckled and didn't deny it.
Hu Yang was overjoyed at the thought of seeing Er Shun again on missions in this direction in the future, and said, "Brother Jiang Shu, we can build Er Shun a yurt-style doghouse, so that we won't run into him even in winter."
Jiang Shu's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea!"
They happened to have a small two-person tent, which they could modify and use.
Both of them were practical people, and they immediately rummaged through drawers and found a lot of winter clothes and quilts.
After Jiang Shu set up the tent, Hu Yang spread the old cotton wadding he found into the bottom of the tent, and then stuffed thick sweaters and long underwear into a corner as cushions. Jiang Shu was worried about drafts at night, so he tied the tent opening tightly with hemp rope and then draped some coats on top as curtains.
Wu Bing and Yan Liang, along with a few others, also helped out.
The group knew that they might not see Er Shun again after this mission, so everyone put in a lot of effort.
Er Shun seemed to know that everyone was making a nest for it, and it watched quietly from the side with its big, watery eyes, being incredibly well-behaved.
Once the doghouse was ready, Ershun barked a few times, circled the tent, and wagged its tail so hard that its entire rear end swayed, clearly very happy.
Chen Shaoting wrote "Er Shun's Home" on an erasable whiteboard she found in her side bedroom and placed it on the ceiling.
"Alright, Ershun has a home now."
"Woof woof woof!!"
Er Shun, in a burst of joy, scurried into the tent with a "thump," rolled around once, and finally landed on his back, flapping his arms and legs a few times. His bright eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and he panted heavily with his tongue lolling out.
Clearly, Er Shun is very satisfied with his new home.
Jiang Zhi was worried that it would get too hot, "Ershun, come out quickly."
Er Shun rubbed his head against the cushion and obediently jumped out.
Next, the group, under the powerful flashlights, added and repaired a lot of things to Er Shun's new home. Afterwards, the group was covered in sweat.
Chen Shaoting rarely complained: "In this awful weather, if I wasn't worried about not having enough water, I really wanted to take a shower."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi quickly said, "Sister Shaoting, there's water here. Would you like to take a bath?"
Chen Shaoting's eyes lit up.
Wu Bing raised an eyebrow: "There's still water here?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "It's spring water."
Wuxu Town is nestled against Wuyu Mountain, and all of the town's water comes from mountain springs. Furthermore, during the Great Cataclysm, the local geological activity was minimal, and some facilities remained undamaged. Therefore, every household here still has running water.
Chen Shaoting really wanted to wash up.
These past few days I've been on the road, looking disheveled and smelling of sweat.
I didn't think much of it when we didn't have the means, but now that we've finally come across a place with water, I'm somewhat tempted.
Seeing her hesitation, Wu Bing said, "I'll give you five minutes."
Chen Shaoting gritted her teeth and said, "Help me keep watch!"
It was only because the main force was there that she was willing to take the risk.
While Chen Shaoting was washing up, the rest of the group outside had already chosen their houses.
Before the cataclysm, many outsiders bought houses in Wuxu Town to use as guesthouses. After the cataclysm, the town was not affected by the tectonic movement. In the following years, many outsiders who were trapped like the Jiang family also lived there. Therefore, many houses were still usable. In addition, the town's layout and structure made it easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it very suitable as a rest stop.
Nearly two hundred people, most of whom lived in bungalows in the town, while a small number stayed in their vehicles.
Inside the house, the wild kudzu vines that were originally in the way became the best defensive barrier.
After Luo Yonghui and several other managers tested the walkie-talkies and discussed emergency response measures, they smiled at Jiang Shu and said, "Jiang kid, this place is pretty good. No wonder you guys were able to stay here for three years."
Jiang Shu shrugged: "That's not necessarily true. The dangers here haven't even manifested yet."
The group was somewhat surprised. "What do you mean?"
Jiang Shu: "When we lived here before, there would be all kinds of mutated beasts passing by every day, especially at night, when there would be even more of them. Almost every night there would be a wave of mutated beasts on their way."
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