Chapter 78
They didn't know where these mutated beasts came from or where they were going.
Without exception, all these mutated beasts passed through Wuxu Town. On the most extreme occasion, they even experienced a small beast tide.
It was for this reason that Jiang Shan and the others dared to be certain that the winding mountain road of Wuyu Mountain could still lead to Hunan Province, just like before.
I wonder if, after those monkeys from Wuyu Mountain come down the mountain, there will still be mutated beasts passing by here as before.
Upon hearing this, Wu Bing gasped: "You guys are really bold, you haven't moved in three years."
Jiang Shu curled his lip. How could they not have thought about moving? It's just that the outside world is not as good as Wuxu Town.
The better places are too far away, so they've been hiding here because they have no other choice.
At that moment, Jiang Shan's voice came through the walkie-talkie, reminding people of precautions for nighttime.
The message was similar to what the brother and sister had said, mainly to warn everyone to be wary of mutated beasts passing by at night.
Without delay, everyone opened the mosquito nets, laid out mats on the ground, and rested.
Jiang Shu knew that his younger sister wanted to check the basement, so he volunteered to take turns on duty.
Hu Yang felt bad. "Brother Jiang Shu, let us do it."
No matter what, the brother and sister have worked hard for most of the day, and it's inhumane to make them take turns on duty now.
Jiang Shu patted his chest confidently: "Don't worry, I'm very strong, I can handle it."
Wu Bing also wanted to offer some advice, but was persuaded by the freshly washed ginger: "Brother Wu, we know this place well. If there's anything we can remind you of, let us do it."
Everyone understood the gravity of the situation and did not insist further.
Time quickly came to 1 a.m.
At this moment, the entire town of Wuxu was completely silent; the chirping of crickets that used to echo through the town had stopped at some point.
Even the enormous moon hid behind the clouds.
The brother and sister exchanged a glance in the darkness and carefully held their breath.
A moment later, the silence was broken by the cracking sound of the stone pavement breaking, followed by a muffled rumble of thunder from the ground, mixed with the crisp sound of pebbles hitting each other, and even the rat holes in the corners of the walls were covered with dust.
The thud of the mutated beast's paws hitting the ground sounded like someone swinging a sledgehammer at a concrete floor, causing dust to fall from the walls and even the roof beams to creak and groan.
And this kind of gravity-level mutated beast is not just one, but a group of them!
The commotion even woke up the soldiers who had already gone to sleep.
But at that moment, no one moved.
She didn't even dare to lift her eyelids, and her breathing slowed down.
Some of the younger ones are already feeling a chill run down their spines.
The next second, everyone felt a faint layer of spiritual energy covering their bodies.
Jiang Zhi was startled.
Is this—Lin Yuan making a move?
She subconsciously sensed it and found that under this layer of spiritual power, she couldn't even sense Jiang Shu, who was only a fist away from her.
This ability to isolate and shield is simply amazing.
No wonder the base still let him lead the mission even after he left the exploration team.
Fortunately, these mutated beasts quickly left the town area.
Even after the footsteps of the beasts had completely disappeared, the group still dared not move, fearing that they might disturb the enormous creatures that had not gone far.
After an unknown amount of time, the chirping of crickets in the town began again.
Does this mean it's safe?
No one spoke, and the atmosphere remained heavy.
Only after Lin Yuan withdrew the spiritual energy covering everyone did Jiang Zhi softly say, "It's safe now."
The stiff backs of Chen Shaoting and the others suddenly relaxed.
After a moment of silence, Hu Yang suddenly asked in a low voice, "Sister Jiangzhi, did you all live like this every day before?"
Jiang Zhi hummed in agreement.
Actually, they were better off back then than they are now.
At least they were in the basement, not exposed on the ground.
The people from the other families, however, live in constant fear, just like they did before.
Luo Yonghui found it strange: "Won't those mutated beasts run into the town?"
Jiang Zhi: "Yes, but they are all small mutated beasts."
When the cataclysm began, more than thirty people, including the town's own residents, remained in the town.
Once the situation outside stabilized, one-third of the people left.
The remaining twenty-odd people formed four households.
Occasionally, when small mutated beasts wander into the town, several families will work together to kill them.
But most of the time, those mutated beasts are on their way, and they won't forage for food on the road unless they are extremely hungry.
Luo Yonghui seemed to be deep in thought.
For the rest of the time, no one spoke.
With the news of the herd of beasts passing by, Luo Yonghui lost his sleepiness and simply closed his eyes to rest.
At three o'clock, Jiang Zhi used the excuse of going to the bathroom to enter the master bedroom.
In fact, as soon as Jiang Zhi stepped into Wuxu Town, she received a notification from the dashboard.
"Beep—Special mineral detected, mutated basalt, which can conceal one's presence."
For some reason, Jiang Zhi's first thought at the time was that the basalt had the same effect as Lin Yuan's superpower.
They can all conceal their presence.
However, the effect of this mutated basalt in concealing its aura is a passive skill.
In other words, the very existence of basalt can protect the people staying in the town.
This explains why they were able to spend countless nights in Wuxu Town during those years.
Although she has come to this understanding, Jiang Zhi does not regret leaving with her family.
Basalt can only conceal one's presence; if one encounters those mutated beasts head-on, one will still be detected.
The door to the basement is inside the closet in the master bedroom.
Jiang Zhi returned to this familiar place, feeling as if she had been through another world.
The entire wine cellar was converted into a living space by the family of four.
The steel frame filled with expensive red and white wines was moved to a corner.
Wild kudzu vines can't get in here.
They had only been gone for less than six months, and the bottle necks were already covered in dust. Unopened beer crates were piled up in the corner, almost reaching the ceiling.
In the center were several wooden tables with the porcelain plates they hadn't taken with them.
The familiar scent of wood, wine, and dampness wafted into Jiangzhi's nostrils.
She arrived at the location indicated on the dashboard and quickly discovered that the mutated basalt with its special function was actually a wall surface specially laid by the wine cellar owner to maintain the temperature of the wine cellar.
The entire wall, approximately 3*3 square meters, is about 5 centimeters thick.
Previously, they only knew that such a large basalt rock was extremely rare and could fetch an astronomical price on the market, and therefore thought the owner of the house was very wealthy.
Looking back now, Jiang Zhi suddenly realized that this was not just extravagance, it was downright inhuman extravagance!
Jiang Zhi was quite certain that if they could bring such a valuable item as mutated basalt back to the base, it would definitely ensure that her family would live a life free from worries about food and drink for the rest of their lives.
Jiang Zhi originally intended to take this mutated basalt with her.
But now she has changed her mind.
Such a large special ore could encompass the entire Wuxu Town within its concealment range.
Perhaps one day, other people like them will find shelter here.
Even for Er Shun's sake, Jiang Zhi felt that it would be better to keep the Wuxu Town as it is now.
After making the decision, Jiang Zhi felt much more relaxed.
He then quickly collected all the wine on the steel rack and the barrels of red wine and cases of beer piled in the corner into the space device.
I reckon her father-in-law will be overjoyed when she goes back this time.
After doing all this, Jiang Zhi was about to go back when her calf suddenly brushed against something soft and furry.
Jiang Zhi jumped back half a step in fright.
Looking down, she saw Ershun tilting his head and looking at her, his tail wagging like a little flag.
Jiang Zhi:......
When did this little rascal follow us here?
She didn't notice at all.
Jiang Zhi pinched the golden retriever's ear and whispered, "Er Shun, you're going to scare people to death like this."
Ershun barked happily a few more times, and Jiangzhi quickly covered its mouth: "Shh! This is our secret base, we can't let outsiders know."
Ershun seemed to understand this time. Its eyes darted around like a thief, its tail tip drooped as it swept the ground slightly, and it made a whimpering sound in its throat.
Jiang Zhi lowered her voice, "Be good, don't make a sound, okay?"
Seeing Ershun wagging its tail obediently, Jiangzhi slowly released its mouth.
She rubbed Ershun's head vigorously, "This will be your new home from now on, so remember that."
Er Shun rubbed her hand vigorously, it was unclear whether he understood her or not.
Seeing that more than fifteen minutes had passed since she arrived, Jiangzhi had no choice but to return to the ground.
Back in the room where everyone was resting, Jiang Shu pretended to complain in a low voice, "Did you fall into a pit? It took you so long to go to the toilet."
Jiang Zhi coughed.
"None of your business."
The chirping of crickets filled the small town.
For the brother and sister, the sound was more effective than a lullaby.
As long as the sound continues, it proves they are safe.
As the night wore on, even Luo Yonghui and his companions were dozing off amidst the chirping of crickets.
Jiang Zhi sat in front of the door on duty, somewhat idle.
The darkness outside the door was like a painting splashed with ink, devoid of any light.
Since consuming the mental pollutant, Jiangzhi's mental power has been able to cover an increasingly wider area.
She tried to project her mental energy outwards.
It was as if she had eyes in her brain; she could clearly "see" the situation of Zou Minghua's team in the next room.
Apart from two team members who sustained minor injuries during the day, the other members did not rest and remained vigilant about their surroundings at all times.
Further out, there were more than twenty soldiers in one room.
These soldiers had long since developed the skill of falling asleep quickly anywhere.
There was a place to lie down, some just collapsed on the ground, some had their energy guns tilted to one side, some had their hats pulled over their faces, and some were just lying on their backs.
Even during rest, the soldiers always kept their weapons in hand, ready to fight at any moment.
Jiang Zhi's mental energy gently passed over everyone, preparing to continue expanding outwards to test the limits of its coverage. Unexpectedly, the next second, she encountered a mental energy barrier of considerable strength—
Her heart skipped a beat.
Her mental energy was like an elastic band that had been stretched for a long time; it was "whooshed" back by her.
When Jiang Zhi realized that she had encountered someone's spiritual power, she immediately felt embarrassed.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yuan was so perceptive that he noticed it immediately.
Just then, a faint green light flickered deep within the vines. Immediately afterwards, two, three, and more and more fluorescent green dots emerged from the pile of decaying leaves and the gaps in the vines.
Jiang Zhi was taken aback.
It turned out to be a mutated firefly.
These mutated fireflies only appear in the town every now and then. Apart from being a little larger and having brighter light-emitting organs, they are no different from those before the Great Cataclysm.
I didn't expect them to be so lucky; they were able to see each other again even though they only stayed for one day.
As Jiang Zhi stared at the shimmering light filtering through the vines, the restlessness in her heart slowly subsided, as if she had finally settled down.
Jiang Shu was curious about whether his sister had found anything good, and wanted to move over to ask her a few questions, but instead, he was shrunk into Er Shun and snuggled into his arms.
Ginger Tree: ...
This little rascal is so clingy.
After staying up all night, everyone finally relaxed as dawn broke.
After learning that this kind of thing happened every day, Professor Shen didn't sleep a wink all night.
This will avert the crisis; immediately go outside to collect data.
Fearing for the old professor's safety, several assistants disregarded their own concerns and hurriedly followed.
Upon arriving outside the town, one sees that the road, which was originally full of gravel, has been riddled with potholes, as if it had been smashed by a giant hammer. The potholes are four or five centimeters deep, with mud clods turned up at the edges and several hooks marked on them, as if they had been scratched by claws. The dry, hard soil is cracked, which looks quite eerie.
There were countless pits of varying sizes. It is estimated that seven or eight mutated beasts passed through Wuxu Town last night, and they were not even the same type of mutated beast.
Laymen simply cannot identify which mutated beasts were from those messy footprints.
Professor Shen practically lay on the ground to measure and record each of the footprints.
He even collected the fur that the mutated beasts shed on the road in a bag.
For a professor in his seventies to do this much is truly admirable in its dedication.
It was twenty minutes later when it was over.
Professor Ning walked over and asked, "So, Professor Shen, have you found anything?"
Professor Shen did not look well.
"Judging from their weight and size, they should be a mutant elephant and a mutant antelope."
Professor Yang frowned: "These two mutated beasts are completely unrelated, how come they happened to pass by here together?"
Professor Shen didn't answer him. Instead, he took out his notebook and wrote down what happened last night, muttering to himself, "Incomprehensible, incomprehensible. These mutated beasts are all suddenly heading in the same direction. What do they want to do?"
Both Professor Yang and Professor Ning had solemn expressions on their faces.
Even he, as a leading expert in this field, didn't know the answer, let alone anyone else.
The town of Wuxu was only a day and a night away from their base, a distance that was far too short compared to the mutated beasts.
If they all go to their base...
The two dared not think too deeply about it.
Professor Yang said, "This matter is of great importance, and we still need to report the information to the base."
Professor Ning had no objections and directly instructed Liu Haining to turn on the small communication base station.
Professor Yang: "By the way, Professor Jiang, you've stayed here before, so you should know the situation better than us. Please tell us more details."
Upon hearing this, Professor Shen immediately snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes, Professor Jiang, I heard that your family of four stayed here for a few years before. Tell me about any strange things you saw."
Jiang Shan thought for a moment and then called Jiang Zhi and her brother over as well.
Er Shun was originally with them, but upon seeing Professor Shen, he immediately turned and ran away.
Jiang Shu was somewhat embarrassed: "Sorry, Professor Shen, Er Shun is probably a little shy."
Although Professor Shen was disappointed, he had bigger problems to solve now, so he didn't dwell on Er Shun's matter.
“It’s alright. Tell me about what you’ve encountered in this small town over the past few years.”
Jiang Shu scratched his head, and seeing that his younger sister hadn't spoken, he said, "Professor Shen, actually we've never seen a mutated beast pass by either."
Such a dangerous thing, it's not like I'm tired of living and I'm going to investigate. I'm already lucky to save my life, how could I dare to indulge my curiosity?
“But we have records that a large mutated beast passes by almost every three months, and each time these mutated beasts travel in pairs, and we have not heard of them hunting each other.”
In fact, the people who lived in Wuxu Town were puzzled by the fact that these mutated beasts passed through Wuxu Town every day, but as time went on, they gradually got used to it.
Faced with a world that can no longer be explained by science, they can only adapt.
Professor Shen's eyes lit up, and he immediately wrote down the information.
The siblings and Jiang Shan then added some more details, all of which Professor Shen recorded as valuable information.
Before long, Liu Haining and several assistants had installed small communication equipment.
Although it is a small communication device, when propped up, it is about the size of a rooftop water tank.
After the assistants finished setting up the equipment, they handed the microphone to Professor Shen.
After Professor Shen reported the situation from last night to the base, he handed the microphone to Jiang Shan.
Jiang Shan was somewhat surprised. "Professor Shen, what's going on...?"
"Since we've already brought out this equipment, we might as well use it." Perhaps because he had reported it to the base, Professor Shen felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and his usual smile returned to his face. "What? Nothing you want to tell your family?"
How could it not be there!?
Seeing that his father didn't immediately take the receiver, Jiang Shu, who was standing to the side, wanted to rush forward and snatch it away.
Jiang Shan laughed and said, "Then I'll use this as an excuse to do something private."
Teacher Shen smiled and glanced at Jiang Shu and his sister, then considerately led her assistant to the side.
As soon as the others left, Jiang Shu quickly went over to them.
"Dad, shall we call Mom? Ask her how things are at home, if my older brother went to Grandpa Lin's to study, and if Grandpa and Grandma are feeling well. Oh, and what about Uncle and the others..."
Jiang Shu wanted to know everything about his family.
Jiang Shan chuckled and said, "You silly boy, do you think it's really as convenient as 5G calls used to be? With ours, we can only record the call through official personnel at the base and then pass it on to your mom and the others."
Upon hearing this, the brother and sister were immediately disappointed.
I thought I'd hear their mother's voice.
They haven't been separated for this long since the Cataclysm.
Although Ms. Ye often interfered and refused to give them this or that, the brother and sister felt empty inside when they were actually separated.
Jiang Shan: "Alright, don't waste time. Think about what you want to say to your mothers, and we'll pass it on together later."
Jiang Shu: "Then I'll go first!"
Jiang Shan let him have his way.
The signal from the small communication device was not good, and Jiang Shan had to dial several times before he was able to get through to the base.
After explaining his purpose, Jiang Shan handed the microphone to his son.
Then I heard Jiang Shu ramble on and on.
He greeted everyone, from the two elderly people to the baby in Xu Na's belly.
The father and daughter listened for a while and realized that this guy had said everything they wanted to ask and say.
The two of them awkwardly racked their brains, trying to think of what to say next.
Just then, she saw Lin Yuan inspecting the vehicle not far away. After thinking for a moment, she said to Jiang Zhi, "Azhi, go over and ask Captain Lin if we need to pass on a message to Old Master Lin."
Jiang Zhi was stunned.
Jiang Shan: "Grandpa Lin and Captain Lin often take care of our Jiang family. Since Captain Lin is away this time, only Grandpa Lin is at home. It would be best if your mother and the others took good care of him later."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi nodded, realizing it was indeed what they should do, and walked towards Lin Yuan. "Captain Lin, we're about to make a call back to let you know we're safe. Do you want to say something to Grandpa Lin?"
Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised. He jumped off the front bumper of the car, his hands still covered in black engine oil.
"Have the base relay the message?"
Jiang Zhi: "Yes."
Ever since Grandpa Lin's spacecraft design clashed with the base's philosophy, he has had a very strained relationship with the authorities.
Lin Yuan originally wanted to refuse, but seeing the girl's bright eyes, the words of refusal circled in his mouth and he swallowed them back down.
"Okay, then please help me convey that everything is going well on my end."
After Jiang Zhi replied "Okay," she ran straight back to her brother's place.
Lin Yuan watched the other person's energetic back and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Just as Jiang Shu finished his rambling, Jiang Zhi took the microphone and said, "Mom, you can probably tell from my brother's voice that we're doing alright, right? Remember to eat well, don't be stingy."
After saying that, Jiang Zhi added, "By the way, remember to tell Grandpa Lin that his grandson is doing well too."
After Jiang Zhi finished speaking, the microphone was handed to Jiang Shan.
The brother and sister stared intently at their father.
Jiang Shan blushed slightly under the gaze. He cleared his throat and said, "Go, go, go. I'm talking to your mother. You all go about your business."
Jiang Shu grinned slyly: "Dad, watch your words, don't embarrass the communications officer—"
Jiang Shan didn't mince words: "Get out of here."
The brother and sister exchanged a glance and chuckled.
Their dad got shy.
The team was delayed for a while because of the matter to be reported to the base.
While they were at it, the soldiers filled in the craters caused by the mutated beasts the night before.
Seeing the deep and shallow footprints, everyone felt a lingering fear of the scene when the herd of beasts passed by last night.
At times like these, Lin Yuan's extraordinary abilities become apparent.
Thinking of Lin Yuan, Professor Yang couldn't help but ask a few more questions, "Oh right, Captain Lin used his special ability yesterday, how is he?"
Liu Haining, who was standing nearby, replied, "Lin's mental state seems alright, so it shouldn't have much of an impact."
Professor Yang nodded, and just then he saw Jiang Zhi standing next to Jiang Shan, and couldn't help but say, "Speaking of which, could Comrade Jiang Zhi also take a look at his mental damage?"
Upon hearing this, Professor Ning thought it was a good idea, so he turned to Jiang Zhi and asked, "Comrade Jiang, do you think you could help me out?"
This was just something the two professors said casually in a moment of conversation, and it didn't mean anything else.
Jiang Zhi also wanted to know if she could treat Lin Yuan's condition, so she readily agreed.
Just consider it as paying your phone bill.
The two professors were delighted to see that Jiang Zhi had agreed and immediately sent someone to fetch Lin Yuan.
Mental impairment can manifest in many ways, and mental pollution, which ginger twigs can treat, is only one of them.
The base has tried many top-notch methods to analyze and treat Lin Yuan's condition, but with little success.
The base ultimately concluded that unless a Level 6 psychic power user fully cooperated, Lin Yuan's injuries were unlikely to heal.
Although Professor Yang is not an expert in this field, he knows how powerful a Level 6 mental ability user is.
To date, there is probably not a single Level 6 mental ability user in the Dragon Kingdom.
Therefore, the professors did not have much hope.
The crowd was unaware that the Level 6 psychic ability user they had been longing for was right in front of them. Professor Yang even comforted Jiang Zhi, saying, "Comrade Jiang, you don't need to feel guilty. Just treat it as a routine check-up."
Jiang Zhi smiled and agreed.
Before long, Lin Yuan walked over, nodded to the professors in greeting, and then looked at Professor Yang: "Professor Yang, did you call me?"
Professor Yang smiled and said, "You forcibly used your superpower yesterday to protect us. I was thinking of having Comrade Xiao Jiang take a look at it; maybe it can help you."
Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised and looked at Jiang Zhi.
He had heard about Jiang Zhi's special abilities yesterday.
Lin Yuan felt somewhat helpless.
He knew that the professors were trying to help him, but his injuries were almost incurable at the moment.
"Professor Yang..."
Just as Lin Yuan was about to refuse, Jiang Zhi said, "Brother Lin Yuan, would you mind if I took a look at it for you?"
Lin Yuan paused for a moment.
This was the first time the girl had called him that; before, she always called him by his full name.
Looking into the girl's clear eyes, Lin Yuan couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"...I don't mind."
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