100 Puppet Jade
"Phew... This road is really difficult to travel." Cong Xia complained as he pressed on the accelerator, feeling his thighs going numb. Fortunately, it was time for a shift change, and Deng Xiao took over the driving. As soon as he climbed onto Abu's back, he couldn't help but voice his grievances.
Zhuang Yao proudly said, "Now you understand the purpose of those high tires on Road Bully."
The thick layer of snow on the ground would have easily trapped ordinary cars, but when designing Road Bully, Zhuang Yao had taken various terrain conditions into consideration. With a height of four meters and tires reaching over a person's height and half a meter wide, Road Bully's advantages on snowy terrain were fully demonstrated.
Deng Xiao lowered the car window and shouted, "This car is so cool! In the past, I couldn't even dream of driving such a cool car because I didn't have a driver's license. Hahaha!"
Cheng Tianbi looked at the endless forest covered in white snow and asked, "How far are we from Luoyang?"
"According to Road Bully's travel records, we should be less than 200 kilometers away. We will arrive tomorrow," Zhuang Yao replied while looking at the map. "From Luoyang to Beijing, it's just over 800 kilometers. We are already very close to Beijing."
Thinking of the bat mutant and the young boy they encountered in Guiyang, Cong Xia felt a bit uneasy. "Those two people we encountered before must be very formidable." They should have become even stronger now.
Zhuang Yao said, "According to their words, there is more than one group with Puppet Jade. Our goal is Puppet Jade, not any specific organization or individual. Let's assess the situation once we arrive in Luoyang."
Cong Xia nodded and continued, "Do you think about how the Puppet Jade ended up in their hands? Puppet Jade was born during the earthquake, right?"
Zhuang Yao said, "It should have flowed out from Qinghai. As for how it flowed out, without enough information, it's impossible to analyze. It certainly wasn't simply thrown out during an earthquake... Deng Xiao, did you turn on the heater again!" Zhuang Yao suddenly shouted at Road Bully.
Deng Xiao was startled and quickly turned off the heater in the car.
Zhuang Yao yelled, "I told you not to use the heater. We don't have much gasoline, so no wasting."
Deng Xiao complained, "But I'm cold."
"Wear more clothes."
Liu Fengyu shook his head and said, "This poor guy has a body temperature below thirty degrees. He's easily prone to freezing in this kind of weather."
Tang Yanqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Becoming stronger comes at a cost."
Cheng Tianbi looked at the sky. "The sun is about to set. We should find a place to rest soon."
Before it got dark, the group found a hill where the snow was thinner and decided to rest there.
As soon as they got off the car, Deng Xiao pulled out a sleeping bag from the car and immediately climbed inside, burying his face in it.
Cong Xia laughed and said, "You're going to sleep already? What about dinner?"
Deng Xiao mumbled, "Wake me up when it's time to eat."
Abu walked over and squatted beside him, using its claws to pull the sleeping bag closer. Deng Xiao rolled like a stick and ended up at Abu's feet. Abu lay down on the ground, covering the sleeping bag with its thick chest hair and resting its head beside the sleeping bag. Deng Xiao immediately felt much warmer. He poked his head out and affectionately kissed Abu.
After Cong Xia finished cooking, he called everyone to eat. Deng Xiao refused to come out of the sleeping bag and only exposed his chest and above, looking at Cong Xia with pleading eyes. Cong Xia filled a big bowl with rice and stewed meat and placed it in front of Deng Xiao. He held the bowl and wolfed down the food.
While they were eating, Zhuang Yao suddenly asked Cheng Tianbi, "How far are you from reaching the Second Stage?"
Cheng Tianbi finished a mouthful of food in silence and said, "I'm getting close."
Cong Xia was both surprised and excited. "That's great! I wonder what changes the energy core will undergo after reaching the Second Stage."
"The increase in energy storage is certain. I don't know how the growth in abilities will manifest in this situation," Zhuang Yao said, looking quite expectant.
Cheng Tianbi pondered for a moment and said, "I feel like my body is getting lighter."
"Lighter? In what sense?" Zhuang Yao asked.
"Not in terms of weight, but... when I'm moving, I feel like I'm merging with the wind." Cheng Tianbi extended his arm parallel to the ground. "Ordinary people can maintain this position for 3 to 5 minutes. I hadn't specifically calculated it before, but maintaining it for 10 minutes is no problem for me now. But now, I feel like I could hold this position for an entire night without feeling tired."
Zhuang Yao nodded. "I understand. You feel your body becoming lighter not in the literal sense, but rather, the influence of gravity on you has weakened. As you evolve, you will become the true embodiment of the wind. By then, the constraints of gravity on your body can be ignored, and you will be able to... almost fly."
The group couldn't help but show expressions of disbelief. They had glimpsed the terrifying aspects of natural force evolution.
Cheng Tianbi looked at his hands as if he couldn't believe it either.
Zhuang Yao said, "I really want to know how powerful those natural force evolvers in Beijing have become."
Deng Xiao blinked his eyes. "Could they be even stronger than Cheng-ge?"
This question left everyone silent.
After a moment, Zhuang Yao said, "It's hard to say in a one-on-one fight because most of those natural force evolvers have been using the Puppet Jades for a long time. However, Cheng Tianbi has been practicing with the methods provided by the Ancient Jades for such a long time, and although the Puppet Jades are wrapped in that soft metal, they still have had some influence on Cheng Tianbi's evolution. So, only by fighting will we know who has evolved better. But one thing is certain, they don't have Cong Xia. As long as Cong Xia is with us, I can't imagine how far they would have to evolve to be able to compete with Cheng Tianbi."
Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia exchanged a glance, and Cong Xia patted Cheng Tianbi's shoulder with a smile. "Don't worry about any natural force evolvers. You have me."
Zhuang Yao said, "Don't get too excited either. The premise for your 'infinite energy extraction machine' is that you have the Puppet Jades. Your energy doesn't come out of thin air. Without the Puppet Jades, we would also exhaust our energy like everyone else. Therefore, we must obtain the Puppet Jades."
Cheng Tianbi said in a deep voice, "Speaking of the Puppet Jades, there's something I need to tell you."
"Oh? What is it?"
Cheng Tianbi took out something wrapped in cloth from his backpack. Cong Xia knew what it was and still had lingering fear from the scene he witnessed that day.
Cheng Tianbi opened the cloth, revealing a severely damaged DSLR camera in front of everyone.
Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Huh?"
Seeing the camera, the others asked, "What happened to this camera?"
Liu Fengyu picked up the camera and said, "It's the Canon EOS M, what happened to this camera?"
Deng Xiao looked surprised. "Could this be my camera?"
Cheng Tianbi said, "Take a look and see if it's your camera."
Tang Yanqiu's expression changed slightly. "Didn't your camera fall in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda?"
Zhuang Yao's face also changed.
Deng Xiao didn't care about the cold anymore and quickly got out of the sleeping bag to receive the camera. He carefully examined it and said, "Yes, this is the camera my dad bought me last year. There's a dent on the battery cover, and this lens is one I picked up in a mall several months ago when I passed through a city. I found many lenses, memory cards, and batteries at the time..." Deng Xiao's eyes welled up with tears. "These are the things my dad left me. I thought I would never find them again."
Zhuang Yao anxiously asked, "Where did you find the camera?"
Cheng Tianbi replied, "In the Big Wild Goose Pagoda."
Zhuang Yao narrowed his eyes. "Right, the day we left?"
"Yes." Cheng Tianbi was completely unaffected by Zhuang Yao's questioning gaze. He asked Deng Xiao, "When you lost the camera, how much battery power was left, and how much storage space was available on the memory card?"
Deng Xiao sighed and said, "When we went to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the camera had my last fully charged battery. It should have had a relatively full battery level at that time, and the SD card was a newly replaced one with 32GB of space. I hadn't used much of it."
Zhuang Yao snorted coldly. "Indeed, something unusual happened that night. No wonder you changed your clothes. You went into the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and brought out this camera. I don't understand why you didn't tell us at that time, but you're telling us now?" He looked at Cong Xia. "You went in as well, didn't you?"
Cong Xia nodded. "Yes."
Cheng Tianbi explained, "I didn't say anything at that time because I knew you were still fixated on the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and I didn't want everyone to take unnecessary risks. I'm mentioning it now because this incident is related to the Puppet Jades and worth analyzing."
Zhuang Yao was clearly somewhat unhappy, but he was more eager to know the secret of the camera. He said, "Explain the situation clearly."
Cheng Tianbi paused for a moment and then recounted what had happened that night and what he and Cong Xia had seen in the camera.
When he mentioned the appearance of an eye in the camera and the plea for help from the owner of that eye, everyone took a sharp breath.
Deng Xiao looked at his camera with a mournful face. Despite his bravery, he found this incident quite frightening.
Finally, Cheng Tianbi said, "The SD card was with me at the time, and I still have the battery. After we arrive in Luoyang, we can look for the same model of camera or a usable computer to see the complete content."
Zhuang Yao lowered his head and contemplated for a long time before muttering to himself, "Is keeping this camera meant for the purpose of seeking help?"
Cong Xia said, "It's probably not just that. Otherwise, why didn't they throw the camera in a conspicuous place outside the tower? And if they were seeking help, why didn't they do it when we were inside, instead of using the camera?"
Zhuang Yao said, "You're right. The purpose of keeping this camera in use definitely isn't seeking help. It's just that the owner of that eye happened to leave a distress signal in the camera. As you said, he might have been the last group of people who went in, and this could be a glimpse of his final moments before death."
Liu Fengyu said, "But based on your description, he sounds like he was infected by the insect-type mutants."
Zhuang Yao exclaimed, "Liu Fengyu is the only assimilated mutant here, even though he is a plant-based one, his experiences are more convincing than others."
Cong Xia said, "Do those reactions occur when someone is infected by other beings? The change in eye color, the movement of insects under the skin, and the non-human voice?"
Liu Fengyu said, "I can't remember clearly what happened when I was infected by the mutant plant. I only remember it was very painful, as if my whole body was burning, and my blood was boiling. The physical pain wasn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that I had to struggle against the consciousness of the Corpse Flower King."
"Consciousness?"
"Yes, although the Corpse Flower King is a plant, it also has self-awareness, and I have my own consciousness. When we merged together, our two consciousnesses fought for control of the body. However, the self-awareness of the Corpse Flower King is very weak, and I quickly overcame the consciousness that wanted to take away my thoughts. But shortly after I was infected by the plant, around the time when I met you all, that consciousness was still haunting my subconscious, making me desire to digest animals and even humans to obtain sufficient nutrients. This craving was suppressed after I started practicing, and now I can completely restrain the self-awareness of the Corpse Flower King. I think the self-awareness of plants is relatively weak, far inferior to animals. Those who were infected by animal mutants may need to go through a period of struggle to maintain their 'human' nature. The person you mentioned most likely is on the verge of death, seeking help in a confused state. However, there is also a slight possibility that he is currently being infected by the insects. The reason for the color change in his pupils and the non-human-like voice could be due to the mutants. Otherwise, it's hard to explain the camera battery. If this person has truly died, then who was charging the camera during the ten-plus days between the camera's drop and our entry into the tower?"
Zhuang Yao said, "Are you suggesting that this person may have been taken over by the insects, resulting in many inexplicable actions?"
Liu Fengyu shrugged. "It's just my speculation."
Cheng Tianbi said, "If this speculation is true, it could explain a lot of things."
Zhuang Yao said in a deep voice, "When we arrive in Luoyang, we must find a tool that can play the recordings as soon as possible. I have a feeling that the recordings hold a lot of information. If we're lucky, we might even obtain some information about the mutants in Beijing. Sun Ya mentioned that there was a Natural Power Evolutionist among the third group that went in, meaning they went in together with this person. If they discovered this camera together, there might be some information left behind."
Cong Xia said, "I hadn't thought about that. In any case, the contents of the camera are definitely valuable to us."
Among the group, only Deng Xiao showed no interest in the weighty topic they were discussing. Instead, he gratefully held onto the camera and said, "Thank you, Cheng-ge, thank you, Cheng-ge."
Zhuang Yao said, "Although it was foolish of you to keep this matter from me, at least you've done something meaningful. If we can unravel the mystery of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, we will definitely return there someday."
"Why are you so sure?"
Zhuang Yao smiled mysteriously and said, "Because that's where the Puppet Jade is."
When they went to sleep at night, Cong Xia gave the sleeping bag to Deng Xiao since he could maintain body temperature. Cong Xia wrapped himself in a blanket and lay next to the campfire, watching the flickering flames. He found it difficult to fall asleep.
He heard light footsteps behind him, stepping on the snow and making a creaking sound. Cong Xia turned around and saw Cheng Tianbi walking towards him. Cong Xia sat up and asked, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I'll take the watch shift."
Cong Xia then realized that Tang Yanqiu had already gone back to sleep at some point.
Cheng Tianbi sat down next to him and gently touched his face. "Are you feeling cold?"
"Don't worry, I'm not cold."
"You're not sleeping either?"
"I'm having trouble falling asleep." Cong Xia sat up and smiled. "I used to stay up all night playing games. Now I have a regular sleep schedule, going to bed around ten and waking up at four or five in the morning. I never thought I would have such a disciplined lifestyle."
Cheng Tianbi nodded. "I've always been like this."
Cong Xia nodded. "You were in the military, so you had a regular routine. It's actually quite good. I feel energetic every day now."
Cheng Tianbi looked at Cong Xia's nose, which had turned red from the cold, and said, "You can use my sleeping bag."
"No need, I'm fine. I really don't feel cold. Maintaining body temperature doesn't consume much energy."
Cheng Tianbi reached out and embraced Cong Xia by the waist, pulling him into his arms.
Cong Xia leaned against Cheng Tianbi's chest and whispered, "Winter won't last long. Despite the cold, it's much safer than other seasons. Mutated animals either hide or hibernate. We haven't been attacked in a long time."
Cheng Tianbi softly hummed in agreement. He lowered his head and buried his face in the crook of Cong Xia's neck, breathing in that warm and familiar scent.
Cong Xia held Cheng Tianbi's hand tightly and sighed, "It's been almost a year since we met. When we first met, you were quite intimidating. I thought to myself, luckily I would soon be taking a plane to Beijing, only a few hours away, so I wouldn't have to spend too much time with you. But I never expected that from Kunming to Beijing, it would take us almost a year, and we're still not there."
Cheng Tianbi remained silent but tightened his arm around Cong Xia.
"However, we've never given up. When we get to Beijing, I have to thank my second uncle. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have met you," Cong Xia said.
Cheng Tianbi mumbled, "I owe him two favors."
"Hmm? What do you owe him?" Cong Xia asked.
"It's nothing." Cheng Tianbi had entrusted Cong Xia to him, which was just as important as saving his life once before.
Cong Xia chuckled softly. "I used to be a little scared of him. He never smiled or played with children, so we weren't very close. After my parents passed away, I only contacted him during holidays. Looking back, I regret it. He's my only family now. When the incident happened, he was the first person I thought of, and he also thought of me. That's what family is."
Cheng Tianbi's warm lips lightly touched Cong Xia's neck as he hoarsely said, "I'm also..."
"What?"
"I'm also... family."
Cong Xia's eyes welled up with tears, and he turned around to hug Cheng Tianbi, whispering softly, "Of course you are. You're my favorite person."
A warm current surged through Cheng Tianbi's chest. Only with Cong Xia could he experience that feeling of his heart being filled to the brim. With Cong Xia by his side, no matter how harsh the surroundings were, he was filled with determination because he wanted to protect this person. He wanted to become stronger and live safely with Cong Xia. That was his greatest motivation to train diligently, wasting no time.
Cong Xia captured Cheng Tianbi's lips in a gentle kiss, melting away all the coldness of winter in that sweet embrace.
100 Puppet Jade
"Phew... This road is really difficult to travel." Cong Xia complained as he pressed on the accelerator, feeling his thighs going numb. Fortunately, it was time for a shift change, and Deng Xiao took over the driving. As soon as he climbed onto Abu's back, he couldn't help but voice his grievances.
Zhuang Yao proudly said, "Now you understand the purpose of those high tires on Road Bully."
The thick layer of snow on the ground would have easily trapped ordinary cars, but when designing Road Bully, Zhuang Yao had taken various terrain conditions into consideration. With a height of four meters and tires reaching over a person's height and half a meter wide, Road Bully's advantages on snowy terrain were fully demonstrated.
Deng Xiao lowered the car window and shouted, "This car is so cool! In the past, I couldn't even dream of driving such a cool car because I didn't have a driver's license. Hahaha!"
Cheng Tianbi looked at the endless forest covered in white snow and asked, "How far are we from Luoyang?"
"According to Road Bully's travel records, we should be less than 200 kilometers away. We will arrive tomorrow," Zhuang Yao replied while looking at the map. "From Luoyang to Beijing, it's just over 800 kilometers. We are already very close to Beijing."
Thinking of the bat mutant and the young boy they encountered in Guiyang, Cong Xia felt a bit uneasy. "Those two people we encountered before must be very formidable." They should have become even stronger now.
Zhuang Yao said, "According to their words, there is more than one group with Puppet Jade. Our goal is Puppet Jade, not any specific organization or individual. Let's assess the situation once we arrive in Luoyang."
Cong Xia nodded and continued, "Do you think about how the Puppet Jade ended up in their hands? Puppet Jade was born during the earthquake, right?"
Zhuang Yao said, "It should have flowed out from Qinghai. As for how it flowed out, without enough information, it's impossible to analyze. It certainly wasn't simply thrown out during an earthquake... Deng Xiao, did you turn on the heater again!" Zhuang Yao suddenly shouted at Road Bully.
Deng Xiao was startled and quickly turned off the heater in the car.
Zhuang Yao yelled, "I told you not to use the heater. We don't have much gasoline, so no wasting."
Deng Xiao complained, "But I'm cold."
"Wear more clothes."
Liu Fengyu shook his head and said, "This poor guy has a body temperature below thirty degrees. He's easily prone to freezing in this kind of weather."
Tang Yanqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Becoming stronger comes at a cost."
Cheng Tianbi looked at the sky. "The sun is about to set. We should find a place to rest soon."
Before it got dark, the group found a hill where the snow was thinner and decided to rest there.
As soon as they got off the car, Deng Xiao pulled out a sleeping bag from the car and immediately climbed inside, burying his face in it.
Cong Xia laughed and said, "You're going to sleep already? What about dinner?"
Deng Xiao mumbled, "Wake me up when it's time to eat."
Abu walked over and squatted beside him, using its claws to pull the sleeping bag closer. Deng Xiao rolled like a stick and ended up at Abu's feet. Abu lay down on the ground, covering the sleeping bag with its thick chest hair and resting its head beside the sleeping bag. Deng Xiao immediately felt much warmer. He poked his head out and affectionately kissed Abu.
After Cong Xia finished cooking, he called everyone to eat. Deng Xiao refused to come out of the sleeping bag and only exposed his chest and above, looking at Cong Xia with pleading eyes. Cong Xia filled a big bowl with rice and stewed meat and placed it in front of Deng Xiao. He held the bowl and wolfed down the food.
While they were eating, Zhuang Yao suddenly asked Cheng Tianbi, "How far are you from reaching the Second Stage?"
Cheng Tianbi finished a mouthful of food in silence and said, "I'm getting close."
Cong Xia was both surprised and excited. "That's great! I wonder what changes the energy core will undergo after reaching the Second Stage."
"The increase in energy storage is certain. I don't know how the growth in abilities will manifest in this situation," Zhuang Yao said, looking quite expectant.
Cheng Tianbi pondered for a moment and said, "I feel like my body is getting lighter."
"Lighter? In what sense?" Zhuang Yao asked.
"Not in terms of weight, but... when I'm moving, I feel like I'm merging with the wind." Cheng Tianbi extended his arm parallel to the ground. "Ordinary people can maintain this position for 3 to 5 minutes. I hadn't specifically calculated it before, but maintaining it for 10 minutes is no problem for me now. But now, I feel like I could hold this position for an entire night without feeling tired."
Zhuang Yao nodded. "I understand. You feel your body becoming lighter not in the literal sense, but rather, the influence of gravity on you has weakened. As you evolve, you will become the true embodiment of the wind. By then, the constraints of gravity on your body can be ignored, and you will be able to... almost fly."
The group couldn't help but show expressions of disbelief. They had glimpsed the terrifying aspects of natural force evolution.
Cheng Tianbi looked at his hands as if he couldn't believe it either.
Zhuang Yao said, "I really want to know how powerful those natural force evolvers in Beijing have become."
Deng Xiao blinked his eyes. "Could they be even stronger than Cheng-ge?"
This question left everyone silent.
After a moment, Zhuang Yao said, "It's hard to say in a one-on-one fight because most of those natural force evolvers have been using the Puppet Jades for a long time. However, Cheng Tianbi has been practicing with the methods provided by the Ancient Jades for such a long time, and although the Puppet Jades are wrapped in that soft metal, they still have had some influence on Cheng Tianbi's evolution. So, only by fighting will we know who has evolved better. But one thing is certain, they don't have Cong Xia. As long as Cong Xia is with us, I can't imagine how far they would have to evolve to be able to compete with Cheng Tianbi."
Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia exchanged a glance, and Cong Xia patted Cheng Tianbi's shoulder with a smile. "Don't worry about any natural force evolvers. You have me."
Zhuang Yao said, "Don't get too excited either. The premise for your 'infinite energy extraction machine' is that you have the Puppet Jades. Your energy doesn't come out of thin air. Without the Puppet Jades, we would also exhaust our energy like everyone else. Therefore, we must obtain the Puppet Jades."
Cheng Tianbi said in a deep voice, "Speaking of the Puppet Jades, there's something I need to tell you."
"Oh? What is it?"
Cheng Tianbi took out something wrapped in cloth from his backpack. Cong Xia knew what it was and still had lingering fear from the scene he witnessed that day.
Cheng Tianbi opened the cloth, revealing a severely damaged DSLR camera in front of everyone.
Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Huh?"
Seeing the camera, the others asked, "What happened to this camera?"
Liu Fengyu picked up the camera and said, "It's the Canon EOS M, what happened to this camera?"
Deng Xiao looked surprised. "Could this be my camera?"
Cheng Tianbi said, "Take a look and see if it's your camera."
Tang Yanqiu's expression changed slightly. "Didn't your camera fall in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda?"
Zhuang Yao's face also changed.
Deng Xiao didn't care about the cold anymore and quickly got out of the sleeping bag to receive the camera. He carefully examined it and said, "Yes, this is the camera my dad bought me last year. There's a dent on the battery cover, and this lens is one I picked up in a mall several months ago when I passed through a city. I found many lenses, memory cards, and batteries at the time..." Deng Xiao's eyes welled up with tears. "These are the things my dad left me. I thought I would never find them again."
Zhuang Yao anxiously asked, "Where did you find the camera?"
Cheng Tianbi replied, "In the Big Wild Goose Pagoda."
Zhuang Yao narrowed his eyes. "Right, the day we left?"
"Yes." Cheng Tianbi was completely unaffected by Zhuang Yao's questioning gaze. He asked Deng Xiao, "When you lost the camera, how much battery power was left, and how much storage space was available on the memory card?"
Deng Xiao sighed and said, "When we went to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the camera had my last fully charged battery. It should have had a relatively full battery level at that time, and the SD card was a newly replaced one with 32GB of space. I hadn't used much of it."
Zhuang Yao snorted coldly. "Indeed, something unusual happened that night. No wonder you changed your clothes. You went into the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and brought out this camera. I don't understand why you didn't tell us at that time, but you're telling us now?" He looked at Cong Xia. "You went in as well, didn't you?"
Cong Xia nodded. "Yes."
Cheng Tianbi explained, "I didn't say anything at that time because I knew you were still fixated on the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and I didn't want everyone to take unnecessary risks. I'm mentioning it now because this incident is related to the Puppet Jades and worth analyzing."
Zhuang Yao was clearly somewhat unhappy, but he was more eager to know the secret of the camera. He said, "Explain the situation clearly."
Cheng Tianbi paused for a moment and then recounted what had happened that night and what he and Cong Xia had seen in the camera.
When he mentioned the appearance of an eye in the camera and the plea for help from the owner of that eye, everyone took a sharp breath.
Deng Xiao looked at his camera with a mournful face. Despite his bravery, he found this incident quite frightening.
Finally, Cheng Tianbi said, "The SD card was with me at the time, and I still have the battery. After we arrive in Luoyang, we can look for the same model of camera or a usable computer to see the complete content."
Zhuang Yao lowered his head and contemplated for a long time before muttering to himself, "Is keeping this camera meant for the purpose of seeking help?"
Cong Xia said, "It's probably not just that. Otherwise, why didn't they throw the camera in a conspicuous place outside the tower? And if they were seeking help, why didn't they do it when we were inside, instead of using the camera?"
Zhuang Yao said, "You're right. The purpose of keeping this camera in use definitely isn't seeking help. It's just that the owner of that eye happened to leave a distress signal in the camera. As you said, he might have been the last group of people who went in, and this could be a glimpse of his final moments before death."
Liu Fengyu said, "But based on your description, he sounds like he was infected by the insect-type mutants."
Zhuang Yao exclaimed, "Liu Fengyu is the only assimilated mutant here, even though he is a plant-based one, his experiences are more convincing than others."
Cong Xia said, "Do those reactions occur when someone is infected by other beings? The change in eye color, the movement of insects under the skin, and the non-human voice?"
Liu Fengyu said, "I can't remember clearly what happened when I was infected by the mutant plant. I only remember it was very painful, as if my whole body was burning, and my blood was boiling. The physical pain wasn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that I had to struggle against the consciousness of the Corpse Flower King."
"Consciousness?"
"Yes, although the Corpse Flower King is a plant, it also has self-awareness, and I have my own consciousness. When we merged together, our two consciousnesses fought for control of the body. However, the self-awareness of the Corpse Flower King is very weak, and I quickly overcame the consciousness that wanted to take away my thoughts. But shortly after I was infected by the plant, around the time when I met you all, that consciousness was still haunting my subconscious, making me desire to digest animals and even humans to obtain sufficient nutrients. This craving was suppressed after I started practicing, and now I can completely restrain the self-awareness of the Corpse Flower King. I think the self-awareness of plants is relatively weak, far inferior to animals. Those who were infected by animal mutants may need to go through a period of struggle to maintain their 'human' nature. The person you mentioned most likely is on the verge of death, seeking help in a confused state. However, there is also a slight possibility that he is currently being infected by the insects. The reason for the color change in his pupils and the non-human-like voice could be due to the mutants. Otherwise, it's hard to explain the camera battery. If this person has truly died, then who was charging the camera during the ten-plus days between the camera's drop and our entry into the tower?"
Zhuang Yao said, "Are you suggesting that this person may have been taken over by the insects, resulting in many inexplicable actions?"
Liu Fengyu shrugged. "It's just my speculation."
Cheng Tianbi said, "If this speculation is true, it could explain a lot of things."
Zhuang Yao said in a deep voice, "When we arrive in Luoyang, we must find a tool that can play the recordings as soon as possible. I have a feeling that the recordings hold a lot of information. If we're lucky, we might even obtain some information about the mutants in Beijing. Sun Ya mentioned that there was a Natural Power Evolutionist among the third group that went in, meaning they went in together with this person. If they discovered this camera together, there might be some information left behind."
Cong Xia said, "I hadn't thought about that. In any case, the contents of the camera are definitely valuable to us."
Among the group, only Deng Xiao showed no interest in the weighty topic they were discussing. Instead, he gratefully held onto the camera and said, "Thank you, Cheng-ge, thank you, Cheng-ge."
Zhuang Yao said, "Although it was foolish of you to keep this matter from me, at least you've done something meaningful. If we can unravel the mystery of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, we will definitely return there someday."
"Why are you so sure?"
Zhuang Yao smiled mysteriously and said, "Because that's where the Puppet Jade is."
When they went to sleep at night, Cong Xia gave the sleeping bag to Deng Xiao since he could maintain body temperature. Cong Xia wrapped himself in a blanket and lay next to the campfire, watching the flickering flames. He found it difficult to fall asleep.
He heard light footsteps behind him, stepping on the snow and making a creaking sound. Cong Xia turned around and saw Cheng Tianbi walking towards him. Cong Xia sat up and asked, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I'll take the watch shift."
Cong Xia then realized that Tang Yanqiu had already gone back to sleep at some point.
Cheng Tianbi sat down next to him and gently touched his face. "Are you feeling cold?"
"Don't worry, I'm not cold."
"You're not sleeping either?"
"I'm having trouble falling asleep." Cong Xia sat up and smiled. "I used to stay up all night playing games. Now I have a regular sleep schedule, going to bed around ten and waking up at four or five in the morning. I never thought I would have such a disciplined lifestyle."
Cheng Tianbi nodded. "I've always been like this."
Cong Xia nodded. "You were in the military, so you had a regular routine. It's actually quite good. I feel energetic every day now."
Cheng Tianbi looked at Cong Xia's nose, which had turned red from the cold, and said, "You can use my sleeping bag."
"No need, I'm fine. I really don't feel cold. Maintaining body temperature doesn't consume much energy."
Cheng Tianbi reached out and embraced Cong Xia by the waist, pulling him into his arms.
Cong Xia leaned against Cheng Tianbi's chest and whispered, "Winter won't last long. Despite the cold, it's much safer than other seasons. Mutated animals either hide or hibernate. We haven't been attacked in a long time."
Cheng Tianbi softly hummed in agreement. He lowered his head and buried his face in the crook of Cong Xia's neck, breathing in that warm and familiar scent.
Cong Xia held Cheng Tianbi's hand tightly and sighed, "It's been almost a year since we met. When we first met, you were quite intimidating. I thought to myself, luckily I would soon be taking a plane to Beijing, only a few hours away, so I wouldn't have to spend too much time with you. But I never expected that from Kunming to Beijing, it would take us almost a year, and we're still not there."
Cheng Tianbi remained silent but tightened his arm around Cong Xia.
"However, we've never given up. When we get to Beijing, I have to thank my second uncle. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have met you," Cong Xia said.
Cheng Tianbi mumbled, "I owe him two favors."
"Hmm? What do you owe him?" Cong Xia asked.
"It's nothing." Cheng Tianbi had entrusted Cong Xia to him, which was just as important as saving his life once before.
Cong Xia chuckled softly. "I used to be a little scared of him. He never smiled or played with children, so we weren't very close. After my parents passed away, I only contacted him during holidays. Looking back, I regret it. He's my only family now. When the incident happened, he was the first person I thought of, and he also thought of me. That's what family is."
Cheng Tianbi's warm lips lightly touched Cong Xia's neck as he hoarsely said, "I'm also..."
"What?"
"I'm also... family."
Cong Xia's eyes welled up with tears, and he turned around to hug Cheng Tianbi, whispering softly, "Of course you are. You're my favorite person."
A warm current surged through Cheng Tianbi's chest. Only with Cong Xia could he experience that feeling of his heart being filled to the brim. With Cong Xia by his side, no matter how harsh the surroundings were, he was filled with determination because he wanted to protect this person. He wanted to become stronger and live safely with Cong Xia. That was his greatest motivation to train diligently, wasting no time.
Cong Xia captured Cheng Tianbi's lips in a gentle kiss, melting away all the coldness of winter in that sweet embrace.
