18 Global Great Evolution
The two individuals arrived at the section dedicated to mountaineering gear and discovered that it had already been rummaged through. Particularly, items like warm shoes were almost depleted, with only a few pairs remaining. However, there were still some clothes left. The sudden drop in temperature necessitated warmer clothing, such as down jackets, which were more suitable for the current summer season. Unfortunately, the mall did not stock such clothing.
Most people were unaware that during unpredictable weather changes, garments providing insulation and moisture resistance were far more crucial than mere warmth. Mountaineering attire possessed the essential feature of moisture resistance. Once the inner layer of clothing became wet, it accelerated the loss of body heat, posing a significant risk. Prior to each mission, they would carefully select appropriate equipment based on the specific environment. Now, their preparations were not just for the mission but for their survival, requiring meticulous attention to detail.
After an extensive search, the two finally managed to gather a complete set of outdoor gear. Upon donning the lightweight clothing and shoes, they felt a sense of relief, as their bodies felt noticeably lighter.
They continued to explore the area in search of useful items. Inside an outdoor equipment store, Cong Xia stumbled upon a crossbow hanging on the wall. "Wow, this thing is really cool."
Cheng Tianbi approached and took hold of the crossbow, examining it closely. The crossbow measured approximately thirty centimeters in length and had an aesthetically pleasing design, featuring intricate dragon-shaped engravings. While typically Cheng Tianbi would pay no attention to such ornate objects, he now found it highly valuable. After all, it could be considered a weapon. "Let's see if there are any arrows. I'm running low on bullets. This is a great find."
Cong Xia meticulously searched through various containers and finally discovered a box of arrows, conveniently placed in the original packaging of the crossbow. The box contained only six arrows.
Cheng Tianbi promptly stowed them away in his bag.
As they completed a full circuit on that floor, Liu Fengyu had already disappeared, but his fragrance lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.
Cong Xia remarked, "He's such an odd person. He doesn't appear hungry at all and still manages to have the luxury of picking clothes."
Cheng Tianbi responded, "He must possess something extraordinarily remarkable about him; otherwise, he wouldn't be faring so well."
"Yeah, I consider us fortunate already. At least we have something to eat every day. But he's seemingly unaffected by the post-apocalyptic conditions. I suspect he's an evolved individual."
"It's highly possible," Cheng Tianbi pondered. "He must possess quite formidable evolutionary abilities. He appears even more prosperous than that person with the mutated hair."
"How many unknown evolutionary abilities are there, after all..." Cong Xia fell into deep contemplation.
Cheng Tianbi advised, "Let's not dwell on that for now. We have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Yeah, you're right. We agreed to gather more information about the military today and find a way to get close to them. It seems that the ordinary soldiers distributing food won't be of much help."
"But first, let's have a meal."
Cong Xia's eyes lit up. It was already noon, and they hadn't eaten anything yet. He immediately remembered the mantis carcass. "Yes, let's eat quickly. It won't be good for much longer."
Cheng Tianbi tossed the mantis carcass aside and tapped the green exoskeleton with his military knife. "There probably wasn't much meat left."
"We'll have a few bites each. Leave it to me." Cong Xia took the military knife and skillfully pried open the exoskeleton, while Cheng Tianbi started a fire nearby.
Indeed, the mantis had only a small amount of meat on its abdomen, barely the size of a fist when collected together. But it was enough to make Cong Xia's mouth water.
They had brought some salt from the house they stayed in last night and sprinkled it on the roasted meat, making it much more flavorful than the tasteless insect meat. Within a few bites, the piece of meat was devoured.
Cong Xia rubbed his stomach and said with a satisfied expression, "Having a bite of meat feels incredibly fulfilling." He then played with the mantis exoskeleton and commented, "This exoskeleton looks amazing, so vibrant and surprisingly tough. It seems... huh?"
Cong Xia froze, his body tensed up.
Cheng Tianbi became alert. "What's wrong?"
Cong Xia looked at his hand, then back at the exoskeleton. "Something... was absorbed by me just now." He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but when he touched the exoskeleton and thought about how safe he would feel if he had such a shell, he felt an extremely faint energy emanating from the exoskeleton, entering the palm of his hand. It was a peculiar sensation. He didn't see or physically touch anything, yet he could feel it.
Because the sensation was extremely subtle, he doubted if it was just a hallucination.
Frowning, Cheng Tianbi asked, "What are you talking about?"
"I don't know, maybe it was just an illusion. I've been looking at green things for too long, and it's messing with my eyes."
Cheng Tianbi glanced at him suspiciously but didn't inquire further. "Let's go back. I saw military vehicles near the square. Let's check it out."
The two of them left the mall and walked toward the outskirts of the square. The number of people coming to collect food on the square hadn't decreased at all. On the contrary, there seemed to be an increasing trend of people converging from all directions. Cong Xia believed that if the food supply continued at this rate, the military wouldn't be able to hold out for more than two days. When that happened, the city would inevitably descend into chaos. They needed to find a way out before that occurred.
The two of them attempted to make their way to the other end of the square, but the square was overcrowded, so they had to navigate around the outer perimeter. As they passed by an abandoned fountain, they happened to witness several men cornering a family of three inside the fountain, aggressively snatching the food they had just received.
The family cowered at the edge of the fountain. The husband and wife appeared to be honest and ordinary citizens, while their young daughter was only around four or five years old. They tightly held onto the food in their hands, enduring the pushing and shoving from the men. They neither dared to resist nor were they willing to let go.
"Give it to us! Be grateful if we leave you half a package. Don't be ungrateful fools."
The little girl cried out, "Grandpa and grandma still need to eat. Uncle, please don't take it away."
The people in the vicinity seemed accustomed to such scenes. Those who hadn't received any food hurriedly joined the queue, while those who had managed to obtain some stuffed the items into their embrace, holding onto them tightly. No one dared to intervene at this moment or care about the well-being of others.
"Do you want to give it or not? I'll kill you!" The leader of the men delivered a swift slap to the wife's face and reached out to snatch the food from her arms.
"No, please! We have elderly people at home. I beg you, please! We waited in line for eight hours to receive this!" The wife and daughter burst into tears, while the husband futilely tried to protect them but remained cowering, unable to resist.
One of the men pulled out a knife. "You don't appreciate a toast…" Before he could finish his threatening words, he was struck with a heavy blow from behind. His entire body flew away like a sack, tumbling on the ground, blood covering his face.
His companions all turned their heads.
However, Cheng Tianbi didn't give them any extra time. His iron-like fist landed heavily on one person's face, sending teeth mixed with blood flying out of his mouth, before he collapsed unconscious on the ground.
The other assailants brandished a variety of makeshift knives and rushed at Cheng Tianbi. Unfortunately, these ordinary people had virtually no combat power in Cheng Tianbi's eyes, even before his evolution, let alone now. Dealing with them was like child's play.
Cong Xia stood on the side, watching with delight as Cheng Tianbi beat those men to the ground, teeth scattered everywhere. His heart was filled with pride and admiration.
This handsome, cool, and powerful person was his friend.
The commotion quickly drew the attention of many onlookers. In no time, two armed soldiers from the Liberation Army ran over. "What's going on? Fighting is not allowed here! Everyone, stop!"
Cheng Tianbi threw the last person to the ground, picked up his bag, slung it over his back, and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment." A young soldier rushed over. "What's happening? Why were you fighting?"
Cong Xia explained, "These thugs were trying to rob that family of their food."
They glanced in the direction pointed by Cong Xia and indeed saw the family of three, huddled together and crying.
The young soldier let out a sigh, his eyes filled with helplessness and pity. He walked over to one of the moaning thugs on the ground and delivered a forceful kick. "You're not allowed to come to the square anymore!"
Cheng Tianbi approached the young soldier and whispered, "I’m from the X Military Region in Beijing. Who is the highest commander here?"
The soldier turned his head, looking at him with surprise.
18 Global Great Evolution
The two individuals arrived at the section dedicated to mountaineering gear and discovered that it had already been rummaged through. Particularly, items like warm shoes were almost depleted, with only a few pairs remaining. However, there were still some clothes left. The sudden drop in temperature necessitated warmer clothing, such as down jackets, which were more suitable for the current summer season. Unfortunately, the mall did not stock such clothing.
Most people were unaware that during unpredictable weather changes, garments providing insulation and moisture resistance were far more crucial than mere warmth. Mountaineering attire possessed the essential feature of moisture resistance. Once the inner layer of clothing became wet, it accelerated the loss of body heat, posing a significant risk. Prior to each mission, they would carefully select appropriate equipment based on the specific environment. Now, their preparations were not just for the mission but for their survival, requiring meticulous attention to detail.
After an extensive search, the two finally managed to gather a complete set of outdoor gear. Upon donning the lightweight clothing and shoes, they felt a sense of relief, as their bodies felt noticeably lighter.
They continued to explore the area in search of useful items. Inside an outdoor equipment store, Cong Xia stumbled upon a crossbow hanging on the wall. "Wow, this thing is really cool."
Cheng Tianbi approached and took hold of the crossbow, examining it closely. The crossbow measured approximately thirty centimeters in length and had an aesthetically pleasing design, featuring intricate dragon-shaped engravings. While typically Cheng Tianbi would pay no attention to such ornate objects, he now found it highly valuable. After all, it could be considered a weapon. "Let's see if there are any arrows. I'm running low on bullets. This is a great find."
Cong Xia meticulously searched through various containers and finally discovered a box of arrows, conveniently placed in the original packaging of the crossbow. The box contained only six arrows.
Cheng Tianbi promptly stowed them away in his bag.
As they completed a full circuit on that floor, Liu Fengyu had already disappeared, but his fragrance lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.
Cong Xia remarked, "He's such an odd person. He doesn't appear hungry at all and still manages to have the luxury of picking clothes."
Cheng Tianbi responded, "He must possess something extraordinarily remarkable about him; otherwise, he wouldn't be faring so well."
"Yeah, I consider us fortunate already. At least we have something to eat every day. But he's seemingly unaffected by the post-apocalyptic conditions. I suspect he's an evolved individual."
"It's highly possible," Cheng Tianbi pondered. "He must possess quite formidable evolutionary abilities. He appears even more prosperous than that person with the mutated hair."
"How many unknown evolutionary abilities are there, after all..." Cong Xia fell into deep contemplation.
Cheng Tianbi advised, "Let's not dwell on that for now. We have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Yeah, you're right. We agreed to gather more information about the military today and find a way to get close to them. It seems that the ordinary soldiers distributing food won't be of much help."
"But first, let's have a meal."
Cong Xia's eyes lit up. It was already noon, and they hadn't eaten anything yet. He immediately remembered the mantis carcass. "Yes, let's eat quickly. It won't be good for much longer."
Cheng Tianbi tossed the mantis carcass aside and tapped the green exoskeleton with his military knife. "There probably wasn't much meat left."
"We'll have a few bites each. Leave it to me." Cong Xia took the military knife and skillfully pried open the exoskeleton, while Cheng Tianbi started a fire nearby.
Indeed, the mantis had only a small amount of meat on its abdomen, barely the size of a fist when collected together. But it was enough to make Cong Xia's mouth water.
They had brought some salt from the house they stayed in last night and sprinkled it on the roasted meat, making it much more flavorful than the tasteless insect meat. Within a few bites, the piece of meat was devoured.
Cong Xia rubbed his stomach and said with a satisfied expression, "Having a bite of meat feels incredibly fulfilling." He then played with the mantis exoskeleton and commented, "This exoskeleton looks amazing, so vibrant and surprisingly tough. It seems... huh?"
Cong Xia froze, his body tensed up.
Cheng Tianbi became alert. "What's wrong?"
Cong Xia looked at his hand, then back at the exoskeleton. "Something... was absorbed by me just now." He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but when he touched the exoskeleton and thought about how safe he would feel if he had such a shell, he felt an extremely faint energy emanating from the exoskeleton, entering the palm of his hand. It was a peculiar sensation. He didn't see or physically touch anything, yet he could feel it.
Because the sensation was extremely subtle, he doubted if it was just a hallucination.
Frowning, Cheng Tianbi asked, "What are you talking about?"
"I don't know, maybe it was just an illusion. I've been looking at green things for too long, and it's messing with my eyes."
Cheng Tianbi glanced at him suspiciously but didn't inquire further. "Let's go back. I saw military vehicles near the square. Let's check it out."
The two of them left the mall and walked toward the outskirts of the square. The number of people coming to collect food on the square hadn't decreased at all. On the contrary, there seemed to be an increasing trend of people converging from all directions. Cong Xia believed that if the food supply continued at this rate, the military wouldn't be able to hold out for more than two days. When that happened, the city would inevitably descend into chaos. They needed to find a way out before that occurred.
The two of them attempted to make their way to the other end of the square, but the square was overcrowded, so they had to navigate around the outer perimeter. As they passed by an abandoned fountain, they happened to witness several men cornering a family of three inside the fountain, aggressively snatching the food they had just received.
The family cowered at the edge of the fountain. The husband and wife appeared to be honest and ordinary citizens, while their young daughter was only around four or five years old. They tightly held onto the food in their hands, enduring the pushing and shoving from the men. They neither dared to resist nor were they willing to let go.
"Give it to us! Be grateful if we leave you half a package. Don't be ungrateful fools."
The little girl cried out, "Grandpa and grandma still need to eat. Uncle, please don't take it away."
The people in the vicinity seemed accustomed to such scenes. Those who hadn't received any food hurriedly joined the queue, while those who had managed to obtain some stuffed the items into their embrace, holding onto them tightly. No one dared to intervene at this moment or care about the well-being of others.
"Do you want to give it or not? I'll kill you!" The leader of the men delivered a swift slap to the wife's face and reached out to snatch the food from her arms.
"No, please! We have elderly people at home. I beg you, please! We waited in line for eight hours to receive this!" The wife and daughter burst into tears, while the husband futilely tried to protect them but remained cowering, unable to resist.
One of the men pulled out a knife. "You don't appreciate a toast…" Before he could finish his threatening words, he was struck with a heavy blow from behind. His entire body flew away like a sack, tumbling on the ground, blood covering his face.
His companions all turned their heads.
However, Cheng Tianbi didn't give them any extra time. His iron-like fist landed heavily on one person's face, sending teeth mixed with blood flying out of his mouth, before he collapsed unconscious on the ground.
The other assailants brandished a variety of makeshift knives and rushed at Cheng Tianbi. Unfortunately, these ordinary people had virtually no combat power in Cheng Tianbi's eyes, even before his evolution, let alone now. Dealing with them was like child's play.
Cong Xia stood on the side, watching with delight as Cheng Tianbi beat those men to the ground, teeth scattered everywhere. His heart was filled with pride and admiration.
This handsome, cool, and powerful person was his friend.
The commotion quickly drew the attention of many onlookers. In no time, two armed soldiers from the Liberation Army ran over. "What's going on? Fighting is not allowed here! Everyone, stop!"
Cheng Tianbi threw the last person to the ground, picked up his bag, slung it over his back, and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment." A young soldier rushed over. "What's happening? Why were you fighting?"
Cong Xia explained, "These thugs were trying to rob that family of their food."
They glanced in the direction pointed by Cong Xia and indeed saw the family of three, huddled together and crying.
The young soldier let out a sigh, his eyes filled with helplessness and pity. He walked over to one of the moaning thugs on the ground and delivered a forceful kick. "You're not allowed to come to the square anymore!"
Cheng Tianbi approached the young soldier and whispered, "I’m from the X Military Region in Beijing. Who is the highest commander here?"
The soldier turned his head, looking at him with surprise.
