26 Global Evolution
Cong Xia ran up to Liu Fengyu's side and patted his shoulder, saying, "Liu Ge, how are you? You don't look too good."
Liu Fengyu's energy was red, but he still couldn't absorb it.
The natural force of the Wind belongs to the Wood element, and Wood energy is green. The Great King Hua's Five Elements attribute is Fire, and Fire energy is red. So, it can be inferred that the golden energy of the long-haired man is the Metal element. All the mutated humans and animals belong to one of the five elements. Cong Xia really wanted to know what color the Earth and Water energies were because the energies of the Five Elements appeared to be beautiful. He observed these energies as if he was observing the workings of life's rules.
Liu Fengyu looked at his own hand and sighed, saying, "I just dissolved that person's wrist with digestive fluid."
"Yes, I saw it. It's a terrifying power."
"In that moment, I felt... a sense of satisfaction from eating."
"Eating?"
"Yes, I've told you before. I was eaten by the Great King Hua in the beginning. After the mutation, the consciousness of the Great King Hua merged with mine, but its consciousness is relatively weak. However, it still has a desire to 'eat' other animals. Although I can survive without eating, damn it, I don't want to eat that way. It's dirty and disgusting."
Cong Xia sighed, "As long as you can suppress that urge, it's good." Otherwise, there are a lot of live people all over the streets...
At first, he envied Liu Fengyu for not having to worry about hunger, but it seems that Liu Fengyu also has his own troubles. He doesn't want to become a man-eating flower that sees people as food, even if it's just the desire for it. It's chilling.
When the three of them returned to the square, it was already crowded with people, but they were all moving away from the city. They squeezed through the crowd and took more than half an hour to reach the front, where Commander Wang’s car was stationed.
Commander Wang arranged for them to board a Liberation heavy-duty truck and said, "Most of the people on this truck are mutated individuals. It's safer for you to stay with them."
Cong Xia asked, "Commander Wang, with so many vehicles, do we have enough fuel to make it to Beijing? Besides, many roads have been damaged."
"I know. We have planned a route that passes through some large gas stations. There should still be some gasoline left in those stations. We can only take one step at a time. If we can't make it through, we'll have to abandon the vehicles."
The three of them climbed onto the back of the truck. There were already more than a dozen people sitting on the truck, some chatting, some sitting silently in the corner, and others with their families.
Upon seeing the three of them boarding the truck, some individuals with higher levels of evolution could already sense the evolutionary energy emanating from Liu Fengyu and Cheng Tianbi. However, since everyone on the truck was either an evolved individual or a family member of an evolved individual, there was no particular reaction. It was just that Cheng Tianbi and Liu Fengyu's extraordinary appearances attracted a few more glances.
Someone clearly recognized Liu Fengyu, but most people had no interest in paying attention. Former wealthy politicians and social elites held no significance unless they possessed formidable power.
However, there was an exception. As soon as the three of them sat down, a slightly dazed-looking young man approached them and said, "Wow, you're Liu Fengyu, right? I know you."
Liu Fengyu was already in a bad mood and couldn't be bothered to put on his usual professional smile for fans. He reluctantly nodded towards the young man.
"Are you a mutated individual?"
"Yes," Liu Fengyu replied, feeling a bit impatient because the young man appeared unkempt and dirty.
"I just mutated yesterday. I have the most common power mutation. I heard that if the mutation level is high, you can instinctively tell if someone is a mutated individual. But I can't do that yet."
Cong Xia became interested in him. He had always wondered about the attributes of the most common power mutation.
He focused his senses and discovered that the young man's energy was golden, but much weaker compared to Liu Fengyu, Cheng Tianbi, and even the long-haired man. It seemed the young man was telling the truth; he had only evolved yesterday.
Cong Xia felt a great joy in his heart. After sensing everyone on the truck, he found that the majority were evolved individuals with golden energy. However, he couldn't guarantee that all of them were power-evolved individuals because golden energy could also give rise to various other types of energy. He observed two individuals with fire energy and one with wood energy but didn't find anyone with earth or water energy.
Cong Xia felt a slight disappointment, which increased his curiosity about earth and water energies.
He had already discovered numerous classifications of evolved individuals. There were those focused on enhancing their own genes, such as power evolution, hair evolution, and brain domain evolution. Some acquired the ability to control natural forces, like Cheng Tianbi. Others had become hybrids with plants, like Liu Fengyu. There was also the most powerful evolved individual mentioned by the Chief of General Staff in Kunming—the mammalian atavistic human—but he had yet to encounter them.
He wondered how many different forms human evolution could take. He couldn't wait to catch a glimpse of the full picture of this post-apocalyptic world if it meant gaining a little more understanding. It would satisfy his thirst for knowledge.
He thought that once he reached Beijing, his uncle would provide him with answers. As the most highly regarded brain domain evolved individual at present, his uncle must be at the forefront of understanding this new world.
He was determined, absolutely determined, to reach Beijing alive with Cheng Tianbi.
Seeing that Liu Fengyu ignored him and Cheng Tianbi was as silent as a stone, the young man had no choice but to speak to Cong Xia instead. "I'm Luo Yong, you can call me Ah Yong. Are you their friend?"
"Haha, Luo-Yong? Your name is really funny," Cong Xia couldn't help but laugh.
Luo Yong smirked, "You're lucky to have two mutated friends."
"You're lucky too because you're a mutated individual yourself."
"I just mutated yesterday. I almost starved to death before that. My parents died, bitten to death by rats. There's no point in staying here for me anymore. It's better to try my luck in Beijing. Captain Wang said that wherever we mutated individuals go, we'll be valued."
A man in his thirties with glasses beside them snorted, "You're too naive. He's giving us food, hoping that we'll fight when we encounter danger on the road. There are too many power-type mutants like us; we're not valuable at all. The military is searching everywhere for natural force manipulators and brain domain evolved individuals. But which one of us in this group is that? We haven't found a single one in the whole city of Kunming."
The man's words landed like a thunderbolt in the truck. A woman sitting furthest inside let out a cold laugh, "Indeed, there are too many power-type mutants, but just because you're not valued doesn't mean all mutants except brain domain evolved individuals and natural force manipulators are disregarded. At least in all of Kunming, I'm the only one with visual evolution."
Cong Xia looked towards the woman's direction. She sat in the darkest part of the truck, making it difficult to see her clearly. He could vaguely make out that she was a slightly overweight woman, but in the darkness, her eyes stood out, shining brightly.
The wood energy that Cong Xia had sensed earlier came from this woman. Wood is associated with the liver, and the liver governs the eyes. No wonder her eyes were so bright.
Although this ability seemed somewhat mediocre at the moment, Cong Xia was still excited that he had discovered a new evolutionary ability.
The man with glasses mocked, "You just happened to get a rare advantage. Do you think your eyes can shoot lasers?"
The other mutated individuals in the truck chuckled softly.
The overweight woman angrily retorted, "You'll know how powerful my eyes are when you can't see anything at night. And with the frequent weather changes, my eyes can be useful during heavy fog. Moreover, my dynamic vision is evolving. Your speed appears slow to me."
Cong Xia thought to himself that having powerful dynamic vision was a good thing, but if one's neural reaction speed couldn't keep up with their vision, even if they could see the action, it wouldn't be of much use. It's like a mouse trying to attack you—no matter how slow its speed appears to you, your body won't be able to dodge it.
Of course, the others also understood this principle. The several power-type mutated individuals in the truck taunted her, one after another. The overweight woman was so angry that her body trembled, and her voice became sharp. Suddenly, a very soft voice came from behind her, calling "Mom."
Cong Xia finally noticed a seven or eight-year-old girl beside the woman. He understood why she was defensive and unwilling to appear useless within the group. She was afraid that if she and her daughter were seen as unimportant, they wouldn't be treated well. Unable to hold back, Cong Xia spoke up, "Big sister, you're right. Your ability is very useful."
Everyone's eyes turned towards Cong Xia.
Cong Xia smiled gently, "I believe that the strength of abilities shouldn't be compared directly. It should be considered based on different circumstances. In solo battles, big sister's eyes might not be of much use. However, in special weather conditions like dark nights, fog, or rain, impaired vision significantly reduces a person's combat effectiveness. Moreover, the role of a visual mutant and a power-type mutant in team combat is vastly different. There's no need for everyone to compare who has the stronger ability. Even highly powerful brain domain evolved individuals still need people with strong combat abilities to protect them. We are a group now, and we should fight together for the goal of reaching Beijing. Let's try to understand each other."
Silence filled the truck.
The overweight woman looked at Cong Xia gratefully.
Cong Xia's intentions weren't solely for the sake of the woman and her daughter. He genuinely wanted to maintain harmony within this newly formed group because internal conflicts would be detrimental to everyone.
His main goal was for him and Cheng Tianbi to safely reach Beijing. For that goal, he would give his utmost effort.
Liu Fengyu chuckled and glanced at him, "Oh, quite eloquent."
Cong Xia smiled sheepishly.
"I'm going to take a nap, don't disturb me," Liu Fengyu said as he lay down on his backpack, using his clothes and perfume as a makeshift pillow, and closed his eyes.
Cong Xia and Cheng Tianbi sat close to each other. Cheng Tianbi still had his eyes closed, and Cong Xia knew he was practicing cultivation. Many of the mutated individuals on the truck, who had been evolving for a long time, seemed to know how to absorb the essence of heaven and earth through meditation to enhance themselves. However, their methods were self-discovered and had minimal effect, while Cheng Tianbi's method was bestowed upon him by the ancient jade, yielding twice the result with half the effort.
Cong Xia closed his eyes too. His shoulder lightly touched Cheng Tianbi's, allowing him to feel a sense of peace even in the midst of strangers in the truck.
He tightened his grip on the ancient jade in his pocket and entered the void.
26 Global Evolution
Cong Xia ran up to Liu Fengyu's side and patted his shoulder, saying, "Liu Ge, how are you? You don't look too good."
Liu Fengyu's energy was red, but he still couldn't absorb it.
The natural force of the Wind belongs to the Wood element, and Wood energy is green. The Great King Hua's Five Elements attribute is Fire, and Fire energy is red. So, it can be inferred that the golden energy of the long-haired man is the Metal element. All the mutated humans and animals belong to one of the five elements. Cong Xia really wanted to know what color the Earth and Water energies were because the energies of the Five Elements appeared to be beautiful. He observed these energies as if he was observing the workings of life's rules.
Liu Fengyu looked at his own hand and sighed, saying, "I just dissolved that person's wrist with digestive fluid."
"Yes, I saw it. It's a terrifying power."
"In that moment, I felt... a sense of satisfaction from eating."
"Eating?"
"Yes, I've told you before. I was eaten by the Great King Hua in the beginning. After the mutation, the consciousness of the Great King Hua merged with mine, but its consciousness is relatively weak. However, it still has a desire to 'eat' other animals. Although I can survive without eating, damn it, I don't want to eat that way. It's dirty and disgusting."
Cong Xia sighed, "As long as you can suppress that urge, it's good." Otherwise, there are a lot of live people all over the streets...
At first, he envied Liu Fengyu for not having to worry about hunger, but it seems that Liu Fengyu also has his own troubles. He doesn't want to become a man-eating flower that sees people as food, even if it's just the desire for it. It's chilling.
When the three of them returned to the square, it was already crowded with people, but they were all moving away from the city. They squeezed through the crowd and took more than half an hour to reach the front, where Commander Wang’s car was stationed.
Commander Wang arranged for them to board a Liberation heavy-duty truck and said, "Most of the people on this truck are mutated individuals. It's safer for you to stay with them."
Cong Xia asked, "Commander Wang, with so many vehicles, do we have enough fuel to make it to Beijing? Besides, many roads have been damaged."
"I know. We have planned a route that passes through some large gas stations. There should still be some gasoline left in those stations. We can only take one step at a time. If we can't make it through, we'll have to abandon the vehicles."
The three of them climbed onto the back of the truck. There were already more than a dozen people sitting on the truck, some chatting, some sitting silently in the corner, and others with their families.
Upon seeing the three of them boarding the truck, some individuals with higher levels of evolution could already sense the evolutionary energy emanating from Liu Fengyu and Cheng Tianbi. However, since everyone on the truck was either an evolved individual or a family member of an evolved individual, there was no particular reaction. It was just that Cheng Tianbi and Liu Fengyu's extraordinary appearances attracted a few more glances.
Someone clearly recognized Liu Fengyu, but most people had no interest in paying attention. Former wealthy politicians and social elites held no significance unless they possessed formidable power.
However, there was an exception. As soon as the three of them sat down, a slightly dazed-looking young man approached them and said, "Wow, you're Liu Fengyu, right? I know you."
Liu Fengyu was already in a bad mood and couldn't be bothered to put on his usual professional smile for fans. He reluctantly nodded towards the young man.
"Are you a mutated individual?"
"Yes," Liu Fengyu replied, feeling a bit impatient because the young man appeared unkempt and dirty.
"I just mutated yesterday. I have the most common power mutation. I heard that if the mutation level is high, you can instinctively tell if someone is a mutated individual. But I can't do that yet."
Cong Xia became interested in him. He had always wondered about the attributes of the most common power mutation.
He focused his senses and discovered that the young man's energy was golden, but much weaker compared to Liu Fengyu, Cheng Tianbi, and even the long-haired man. It seemed the young man was telling the truth; he had only evolved yesterday.
Cong Xia felt a great joy in his heart. After sensing everyone on the truck, he found that the majority were evolved individuals with golden energy. However, he couldn't guarantee that all of them were power-evolved individuals because golden energy could also give rise to various other types of energy. He observed two individuals with fire energy and one with wood energy but didn't find anyone with earth or water energy.
Cong Xia felt a slight disappointment, which increased his curiosity about earth and water energies.
He had already discovered numerous classifications of evolved individuals. There were those focused on enhancing their own genes, such as power evolution, hair evolution, and brain domain evolution. Some acquired the ability to control natural forces, like Cheng Tianbi. Others had become hybrids with plants, like Liu Fengyu. There was also the most powerful evolved individual mentioned by the Chief of General Staff in Kunming—the mammalian atavistic human—but he had yet to encounter them.
He wondered how many different forms human evolution could take. He couldn't wait to catch a glimpse of the full picture of this post-apocalyptic world if it meant gaining a little more understanding. It would satisfy his thirst for knowledge.
He thought that once he reached Beijing, his uncle would provide him with answers. As the most highly regarded brain domain evolved individual at present, his uncle must be at the forefront of understanding this new world.
He was determined, absolutely determined, to reach Beijing alive with Cheng Tianbi.
Seeing that Liu Fengyu ignored him and Cheng Tianbi was as silent as a stone, the young man had no choice but to speak to Cong Xia instead. "I'm Luo Yong, you can call me Ah Yong. Are you their friend?"
"Haha, Luo-Yong? Your name is really funny," Cong Xia couldn't help but laugh.
Luo Yong smirked, "You're lucky to have two mutated friends."
"You're lucky too because you're a mutated individual yourself."
"I just mutated yesterday. I almost starved to death before that. My parents died, bitten to death by rats. There's no point in staying here for me anymore. It's better to try my luck in Beijing. Captain Wang said that wherever we mutated individuals go, we'll be valued."
A man in his thirties with glasses beside them snorted, "You're too naive. He's giving us food, hoping that we'll fight when we encounter danger on the road. There are too many power-type mutants like us; we're not valuable at all. The military is searching everywhere for natural force manipulators and brain domain evolved individuals. But which one of us in this group is that? We haven't found a single one in the whole city of Kunming."
The man's words landed like a thunderbolt in the truck. A woman sitting furthest inside let out a cold laugh, "Indeed, there are too many power-type mutants, but just because you're not valued doesn't mean all mutants except brain domain evolved individuals and natural force manipulators are disregarded. At least in all of Kunming, I'm the only one with visual evolution."
Cong Xia looked towards the woman's direction. She sat in the darkest part of the truck, making it difficult to see her clearly. He could vaguely make out that she was a slightly overweight woman, but in the darkness, her eyes stood out, shining brightly.
The wood energy that Cong Xia had sensed earlier came from this woman. Wood is associated with the liver, and the liver governs the eyes. No wonder her eyes were so bright.
Although this ability seemed somewhat mediocre at the moment, Cong Xia was still excited that he had discovered a new evolutionary ability.
The man with glasses mocked, "You just happened to get a rare advantage. Do you think your eyes can shoot lasers?"
The other mutated individuals in the truck chuckled softly.
The overweight woman angrily retorted, "You'll know how powerful my eyes are when you can't see anything at night. And with the frequent weather changes, my eyes can be useful during heavy fog. Moreover, my dynamic vision is evolving. Your speed appears slow to me."
Cong Xia thought to himself that having powerful dynamic vision was a good thing, but if one's neural reaction speed couldn't keep up with their vision, even if they could see the action, it wouldn't be of much use. It's like a mouse trying to attack you—no matter how slow its speed appears to you, your body won't be able to dodge it.
Of course, the others also understood this principle. The several power-type mutated individuals in the truck taunted her, one after another. The overweight woman was so angry that her body trembled, and her voice became sharp. Suddenly, a very soft voice came from behind her, calling "Mom."
Cong Xia finally noticed a seven or eight-year-old girl beside the woman. He understood why she was defensive and unwilling to appear useless within the group. She was afraid that if she and her daughter were seen as unimportant, they wouldn't be treated well. Unable to hold back, Cong Xia spoke up, "Big sister, you're right. Your ability is very useful."
Everyone's eyes turned towards Cong Xia.
Cong Xia smiled gently, "I believe that the strength of abilities shouldn't be compared directly. It should be considered based on different circumstances. In solo battles, big sister's eyes might not be of much use. However, in special weather conditions like dark nights, fog, or rain, impaired vision significantly reduces a person's combat effectiveness. Moreover, the role of a visual mutant and a power-type mutant in team combat is vastly different. There's no need for everyone to compare who has the stronger ability. Even highly powerful brain domain evolved individuals still need people with strong combat abilities to protect them. We are a group now, and we should fight together for the goal of reaching Beijing. Let's try to understand each other."
Silence filled the truck.
The overweight woman looked at Cong Xia gratefully.
Cong Xia's intentions weren't solely for the sake of the woman and her daughter. He genuinely wanted to maintain harmony within this newly formed group because internal conflicts would be detrimental to everyone.
His main goal was for him and Cheng Tianbi to safely reach Beijing. For that goal, he would give his utmost effort.
Liu Fengyu chuckled and glanced at him, "Oh, quite eloquent."
Cong Xia smiled sheepishly.
"I'm going to take a nap, don't disturb me," Liu Fengyu said as he lay down on his backpack, using his clothes and perfume as a makeshift pillow, and closed his eyes.
Cong Xia and Cheng Tianbi sat close to each other. Cheng Tianbi still had his eyes closed, and Cong Xia knew he was practicing cultivation. Many of the mutated individuals on the truck, who had been evolving for a long time, seemed to know how to absorb the essence of heaven and earth through meditation to enhance themselves. However, their methods were self-discovered and had minimal effect, while Cheng Tianbi's method was bestowed upon him by the ancient jade, yielding twice the result with half the effort.
Cong Xia closed his eyes too. His shoulder lightly touched Cheng Tianbi's, allowing him to feel a sense of peace even in the midst of strangers in the truck.
He tightened his grip on the ancient jade in his pocket and entered the void.
