63 Cambrian Consciousness
While waiting, Cong Xia was given a cup of coffee by the other person. He used to dislike this beverage, but now he couldn't help but lick the bottom of the cup clean. From the level of maintenance in this neighborhood to the overall quality of life in the Qingyan Gang, it was completely different from the outside world. It was no wonder there were many mutants here. They preferred not to register with the military or receive daily relief rations, but rather chose to join a faction. Not only could they live a good life, but they could also find shade under the big tree, which was the best choice for themselves and their families.
After half an hour, voices were heard outside. Cong Xia looked out the window and saw a man in his thirties, strong and handsome, being surrounded and escorted inside.
The allocator quickly stood up and signaled to Cong Xia, who also stood up. He guessed that this person was the leader of the Qingyan Gang mentioned by the others, Chen Shao. He was also the son of the Deputy Commander of the Second Military Region in Chongqing. Although he was a deputy commander, the overall commander had already been seriously injured and killed by a mutant animal attack two months ago. In reality, the entire authority of the Second Military Region was in the hands of Deputy Commander Chen.
On the surface, the Qingyan Gang appeared to be an independent faction, but it was similar to a directly affiliated department of the military. They were supported by the military to balance the power of civilian forces. Many matters that the military found inconvenient to handle directly were entrusted to the Qingyan Gang. Therefore, the Qingyan Gang held the greatest power in Chongqing.
The tall and thin man let Chen Shao into the room and pointed at Cong Xia, saying, "Chen Shao, it's him."
Cong Xia showed a humble smile and greeted, "Hello, Chen Shao."
Chen Shao scrutinized him and asked, "Where are you from?"
"I am originally from Tianjin, but I work in Yunnan." Cong Xia knew just by looking at him that he was quite astute, so he didn't need to lie about anything.
"Didn’t you come from Guizhou?"
"We fled from Yunnan to Guizhou."
"How are the situations in those two places?"
Cong Xia bitterly smiled and replied, "If so many people are running to Chongqing, you should know what the situations are like in those two places."
Chen Shao nodded and lit a cigarette. "Tell me the story behind the tanker truck."
Cong Xia truthfully explained, "A few friends and I wanted to go to Chongqing. We passed by an industrial park where there was a lot of gasoline. The Hongwei Gang often incites others to come and rob it. We had no choice but to join forces with the people from the industrial park to eliminate the bald gang. That's how we arrived in Chongqing."
Chen Shao took a drag on his cigarette. "You eliminated the bald gang? Who are you guys?"
Cong Xia smiled and said, "My friends and I had one Avian Atavist evolver, a Plant Variant, and we also have a very large cat. The cat played a crucial role."
"Well, I've heard about it. Over seven meters tall, the largest land mutant animal I've heard of so far. I've also heard about that Avian Atavist, quite famous in Chongqing. The Hongwei Gang has been unable to deal with him." Chen Shao glanced at Cong Xia and asked, "What about you? What do you and the child, as well as the other man, do?"
Cong Xia gave the excuse he had already thought of, "The child and I are ordinary people. The other person is my friend, a former soldier who has evolved with visual abilities."
Chen Shao narrowed his eyes and asked, "Just you few managed to kill the bald gang? Normally, they have at least ten people stationed at that base, and they even have two fierce dogs. You did all that with just your group?"
"There are other mutants in the industrial park, and we also had some weapons. It was mostly a stroke of luck, I suppose. Although we lost quite a few people, the main force still made it to Chongqing."
"How can you guarantee that if we go, the tanker truck will still be there?"
Cong Xia smiled and replied, "I can't guarantee that it will be there, but it definitely won't go far. The road was too difficult for us, so we had to abandon one. Unless there's a strongman who can carry it and run, within the past seven to eight hours from yesterday until now, it wouldn't have gone far no matter where it went."
"It's not easy for us to leave the city. If we encounter the Hongwei Gang, we'll undoubtedly suffer casualties. Do you know the consequences if there's a single false word in the information you've given?"
Cong Xia replied anxiously, "Chen Shao, I absolutely wouldn't dare. Most of us are elderly, weak, women, and children. We couldn't bear being bullied by the Hongwei Gang in the industrial park anymore, so we took the risk and came to Chongqing. We killed the Hongwei Gang's people and feared retaliation. We only hope to be under Chen Shao's command in the future, to give us over a hundred people a chance to survive."
Chen Shao observed his sincere attitude and took a deep drag of his cigarette. He turned to the tall and thin man and said, "Prepare the vehicles and the people. Let's go."
"Yes."
Cong Xia hadn't expected that the vehicles Chen Shao referred to were horse-drawn carriages.
The two horses were nearly four meters tall, standing on the street like pillars. Behind them, they pulled an enormous, rudimentary wooden carriage. To absorb shocks, thick cushions were placed on top, providing seating for many people.
Cong Xia boarded the carriage with over a dozen others and sat in a corner, feeling uneasy. He knew that everyone around him was a mutant, possessing various energy attributes. They appeared to be normal on the surface, but at any moment, they could turn into any kind of deadly threat. They used the Qingyan Gang to eliminate the Hongwei Gang, and although it was an effective tactic, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive.
Fortunately, they couldn't sense his attributeless energy. If a real fight broke out, he could find a place to hide for a while. Yes, he could hide by Chen Shao's side.
The carriage started moving, and the roads in the city were relatively smooth. It was only after leaving the city that Cong Xia realized how terrifying it was to ride in the carriage. The horses' legs were over a meter long, and when they ran, they seemed to fly. The road surface was uneven, and the carriage practically pounded on the ground as it moved forward. Cong Xia held onto the edge of the carriage tightly, feeling nauseous and on the verge of vomiting.
The others on the carriage were also uncomfortable but had no choice but to endure.
While horse feed was relatively easy to obtain, gasoline was a precious commodity that they couldn't enjoy unless it was a dire situation. At this moment, Cong Xia realized how extravagant it was for them to have driven so many cars for such a long distance.
Cong Xia checked the time on his watch and realized they were at least an hour ahead of their agreed-upon schedule. They had originally expected the Qingyan Gang members to drive cars, but the horse-drawn carriage was much faster. If they arrived too early, they might end up being ahead of the Hongwei Gang. In that case, the Hongwei Gang might not dare to attack them.
This wouldn't do.
Cong Xia desperately tried to stimulate the movement of his stomach and eventually vomited.
"Damn it!" a burly man pushed Cong Xia away, inadvertently stepping on the vomit on his shoe, his face looking displeased.
Cong Xia grabbed Chen Shao's arm, his face pale, and said, "Chen Shao, I really... I can't take it anymore."
Chen Shao frowned and asked, "Can't you endure a little longer?"
Cong Xia forced a bitter smile and said, "I'm just an ordinary person. If it gets any worse, my internal organs will come out."
The tall and thin man glanced at Cong Xia and said, "Chen Shao, maybe we should slow down a bit. If he can't handle it before we reach our destination, he won't be able to find the tanker. We still have about ten kilometers to go."
"Forget it, I'll carry him."
The man was surprised and said, "That's not appropriate."
"It's fine. We can't waste time." Chen Shao suddenly grabbed Cong Xia and jumped off the sprinting carriage.
Cong Xia screamed as he was about to fall to the ground, but the next second, he was thrown onto something rough and furry.
He heard Chen Shao's deep voice sounding in front of him, "Hold on to my neck."
Without thinking, Cong Xia tightly embraced Chen Shao's neck. After stabilizing his body during the fast run, he dared to lower his head and see what he was being carried by.
It was a nearly three-meter-tall Caucasian Shepherd dog, covered in thick gray-black fur. Its paws were about the size of a human face, and it could cover over ten meters in a single leap. It looked fierce and powerful. Cong Xia exerted all his strength to hold onto it. If he were to be thrown off, he would probably be crippled.
Chen Shao angrily said, "Do you want to strangle me? Be gentle."
Cong Xia shouted, "Please slow down a bit. We also need to wait for them."
Chen Shao looked back and saw that the carriage was far behind them. Only then did he reduce the speed.
Cong Xia finally managed to catch his breath properly. He whispered, "Are you... a Caucasian Shepherd variant?"
"Yes."
"Were you...?"
"No, I ate it."
"Oh." So it wasn't necessary for plants or animals to consume humans to become variants. It worked the other way around too. Cong Xia wondered what conditions were required for a person to become a variant. If they could figure out the necessary conditions, it could allow many people to become variants. Variants could greatly increase the survival rate of humanity, even if they transformed into rats or cockroaches. Humans, who were considered the pinnacle of all creatures, had the highest mortality rate after the apocalypse.
Cong Xia sensed Chen Shao's energy fluctuations, which were extremely powerful earth-based energies. He appeared to be much fiercer than the two Tibetan Mastiffs he encountered last night, and he was also larger in size. It seemed that the leaders of these three major gangs were not ordinary. Cong Xia couldn't help but worry about Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu as they would be dealing with the amphibious atavistic individual. He couldn't predict how formidable the enemies truly were.
After more than half an hour, they arrived near the abandoned car location. Looking around, all they could see was a vast forest. Although they had the remnants of a highway to follow, it was still difficult to determine the exact location.
"Is it around here?"
Cong Xia said, "It's nearby, just ahead is a burnt area where we set a fire to block the bald group. It's about three to four kilometers from that place. That's where we hid the truck."
Chen Shao lowered his head and carefully sniffed the scent on the ground. "There's indeed a human scent, but the smell of oil is too strong, it's everywhere. It's impossible to discern the direction."
Cong Xia slid down from Chen Shao and carefully observed the road surface. In fact, he had a general idea of the area. As long as he led Chen Shao there, with the dog's sensitive nose, they would surely find it. However, he needed to buy some time.
After searching in the same spot for a while, the carriage finally caught up. The people who got off the carriage, despite being physically strong mutants, had pale faces from the bumpy ride.
Cong Xia managed to delay for over twenty minutes, until Chen Shao started to become impatient. Only then did he lead the group of people in the direction from his memory. As they moved away from the highway, the smell of gasoline became less intense. Until Chen Shao once again detected a stronger gasoline odor, he said, "It's this direction. I can smell it."
Cong Xia's heart started pounding. If the Hongwei Gang had already arrived, the Qingyan Gang would definitely dare to attack. But the reverse might not be true. If they arrived earlier than the Hongwei Gang, the plan would be half-failed.
They picked up the pace and ran for more than ten minutes. Finally, they arrived at the location where the tanker truck was supposed to be, but the vehicle was gone, leaving clear traces on the ground.
Chen Shao cursed, "Damn it, where's the car?" He then turned his head and glared fiercely at Cong Xia.
The enormous and menacing head was right next to Cong Xia's face. Its mouth could easily snap his neck. Cong Xia's nervousness this time was not an act but genuine. He stammered, "I-I don't know either, but it's supposed to be here."
"Boss, they went in this direction. Let's chase after them. It's not easy to move such a big vehicle."
The ground bore deep tire tracks, and Chen Shao took the lead in pursuit.
He was too fast, leaving everyone else behind, especially Cong Xia. Pretending to be physically exhausted, he created a gap of at least a hundred meters between himself and the Qingyan Gang. He remained far behind.
Gunshots soon rang out ahead.
Cong Xia wondered how Liu ge was doing... He had to find him first!
63 Cambrian Consciousness
While waiting, Cong Xia was given a cup of coffee by the other person. He used to dislike this beverage, but now he couldn't help but lick the bottom of the cup clean. From the level of maintenance in this neighborhood to the overall quality of life in the Qingyan Gang, it was completely different from the outside world. It was no wonder there were many mutants here. They preferred not to register with the military or receive daily relief rations, but rather chose to join a faction. Not only could they live a good life, but they could also find shade under the big tree, which was the best choice for themselves and their families.
After half an hour, voices were heard outside. Cong Xia looked out the window and saw a man in his thirties, strong and handsome, being surrounded and escorted inside.
The allocator quickly stood up and signaled to Cong Xia, who also stood up. He guessed that this person was the leader of the Qingyan Gang mentioned by the others, Chen Shao. He was also the son of the Deputy Commander of the Second Military Region in Chongqing. Although he was a deputy commander, the overall commander had already been seriously injured and killed by a mutant animal attack two months ago. In reality, the entire authority of the Second Military Region was in the hands of Deputy Commander Chen.
On the surface, the Qingyan Gang appeared to be an independent faction, but it was similar to a directly affiliated department of the military. They were supported by the military to balance the power of civilian forces. Many matters that the military found inconvenient to handle directly were entrusted to the Qingyan Gang. Therefore, the Qingyan Gang held the greatest power in Chongqing.
The tall and thin man let Chen Shao into the room and pointed at Cong Xia, saying, "Chen Shao, it's him."
Cong Xia showed a humble smile and greeted, "Hello, Chen Shao."
Chen Shao scrutinized him and asked, "Where are you from?"
"I am originally from Tianjin, but I work in Yunnan." Cong Xia knew just by looking at him that he was quite astute, so he didn't need to lie about anything.
"Didn’t you come from Guizhou?"
"We fled from Yunnan to Guizhou."
"How are the situations in those two places?"
Cong Xia bitterly smiled and replied, "If so many people are running to Chongqing, you should know what the situations are like in those two places."
Chen Shao nodded and lit a cigarette. "Tell me the story behind the tanker truck."
Cong Xia truthfully explained, "A few friends and I wanted to go to Chongqing. We passed by an industrial park where there was a lot of gasoline. The Hongwei Gang often incites others to come and rob it. We had no choice but to join forces with the people from the industrial park to eliminate the bald gang. That's how we arrived in Chongqing."
Chen Shao took a drag on his cigarette. "You eliminated the bald gang? Who are you guys?"
Cong Xia smiled and said, "My friends and I had one Avian Atavist evolver, a Plant Variant, and we also have a very large cat. The cat played a crucial role."
"Well, I've heard about it. Over seven meters tall, the largest land mutant animal I've heard of so far. I've also heard about that Avian Atavist, quite famous in Chongqing. The Hongwei Gang has been unable to deal with him." Chen Shao glanced at Cong Xia and asked, "What about you? What do you and the child, as well as the other man, do?"
Cong Xia gave the excuse he had already thought of, "The child and I are ordinary people. The other person is my friend, a former soldier who has evolved with visual abilities."
Chen Shao narrowed his eyes and asked, "Just you few managed to kill the bald gang? Normally, they have at least ten people stationed at that base, and they even have two fierce dogs. You did all that with just your group?"
"There are other mutants in the industrial park, and we also had some weapons. It was mostly a stroke of luck, I suppose. Although we lost quite a few people, the main force still made it to Chongqing."
"How can you guarantee that if we go, the tanker truck will still be there?"
Cong Xia smiled and replied, "I can't guarantee that it will be there, but it definitely won't go far. The road was too difficult for us, so we had to abandon one. Unless there's a strongman who can carry it and run, within the past seven to eight hours from yesterday until now, it wouldn't have gone far no matter where it went."
"It's not easy for us to leave the city. If we encounter the Hongwei Gang, we'll undoubtedly suffer casualties. Do you know the consequences if there's a single false word in the information you've given?"
Cong Xia replied anxiously, "Chen Shao, I absolutely wouldn't dare. Most of us are elderly, weak, women, and children. We couldn't bear being bullied by the Hongwei Gang in the industrial park anymore, so we took the risk and came to Chongqing. We killed the Hongwei Gang's people and feared retaliation. We only hope to be under Chen Shao's command in the future, to give us over a hundred people a chance to survive."
Chen Shao observed his sincere attitude and took a deep drag of his cigarette. He turned to the tall and thin man and said, "Prepare the vehicles and the people. Let's go."
"Yes."
Cong Xia hadn't expected that the vehicles Chen Shao referred to were horse-drawn carriages.
The two horses were nearly four meters tall, standing on the street like pillars. Behind them, they pulled an enormous, rudimentary wooden carriage. To absorb shocks, thick cushions were placed on top, providing seating for many people.
Cong Xia boarded the carriage with over a dozen others and sat in a corner, feeling uneasy. He knew that everyone around him was a mutant, possessing various energy attributes. They appeared to be normal on the surface, but at any moment, they could turn into any kind of deadly threat. They used the Qingyan Gang to eliminate the Hongwei Gang, and although it was an effective tactic, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive.
Fortunately, they couldn't sense his attributeless energy. If a real fight broke out, he could find a place to hide for a while. Yes, he could hide by Chen Shao's side.
The carriage started moving, and the roads in the city were relatively smooth. It was only after leaving the city that Cong Xia realized how terrifying it was to ride in the carriage. The horses' legs were over a meter long, and when they ran, they seemed to fly. The road surface was uneven, and the carriage practically pounded on the ground as it moved forward. Cong Xia held onto the edge of the carriage tightly, feeling nauseous and on the verge of vomiting.
The others on the carriage were also uncomfortable but had no choice but to endure.
While horse feed was relatively easy to obtain, gasoline was a precious commodity that they couldn't enjoy unless it was a dire situation. At this moment, Cong Xia realized how extravagant it was for them to have driven so many cars for such a long distance.
Cong Xia checked the time on his watch and realized they were at least an hour ahead of their agreed-upon schedule. They had originally expected the Qingyan Gang members to drive cars, but the horse-drawn carriage was much faster. If they arrived too early, they might end up being ahead of the Hongwei Gang. In that case, the Hongwei Gang might not dare to attack them.
This wouldn't do.
Cong Xia desperately tried to stimulate the movement of his stomach and eventually vomited.
"Damn it!" a burly man pushed Cong Xia away, inadvertently stepping on the vomit on his shoe, his face looking displeased.
Cong Xia grabbed Chen Shao's arm, his face pale, and said, "Chen Shao, I really... I can't take it anymore."
Chen Shao frowned and asked, "Can't you endure a little longer?"
Cong Xia forced a bitter smile and said, "I'm just an ordinary person. If it gets any worse, my internal organs will come out."
The tall and thin man glanced at Cong Xia and said, "Chen Shao, maybe we should slow down a bit. If he can't handle it before we reach our destination, he won't be able to find the tanker. We still have about ten kilometers to go."
"Forget it, I'll carry him."
The man was surprised and said, "That's not appropriate."
"It's fine. We can't waste time." Chen Shao suddenly grabbed Cong Xia and jumped off the sprinting carriage.
Cong Xia screamed as he was about to fall to the ground, but the next second, he was thrown onto something rough and furry.
He heard Chen Shao's deep voice sounding in front of him, "Hold on to my neck."
Without thinking, Cong Xia tightly embraced Chen Shao's neck. After stabilizing his body during the fast run, he dared to lower his head and see what he was being carried by.
It was a nearly three-meter-tall Caucasian Shepherd dog, covered in thick gray-black fur. Its paws were about the size of a human face, and it could cover over ten meters in a single leap. It looked fierce and powerful. Cong Xia exerted all his strength to hold onto it. If he were to be thrown off, he would probably be crippled.
Chen Shao angrily said, "Do you want to strangle me? Be gentle."
Cong Xia shouted, "Please slow down a bit. We also need to wait for them."
Chen Shao looked back and saw that the carriage was far behind them. Only then did he reduce the speed.
Cong Xia finally managed to catch his breath properly. He whispered, "Are you... a Caucasian Shepherd variant?"
"Yes."
"Were you...?"
"No, I ate it."
"Oh." So it wasn't necessary for plants or animals to consume humans to become variants. It worked the other way around too. Cong Xia wondered what conditions were required for a person to become a variant. If they could figure out the necessary conditions, it could allow many people to become variants. Variants could greatly increase the survival rate of humanity, even if they transformed into rats or cockroaches. Humans, who were considered the pinnacle of all creatures, had the highest mortality rate after the apocalypse.
Cong Xia sensed Chen Shao's energy fluctuations, which were extremely powerful earth-based energies. He appeared to be much fiercer than the two Tibetan Mastiffs he encountered last night, and he was also larger in size. It seemed that the leaders of these three major gangs were not ordinary. Cong Xia couldn't help but worry about Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu as they would be dealing with the amphibious atavistic individual. He couldn't predict how formidable the enemies truly were.
After more than half an hour, they arrived near the abandoned car location. Looking around, all they could see was a vast forest. Although they had the remnants of a highway to follow, it was still difficult to determine the exact location.
"Is it around here?"
Cong Xia said, "It's nearby, just ahead is a burnt area where we set a fire to block the bald group. It's about three to four kilometers from that place. That's where we hid the truck."
Chen Shao lowered his head and carefully sniffed the scent on the ground. "There's indeed a human scent, but the smell of oil is too strong, it's everywhere. It's impossible to discern the direction."
Cong Xia slid down from Chen Shao and carefully observed the road surface. In fact, he had a general idea of the area. As long as he led Chen Shao there, with the dog's sensitive nose, they would surely find it. However, he needed to buy some time.
After searching in the same spot for a while, the carriage finally caught up. The people who got off the carriage, despite being physically strong mutants, had pale faces from the bumpy ride.
Cong Xia managed to delay for over twenty minutes, until Chen Shao started to become impatient. Only then did he lead the group of people in the direction from his memory. As they moved away from the highway, the smell of gasoline became less intense. Until Chen Shao once again detected a stronger gasoline odor, he said, "It's this direction. I can smell it."
Cong Xia's heart started pounding. If the Hongwei Gang had already arrived, the Qingyan Gang would definitely dare to attack. But the reverse might not be true. If they arrived earlier than the Hongwei Gang, the plan would be half-failed.
They picked up the pace and ran for more than ten minutes. Finally, they arrived at the location where the tanker truck was supposed to be, but the vehicle was gone, leaving clear traces on the ground.
Chen Shao cursed, "Damn it, where's the car?" He then turned his head and glared fiercely at Cong Xia.
The enormous and menacing head was right next to Cong Xia's face. Its mouth could easily snap his neck. Cong Xia's nervousness this time was not an act but genuine. He stammered, "I-I don't know either, but it's supposed to be here."
"Boss, they went in this direction. Let's chase after them. It's not easy to move such a big vehicle."
The ground bore deep tire tracks, and Chen Shao took the lead in pursuit.
He was too fast, leaving everyone else behind, especially Cong Xia. Pretending to be physically exhausted, he created a gap of at least a hundred meters between himself and the Qingyan Gang. He remained far behind.
Gunshots soon rang out ahead.
Cong Xia wondered how Liu ge was doing... He had to find him first!
