66 Cambrian Consciousness
Cong Xia was thrown into a room and left unattended. Outside the villa, mutant humans roamed around without much vigilance for ordinary people.
Glancing at his watch, Cong Xia realized it was already past 4 p.m. If no one came to rescue him before nightfall, he would have to find a way out on his own. After dark, most places would be devoid of lights, making it easier for him to escape even from the Hongwei Gang, which wouldn't bother installing streetlights. With enhanced vision that he possessed, it would be even more advantageous for him.
Oh right, the members of the Qingyan Gang were also scheduled to distribute oil. Perhaps that would be a good opportunity...
From this room, Cong Xia had a clear view of the main entrance. He sat by the window, fixated on the entrance. Half an hour later, the tall and thin man from the Qingyan Gang indeed arrived. However, it seemed he wasn't here to distribute oil because he came with a group of people and didn't bring a car.
Cheng Ge stood with a group of people at the entrance, engaged in a conversation.
The distance was a bit far, and Cong Xia couldn't hear clearly. He focused his energy on his auditory nerves, and the first sentence that reached his ears from the tall and thin man was, "Zhao Jin is dead. You now have two choices: either join the Qingyan Gang or get out of Chongqing!"
Cheng Ge's face turned pale, and he angrily retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! Jin Ge went out just two hours ago."
"Hmph, that's correct, but he's already dead now." The tall and thin man took out two photos from his pocket and threw them on the ground. "The body is at the toll station. If you don't believe it, go claim it yourselves. We just received the news."
Trembling, Cheng Ge picked up the photos, glanced at them, and fiercely threw them on the ground. The members of the Hongwei Gang were thrown into disarray. Cheng Ge said to someone, "Go... go to the toll station... and see."
The tall and thin man sneered, "No need to look any further. He's dead for sure. The research institute needs his body. You better hurry there, maybe you can catch a glimpse. Without Zhao Jin, what can this bunch of ragtag do? I'll give you two choices, and they're only valid for today. Anyone who doesn't leave or submit will be mercilessly killed."
Brother Cheng shouted, "Who did it? Who?"
"Well, it's definitely not us. Hongwei Gang has made too many enemies. Can you even count them all?"
The big beard shouted, "This photo is fake! They want to lure us out so they can steal the oil tanker! Brother Jin is so powerful, he's one of the best in the whole of Chongqing. How could someone kill him in such a short time? It's definitely fake."
"Yeah, it's fake! No one can kill Brother Jin, not even bullets can penetrate his skin. How could he be killed? How?"
"Besides the Frost Society's leader, who in this city can match Brother Jin? The photo is fake!"
"It's fake! When Jin Ge left, he was accompanied by four or five skilled individuals. Even if your Qingyan Gang emptied its nest, there's no way you could have killed Jin Ge and so many of our brothers in just two hours. Who do you think you're fooling?"
The members of the Hongwei Gang were infuriated and didn't believe in the authenticity of the photos.
Cong Xia, on the other hand, believed in them and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Tianbi and Xiao Tang had won. It seemed that Zhuang Yao's assessment of their abilities was more accurate than his own. If it were him, he would never have allowed the two of them to take such risks.
However, for some reason, he still felt uneasy. According to what they said, Zhao Jin was extremely powerful. Could Tianbi and Xiao Tang really escape unscathed? The thought made Cong Xia even more anxious to leave this place. He needed to go back and check on them. What if they were injured?
The tall and thin man sneered, "If I hadn't seen the body with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that Zhao Jin died like this. Who in the entire Chongqing could have killed him? Even Wu Yu from the Frost Society wouldn't dare to make such bold claims. But he's dead, that's for sure. As for the person who killed him, the whole city is searching for that individual. However, one thing is certain: this person came with the people from the industrial park. Some of the individuals Zhao Jin brought with him were killed by arrows, and it was done by that Tang boy from the industrial park. But he wasn't alone; there was another person.”
Cheng Ge's heart trembled.
When Zhao Jin left, there was a tall and expressionless young man with him, who was remarkably handsome and easily recognizable. Zhao Jin had mentioned that he was from the industrial park. Cheng Ge suddenly remembered that he had someone from the industrial park in his own room. Was that person capable enough to kill Zhao Jin? One question would reveal the truth. But if Zhao Jin really died, what about the remaining dozens of brothers...
The bearded man also had the same thought, "Nonsense! The guy from the industrial park you sent to us this morning is still here. We can just ask him. If there's really someone powerful in the industrial park, why would you need to come and take the oil tanker from us? Go and bring that guy out."
Cong Xia was covered in sweat.
What should he do? How could he explain Tianbi's abilities?
He couldn't tell the truth, but he couldn't think of any mutant ability that would convince them either.
After a while, the door was rudely opened, and a person came in and dragged Cong Xia out. Cong Xia followed him unsteadily and arrived in front of the villa. Dozens of people were staring at him intently.
Cheng Ge looked at him malevolently and asked, "I'm asking you, who is the most powerful person in your industrial park?"
Cong Xia forced himself to remain calm and whispered, "A person surnamed Tang, wielding a large bow."
"Anyone else?"
"And a cat..."
Cheng Ge stretched out his five fingers, and his fat fingers suddenly transformed into numerous fine earthy brown rhizomes. The rhizomes had small thorns growing on them, and they instantly wrapped around Cong Xia's neck!
Cong Xia let out a scream of pain, and blood gushed from his neck.
The thorns didn't go deep enough to puncture an artery, but there were at least ten thorns encircling his neck. The rhizomes wrapped around his neck for six or seven rounds, and over a hundred thorns pierced through the skin of his neck. Although not life-threatening, the pain was unbearable!
Cong Xia wanted to concentrate his energy on his neck to quickly heal the wound, but he couldn't. In front of so many people, he couldn't use any abilities. He paled because of the pain, and the agony was even worse than when he had walked into the digestive fluid pool.
Cheng Ge coldly said, "From now on, if you tell one more lie, I'll bleed you dry."
Cong Xia, in agony, pleaded, "Big brother, I dare not lie. Please let me go." If the wrapping continued, even if he didn't lose blood, he would suffocate.
Cheng Ge loosened the entanglement and said coldly, "What about those experts?"
"There's one, an unusual person with a giant flower mutation."
"What ability?"
"He can emit a foul odor, and he can also secrete digestive fluid."
The tall and thin man shook his head. "That's unlikely. Zhao Jin had knife wounds."
"A knife! I know about knives!"
"Quickly speak!"
"There's a speed-evolved human, a special forces soldier, skilled in using knives, but he's not that powerful... "
Cheng Ge furrowed his brow, and the tall and thin man fell into contemplation.
"Big brother, I'm telling the truth. Besides them, there are only two power-type evolved humans in the industrial park, but they only have brute strength and are not that formidable. Other than them, there's no one else, truly no one else. Please let me go. If you release me, I know the person who uses knives, and I'll help you find him."
Cheng Ge retracted the rhizomes, and Cong Xia fell to his knees with a thud, his face twisted in pain.
The bearded man shouted, "A speed-evolved human can't be that powerful. Little Wu is a speed-evolved human too. How could he be a match for the boss?"
The tall and thin man said in a deep voice, "Not necessarily. That person is a special forces soldier with exceptional speed and trained combat skills. He may not be inferior to higher-level mutants. Before the apocalypse, we were all ordinary people. Who knew how to fight? Those who truly understand combat can amplify their evolved abilities manyfold."
Cheng Ge clenched his fist. "Take him with us. Let's go to the toll station."
The bearded man anxiously said, "Cheng Ge, what if he's deceiving us..."
Cheng Ge glared at him. "I said we're going to check it out!" After speaking, he walked through the crowd of Qingyan gang members and headed outside. The bearded man lifted Cong Xia and followed suit.
Cong Xia quietly repaired the wound on his neck. Because he had lost a lot of blood, the wound appeared frightening, but it was relatively shallow and not difficult to heal.
Just as they stepped outside the gate, an arrow flew through the air and pierced into the bearded man's chest with a sharp sound.
Caught off guard, everyone froze on the spot, watching the bearded man stiffly collapse to the ground.
"It's the one surnamed Tang!"
"He's above us!"
As they spoke, another person fell into a pool of blood.
Suddenly, Liu Fengyu jumped down from above, spreading out huge petals with his hands, knocking down the person closest to him and instantly dissolving one of the man's arms to the bone with digestive fluid.
"He's from the industrial park!"
Cong Xia leaped up from the ground and ran towards Tang Yanqiu's direction.
Before he could take a few steps, he felt a gust of wind behind him. A power-evolved human dashed a few steps and caught up to him, drawing a knife and aiming for his back.
He only had time to turn his head around, and just as the sharp blade was about to strike, a gunshot rang out. The man's hand holding the knife was abruptly broken in front of Cong Xia's eyes, and he tumbled forward.
The man crashed into Cong Xia, knocking him down to the ground, and his neck hit the rough gravel, causing him immense pain that contorted his features.
A sudden breeze blew, and from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar figure. He almost cried with relief.
Cheng Tianbi lifted him up in his arms. When Cong Xia felt the sturdy and powerful arms of Cheng Tianbi touching him, even in the midst of the treacherous battlefield, he inexplicably felt a sense of security.
****
66 Cambrian Consciousness
Cong Xia was thrown into a room and left unattended. Outside the villa, mutant humans roamed around without much vigilance for ordinary people.
Glancing at his watch, Cong Xia realized it was already past 4 p.m. If no one came to rescue him before nightfall, he would have to find a way out on his own. After dark, most places would be devoid of lights, making it easier for him to escape even from the Hongwei Gang, which wouldn't bother installing streetlights. With enhanced vision that he possessed, it would be even more advantageous for him.
Oh right, the members of the Qingyan Gang were also scheduled to distribute oil. Perhaps that would be a good opportunity...
From this room, Cong Xia had a clear view of the main entrance. He sat by the window, fixated on the entrance. Half an hour later, the tall and thin man from the Qingyan Gang indeed arrived. However, it seemed he wasn't here to distribute oil because he came with a group of people and didn't bring a car.
Cheng Ge stood with a group of people at the entrance, engaged in a conversation.
The distance was a bit far, and Cong Xia couldn't hear clearly. He focused his energy on his auditory nerves, and the first sentence that reached his ears from the tall and thin man was, "Zhao Jin is dead. You now have two choices: either join the Qingyan Gang or get out of Chongqing!"
Cheng Ge's face turned pale, and he angrily retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! Jin Ge went out just two hours ago."
"Hmph, that's correct, but he's already dead now." The tall and thin man took out two photos from his pocket and threw them on the ground. "The body is at the toll station. If you don't believe it, go claim it yourselves. We just received the news."
Trembling, Cheng Ge picked up the photos, glanced at them, and fiercely threw them on the ground. The members of the Hongwei Gang were thrown into disarray. Cheng Ge said to someone, "Go... go to the toll station... and see."
The tall and thin man sneered, "No need to look any further. He's dead for sure. The research institute needs his body. You better hurry there, maybe you can catch a glimpse. Without Zhao Jin, what can this bunch of ragtag do? I'll give you two choices, and they're only valid for today. Anyone who doesn't leave or submit will be mercilessly killed."
Brother Cheng shouted, "Who did it? Who?"
"Well, it's definitely not us. Hongwei Gang has made too many enemies. Can you even count them all?"
The big beard shouted, "This photo is fake! They want to lure us out so they can steal the oil tanker! Brother Jin is so powerful, he's one of the best in the whole of Chongqing. How could someone kill him in such a short time? It's definitely fake."
"Yeah, it's fake! No one can kill Brother Jin, not even bullets can penetrate his skin. How could he be killed? How?"
"Besides the Frost Society's leader, who in this city can match Brother Jin? The photo is fake!"
"It's fake! When Jin Ge left, he was accompanied by four or five skilled individuals. Even if your Qingyan Gang emptied its nest, there's no way you could have killed Jin Ge and so many of our brothers in just two hours. Who do you think you're fooling?"
The members of the Hongwei Gang were infuriated and didn't believe in the authenticity of the photos.
Cong Xia, on the other hand, believed in them and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Tianbi and Xiao Tang had won. It seemed that Zhuang Yao's assessment of their abilities was more accurate than his own. If it were him, he would never have allowed the two of them to take such risks.
However, for some reason, he still felt uneasy. According to what they said, Zhao Jin was extremely powerful. Could Tianbi and Xiao Tang really escape unscathed? The thought made Cong Xia even more anxious to leave this place. He needed to go back and check on them. What if they were injured?
The tall and thin man sneered, "If I hadn't seen the body with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that Zhao Jin died like this. Who in the entire Chongqing could have killed him? Even Wu Yu from the Frost Society wouldn't dare to make such bold claims. But he's dead, that's for sure. As for the person who killed him, the whole city is searching for that individual. However, one thing is certain: this person came with the people from the industrial park. Some of the individuals Zhao Jin brought with him were killed by arrows, and it was done by that Tang boy from the industrial park. But he wasn't alone; there was another person.”
Cheng Ge's heart trembled.
When Zhao Jin left, there was a tall and expressionless young man with him, who was remarkably handsome and easily recognizable. Zhao Jin had mentioned that he was from the industrial park. Cheng Ge suddenly remembered that he had someone from the industrial park in his own room. Was that person capable enough to kill Zhao Jin? One question would reveal the truth. But if Zhao Jin really died, what about the remaining dozens of brothers...
The bearded man also had the same thought, "Nonsense! The guy from the industrial park you sent to us this morning is still here. We can just ask him. If there's really someone powerful in the industrial park, why would you need to come and take the oil tanker from us? Go and bring that guy out."
Cong Xia was covered in sweat.
What should he do? How could he explain Tianbi's abilities?
He couldn't tell the truth, but he couldn't think of any mutant ability that would convince them either.
After a while, the door was rudely opened, and a person came in and dragged Cong Xia out. Cong Xia followed him unsteadily and arrived in front of the villa. Dozens of people were staring at him intently.
Cheng Ge looked at him malevolently and asked, "I'm asking you, who is the most powerful person in your industrial park?"
Cong Xia forced himself to remain calm and whispered, "A person surnamed Tang, wielding a large bow."
"Anyone else?"
"And a cat..."
Cheng Ge stretched out his five fingers, and his fat fingers suddenly transformed into numerous fine earthy brown rhizomes. The rhizomes had small thorns growing on them, and they instantly wrapped around Cong Xia's neck!
Cong Xia let out a scream of pain, and blood gushed from his neck.
The thorns didn't go deep enough to puncture an artery, but there were at least ten thorns encircling his neck. The rhizomes wrapped around his neck for six or seven rounds, and over a hundred thorns pierced through the skin of his neck. Although not life-threatening, the pain was unbearable!
Cong Xia wanted to concentrate his energy on his neck to quickly heal the wound, but he couldn't. In front of so many people, he couldn't use any abilities. He paled because of the pain, and the agony was even worse than when he had walked into the digestive fluid pool.
Cheng Ge coldly said, "From now on, if you tell one more lie, I'll bleed you dry."
Cong Xia, in agony, pleaded, "Big brother, I dare not lie. Please let me go." If the wrapping continued, even if he didn't lose blood, he would suffocate.
Cheng Ge loosened the entanglement and said coldly, "What about those experts?"
"There's one, an unusual person with a giant flower mutation."
"What ability?"
"He can emit a foul odor, and he can also secrete digestive fluid."
The tall and thin man shook his head. "That's unlikely. Zhao Jin had knife wounds."
"A knife! I know about knives!"
"Quickly speak!"
"There's a speed-evolved human, a special forces soldier, skilled in using knives, but he's not that powerful... "
Cheng Ge furrowed his brow, and the tall and thin man fell into contemplation.
"Big brother, I'm telling the truth. Besides them, there are only two power-type evolved humans in the industrial park, but they only have brute strength and are not that formidable. Other than them, there's no one else, truly no one else. Please let me go. If you release me, I know the person who uses knives, and I'll help you find him."
Cheng Ge retracted the rhizomes, and Cong Xia fell to his knees with a thud, his face twisted in pain.
The bearded man shouted, "A speed-evolved human can't be that powerful. Little Wu is a speed-evolved human too. How could he be a match for the boss?"
The tall and thin man said in a deep voice, "Not necessarily. That person is a special forces soldier with exceptional speed and trained combat skills. He may not be inferior to higher-level mutants. Before the apocalypse, we were all ordinary people. Who knew how to fight? Those who truly understand combat can amplify their evolved abilities manyfold."
Cheng Ge clenched his fist. "Take him with us. Let's go to the toll station."
The bearded man anxiously said, "Cheng Ge, what if he's deceiving us..."
Cheng Ge glared at him. "I said we're going to check it out!" After speaking, he walked through the crowd of Qingyan gang members and headed outside. The bearded man lifted Cong Xia and followed suit.
Cong Xia quietly repaired the wound on his neck. Because he had lost a lot of blood, the wound appeared frightening, but it was relatively shallow and not difficult to heal.
Just as they stepped outside the gate, an arrow flew through the air and pierced into the bearded man's chest with a sharp sound.
Caught off guard, everyone froze on the spot, watching the bearded man stiffly collapse to the ground.
"It's the one surnamed Tang!"
"He's above us!"
As they spoke, another person fell into a pool of blood.
Suddenly, Liu Fengyu jumped down from above, spreading out huge petals with his hands, knocking down the person closest to him and instantly dissolving one of the man's arms to the bone with digestive fluid.
"He's from the industrial park!"
Cong Xia leaped up from the ground and ran towards Tang Yanqiu's direction.
Before he could take a few steps, he felt a gust of wind behind him. A power-evolved human dashed a few steps and caught up to him, drawing a knife and aiming for his back.
He only had time to turn his head around, and just as the sharp blade was about to strike, a gunshot rang out. The man's hand holding the knife was abruptly broken in front of Cong Xia's eyes, and he tumbled forward.
The man crashed into Cong Xia, knocking him down to the ground, and his neck hit the rough gravel, causing him immense pain that contorted his features.
A sudden breeze blew, and from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar figure. He almost cried with relief.
Cheng Tianbi lifted him up in his arms. When Cong Xia felt the sturdy and powerful arms of Cheng Tianbi touching him, even in the midst of the treacherous battlefield, he inexplicably felt a sense of security.
****
