81 Cambrian Consciousness
Throughout the night, people in the community worked tirelessly. By the break of dawn the next day, they had produced over three hundred bamboo arrow shafts. After Tang Yanqiu's selection, only a little over one hundred and twenty were deemed usable, but this quantity already satisfied him.
They bound the bamboo arrows together and secured them to the roof of the vehicle.
At the entrance of the community, Luo Xun shook hands with Cong Xia. "Thank you for the information. It will be very helpful for our trip to Chongqing."
Cong Xia smiled and replied, "We should also thank you. These bamboo arrows are something we desperately need."
Luo Xun's tone became more serious. "Be careful of Zhang Qian and try to leave his sphere of influence as quickly as possible."
"We understand, and you must also be careful." Cong Xia firmly shook his hand, feeling deeply moved.
He had a good impression of Luo Xun, but with the existence of a ruthless figure like Zhang Qian, their lives hung by a thread. After this parting, he didn't know if they would ever meet again in their lifetime.
Luo Xun looked at him with a smile. "Goodbye. I hope we can meet again."
Cong Xia also said solemnly, "I hope we can meet again too."
They left the community and headed towards the highway entrance.
At the agreed-upon time, they arrived at the highway entrance outside the city, and Zhang Qian was already waiting with his men.
Beside Zhang Qian's feet was a barrel of oil. He kicked it lightly. "We've done our best. Just thirty liters."
They had anticipated that Zhang Qian wouldn't honestly provide them with fifty liters of oil, so thirty liters wasn't surprising either. It was still acceptable. Holding a gun in one hand, they walked past him calmly.
"Wait, I want to see someone."
Tang Yanqiu climbed onto the road bully and pulled Zhang Mao down. Zhang Mao had just woken up and was still dazed, looking disheveled at the crowd.
Cheng Tianbi had already reached the oil barrel, while Zhang Qian glared menacingly at Cheng Tianbi. However, Cheng Tianbi remained composed and seemingly paid no attention to him.
Cheng Tianbi lifted the oil barrel with one hand and began to walk backward.
Zhang Qian coldly said, "After you've traveled ten kilometers, you must release him. If I can't see him, don't even think about leaving Chengdu."
Zhuang Yao looked at them with arrogance and said, "I hope you remember your place when dealing with people. If you dare to disturb us, your fate will be the same as those crows."
Tang Yanqiu pushed Zhang Mao onto the car again, and Cheng Tianbi also placed the oil drums on it. The rest of the people sat on Abu's back, and the group moved forward.
As they moved away, a man whispered, "Boss, is it worth exchanging thirty liters of oil for that kid?"
Zhang Qian sneered, "He himself is not worth it, but the information he mentioned is valuable."
"You mean the person who can heal?"
"That's right. Such ability is more precious than controlling the forces of nature and evolved humans. The power of wood energy can have a rejuvenating effect. I once heard someone speculate about this kind of energy. Only when that kid returns can we know who it is. Moreover, only that kid saw the strength of their group the night before yesterday. Without this information, it's not easy to deal with them..." Zhang Qian chuckled with a sinister resentment. "I guess this group of people is also heading towards Beijing. You go to Hanzhong now and inform Old Liu. Tell him I have a big gift for him, but he has to wait until I arrive before opening it together..."
After entering the highway, they maintained a fast speed. Birds were following them in the sky, which they had noticed earlier but had no way to deal with. Tang Yanqiu shot down one, but countless others took its place, so they just let them follow.
After walking for more than ten kilometers, Zhang Mao shouted, "When are you going to let me go?"
Zhuang Yao glanced at the map and said, "Let's stop here. Let him go."
Cheng Tianbi untied Zhang Mao's rope and threw him off the car. The moment he hit the ground, Zhang Mao transformed into a large owl, still wearing his comical shirt. He flew into the sky and said in a resentful tone, "We'll see about that. The Eagle Corps will never let you get away."
Tang Yanqiu aimed an arrow at him, and frightened, Zhang Mao quickly spread his wings and flew away.
Cheng Tianbi said, "I really want to kill him. He might reveal Cong Xia's secret."
Zhuang Yao frowned and nodded, "You're right, but if we kill him, Zhang Qian will catch up to us."
"Even if we don't kill him, Zhang Qian might still catch up."
"At least there's a possibility that he won't catch up. In other words, if they really catch up, killing him would be the same."
Cong Xia turned around and said, "I'm curious about their flying ability. Do Avian hybrids have flight abilities similar to ordinary birds? Avian atavists supporting such a large weight with their wings may not have good flying capabilities, right?"
Tang Yanqiu nodded and said, "Currently, I can only change into a human with avian features, which means my overall body structure is still human. Due to my heavy body weight, flying is not an easy task for me. I definitely can't fly continuously for ten kilometers. However, my atavistic progress is still evolving. When my body first started mutating, wings appeared, and later my body gradually developed feathers. Now, I have even regressed claws. I don't know if I continue this atavistic process, whether I can fully develop avian characteristics."
Liu Fengyu curiously asked, "Why haven't I seen your full avian atavism? You've only grown wings all this time."
Tang Yanqiu blushed, "Because... it's a bit strange."
Liu Fengyu teased, "Didn't you say that men shouldn't focus on appearance?"
"That's different. It's unusual for feathers to cover a human body."
Liu Fengyu rested his chin on his hand. "Let us see."
"What?"
"Your full avian transformation."
"I can't."
"Come on, let us have an understanding of your abilities. You're keeping something hidden, do you not trust us?"
"It's not that..."
"Then show us."
Not only Liu Fengyu but also the others were interested, eagerly looking at Tang Yanqiu.
Tang Yanqiu was forced by Liu Fengyu and had no choice but to take off his coat, rolling up the sleeve of his left arm. His sturdy arm visibly contracted at a rapid pace, gradually changing its muscle structure. White feathers slowly grew on his skin, quickly covering the entire arm. His slender fingers also transformed into avian claws, looking powerful and sharp with curved, hook-like nails.
Zhuang Yao leaned in, "I'll pluck a feather." Without hesitation, he plucked one, and Tang Yanqiu had no reaction. Losing a feather was as insignificant as losing a strand of hair. Zhuang Yao casually put the feather in his pocket and said, "I'll study it when I have time."
Cong Xia touched the feathers and commented, "Quite thick. You can sleep with feathers at night, and you won't feel cold at all."
Tang Yanqiu sheepishly said, "Yes, I do, but they're inside my clothes. You can't see them."
Liu Fengyu raised an eyebrow, "Hero Tang, you're really sly, hiding your true abilities."
Tang Yanqiu anxiously said, "Don't talk nonsense, I don't have any."
The two of them argued back and forth, but Tang Yanqiu clearly came off worse. Liu Fengyu was enthusiastic about teasing him, as if he had found a new form of entertainment. Cong Xia glanced sympathetically at Tang Yanqiu and went to sit next to Cheng Tianbi to practice.
81 Cambrian Consciousness
Throughout the night, people in the community worked tirelessly. By the break of dawn the next day, they had produced over three hundred bamboo arrow shafts. After Tang Yanqiu's selection, only a little over one hundred and twenty were deemed usable, but this quantity already satisfied him.
They bound the bamboo arrows together and secured them to the roof of the vehicle.
At the entrance of the community, Luo Xun shook hands with Cong Xia. "Thank you for the information. It will be very helpful for our trip to Chongqing."
Cong Xia smiled and replied, "We should also thank you. These bamboo arrows are something we desperately need."
Luo Xun's tone became more serious. "Be careful of Zhang Qian and try to leave his sphere of influence as quickly as possible."
"We understand, and you must also be careful." Cong Xia firmly shook his hand, feeling deeply moved.
He had a good impression of Luo Xun, but with the existence of a ruthless figure like Zhang Qian, their lives hung by a thread. After this parting, he didn't know if they would ever meet again in their lifetime.
Luo Xun looked at him with a smile. "Goodbye. I hope we can meet again."
Cong Xia also said solemnly, "I hope we can meet again too."
They left the community and headed towards the highway entrance.
At the agreed-upon time, they arrived at the highway entrance outside the city, and Zhang Qian was already waiting with his men.
Beside Zhang Qian's feet was a barrel of oil. He kicked it lightly. "We've done our best. Just thirty liters."
They had anticipated that Zhang Qian wouldn't honestly provide them with fifty liters of oil, so thirty liters wasn't surprising either. It was still acceptable. Holding a gun in one hand, they walked past him calmly.
"Wait, I want to see someone."
Tang Yanqiu climbed onto the road bully and pulled Zhang Mao down. Zhang Mao had just woken up and was still dazed, looking disheveled at the crowd.
Cheng Tianbi had already reached the oil barrel, while Zhang Qian glared menacingly at Cheng Tianbi. However, Cheng Tianbi remained composed and seemingly paid no attention to him.
Cheng Tianbi lifted the oil barrel with one hand and began to walk backward.
Zhang Qian coldly said, "After you've traveled ten kilometers, you must release him. If I can't see him, don't even think about leaving Chengdu."
Zhuang Yao looked at them with arrogance and said, "I hope you remember your place when dealing with people. If you dare to disturb us, your fate will be the same as those crows."
Tang Yanqiu pushed Zhang Mao onto the car again, and Cheng Tianbi also placed the oil drums on it. The rest of the people sat on Abu's back, and the group moved forward.
As they moved away, a man whispered, "Boss, is it worth exchanging thirty liters of oil for that kid?"
Zhang Qian sneered, "He himself is not worth it, but the information he mentioned is valuable."
"You mean the person who can heal?"
"That's right. Such ability is more precious than controlling the forces of nature and evolved humans. The power of wood energy can have a rejuvenating effect. I once heard someone speculate about this kind of energy. Only when that kid returns can we know who it is. Moreover, only that kid saw the strength of their group the night before yesterday. Without this information, it's not easy to deal with them..." Zhang Qian chuckled with a sinister resentment. "I guess this group of people is also heading towards Beijing. You go to Hanzhong now and inform Old Liu. Tell him I have a big gift for him, but he has to wait until I arrive before opening it together..."
After entering the highway, they maintained a fast speed. Birds were following them in the sky, which they had noticed earlier but had no way to deal with. Tang Yanqiu shot down one, but countless others took its place, so they just let them follow.
After walking for more than ten kilometers, Zhang Mao shouted, "When are you going to let me go?"
Zhuang Yao glanced at the map and said, "Let's stop here. Let him go."
Cheng Tianbi untied Zhang Mao's rope and threw him off the car. The moment he hit the ground, Zhang Mao transformed into a large owl, still wearing his comical shirt. He flew into the sky and said in a resentful tone, "We'll see about that. The Eagle Corps will never let you get away."
Tang Yanqiu aimed an arrow at him, and frightened, Zhang Mao quickly spread his wings and flew away.
Cheng Tianbi said, "I really want to kill him. He might reveal Cong Xia's secret."
Zhuang Yao frowned and nodded, "You're right, but if we kill him, Zhang Qian will catch up to us."
"Even if we don't kill him, Zhang Qian might still catch up."
"At least there's a possibility that he won't catch up. In other words, if they really catch up, killing him would be the same."
Cong Xia turned around and said, "I'm curious about their flying ability. Do Avian hybrids have flight abilities similar to ordinary birds? Avian atavists supporting such a large weight with their wings may not have good flying capabilities, right?"
Tang Yanqiu nodded and said, "Currently, I can only change into a human with avian features, which means my overall body structure is still human. Due to my heavy body weight, flying is not an easy task for me. I definitely can't fly continuously for ten kilometers. However, my atavistic progress is still evolving. When my body first started mutating, wings appeared, and later my body gradually developed feathers. Now, I have even regressed claws. I don't know if I continue this atavistic process, whether I can fully develop avian characteristics."
Liu Fengyu curiously asked, "Why haven't I seen your full avian atavism? You've only grown wings all this time."
Tang Yanqiu blushed, "Because... it's a bit strange."
Liu Fengyu teased, "Didn't you say that men shouldn't focus on appearance?"
"That's different. It's unusual for feathers to cover a human body."
Liu Fengyu rested his chin on his hand. "Let us see."
"What?"
"Your full avian transformation."
"I can't."
"Come on, let us have an understanding of your abilities. You're keeping something hidden, do you not trust us?"
"It's not that..."
"Then show us."
Not only Liu Fengyu but also the others were interested, eagerly looking at Tang Yanqiu.
Tang Yanqiu was forced by Liu Fengyu and had no choice but to take off his coat, rolling up the sleeve of his left arm. His sturdy arm visibly contracted at a rapid pace, gradually changing its muscle structure. White feathers slowly grew on his skin, quickly covering the entire arm. His slender fingers also transformed into avian claws, looking powerful and sharp with curved, hook-like nails.
Zhuang Yao leaned in, "I'll pluck a feather." Without hesitation, he plucked one, and Tang Yanqiu had no reaction. Losing a feather was as insignificant as losing a strand of hair. Zhuang Yao casually put the feather in his pocket and said, "I'll study it when I have time."
Cong Xia touched the feathers and commented, "Quite thick. You can sleep with feathers at night, and you won't feel cold at all."
Tang Yanqiu sheepishly said, "Yes, I do, but they're inside my clothes. You can't see them."
Liu Fengyu raised an eyebrow, "Hero Tang, you're really sly, hiding your true abilities."
Tang Yanqiu anxiously said, "Don't talk nonsense, I don't have any."
The two of them argued back and forth, but Tang Yanqiu clearly came off worse. Liu Fengyu was enthusiastic about teasing him, as if he had found a new form of entertainment. Cong Xia glanced sympathetically at Tang Yanqiu and went to sit next to Cheng Tianbi to practice.
