Chapter 71 New Capital

Chapter 71 New Capital

No one knew for sure if the Spirit Spring contained harmful substances to the human body, so after some discussion, they decided not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

Next, Shenchi asked Ming Jing to help locate the scar-faced corpse. Although Ming Jing was curious about why Shenchi wanted it, he didn't ask any questions.

The snowy mountains made it difficult to distinguish one area from another. After a quick survey, Ming Jing pointed to a spot about a hundred meters away, where an overturned and partially buried long-distance bus lay nearby.

Shenchi nodded, raised his hand, and thick snow began to roll, gradually forming a snowball several meters high. The bodies buried within fell out due to gravity—zombies, soldiers, civilians, limbs scattered everywhere, some frozen to the ground.

Cao Kun waved his hand, and all the corpses turned to ashes, leaving only the massive scar-faced zombie.

Ming Jing ran over to collect the crystals, while Shenchi squatted down to examine the scar-faced zombie's head, which had messy, stinky hair.

Shenchi asked Cao Kun to burn it. It was clear that the corpse's head had been operated on multiple times with expert precision.

From the degree of wound healing, it appeared that surgeries were performed both before and after the transformation into a zombie.

Shenchi began checking other parts of the scar-faced zombie. The tattered clothes crumbled upon being lifted.

Cao Kun and Ming Jing also noticed the stitched wounds and helped look for any other abnormalities.

As soon as Cao Kun brushed aside the tattered clothes, Ming Jing exclaimed, "Brother Shen, is this what you're looking for?"

Shenchi approached and his expression changed instantly. On the scar-faced zombie's arm was a red stamp with a number—L001.

Seeing Shenchi's reaction, Cao Kun asked, "Did your 'acquaintance' do this?"

Ming Jing chimed in, "Do you know who stamped this?"

Shenchi nodded, "'L001' is a serial number. There's a Doctor Zhong who likes conducting human experiments. All his test subjects are treated like livestock, categorized and marked."

Shenchi clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred. "One day, I will kill him."

"Don't worry, that day won't be far off," Cao Kun said. "This zombie was the Level Three zombie from Wanqian City, which means that Doctor Zhong was likely there too."

"Yes, I saw him," Shenchi whispered, waving his hand to store the corpse in the space. "He was with Jin Shufan at the time."

Cao Kun frowned. "How did they connect from such a distance? Could this Doctor Zhong be the researcher mentioned in the mission?"

Shenchi wasn't sure either. He knew that before the apocalypse, Doctor Zhong lived in Wanqian City. According to his past knowledge, Doctor Zhong should have already been conducting research on psychics at Hongshan Base, but Jin Shufan's name wasn't mentioned then.

Someone like Jin Shufan shouldn't have remained anonymous.

Could this be the result of the butterfly effect?

After tidying up, they planned to return to the safe zone to check for any survivors. The tunnel had collapsed, so they had to go around the mountain.

Due to the deep snow, Shenchi suggested using skis instead of the SUV. They had learned skiing as a recreational activity in the safe zone, and some used it as a travel method.

However, Shenchi's suggestion was met with opposition. They pushed him back into the car, insisting he rest and take care of the baby in the crib.

The snowy road was bumpy and difficult to navigate. Cao Kun melted the snow and ice along the way. Not only that, he turned off the car's heater and provided warmth himself, making Ming Jing marvel.

Shenchi understood Cao Kun's intentions and frowned. "Don't treat me like a woman. I know my limits; I can handle this much."

Cao Kun raised an eyebrow. "Don't overthink it. I'm just testing how far my powers can reach now that I've reached Level Four."

Shenchi didn't say anything more.

Ming Jing shook his head.

Four hours later, they arrived near the safe zone. Shenchi carried the child out, stored the car in the space, and looked up. The national flag, completely covered in snow, was unrecognizable. The city walls had several large holes, and debris and corpses littered the streets. The bustling city from the day before was now desolate and bleak.

Suddenly, Shen Pingan started crying, sobbing uncontrollably. The three of them were taken aback and tried everything to calm him down, but nothing worked.

Pingan's face turned red from crying, and Shenchi felt a pang of distress hearing his cries.

Cao Kun thought for a moment and conjured dozens of tiny sparks in front of the child, controlling them to move around in the air, transforming into "comets" with small tails that intertwined, eventually becoming lifelike, fluttering red paper cranes!

The child's attention was immediately drawn to the cranes, watching them intently, even hiccupping mid-cry. Shenchi and Ming Jing were amazed by Cao Kun's display.

Looking at the ten cranes flying around Pingan, Shenchi asked, "How far can you make them fly? Can they come back?"

Cao Kun's eyes lit up. "Let me try."

In the next instant, the ten cranes flew rapidly towards the distance, their fiery glow vivid against the snow.

Nine of the cranes returned after flying less than five hundred meters, changing positions several times. The tenth flew a kilometer away and perched on a bare branch, never to return.

"This is my current limit, but I believe my control range will improve significantly before reaching Level Five," Cao Kun said, noticing Shenchi's rare excitement. "Don't be jealous. In a few months, I'll turn into a real dragon for you!"

Shenchi glanced at him and walked past.

"Is anyone here?"

"Are there any survivors?"

Cao Kun walked through the safe zone with a megaphone, shouting. Ming Jing found a detector, and they checked for any survivors as they moved deeper.

Unfortunately, they found no living souls.

Shenchi stood in front of the side door they had escaped through, facing a massive standing corpse. The old man who always made the child cry stood there, gnawed down to bones.

Ming Jing lowered his eyes, taking several deep breaths without success.

Cao Kun laid the man flat, melting the ice. Ming Jing asked Shenchi for a towel and, with Cao Kun's help, cleaned the old man's face and tightly clenched fists. Shenchi brought out a white cloth to cover the old man, but it was too small, covering only his head.

Fire burned everywhere in sight. Ming Jing recited the sutras twenty times, pouring all his wishes into them, hoping for the deceased to find peace.

After a long while, Shenchi suddenly asked, "Do you know his name?"

Silence fell...

Ming Jing's nose started to tingle, and he finally couldn't hold back any longer. He sat down on the spot, hugging his knees and sobbing.

Cao Kun couldn't comfort him. In the past, many loyal heroes died without their names being known, and there would be even more in the future.

Shenchi handed out tongs to both of them and collected all the crystal cores on the ground.

The power had already been cut off in the safe zone, but a few households still had generators. Most people had food and supplies at home, and there were also various necessities, medicines, and weapons in the factories—more than enough for the four of them to last several lifetimes.

However, they had no intention of staying. Shenchi didn't take everything with him but instead took protective measures to prevent natural damage to these items. Finally, he marked the outer packaging clearly for the next group that might come here.

That day, they didn't leave because Shenchi needed to test the number of entries into the space. So, they returned to Garden Residential Area again.

The house was still clean. They removed their goggles, and Ming Jing opened the cabinet, taking out several toys and presenting them to Shenchi, shaking a rattle to try to attract An'an's attention. "Little An'an, these are the little toys Uncle prepared for you. Do you like them? Aren't you just thrilled?"

An'an's dark eyes followed the paper crane, only glancing briefly at the rattle before looking away. His little tongue poked between his lips, and his small fists waved excitedly. Ming Jing returned unsuccessful.

After Shenchi publicly revealed his spatial ability, Cao Kun and Ming Jing gave all their crystal cores to Shenchi except for a few they kept as backups. This was both for safety and trust.

The three of them washed up properly and had a warm meal. Then, Ming Jing went to absorb the Level 3 crystal core, leaving the child with Cao Kun. Shenchi entered the space to test the number of entries and duration after advancing. Occasionally, he would eat something or check on the child. On the seventh entry, Ming Jing had successfully advanced to Level 3.

Until midnight, Shenchi had already made twelve entries, spending up to five hours inside. After repeating these tests, he could feel that his space no longer restricted the number of entries or time spent inside. This way, as long as it didn't fall into the hands of someone like Doctor, An'an's safety would no longer be an issue.

The next day, they set off fully prepared. This time, Shenchi stored everything from the house into the space. The neighbors' houses had been checked yesterday, and no one was inside.

Shenchi brought out the snowfield armored vehicle they found yesterday. The cannon on top was gone, and the passenger seat was dented, making it unusable, but the rest of the vehicle was fine, and the engine worked. Cao Kun had covered the broken windows. They got into the vehicle, opened the map, and headed towards ChuanShan Province.

They didn't rush this time but took breaks along the way so the child and Shenchi could rest.

Zombies were often encountered on the road, both high and low levels. Although their movements were slower than in summer, the proportion of high-level zombies had increased, making them no less challenging to deal with.

The highest level among them was Level 3. Cao Kun didn't intervene, allowing Ming Jing to test his Level 3 mental ability.

It turned out that Ming Jing could easily control sixty-six Level 1 zombies simultaneously, five Level 2 zombies, and barely control two Level 3 zombies for two minutes.

Cao Kun watched with great interest, walking among the immobilized zombies, then looked at Ming Jing, asking him to try controlling him.

Ming Jing had been thinking about this for a while. Hearing Cao Kun's suggestion, he immediately agreed and cautiously extended his mental force toward Cao Kun.

Cao Kun said, "Don't worry, I won't resist."

Ming Jing didn't let Cao Kun's words distract him. His mental tentacle touched Cao Kun's arm, and when Cao Kun tilted his head, the mental tentacle quickly drilled into his mind. Cao Kun's vision instantly went black, but it cleared up the next second.

Cao Kun looked at the two of them. "Success."

As he spoke, the previously motionless zombies around them lunged at Cao Kun, who easily disposed of them, picked up the crystal cores, and looked at the exhausted and sweating Ming Jing, patting his shoulder. "Even though it was just a moment, it's a chance to turn defeat into victory."

Ming Jing: ^_^

Cao Kun: "Unfortunately, using it once leaves you paralyzed."

Ming Jing: "..."

Three days later, the three of them entered Lu Yin City. Like Wanqian City, it had extreme temperature differences between day and night, with fierce storms. Strangely, signs of life were emerging; flowers stood tall, animals roamed the streets, and the decay rate of zombie corpses was much faster than outside.

This time, they quickly crossed the boundary line and entered the new capital—Lu Yi City.