Chapter 40: Spring Warmth Brings Guests

Chapter 40: Spring Warmth Brings Guests

The fish caught from ice fishing were hung up on the rooftop by Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng, freezing them directly, which greatly enriched their food supply.

Some of the ordinary fish were carefully rubbed with sea salt by Zhou Yun and dried by the cold wind day after day, turning into uniquely flavored dried fish. The fish meat took on an attractive translucent color and was extremely delicious when steamed with vegetables or used in soups.

After this, Zhou Yun often buried himself in the laboratory and nursery, focusing on artificially cultivating red mushrooms, continuously cultivating mutated medicines, extracting useful alkaloids, and working on some unfinished projects from his previous life, making countless detailed data records.

In the dome-shaped greenhouse, over many long months, using the persistent and unwavering application of growth spells with the help of mutated cacti and other mutated plants, he cultivated a large number of mutated medicines. He even managed to ensure that the fresh vegetables they ate every day were mutated vegetables.

Guan Yuanfeng, on the other hand, continued to take Comet to various places in Danlin City to fight zombies and transport supplies every day, showing off his trophies to Zhou Yun upon returning.

He ventured far but always returned by six, without ever encountering any other survivors. The nearest survival base was Beiming City, more than a hundred kilometers away, separated by a river and mountains. With the heavy snow and zombies, they hadn't encountered any survivors.

Unknowingly, Guan Yuanfeng was nearing the fourth tier. His lightning bow skills had become so precise that he could hit any target, and a chain of lightning could instantly kill seven or eight ordinary zombies. His lightning whirlwinds were just as deadly, striking with precision and power.

Zhou Yun witnessed Guan Yuanfeng unleash a gale at the reservoir's icy surface, blowing off the snow and ice that covered the entire forest on the opposite mountain. The bare branches shook violently in the wind, as if swept by a storm.

This was entirely the effect of reaching the fourth tier, but Guan Yuanfeng's ability core had not yet reached the fourth tier level. Zhou Yun was amazed at his tier advancement effect. In theory, Guan Yuanfeng's tier advancement should be slower than average, but within the same tier, he was unbeatable, and he could even trade blows with higher-tier opponents. This was because his meridians were wider than most.

For example, the last time Zhou Yun received a wooden ability core from a zombie king brought back by Guan Yuanfeng, he broke through to the fourth tier. But since then, his progress had been very slow. He was still at the peak of the third tier when he performed the grafting for Guan Yuanfeng, yet Guan Yuanfeng had already reached the peak of the third tier while Zhou Yun was still stuck in the early stages of the fourth tier, finding it difficult to improve.

Guan Yuanfeng was relentless, constantly absorbing crystal cores, battling zombies, and honing his body and mind.

Comet had also reached the peak of the third tier. It was no longer just releasing fireball skills; it could now unleash a full-fledged fire dragon, and its body moved even faster. Sometimes, in Zhou Yun's eyes, it was like a fleeting shadow that zombies could hardly catch up with.

Zhou Yun felt that together, Guan Yuanfeng and Comet were probably invincible in this world.

Unfortunately, this man and his dog spent every day fighting zombies. They now faced entire zombie hordes, returning each day with buckets full of cleaned zombie cores, ready for storage.

In the midst of this long winter, spring finally arrived in April of the following year, with thunder rumbling, heralding its late arrival.

As the temperature gradually warmed, life revived, and the mutated plants planted in Yuexi Number 3 the previous year began to grow vigorously after a long winter, receiving a bit of sunlight and rain.

Guan Yuanfeng didn't know that this was the result of Zhou Yun's tireless efforts throughout the winter to supply the mutated plants with his abilities. To him, it seemed as though the flowers in Yuexi Number 3 had bloomed overnight.

The jasmine, as if injected with new life, had lush branches and leaves with fragrant white flowers that glistened under the sunlight, heavy clusters showing off their intense vitality. The strong and flamboyant fragrance filled the entire yard.

The trumpet vines were not to be outdone. With the power of the spring sun and rain, they climbed and spread recklessly, blooming orange-red flowers that gently swayed in the spring breeze. Curiously exploring the world around them, they covered the entire wall with vibrant colors.

Even more eye-catching was the mutated camellia transplanted from the mountain. When spring arrived, its deep green, waxy leaves were filled with bowl-sized flowers. The petals, like silk cut from the finest cloth, were dazzling and bloomed with fiery intensity. From the window of the villa, the lush flowers were a magnificent sight, a beautiful spring picture.

The thorny tendrils showed astonishing growth speed. In just a few days, they coiled up like countless little green dragons, tightly wrapping around the iron railings. The dense and green leaves gave the already chipped railings a fresh look, full of the breath of spring.

It wasn’t just the flowers and trees that brought life to Yuexi Number 3; the bees and their hives also came alive after the long winter. After a winter of Zhou Yun's diligent feeding with honey, they had grown plump, each one significantly larger than ordinary bees.

They poured out of their hives, flying in all directions to collect nectar. Their transparent wings shimmered with a golden glow in the sunlight, embodying the vibrancy of spring.

The flowering trees transplanted from the nursery the previous year were mostly planted by the lake. The apricot and peach blossoms were in full bloom, with pink and white flowers like mist and fog, providing the mutated bees with rich nectar sources.

The entire neighborhood was filled with the busy figures and cheerful buzzing of the mutated bees, darting between the flower beds, diligently collecting pollen and nectar to produce sweet honey in their hives.

Despite their size, however, they were just too imposing, making Guan Yuanfeng feel uneasy whenever he saw them land on the petals, their long proboscises deftly sipping nectar.

But Zhou Yun was very pleased with this sight, his eyes gleaming with affection: "Mutated royal jelly is a good thing. Together with psychic ginseng... and beeswax... it's time to split the hives..."

Even Comet kept its distance, wary of the swarm’s wings and stingers, especially since they were Zhou Yun’s prized bees.

With the first spring thunder and melting snow, Zhou Yun eagerly began digging in the neighborhood, ready to plant the mutated seeds he had carefully saved over the winter.

Throughout the harsh winter, many plants in the neighborhood died from the cold. Zhou Yun spent several days walking around the lake, finalizing his planting plans for each plot of land.

Guan Yuanfeng specially went out to get an excavator and turned the soil over again. Then, under Zhou Yun's guidance, they planted a variety of crops, including corn, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, glutinous rice, and soybeans.

It took them about two weeks to finish planting everything. Afterward, the two made a trip to the agricultural supplies street, bringing back a load of useful farming equipment, seeds, and tools. They also set up an automatic sprinkler system near the crop fields.

Zhou Yun began transplanting the mutated trees he had nurtured on the rooftop over the winter into the neighborhood. Based on the trees' characteristics, he chose the most suitable locations to plant them in the ground.

Now they had a mutated mulberry tree, a mutated dalbergia odorifera, and a mutated yew. The yew was his highest priority, and he diligently infused it with psychic powers every day, measuring its girth and height, eagerly awaiting its growth.

The mutated mulberry tree transplanted from the mountains sprouted fresh green branches after a bit of Zhou Yun's growth spell. The lush, verdant leaves were the perfect choice for raising silkworms.

Zhou Yun immediately embarked on his silkworm-raising plan, starting by incubating silkworm eggs in the rooftop greenhouse.

A bright room in Yuexi Number 3 was specially cleaned out to serve as the silkworm room. Zhou Yun carefully nurtured all the hatched silkworm eggs with mutated mulberry leaves, washing and drying the leaves before feeding them to the silkworm larvae every day.

For a time, he neglected the poultry and livestock upstairs. Fortunately, Guan Yuanfeng was there to take care of them. In fact, after the winter, the two humans and one dog had eaten quite a lot. Only a few egg-laying hens were left from the free-range chickens they had caught from the forest farm.

Now that it was warm and the zombies in the neighborhood had been cleared out, the area was relatively safe, being up in the mountains.

Guan Yuanfeng moved the larger livestock, such as geese, rabbits, and sheep, down to the vacant grassland next to Yuexi Number 3. He built a large enclosure and let the chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, and rabbits roam freely in the grassland.

There was also a large ornamental banyan tree in the grassland, its shadows swaying in the spring breeze. The chickens, ducks, and geese enjoyed lingering under its shade.

This new area was clearly to Huixing's delight, as it ran back and forth happily, watching the livestock. The animals, already accustomed to this huge creature, were not afraid of it, and even the geese dared to snatch food from it.

Zhou Yun then planted a circle of mutated thorny tendrils around the area. In the spring, they grew rapidly, shooting up another large section in just a few days, the newborn thorns soft and fluffy.

Noticing Zhou Yun was busy every day yet enjoying it, Guan Yuanfeng found it somewhat amusing. Still, he took Huixing and ran to the mountain forests near the reservoir and nearby neighborhoods, looking for any mutated plants that had survived the harsh winter, and if they happened to hunt any mutated animals, they would bring them back too.

After the snow melted in early spring, his morning runs switched from the treadmill to cross-country runs with Huixing. Every day, he ran up and down the mountain in the neighborhood, checking for any remaining zombies or mutated animals.

Very early one morning, while it was still dark, Guan Yuanfeng took Huixing out for a morning run and returned with a giant bamboo rat, already split open and roasted but still clearly showing its robust body.

Zhou Yun was quite surprised. "Where did you get the bamboo rat?" he asked, examining it. "It looks mutated! It's bigger than a cat..."

Guan Yuanfeng replied, "Yes, I saw it in the bamboo forest on the back mountain during my run. At first, I thought it was a wild cat, but then I realized it was a bamboo rat."

Zhou Yun smiled. "Nice, bamboo rats taste good."

He set aside the hoe he was carrying on a nearby railing, reached out to take the bamboo rat, and examined it with a smile. "How do you want to cook it? Braised?"

"However you like," Guan Yuanfeng replied. Noticing that Zhou Yun was wearing gloves and a straw hat, he asked, "What are you planting so early in the morning?"

Zhou Yun said, "I've raised genetically enhanced earthworms over the winter, and I've placed them in your garden."

Guan Yuanfeng looked down at the freshly turned moist soil but couldn't see anything. Just as he was about to suggest going inside to make breakfast, he suddenly frowned, looked up sharply, and waved his hand. A bolt of lightning struck from the sky.

Before Zhou Yun could react, he looked up in surprise as a silver drone was hit by lightning and fell from the sky.

Huixing dashed over, grabbed the drone, and ran back with it.

Guan Yuanfeng examined it. "CH8018 drone, a lightweight and compact model typically used for reconnaissance, often carried on helicopters."

He thought for a moment. "Go inside and don't come out." He then commanded Huixing, "Stay with the doctor and protect him." Huixing barked in agreement, ready to protect Zhou Yun.

Noticing Guan Yuanfeng's serious expression, Zhou Yun didn't argue and obediently took the bamboo rat. "Okay. I'll be in the kitchen. Call me if you need anything." Over the past few days, they had mainly been farming in the neighborhood, and the villa's kitchen and rooms had been cleaned up for convenience after working downstairs.

Guan Yuanfeng nodded, and as he watched Zhou Yun and Huixing go back inside, he indeed heard the familiar trembling roar of a helicopter, the sound of rotating helicopter blades.

A military green armed helicopter flew over the azure horizon, hovering in the air like a giant metal bird. The early spring sunlight pierced through the sparse clouds, casting a dazzling glow on its fuselage.

"Silver Dove-90," Captain Guan quickly identified the model. A four-rotor, twin-engine utility helicopter, it had outstanding stability and excellent flight performance. Often used for transport, medical evacuation, and special operations, it could carry eleven fully armed soldiers and crew members.

He watched the approaching helicopter intently, his hand ready to unleash a lightning ability.

The side door of the helicopter’s cockpit suddenly swung open, and a man leaned out. Holding a flag high, he signaled with it in the wind and shouted through a megaphone, "Captain! It's us who have come!"

Guan Yuanfeng looked up, his brow relaxing slightly, though his expression remained serious. He gestured back, signaling the helicopter to land in the nearby central square.

From the kitchen, Zhou Yun noticed Guan Yuanfeng’s tense expression soften, though he still looked serious.

Zhou Yun strode toward the central square, where the ground was flat, with no obstacles like wires, trees, or buildings.

Guan Yuanfeng arrived at the edge of the square, signaling the helicopter to descend and land.

The helicopter slowly touched down, and from afar, Zhou Yun watched as several young men in military green combat uniforms, their heads shaved, disembarked. They saluted Guan Yuanfeng as soon as they were off the helicopter and stood at attention, tears in their eyes, visibly overwhelmed with emotion.

Guan Yuanfeng’s teammates had finally found them.

Though it took them all winter to find him.

Zhou Yun watched quietly for a moment, noticing Guan Yuanfeng look over at him before turning to give instructions and walking over alone.

Zhou Yun had just skinned the bamboo rat, removed a wooden crystal core from inside, and cut the rat into pieces. He smiled as Guan Yuanfeng walked in, "Are they your comrades? Should I cook more rice? How many have come?"

"Seven," Guan Yuanfeng replied. "Just make a simple hotpot. I’ll have them help out. They might stay for a few days, and their appetites are quite large. Sorry for the trouble."

Zhou Yun smiled. "No trouble. Guests are always welcome."

There was something in Zhou Yun’s smile that made Guan Yuanfeng’s heart skip a beat, but voices from outside the yard called out, "Reporting! Captain? Is this the place?"

"Let me introduce you," Guan Yuanfeng said quickly before heading out to meet them. Zhou Yun tossed the bamboo rat into the pressure cooker, added water, and set it to boil. After washing his hands, he went out to greet the team.

The young soldiers entered the yard and were stunned by the flowers. "Captain’s villa is impressive! These flowers are beautiful! Did you plant them, Captain?"

Guan Yuanfeng coughed, and several team members immediately fell silent and looked over. Guan Yuanfeng introduced Zhou Yun. "This is Doctor Zhou."

The team members immediately stood straight and shouted in unison, "Doctor Zhou!" Their voices were loud and in harmony, their smiles bright, their eyes firm—showing their well-trained demeanor.

Zhou Yun couldn’t help but smile back. "Hi everyone, I’m Zhou Yun—Zhou meaning ‘considerate,’ and Yun meaning ‘cultivation.’"

Guan Yuanfeng introduced the team members. "Lieutenant Jiang Rongqian."

Jiang Rongqian, of medium height with slightly dark skin and a gentle smile, stepped forward and shook Zhou Yun’s hand. "Dr. Zhou, I am Communications Officer Jiang Rongqian, Rong as in appearance, Qian as in humility. I’ve been following Captain Guan for many years."

Zhou Yun smiled and shook his hand. "Communications Officer? Was the drone earlier under your control?"

Jiang Rongqian laughed. "I was trying to find a flat spot to land and scout the terrain, check for any zombies, when we suddenly spotted the captain. On the screen, we saw him standing there, and we couldn’t believe it. We were about to zoom in when boom! The captain looked up, raised his hand, and the screen went black! The drone was gone!"

"The captain actually has psychic abilities now!"

"Lightning abilities, how cool is that!"

"The captain is still so sharp!"

"We only have one person with lightning abilities at our base, from the second team. They usually act like they’re above everyone else, but now they’ve got some competition."

Zhou Yun was amused by their antics and glanced at Guan Yuanfeng, who was gazing at his soldiers. His eyes swept across each team member's face, as if confirming their growth and changes.

But he was sharp enough to catch Zhou Yun's gaze. He coughed again, and the room fell silent once more. Jiang Rongqian said, "No need for Captain Guan to trouble himself with introductions. Let's introduce ourselves. Ke-xin, you go first."

A slender team member stepped forward, her voice clear and her eyes bright. "Explosives expert, Dong Kexin." It turned out to be a female team member. Her hair was cut very short, almost shaved, and she wore oversized combat clothes. At first glance, she could easily be mistaken for a man, but upon closer inspection, her features were refined, giving her an almost mixed-race appearance.

The tall, lanky figure standing next to her then stepped forward to introduce himself. "Wu Jun, sniper." His arms were exceptionally long, and his narrow eyes were bright, giving off the impression that he didn't talk much.

"Pilot, Zhang Qi!" Zhang Qi, the helicopter pilot, was tall and handsome, exuding a friendly charm. "I'm also the sniper's assistant."

"Reconnaissance expert, Liao Jinsheng!" Liao Jinsheng looked very young, probably only in his early twenties. His round eyes were lively, indicating a playful nature. He was restless, his eyes constantly darting around. He seemed particularly interested in the Comet following Guan Yuanfeng and occasionally tried to tease the creature.

"Assault expert, Tang Anchen." Tang Anchen stepped forward with a good-natured smile and shook Zhou Yun's hand. Zhou Yun felt affection toward him. "I thought Captain Guan was tall enough, but you're even taller. What a strong build."

Tang Anchen scratched his head with a hearty smile. He was a giant of a man, standing over two meters tall with a robust physique. He had earth psychic powers but was known to be a bit slow due to a fever that affected his brain when he was younger. In a previous life, he was the only team member who came to rescue Guan Yuanfeng. Together, they went to the base, and in difficult terrain, Tang Anchen always carried Guan Yuanfeng.

Later, after Guan Yuanfeng passed away, Zhou Yun met Tang Anchen again and learned of his subsequent fate. Eventually, he heard that this giant also sacrificed his life—in the post-apocalyptic world, too many deaths reduced people to mere names on a list.

Zhou Yun looked at him with some sorrow and shifted his gaze to the last young man. He was special, the only one not wearing combat clothes. The curly-haired young man wore a simply tailored woolen overcoat and had a handsome face with a scholarly air.

Guan Yuanfeng introduced him. "Su Jiaoning... He's also a doctor... You two should have plenty to talk about."

Su Jiaoning stepped forward to shake Zhou Yun's hand. "Dr. Zhou, which department are you from? Which school did you graduate from? We might be alumni. Do you remember your mentor? Perhaps I know them. After the apocalypse, all medical experts were gathered and rescued at Central Base."

Zhou Yun smiled. "I'm not from a particularly famous university, and my mentor wasn't well-known and passed away long ago. I studied traditional medicine and returned to my hometown to work at a local hospital, just making a living. It's not much to talk about."

Su Jiaoning said, "Captain Guan's leg has greatly benefited from your care, right? This is the first case of a psychic awakening resulting in limb regeneration. I was shocked to see it today. Dr. Zhou, have you recorded any data on this? The experts at Central Base would be very interested in this data when we return."

Zhou Yun smiled. "I wasn't aware of when Captain Guan awakened his psychic powers. One day, he suddenly started releasing lightning and regained his ability to walk. I didn't record any data."

His gaze met Guan Yuanfeng's, who was looking at him from the side. He remained calm and continued speaking with Su Jiaoning. "Isn't it that all lightning psychics have such strong self-healing abilities?"

Su Jiaoning believed him. "Of course not! While the psychics discovered so far have enhanced physical abilities and some self-healing, they can't regenerate lost limbs. I was fortunate to awaken light psychic abilities, which give me some healing powers, but it's only enough to heal external wounds and stop bleeding... Captain Guan's recovery is truly a miracle. The senior experts at the base would definitely be interested in your body's data."

He became emotional, his eyes turning red. "I've always felt guilty, constantly improving my healing psychic powers, hoping to come and get you as soon as possible. But then winter came, and the base was constantly attacked by zombie hordes. We always wanted to come and get you... How did you manage to awaken your psychic powers?"

Guan Yuanfeng's brows furrowed as he looked at him but didn't answer. He simply said, "Let's go inside and get comfortable."

The team members entered the spotless house and sat on the soft leather sofas, admiring the luxurious interior. They exclaimed, "We thought you were struggling. We didn't expect you to be living so comfortably here!"

Jiang Rongqian said, "Really, Captain, we were worried there wouldn't be food here, so we brought some supplies. We didn't expect you to be living so well here." He accepted the water cup handed to him by Zhou Yun and said with a smile, "Thank you, Dr. Zhou."

Guan Yuanfeng glanced at Zhou Yun. "Don't fuss over them; they can help themselves. Don't bother, sit down."

As soon as he finished speaking, a few of the young men immediately jumped up. "Let me! Let me!"

Zhou Yun smiled. "Then someone come with me to cut some fruit."

Tang Anchen had already stood up. "I'll go."

Zhou Yun went inside, with Comet wagging his tail and following closely behind. Tang Anchen followed him into the kitchen, where they overheard Zhou Yun quietly asking Tang Anchen something. Then Tang Anchen's loud laughter echoed. "No restrictions! We eat anything! Really making hot pot? Meat is rationed now, you know!"

"Rabbit meat? We'll eat it!"

Tang Anchen's voice rose another octave. "If it's not spicy, chicken broth hot pot works for us too!"

The team members looked at Guan Yuanfeng with excitement. "Captain! Is there really hot pot?"

Guan Yuanfeng hesitated, then nodded.