Chapter 111: The Abyss of the Four Seas

Chapter 111: The Abyss of the Four Seas

When Guan Yuanfeng returned, Danlin City was deep in autumn.

In the deep autumn evening, soft, gentle breezes carried the refreshing coolness from the distant reservoir, bringing waves of pleasant chill.

The trumpet vines still covered the entire building in bloom, with red flowers swaying gently among the green leaves, and the seven-mile fragrance in front of the building emitted a tranquil, far-reaching scent.

Zhou Yun ascended to the 30th floor, pushed open the door, and was greeted by the aroma of leek dumplings.

He couldn't help but smile: "Why bother with such a meticulous dinner?"

Guan Yuanfeng sat there, confidently wrapping dumplings, his hands covered in flour, pinching the edges tightly: "No trouble at all. It's been a long time since I could relax and cook a meal."

Zhou Yun smiled: "When did you get back?"

Guan Yuanfeng replied: "This morning. I asked the herb garden, and they said you'd be back from Nirvana Manor in the afternoon."

Zhou Yun asked: "Are you the only one who came back?"

Guan Yuanfeng smiled: "The trusted members of the special ops team I used to lead, and all the special ops team members who joined me in the rebellion this time, will follow me here. They're still sorting out and handing over their work. Some need to bring their families, so they'll be a bit late."

Zhou Yun sat at the dining table, smiling: "What else?"

Guan Yuanfeng got up, served a bowl of dumplings, placed the chopsticks across the bowl, and pushed it in front of him: "The Southwest Military Region commander, I've decided to establish the headquarters at the Southwest Military Region Command. Additional troops will be stationed there."

Zhou Yun asked: "Which base are you planning to choose as the headquarters?" He picked up his chopsticks, took a dumpling, and took a bite. The filling was surprisingly well-prepared, succulent and flavorful, even though it was just a simple leek and meat filling, it was finely prepared.

Guan Yuanfeng said: "I haven't decided yet. I wanted to ask for your opinion."

He handed him a token: "The city lord's token and personal seal have already been approved."

Zhou Yun finished a dumpling, picked up the city lord's seal, and glanced at it. The seal bore the characters "Dong Jun" in seal script.

He smiled: "Why make me the city lord? Don't official bases usually combine the roles of commander and governor?"

Guan Yuanfeng said: "Jiang Rongqian and Kexin both mentioned you might not enjoy being in the public eye, and being a city lord can be a hassle. But I think, if it's troublesome, I can take care of the trivial matters for you."

He looked at Zhou Yun, his eyes filled with hope.

Zhou Yun's gaze indeed showed pleasure as he played with the city lord's seal in his palm: "I like it, thank you."

Guan Yuanfeng smiled.

Zhou Yun asked him: "What are your own thoughts?"

Guan Yuanfeng said: "General Tan suggested stationing in Beiming City. There's currently no official military presence there, and you could be directly appointed as the city lord. But that would inevitably cause friction with the Gong family. Another option is Cangshan City, where the alliance is only temporarily managing, and no one is willing to take up the role of governor."

"The conditions there are poor, cultivating crops is challenging, zombies and mutated beasts are everywhere, local gangs are numerous, and it used to be kept in check by Li Xiong. There are also many drug addicts, and the public foundation is weak."

"Since there's Nirvana Manor there, we could slowly build it up—but it's located on the border, with weak infrastructure, and the city isn't large. The surviving population is small, and the conditions for cultivating crops and food are poor. From a military perspective, it's not ideal for setting up the headquarters of the military region."

"Another option is Jing Nan Base. General Ren sincerely invites you to be the city lord there."

"Sanchu Base is the largest base in the Southwest, quite far from Danlin, but it's a hub connecting nine provinces and is a key military location. It originally had a base commander who also served as the governor, making it a good choice."

"There are also smaller bases like Peacock City, mostly located in mountainous areas with poor transportation and infrastructure, not conducive to agricultural or industrial development. I wouldn't recommend them."

Guan Yuanfeng concluded: "In principle, the official garrisons of all these bases in the Southwest region will be under my command."

Zhou Yun slowly ate the dumplings while listening to Guan Yuanfeng speak. After finishing a bowl of dumplings, he said, "Did you just establish a military district out of nowhere for yourself?"

Guan Yuanfeng replied, "It's been under discussion for a while. Since all the bases are too spread out, we need to unify them into a military district for better coordination. General Tan and I had a talk. He said he's getting old and lacks the courage I have. He also regrets being caught up in various factions and unable to break free from these constraints. So he took this opportunity to let me step out and start fresh. He also hopes I can accomplish something significant."

There was a hint of regret and sadness on his face.

Zhou Yun, however, was very pleased: "General Tan is right. Instead of constantly striving, revising, and tweaking within the blueprint others have already drawn, it's better to step out and draw your own blueprint on a blank sheet of paper."

Seeing Zhou Yun's eager and joyful expression, Guan Yuanfeng's lingering sadness dissipated: "Then take a look, which one should we pick? Once decided, I'll notify the stationed troops to move in immediately."

Zhou Yun, full of enthusiasm, asked, "What about Ye Yuqing, though?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "He resigned as deputy commander and took up the role of commander in the Southeast Military District. That area has always been under his influence. The Lindong Base is under his direct command, and no one else can interfere."

Zhou Yun commented, "That's a tactical retreat. Given the current situation in Central Base, the military has weak control over major bases. Being a deputy commander in the military doesn't hold much weight."

Guan Yuanfeng agreed, "Exactly. General Tan also said that removing him wouldn't lessen his influence. It's better to use this opportunity to bolster my own position. While they take a step back, I can gain more ground. So he secured a lot of troops, weapons, and advanced equipment for me. There's also a military factory at the Sanchu Base."

Zhou Yun remarked, "General Tan is indeed cautious and forward-thinking."

Guan Yuanfeng sighed deeply, "He admitted that he's overwhelmed, constantly held back by numerous factions. He often considers stepping down from this burden."

Zhou Yun chuckled, "Did Ye Yuqing end up meeting you?"

Guan Yuanfeng paused, "He showed some guts. Later, he came out alone to meet me, without any guards, as a regular person."

"We had a private talk."

Zhou Yun asked, "Did he use me as leverage against you?"

Guan Yuanfeng remained silent.

Zhou Yun continued, "He must have figured out that your powers are tied to me, right?"

After a moment of silence, Guan Yuanfeng admitted, "That's right."

That day, Ye Yuqing calmly said, "With the Qin brothers' abilities, they couldn't have established Green Bird Pharmaceuticals or organized the Wood Psychic Guild. There must be someone skilled in research behind them. It's not the Gong family or Yuan Xuegang—they don't have that capability."

"Intelligence suggests that the person behind the Qin brothers is you. At the city lord meeting, Green Bird Pharmaceuticals took Yao Huan. Following Yao Huan's trail, it's easy to discover he had a top student, excelling academically, from Danlin City."

"Checking the family address, it points directly to you. It's speculated that the pharmaceutical expert at Green Bird Pharmaceuticals and the leader of the Wood Psychic Guild, Dongjun, is likely you."

"However, the records show water psychic powers. Of course, being skilled in medicine, understanding wood psychic abilities isn't surprising, as traditional medicine and herbalism are closely related."

"But as soon as you arrived at Central Base, you strongly refused all checks and power tests, and you're a rare dual-type psychic."

"Then there's Qin Mu, the first shadow-type psychic, with the shadow duck."

"Add to that the complete annihilation of the Tianlang Special Forces, with none returning."

"Why are you so secretive about this person?"

"And for this person, you reacted so strongly, coming straight to Central Base without informing anyone, catching me off guard."

"The answer is obvious. Your powers are likely closely tied to him, not naturally awakened by the red fog like others. He must have mastered some extraordinary skill, even more advanced than the technology in Cangshan City."

"Guan Yuanfeng, you can kill me today to vent your hatred, but this news will spread everywhere. Then, you and he will have no place in this apocalyptic world. You're smart to surround my place and take me hostage, preventing others from using missiles or other heavy weapons out of concern for me."

"You've overstepped by killing the deputy commander of the alliance. Once this news gets out, no matter what you say, everyone will only see you as guilty, fabricating charges against you for what you possess. The innocent are often blamed for their treasures."

"Are you sure you want to act rashly? You are strong, but with so many psychics and weapons out there, where can you hide?"

"I admit, this time it's my fault. I promise to keep your secret, and I will resign as the deputy commander. Consider it as me owing you one."

Zhou Yun looked at Guan Yuanfeng: "Did he threaten to expose you?"

Guan Yuanfeng said: "He did promise to keep it secret, though his word isn't trustworthy. But for now, he won't expose it." After this incident, those who want something will have to reconsider.

Zhou Yun nodded: "Yes, because he's afraid others will come to take it. Anyway, it hasn't come to a do-or-die situation yet."

Guan Yuanfeng said: "At that time, I thought I needed military power, real strength to contend, people, and authority to protect you." For the first time, he realized he was still too weak; the strength of one person isn't enough.

He could indeed kill Ye Yuqing, an ordinary person, at any time, but he couldn't destroy the power structure behind him. If one agent dies, another will take their place. Even General Tan, who was once full of passion, ended up deeply entangled.

Zhou Yun looked at Guan Yuanfeng and smiled: "Isn't this good? Why the long face? The outcome is good—now no one can casually accuse you, and no one can come to our place to arrest us. You've already secured this power."

Guan Yuanfeng said: "Before leaving, General Tan told me he knew I was disappointed with him this time and no longer trusted him to make decisions for me. Sometimes he felt like Don Quixote, walking a path he thought was right but which turned out to be a joke. The apocalypse confused him; he could no longer find the old order and norms, nor could he seek the justice he once desired."

Zhou Yun comforted seriously: "This is the paradoxical systemic limitation of pursuing justice; the old general shouldn't demand too much perfection from himself."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..." He's started saying things I don't understand again.

Zhou Yun looked at his expression and couldn't help but laugh: "I'll recommend you read 'A Theory of Justice' later."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..."

Zhou Yun held the city lord token and smiled with satisfaction: "Of course, our great commander Guan will be busy for a long time, so there's no time for reading. Our current task is still building the city."

Guan Yuanfeng: "Have you decided on a city?"

Zhou Yun stood up, pulled out a map from the bookshelf, opened the map of Danlin City, and showed it to him.

"We're from Danlin, used to the climate here since childhood. There's a reservoir nearby, a ready water source, and the climate is suitable for farming. Why not just build a city here?"

Guan Yuanfeng frowned: "Currently, the survival of major bases is mostly due to topographical advantages—ancient city walls or natural mountains and rivers to block the zombie tide. Otherwise, once winter comes, the zombie tide and mutated beast groups will easily scatter human settlements."

"It's almost October now; if you want to rebuild Danlin, you'll need very high and solid walls. Even with many earth psychics, it's hard to enclose it quickly."

He looked at Zhou Yun: "We need to station troops. Apart from the garrison troops of various bases, the main city of this southwest command alone must accommodate at least five thousand troops, and we also need to build barracks and plant military rations. Without walls, it would be very troublesome."

Zhou Yun smiled: "Who said there are no walls? As big as you want. The Central Base is ten thousand square kilometers, right? Let's enclose twenty thousand square kilometers."

He called Guan Yuanfeng: "Come up and see."

Zhou Yun took Guan Yuanfeng to the rooftop greenhouse, pointing to a thick and strong cactus: "This cactus species is called the giant column. We usually call it the giant column cactus."

"It is particularly tall; before mutation, the main stem can reach up to twenty meters. It is the tallest cactus species, with a stem diameter of up to 75 centimeters, weighing several tons, and can live for more than two hundred years. The trunk has dense thorns that can drive away beasts and zombies. The berries it bears can be used to make wine, with high yield and delicious taste."

Guan Yuanfeng roughly understood the idea: "You mean, after mutation, this cactus will be even bigger?"

Zhou Yun nodded: "Downstairs, I have cultivated many mutated cacti. The cultivation of mutated cacti is relatively simple; mutation can be achieved through grafting, slice planting, and just giving it some water to survive."

"Look carefully, this mutated giant column cactus—its skin will be tougher, and the height and thickness of the stem can double. As long as it is thick enough, it can block zombies and mutated beasts. If given enough time and energy, it can even withstand ordinary thermal weapons. Of course, large artillery weapons are something that ordinary walls can't handle either."

"But if someone really dares to attack, then we can only solve the person who creates the problem first."

"There are also disadvantages; the root system is relatively shallow. But this can be compensated by grafting other cacti with thicker root systems."

"And its growth period was originally relatively slow; it takes a hundred years to grow to five meters high. But now we have wood psychic abilities to promote its growth, plus Danlin here has abundant rainfall, which is a good condition for its growth."

"Based on this giant column cactus, we can rapidly grow and construct the city walls, and then graft various mutated cacti on top to reinforce the thickness and depth of the walls. Once we set the boundaries for the walls, we can have them built before winter."

"As for the inner concrete walls, once your troops arrive, we can recruit personnel and proceed with the normal construction schedule, building them gradually."

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him, speechless for a long time.

Zhou Yun turned to look at him, still smiling: "What's wrong? Is my plan good?"

Guan Yuanfeng said: "It's excellent." It's just... it seems this plan has been brewing in Zhou Yun's mind for a while, which is why it flowed so smoothly and effortlessly.

Zhou Yun nodded: "So, what's on your mind?"

Guan Yuanfeng said: "I'm just thinking about what the name of this city should be."

Zhou Yun smiled: "Guixu (Return to Ruins)."

Legend has it, it's a bottomless abyss that swallows the waters from all directions and realms. But for him and Guan Yuanfeng, it is a return to the origin.

The place they once left has long been barren, now reduced to ruins. Like dandelions, the wanderers have endured storms and returned after lifetimes.

He’s poured his heart into meticulously planning every step to return to the origin of it all, to start over and keep those he holds dear.