Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The sun was blinding. Qi Mo didn’t know if the cobra was exhausted, but he sure felt exhausted himself.

With a sigh, he set down his trekking pole and thought for a moment before pulling out an odor eliminator spray. He gave the cobra a heavy blast—*Let’s see you stay now.*

This stuff worked great on sensitive-nosed animals like dogs.

Humans? Too bad. Their noses just weren’t sharp enough to catch it.

What surprised Qi Mo, though, was that the snake seemed determined to stick around.

He sighed again and tried to figure out what to do.

Baby Yan crawled over.

He checked his watch—10:30.

There were still more than two hours until one o’clock.

Just as Qi Mo was about to take a nap—since he couldn’t drive the snake away anyway, no need to rush out in the next couple of hours—the rustle of footsteps came from the reeds behind the tent.

As Qi Mo opened his mouth to call for help, he heard voices.

“Where’d that kid disappear to? We’ve searched every village within ten miles, but nobody fits Chen Yu’s description. Even those who sort of matched had alibis,” one villager said.

Another added, “Didn’t they say the young man had a child with him? Quietly killing five people and getting away—now *that’s* something.”

“They treated those scumbags like treasures. I always said trouble would come sooner or later. Someone finally did what needed doing,” said one villager, shaking his head.

The others nodded but kept their voices low. “You got a death wish? If the Zhang family hears this, do you think they’ll let you live? Remember what happened to those who crossed them.”

The villagers fell silent for a moment, then moved on.

Qi Mo’s jaw dropped—just like the young man last night had warned. *Just how powerful is this Zhang family to be so ruthless?*

Now, traveling with Baby Yan during this time was even riskier.

*Fine, I’ll wait.* Qi Mo glared at the cobra blocking the entrance. *I’ll give you till twelve-thirty. After that, it’s boiling water time—even if heating it up is a pain in this tiny tent.*

He had water at 50 degrees stored in his space, but that wasn’t hot enough to scare the snake off.

Qi Mo decided to chill out for two hours.

He pulled Baby Yan over and started doing baby exercises with him—moving his arms, stretching his legs, lifting his little bottom…

Baby Yan, being flipped and played with by his dad, thought, *Dad’s so lame!*

He rolled over and crawled away…

While Qi Mo was stuck idling by the blocked tent entrance, back in the capital meetings dragged on all night. No one rested—one round of energy drinks followed another, and the conference room was hazy with cigarette smoke.

Meanwhile, squads of engineers had been deployed. Sites had been selected the day before, and work continued through the night.

Inside the air-raid shelters, bricks were being wheeled in by hand carts, walls were going up, and cement was being spread.

Dozens of construction companies were mobilized, and civilian teams were quickly assigned tasks—nothing but building water cisterns, one after another.

Countless people with connections began buying bottled water upon hearing the news.

They bought water storage containers—large plastic barrels.

They stocked up on food and supplies.

Almost instantly, panic buying erupted...

Meanwhile, Huo Liangzhou gathered his security personnel and veteran staff, who started building water storage pits inside the food processing plant.

At the same time, he alerted his employees to store enough water and provisions.

Things were already chaotic yesterday, but today they got even worse.

Initially, everyone thought the power outage was temporary and waited for electricity to return. Without power or internet, communication had broken down completely, and information couldn't get out of the city. People waited for rescue, not yet panicking.

But after a night passed with no electricity and phones still dead, fear spread among the crowds.

When people in Daxia face something this incomprehensible, their first instinct is to stock up.

So supermarkets, markets, and corner stores were packed with shoppers.

Although firefighters, police, and community volunteers quickly responded to the disaster, there were simply too few of them. This time, roads across the entire city were affected, and just removing the bodies would take days.

Then there were the countless injured—hospitals were overflowing, and without power, the operating lights wouldn’t work.

Detailed tests weren’t possible anymore, and many surgeries relied entirely on doctors' experience.

Botched surgeries became common, but there were only so many doctors, and they were working at their breaking point.

Qi Huai’s condition was dire. His surgery was finally completed, but he never even made it into a ward—he was kicked out the same day to make room for more patients.

To make matters worse, as he left the hospital, someone bumped into his injury, and the pain was so bad he almost blacked out.

Blood seeped out again, and when he went back for a checkup, the doctor roughly shoved him out.

Being a celebrity, rich, privileged—none of that meant anything now. No one paid him any attention.

The whole hospital smelled like blood, echoing with the groans of suffering patients...

At noon, Qi Mo set up a portable stove and started boiling water.

He yanked the wandering Baby Yan behind him.

The already hot water (122°F) came to a boil fast. Qi Mo lifted the pot and hurled the scalding water at the cobra blocking the tent entrance.

Instantly, the motionless snake let out a pained hiss and slithered away.

Qi Mo let out a relieved sigh—finally gone.

Then he pulled a small table from his storage space and began eating lunch.

A bowl of rice, a serving of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, boiled cabbage, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and braised pork.

Holding Baby Yan in his arms, he fed the child a bit of cabbage, some scrambled eggs, and a small bowl of pumpkin porridge.

Full and satisfied, Qi Mo checked the time—12:45 p.m.

He gave the baby a diaper change, then slipped on his rain boots in case the cobra came back for revenge.

When he got back, he’d have to pick up some realgar (a snake-repellent mineral)—he hadn’t prepared any.

Strapping the baby into his baby carrier,

Qi Mo grabbed a big-ass frying pan with a long handle, glanced around cautiously, took a deep breath, and yanked the tent zipper open.

After breaking camp and scanning the area, he confirmed the cobra had fled.

Qi Mo quickly made his way toward the paved road.

Distance: fifty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters…

A harsh rustling—a cobra as thick as his arm slithered rapidly toward the man ahead…

Hearing the sound, Qi Mo turned, looked back, let out a curse, and bolted.

Glancing over his shoulder at the fast-moving venomous snake, he realized he couldn’t outrun it forever.

In an instant, he pulled the SUV out of his inventory, dashed over, leaped in, and slammed the door shut—all in one fluid motion.

He placed the baby in the baby seat up front.

He searched for the vengeful cobra but found nothing—it was too hard to spot. It might be hiding under the car.

The hell was wrong with this snake?

Normally, such behavior only happened after months without water.

Was it because he was a reincarnator? Or had animals already grown violent early on during the power outage in his past life?

Qi Mo didn’t understand. He checked the time—12:57 p.m.

Three minutes passed quickly. He flooded the engine.

With a roar, the previously silent vehicle shot forward like a bat out of hell, speeding down the rural path…

As Qi Mo drove toward Yuncheng, the government machine sprang into action once more.

Overnight emergency measures were being systematically issued.

Countless construction machines roared to life.

Truckloads of steel and cement were hauled to the underground cistern sites.

One greenhouse after another began rising from the ground.

Coal—vital for surviving extreme cold—was hauled in freight cars to countless designated locations.

Steam locomotives were dragged out of museums, in hopes they would still run under the new laws.

Just like tractors, somehow they worked.

Ox carts, horse carts, mule carts, and donkey carts were readied.

Bicycles and tricycles were cranked out by the thousands.

Bottled water and plastic containers were in a last-minute production rush...

Huo Liangzhou stared at the tractor before him, lips twitching. This was like getting thrown back to the Stone Age.

The young master—he’d called a dozen times, but no one answered. No signal—who knew where he’d stashed his phone?

After 1 p.m., cheers erupted across the area—the power was back! Thank god.

A full day without power? Absolute hell.

No phones sucked the life out of everyone. No TV, music, or AC? Un-freaking-acceptable.

Then came the real nightmare: no delivery apps, no digital pay. Yesterday, folks were stranded with empty wallets—brutal.

Today? Bank lines stretched for blocks, everyone desperate for cash.

Once Qi Mo's car hit the road, he immediately started navigating his route. Forget highways—backroads were his only shot.

Villages packed the roads; any fender-bender got shoved aside—traffic kept moving no matter what.

He booked it straight to Yuncheng.

In Wuli Village, two officers were investigating a crime scene. The night before, some psycho had killed six people—five young men and an elderly woman.

In Lin County, several cops blocked the highway entrance.

Half an hour later, Qi Mo had driven over forty kilometers and arrived in Lin County.

"Pull over," an old cop barked, flagging Qi Mo down.

Qi Mo slowed to a stop.

"License and registration," the cop snapped.

Qi Mo passed them over. "What’s this about?"

"Where were you last night? Have you been to Wuli Village? Did you see a guy pushing a stroller?" the officer pressed.

"Nah," Qi Mo said coolly. "I was stuck near Wukou Town—car trouble."

Wang Yu and Yu Miao rolled up on bikes. They'd left early that morning.

"Yo, Qi Mo! What’s the deal here?" long-haired Yu Miao shouted.

The older officer waved them off.

He was pulling over every decent-looking kid.

A pack of Wuli Village locals loomed roadside.

Chen Yu trotted up.

The officer pointed at Qi Mo. "This him?"

Chen Yu looked at the man behind the wheel of the SUV, then shook his head. "Nope. Sharper chin, pasty skin, looked half-dead—probably had an earring."

Qi Mo’s eyes flicked to Chen Yu—the guy who’d swiped his lantern last night.

The lone Wuli Village witness who could ID him.

He lied without flinching, his cool unwavering, not giving anything away.

The old policeman waved Qi Mo through.

Then he stopped Wang Yu and the others, asking if they had seen a young man with a sharp chin, pale skin, looking exhausted, wearing earrings, and pushing a baby stroller.

Yu Miao and Wang Yu immediately thought of Qi Mo—baby stroller included.

But they kept straight faces, showing no trace of suspicion.

They said they hadn’t seen him.

They had already learned about the incident when passing through Wuli Village, where villagers had stopped and questioned them.

This was a man who had single-handedly killed six people—a total monster.

At the time, the villagers had described a handsome young man, so they didn’t make the connection.

But now, the police’s questioning made them certain—the killer was likely Qi Mo.

Qi Mo’s car crept forward. Once the two were done with the questioning and approached, Qi Mo asked the long-haired girl, "Where are you headed? If it’s Yuncheng, I can drop you off."

"But the bikes stay behind," he added.

Yu Miao replied, "I’m from Yuncheng. Wang Yu’s from Qingzhou, right next to Yuncheng."

Qi Mo nodded. "Got it. You know how to drive?"

"The highways could be shut down. We’ll have to take backroads," he asked.

Wang Yu, the one who had introduced the baby stroller yesterday, had his forehead bandaged up.

Hearing Qi Mo’s question, Wang Yu said, "I can drive."

"Hop in," Qi Mo said, stepping out of the driver’s seat and moving to the passenger side. He picked up the child and settled in the back.

Wang Yu got behind the wheel, while Yu Miao sat beside Qi Mo.

The engine growled as they took off onto the rural path Qi Mo had mapped out.

After traveling over ten miles, Yu Miao finally blurted out, "What happened last night? You left on a tricycle—how did you end up pushing a baby stroller and killing people?"

Qi Mo glanced at the beautiful girl with long black hair. "You knew and still hopped in?"

Yu Miao laughed. "You have a kid with you. No way you’d start trouble for no reason. Besides, you don’t seem like a bad person. I trust my judgment."

Qi Mo explained, "The main road was too crowded—the tricycle couldn’t get through, so I switched to a baby stroller. But when I passed Wuli Village, those guys were prowling the highway. They stopped me, five of them, and forced me into a melon shed to rough me up. So I killed those five. The sixth one—no clue who did that."

He wasn’t afraid of them knowing. When questioned by the police, Wang Yu and Yu Miao would’ve figured it out after passing through Wuli Village.

Yu Miao frowned. "They crossed a line, accusing you of robbery and murder when they were the ones with ill intentions. But what now? They’ll pin it on you sooner or later."

"Wang Yu, take the backroads. Let’s avoid them first," she said angrily.

Wang Yu sped up. He was familiar with Wuli Village’s bad reputation—his friend from yesterday was from a nearby village.

He’d heard how ruthless the Zhangs were.

Hearing Yu Miao’s concern, Qi Mo smiled. "Don’t worry. It’s fine. I’ve got people."

"They have strong connections, but I'm not weak either. If it really comes down to it, I'll use my backing," Qi Mo said with a laugh.

Who could be tougher than the Bai family? But most likely, it won't come to that.

Besides, if they bully him, Huo Liangzhou won't just stand by. Once they reach Yuncheng, he'll give Huo Liangzhou a call to complain—*A bunch of people wanted to take advantage of your bargain wife. Aren't you going to do something about it?*

Wuli Village isn't far from Jiangcheng. If Huo Liangzhou really wants to act, he can still make things happen there.

The real question is whether Huo Liangzhou even cares enough to act.