Chapter 119: Three Momentous Events

“Yes, a species that does not follow the laws of nature, one that belongs to an unnatural ecosystem. Tigers and lions don’t kill once they’re full; all living creatures never make destruction their ultimate purpose for survival.” Li Qingshui held up the bottle in his hand. “But this one does. It is a destructive creature born from artificial genetic manipulation combined with chemical weapons. It should never have existed in the natural world…”

“Is it really that terrifying?” Liu Chang recalled the last time Li Qingshui had spoken with such alarming words—it was when they encountered the Great Willow Tree.

“Terrifying. If given a certain initial population and allowed to reproduce, my data shows that within 180 days, it could sweep across the entire Earth. Wherever it passes, nothing will grow—not a blade of grass will remain.”

“In other words, within 180 days, it could wipe out every other species on Earth.”

“Including humans.”

“Damn!” Liu Chang’s mouth fell open in shock as he stared at the contents of the bottle. He found it impossible to express his feelings. “Are the good days finally over?”

He ZhiZhi, standing nearby, heard Li Qingshui’s words and showed a mixture of doubt and fear in her eyes.

“More or less. Moss has always been nature’s pioneer, inherently vigorous. Now this devil moss is utterly invincible,” Li Qingshui said as he put away the small bottle. Then he continued, “That’s why I’m planning to ban the planting of bean vines across the entire city of Zhengzhou to limit and eradicate the breeding base of this devil moss.”

“Will it work?” Liu Chang asked.

“It should.”

“But if that happens, eighty percent of the city’s population will go hungry again. Hungry people are the most dangerous; they’ll come after you with everything they have. This will be more chaotic than when the Red Mist first descended four years ago, because back then, everyone was starving due to natural causes and had no one to vent their anger on. Now, if you stop them from eating the bean vines, many will starve to death. They won’t care about the devil moss at all—before starvation, there will be chaos everywhere.”

“Let it be chaotic; I’ll figure out a way to manage it,” Li Qingshui sighed. He knew this was already a very thorny problem. “I’ll release seeds of some new species. They won’t be as good as the bean vines and can only be cultivated for a few generations before mutating again and becoming inedible, but it should at least ease the situation a little.”

“Ah,” Liu Chang sighed upon hearing this.

“Of course, this is just the first thing I wanted to talk about today,” Li Qingshui’s voice grew heavier.

“More?”

“There are two more, each worse than the last.” Li Qingshui rubbed his head. “First, do you remember the species I told you about four years ago that was monitoring me?”

“Yeah, the super life form. What about it? Has it had offspring?”

“Apparently yes. After disappearing for more than two years, it’s back—this time there are three of them.”

“Damn!” Liu Chang slapped his forehead. “A super life form that’s so strong, can turn invisible, is smarter than humans, and can reproduce—this is a species utterly above humanity!”

“So they can’t be allowed to exist in this world,” Li Qingshui said, rubbing his head again. “We need to eliminate them before they become a real threat. You don’t have to do much, just pay more attention when you’re in the jungle.”

“And the third thing I want to tell you is the real problem—the Great Willow Tree has appeared again.” Li Qingshui looked at Liu Chang with the first hint of fear in his eyes. “It showed up in Wuhan City. Once it appeared, the entire city was destroyed. I heard nearly everyone there was wiped out, and according to the reports, even if the bodies didn’t turn to nutrients, their brains completely disappeared. It seems the Great Willow Tree has finally gained self-awareness and can now endlessly absorb the intelligence of others.”

“The true apocalypse has come…” Liu Chang closed his eyes, as if he could see countless willow branches striking the earth, and all humanity helplessly succumbing to brain erosion. He imagined a tree rooted deep in the earth’s core, its branches spreading across the entire world.

“Where did this information come from?” He ZhiZhi, who had been silent until now, put aside her fear of Li Qingshui and asked.

“Uh, after years of effort, we found a communication frequency. But it only works when it’s raining and the fog isn’t too thick. The news came during a rainstorm a few days ago.” Li Qingshui exhaled deeply. “Wuhan has now become a city of spirit trees.”

“Can we stop the Great Willow Tree?” Liu Chang asked.

“Probably not.”

“What about nuclear weapons?”

“Likely not either,” Li Qingshui smiled bitterly. “Don’t forget, the willow’s intelligence is human. It already has millions of human brains inside it. Do you think it doesn’t understand the devastation of nuclear bombs? Its very appearance means it’s unafraid. Besides, maybe among those millions of brains, there’s one that knows the nuclear codes.”

“Then we might as well slit our throats. This isn’t a species we can fight against.” Liu Chang exhaled, giving up on further questions. “Better to enjoy a few more happy days while we can.”

“Heh, true enough. It’s rooted in Wuhan now, so it’ll probably stay put for a while,” Li Qingshui chuckled. “And those people’s consciousness might still be alive—maybe now existing in another form inside the tree’s body.”

“Don’t say anymore. It’s too terrifying.” Liu Chang glanced at the darkening sky. “It’s fully night now. How about I close up shop today and we drink together? Who knows how long any of us have left.”

“Alright, but let’s keep the place open. It’s livelier with more people drinking,” Li Qingshui stood up. “Let’s go somewhere quiet over there.”

“Okay.” Liu Chang walked towards the bar and said to He ZhiZhi, “You take care of things tonight. Li, I’ll have a few drinks with you.”

“Call that fat guy and Xiao Jing to join us. Xiao Jing is sixteen now; she can drink too,” Li Qingshui added.

“Haha, I’ll go get them.” Liu Chang smiled as he went inside, pulling out Xiao Jing, who was pouting, and also called out Mo Sanpang.

“Let’s all drink together tonight.” Liu Chang lifted Xiao Jing by the arm as she struggled. “Haha, no arguments with me today. Just this once—let me be happy, alright?”

Holding her up over his head, Liu Chang looked into her eyes and asked softly.

“I promise, I’ll never give you away to anyone else again.”