Chapter 136: The Great Escape

As dozens of needles pierced his body, over a dozen liquids of various colors were injected into Li Qingshui’s frame from the containers behind the mechanical bed.

Had Liu Chang been there, he would have recognized some of them—the red mist concentrate, the muscle-strengthening separation agent—but the majority were entirely foreign to him.

Within moments, the dozen or so substances were fully infused into Li Qingshui’s system. On the testing bed, a look of agony flashed through his calm eyes.

"Ngh!" Li Qingshui’s body trembled involuntarily. His skin turned instantly crimson as the various agents permeated his system. Subcutaneous muscles and blood vessels bulged violently, and thick veins stood out across his face.

"Hnn!" He endured the excruciating pain. The muscles on his body writhed like earthworms, and even his bones emitted audible cracking sounds.

Utilizing his remaining consciousness, Li Qingshui forced his trembling body to press another button on the mechanical bed.

*Click!*

The moment his finger hit the button, his knuckles suddenly elongated. Then, amidst his pained howling, a thirty-centimeter-thick containment shell ejected from beneath the bed, sealing the suffering man inside.

Only a small air vent remained, venting the agony of the man locked within to the outside world.

On that same day at noon, Liu Chang arrived at the outskirts of Xinxiang City with his backpack.

"First stop," Liu Chang said, looking at the map and then at the dilapidated little city that resembled Kaifeng.

"Yes, we've arrived at the first stop," said Xiao Jing, the yellow-haired young girl standing beside him. She stepped into the city and looked at the towering trees lining the streets. "How nostalgic. The city full of large trees and wild grass makes me feel like I’ve returned to Kaifeng four years ago. It wasn't as safe there as it was in Zhengzhou; back then, aside from the military district, no one could survive anywhere else."

"Indeed, four years have passed in the blink of an eye. This Xinxiang is far more devastated than Kaifeng was back then. I wonder how many people are still alive." Liu Chang walked into the city, intending to call the others to join him in exploring, but he turned back to find the three children standing motionless.

"Why have you stopped?" Liu Chang asked the three clones.

"Li Qingshui..." the three children looked toward the south, "...something has happened to him."

"What happened?" Although Liu Chang knew Li Qingshui was unlikely to survive, his heart still gave a sharp tug at the news. He asked hurriedly, "Did the Great Willow Tree arrive?"

"No." The three children felt it silently. "But his body must be undergoing a massive rupture and reorganization of its genetic chain. The intensity of this rupture is so violent that we can feel it even from this far away."

"What on earth is he doing?" the three children discussed among themselves.

"I don't know. It’s very strange, and very powerful. Could he be making a final stand?"

"Perhaps. But with such violent activity... will he live long enough for the Willow Tree to arrive?" the eldest asked.

"Hard to say, it's a toss-up. But what kind of monster will he become after doing something so extreme?" the second child turned to ask the third.

"Don't look at me. How would I know? He’s a lunatic," the third replied.

"A lunatic! A lunatic," the second repeated.

"What are you babbling about? You three little ones, why have you stopped walking?"

He Zhizhi walked up from behind while calling out. She hadn't heard the children's whispered conversation, but seeing them standing still, she quickly stepped forward and grabbed the eldest by the ear.

"Don't just stop in your tracks like that again in the future! Do you know how dangerous that is?" He Zhizhi twisted the ear of "Li Qingshui No. 1" and shouted at him, "With the red mist swirling around, what would you do if you fell behind?"

He Zhizhi lectured him like a mother. "Even if you don't fall behind, we're in the deep mountains and forests. What if you encounter danger?"

"If there's danger, I'll solve it myself," the eldest said, swatting He Zhizhi’s hand away. "You don't need to worry about it."

"Oh? A child so stubborn? Just like your father!" Seeing the boy’s arrogance, He Zhizhi felt even more agitated and grabbed his ear again. "I’m saying this for your own good; otherwise, I wouldn't bother with you."

"I didn't ask you to bother," the eldest said, swatting her hand away again. "Noisy woman."

"You!" He Zhizhi was about to retort, but Liu Chang pulled her away.

"Leave them be. They’re just children, they don't know any better." After pulling He Zhizhi aside, Liu Chang looked at the three children who possessed an unusually mature air. "And you lot, don't fall behind suddenly in the future."

"Understood," the eldest nodded, not even glancing at He Zhizhi again.

"You!"

Seeing the boy's attitude, the latter stamped her foot in anger and walked to the front of the group. "He truly is Li Qingshui’s child. He’s driving me mad."

The group walked into Xinxiang City. Amidst the broken walls and ruins, Liu Chang could still sense the presence of human life. Because their group was traveling with families, they were not the first party to arrive from Zhengzhou.

Shortly after entering the city, the two groups encountered another team from Zhengzhou. Upon meeting Liu Chang’s party, the others took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Hey, brother, just arrived?" Seeing Liu Chang's backpack, the other team knew they were fellow refugees.

"Yes." Liu Chang also wanted to understand the situation in Xinxiang, so he stopped. "Have you seen any locals? How long have you been here?"

"About half an hour or so. The locals should be gathered in the west of the city; I asked a passerby earlier. But I heard that the locals are getting a bit restless, too. It seems some teams have already brought news over from Zhengzhou."

"I see." Liu Chang nodded. "Can't blame people for gossiping. They must have seen the flocks of birds passing by earlier; it would be strange if they weren't panicked."

"Regardless, let's go together. There's strength in numbers, and it's easier to talk." The other team was small, only three people—clearly a family unit. The man of the house was the one speaking.

"Let's go take a look first." Liu Chang stepped forward, secretly staying alert with his firearm.

Over the past four years, large cities had turned into city-states, but Liu Chang truly didn't know what had become of the smaller ones. Following the map's instructions to the west of Xinxiang, Liu Chang saw soldiers, a marketplace, and cultivated land carved out within the city.

"Not many people left," Liu Chang judged the state of the small city based on population density.

The population appeared to have been halved. The city had regressed into a town. There were still shops along the streets, but they were few in number, and they traded only in necessities like food and weapons. There was no currency circulation; it seemed the world had returned to a primitive barter stage.

There were patrolling troops on the streets, but most looked lax—the government and its top brass had lost their strong grip on the military.

There were also some backpackers on the street, clearly refugees from Zhengzhou. Their numbers were small, and some were being stopped by locals asking questions.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Doesn't look dangerous. I’m going to go replenish some food and water." Observing the expressions of the residents, Liu Chang saw that while they were panicked, they hadn't descended into madness. He decided to leave the group, letting the others stay put, and went to a local shop alone. He traded a high-quality handgun for clean water and non-perishable food.

The food supply in his backpack wasn't vast—after all, no matter how big a backpack is, its capacity is limited, and there are many things one must carry. Thus, the compressed biscuits made by Li Qingshui could be kept as a reserve, while these newly purchased items could be consumed over the next two days.

After trading for food and gathering information, Liu Chang returned to his team.

"How was it?" He Zhizhi asked when he returned.

"Not great. People are very panicked. They don't know why those flocks of birds passed overhead, but they are unwilling to leave their homes, so they’re just standing by and watching," Liu Chang said, stuffing the food into his backpack.

"Should we tell them the truth?" Qingyin asked.

"Better not. Li Qingshui will tell people the truth in Zhengzhou. Once the main force arrives, they will follow, so let's not add to the chaos. Our credibility as messengers is low since there are so few of us. We might get hauled off and interrogated by the local military the moment we reveal the truth. Besides, even if everyone knows the situation, the road ahead isn't easy to travel. One has to look out for oneself," Liu Chang whispered.

"That's true," He Zhizhi said. "Then, shall we rest here or continue on our way?"

"Keep moving. Tomorrow or the day after, the main forces from Zhengzhou will arrive, and it will be difficult then. Furthermore, there will be massive waves of ground beasts following close behind; that is even more terrifying. We should take advantage of being a step ahead and cover as much flat ground as we can. We can think about resting once this hurdle is passed," Liu Chang continued.

"Then let's do that," Qingyin agreed.

After this brief discussion, the two groups left the crowd and packed their gear to set off once more.

The road remained flat this time. Most of the birds and beasts in the front had followed the main swarm, and aside from the vegetation, there was little danger in the jungle.

One day after the two groups departed, the million-strong force from Zhengzhou officially arrived in the city, and in doing so, they brought the flames of panic with them.

"Have you heard? A great monster is coming from the south, capable of destroying an entire city in an instant!"

A single sentence was enough to ignite the fear of the city's inhabitants. Everyone, from the military to the civilians, upon hearing the words of the millions, no longer chose to be reserved. Packing their bags and slinging their weapons, everyone—families in tow—joined the tide of refugees.

At that moment, inside the experimental park in Zhengzhou City, a thirty-centimeter-thick titanium alloy shield was torn open from within. A man sat up from inside.