The Return of Cambrian Period

 31 Global Evolution Part 2

"Oh, well, I heard from the report last night that it was Comrade Liu Fengyu's foul odor that repelled those..." Vice Commander Shen couldn't continue his sentence because Liu Fengyu was giving him a fierce stare.

Cong Xia hurriedly waved his hand, "Vice Commander Shen, we can't use that word, we can't."

Vice Commander Shen was confused, "Which word?"

Cheng Tiangbi snorted coldly, "Foul. He doesn't want anyone to call him foul."

"Motherfuckier, Cheng Tiangbi, you’re asking for trouble!" Liu Fengyu reached out to hit him, but Cong Xia quickly intervened from behind and held Liu Fengyu back skillfully. "Brother Liu, Brother Liu, be good, don't get angry. They didn't mean any harm."

Vice Commander Shen looked somewhat embarrassed. "Ah, I won't say it, I won't say it. So, um, we heard that this comrade repelled those mosquitoes and transformed into a vibrant and enormous corpse king flower. Is that true?"

Liu Fengyu replied impatiently, "Didn't you all see it? Why ask such a question?"

"Comrade, it's a new type of evolution that we've discovered. Our scientists would like to meet you and have a conversation. That's all," Vice Commander Shen said excitedly.

Liu Fengyu shook his head. "Not interested."

"They're offering two bags of sausages as an exchange. They won't ask for anything else, just a chat with them. It's very simple," Vice Commander Shen suggested.

The three of them brightened up at the mention of two bags of sausages.

Sausages, what a wonderful thing!

Liu Fengyu swallowed and hesitated.

Cheng Tiangbi said, "Go."

Liu Fengyu glared at him fiercely. "Even if I go, you won't get any."

Cheng Tiangbi said indifferently, "Doesn't matter, just give it to him to eat."

Cong Xia felt a warm feeling inside and smiled foolishly. "Liu Ge won't withhold food."

Liu Fengyu snorted coldly. "Let's go. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll be back. Don't delay my bath."

Cong Xia looked at Liu Fengyu expectantly. "Liu Ge, we'll be waiting here."

After Liu Fengyu left, the two of them found a secluded spot along the river and undressed, preparing to take a bath.

In fact, there was a spot just tens of meters away, but when survival and basic needs were at stake, shame became a luxury. Men, women, and children jumped into the river just like dumplings. Taking a refreshing bath at this time was a rare moment of enjoyment amidst the hardships of the long journey.

Cong Xia took out clean clothes from his backpack and neatly laid them out on the shore. He then undressed and walked into the water.

After entering the water, Cong Xia secretly stole glances at Cheng Tiangbi.

It wasn't the first time they were facing each other naked, but this time it was more awkward than before. Cheng Tiangbi seemed a bit thinner, but his muscles appeared stronger and more powerful. The muscles on his chest and abdomen were firm and well-defined, without any trace of excess fat. As Cheng Tiangbi's long legs stepped into the water, Cong Xia felt his heart racing.

Cheng Tiangbi plunged into the water, gulping down several mouthfuls before tilting his head back. The wet hair formed a graceful arc in the air as it swung back, and the water droplets it carried sparkled under the sunlight.

Cong Xia was a bit stunned, feeling his mouth dry and his gaze captivated by Cheng Tiangbi's perfect profile.

Cheng Tiangbi turned his face and looked at Cong Xia's dumbfounded expression, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

Cong Xia snapped out of his daze and smiled awkwardly. "Comrade, you're really handsome."

Cheng Tiangbi clearly found that comment boring and ignored it.

"Comrade, how tall are you?"

Cheng Tiangbi replied, "189 centimeters."

"I really like how you look in uniform. When I first saw you, you seemed fierce, but I knew you couldn't be a bad person. Why be bad when you're so handsome?"

Cheng Tiangbi seemed to think this conversation was too foolish and sarcastically remarked, "Liu Ge is the most handsome man in the world."

Cong Xia laughed, "That's just flattering him. Liu Ge is indeed handsome, but a bit too delicate. I think men are most attractive when they're like this."

Cheng Tiangbi raised an eyebrow. He usually didn't pay attention to appearances, but Cong Xia's words didn't annoy him.

Cong Xia gestured with his arm a couple of times. "If there's a chance in the future, you should teach me how to build muscles. I also want chest muscles and abs. They're so powerful."

Cheng Tiangbi neither agreed nor disagreed. He just found Cong Xia's splashing in the water like a white duck somewhat amusing.

The two of them chatted casually, washing their bodies clean. However, the water felt cool, and they didn't hurry to leave the riverbank. They planned to wait for Liu Fengyu to return before getting out.

Who could have imagined that just a few hours ago, they were nearly freezing to death?

Thinking of this, Cheng Tiangbi carefully asked Cong Xia about what happened last night.

Cong Xia told him about how he used energy to maintain his body temperature. Cheng Tiangbi tried it again according to his explanation, but still couldn't succeed. He couldn't freely manipulate energy like Cong Xia, going wherever he wanted. The wood energy in his body circulated according to a predetermined direction and route, with the final stop always being the energy core.

Cong Xia felt a mixture of happiness and worry about the result. He was glad that he finally had an ability and he could hold his head up high in front of Cheng Tiangbi, but he was worried that Cheng Tiangbi couldn't grasp it.

Cong Xia patted Cheng Tiangbi's shoulder. "It's okay. If it gets cold again in the future, we can just hug each other."

Cheng Tiangbi thought of his arm tightly pressed against Cong Xia's warm abdomen last night, the lingering sensation of warmth that he could still recall.

They continued talking about the topic of energy flow when suddenly, they both felt a tremendously powerful energy fluctuation at the same time.

They exchanged a glance and looked around, but everything seemed calm and unchanged.

What's going on? Such a strong energy fluctuation!

Cheng Tiangbi reacted quickly and said in a deep voice, "It might be in the water. Get out of the water quickly!"

He grabbed Cong Xia's arm and forcefully pulled him onto the shore.

Cong Xia sensed with his heart that the powerful energy fluctuation indeed came from the water. He shouted desperately towards the shore, "Get away! There's something in the water!"

Upon hearing his screams, everyone panicked and ran towards the shore.

No one doubted whether his words were true or false because this was an era where one could die at any moment.

The humans that were swimming freely in the middle of the river had no chance to swim back. The calm surface of the river suddenly burst open, and a gigantic creature leaped out of the water, swallowing all the creatures swimming around it before they could even scream.

Both Cheng Tiangbi and Cong Xia took a closer look and saw a catfish that was more than 30 meters long!

Thirty meters long, what a concept! If it stood upright on the ground, it would be as tall as a 12 or 13-story building! When it jumped up, it covered the sky, and all one could see was its dark body.

The group screamed in terror, those whose legs hadn't turned weak yet ran back as fast as they could, while those who reacted slowly had already been swallowed by the fish.

Cong Xia's eyes widened in disbelief. He thought the water was shallow on where he was standing, but he didn't expect that just a few meters further, it would be deep enough to accommodate such a colossal creature. How deep was this river? How many giant creatures were there in the river?

Because they ran fast, they weren't in immediate danger, but they were still frightened by the sight of the catfish swallowing ten creatures in one gulp.

After the catfish jumped out of the water and finished its meal, it returned to the water. The waves it created upon entry overturned everything within four or five meters of the shore!

All of this happened in just a few seconds. Everyone was shocked and couldn't recover their senses. Those who hadn't been swallowed by the water crawled frantically to the shore, too scared to go near the river again.

It took Cheng Tiangbi and Cong Xia a while to come back to their senses and realize that they were still naked.

Cong Xia was still shaken and didn't have the mind to feel embarrassed. "It's so terrifying, how can it be so huge..."

Cheng Tiangbi's face turned pale. "Aquatic creatures are naturally larger in size than land creatures. We've always focused on animals and plants on land but overlooked what's in the water."

Cong Xia sighed. "You're right. Those of us who have been living in cities have never encountered large bodies of water before the apocalypse. We have no experience, and from now on, no one will dare to approach water sources casually."

They walked over to pick up the clean clothes by the shore and put them back on, stuffing the dirty ones into their bags.

Cong Xia said, "Even if Liu ge comes back, he won't be able to take a bath. He'll definitely be furious."

Cheng Tiangbi didn't care about such matters. Instead, he felt satisfied knowing that Liu Fengyu couldn't fulfill his wish.

They returned to the designated meeting place where they were supposed to wait for Liu Fengyu. As they approached, they heard a commotion and saw a group of soldiers surrounding someone in the middle.

They heard the anguished cry from the center, "Kill that fish! Kill that fish!"

Cong Xia asked someone nearby, "What's going on? Who is he?"

The person replied, "His parents were just eaten by that fish. Sigh."

"But why are so many soldiers surrounding him?"

"Because he's an atavistic mutant." Cheng Tiangbi explained.

Cong Xia was not tall enough to see inside through the layers of soldiers blocking his view, but Cheng Tiangbi had a clear sight of the person with an ape-like physique. Curiously, Cong Xia squeezed into the crowd and saw a young man in the center, with a face resembling a feline but with muscular build like a bull, and his body covered in hair like that of an ape.

This atavistic mutant had bloodshot eyes, full of anger, and he was constantly trying to break through the encirclement to seek revenge on the fish.

Unfortunately, no matter how powerful he was, what could he do in front of such a colossal creature? It was a suicide mission. The military would not let their most powerful mutant throw his life away, so they desperately tried to restrain him.

Cong Xia looked at this person in astonishment. He seemed even more robust than the strength-oriented mutants. With thick, dense fur covering his body, long arms reaching his knees, and powerful muscles, he looked incredibly mighty. His feet were as big as a basin, giving him a stable grip on the ground. His clothes were torn apart by his transformed body.

So, this was an atavism in the mammalian direction?

He truly appeared incredibly powerful.

But at the same time, also very pitiful.

After shouting for a while, the man sat on the ground and burst into tears. His body gradually returned to a human form, his clothes tattered, tears streaming down his face. Everyone who saw him felt deeply uncomfortable.

The heavy sobbing triggered painful memories for everyone who had lost their loved ones and homes. The sound of crying filled the air.

Cong Xia couldn't bear the atmosphere and squeezed out of the crowd, standing at a distance with Cheng Tiangbi.

The expressions on their faces were uneasy, and neither of them spoke.

After waiting for over an hour, Liu Fengyu returned, looking quite relaxed.

"Liu ge, over here!" Cong Xia waved at him from afar, his main concern being whether Liu Fengyu had brought back sausages.

Liu Fengyu walked over with a smile.

"How did it go? What did they ask?"

"They asked about the reasons for the mutation and our abilities. They even wanted me to demonstrate my powers. I didn't bother with them. A bunch of stubborn old men who are just asking for trouble," Liu Fengyu said, disdainfully.

Cong Xia laughed. "They truly are asking for trouble. I thought they would try to keep you."

"They said I could join their recruitment if I agreed, but I didn't accept. It was such a hassle. We don't rely on them for food anyway."

As soon as they mentioned food, Cong Xia's eyes lit up, eagerly looking at Liu Fengyu.

Liu Fengyu smiled mysteriously. "It's in my clothes. Let's find a place to secretly eat tonight."

Cong Xia nodded happily.

"Many have already moved ahead and gone to bathe. After they finish, we'll leave too."

Cong Xia held onto him and reluctantly told him about the incident that had just happened.

Liu Fengyu's face turned quite grim, and he looked extremely unwilling. But no one in their right mind would willingly jump into the river when they heard that there was a thirty-meter-long catfish in it.

He sprayed nearly half a bottle of perfume on himself in agony, and with Cong Xia's consolation, he reluctantly resumed their journey.

They walked for the entire day.

Author's note: That's all for today's update. But it's quite substantial~