The Return of Cambrian Period

72 Cambrian Consciousness Part 2

"Good. Emei Mountain is not far from here. If the topography doesn't change drastically, we can reach there in two or three days with the Road Bully. I have borrowed a newly developed vacuum preservation machine from the research institute. Let's purchase more food. After packing tomorrow, load the food and fuel into the vehicle. Now, Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu will rest while the others act separately. Try to buy everything we need, and if something is unavailable, ask Qingyan Gang for assistance."

After dropping off the group at the hotel, Zhuang Yao went to the research institute. Cong Xia and Liu Fengyu, along with several people from the industrial park, drove the Road Bully to purchase supplies. They exchanged gasoline for many useful items, especially food. 

Liu Fengyu proudly bought several sets of clothes and shoes. Among all the clothes, fashion items were the least valuable. Previously, luxury clothing that could equate to an ordinary person's monthly salary was easily taken away with just a bottle of gasoline.

Cong Xia looked at his bag of clothes and helplessly said, "There's limited space in the car. Be careful that Zhuang Yao doesn't allow you to bring them all."

"There aren't that many pieces."

"Still, try to simplify. Brother Liu, let's pack more biscuits instead. They're more practical than clothes."

Liu Fengyu pouted and unhappily replied, "Got it."

"By the way, you can bring a few pieces for Xiao Tang. He only has two sets of clothes that he keeps wearing, and they're all worn out. We have all sizes here, so find something that fits him and give it to him."

Liu Fengyu frowned and said, "He's fine with just wrapping himself in a sack. What does he know about clothes?"

Cong Xia laughed and said, "Brother Liu, don't be biased against him. Actually, Xiao Tang..."

"He was the one who had a biased opinion of me first."

Cong Xia felt awkward and said, "He did make a mistake, but you're older than him. Don't dwell on it. I think Xiao Tang is quite sincere and easy to get along with."

"Hmph, I'll pick the leftovers for him."

Cong Xia helplessly said, "Alright, I don't think he'll mind."

They bought a large amount of goods and drove back to the hotel.

The vacuum preservation machine had been delivered. It was more than half the height of a person and resembled a safe. Seeing its size, Cong Xia immediately gave up on the idea of taking one with them. The dozen or so women from the industrial park helped them organize the food. This new machine was much more advanced than the small packaging machine invented by Zhuang Yao. 

The machine's most significant feature was an infrared sterilization stove that could kill surface bacteria and extend the storage time. Before packaging perishable items such as food, condiments, and medicine, they needed to undergo infrared sterilization, then be bagged, vacuum-sealed, and sealed. The operation was somewhat tedious, especially considering the daily consumption of ingredients and seasonings. The quantity in each small bag had to be carefully controlled, or else they would open one today and it would spoil within a few hours.

The workload was indeed significant. For example, the 30-kilogram bag of rice was divided into over 100 small bags, while the 20-kilogram vegetables were packed in half-pound portions. Meat products, which were palm-sized, were individually packaged. Especially with the items they exchanged, they might need to be repackaged. The hotel lobby on the ground floor was filled with people tirelessly working to pack the food.

Cong Xia was deeply moved. These people were ordinary individuals, yet they were putting in their best effort to repay them in whatever way they could.

After working for a while, Cong Xia started to feel tired. He had been practicing without rest these past few days, driving and not sleeping, and Zhang Gong could see his exhaustion. Zhang Gong told him to go upstairs and rest. Cong Xia realized that they would soon be on the road and would definitely get even more tired, so he decided to take a break.

Just as he reached the upper floor, he heard a heated argument coming from Tang Yanqiu's room. It seemed like Liu Fengyu was the one causing the commotion.

Cong Xia remembered that he had asked Liu Fengyu to deliver clothes to Tang Yanqiu. He had forgotten about it just now, thinking that Liu Fengyu was being lazy and not going downstairs to work. But now, was he in Tang Yanqiu's room?

Oh no, are the two of them about to fight?

Cong Xia didn't even bother to knock on the door and quickly rushed in. "Brother Liu, Xiao Tang, what's going on?"

The scene before him surprised him greatly.

Liu Fengyu was half-kneeling on the bed, pulling at Tang Yanqiu's clothes. The front of Tang Yanqiu's clothes had already been torn open by Liu Fengyu, revealing his strong chest muscles. He had a strained expression, and his ears were turning red, appearing somewhat annoyed.

Cong Xia felt embarrassed. "What are you two doing?"

Liu Fengyu angrily threw the clothes in his hand onto the floor. "I kindly brought him clothes, but he's picky! What's there to be picky about? Just look at how torn your clothes are."

Tang Yanqiu fixed his clothes and whispered, "I don't wear such flashy clothes. If you push me further, I won't be polite."

Cong Xia glanced down and saw a salmon-colored shirt lying on the floor. It looked quite flamboyant, with a fashionable design that complemented the skin tone. It was the type of shirt Liu Fengyu liked. Liu Fengyu had a radiant aura, born to be a superstar, and he exuded confidence wherever he went. He wouldn't feel awkward wearing such clothes, but Cong Xia couldn't even imagine Tang Yanqiu, a rigid and conservative person, wearing such flashy attire.

Cong Xia advised, "Brother Liu, don't you have any plain-colored clothes?"

"Isn't this shirt plain enough?"

Cong Xia sighed and opened the large bag of clothes. He reluctantly found a light gray one and handed it to Tang Yanqiu. "Xiao Tang, how about this one?"

Tang Yanqiu nodded and was about to reach out to take the clothes when Liu Fengyu snatched them away. "I like this one, not giving it to you."

Cong Xia closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. Liu Fengyu's spoiled temper was even more difficult to deal with than Zhuang Yao.

Tang Yanqiu grew impatient. "In that case, I'll just wear my own clothes, and you can take all these away."

"No, I worked hard to carry this big bag of clothes up here. If you don't appreciate it, fine. But you dare to be picky and choosy. Today, I want you to wear one of these clothes!" Liu Fengyu stared at Tang Yanqiu, old grievances and new resentments surging within him. He was originally a petty person. 

In the past, when he had nothing to do, he would browse his forum and argue with others when he saw them badmouthing him, even using a pseudonym. Moreover, Tang Yanqiu was humiliating him to his face, so he always found fault with Tang Yanqiu for no reason.

Tang Yanqiu furrowed his brow. "I'm not wearing it."

Liu Fengyu rolled up his sleeves. "I'll see if you'll wear it." With that, he pounced on Tang Yanqiu, tearing his clothes once again.

Cong Xia anxiously said, "Brother Liu, what about Tang Yanqiu's wound... Ah!" He wanted to step forward and separate Liu Fengyu.

As a man, Tang Yanqiu couldn't bear the humiliation of having his clothes forcibly removed in front of others. Finally, he got angry. He grabbed Liu Fengyu's wrist, gently bumped his knee into Liu Fengyu's abdomen, and Liu Fengyu let out a painful cry. Tang Yanqiu then flipped over, pinning Liu Fengyu down on the bed and said with anger, "Stop messing around!"

Liu Fengyu gritted his teeth. "If you don't let go, I'll make you shed a layer of skin."

"If you keep causing trouble, I'll bind you with an iron chain and see if your digestive juices can dissolve iron."

The two of them glared at each other, neither giving in.

Cong Xia was afraid that Tang Yanqiu's wound would reopen, so he reluctantly went up to mediate. He persuaded Tang Yanqiu to let go of Liu Fengyu and helped Liu Fengyu up. Finally, he coaxed and urged Liu Fengyu to leave.

He had initially only wanted the two of them to spend more time together and get to know each other better, but he had unintentionally made matters worse. Cong Xia felt extremely helpless.

After two days of non-stop preparation, they finally had everything ready, including all the supplies and resources. They set off on a sunny morning, with the autumn atmosphere in full swing.

Chen Shao indeed personally saw them off from the city. Before they departed, he warned them once again not to come back.

Although they didn't have a good impression of Chen Shao, especially Cong Xia, they had to admit that this person had helped them a lot. Regardless of his motives, they had indeed benefited from him.

The people from the industrial park reluctantly accompanied them for over a kilometer until they reached the dangerous area where mutant animals were known to appear. Xiao Yan cried so hard that she couldn't catch her breath. Everyone could see just how much she liked Tang Yanqiu. However, with this farewell, it seemed unlikely that they would ever meet again, and everyone understood that.

Tang Yanqiu's eyes also turned slightly red, but in the end, he walked away without looking back.

The weather was getting colder, and even Zhuang Yao didn't sit on Abu; instead, he stayed in the car. With an additional person and more items loaded onto the vehicle, it became a bit cramped. They took turns driving while those not driving focused on their cultivation.

After walking for three to four kilometers, they saw a person ahead on the road.

Just like that day, Wu Yu stood alone in the middle of the road, exuding an indomitable aura. He seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.

Cheng Tianbi opened the car door, got out, and said, "If you have something to say, say it quickly. We need to continue our journey."

Wu Yu glanced at their vehicle and showed an interested expression. "This car looks good. With such big tires, it can handle various terrains."

Cheng Tianbi looked at him expressionlessly.

Wu Yu smiled and made a surprising statement, "You must be a natural force-evolved individual."

The people in the car's expressions all changed slightly, including Cheng Tianbi, who was quite astonished. However, he was skilled at controlling his facial expressions. If it weren't for Zhuang Yao's ability as a cerebral-evolved individual with an analysis and calculation capacity precise to an extremely minute degree, it would be impossible to notice Cheng Tianbi's subtle change in expression. Wu Yu couldn't see it either, but he remained confident in his own words.

Cheng Tianbi asked, "What do you mean?"

"I fought with Zhao Jin, and he was extremely powerful. Chen Shao might be a frog at the bottom of a well, but I am not. Before arriving in Chongqing, I traveled through three provinces and encountered many mutant individuals and animals. The cheetah and black bear mutant individuals I encountered were among the most formidable in close combat. This is directly related to the species they were mutated from. After all, cheetahs, black bears, and similar animals are naturally powerful. I once thought that large carnivorous animal mutant individuals were the most powerful besides natural force-evolved individuals. However, I met Zhao Jin, and he was even more formidable than them. At least, amphibious reversion individuals are one of the strongest melee mutant species I have encountered. This has piqued my interest in amphibious mutant individuals, but unfortunately, I haven't come across one yet. I believe that you might have encountered something equally formidable as Zhao Jin, but I refuse to believe that it would lower your assessment of him. The only possibility is that you don't want us to know the true strength and intentionally release a smokescreen."

Cheng Tianbi replied coldly, "Based solely on this, you conclude that I am a natural force-evolved individual?"

Wu Yu smiled and said, "There's another thing. You came from Guizhou, and coincidentally, I also passed through Guizhou. While I was there, I met a man with a mutated Border Collie."

Cheng Tianbi's gaze turned cold, and a murderous intent arose in his heart.

Wu Yu immediately became cautious, continuing, "That man was originally part of a migration group of 40,000 people from Yunnan, including soldiers and civilians, heading to Beijing. However, almost the entire group was wiped out, and he got separated from them halfway. We met in a small county in Guizhou, and I helped him and his dog. During our conversation, he told me that he had been coerced by someone with a very peculiar ability. He had only heard the term 'natural force-evolved individual' but had no specific concept of it. And because he himself is not a mutant, he has no concept of the entire human mutant system. So he doesn't know what kind of evolved individual you are, but he described your abilities."