Shen Zhongyan felt better after drinking the spiritual spring water Lin Wan brought him, at least he could stand on his own.
Someone gathered around to thank him, leaving some packaged food, and then left.
Just as the atmosphere was good, someone walked up to Shen Qian and asked, "Handsome guy, did you make the cars on the bridge disappear just now?"
Shen Qian nodded, about to say he’d make them reappear later, when the man who had been smiling all along suddenly roared, "So you're the one who made our cars disappear, hurry up and bring them back!"
The woman beside him chimed in, "That's right, who told you to mess with other people's cars? Our cars are expensive, can you afford to replace them if they're damaged?"
The surrounding people were angered by the couple's nasty attitude and began to criticize them.
However, if they had any shame or self-respect, they wouldn't be acting so righteously. The two, blustering with false bravado, began to ramble, seeming to try and draw others into their argument.
Some fools actually fell for it and joined in the commotion, all demanding Shen Qian return their cars.
Some also took advantage of the chaos to snatch the water and food others had left for them.
The person standing next to Shen Zhongyan curved his lips into a smile, as if watching a troupe of clowns, wondering what further jokes they could create.
The two who were paying too much attention to her missed the smile on her face. Shen Zhongyan found it strange, while Lin Wan felt a prickle of unease.
What was so funny about this situation?
And why such a bizarre smile?
Shen Qian had intended to make things difficult for them, but Shen's father and mother were exhausted and told him to give the cars back to those people and make them leave quickly.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Shen Qian directly reversed seven or eight cars onto the road. Some were piled on top of each other, and some gasoline leaked out. The troublemakers again wanted to make a fuss, but were scared away by a burly man walking over with his arm bandaged.
"You little bastards, if I catch you again, I'll punch you one by one!"
He waved his fist at the retreating figures and turned to walk back to the group. His gaze swept over everyone before landing on Shen Zhongyan with a look of gratitude.
"Thank you for saving my brother just now, thank you!"
"We're just helping each other out, no need to be polite."
The burly man looked at Shen Zhongyan's fair and tender skin, finding it hard to connect him with the mighty and powerful figure who had just been so dominant.
"Brother, are you... a cultivator?"
Shen Zhongyan looked confused.
The burly man explained, "I heard before that some families cultivate. Sword immortals can fly around with their swords like you did just now, it's so powerful."
Shen Zhongyan was stunned for a moment and explained, "I'm not a cultivator, that's... sort of an ability."
"A sword?" The burly man was also confused, "What kind of ability is that?"
"What's so strange about it?" Shen Qian found it perfectly normal, "I have space, that person can use fire, you have great strength, aren't these all abilities? Everyone is different. Is it strange that my brother has a sword?"
The burly man was led astray by his words. Thinking about it carefully, it was true. Along the way, they had encountered people with great strength, enhanced hearing or vision, the ability to start fires automatically, control water, or manipulate vines…
All sorts of abilities. An ability with a sword might seem a bit strange, but it could be an ability.
Regardless, he had indeed saved them just now, so there was no reason for him to cause trouble.
"That makes sense. Brothers, we haven't asked where you're heading. If it's on the way, let's travel together, we can look out for each other."
The group exchanged glances; they hadn't decided on a specific destination yet. Just as Shen Qian was about to say something, he heard Zhu Zhu say, "We're going to Chu Nan City, and we plan to establish a safe zone there."
Everyone looked at her in surprise. The burly man saw that no one else objected and said, "After all, nowhere is safe now. We originally wanted to go to City A, didn't the system say City A was the safest? We didn't expect the river to be full of those things. Going to City A means crossing the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, which is suicide now. I heard there are also flying monsters in the sky. Everywhere is unsafe. If you're going to Chu Nan, how about I and a few brothers go with you? This brother's abilities are extraordinary, he's sure to achieve great things. If you don't mind, we'll follow you from now on." Sudanshuwang.
Shen Zhongyan: "..."
Honestly, he hadn't thought about taking subordinates.
He had lived in a stable and prosperous new era for over twenty years, influenced by laws and morals. Taking subordinates was completely different from managing a company.
Was this forming a gang to run a criminal organization?
No, it was the apocalypse now, what criminal organization?
"There are only five of you?"
The burly man scratched his head and honestly replied, "Among our group, three are retired soldiers, one is from Shan Cheng. His wife's family is in Chu Nan. We used to run a restaurant together there. He has a brother who is a high-ranking official in the Chu Nan military. He gave us a heads-up, which is how we survived this disaster. This time, we plan to go back and join him."
"If you have a destination, why do you want to travel with us?"
"More friends, more paths," the burly man smiled. His smile didn't seem naive. His appearance and demeanor gave the impression of being hot-tempered and easily manipulated, but in reality, he was bold, meticulous, and strategic.
"Then let's go together."
Zhu Zhu spoke, and Shen Zhongyan didn't object. The others also felt that having more help would make the journey smoother.
They packed their belongings and planned to set off. Some people also intended to go with them, but they had no cars and still needed to find a way.
They were about to enter the city. They would definitely find cars in the city, but the city was very dangerous. Large cities were now buffets for aliens. Those who voluntarily entered were no different from food climbing onto the dining table.
Shen Qian gave them all the cars he had collected and left with the two children Shen Zhongyan had saved.
At the time, Shen Zhongyan hadn't deliberately intended to save the children. It was just that the two people in the front were secured by their seatbelts, while the two children were tossed around, making them easier to save.
The two were still immersed in the grief of their parents' deaths. The younger one kept crying, while the older one held him and shed silent tears.
Seeing the two crying sadly, Shen's mother, recalling everything she had seen through the car window, also felt distressed.
If they hadn't been so lucky, and if both children had awakened abilities, then they might have been the ones eaten just now.
In this world, to what extent would humanity be pushed?
Was it really as the system said, that humanity was to be extinguished?
They drove into the city. The city was now very quiet. Abandoned cars lay by the roadside, traces of burning fires were everywhere, damaged houses, dirty and dilapidated streets, and corpses lying dead on the streets made the place look like a Middle Eastern battlefield.
"Are there any survivors in the city?"
"Aliens prefer crowded cities, and too much negative emotion can also turn people into aliens, so the more people, the more dangerous. However, there should still be survivors."
This seemed to be a strange law. For many fatal disasters or injuries, someone always survived.
For example, when the little boy descended on Japan in Hiroshima, some people hid in underground vaults and survived less than three hundred meters from the epicenter.