After resting for a day in Yahe Town, Shen Feng decided to head to Rongcheng. As he couldn't take the twenty thousand people he had rescued to dangerous places, he considered the matter for a while and told them to protect themselves. He advised them that after the zombie tide passed, they could seek refuge in safe places, such as Luzhou or Rongcheng.
As for who would manage the town, Shen Feng spotted Hong Yehui among the crowd and pointed at her, saying, "Haven't you always thought you were amazing? Then these people are entrusted to your management. I hope you can lead them to survive here. When I return, I will take you all with me."
Upon hearing this assignment, Hong Yehui quickly said, "Then why don't you leave some people to protect us? We are all unarmed and cannot possibly withstand the zombies!"
Shen Feng shrugged and said to Yang Chang, "Have someone leave two hundred knives. We'll continue our journey."
Hearing this, Hong Yehui couldn't help but exclaim, "What use are cold weapons? Can't you leave some guns? That way, we'd at least have a means to attack the zombies."
Shen Feng pointed at the recurve bow Hong Yehui was carrying and said, "Didn't you kill over a hundred zombies with a bow and arrow back then? You already have a ranged attack method, so you don't need guns!"
Hong Yehui quickly shook her head and said, "No, no! It takes a long time to learn archery, and I alone cannot withstand so many zombies. Moreover, my arrows are almost used up, and I can't stop the zombies if there are too many."
Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and said, "Perhaps this is life."
With that, Shen Feng turned and left with his people. In fact, Shen Feng had already left enough food for them to last a month. If these people were smart, they could temporarily fight off zombies even with cold weapons. After all, Shen Feng himself had led a group of people to retake a school using only steel bars, and at that time, he didn't have any guns!
Ultimately, Shen Feng had no intention of giving these people weapons. After all, his own fighting strength was not guaranteed, so why bother with the affairs of others?
Watching Shen Feng depart, Hong Yehui gritted her teeth and reluctantly led the group, armed with cold weapons, to set up defenses for the town. She wanted to show Shen Feng that she could protect herself even without guns, and perhaps he would look at her with new eyes.
"I heard Shen Feng's base is in Luzhou. Perhaps I can find a way to get there!" Hong Yehui thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Shen Feng led fewer than three thousand people towards Rongcheng. The previous day, Shen Feng had killed five deserters and announced it to everyone. Upon hearing this, many people dared not entertain the thought of escaping. After all, even driving a car wouldn't guarantee escape, as they could still be caught. It was better to be obedient and go to Rongcheng. Besides, even in a fight, they might not die, only encounter danger.
"There's no running anymore. It seems we can only fight with all our might!" Shen Feng had ruthlessly cut off everyone's retreat.
After several days of learning, Shen Feng finally knew how to drive. He sat in the driver's seat, with Yu Renshu in the passenger seat, and drove towards Rongcheng.
On the road, Shen Feng encountered many mutated animals, including mutated rats and birds. Their bodies had grown larger, and their survival abilities had increased. It seemed the zombie virus had enhanced these animals, while humans were severely hit, with nine-tenths of the population turning into zombies within a day. Those who survived could only fight zombies helplessly.
In the bright sunshine, Chu Chaoyan, sitting in the back seat, couldn't help but stick her head out the window, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling the air was much fresher. Perhaps it was because after the apocalypse descended, human production activities weakened, allowing plants and animals to grow freely, which is why the air had become so good?
Just then, Chu Chaoyan saw eagles flying in the sky and couldn't help but take pictures, saying, "Why didn't I notice eagles in the sky before? Does it mean we've turned misfortune into good fortune, and the environment has actually improved?"
Hearing this, Shen Feng couldn't help but laugh. He chuckled and said, "It's not necessarily that the environment has improved just because there are eagles. What if these eagles are outsiders?"
Yu Renshu also stuck her head out to look at the sky. She was now a third-tier ability user, so her eyesight had been greatly enhanced. She clearly saw what the eagles in the sky were and shook her head helplessly, saying, "Those flying in the sky are vultures, they eat animal carcasses. Perhaps these vultures are looking for food."
Upon hearing this, Chu Chaoyan felt that the beautiful mood she had was ruined. Just moments ago, she could still see the blue sky and white clouds, imagining the majestic flight of eagles in the sky. But now, hearing that they were not eagles but vultures that ate carcasses, that pleasant mood was gone!
Although vultures are a type of eagle, their food is carcasses, which makes them seem very sinister. This is not a straightforward attack but rather eating the fallen bodies, a behavior that is extremely despicable, not heroic!
Yu Renshu also saw many mutated animals, but these animals dared not attack the convoy. They avoided the vehicles from afar upon spotting them. Yu Renshu was somewhat worried about this. "Mutated animals are becoming more and more numerous. I wonder if they will threaten our living space in the future. If only we could figure out why these animals are mutating on such a large scale."
Shen Feng said while driving, "No matter how mutated animals become, they will have their limits. Even if they grow as large as dinosaurs, they won't be able to withstand artillery shells."
Yu Renshu also smiled and said, "You're right. I overlooked the environmental influence. In the end, mutated animals should also have their limits."
Shen Feng, who knew a bit about biology, continued, "It seems the climate during the dinosaur era was very different from now. So, as long as the temperature doesn't change too much, dinosaurs are unlikely to appear."
"No, what restricts animal size is oxygen!" Yu Renshu pointed out Shen Feng's mistake without mercy. "The oxygen content on Earth during the dinosaur era was much higher than it is now. For modern humans, if they were to travel back to the dinosaur era, they would suffer oxygen poisoning on the spot. Therefore, as long as the Earth's oxygen concentration does not increase, dinosaurs are unlikely to appear."
Chu Chaoyan found herself unable to join the conversation because she didn't understand the topic they were discussing. Although she could understand the words, she couldn't follow the train of thought. So, she picked up a book and started reading, and before long, she fell asleep.
After two days of travel, Shen Feng and his group finally arrived near Rongcheng. Before they could even see the city, they spotted a tall watchtower in the distance. Around the watchtower, many people were working. Among the workers were young and old, but most of them were women, with very few men.
Shen Feng and his group drove fifty vehicles to the foot of the watchtower and found that the people there were digging trenches and building low walls. In addition to the roadside, many wooden stakes were driven into the ground, with barbed wire wrapped around them. On the road, there was a row of anti-tank obstacles to intercept vehicles passing by. Therefore, to reach Rongcheng, one had to pass through here.
"Where are you from? What are you doing?" the soldier guarding the entrance immediately asked, holding a rifle with the safety already off. It seemed he was very worried that Shen Feng's group was hostile.
Shen Feng opened the car door and got out, saying, "I am Shen Feng, from Luzhou. I was sent by headquarters to provide support."
Upon hearing Shen Feng's words, one of the two soldiers continued to aim his rifle forward, blocking their path. The other soldier took out a walkie-talkie and began to speak, "This is the Eastern First Defense Line checkpoint. Reinforcements from Luzhou have arrived. Should we let them through?"
"Tell them to wait a moment. I'll be right there!" a loud voice came from the walkie-talkie.
Shen Feng was helpless. This was someone else's territory, so he had to wait. While waiting, Shen Feng observed the defenses. A large number of people had been summoned to build fortifications, clearly in preparation to resist the zombies. Indeed, very few young men were seen among these people, indicating that many men from Rongcheng had been sent to other provinces to fight.
Soon, a military vehicle arrived at the defense line. A middle-aged man in his forties got out of the passenger seat. Just standing there, he exuded a strong aura of deterrence. Shen Feng felt somewhat uneasy, realizing it was the subconscious feeling of timidity when facing a superior.
The middle-aged man quickly walked out from behind the defense line, saying cheerfully as he walked, "I've been waiting for you for a long time, Shen Feng! I've always wanted to see the person who killed the Corpse King single-handedly amidst thousands of troops. Now the opportunity has come, and you are indeed a young hero!"
The middle-aged man walked up to Shen Feng and extended his broad palm. Shen Feng could only reach out and shake his hand, asking, "Hello, what should I call you?"
The middle-aged man was also wearing a military uniform, but without any decorations, so Shen Feng couldn't determine his rank. At this point, he had to ask the middle-aged man his name, but Shen Feng felt that this person was extraordinary, exuding an air of confidence.
The middle-aged man introduced himself, "My name is Wei Laixian. I am currently in charge of the recovery work in Sichuan Province. You can call me General Wei, or Old Wei."
"General Wei is too modest," Shen Feng did not expect such an important figure to come to greet him. This was completely unexpected. After all, as an important figure like General Wei, he was clearly a regional leader, commanding the entire recovery effort in Sichuan Province. For such a top official to come to greet him was an immense honor!
General Wei patted Shen Feng's arm and then turned to a young man behind him, saying, "This is Shen Feng. He is now a third-tier ability user. He led people to retake Luzhou using cold weapons. You two should get acquainted."
Upon hearing this introduction, the young man coldly extended his hand and said indifferently, "Nice to meet you. My name is Jin Zijue."
Shen Feng also extended his hand for a polite handshake, but the moment their hands met, an electric current instantly flowed through his body. Wherever the current passed, his body became extremely numb, and his muscles lost strength. Shen Feng was immediately shocked and quickly let go and retreated.
Jin Zijue's face showed a hint of mockery. "I'm so sorry. I can't control my abilities well right now, and I accidentally injured you. Please forgive me."
Although Jin Zijue said this, his face showed no remorse. It was clear that he had done it intentionally. Shen Feng, being in public, couldn't make a scene, so he calmly replied, "It's alright. This little bit of current can't harm me!"
Shen Feng was also very angry. What was the meaning of this? He had traveled a long distance to help them resist zombies, only to have someone test him?
Since there were many people around, Shen Feng couldn't make a scene and pretended nothing had happened, but his mood was affected. He had felt good earlier, but now he was annoyed by the young man in front of him.
Seeing this, General Wei became angry and said to Jin Zijue, "Can you stop messing around? This person is here to help us resist the zombies. How can you do this? You'll be confined to quarters when we get back!"
Jin Zijue then feigned regret and lowered his head, saying, "I was wrong. I apologize."
Seeing that Jin Zijue had finally apologized, General Wei let it go and said to Shen Feng, "Please don't take offense. He is someone sent by the country to protect me, and he is also a third-tier ability user. He's not usually like this. Perhaps he wanted to test his strength upon seeing a strong person today. Let's just shake hands and make peace."
Shen Feng smiled and nodded, "Of course, I won't mind. Let's go inside."
Chu Chaoyan and Yu Renshu, standing behind Shen Feng, saw this scene and were both displeased. Yu Renshu, in particular, if it weren't for the many people watching, she would have loved to use her abilities to ambush the guy. She already liked Shen Feng, and now that the person she liked was being unfairly treated, she couldn't stand it. Unfortunately, there were too many people around, otherwise, she would have argued about it.
Chu Chaoyan even whispered, "Your acting skills are quite good."
Chu Chaoyan knew very well that a bodyguard wouldn't be so arrogant as to test someone. Even Ke Yiming back then wasn't this arrogant. Ke Yiming would just show his displeasure, but this Jin Zijue actually tested him. If he hadn't received instructions, she wouldn't believe it. It was clear that this was a play staged by General Wei himself.
The group set off towards Rongcheng, but the mood of Shen Feng's people had soured. Because of the recent testing incident, it was obvious that these people were trying to exclude them. If it weren't for the orders from headquarters, Shen Feng would have wanted to turn back and leave.