The clouds in the sky once again filled the heavens, casting the entire ground into darkness. Especially during winter, it evoked a sense of loneliness. The leaves had all fallen, and there was little wildlife activity in the wilderness. Thick snow covered many areas. In such a cold winter, only wild animals foraging for food would appear; most animals were hibernating in caves.
As dusk approached, the mountains and rivers were shrouded in dimness, and night was fast approaching.
On the dim plain, a figure was sprinting at an astonishing speed. His movements were agile and his pace incredible as he rushed towards Yanjing.
The person sprinting was Shen Feng. He had been fighting outside all day and was now hungry. He roughly calculated that it was almost mealtime. Thinking of this, Shen Feng couldn't help but quicken his pace, determined to make it in time for dinner. Otherwise, he would have to sneak into the city at night to buy food.
Shen Feng quickly arrived at the base of the city wall he was guarding. His movements were spotted by infrared surveillance. Fortunately, Yang Chang was on the city tower at the moment and recognized Shen Feng.
Under normal circumstances, people on the city wall wouldn't care about someone moving at such speed. They would first open fire and then ask questions. It was fortunate that Yang Chang was on the wall, so no misunderstanding occurred.
"People up there, throw down a basket!" Shen Feng shouted towards the city wall, more than twenty meters high. Although he could use his abilities to rush up, it would be bad if the soldiers mistook him for a zombie and opened fire. Therefore, Shen Feng needed to identify himself to avoid any potential misunderstandings.
Yang Chang walked to the edge of the city wall under the cover of night, looked at Shen Feng below, cleared his throat, and said, "Heavenly King covers the earth tiger!"
Shen Feng frowned, finding the voice from the city wall somewhat familiar. He knew this line, so he gathered his energy in his chest and replied loudly, "Pagoda suppresses river demons!"
"Palace jade liquor!" the signal came again from the city wall.
"One hundred and eighty a cup!" Shen Feng continued to answer.
"All within the four seas are brothers!"
"Damn it, Yang Chang, hurry up and lower the basket to pull me up! You're still teasing me, are you looking for a beating?" Shen Feng recognized Yang Chang's voice. He hadn't expected him to be so bold as to tease him under the cover of darkness when he couldn't see clearly.
"City Lord, don't be so petty. I was just bored and looking for some fun!" Yang Chang said as he threw down a large basket from above. The basket was tied with a rope. Shen Feng sat in it, and Yang Chang quickly pulled it up. In a short while, Shen Feng was pulled onto the city wall.
Having followed Shen Feng for so long, Yang Chang knew his temperament. He wasn't someone who put on airs, so Yang Chang dared to joke with Shen Feng now. If it were someone else, Yang Chang wouldn't bother.
"City Lord, what are you carrying? Did you go hunting outside the city?" Yang Chang looked curiously at the large bundle in Shen Feng's hand. Although the City Lord had said he was going for revenge, it was normal for him to take time to hunt.
Shen Feng smiled and said in a low voice, "This is the head of a corpse king. Don't spread the word. We now have three corpse king heads. We can get more ability users when we return, understand?"
Upon hearing Shen Feng's words, Yang Chang became overjoyed and quickly said, "City Lord, don't worry. I won't say a word even if you beat me to death. I may not be good at other things, but I am absolutely reliable when it comes to keeping secrets!"
With that, Shen Feng said in a low voice to Yang Chang, "Go find some ice to freeze this. It must not spoil. Also, absolutely do not let the headquarters find out, otherwise, they might try to snatch it away."
Yang Chang nodded and said, "City Lord, I've already eaten dinner, but I left ten steamed buns for you in your tent."
Shen Feng then walked towards his tent, thinking as he walked about how to kill zombies more effectively. If he only challenged them blindly, the corpse kings would eventually find a way to avoid him. Unless he blocked the ventilation shafts, the zombies would not be threatened, and he himself could not fight indefinitely.
Just as Shen Feng was about to return to his tent, he suddenly felt something was wrong. It was a feeling that someone was spying on him in secret! Moreover, this person was nearby. After becoming an ability user, Shen Feng's perception had increased many times. Even in the dark, he could sense the presence of people nearby.
Shen Feng stopped abruptly and immediately cast "Wind King's Barrier." He didn't know who was targeting him, but he knew that no matter who wanted to cause trouble for him, he wouldn't surrender. As long as he was careful, no one could harm him.
Shen Feng remained vigilant, carefully observing his surroundings, and then gradually pinpointed the other party's trace. He was hiding in the darkness, standing in the distance and watching him!
However, at this moment, the ground suddenly began to freeze. In an instant, the nearby loess land was covered with ice. The freezing started from a distance and spread to Shen Feng's feet, and was then blocked by Shen Feng's "Wind King's Barrier."
Seeing the ice on the ground, Shen Feng became confused and thought, "Did Zhang Zi come? Why doesn't she appear directly?"
Shen Feng remembered that Zhang Zi's ability was to control ice and snow. This scene was likely caused by Zhang Zi's appearance. But even if she came to find him, why would she be so secretive?
"Don't worry, it's me!" A dark figure walked over from a distance. The person's voice was hoarse, and his entire body was wrapped in clothing. He wore a cloak and a mask, his entire being hidden beneath his clothes, as if he were a person encased in a shell.
Shen Feng could not hear the outside sounds within the Wind King's Barrier, but this did not prevent him from recognizing the person. This was not Zhang Zi, but Mu Ying. Shen Feng had seen her at a meeting organized by Wang Ao Ye. At that time, she was also hidden under a cloak, avoiding speaking as much as possible.
Shen Feng then dispelled the "Wind King's Barrier" and asked, "Do you need something from me? If I remember correctly, the headquarters prohibits us from contacting each other privately, doesn't it?"
Mu Ying continued in her hoarse voice, "It's fine. The headquarters won't find out I'm here. It's winter, and my ability is to control ice. My speed is no slower than yours now. The reason I found you is that I need your help with something."
Shen Feng immediately refused. He didn't want to get involved with others casually, so he directly said, "No, I don't have time. Find someone else to help you."
Mu Ying seemed to have anticipated Shen Feng's refusal. She took out a bloodstained cloth bag from under her cloak and threw it at Shen Feng's feet, saying, "This is a corpse king's head. With this as a deposit, is it enough? You know, this can be used to make two ability potions!"
Shen Feng was stunned by this. He hadn't expected such a windfall, but the other party was willing to pay such a price, which meant there must be a dangerous mission for him.
"What do you want me to do? I can't do things like murder and arson," Shen Feng asked directly.
Mu Ying replied, "I won't ask you to do anything dangerous. It's just a small matter. No killing, no arson, and no fighting. As for what it is, I'll tell you later!"
Shen Feng hesitated upon hearing this. The corpse king's head was indeed tempting, but the other party wouldn't clearly state what she wanted. Although no fighting was involved, if she asked him to do something strange, would he have to comply?
However, on second thought, Shen Feng had an idea: "Why don't I take her deposit and then renege on the deal? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? She probably can't beat me. If all else fails, I'll just return to Yuzhou. I don't believe she can chase me there."
At this moment, Shen Feng had an idea: to turn his back on her and refuse to acknowledge the deal. Since the law was no longer effective, even if Mu Ying sued him, she wouldn't get any response. So why shouldn't he take advantage of this?
With that in mind, Shen Feng immediately picked up the cloth bag on the ground. Upon opening it, he saw a large head of a corpse king. However, the head was frozen by ice. It seemed that Mu Ying's ability, like Zhang Zi's, was to control ice and snow. In winter, with snow falling, her abilities would become even more potent.
Shen Feng raised an eyebrow, smiled, and said, "I agree. If you need my help with any future missions, feel free to find me. I have to go visit my girlfriend at the hospital later, so I won't entertain you further. Make yourself at home!"
Shen Feng had obtained a corpse king's head for free, and he was in a good mood. If he calculated it now, upon returning to Yuzhou, he would have eight more subordinate ability users, and his own influence would expand. It could be said that as long as they won this war and returned safely, the development of Yuzhou in the future would be even better.
Mu Ying nodded slightly upon hearing Shen Feng's promise, and then disappeared from Shen Feng's sight in an instant. Shen Feng's enhanced vision clearly saw that before leaving, Mu Ying's feet suddenly appeared with many ice blocks. The ice blocks, like ice skates, supported her feet as she rapidly slid into the distance. In the dim light, she vanished in an instant.
Shen Feng returned to his tent and found Guo Pinming, asking him to use his abilities to create a tin box. Guo Pinming quickly complied. Shen Feng placed the three heads in the box. Yang Chang found a lot of ice and put it inside to freeze them. However, it was clear that this was not a long-term solution, as ice would melt.
Yang Chang couldn't help but say, "City Lord, why not buy a refrigerator? Constantly using ice to freeze them is clearly not viable. When spring arrives, ice will be harder to find."
Shen Feng glanced at Yang Chang and said, "Have you considered what the headquarters would do if they knew we had corpse king heads? The people in the laboratories and headquarters need two fifth-tier ability users to escort a single ability potion. If the corpse king heads we have are exposed, wouldn't it attract covetousness?"
The more he spoke of this, the more nervous Shen Feng became. "We are currently on someone else's territory. If we anger the headquarters, at best, they will snatch the heads away. At worst, we might not be able to protect ourselves. We must always prepare for the worst. If we can avoid exposure, we should!"
It was acceptable if the corpse king heads were lost, but what Shen Feng worried about was that he might not be able to protect his own head.
Yang Chang and Guo Pinming both felt that Shen Feng was being overly cautious. How could the headquarters possibly act against them? If the headquarters truly acted against civilian groups, the ultimate result would be widespread public discontent, which Shen Feng had not considered. Although corpse king heads were valuable, they wouldn't go so far as to rob them, would they?
Shen Feng then handed the box to Yang Chang and said, "Hide this properly and make sure it's not stolen. I still need to visit Chu Chaoyan. You will have to lead the soldiers for the next few days. I don't know what the headquarters is thinking. They still haven't decided on a strategy."
After speaking, Shen Feng left the encampment. In the darkness, Shen Feng's figure was like a phantom, his tracks completely unseen. In just a few minutes, Shen Feng arrived outside the hospital. He walked in while eating a steamed bun. He had been hungry all day and was only now able to have dinner.
In fact, the headquarters had long instructed their subordinates to turn a blind eye to Shen Feng's movements. On one hand, Shen Feng's speed was too fast for most people to keep up. On the other hand, Shen Feng was now the de facto controller of Yuzhou. Although he was young, his position was solid, making it difficult to engage in disputes. Otherwise, if they angered Shen Feng and caused future conflicts, it would be detrimental.
Shen Feng quickly arrived at Chu Chaoyan's ward. As soon as he entered, he saw Chu Chaoyan knitting a scarf. She was lying on the hospital bed, her upper body propped up by two pillows. Although her complexion was pale, her eyes had a sparkle, indicating that her mental state was quite good.