It seemed the surrounding residents had all been evacuated.
After leaving the city, the four of them sped along the main road, but they didn't see a single soul.
The Valen Empire was different from the Qinglin Empire.
The Qinglin Empire looked more like an ancient city, still using oil lamps on its streets at night, with electricity only available in noble households.
But the Valen Empire was entirely different; all its cities and roads had achieved full electrification.
The wide roads were brightly lit, and looking back, Tanxi City was as luminous as daylight.
"As expected of the world's number one superpower, the Valen Empire, to even have lamps along the roads connecting cities. It's truly too advanced!"
Miaoke couldn't help but praise.
Although for the Cat Ear race, night was their domain, and they could see their surroundings clearly with just dim light even without streetlights, the power of the Valen Empire was evident to all.
Compared to this place, Hedao City could be considered a rural area.
"Indeed, even in the Elf Kingdom, only nobles and royalty in the capital can afford electric lights. This place is truly extravagant."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't still insist on trading annually despite falling out with the Valen Empire."
Jexia sighed helplessly.
A powerful enemy was never good news.
"Hiss... this road seems a bit strange..."
Zhang Chen ran on the main road for a while, then suddenly stopped and touched the ground.
There was a thin layer of dust, and the ground beneath was very solid. This was completely different from the usual dirt or bluestone roads in the Qinglin Empire.
"The True God indeed has keen observation skills. The roads in the Valen Empire are indeed different from those in the Qinglin Empire or the Elf Kingdom. It's said that these roads have been here since ancient times and have been repaired several times since then."
"It's also said that the repair technology imitates ancient road-building techniques. This is a top-tier secret, and only the Valen Empire possesses such technology in the whole world."
"Many countries have sent spies to steal intelligence here, but all of them have been eliminated."
"The Valen Empire stands at the pinnacle of the world in almost every aspect, including technology, military strength, defense capabilities, energy, and economy."
Jexia said helplessly.
Fortunately, the Elf Kingdom was far from the Valen Empire, otherwise, her country would have been annexed first.
Sects like the Mother God Cult only dared to act atrociously in countries like the Elf Kingdom and the Qinglin Empire. They wouldn't dare to come to the Valen Empire at all.
Or, if they came, it would be under the guise of universal salvation and charity.
If they dared to have the slightest ill intention, they would be wiped out in minutes.
"Ancient technology?"
Zhang Chen was slightly surprised, then opened his right hand with five fingers.
A force directly blew away all the dust on the ground, revealing the road surface itself.
"This... it's asphalt?"
Although it was still different from the asphalt roads in the peaceful world, in this world, it was the closest thing to asphalt.
"Such a wide asphalt road, could it be a highway?"
"Are there any places to rest and eat along this road?"
Zhang Chen quickly asked.
"There are indeed. As expected of the True God, how could you even predict this?!"
"Every so often, there are rest areas with restaurants, stables, and places to recharge mechanical equipment."
"The Valen Empire is the only country where mechanical mounts and beast mounts coexist, and it supplies over 80% of the world's mechanical equipment exports."
Jexia exclaimed.
She truly hoped that one day the Elf Kingdom could become as powerful as the Valen Empire.
That's why every time she came for trade, she would buy a lot of mechanical equipment to take back, hoping to understand the principles by dismantling them.
But in reality, the complexity of mechanical structures far exceeded her imagination, and there had been no progress so far.
"Hmm, it seems that the Valen Empire has inherited the resources and all the scientific technology of the Seven High-Wall Cities!"
"Even... it should be said, it has inherited the foundation of the Prosperous Dynasty."
Zhang Chen's brows slightly twitched.
He wanted to see what kind of person had inherited the industries he had built.
The so-called world's number one superpower had merely scavenged some low-level technologies.
The thought of his possessions being stolen by someone else, and then being slandered and history rewritten, made Zhang Chen furious.
"High-Wall Cities? What are those?"
Jexia asked with a puzzled expression.
The three little cats also looked at each other, having never heard of such a thing.
"Uh... nothing..."
"Let's continue on our way!"
Zhang Chen stood up and continued forward.
Around midnight, the five of them arrived at a large city east of Tanxi City, Yuntian City.
This city was almost identical to the post-apocalyptic cities in Zhang Chen's memory.
From afar, they could see brightly lit high-rise buildings and all sorts of dazzling neon lights.
The highway was blocked by mechanical vehicles resembling cars, and occasionally, they could see the corpses of land beasts.
"A city after a long time!"
Zhang Chen stood on top of a five-meter-tall vehicle, gazing at the city.
"These land beasts were killed by humans. There are no bite marks or signs of attack from flesh-piercing spikes on them."
"It's likely that the Valen Empire, to prevent the spread of the Soul-Lost, issued a kill order and killed everyone who tried to leave the city."
Jexia jumped to Zhang Chen's side and reported.
"Kill order? I didn't expect this country to be so cruel to its own people!"
Miaoke frowned.
"There's no other way. The new type of Soul-Lost is too powerful, and the Valen Empire can't suppress them. The only way is to kill everyone to prevent the spread."
"After all, sacrificing the population of one city is much more cost-effective than sacrificing the entire country."
Miaoyin analyzed from the side.
"Let's go into the city and take a look. This should be where the new type of Soul-Lost outbreak occurred. I want to know how these new Soul-Lost appeared!"
After speaking, Zhang Chen leaped lightly, jumping down from the vehicle.
Then, he led the four women into the city.
The city's entry and exit passages were blocked by huge rocks, with warning laser cannons installed on them.
However, these things required someone to operate them.
There were indeed checkpoints and guard posts nearby, with resting areas for soldiers, but there wasn't a single soldier.
Climbing over the giant stone wall, the streets presented a desolate scene, with bloodstains every few meters on the ground.
But there were no living people, nor any Soul-Lost.
On the LED screen of a building not far away, a beautiful woman's advertisement was playing, creating a stark contrast with the eerie scene before them.
Hmm?
Zhang Chen's heart suddenly moved. The geographical location of this city seemed very familiar?!