Chapter 314: Abandoned Forbidden Land, Top of the Food Chain! |
This was Cheng Ye's first time seeing the ruins of an abandoned gathering place in the Wilderness with his own eyes.
It was completely different from the picture in his mind of everyone huddled together, building high walls to defend to the death.
New Pond Gathering Place stretched out for a full five kilometers, spread flat along both sides of an old-era asphalt road. There were no protective walls in sight, nor did it rely on any natural barriers.
It was hard to imagine how the people back then had survived in such a completely exposed environment.
"This is no longer the original Core Zone of New Pond Gathering Place. It's where the people who returned for a second time settled down."
Niu Fu stared straight ahead, explaining in a slow, heavy tone. "When the first Catastrophe-Tier Infection Wave swept through that year, it smashed the Core Zone to pieces. The people who came back later had no idea that a special Infection Source, the Dream Sea Siren, was still hiding beneath this land. Because of Sand Pond Lake, this Infection Source stayed behind after the Infection Tide passed."
"The Dream Sea Siren's abilities are exceptionally bizarre. Even without being directly infected, as long as a person is within its area of effect, they will involuntarily forget all their painful pasts and sink step by step into the blissful illusions it creates."
"The returnees gradually left the original core of the gathering place and moved to live by these roads because, in the illusion, they always felt that countless travelers would pass by. They thought that by staying here, they could do some business. Clinging to this delusional obsession, they ultimately perished by the roadside."
A bizarre Infection Source, the Dream Sea Siren.
"Then... is the Dream Sea Siren still here?" the chubby Zhang Daping asked nervously from the back seat.
"Don't worry, it left a long time ago," Cheng Ye chimed in.
"It left?"
"Yes. This Dream Sea Siren escaped from the Research Institute in Hu Province's Huiyun Shelter City. It mingled with the Infection Tide and moved all the way toward the coast. This was merely a temporary stopover for it. The following year, it left New Pond Gathering Place, headed toward Guang Province, and eventually returned to the Sea Area."
Happiness City had sent people to investigate the bizarre incident at New Pond Gathering Place back then, leaving behind complete records.
However, the documents did not describe the cause of death for those returnees in detail. They merely glossed over it with a few brief words—"Died due to the influence of the Infection Source"—completely lacking any description of the bleak scenes right before their eyes.
Seeing the scene unmentioned in the records with his own eyes, Cheng Ye sniffled. He truly could not imagine what kind of delusion and despair those thousands of returnees had experienced as they walked the final stretch of their lives.
Right at that moment, Liu Bi suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Something is wrong. There are traces of human activity here."
"Huh?" Aside from Niu Fu instinctively tapping the brakes, Cheng Ye and the others unconsciously tensed up.
The vehicle slowly decelerated. Liu Bi signaled for Niu Fu to reverse, and the Armored Vehicle backed up over thirty meters.
Only then did the group clearly see that behind a dilapidated tent by the roadside, a faint pair of footprints was visible.
Just a moment ago, everyone had been too shocked by the tragic sight of New Pond Gathering Place. Only Liu Bi had noticed this detail.
"These footprints were left no more than half a year ago. Someone has been here recently," Liu Bi declared, his gaze locked on the prints with absolute certainty.
"Could it be a passing merchant caravan?" Cheng Ye guessed, having also spotted the shallow marks.
Generally speaking, dry ground could not retain clear footprints. Once it rained, they would be completely washed away.
Only wetlands moistened by a light drizzle would leave such faint traces. Furthermore, the weather would have had to dry up immediately afterward so that even if it rained again, it would take a long time to completely wash them away.
"I will go down and take a look."
Niu Fu parked the vehicle steadily. Wearing a rare, serious expression, Liu Bi pushed the car door open and stepped out.
Cheng Ye quickly opened his Terminal and activated the radar to scan for any signs of activity within a three-kilometer radius.
Good heavens, there were actually no red dots at all.
As their campsite for the night, this Forbidden Land was relatively safe, but it shouldn't be so safe that there wasn't even the slightest trace of Infected Body activity.
Could it be that someone really camped here year-round, living a life isolated from the rest of the world?
A moment later, Liu Bi finished his investigation, pulled the door open, and returned to the car. "They are men's footprints. Two pairs are size forty-four,"
"and one pair is size forty-two. The footprints are densely clustered in the area behind the tent. Someone must be living here long-term."
"Aren't they a bit too bold?" Cheng Ye could not help but click his tongue.
"I have indeed seen quite a few highly skilled and daring lone wanderers in the Wilderness. They build their own small shelters and specifically choose to live in seclusion in these Forbidden Lands," Liu Bi said, shaking his head with a frown. "But we basically do not have anyone like that in Shi Province. The land cannot grow crops, making self-sufficiency completely impossible. No one can hold out for long."
"For these people to stay here, unless..."
Cheng Ye paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something. "There is a special isolated zone?"
"Exactly." Liu Bi nodded. "Whenever a special area capable of self-sufficiency is discovered, it is seized by the gathering places. Either they found a hidden area unnoticed by humans, or they are surviving by relying on some special terrain."
After saying that, Liu Bi looked over. "You decide. Should we track them down and try to make contact?"
"Then let's not bother them. We will rest here for the night and leave tomorrow."
Cheng Ye hurriedly shook his head. "Since they are solitary dwellers in the Wilderness, there really is no need to go over and disturb them. If they have already chosen to hide in this kind of Forbidden Land, it means they do not want any attention from the outside world."
In the past, any special area within Shi Province where crops could be grown would be worth its weight in gold. Even if it was hundreds of kilometers away from Happiness City, it would hold extremely high development and research value.
But now, as long as they could maintain Tan Ming's Vitality Credo, the farming land within a two-hundred-kilometer radius could be renewed indefinitely. The value of a single isolated farming plot was practically zero.
Of course, the most crucial point was that it was getting late. Tracking them down now would be too risky.
Had they arrived during the day, he might have tried to meet these people and inform them of the changes in Happiness City, but right now was clearly not the right time.
The Armored Vehicle drove past the road sign, continuing forward along the abandoned Camp by the roadside.
After driving a bit further, the road surface became covered in sharp iron fragments. It was clearly a deliberate setup to stop outsiders from venturing deeper.
At the same time, a faded white sign stood by the road, bearing four large characters painted in a chilling red:
[Forbidden Land. Enter with Caution!]
Niu Fu glanced at it, expertly spun the steering wheel, and drove the Armored Vehicle straight off the road, crushing a path through the Wilderness to bypass the obstacle.
After steering back onto the road, the abandoned Camp along the way gradually vanished, replaced by a towering wall standing at the end of their line of sight.
Just like the flood wall in Dabo Town, it was roughly five meters tall. Many sections had already collapsed, but the main structure remained intact.
In the center of the high wall was the main gate. In the past, there must have been heavy doors protecting the Residents inside.
Now, however, it was entirely empty. The archway looked like a gaping maw, through which the ruined silhouettes of buildings could faintly be seen.
Compared to sleeping out in the wild, staying in a place that still bore the remnants of civilization was undoubtedly much more reassuring.
The vehicle drove through the archway, and Niu Fu parked it near the entrance. As usual, Liu Bi stepped out first to scout the surroundings, while Cheng Ye used his Terminal to scan the entire area.
Affected by the complex terrain, the radar's effectiveness plummeted. However, even within the massive ruins of the gathering place, it still did not detect any signs of Infected Body activity. It was far safer than those abandoned old-era villages by the roadside.
Once Liu Bi confirmed it was clear, the doors opened. Cheng Ye stepped out of the vehicle carrying the Red Blade. He hung the sword at his waist and swept his gaze over the surroundings.
Beneath his feet were actually thick Bluestone Slabs. Even after so many years, they remained firm and solid.
A faint, musty scent lingered in the air, mixed with the unique desolate cold of the Wilderness, bringing a slight chill.
Looking around, the interior of New Pond Gathering Place was far more expansive than what they had glimpsed from outside the gate. Amidst the ruined walls and broken debris, the outlines of their former communal life could still faintly be seen.
Scattered streets snaked through waist-high weeds. The buildings on either side were mostly constructed from a mix of brick and stone, though they had long lost their formerly orderly appearance.
For the few low bungalows closest to the main gate, most of the roof tiles were shattered, exposing blackened, rotting wooden beams. Many of these beams had already snapped, causing half the walls to cave inward. Broken bricks and yellow dirt, mixed with wildly overgrown weeds, piled up in front of the houses, almost completely burying the thresholds.
Not far away stood two three-story buildings, which could be considered rare high-rises in this gathering place. They must have been the core facilities of New Pond Gathering Place in the past.
The windows of the small buildings had lost their glass long ago. Only broken frames hung askew on the walls, like empty eye sockets silently staring at the intruders.
The walls were covered in mottled stains from years of rain. Any paint that might have once coated them had long since peeled off, leaving only patches of varying shades.
Parts of the walls were tightly bound by vines. The withered yellow vines formed a jarring contrast against the ashen, decaying walls, making the place feel even more dead.
Deeper down the street, several rows of connected courtyards could be seen. Most of the courtyard walls had completely collapsed, leaving only half-buried foundations in the dirt.
The houses inside the courtyards were even more dilapidated. Some roofs had caved in drastically, revealing the rotted pillars inside;
other houses had lost their doors entirely, and the weeds inside grew taller than a person, almost completely filling the space.
The entire gathering place was terrifyingly quiet. Only the sound of the wind blowing through the broken doors and windows made a low, whimpering noise, sounding exactly like unanswered weeping.
"This place was obviously built after Year 10 of the New Era. After the Infection Wave passed, it looks even more run-down than Dabo Town did..."
Cheng Ye could not help but sigh aloud.
Dabo Town had merely been abandoned by humans; it had not suffered deliberate destruction.
As for this New Pond Gathering Place, judging from the traces of chaos visible everywhere, it must have descended into sheer panic when news of the approaching Infection Tide broke.
Scorch marks left by Explosives could even be seen on the walls. Perhaps, in the end, an internal conflict had erupted over the distribution of supplies.
The slanting rays of the setting sun cast a dark yellow Halo over these unpopulated ruins. Yet, it could not dispel the chilling deathly silence in the slightest. Instead, it made the place look even more like a ghost town than Dabo Town ever had, involuntarily bringing various terrifying scenarios to mind.
Suddenly, Cheng Ye whipped his head around, looking toward a distant wall.
Under the slightly dimming sky, a blurry human figure flashed briefly, vanishing completely the exact moment he looked over.
"What is it?" Liu Bi followed his gaze.
"Someone was just watching us." Cheng Ye froze, feeling sudden surprise.
He had not expected that after he chose to avoid contact, these people would take the initiative to spy on them.
Was it a coincidence?
Or had the other party noticed the arrival of the Armored Vehicle?
"Is it an Infected Body?" Liu Bi narrowed his eyes.
"No, it should be a human."
Cheng Ye shook his head. "There really are still people alive here, and they've definitely set up perimeter alarms. Our Armored Vehicle had just driven in, and someone already came to check."
Although Little Flame's Counter-Reconnaissance Ability could not directly distinguish between humans and Infected Bodies, there was a significant difference between the two.
An Infected Body's stare would never be immediately withdrawn just because a human noticed it. Only a human, realizing they had been exposed, would swiftly hide their tracks like that.
"Cheng Ye," Liu Bi pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking up.
"What is it?"
"I will choose the campsite for tonight. I am assigning you a task. Put on your armor, go find their camp, and try your best to communicate with them peacefully."
"Huh?" Cheng Ye was stunned, somewhat surprised. "Isn't that a bit reckless?"
"In the Wilderness, since both sides have noticed each other's presence, the best approach is to make contact immediately and clear up any unnecessary misunderstandings, rather than pretending not to see them."
Liu Bi grinned, baring his teeth. "I am good at the straightforward approach: just go meet them directly and make my identity and purpose clear. Of course, we could switch things up. You can stay here and pick a campsite, and I will go find them."
"Then... are there no other requirements?" Cheng Ye asked further.
"None. Do as you see fit."
Watching Cheng Ye's expression shift from shock to surprise, then faintly reveal an uncontrollable excitement.
Liu Bi raised an eyebrow and added, "This is the Wilderness, not a strictly regulated shelter city. I normally demand that you remember your status as an Inspector so you won't forget the Responsibility on your shoulders. But out here, facing strangers, our identities are no longer defined by any rules. Or rather, we only have one identity."
Liu Bi paused, lightly spitting out a rather arrogant sentence: "Since Transcendent beings cannot leave the city, we are... the absolute powerhouses at the top of the Wilderness Food Chain!"
"Brother B, if you keep talking like that, I will feel bad if I don't wipe out their camp."
Cheng Ye could not help but laugh. "Alright then, I will go find them. If there's an issue, we'll communicate via radio."
"Go on. Stay safe," Liu Bi advised, though his tone held not a shred of worry.
After the two of them had sparred, setting everything else aside, that bizarre Blink Ability alone was practically invincible.
Furthermore, he understood that the life-saving methods Cheng Ye possessed were likely far more terrifying than he could imagine. Naturally, he wouldn't impose the same restrictions on him that he would on ordinary people.
On the contrary, he needed to heavily utilize these methods to quickly get Cheng Ye accustomed to the rhythm of the Wilderness, making him recognize the cruelty and rules of the outside world.
Even if this behavior would absolutely be considered "acting like a fool" in Luo Xiaoxue's eyes.
Cheng Ye was also fully confident in his abilities. Even if he encountered the super Explosives that Halin had mentioned, he would have ample time to transform into Starfish Superman to evade the danger.
"Inspector Cheng, your armor is absolutely stunning!"
Watching Cheng Ye equip the golden-red Fire Lotus Battle Armor and snap on the matching Protective Helmet, Yin Ruofeng and the other three couldn't help but continuously praise him.
The armor shimmered brilliantly, as if he had draped an entire fiery sunset cloud over his body. This outfit alone was enough to display absolute Strength.
"Brother B, see you later."
Cheng Ye only brought the Bison Combat Pistol, holstering it on the left side of his waist. The Red Blade and his radio were hung on the loops at the back of his waist.
He gently exhaled a breath of stale air, unloaded his Kinetic Link Skill, and switched to equip Wilderness Walker and Vortex Lungs.
The moment he closed his faceplate, his right leg stepped forward lightly.
His entire body abruptly transformed into a phantom-like shadow, gliding close to the ground. He moved at an astonishing speed, vanishing among the ruined walls and debris in the blink of an eye.
"When this kid sparred with me back then, he really was hiding something."
Liu Bi smacked his lips, his tone complex.
However, when those words reached Niu Fu's ears, they inevitably stirred up a bit of sour jealousy.
Niu Fu grinned and teased, "Brother Bi, back in the day, when the other Inspectors found out that you, a mere Trainee Inspector, already possessed the strength of Heaven and Man in One, their tones and expressions were exactly identical to yours right now."
"Get lost. When I was a Trainee Inspector, I often cursed those mediocre old fogeys at the station for taking up spots and not giving newcomers a chance. Don't tell me Cheng Ye... is going to curse me too?"
Liu Bi cursed with a laugh. Then, recalling Cheng Ye's performance all the way out of the city, he sighed emotionally. "This world truly is a case of the new waves pushing forth the old waves. His performance is far beyond my expectations. Fortunately, I, the old wave, have not yet passed my peak. In the future, I might even be able to go see a farther, more wonderful world!"
In the span of just a few sentences, Cheng Ye's figure completely vanished into the shadows of the ruins, leaving no trace behind.
Liu Bi retracted his gaze, scanning the interior of the abandoned gathering place. He randomly pointed toward a relatively intact area. "Drive the vehicle over there. When I went looking for a secluded spot in a Forbidden Land for the first time, it took me a full day and a half to find it. This is his first time. Even if he has some tricks up his sleeve, I reckon it will still take him quite a while."
"Yeah... let's set up the Camp first. Who knows, he might be having too much fun to come back tonight!"