Chapter 96 – Reverse
The truck kept moving forward, rocking as it went. The dense vegetation around them stretched on for miles, in some places even blocking out the sky, forcing them to turn on the headlights for illumination.
Looking at the thick vegetation on both sides, Xia Lu Nong exclaimed, “I didn’t expect the plants outside to have grown this dense.”
“It’s not surprising in an area with no human activity,” Xia Huo Qu replied gravely. “Let’s just hope things don’t get worse ahead.”
They bounced along in the truck for an entire day, moving slowly.
By evening, they found an abandoned town to rest in.
For safety, they specifically chose a basketball court to park the trucks on.
Thanks to the country’s pre-apocalypse promotion of sports, they could always find basketball courts on their trips, which made things a little easier.
However, this particular court was rather desolate, with plants growing thickly between the cracks in the bricks, making the truck’s ride very bumpy.
Xia Lu Nong glanced around and corrected his earlier thought—it wasn’t just the basketball court that was desolate.
Compared to other abandoned towns he had seen, this one was in far worse shape. The entire town was covered in a layer of yellowish-green vegetation, so much so that they couldn’t even see the abandoned buildings.
From a distance, it looked like the town had been swallowed by the plants.
“This is creepy,” Xia Lu Nong said as he climbed down from the truck, looking around warily. “When we went out in the summer, there weren’t nearly this many plants.”
Kong Zhi reminded him, “Watch your step. Be careful of snakes and insects.”
Xia Lu Nong quickly nodded. “I know, I’m watching.”
Seeing that Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi were handling the situation well, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu exchanged a glance and felt somewhat relieved.
Yan Xi Nian sternly warned the group, “Stay alert. This is a completely unfamiliar town, and we’ve never been here before. Anything could happen, so don’t let your guard down.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice, and then glanced around. “Can I let Little Pepper down?”
“Yes, but be careful,” Xia Huo Qu said. “I checked it at noon; its leaves seem a bit wilted. Maybe it’s too dry in the autumn, and it’s a bit dehydrated. You should let it down and give it some water.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded. “Got it.”
The other trucks soon arrived as well.
They parked the five trucks in a circle, creating a small enclosed area. This would be their camp for the night. If anything happened, the trucks would provide some cover and buy them time to escape.
Of course, they wouldn’t sleep on the ground. The trucks provided safety, especially during meals when their guard was more relaxed.
Their group of 37 people, divided into three teams, had ventured out with five trucks.
Yan Xi Nian led a team with Ba Niu, while Old Liu led his usual group. The female members were led by a woman named Cheng Xue.
The vehicles came to a stop, and everyone quickly jumped out.
Yan Xi Nian raised his voice, “Everyone, first do a sweep of the area. Clear out the mutated plants and look for a water source. Once we confirm the area is safe, we can set up camp.”
Old Liu responded, “Got it!”
Cheng Xue said, “Understood, Captain Yan.”
Yan Xi Nian continued, “Old Liu, your team will clear from the southeast. Cheng Xue, your team will clear from the southwest. We will clear from the north. Make sure to clear a 50-meter radius around the camp.”
Everyone agreed and started their tasks.
Yan Xi Nian instructed Ba Niu and a few others to handle the northern side. Then he called over Luo Cong Xin and Kong Zhi, “You two take your beast forms and fly up to check the area for a safe water source. Prioritize finding a well, but if you can’t, look for a river.”
They had passed a river on the way in, but the water was full of aquatic life. The surface was clogged with water hyacinths, and the river teemed with small fish, shrimp, clams, and snails. Unless they were desperate, it would be best to avoid using that water.
Kong Zhi and Luo Congxin nodded, scanning the area before preparing to transform.
The female members of Cheng Xue’s team tactfully turned away as the two men removed their clothes and shifted into their beast forms.
Luo Cong Xin became a large wild goose, about a size larger than usual, though still not too big overall. He flapped his wings and flew into the sky.
Kong Zhi’s beast form was enormous, requiring a running start each time to take off.
Xia Lu Nong watched Kong Zhi’s majestic beast form with wide-eyed admiration, his face full of envy. Under normal circumstances, he would have asked Kong Zhi for a ride, but their relationship had become somewhat awkward lately, and he didn’t feel comfortable making the request.
The giant golden eagle glanced at Xia Lu Nong, its eyes crinkling at the corners as if it were smiling.
Xia Lu Nong looked away, and the golden eagle ran a few steps, flapping its wings before soaring into the sky. In seconds, it was several hundred meters high, reduced to a mere black dot.
Xia Lu Nong tilted his head to watch before turning to check on the small pepper tree in the truck bed.
The little pepper tree was indeed not in great shape, its leaves limp and wilted, lacking vitality.
Worried, Xia Lu Nong touched its trunk and transferred a bit of his energy into it. “You can settle here for now. Once we find water, I’ll give you a drink.”
The small pepper tree softly curled one of its branches around Xia Lu Nong’s hand, full of affection.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t join the others in clearing the area. Instead, he found a spot for the pepper tree. He picked out an old tree pit where a tree must have been planted before the disaster struck, but now only dead branches remained.
Using a hoe, Xia Lu Nong cleared the pit of dead wood and weeds to make room for the pepper tree.
They needed firewood for camp, so he split the dried branches, which could be used as fuel.
He patted the small pepper tree and whispered for it to settle in and rest, before carrying the firewood to the center of the camp.
There were a lot of people on this trip, but since they were split into three teams, each focusing on their own tasks, it wasn’t too chaotic.
Xia Lu Nong took out a large cooking pot, intending to make a simple meal of meat and vegetables for the group.
The other two teams also brought out their large pots and ingredients.
In Old Liu’s team, Xiao Tang stayed behind to cook, while in Cheng Xue’s team, it was Dr. Ou who was handling the food.
Xia Lu Nong knew both of them well, and they had a good rapport. “Our ingredients are mostly prepped. What about yours?” he asked.
Xiao Tang answered first, “Same here. We’ve got tomatoes and pumpkins, which don’t need much prep. Just a quick wash and we can throw them in the pot.”
Dr. Ou smiled. “We’re having stir-fried rice cakes tonight, just adding some seasoning. It’ll cook quickly. What about you, Xia Lu Nong?”
Xia Lu Nong opened a barrel and showed them. “We’re making fish balls and noodles in hot pot broth, with dried tomatoes and winter melon.”
Dr. Ou gave him a thumbs-up. “That sounds delicious!”
“Not bad, right?”
The three of them chatted briefly as they prepared the ingredients. Once they found water, they’d be ready to start cooking.
Kong Zhi was the first to return, landing and shifting back into human form.
Dr. Ou turned away, and Xia Lu Nong handed Kong Zhi some pants and a jacket.
Kong Zhi gestured and spoke in a low voice, “From where I was, I saw a well at eleven o’clock and another at four o’clock. The one at four o’clock is closer. Let’s check that one first.”
“Alright,” Xia Lu Nong immediately agreed. “I’ll grab a bucket and come with you.”
Xiao Tang and Dr. Ou also offered to go along.
A woman from Dr. Ou’s team, seeing her picking up a bucket, called out from a distance, “Dr. Ou, you stay at the camp. I’ll go get the water!”
Yan Xi Nian also called out from another direction, “Hold on. Don’t go off on your own. I’ll send a few more people with you.”
Xia Lu Nong was a bit surprised. Yan Xi Nian hadn’t been so cautious when they went looking for water on past trips.
He quietly asked Kong Zhi, “Did you see anything from above? Is this town really that dangerous?”
“No, it’s fine,” Kong Zhi replied. “I didn’t spot any major threats from the air.”
“Then it’s probably smaller dangers, like snakes and bugs?” Xia Lu Nong felt goosebumps rising on his arms.
Yan Xi Nian, still concerned, went with Xia Huo Qu to personally lead the group to fetch water.
To avoid multiple trips, each person carried a water bucket.
The well Kong Zhi had spotted at four o’clock wasn’t far, but the situation there wasn’t ideal. The well was overgrown with weeds, and after clearing them away, they discovered the water had a faint musty smell, not resembling fresh water.
Yan Xi Nian frowned. “For safety, we’ll check the next well.”
No one objected. In the wilderness, using unsafe water could easily lead to diarrhea or even mass poisoning.
Once someone is poisoned, even with Dr. Ou present, it would be very troublesome.
The group carried their buckets, carefully avoiding both mutated and non-mutated plants, as they made their way toward the well in the eleven o’clock direction.
This well was in slightly better condition. It didn’t have the same musty smell, but—
Yan Xi Nian tilted the bucket slightly, using the sunset’s light to inspect the water. “Is this full of algae?”
Xia Huo Qu shattered his hopes, “Yes.”
“How did it end up like this?” Yan Xi Nian turned to Kong Zhi, “Did you spot a third well?”
“Not yet. If needed, I can fly up again and check,” Kong Zhi offered. “Should I go?”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “You’ve already checked thoroughly. If you didn’t find any other wells before, it’s unlikely you’ll find one now. Let’s bring this water back and run it through the filtration equipment. If it’s still no good, we’ll search for another source.”
Everyone agreed with this plan.
They brought up the water and drew six full buckets.
Looking into his bucket, Xia Lu Nong suddenly had an idea. He reached into the water.
Xia Huo Qu, noticing his movement, quickly grabbed his hand, “What’s up?”
Xia Lu Nong paused and asked, “Do you think my ability could work in reverse? Like, kill plants instead?”
