Chapter 25

Chunan remained silent, his mind pondering why the pineal glands in the heads of these corpse mutants had all melted away. He was somewhat impressed by the middle-aged man's knowledge, especially in genetics or the pineal gland, which far surpassed his own.

"The pineal glands of these corpse mutants, over time, will gradually melt and self-decompose. I believe this is a self-destruct program," the middle-aged man explained, noticing Chunan's constant gaze at the corpse's body.

"Then, why did corpse mutants, immortals, awakened ones, or... mutants appear after the earthquake?" Chunan suddenly countered.

The middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "Good question. As I mentioned earlier, the pineal gland, or these dormant genes, have always been there, just locked and in a dormant state. This earthquake may have altered some of Earth's magnetic fields or released some forces we can't understand, which I call Gaia."

"Gaia?" Chunan was slightly taken aback.

The middle-aged man said, "Yes, Gaia, the Earth Mother in Greek mythology. Don't you think our Earth or nature is quite magical?"

"She continuously creates a stable state and retaliates against actions that disrupt it, such as sandstorms, tsunamis, including earthquakes, and those perfect natural laws. Therefore, some believe that the Earth or the universe has a grand will, which is the Gaia consciousness. Simply put, the Earth has a consciousness, and this consciousness is composed of all the living beings on Earth."

Chunan became very interested in the middle-aged man's words and viewpoints, took out a cigarette, and offered one to him, saying, "Let's sit down and talk. By the way, I forgot to ask your name. I'm Chunan."

"He's called Chen Mo," came a sudden laugh from the side.

Chunan looked up to see Yuan Tengfei walking over.

"Professor Chen Mo, are you talking about your theories again? I'm also a loyal listener," Yuan Tengfei said with a smile, sitting down beside them.

Chunan also offered him a cigarette.

Yuan Tengfei took it but didn't smoke it.

Chunan was somewhat surprised to find out that the middle-aged man was actually a professor, but his theories were indeed not those of an ordinary person.

Chen Mo smiled slightly and said, "Just some foolish thoughts, I apologize for any inconvenience."

Chunan said, "Professor Chen, you mentioned the Gaia consciousness. Do you think this earthquake was orchestrated by the Gaia consciousness? Therefore, our pineal glands, or gene banks, were activated, and the dormant genes within awakened."

Chen Mo said, "When I mention the Gaia consciousness, I also refer to the concept of Gaia genes."

"Gaia genes," Chunan repeated, seemingly understanding the term.

"Genes are the basic units of heredity, passing genetic information to the next generation through replication, making the offspring similar to the parents. They also change their own binding characteristics through mutations, storing all the information of life's conception, growth, and death. Through replication, transcription, and expression, they complete important physiological processes such as life reproduction, cell division, and protein synthesis."

"In other words, all life phenomena, such as birth, growth, illness, aging, and death, are related to genes. They are also the intrinsic factors that determine life's health. Therefore, genes have a dual nature: materiality, which is their existence, and information, which is their fundamental attribute."

"Since the Earth has a Gaia consciousness, why can't it have Gaia genes? I believe that what we are experiencing now, explained scientifically, is a mutation of Gaia genes."

Chunan was taken aback and then said, "This theory is quite interesting." As a veterinarian, he had some knowledge of genetics and understood that Chen Mo's viewpoint was quite unique.

"If all life forms are part of the Gaia life as a whole, then there must be some dormant genes in the Gaia genes that have no function. Now, due to the earthquake, some of these genes have awakened."

Chen Mo's expression became increasingly serious as he continued, "If my theory is correct, the chain reaction triggered by the awakening of these Gaia genes will be unimaginable... and even terrifying."

Chunan looked at him.

Chen Mo explained, "For example, we all want to open the road to Jiangtian City. But what if we really return to Jiangtian City and find that the entire city has been destroyed by the earthquake? Can you imagine what that scene would be like?"

Chunan felt a chill.

Jiangtian City, with a population of over a million, if such a densely populated city were to experience such an earthquake, the consequences would be unimaginable, with countless deaths and injuries. It would become a stronghold for corpse mutants.

Yuan Tengfei laughed and said, "Professor, don't say such alarming things. We are relying on a glimmer of hope to survive. No matter what, we must open the road to Jiangtian City and see what happens. We only focus on what we see, not on any speculations."

Chen Mo sighed slightly and said, "No matter what, this is a sign. Perhaps a new explosion of life has already begun."

With that, he suddenly lost interest, shook his head, and walked away to help others build a fire.

Chunan watched Chen Mo's back in silence, lost in thought.

"Do you believe his theories?" Yuan Tengfei asked with a smile.

Chunan felt heavy-hearted, thinking of his family, and forced a smile, "As you said, seeing is believing. Speculations are just for listening."

Yuan Tengfei laughed, stood up, patted his shoulder, and said, "That's the right attitude. Nothing to worry about. Tomorrow, we'll open the road to Jiangtian City, and everything will be clear." He then walked away to patrol the area.

Chunan silently recalled Chen Mo's theories. Were they just theories? Was Jiangtian City really safe? The earthquake had been over for two days, yet no rescue teams had appeared, which was an unreasonable phenomenon.

"What is the government doing? Why... after two days... has no one come to rescue us?"

Deep down, Chunan had a strong sense of foreboding, which had grown stronger, but he dared not think too much about it.

He hoped, against hope, that Jiangtian City would be fine.

"Chunan." Tang Sanli walked over from behind, handed him a cigarette, lit it for him, and then lit one for himself, sitting down beside him.

"What's wrong? You seem very down," Chunan asked, a bit puzzled.

Tang Sanli smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't expect things to get so serious. Didn't you hear what Yuan Tengfei said? The ground in this area has cracked, and there's only one road to Jiangtian City. That road is blocked by over a hundred monsters. Everyone is organizing a team to fight those monsters tomorrow. Whether we can survive is hard to say."

Chunan said, "If we have enough people, dealing with ordinary corpse mutants shouldn't be too difficult. And if you kill a few more, you might awaken."

Tang Sanli smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid I won't have the chance to awaken. After hearing what Yuan Tengfei said, I have a very uneasy feeling. Don't you feel that the impact of this earthquake is becoming more and more terrifying? I'm very afraid... very afraid of Jiangtian City..."

Chunan was silent for a moment. What Tang Sanli was worried about was also what he was worried about, so he felt an even greater urgency to return to Jiangtian City and see the truth.

"If you're really afraid, you don't have to participate," Chunan said after a moment of silence.

Tang Sanli shook his head, "No, I need to go back. I must go back. You know, I have a wife and children. They are in the city. I need to confirm their safety."

Chunan knew from what Tang Sanli had told him that he was originally from the countryside and later got involved in drug trafficking, quickly becoming wealthy. He bought a house in the city and brought his wife and daughter from the countryside. His daughter was doing well in school and was attending a high school in Jiangtian City. Whenever he talked about his daughter, Tang Sanli was proud.

"I... I have a bad feeling. If... if something happens to me, and you have a chance, I hope you can find them and tell them... tell them... I love them!"

Tang Sanli's face showed a rare tenderness as he spoke.

Chunan nodded and said, "Alright, but I believe everything will be fine."

Tang Sanli said, "You must remember."

He then gave Chunan his home address and said, "Tell my wife that I secretly saved some money in her name. I originally planned to use it in case I got caught for drug trafficking and possibly executed. This money will ensure she won't be left destitute in her old age. It's enough for her to live out her life."

Tang Sanli said a lot, and Chunan listened, somewhat stunned.

His involvement in drug trafficking was certainly a grave sin, but his love for his wife and daughter was genuine.

He had a dark side, but within that darkness, there was also light.

Human nature is complex.

Chunan couldn't help but think of Li Feng and sighed.

By the afternoon, due to the thick smoke, more people had arrived, both men and women, young and old, even a child who looked to be only eight or nine years old. The group was growing.

Yuan Tengfei explained the situation to the newcomers and settled them in.

By evening, the total number of people gathered here exceeded forty.

As night fell, the group built a fire in the center of the area, and over forty people gathered around it. Yuan Tengfei was excited and said, "Everyone, eat well tonight and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning, we'll go and kill those corpse mutants. I didn't expect to gather so many people in such a short time. With our current numbers, if everyone works together, it shouldn't be a problem."

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