Chapter 42

(Listening, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, working hard, here's the second update of the day~~ Wishing all readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!!)

In the darkness, he walked slowly, like a ghost in the night, exuding an indescribable eeriness and gloom.

"Residual Ear?" At this moment, Chu Nan's heart trembled as he identified the black shadow that had appeared from afar, which turned out to be Residual Ear.

Lang Qing noticed and began barking wildly, its fur bristling, tail raised high, and a low growl emanating from its mouth.

Seemingly aware that it had caught their attention, Residual Ear stopped several dozen meters away from them, merely staring at them silently.

"What's going on? That... is also a dog?" Xia Qiu and the others also noticed, frowning.

Tang Sanli, however, knew what was happening and couldn't help but move closer to Chu Nan, whispering, "Chu Nan, this guy is relentless... it actually... caught up with us again. What should we do?"

Chu Nan calculated the distance between them and frowned, "It's too alert... now it probably feels it has no chance against us, so it doesn't come closer. The distance is too far, I might not be able to catch up with it."

Chu Nan estimated that even with his full burst of speed in the darkness, it would be difficult to catch Residual Ear. The darkness brought unpredictable dangers, and although he was already a Level 4 Awakened, he became even more cautious.

"What should we do?" Tang Sanli was somewhat uneasy.

"Let it follow... there's nothing we can do about it now. But... if it gets any closer..." Chu Nan narrowed his eyes, a faint cold light flickering in them.

Zhou Yun calmed the agitated Lang Qing, which then stopped its wild barking. This Lang Qing dog was highly aggressive, and Residual Ear, following from a distance, clearly infringed on its dignity. Lang Qing tried several times to rush towards Residual Ear in the darkness, but was stopped each time by Zhou Yun.

"Who knows whose dog it is, maybe it got separated from its owner. Let's not worry about it, let's go. It probably doesn't have any ill intentions." Zhou Yun said, as she was more familiar with dogs. If a dog lost its owner and didn't know who to follow, it would often trail behind people, hoping to get food or care.

Chu Nan and Tang Sanli exchanged a glance. They knew that this Residual Ear was not a pitiful dog that had lost its owner, but a monster with clearly malicious intentions.

"Truly a persistent guy." Chu Nan muttered, finding the appearance of Residual Ear somewhat interesting. This dog was so vengeful and relentless, which made him somewhat admire it.

The eight of them paused for a moment, ultimately deciding to ignore Residual Ear and continue on their way.

With the help of the faint, slightly red moonlight, the group bypassed the Bai Ze River, getting closer to the Daxiu District of Jiangtian City. The ground cracks they saw along the way were like a spider web, crisscrossing everywhere. The buildings they could see from afar were all collapsed, with numerous cars crushed under the fallen concrete and cement, presenting a scene of ruins like the end of the world.

Chu Nan, Su Yao, Tang Sanli, Tao Zhi, Xia Qiu, and Zhou Yun all stopped quietly, staring at the scene before them, stunned.

Jiangtian City, in the end, was not spared. They had already entered the Daxiu District, but the once towering skyscrapers they could see from afar were all collapsed, and what met their eyes was the ruins left after the earthquake.

Everything was destroyed.

Under the night sky, birds were circling, occasionally diving down.

In the dark ruins, figures flickered, swaying unsteadily. The reanimated corpses roamed, and these birds would swoop down to attack these moving reanimated corpses or peck at the human corpses trapped under the ruins.

"Dad... Mom..." Chu Nan muttered, his hands clenched tightly. The spider claw in his right hand sensed this force and was faintly glowing, and a faint light was also emanating from his right leg.

At the edge of the Daxiu District, the scene was a desolate ruin. Could the entire Jiangtian City have been spared? How were his parents, who lived in the Baiyun District, now?

What about the pregnant Li Feng?

Dead? Turned into a reanimated corpse?

Or survived?

But in such a major disaster, with reanimated corpses roaming the city ruins, could they survive?

Chu Nan's mind was filled with bloody and mangled scenes, and he dared not think further.

His mind and body were about to burst with a mix of power and fear.

He couldn't imagine what his parents might have encountered.

"No... they... will be fine... I... I'll find you soon... Dad, Mom, you... you must wait for me, I'll come to save you soon..."

Chu Nan was drenched in cold sweat. The reality he had always been afraid to face was now vividly before him, and he could no longer escape it.

The others were just like him, staring at the scene before them, almost unable to imagine how many people would die in such a massive earthquake, turning the city into ruins, and what their parents, children, and loved ones might have encountered.

No one dared to think about it.

Tang Sanli's hands were trembling, and suddenly, he let out a wild cry and rushed forward.

"Calm down—"

Chu Nan suddenly shouted, his figure flashing as he grabbed Tang Sanli's shoulder and pressed him down, almost making him kneel.

Although he was trying to calm Tang Sanli, his own body was also trembling.

"Chu... Chu Nan... what... what should we do?" Tang Sanli turned back, a man in his forties, almost on the verge of tears. His will was nearly broken; he couldn't imagine what his wife and his obedient daughter might have encountered.

Su Yao, tightly biting her lower lip, stared blankly ahead, lost in thought.

Zhou Yun and Zhou Hua, the siblings, were also in a daze.

The Lang Qing dog occasionally barked wildly, circling around the siblings, showing intense unease.

"This is just the outskirts of the Daxiu District. Maybe... maybe the situation in the city center is not as severe as we imagine. Until we see it with our own eyes, anything is possible. Everyone... we... we just need to see it with our own eyes to know what's really going on."

Chu Nan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. After all, he had experienced the Li Feng incident, the escape, the betrayal, and being locked up in the detention center, and had persisted until now, facing life and death many times and seeing many companions die. In critical moments, Chu Nan still showed the necessary strength.

"Right... we... only by seeing it with our own eyes will we know what happened. Worrying now is useless." Su Yao took a deep breath and gradually calmed down. Among the group, she was relatively better off.

After all, she had strong confidence in her father. His skills were better than hers and Yuan Tengfei combined. Even if there was an earthquake, he should have been able to react in time. Since she could survive, there was no reason for her father to be weaker.

After thinking it through, Su Yao's mind was filled with the tall figure of her father, who was skilled in multiple martial arts. She believed that her parents would be safe and sound, perhaps waiting for her to return and find them.

Chu Nan and Su Yao's words helped the others calm down somewhat, and they began to consider their current situation.

In the distant ruins, although far away and the light was dim, they could still see the moving figures of the reanimated corpses.

In the sky, several birds similar to eagles, but much larger than ordinary eagles, swooped down to attack the reanimated corpses.

These eagle-like birds worked together to attack the reanimated corpses below. From their appearance, Chu Nan estimated that these birds had mutated, absorbing the genetic force from the pineal gland, causing their bodies to change. As for why these mutants easily changed in appearance while humans did not, Chu Nan thought about it for a long time but found no answer.

In the end, he guessed that according to the principles of evolution, perhaps the current size and shape of humans were the most suitable for them, so no changes in appearance occurred.

For many other animals and insects, the changes in appearance could be attributed to their evolution being far less perfect than that of humans. Once triggered, they underwent significant changes.

After all, humans had evolved for so many years, ruling the Earth as the most advanced intelligent beings. It was not surprising that their evolution was more advanced than that of animals.

The reanimated corpses below could not resist and were torn to pieces by these mutated eagles. Sometimes, several eagles would lift a reanimated corpse into the air and then suddenly release it, causing it to fall and turn into a pile of flesh.

Chu Nan could see that these birds were not attacking the reanimated corpses for food but were intentionally killing them to obtain genetic force, to evolve and become more powerful.

Chu Nan silently stimulated his vision, using adrenaline to enhance his vision several times beyond that of a normal person. In the darkness, he quietly observed the distant scene and once again caught sight of the faint light emanating from afar. This light was emitted from behind the ruins of the tall, partially collapsed buildings. Because these buildings blocked his view, Chu Nan could not clearly see what was emitting the light that seemed to cover the entire Jiangtian City.

Or, what was emitting this sky-like light.

The light was indeed strange. Chu Nan wanted to see it more clearly and looked for a higher place. He quickly climbed up a partially collapsed high wall, carefully climbed to the top, and stood there to observe.

Suddenly, he heard a distant sound of something breaking through the air. His heart trembled, and he saw a distant eagle suddenly fall from the sky.