Chapter 68

After Shen Mo thought it through, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll stay too, but can I go home and take a look first?"

Su Xianyi shook his head and said, "I understand your feelings, but... in the current situation, if you run around randomly, it's no different from courting death. Staying here is different. In Fuchun Garden, there are a large number of zombies and undead. We can systematically hunt them, improving ourselves. I won't let you run around randomly until you reach the fifth level of awakening."

"The earthquake has been going on for several days now. Everyone in Jiangtian City should have family members. However, the harsh reality is that either they died in the earthquake, and going to look for them now is meaningless, or they survived, in which case... they should have some means of survival. First, it's unlikely that they are still at home waiting for you to find them. Second, if they are still at home and have managed to survive until now, I believe they can survive a few more days. If you stay, I believe it won't take long for everyone to at least reach the fifth level of awakening. Then, you can go look for them."

Su Xianyi explained all the situations, which indeed moved everyone. Of course, the most important reason was that Jiangtian City was too dangerous, and various unpredictable situations could lead to their deaths.

Moreover, the terrifying female undead with mutated hair and the bone-armored undead they had just encountered would have killed them all if Su Xianyi and Miao Xiu hadn't come to their rescue. Except for Chu Nan, who might have had a chance to escape, the others would have been doomed.

People like Shen Mo, Nangong Xiong, and Zhang Xiang were only at the second or third level of awakening. Without a leader, crossing the large district to find their families would be no different from courting death.

After thinking it through, Shen Mo nodded and said, "I understand, Uncle Su. I'll stay too, but I want to make it clear that once I reach the fifth level of awakening, I must go home and take a look. Even if I can't find my parents... I at least need to see for myself."

Su Xianyi nodded and readily agreed, "Once everyone reaches the fifth level, according to my plan, we will head in the direction of the Life Stele. At that time, everyone can take a detour to visit their homes, fulfilling their wishes. Of course, if we can reunite with our families, that would be even better."

Seeing that Shen Mo was willing to stay, Nangong Xiong smiled bitterly, smoked a cigarette, and nodded in agreement.

"I can't die. I have to become stronger. I need to make that bitch realize that I am stronger than that old man in the Cayenne. I need to make her regret it!"

Deep down, Nangong Xiong always had a voice telling him that he couldn't die, that he had to become stronger, find that bitch, and make her regret leaving him for that old man.

Jiang Lao, Shen Mo, and Nangong Xiong were all willing to stay. Tao Zhi, who was severely injured, had no choice but to stay as well. In the end, only Chu Nan and Tang Sanli had not expressed their opinions.

Tang Sanli looked at Chu Nan, clearly wanting to see what he thought.

"Chu Nan, why don't you speak? What's your decision?" Su Yao asked.

Chu Nan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "On our way, we encountered skeleton monsters in the fog and something like a ghost ship. Has that fog spread here?"

Su Xianyi replied, "I know what you're talking about. I've been to the Gaia Stele. Those things are related to the Life Stele. With our current strength, we are not yet capable of dealing with them... The fog and the patrolling skeleton army have not covered the entire Jiangtian City. As long as we stay far away, we should be safe."

Chu Nan said, "I see. By the way, the bugs in the zoo, Grandpa Jiang, we mentioned before that once Su Yao finds her parents, we need to go and clear those potentially dangerous bugs."

" Bugs?" Su Xianyi was surprised.

Su Yao explained their encounter in the zoo, and Su Xianyi nodded, "I see. Burning that place down... shouldn't be too difficult."

He had plenty of people, so this task was not difficult for him.

However, Grandpa Jiang looked at Chu Nan and said, "You've explained everything. It seems you're planning to leave?"

Chu Nan smiled and said, "Yes, I still want to go home and take a look. No matter what the outcome, I can't feel at ease until I see it with my own eyes."

He wanted to leave for two reasons: to see his parents and to consider his own situation.

Unlike the others, he had the special magnifying glass. Staying with the group would eventually expose his secret, while acting alone might allow him to evolve faster.

Moreover, he had already reached the fifth level of awakening, and the aftereffects were minimal. He was fully capable of acting alone.

Seeing Chu Nan's determination to leave, everyone was stunned. Su Yao wanted to say something, but Tang Sanli spoke up, "Chu Nan, I'll go with you."

Chu Nan shook his head and handed the rhinoceros horn, a genetic weapon, to him, "This weapon is quite powerful. Take good care of it; it will help you. You're only at the first level of awakening, and traveling with me would be too dangerous. Stay here and focus on improving your strength."

Seeing that Tang Sanli still wanted to speak, Chu Nan patted his shoulder, "Brother Tang, don't worry. I'll go home and check on my parents. Once I confirm the situation, I'll come back to find you. Traveling with me would be too dangerous."

There was another reason Chu Nan didn't say: it wasn't just dangerous, but it would also hold him back.

Tang Sanli understood the truth in Chu Nan's words and smiled bitterly, "Chu Nan, you're like my own brother. I won't say more. I'll wait for you to come back... and if possible, take a detour to check on my family..."

His home was not far from Chu Nan's, and he had once told Chu Nan the specific address and what his wife and daughter looked like.

Chu Nan nodded, "Don't worry. If I go, I'll take a detour to check on them."

Everyone could see that Chu Nan was determined to leave. Among them, only Chu Nan had the strength to act alone.

"Young man, you're already at the fifth level of awakening. Acting alone, as long as you are cautious, should not be a problem. However, remember to come back soon... because we won't stay here forever. Once we have accumulated enough strength, we will head in the direction of the Life Stele."

Su Xianyi paused and continued, "So if you come back and don't see us, you can head in the direction of the Life Stele to find us. As for the zoo, we will handle it. If you really decide to leave, do so as soon as possible. The earlier you leave, the better. You are at the fifth level of awakening, and fifth-level mutants and undead are still rare. You have an advantage, but the longer you wait, the more these mutants and undead will evolve. Once you lose your advantage, it will be troublesome."

Chu Nan stood up, "Yes, that's what I was thinking. I'll leave the zoo to you."

With Su Xianyi and his wife, and Grandpa Jiang, Chu Nan believed they would handle it better than he could.

Su Yao, Shen Mo, Nangong Xiong, Zhang Xiang, and Tang Sanli all stood up.

Nangong Xiong said, "Brother, although we haven't known each other long, we can be considered comrades who have faced life and death together. I also want to go with you to find your family, but among us, only you have the strength to do so. Following you would be a burden. I won't say more. Come back soon; we'll be waiting for you."

He then handed Chu Nan a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

Chu Nan smiled and took them.

Although he hadn't known Nangong Xiong, Shen Mo, and the others for long, he could genuinely feel their sincerity. These people were worth befriending.

Tang Sanli's eyes showed some reluctance. He wanted to say something but didn't know what. Chu Nan patted his shoulder, "Brother Tang, don't worry. I'll take a detour to check on your family. I believe your wife and daughter will be fine. When I find them, I'll bring them over."

"Okay," Tang Sanli nodded vigorously, tightly gripping the rhinoceros horn.

Su Yao's junior disciple, Xia Ze, brought some food and mineral water at Su Xianyi's request, smiling, "Take these with you. You guys are really sentimental. This brother is so strong; he'll definitely come back soon."

Chu Nan didn't refuse and opened his backpack, putting the food and water inside. He bid farewell to the Su couple, Su Yao, and Grandpa Jiang, waved to everyone, and then disappeared in a flash.

"Chu Nan, come back soon—" Tang Sanli shouted from behind, but the sound was quickly left behind as Chu Nan sped away.

Continuously accelerating, Chu Nan took a deep breath.

Finally, he was alone. It felt a bit lonely, but also strangely light.

Soon, he returned to the place where the group had fought. The zombies and undead had dispersed, and the bone-armored undead and the female undead with mutated hair were gone. Only the bodies of the zombies and undead remained, numbering over a hundred.

No longer needing to be cautious or explain, Chu Nan began collecting the pineal glands from the heads of these bodies.

The greatest advantage of acting alone was that he didn't have to worry about his secrets being exposed.

Taking out the magnifying glass, he could collect the pineal glands and use the magnifying glass to amplify their power, then crush and consume them.

He collected 106 pineal glands. After absorbing them all, he felt the power in his genetic core boiling in his mind.

Since reaching the fifth level of awakening, the number of zombies and undead he had killed and absorbed was less than a hundred. Now, absorbing so many more pineal glands, the power fused into a considerable amount of energy, surging in his pineal gland.

However, it was still far from enough to break through to the next level, not even reaching half.

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**End of Chapter**