The small path was much more difficult to traverse compared to the previous national road. The ground was covered in broken asphalt, mixed with a large amount of muddy soil, yellow sand, and various plant roots.
With two fire-type ability users present, the group had relatively easier time clearing the way, but it was still challenging. Without any means of transportation and lacking experience in wilderness exploration, it took them over an hour to reach the seemingly close incident site.
The scene not far away was astonishing. It appeared to be the aftermath of a high-temperature explosion. The area was originally a gas station, but now it was completely reduced to ruins. A huge animal corpse lay near the center of the explosion. The heat had dissipated to some extent, leaving charred surroundings. Due to the fire caused by the explosion, the plants had retreated extensively in all directions, except for the immovable roots and other parts. The incident site was strangely empty and intact.
“There’s a body! An arm, but it’s unrecognizable.”
“And there’s half a head, looks like a woman?”
Throughout their journey, the group had experienced numerous life-and-death situations and seen countless corpses, so searching for remains amidst the wreckage was nothing out of the ordinary for them.
Xu Song looked around and suddenly tugged on Yue Zheng’s sleeve. “Look, what’s that over there?”
Following Xu Song’s direction, Yue Zheng saw something of considerable size lying in the dense vegetation on the side of the road. The object was dark and appeared to have been burned by a fierce fire.
“Let’s go and take a look, but be careful of plant attacks.” Yue Zheng turned his military knife in his hand and took the lead, with Xu Song following closely behind.
Luo Wen’an and the other three remained in place, providing support. Among the six others, someone noticed Yue Zheng and Xu Song heading into the thicket and hurriedly approached. “What’s going on? Did you find something?”
Luo Wen’an yawned lazily. “Looks like there’s a dead mutant beast over there. Why? Do you want to go and take a look?”
At that moment, Zhao Dejiang, the person who had come over, finally noticed the blackened object that resembled a small mountain. He chuckled, “It seems to be dead. Shouldn’t two people be enough?”
Liu Shishi rolled her eyes at the comment. It was clear that he was afraid of missing out on any potential benefits or discoveries and didn’t want their group to claim them. But now that they were about to enter the thicket, he became hesitant?
Although Zhao Dejiang said so, he didn’t leave and waited to see if Yue Zheng and Xu Song would bring back anything when they returned.
The condition of the gas station was apparent at a glance. Not only the gas station itself but even the convenience store attached to it had been turned to ashes. There were hardly any intact items left.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
It’s worth noting that even within the first group, the law of the jungle still applied. When encountering buildings along the road, it was always the strongest teams that went in first to explore. When encountering isolated animals, it was always the strongest teams that prioritized hunting. The same applied to ability users teams, as they were not easy to blend in with the larger forces behind them.
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“Children.”
Yes, children. They were the twins, around six or seven years old, whom the group had encountered on the road earlier.
“So, does that mean the male and female we found dead over there were them?” Li Ding turned his head to look towards the center of the explosion.
“Yes, it should be them.” Xu Song nodded. The little one in his arms had already woken up earlier and was now looking cautiously at the people around them. Their two big black eyes resembled black grapes, and their small face looked like that of a kitten, with patches of black and gray all over, messy and disheveled.
“Ah… so adorable! Come, let big sister hold you!” Liu Shishi’s eyes lit up, and she reached out her hands to hold the child. The little one shyly burrowed into Xu Song’s arms, tightly gripping his neck and refusing to let go.
“Honey, you can’t let other men cuckold me… Ah!” Before Luo Wen’an could finish his sentence, he was pinched in the waist by Liu Shishi.
Liu Shishi shifted her focus and tried to hold the other child, but the child had the same anxious and worried expression and clung tightly to Yue Zheng, refusing to let go of his collar.
There was only one woman present, Liu Shishi, and she had hardly any experience taking care of children. Moreover, it seemed that these two children didn’t want anyone else but Yue Zheng and Xu Song.
“Well, it looks like the kids only like you two. Should we just leave it at that? We better hurry and continue on our way. With such a loud noise just now, there’s a chance it might have attracted something…” Seeing the two children clinging to Yue Zheng and Xu Song, Fang Helun and the others didn’t mind.
After all, the big cat seemed to have already died, and having two children, even if they were ability users, wouldn’t be of much use to the team. They could even be burdensome in critical situations. Currently, with these two children not needing to be carried by their own group, it was actually more convenient and effortless.
What’s the use of adorable children? They could be entertained when bored, but otherwise… since there was a daddy, they didn’t want to be bothered.
“Alright, let’s take them with us and continue on,” Yue Zheng said without hesitation. They were already close to S City, and these two children wouldn’t be much of a burden, no matter how you looked at it.
Besides… he glanced at Xu Song, who was holding the other child, and a smile emerged from the depths of his heart. Moreover, it seemed that he really liked these two children.
Liu Shishi persistently circled around Xu Song and Yue Zheng, following the main group as she circled. Even if it was just a touch? Couldn’t she give them a little kiss or a touch? Ahhh!!
“What are your names?” The two children were discovered in the arms of the dead big cat earlier. At that time, several vines were entwined around their feet, pulling them outward. The children were still unconscious then and only woke up after Xu Song burned the vines with fire.
The child in Xu Song’s arms raised his head and looked at Xu Song with big round eyes filled with confusion. “My name is Mo Tiancheng, I’m the big brother. Uncle, did Dahua also die? Like Mom and Dad, did she die too?”
Xu Song was taken aback for a moment and gently touched the child’s hair in a somewhat heartbroken manner. He comforted, “Dahua went to find your mom and dad.”
Mo Tiancheng nodded. “Then she must be dead!”
The child’s words were firm and resolute, making Xu Song instinctively pause. Who taught him such words? Although it was true… Xu Song couldn’t help but feel that such words were too cruel for such a young child.
“How old are you both?”
“Six years old.”
“What’s your brother’s name?”
“Mo Tianyou.”
Mo Tiancheng, like a little adult, answered clearly and enunciated his words better than other children of the same age Xu Song had seen before. Perhaps this was an inevitable change after the mutation?
“So, this is… the research result?” The man looked at the contents of the report and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes as he looked at the man in the white lab coat across from him.
“Of course!” The tall and thin man in the white lab coat had an unhealthy, yellowish complexion. His eyes bulged slightly, and madness was evident when he looked directly at others.
“With this method, not only can we enhance the abilities of supernaturals themselves, but we can also give ordinary people abilities! With this method, we will be able to create more ‘gods’!”
The man massaged his temples. He had no doubt that Professor Lu could achieve such results. Compared to the person in charge of S City, only with his unconditional support could this madman truly unleash his potential. However…
“Creating ‘godlike’ powers comes at too high a cost, and the success rate of the experiments is too low. Only one or two people out of an average of twenty can activate their abilities, and the rest…”
“Bang! An explosion! Just like the miracle that happened before!” Professor Lu’s eyes lit up with fanaticism and he opened his arms wide. “The cost doesn’t matter. I have already found a method to create gods! The next step is to research and see if these energies can be extracted. If they can be extracted and refined, I will make even greater discoveries!”
“Professor Lu, I have to remind you that apart from this research, the current methods to control supernaturals are limited to methods like anesthesia and hypnosis. However, once supernaturals activate more powerful abilities, there is a possibility that another incident like last time could occur…”
“I know. I am currently experimenting with a new type of drug. Two of the samples we captured last time have already activated their abilities, but their initial abilities are too weak, so they are perfect for this experiment.”
Professor Lu waved his hand impatiently and then looked at the man with madness in his eyes. “I need more samples…”
“I know, but you also understand that although S City is now, like B City, starting to count and verify the existence of supernaturals and turning them into a combat force to protect the base, my actions cannot be too conspicuous. Otherwise, there will be inexplicable disappearances of supernaturals, which will be difficult to explain to the outside world.”
The man shrugged his shoulders and just as Professor Lu was about to say something, he added, “But don’t worry, the supply of test subjects won’t be lacking.”
“Good, I have to go back. The little cuties are still waiting for me…”
After the tall and thin figure left, the man’s face turned gloomy as he looked at the report in his hand. Activating and enhancing supernatural abilities were indeed attractive to him, but his top priority now was still finding a method to control supernaturals. B City’s approach was undoubtedly foolish, supporting those dangerous mutants who gained powerful abilities with the government’s assistance, allowing them to go out for exploration, hunting, and search, suppressing their violent tendencies?
These people should only be weapons in the hands of those in power! Not free, unpredictable beasts that could bite anytime!
“How is the research on that stone tablet going?” He picked up the phone and dialed a number from somewhere.
“… The text on it is too ancient… The researchers in our city are all in B City now… We are still searching for information, but… the city is currently…”
“I see, let them continue their research. I will find a way to get the information.” The man hung up the phone with some frustration. Information… city in turmoil… If his power wasn’t insufficient, preventing him from dealing with those higher-ups…
Even it’s chaotic there are still people who prioritise power over others.
It is the original sin of humans🤔
And now they have children(s)!
Congratulations lol