Chapter 305: The Miracle of Building 18
Chapter 305: The Miracle of Building 18
They wanted to see if the missile Chen Xinian mentioned was real or not.
Based on Zhang Yi’s understanding of the West Hill Base, they currently didn’t have precise satellite positioning capabilities.
So, the so-called missile strike might not even be real.
Even if they had that kind of ability, it would be impossible to locate Zhang Yi in real time and know that they had escaped to Yuelu Residential Area.
Zhang Yi wasn’t worried about his safety.
But this feeling of being under an unknown threat was unsettling.
“The enmity between me and West Hill Base is irreconcilable,” Zhang Yi sighed.
“Unless I leave this place far behind, Chen Xinian will always find a way to kill me and take everything I have.”
He sighed deeply, “Fate’s out of my hands! I just wanted to live a peaceful life, never wanted to offend anyone. But why does trouble always find its way to me?”
Uncle You glanced at the frustrated Zhang Yi and smiled slightly.
“It’s because you have too many good things in your hands!” He spread his hands and said, “Look at me, I don’t have these troubles, but my quality of life is way worse than yours.”
“This is just how the world works. If you live well, people envy you; if you live poorly, they look down on you. Even if you do nothing, you can’t stop others from being jealous!”
Zhang Yi smiled wryly and leaned against the window.
“If only I had enough strength, I’d wipe out that damned West Hill Base!”
Both of them laughed, not taking the statement seriously.
After all, the base was a massive entity, with terrifying numbers of armed personnel and advanced weaponry.
Even though Zhang Yi was a Superhuman, charging in would be suicidal.
While they were chatting, the women in the house had already made the beds and set up the daily necessities.
At this moment, Uncle You casually mentioned something.
“Oh, by the way, some strange people have been spotted around here recently. Not sure if it’s useful information for you.”
Zhang Yi blinked, “Strange people? At this point, what kind of people aren’t strange?”
When even creatures could mutate, what else could be considered unusual?
But the people who have survived till now must have some skills.
“What kind of people are they?” he asked.
Uncle You replied, “A group of people, like ascetics. There were quite a few of them, at least a few hundred!”
Zhang Yi frowned, “That many?”
The larger the group, the bigger the potential threat.
Uncle You said, “Yeah, at first, I was worried they came to loot. But they didn’t seem malicious.”
“I interacted with them briefly. Turns out they’re followers of a religion called the Snow Worship Cult.”
Zhang Yi chuckled, “Snow Worship Cult? Sounds like something from ancient times, when people worshipped natural disasters, creating gods out of thunder, rain, water, plague. Now there’s even a Snow God!”
“It’s just psychological comfort, a reliance on some supernatural force. Not surprising, really. There will always be flocks of sheep gathering.”
Religions thrive in times of chaos because people need something to believe in to endure the suffering.
Uncle You’s tone grew more somber, “But, those people were indeed unusual. Their leader, called the Grand Decree, found me and immediately figured out that I was a Superhuman.”
Uncle You glanced at Zhang Yi, “And he said he could help me develop my abilities and make me stronger!”
Zhang Yi’s expression became serious.
In this era of mutations, no strange power could surprise him.
But the idea of enhancing Superhuman abilities was certainly tempting.
Still, he knew, nothing in this world came for free. No one would help without a reason.
“This guy’s probably a con artist. As for discovering you’re a Superhuman, that’s not surprising. Maybe he saw you use your powers somewhere.”
“Even if he’s telling the truth, why would he help you for no reason?”
Uncle You nodded.
“That’s what I thought too. After all, you’ve said it before—we can’t trust the kindness of strangers. So, I turned him down!”
Zhang Yi smiled, “That was the right move.”
“But, it seems he’s been going around the area looking for others. I don’t know what happened after that.”
The residential area was large, and that group had wandered deeper inside. Uncle You had no idea where they went or where they disappeared to.
Zhang Yi thought for a moment before saying, “Are you suggesting that those so-called Snow Worship Cult members went to look for Li Jian and his people?”
After all, only the residents of Building 18 and Uncle You’s family were alive in the area now.
“I think that’s likely!”
Zhang Yi looked out the window. Through the frost-covered glass, he could faintly see the dark, lifeless city with its towering, silent buildings.
After thinking for a long while, he said, “I’m going out for a bit.”
“Are you going to Building 18?”
Uncle You asked, “Want me to come with you?”
Zhang Yi smiled slightly, “No need. They’re just ordinary people, nothing to worry about.”
Despite his words, Zhang Yi naturally suited up in his combat gear and placed Hua Hua on his shoulder.
In close combat, Hua Hua was even more dangerous than Uncle You.
After all, the explosive power and speed of a feline far outmatched that of humans.
“Brother Zhang, where are you going?”
Seeing Zhang Yi all geared up, Yang Xinxin curiously asked.
“I’m just going to visit some old friends,” Zhang Yi replied nonchalantly.
Without further explanation, he pushed the door open and left.
Yang Xinxin and the others didn’t know Li Jian, so there wasn’t much to say.
Zhang Yi just wanted to check on how Li Jian and his group had survived this long.
As for the Snow Worship Cult, he wasn’t particularly interested, but gathering some intelligence wouldn’t hurt.
Leaving Building 25, Zhang Yi and Hua Hua walked toward Building 18.
The area was eerily silent, no signs of life.
But along the roadsides, Zhang Yi noticed something—mounds of snow shaped like graves.
It wasn’t clear whether they were used to bury trash or people.
Most likely the latter, because who would care enough in these times to bury trash?
The snow naturally covered everything humans left behind.
Zhang Yi arrived at Building 18, where the snow had reached the sixth floor. As usual, they had opened a window on the sixth floor as an exit route.
Zhang Yi pulled out his handgun, chambered a round, and fired two shots into the air.
“Bang!”
…
“Bang!”
The sound of the gunshots brought back memories of the fear Zhang Yi had once instilled in the residents of Building 18.
“It’s Zhang Yi, he’s back!”
Inside one of the rooms, Li Jian peered through the window and immediately recognized him!
Even though Zhang Yi was wearing a helmet and white combat gear, this way of announcing his arrival was unmistakable.
“This is bad!”
Li Jian’s heart sank. He felt like his life was over.
Beside him, Li Jian’s wife and son came over, “If it comes down to it, we’ll fight him! We finally saw a glimmer of hope to survive, why does he have to come back?”
“If he finds out about that, the entire building will be doomed!”
Faced with his panicked family, Li Jian sighed softly.
“I’ll go talk to him. Don’t act rashly. Even if everyone in the building attacked him together, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
They had watched Zhang Yi slaughter half the residential area by himself before.
The man had guns—what could they possibly fight him with?
Li Jian told his family, “If anything happens to me, don’t think about revenge. Stay here and protect our last hope.”
Tears welled up in their eyes, but even though they didn’t want Li Jian to walk to his death, they knew there was no other choice.
Li Jian pulled out his phone and left one last message for his neighbors before heading out the door.
It wasn’t long before Zhang Yi saw Li Jian climbing out of the sixth-floor window.
This time, however, Zhang Yi was shocked by Li Jian’s appearance.
He was so thin, almost just skin and bones.
If Zhang Yi hadn’t looked closely, he might have mistaken him for a corpse.
The only way he could recognize him was by the expensive Bolona glasses Li Jian wore, which cost at least five thousand.
“Li Jian, long time no see. I didn’t expect you to still be alive.”
Zhang Yi greeted him calmly.
Hua Hua sat cross-legged on Zhang Yi’s shoulder, her black gemstone-like eyes staring at Li Jian. She looked incredibly docile, but she could tear him apart in an instant.
“Zhang Yi, is that really you?” Li Jian asked.
Zhang Yi nodded, “Yeah, it’s me.”
He glanced up and saw shadows moving behind the windows. He couldn’t help but be surprised, “It’s been over a month, and there are still so many people alive in your building. I must say, that’s a miracle!”
“How did you manage it?”
Zhang Yi looked at Li Jian, waiting for his answer.
Li Jian swallowed hard and replied, “It was mainly thanks to the grain seeds you left behind.”
“What? You actually managed to grow the crops?” Zhang Yi was stunned.
“In this freezing weather, after just
a month, what kind of crop could be harvested and feed all of you?”
Suddenly, a bold idea flashed in Zhang Yi’s mind.
He gave Li Jian a deep look, “It seems there are mutants in your building as well, huh?”
Any inexplicable phenomenon could only have one explanation—mutants!
As Zhang Yi said this, he was already prepared to strike.
If he detected any movement, he would not hesitate to eliminate the person in front of him!
Author\'s Note