Shen Feng continued driving north. He hadn't forgotten Zhang Xixi's request to deliver a letter to Zhang Jue. Zhang Xixi and her brother had been separated for almost two years. They used to talk on the phone, but recently, there had been no opportunity, so Zhang Xixi missed her brother dearly and wanted to send him a letter.
Shen Feng knew where Zhang Jue was. He was responsible for guarding the mine on the grassland, and his wife also lived there.
Along the way, Lu Xian continuously used his abilities to scout the surroundings, ensuring they avoided sudden attacks from mutated beasts. Although the grassland offered a clear view of everything, caution was paramount. Lu Xian preferred to expend his energy using his abilities rather than risk a surprise attack. While he was an ability user, his combat power wasn't particularly strong, especially when facing a horde of mutated beasts.
Soon, Shen Feng saw the mine. Although it was called a mountain, it had been hollowed out. The mine was a sunken pit with many mine shafts. Coal carts were used to transport coal out of the shafts.
However, as Shen Feng stood on the valley rim and looked down at the mine, he immediately fell silent. The mine was deserted. Hundreds of soldiers had been guarding the mine, but now they had all vanished. Not a single person was in the mining area. Seeing this, Shen Feng immediately guessed that Zhang Jue's location had also met with disaster.
"Alas, we're a step too late. This place has also been attacked," Lu Xian sighed. He wondered how the comrades who fought alongside him in Yanjing were doing now.
Shen Feng could only shake his head helplessly and said, "Let's go down and take a look. This was a place protected by regular soldiers. Even if it was attacked, they wouldn't have been completely defenseless. Perhaps everyone is hiding in the mine shafts. Don't worry too much."
The group then descended. Xu Xing no longer bothered watching the car; the surroundings were clear, and the car would be safe left outside.
Once inside the mine, Shen Feng quickly discovered shell casings on the ground, indicating that there had been resistance during the attack. There were many houses in the mine, built in the center of the valley where people lived. Although it was a bit noisy, it offered protection.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?" Shen Feng shouted loudly. His voice echoed through the valley. If anyone had heard him, they would have answered.
However, after waiting for a long time, Shen Feng received no response. He had no choice but to go to the residential area himself. The houses here were damaged. Some doors were broken, some windows were shattered. In many places, bloodstains could be seen, and human bones were scattered on the ground, with occasional skulls.
Xu Xing was disgusted by the scene. She wasn't unfamiliar with death, but seeing gnawed human bones made her physically uncomfortable.
There were also many piles of coal on the mine site, unprocessed and unsulfurized, freshly mined. The warehouse door had been opened, and all the food was gone, leaving only many torn flour bags.
Qi Lingshan shook her head and said, "Let's leave quickly. Even places guarded by soldiers have become like this. It shows that the wolf pack's combat power is indeed formidable. If we stay here, we might also be attacked."
Qi Lingshan's words were immediately echoed by Lu Xian. He agreed that if it were just a small town that was breached, it would be understandable, as it was civilians protecting themselves without regular military support, and it was natural for them to be unable to fight the wolf pack. However, the mine was protected by hundreds of soldiers, which was a considerable fighting force. Yet, even they couldn't hold the mine, which showed how strong the wolf pack's combat power was.
This time, Shen Feng didn't insist. The danger was evident. If he still didn't listen to advice, he would surely suffer. However, Shen Feng remained optimistic. "Even if the mine is in trouble, we don't need to worry about Zhang Jue. Zhang Jue is an ability user; he can fly. At this moment, Zhang Jue has probably already fled to a safe place to hide."
"Right, right, we don't need to worry about Zhang Jue's safety. That guy is the most afraid of death. Back then, when you, City Lord, asked him for a ride, he was hesitant and only agreed after being provoked. Such a person would definitely survive in chaos. The wolf pack can't fly," Lu Xian chimed in.
Lu Xian had participated in the assassination of the Corpse King. Zhang Jue's performance at that time had earned him contempt from many, and Lu Xian was one of them. Such a cowardly fellow would surely spread his wings and flee when encountering danger, or even take his wife with him.
Just then, Lu Xian sensed a new development and immediately called out towards a distant mine shaft, "Who's there? Be sneaky, come out!" Lu Xian, after using his abilities, suddenly detected a heat signature in a distant mine shaft, shaped like a person. It was clear that someone was hiding in the mine. Lu Xian worried that the person hiding in the mine shaft might be a villain and immediately shouted.
Xu Xing and Qi Lingshan also became alert and looked towards the mine shaft. A weak voice came from the mine shaft, "We are our own people, don't attack!"
After speaking, five soldiers emerged from the mine shaft. Their clothes were tattered, and many parts were wrapped with bandages, with blood seeping from underneath. Seeing the soldiers appear, Shen Feng hurried over and asked, "Are you the soldiers guarding this place? How are you doing now?"
Upon seeing Shen Feng, the five soldiers' eyes welled up with tears. They then said with great sadness, "Lord Fengshen, out of over three hundred soldiers, only five of us are left alive!"
As he spoke, one soldier weakly collapsed to the ground, his eyes glazed over. He looked at Shen Feng and said, "Water, food, I'm so thirsty."
Shen Feng quickly said to Xu Xing, "Go to the car and get some water and food." Xu Xing immediately complied, bringing food and water from the car. Over three hundred soldiers, and only five survivors. Such casualties were truly terrifying. Whether their survival was luck or misfortune was unknown.
After Shen Feng distributed the water and food to them, he began to inquire, "When were you attacked? What was the number of the wolf pack?"
The soldiers were wolfing down the food, almost choking. While eating, they mumbled, "We were attacked a week ago. The wolf pack was too numerous; we couldn't count them, but Lord Zhang Jue said there were about twenty to thirty thousand."
Hearing them mention Zhang Jue, Lu Xian couldn't help but smile and ask, "By the way, where is that guy Zhang Jue? Where is he now?"
A soldier took out a cloth bundle from his embrace and said, "Lord Zhang Jue is here!" Lu Xian's expression immediately vanished. He had thought Zhang Jue was still alive and well, but now, the man handed him a cloth bundle. What did this mean?
Lu Xian opened the cloth bundle and saw only some碎骨 (broken bones). He couldn't see anything else.
"Don't joke with me! I know Zhang Jue well. He's a coward and timid. How could he be dead?" Lu Xian's face turned grim, and he questioned them.
Hearing Lu Xian's question, the soldiers could only explain with sadness, "Lord Zhang Jue is indeed dead. We saw it with our own eyes. At that time, Lord Zhang Jue chose to hold off the Wolf King to cover the escape of the miners' families. Under the siege of hundreds of wolves, he was outnumbered. In the end, he detonated explosives, heavily wounding the Wolf King, and then died. These are just the remaining bones, which we painstakingly retrieved."
Shen Feng and Lu Xian exchanged glances, their eyes filled with sorrow. Zhang Jue was clearly a complete coward, yet in the end, he did something so remarkable before his death. It seemed people could change.
After the five soldiers had eaten their fill, they recounted the events. It turned out that winter arrived very early in the north, so a heavy snowfall covered the grassland. Coupled with the arrival of a mini ice age and even lower temperatures, everyone stayed indoors to rest. As a result, the wolves on the grassland lost their food sources. Even to eat wild fruits, they had to dig through the snow. Starving, the wolf pack began to attack humans, and the mine also suffered an attack from the wolf pack.
The number of soldiers was too small, and their ammunition was insufficient, making it impossible to resist the wolf pack's attack. Speaking of the matter, one soldier said indignantly, "If the supply convoy hadn't been delayed, we three hundred men could have defended the mine. But Yanjing was attacked by mutated birds, disrupting supply allocations. We ran out of bullets and shells and had to fight the wolves with bayonets. Our comrades all fell, and we hid in the mine shafts to barely survive."
It was clear that this soldier held a deep grievance about the slow delivery of supplies. If the supply allocation hadn't been a problem, they would have been able to defend the mine.
Shen Feng looked at the cloth bundle in Lu Xian's hand and said slowly, "I was supposed to deliver a letter to Zhang Jue. His sister, Zhang Xixi, entrusted me with this task. Now, I can only find these broken bones. I have an immodest request: I want to take these remains back to give to Zhang Jue's sister."
The five soldiers hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. However, one soldier then reminded Shen Feng, "Lord Zhang Jue's wife was also pregnant. She fled with the families and escaped. We don't know if she successfully escaped the wolf pack's clutches. I think, Lord Fengshen, you could try to find her."
This reminder surprised Shen Feng. "You mean, Zhang Jue might have a child who is still alive? Then I will definitely look for her."
It turned out that the mine area was vast. Some mine shafts were connected to the old mining area's shafts, several kilometers away. Only the old miners knew this. In times of crisis, the miners joined the battle with weapons, while their families took the opportunity to escape through the old mining area's shafts. They left in a hurry and didn't bring any food. It was unknown how they were doing now, or if they had successfully escaped.
After understanding what had happened at the mine, Shen Feng took out Zhang Xixi's letter and placed it in the cloth bundle with the bones. It seemed Zhang Xixi's letter would never be delivered.
Next, Shen Feng said to the five soldiers, "We are going further north. You... stay here. If I pass by here on my way back, I will take you with me."
The soldiers were unwilling to stay. With only five of them left at the mine, and no food or weapons, how could they survive?
"Lord Fengshen, we want to go with you," someone voiced their desire to leave with Shen Feng.
Shen Feng quickly shook his head. "No, I'm going to Siberia, which is even more dangerous. It would be very dangerous for you to follow me. I will leave you some food. For now, you should try your best to survive."
The soldiers could only reluctantly agree after Shen Feng's explanation. After all, they were just ordinary people. Although they knew how to shoot, they couldn't help ability users. Now, they had no bullets, and their guns were just fire starters.
Fortunately, Shen Feng had received food from many villagers who voluntarily gave it to him in the Loess Plateau. Otherwise, Shen Feng wouldn't have had any extra rations to give to others. Shen Feng left two hundred jin of white flour. As long as these few people ate sparingly, they could last for some time.