Upon hearing Qin Kewei's roar, Shen Feng finally understood that he had misunderstood. This was not a man and woman doing something illicit in a small grove, but rather Qin Kewei performing CPR on the critically injured Yue Hengyi, whom he had stumbled upon.
Shen Feng stepped forward to observe and found that Yue Hengyi's injuries were extremely severe, with extensive burns. Having flown from the battlefield to the forest, the distance covered was immense, suggesting a tremendous impact. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in this state, and his bones must have suffered multiple fractures.
Qin Kewei quickly said, "Quickly, find a way to save Xiao Yue. He's still young, only eighteen. He's always followed me and trusted me so much. If anything happens to him, I won't know how to face his family!"
Shen Feng nodded, thought carefully, took out his walkie-talkie, and began to contact the command center. "Inform Chang Haojie to come and rendezvous with us. We have an injured person here who needs to be evacuated immediately. Remember to bring the first-aid kit when you come!"
Afterward, Shen Feng, carrying Yue Hengyi on his back, quickly returned to the battlefield and stayed with the injured. By this time, everyone except Yue Hengyi had woken up. They were all injured to varying degrees, but at least they were alive and could speak.
Among them, Ke Yiming had lost his memory due to a severe head collision, forgetting even himself. It was unknown if he could still use his abilities.
Ten minutes later, Chang Haojie slowly flew over on his cloud. It wasn't that he didn't want to go faster or that he wanted to admire the scenery, but his speed was limited to this.
After hearing Shen Feng's instructions, Chang Haojie had indeed brought the first-aid kit. As soon as he landed, Shen Feng opened it, found the adrenaline, and gave Yue Hengyi an injection. He then found the safety pill from the hemostatic powder. This item contained toad venom, a potent poison, but a small dose could strengthen the heart. He managed to force-feed it to Yue Hengyi, and at last, Yue Hengyi's heartbeat resumed.
"Xiao Jie, take these two back to Yuzhou, directly to Yuzhou. If you're too slow, call for a helicopter when you get back to the barracks and send them to the hospital!" Shen Feng pointed at Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi. These two seemed to have a closer relationship, and Yue Hengyi's injuries were the most severe, so it was best to send them away first.
Chang Haojie asked curiously, "Brother-in-law, what about you?"
Shen Feng shrugged. "I'll wait until dawn. When dawn breaks, I'll call for a helicopter and return to the barracks. Everyone here has minor injuries; there's no life-threatening danger."
Chang Haojie nodded, took Yue Hengyi and Qin Kewei, and flew away from the battlefield on his cloud. Li Keyi, worried about the possibility of mutated beasts returning, used her abilities to make everyone invisible and hide, preparing to find a way to leave after dawn.
Shen Feng wasn't wrong. Although Fang Qinghao had more than ten broken bones, for a fifth-tier ability user, this was merely a minor injury. As for the critically ill Yue Hengyi, who had suffered a severe impact and had serious burns all over his body, he was the one who needed immediate treatment the most.
The battlefield situation was exceptionally tragic, with dead mutated beasts everywhere. Some mutated beasts died from explosions, while others were burned to death by flames. The battlefield now looked like hell on earth, and frightened mutated beasts would not dare to approach this place for a short period.
Seeing the rare opportunity, Li Keyi began to persuade Shen Feng to go out to sea. The reason was simple: obtaining the meteorite meant obtaining the power for future evolution, allowing them to cultivate more ability users and strengthen their own power.
"Shen Feng, do you believe it? In fact, ability users are no longer human. Many scientists have proposed this!" Li Keyi asked first.
Shen Feng found this question amusing and couldn't help but say, "How can ability users not be human? From a physical standpoint, ability users are just a bit more infused with extraterrestrial elements. From a psychological standpoint, ability users think like humans, and society doesn't reject ability users. How can you say ability users are not human?"
Li Keyi explained, "Because the genes of ability users have changed. According to scientific observation, the telomeres of ability users' chromosomes have lengthened. This indicates that ability users can live much longer, potentially 150, 200, or even 300 years."
The fundamental basis of human survival is cell division. Whether it's an old person or a child, cell division accompanies life. Human cell division has a limit, meaning human lifespan is finite. It's generally believed that humans can live up to 200 years in ideal conditions, but the body is constantly attacked by free radicals, and the environment also has a significant impact. Therefore, most people live around 100 years, and very few live to 120.
However, ability users are different. With their telomeres lengthened, it means their cells can divide more times, thus achieving a longer lifespan, easily surpassing the limits of ordinary people, with 200 or even 300 years being achievable!
Shen Feng was puzzled. Why would Li Keyi suddenly tell him this, and with four irrelevant people around? These four probably didn't understand, as they weren't in medicine. While they heard that ability users had extended lifespans, they understood nothing else.
Shen Feng asked, "What do you mean by all this? Isn't it just an extended lifespan? That doesn't mean they're no longer human, does it?"
Li Keyi continued, "The reason for saying ability users are not human is because they possess greater power. In the future, the number of ability users will inevitably increase, and society will have clear distinctions. More and more humans will begin to evolve. Some will have enhanced physical fitness, while others will have more agile minds. Ability users will also be caught up to by these people. If they cannot continue to evolve, ability users will eventually be surpassed."
Shen Feng was somewhat confused. Why would evolutionary humans surpass ability users? Wasn't the evolution speed of ability users always faster than ordinary people?
Seeing Shen Feng's confusion, Li Keyi continued, "Have you ever considered that since the meteorite fell into the sea, why did humans on land become ability users?"
Shen Feng didn't know and shook his head.
Li Keyi then explained in a low voice, "This is due to the carrier effect of the zombie virus. The zombie virus can carry extraterrestrial elements dissolved in seawater and then enter the human body through carriers like rainwater. In this regard, ability users, besides having good luck, are just like ordinary people. They just happened to have the virus carrying extraterrestrial elements enter their bodies, neither turning into zombies nor gaining abilities."
Shen Feng suddenly understood. In this way, it made sense for ordinary people to become ability users: by acquiring extraterrestrial elements. Previously, naturally awakened ability users were infected by the virus carrying extraterrestrial elements after being exposed to rain, thus possessing abilities. However, ordinary people could also become ability users by using ability potions.
Finally, Li Keyi revealed her true intentions and said to Shen Feng, "Therefore, in the future, there will be more and more ability users, and it's possible that new methods will be found for people to gain abilities. In this case, whoever controls the meteorite will control the most ability users. Those who obtain the meteorite will win everything and can dominate the world, while those who do not will be left far behind!"
Shen Feng now understood. Li Keyi was still trying to persuade him to go to sea. Honestly, he had already agreed, but now she was still subtly reminding him. She really cared about him!
At this moment, Ke Yiming also spoke. He said earnestly, "So, Shen Feng, we are doing this for your own good. Headquarters is willing to give you a fragment of the meteorite, which is equivalent to letting you develop your own power. This is something many people would search for with a lantern."
Upon hearing Ke Yiming's words, Shen Feng frowned and asked, "Didn't you lose your memory? Why are you persuading me now?"
Ke Yiming froze. He had indeed been foolish to say that, and his plan to feign amnesia was exposed.
Fang Qinghao, in pain, remembered how Ke Yiming had tricked him and struggled to shout, "Brothers, beat him up! This guy is not decent. He caused us so much misery and now wants to pretend to have amnesia to avoid retaliation!"
Hou Xiaohua and Jiang Kui were obedient and rushed to punch and kick Ke Yiming. If it weren't for the fire Ke Yiming had started, the five of them wouldn't have been dazed by the series of explosions and ended up waiting for rescue in such a sorry state.
Ke Yiming knew he was in the wrong, so he squatted down, covering his head, and pretended to be a mushroom, enduring the beating from Hou Xiaohua and Jiang Kui. After a few minutes, when they had vented their anger, Ke Yiming was forgiven. Fortunately, no one died, otherwise, Ke Yiming would have faced more than just a beating today.
Ke Yiming protected his head, believing that one's face was the most important thing. As long as his face wasn't hit, everything was negotiable. In the end, Ke Yiming was covered in bruises all over his body. By letting his teammates vent their anger, the matter was settled.
Shen Feng also understood Li Keyi's meaning. Although Li Keyi kept talking about the difference between ability users and humans and how humans would catch up to the evolution speed of ability users, she was subtly warning him that his current position was unstable. If others obtained the extraterrestrial meteorite, his own position would truly be precarious.
Once headquarters controlled the most ability users, Yuzhou's advantage would be completely lost. A dozen or so ability users were not many. Even if Shen Feng used all his ability potions, it would only be about thirty ability users. Facing hundreds or thousands of ability users from others, his advantage would be gone, and he wouldn't even be able to protect himself.
How could this situation be reversed? It was simple: go to sea to salvage the meteorite. As long as they could successfully salvage even a fragment, they could cultivate more ability users, enhance their self-protection capabilities, and possess greater strength. Moreover, by helping headquarters, headquarters wouldn't be hostile towards Yuzhou.
Shen Feng could only say helplessly, "Alright, alright. I've already said that as long as you help me win this war, I will go out to sea with you. Why are you still trying to persuade me?"
Li Keyi looked a little embarrassed and explained, "It's because your wife gave us a precious gift, so we unanimously agreed that this is the reward for your couple's assistance. As for whether we will still go to sea after the war is uncertain, so I analyzed the pros and cons for you, hoping you would make a decision."
Hearing this, Shen Feng suddenly understood and said, "So that's how it is. Senior sister, you are truly thoughtful!"
Shen Feng had previously told Chang Jianyi about going to sea, but he hadn't expected Chang Jianyi to play a trick by sending gifts and almost resolving the issue. However, upon careful consideration, going to sea was a necessary action. Otherwise, if they were truly surpassed by others, their own strength would easily be overthrown, and their future would be uncertain.
"Alright, alright. I promise you now. After the war ends, I will definitely set sail to salvage the meteorite. You can rest assured!" Shen Feng quickly said.
Hearing this, Li Keyi was relieved. As long as Shen Feng was willing to go to sea, it was enough.
In Yuzhou's hospital, Yue Hengyi was rushed to the emergency room for resuscitation, while Qin Kewei sat outside the ward helplessly waiting. She was worried that if she heard bad news, she would regret it for the rest of her life. This was a friend who had followed her for a long time, and it would be terrible if he died in an accident.
Smiling in the morning, parting in the evening.
In just a few hours, Yue Hengyi, who had been full of life during the day, was now lying in the ward, his life hanging in the balance. This was indeed the impermanence of life and death.
Finally, after the doctors' intensive rescue efforts, Yue Hengyi's life was saved. Fortunately, his internal organs were not damaged. His burns were severe, so subsequent treatment would focus on inflammation, especially preventing infection. Without the protection of skin, the human body is very vulnerable.
Qin Kewei sat on a chair outside the ward, blaming herself, unaware that dawn was breaking.
It was the doctor who reminded Qin Kewei, and only then did she go into the ward to wait. By dawn, Yue Hengyi slowly woke up. Upon seeing Qin Kewei, his first words were, "Sister Qin, I like you. Will you marry me?"