Yu Zhijing's decision to seek a master stemmed from a significant realization: his knowledge was entirely theoretical, confined to books. While he possessed perfect recall of what he read, he found himself at a loss when faced with situations not covered in texts. His lack of real-world experience had led to repeated setbacks, and he sought to rectify this weakness by finding a mentor with abundant experience. Such a person was readily available: the semi-immortal Dan Zhengming.
The elder, at eighty, had weathered countless storms, accumulating experience and knowledge far beyond what any young person could possess. Taking him as a master was a sound decision. Dan Zhengming readily agreed, seeing the prestige in becoming the mentor of a prodigy. He envisioned Yu Zhijing achieving widespread fame, thereby etching his own name into history.
Meanwhile, Shen Feng swiftly contacted Wang Aoye in Meizhou, enlisting his help to auction the ability-enhancing potions and transport grain. Wang Aoye agreed, but stipulated that Shen Feng compensate him for his efforts with evolution base.
Following this, Shen Feng visited the hospital. He aimed to glean information from Ke Yiming regarding the capital's lockdown measures for Yuzhou and its future plans for the city. Understanding the capital's stance was crucial.
Upon entering the ward, Shen Feng found both Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe lying in their beds. Their previously distended bellies had deflated, much of the ascites fluid had been drained, and the parasites within their bodies had been eradicated. Their recovery was now a matter of time.
However, Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe faced a new concern: the numerous wrinkles on their stomachs. These were a result of the bloating caused by the parasitic infection. As their abdominal skin deflated, it had shrunk and gathered in folds, giving the appearance of post-childbirth stretch marks.
"How are you two recovering?" Shen Feng greeted them as he entered the room.
Ke Yiming replied, "We'll be fully recovered in a few days. By the way, where is my wife?"
Shen Feng shrugged. "Gu Yanxiao has returned to Jinling. But rest assured, I've arranged for escorts, so her journey back will be safe. She just can't pass through the Three Gorges due to the blockade. She should arrive in a couple more days."
Upon hearing this, Ke Yiming became anxious. "How could you let her leave? I wanted to apologize to her."
In the preceding two days, Ke Yiming had learned the full truth. Qi Lingshan had presented him with all the information gathered from Yuzhou, revealing Gu Yanxiao to be a gentle and virtuous lady. His hurtful remark, "promiscuous," had driven her away, a fact he deeply regretted.
Shen Feng shrugged, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "It was just a misunderstanding. Once you're well, you can chase after her and explain. I came to visit to see if you encountered anything unusual on your way back."
Shen Feng avoided directly inquiring about the capital's movements, deeming it too obvious. To achieve his objective, he needed to conceal his intentions, feigning casual curiosity for a more effective outcome.
Upon hearing Shen Feng's question, Yun Laizhe's interest was immediately piqued, and he launched into an account of their journey home. Such stories never grew tiresome.
"Shen Feng, you have no idea how much we suffered compared to your smooth journey. You went to Australia, while we drifted to the Tuvalu Islands. Damn it, the islands had scarce resources, and some were uninhabited. Not a single zombie was in sight. Unlike you, who passed through Southeast Asia and had an abundance of fruit. We truly suffered," Yun Laizhe began his lament.
Shen Feng couldn't help but join in the "misery competition." "You complain? At least you were stranded on islands. Yue Hengyi and I were stranded on a large reef, surviving by burning scavenged debris for distilled water. If it weren't for Little Yue's luck in finding a surfboard, we would have died of thirst."
Seeing the conversation heating up, Ke Yiming chimed in, "Shen Feng, be grateful. It was only difficult at the beginning. You complain about that? We faced near-death situations. Can your 'misery' compare to ours?"
"Near-death? Did you encounter giant sea beasts at sea?" Shen Feng asked, surprised.
Ke Yiming leaned back on the bed and sneered, "Heh, sea beasts? Sea beasts are nothing. The places we went, even the sea beasts dared not venture!"
As Shen Feng pondered what they had encountered, Yun Laizhe began to explain. "Shen Feng, we all tried to find ways to return by boat. But while you could travel along the coast, we ventured into the deep oceans. We relied solely on a compass for direction and somehow ended up in the Marshall Islands!"
"The Marshall Islands? That sounds familiar," Shen Feng mused, recalling hearing the name somewhere before.
"It's where the North American bandits conducted nuclear tests. Ring a bell?" Ke Yiming prompted.
Shen Feng suddenly understood. So that was the place. It made perfect sense.
Yun Laizhe lowered his head, his voice heavy with sorrow. "One of the islands was an atoll where dozens of nuclear tests were conducted. Do you understand? Hiroshima was hit only once, but this island endured dozens of bombings. The entire island was saturated with nuclear radiation, and many radioactive elements entered the sea, spreading throughout the Pacific. We entered this island and were exposed to nuclear radiation."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng leaped from his chair. Nuclear radiation? Even ability users couldn't withstand that. Could these two be carrying radioactive elements?
In that instant, Shen Feng's speed surged. He sprinted to the doorway of the ward and asked, "Do either of you feel unwell? How long has this been going on?"
Shen Feng's sudden movement made him resemble a startled quail. His evident panic was hard to reconcile with the renowned "Wind God." A single piece of information had reduced him to such a state.
"We're fine now, it's all healed!" Ke Yiming replied irritably, seeing Shen Feng's extreme caution.
Relieved by the answer, Shen Feng finally relaxed and returned to his chair. "Your vitality is truly remarkable, to have survived nuclear radiation and returned alive."
"Remarkable my ass. We were both desperate. Do you know? Our skin was festering, we vomited constantly, our hair fell out in clumps, and our internal organs were failing. If it continued, it would have been a sure death!" Yun Laizhe recalled the past, still feeling the despair.
Hearing Yun Laizhe's description sent shivers down Shen Feng's spine. It was said that victims of nuclear radiation died agonizing deaths, losing their hair, their bodies ravaged by radioactive particles, their organs failing. Those fortunate enough died of cancer; the unlucky ones suffered from festering and swelling, dying in excruciating pain.
People often spoke of Godzilla appearing in irradiated zones, but in reality, such areas were death traps. Even Godzilla couldn't withstand the assault of radioactive particles and would perish miserably. Any surviving animals would have mutated organs, merely clinging to a miserable existence.
"Then what happened? How did you get cured?" Shen Feng couldn't help but press on.
Yun Laizhe replied, "We have you to thank for that. Remember when Xu Huwei overheard your conversation with Li Keyi? He heard that the red crystals from sea beasts might contain extraterrestrial elements. In our despair, we took a gamble. We found some overseas Chinese on an island who had been severely mistreated. After we avenged them, they followed us back with unwavering loyalty. We dissolved the red crystals into water and gave it to twenty people. They all became ability users, and one of them had the ability to stimulate cell division."
Ke Yiming added, "Afterward, we stayed on the island for two months, constantly having this ability user help our normal cells divide. We finally managed to eliminate all the mutated cells in our bodies and expel all the radioactive elements. Ha, we finally survived."
Hearing their bizarre experiences, Shen Feng couldn't help but commend them. "Incredible." He marveled that they had managed to emerge alive from such a death trap. It was fortunate they were ability users, their robust physiques supporting them through the treatment. It seemed that he should still avoid areas with nuclear radiation, lest he too perish.
In comparison, Shen Feng finally understood one thing: although he and Yue Hengyi had encountered an ambush on their way back, they hadn't suffered the worst fate. The most unfortunate were these two who had been exposed to nuclear radiation. Without the treatment from their fellow ability user, they would have certainly died.
However, as Shen Feng remembered Yue Hengyi, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. His good subordinate, having gone on a killing spree in the capital, was to be executed next month. A pity.
Shen Feng also recalled why the Marshall Islands sounded familiar. Hadn't a professor explained it before? If so, the North American scoundrels had been secretly dumping nuclear waste all along without reporting it. They were truly enemies of humanity. At this rate, the oceans would eventually become desolate.
Speaking of which, Shen Feng now understood the sea beasts' hatred for humans. Not only had humans hunted marine life for millions of years, but they had also dumped garbage, including nuclear waste, into the sea. Such deep-seated animosity was etched into their very being. Now that they had gained power, they naturally sought revenge.
At this moment, Shen Feng casually asked, "By the way, does the capital plan to hunt the sea beasts?"
"Hunt the sea beasts? What are you thinking? The headquarters is also short on food. They're waiting to harvest the autumn crops, secure oil, and stabilize the domestic situation. How could they possibly have time to deal with matters in the ocean?" Ke Yiming stated matter-of-factly.
Yun Laizhe, genuinely believing Shen Feng was concerned about the sea beasts, earnestly explained, "Hunting sea beasts isn't that easy. These sea beasts hide in the deep sea; who can kill them? Nuclear submarines? Even submarines aren't enough. Apart from us ability users killing sea beasts, who else in the world can?"
Shen Feng nodded, gleaning from Ke Yiming's answer that the headquarters was indeed lacking in food and oil. He wondered about the situation in Siberia. Speaking of which, his sister Shen Yu had mentioned that she would get married once Xiao Sheng returned.
"In that case, the headquarters won't be able to be harsh with me. I can confidently lead my people to hunt the mutated birds," Shen Feng thought to himself.
Afterward, perhaps due to boredom at sea, Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe transformed into chatterboxes, recounting their maritime experiences. They also spoke of their past exploits in Japan, specifically the burning of the Yasukuni Shrine.
"You have no idea how satisfying it was when Yiming set that shrine ablaze. That night, someone tried to sneak attack us, but we dealt with them. We then used the heads of these ability users to create ability-enhancing potions, recruiting over two hundred thousand civilians who opposed the Emperor. Tokyo didn't dare to make a fuss, claiming these people were killed by us. It's ridiculous; could we have killed two hundred thousand people?" Yun Laizhe chuckled.
Ke Yiming also couldn't help but laugh. "At the time, my thought was to march on Tokyo, seize the throne, and chop off the Emperor's head with one axe, making Ah Zhe the emperor. It was so satisfying."