Shen Feng, upon hearing the explanations from Gong Changfa and He Qiuan, did not become overly excited. Instead, he calmly began to inquire, "You mentioned using mutated mushrooms to attack, but in my view, this plan has significant flaws. The first is how to get the mutated birds to eat the mutated mushrooms, and the second is how to gather the mutated birds. The most troublesome problem with mutated birds isn't killing them, but rather that these creatures flee when they sense danger; they simply don't engage in prolonged combat."
After years of combat, Shen Feng had accumulated invaluable experience, a hard-won wisdom forged through repeated trials. Mutated birds were not easily dealt with. These cunning creatures, upon sensing an unfavorable situation, would immediately spread their wings and fly away, never giving anyone an opportunity for complete annihilation.
Therefore, Shen Feng would not be swayed by a few casual words unless the other party could provide a reasonable combat strategy.
After a moment of silence, Gong Changfa offered his next response, "It's not about luring the mutated birds here to eat mushrooms, but rather about taking the initiative. We have a psychic here who can emit induction waves, capable of attracting the birds to attack. Meanwhile, we have collected a large quantity of mushrooms from the mushroom forest and ground them into powder."
"Since you've said all that, it's clear you've prepared thoroughly. Then why do you need me?" Shen Feng asked.
He Qiuan explained, "These mutated mushrooms have been ground into powder, and it's not a simple matter to get the mutated birds to consume them. We need someone who can control strong winds to whip up the powder when they least expect it. In this way, the mutated birds will inevitably inhale the powder, preventing them from escaping. And only you can accomplish this task."
Shen Feng hesitated. The suggestion put forth by the other party at this moment was indeed quite good, as it considered all aspects and was highly feasible. Luring a large number of mutated birds to gather and be eliminated meant not having to travel great distances to find them. However, the ultimate outcome remained uncertain.
Within the Flying Feather Army, two individuals served as Shen Feng's trusted lieutenants: Wei Xinglong and Li Shanyun. At this juncture, they also began to persuade Shen Feng, "City Lord, as the saying goes, 'A journey of a hundred miles is ninety miles at ninety.' We have been out here for five years. Now, people all over the world know that we are engaged in saving lives and serving the people. Wherever we go, we are welcomed. This is the merit we have accumulated over these years."
Shen Feng thought carefully. At this moment, his subordinates had not given up, and it would seem inappropriate for him to do so now.
Gong Changfa continued, "Shen Feng, I know you've become disheartened at this point, but you must persevere. Many people are counting on you to save the world. If you give up now, many will be left in despair!"
Shen Feng suddenly inquired, "What if we fail? How much more time will I waste? If we fail, I will have wasted a great deal of time on this meaningless endeavor. I would rather return home to rest earlier. After all, I have no obligation to save people. Humans are born between heaven and earth; birth, aging, sickness, and death, as well as fortune and misfortune, are all destined by heaven. Why force it? I overestimated my own abilities; I cannot save the rest of the people in this world. I only need to protect my family."
After Shen Feng spoke these words, everyone was unsure how to persuade him, as these were conclusions drawn by countless people. "All matters in the world are unresolved; it is perhaps best to leave them unresolved." In Buddhism, attachment is useless, and forcing things yields no good results; it is best to give up early.
"How can you think like that? Right now, you are the hope of everyone in the world. Your strength is evident to all; everyone knows you are powerful. If you admit defeat, what will become of us? We are not as strong as you!" Gong Changfa retorted.
Shen Feng remained silent for a moment and said, "Because I no longer wish to waste time. Tell me, how many mutated birds can you kill in this revenge mission? Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions? How many birds are there in the world? There must be billions. It's impossible to solve the problem with just one or two battles."
"We don't need to kill all the mutated birds in the world. We only need to go to Siberia and kill the birds in northern Siberia. This way, migratory birds won't be able to travel south on a large scale. China will not be threatened by mutated birds in the future," He Qiuan quickly explained.
"How long will it take to achieve this? Can you give me an accurate answer? I don't want to do meaningless things!" Shen Feng said earnestly.
He Qiuan and Gong Changfa exchanged glances, as if communicating something, and then replied, "Shen Feng, fight alongside us for three months. In just three months, we will show you that killing mutated birds is not a meaningless endeavor. Moreover, this operation will be announced to the world in your name, meaning all the credit will go to you. As long as this mission is completed, you will be the savior in everyone's eyes."
"If you give all the credit to me, then what are you doing this for?" Shen Feng found it hard not to be tempted by such enticing conditions, but he also had doubts: why would these two do this?
"We already told you our purpose earlier. Our purpose is simple: revenge!" Gong Changfa said seriously.
Li Shanyun also walked over and said to Shen Feng, "City Lord, everyone in the world now despises mutated birds. Who doesn't have a deep hatred for mutated birds? It's the same for these brothers who follow you. Many of them are not from Yuzhou. They made gliders themselves and followed you voluntarily for revenge. If you choose to give up now, the brothers' morale will be broken."
"Alright, since you've all said it to this extent, I'll persist for another three months. But we've agreed, if there's no progress after three months, I'm leaving!" Shen Feng was finally persuaded. He only wanted to persevere for another three months. If he found that killing mutated birds made no significant progress, he would still return to Yuzhou.
"By the way, you should have a radio here, right? Then please help me send a telegram to Yuzhou. I've been away for several months and haven't spoken to my family. I'll use your radio to send them a message," Shen Feng suddenly remembered something important: informing his family that he was safe.
When Shen Feng said this, He Qiuan knew his plan had succeeded. He quickly replied, "Of course, that's no problem. You can go directly to the communications room to send whatever content you wish. In a few months, Ice City will surely become famous throughout the world."
In the past five years, the Ice City side had been conserving its strength, never actively revealing itself. Therefore, many people didn't even know that Ice City had been rebuilt. But now, by following Shen Feng to attack mutated birds, Ice City would surely gain renown.
"Speaking of which, you mentioned that your great-grandfather left you a Nine-Character Mantra. What do these nine characters mean?" Shen Feng suddenly became curious.
Shen Feng was curious about this matter because his teacher had also left him a Nine-Character Mantra before his death, with the last three characters having the greatest impact on him. At that time, Professor Chu had asked Shen Feng to save the common people, and Shen Feng had complied. While others remained inactive and recuperated, he led thousands of people to fight outside, solely to inflict as much damage as possible on the mutated birds.
He Qiuan had no intention of hiding anything and replied, "These nine characters are nothing special; they are 'cultivate, farm, weave, build industry, return to Yanjing.' In essence, they are the same as the Nine-Character Mantra you received."
Shen Feng carefully pondered these nine characters and then said, "The first six characters are roughly the same in meaning, but the last three characters seem different."
The last three characters on Shen Feng's side were "save the common people," whereas for He Qiuan, the last three characters he received were "return to Yanjing," which clearly had different meanings.
He Qiuan replied, "They appear to have different meanings, but if you think about it carefully, you'll realize that these characters all convey the same meaning. Your teacher advised you to help the common people of the world, while my great-grandfather hoped I would lead people back to Yanjing. However, returning to Yanjing signifies that the situation will be stable, and it also means that Yanjing can be rebuilt at that time. With Yanjing rebuilt, the people on the North China Plain will be able to receive relief."
"It seems to be the case. Then follow your elder's wishes. Find us a place to rest. We've been on the road for a long time and haven't had a good rest," Shen Feng now understood He Qiuan's meaning and also wished to create a peaceful world.
Soon, someone led Shen Feng and his subordinates to rest. A large part of Ice City was underground. Such structures were perfect for defense and were incredibly strong. The underground space was also vast, and as long as there was an energy supply, the lights would not go out.
However, building a city underground also presented problems, such as poor ventilation. Even with numerous exhaust facilities, their efficiency was not very high, and the air in the underground space was turbid.
After Shen Feng sent the telegram back to Yuzhou from Ice City, Chang Jianyi and the others immediately received the news and began to discuss it. Although it appeared to be just a personal letter, there was much content within it that was worth interpreting.
"Shen Feng mentioned in it that he was going to Siberia with a group of people to kill mutated birds, and that he would return if they failed. I infer that Shen Feng no longer wishes to continue fighting outside, which is why he is now considering retreating," Chang Jianyi said to his family.
Chu Zhaoyan quickly nodded and said, "Based on my understanding of Shen Feng, that's definitely the case. He has finally come to his senses. Fighting outside is completely unnecessary; it's best to return to Yuzhou at this time."
"After fighting outside for so long, perhaps he has become disheartened," Li Keyi also chimed in at this moment.
The three discussed for a while in the room and confirmed Shen Feng's true intentions. At this moment, he most likely intended to give up.
Logically, Shen Feng was not one to give up halfway. However, the situation was so difficult, and after persevering for five years, the situation had not changed much. It was understandable that he might give up now.
Suddenly, Chang Jianyi remembered something very important and quickly said, "By the way, Shen Feng's sister, Shen Yu, is getting married soon. We should go and celebrate. Shen Feng cannot go, but we must send someone."
Chu Zhaoyan thought for a moment, looked at Li Keyi, and asked, "This is when you should step in. You haven't met Shen Feng's sister or parents, so you should attend your sister's wedding."
Li Keyi thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. She was considered married to Shen Feng. Although they hadn't held a wedding, she still needed to gain the acknowledgment of Shen Feng's family. She had previously heard Shen Feng introduce his parents and sister as a very kind family. Taking advantage of Shen Feng's sister's wedding to visit Yuzhou was a good opportunity.
Xiao Sheng and Shen Yu's wedding should have been planned long ago, but Sichuan Province had been unstable in recent years. First, mutated beasts invaded from the western snow mountains, then the monkeys from Mount Emei caused trouble everywhere, and later a plague broke out in Sichuan Province. In short, there had been no peaceful days. Only in the past few months had things stabilized, and Shen Yu finally had the opportunity to get married.
Li Keyi had been researching artificial evolution crystals for several years with little progress. Her research had reached a bottleneck, and she couldn't achieve a breakthrough in such a short time. Therefore, it was a good opportunity to go out and relax.
"Alright, then I'll go to attend Shen Yu's wedding. I'll be considered half of the family. What kind of gift should I bring?" Li Keyi began to inquire.