Shen Feng's sole focus was finding the meteorite. Once he secured it, his plan would be complete. By launching it into space, his name would be etched in history forever.
However, the three-person team Shen Feng had dispatched had drifted at sea for a considerable time without finding any trace of the meteorite.
Under these circumstances, Shen Feng had no choice but to urge the three to continue their efforts, promising them significant merit upon the successful completion of their mission.
At this juncture, Shen Feng also received some good news: a massive wind power plant, constructed nearby, had been successfully completed and was ready for operation.
For a long time, the energy system in Yuzhou had relied on hydropower, supplemented by a small amount of thermal power. However, with the onset of the ice age, the Yangtze River was nearly depleted. Consequently, hydropower generation was severely limited, falling far short of meeting the daily needs of the populace. Many factories were particularly heavy consumers of electricity, exacerbating the situation. To make matters worse, thermal power plants required sufficient coal, oil, and other resources, which were scarce.
Thus, whenever the land was frozen, many factories were forced to suspend operations. If they continued to run, they would consume electricity that rightfully belonged to the people, leaving countless individuals unable to afford heating and succumbing to the cold.
In the current great ice age, countless lives were lost. The most common causes of death were starvation and freezing. The magnitude-eight volcanic eruption had irrevocably altered the global environment.
The arable land available for agriculture had become extremely limited. To survive, people had to resort to抢夺 (qiǎngduó - snatching/seizing) resources from others. If efforts to stay warm were insufficient, it was predictable that even more people would freeze to death.
Now that the wind power plant was operational, it was undoubtedly good news for Shen Feng. As the God of Wind, he was confident that the wind power plant could thrive, provided they were cautious of potential cold snaps in winter. If a cold snap occurred, the giant blades could be frozen by the gale.
Shen Feng had actually intended to develop nuclear power. After all, traditional energy sources were facing challenges, and hydropower and solar power generation were also being tested. If this trend continued, the problem of energy scarcity would only worsen.
However, developing nuclear power was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Firstly, there was the issue of raw materials, followed by site selection. Moreover, if nuclear power was not managed properly, it could contaminate vast tracts of land, as evidenced by Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Therefore, Shen Feng had to settle for developing clean energy, namely wind power. Regardless of anything else, this energy source could be used indefinitely.
Upon receiving this news, Shen Feng immediately decided to visit the wind power plant to see it for himself, curious about its appearance and whether it could operate normally.
Subsequently, Shen Feng set off. Upon arriving at the wind power plant, he observed that the wind turbines were situated on a mountain. As far as the eye could see, countless colossal pillars stood tall on the mountainside, visible even from a great distance.
Atop these pillars were numerous blades; each pillar had three blades. From afar, these blades appeared to be rotating slowly.
While the fans seemed to be turning very slowly from a distance, a closer inspection revealed that their blades were rotating at a considerable speed, emitting a "whooshing" sound.
If someone like Don Quixote were to accidentally collide with one, the outcome would not be mere injury but utter annihilation.
In novels, windmills were used to turn millstones, but in power plants, they were used for electricity generation. Thus, these two types of windmills were incomparable.
Shen Feng nodded in satisfaction upon seeing the numerous giant windmills and declared, "You have done an excellent job. We must ensure that our energy supply does not run dry, otherwise, people will freeze to death in winter!"
Everyone present nodded in agreement, responding, "No problem, we will ensure the normal operation of this power facility!"
However, at that very moment, Shen Feng heard news from the city: Guo Pinming's daughter had gone missing.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng became enraged, exclaiming, "Who dares to abduct someone under my nose? They must have a death wish!"
The moment Shen Feng received the news, he assumed the child had been kidnapped, as a person doesn't simply disappear without cause. However, those around him quickly clarified the situation.
"City Lord, she was not abducted. She ran away from home. Before she left, she left a letter stating that it needed to be given to you, City Lord, for you to pass on to her father!" Those present quickly explained the matter to prevent the City Lord from misunderstanding.
Shen Feng frowned upon hearing this response, thinking, "Why would this child run away from home without any reason?"
It was normal for young children to run away from home out of anger or frustration, as every child had their temper and would throw tantrums. Shen Feng recalled Guo Lili's age; she was now eighteen or nineteen. At her age, she shouldn't be running away from home casually. Moreover, her father was in Rongcheng, and with the child alone at home, who would dare mistreat her?
"Where is her letter? Hurry and find it for me to see. How thoughtless, to learn to run away from home at such a young age!" Shen Feng muttered, then inquired about the letter's whereabouts.
The messenger had already prepared the letter and handed it to Shen Feng. There were two letters: one addressed to Shen Feng and the other to her adoptive father, Guo Pinming.
As soon as he opened the letter, Shen Feng began to read it carefully, wanting to understand why she had run away. Had she been wronged in Yuzhou and now wished to see the world?
"City Lord, I know that my running away from home this time will cause you a lot of trouble, but I must pursue my love. My love is not here; this place cannot provide the atmosphere I desire. I wish to go to a place filled with adventure and excitement to wander the world with the person I love! Therefore, I will leave this time. However, you need not worry; I am an evolved being now, and I can protect myself. I have also learned much about combat!" The letter began with these words.
Upon reading this passage, Shen Feng had a bad premonition. He had initially thought the girl had suffered some grievance and wanted to get away for a while, intending to return once she had calmed down. In that case, he wouldn't need to send anyone to look for her. But now, it seemed the girl had been misled by someone else, leading her to voluntarily leave home to pursue so-called love.
"I really don't understand what these girls are thinking nowadays. They could live a stable life, but they insist on seeking adventure outside. They're just asking for trouble!" Shen Feng couldn't help but shake his head after reading the letter.
It turned out that the letter conveyed her longing for the outside world. According to her, she had recently met a young man who described a bizarre and colorful world outside, a world filled with thrilling adventures. No matter where they went, they could see the local scenery, experience the culture, and gain insights. Such a wonderful world was kept at bay, and she could not see it. Thus, she finally decided to run away from home to explore it carefully.
"City Lord, we all believe Miss Guo has been deceived by someone, which is why she has these thoughts. What should we do next?" The intelligence personnel nearby began to inquire.
"She's already been deceived, and you're still asking me? Hurry and send people to find her! This is no longer a case of running away from home; this is outright deception. Where in this world are there any beautiful places? They are all fabricated to trick people!" Shen Feng said impatiently.
After reading the letter left behind, Shen Feng knew that Guo Lili had definitely been deceived. She had been tricked into a bandit's den since childhood. If her father hadn't rescued her, she would have become a habitual criminal by now. Yet, she still hadn't learned her lesson and had been deceived again.
If it were a time of peace, wanting to go out and see the world would be understandable. But this was a dangerous apocalypse, with resources scarce everywhere. Outside, one could freeze or starve to death. To think of venturing out in such a world was simply courting disaster.
After Shen Feng issued the order to search, his subordinates immediately sprang into action.
All major thoroughfares were being monitored, and anyone with suspicious behavior was to be apprehended and interrogated. Now was the perfect opportunity to search for the missing girl.
However, after five or six days, his subordinates had found no trace of Guo Lili. She seemed to have vanished.
Meanwhile, Guo Lili was walking through the mountains with a sunny and handsome young man. They knew that taking the main roads would lead to their discovery, so they chose to travel via smaller paths, constantly searching within the mountains. Few people lived in the mountains, as it was impossible to obtain food there.
Even in many villages and towns, people were barely surviving. If they couldn't bear it any longer, they had no choice but to leave. Nowadays, those who wished to survive in the mountains had to quickly plant beans during the summer, as beans had a short growth cycle and could be harvested within one or two months.
Guo Lili looked at the sunny and cheerful young man beside her and asked, "Didn't you say there would be many adventures outside? But we've been traveling for so long, why haven't we seen anything new? We've just been climbing mountains and rushing on our way?"
By now, Guo Lili had begun to sense that something was amiss. The young man had told her there were many novelties outside and wanted to take her on an adventure. If possible, he would also introduce her to his parents.
This sunny and cheerful young man told many strange stories every day, stories Guo Lili had never heard before, and she yearned for the world he described.
However, after traveling for such a long time, Guo Lili realized they were constantly on the move, especially taking the small paths through steep mountains. These places were generally avoided by people, and there were many fierce beasts in the mountains. These beasts, in an environment lacking food, could survive, which indicated their extreme ferocity. The moment they spotted food, they would pounce and tear at it.
Thus, Guo Lili felt a bad premonition, "Is he lying to me?"