Before departing, Shen Feng needed to reward a batch of his subordinates, especially the soldiers who had fought bravely. For these soldiers, Shen Feng provided ample evolutionary base. The army already had fourth-tier evolvers, possessing formidable combat power. They could move with agility even in heavy armor, and with clasped hands, they could uproot large trees.
In addition, four individuals were recognized for their exceptional performance and would receive ability potions. The first was Li Xiang. Although he hadn't participated much in the later large-scale battles, he was one of Shen Feng's earliest followers. Those who had followed Shen Feng from the beginning had already risen to high positions. Yang Chang had even received an ability potion, making Li Xiang seem to have fallen behind.
Li Xiang was among the first to follow Shen Feng, fighting zombies with him in his knowledge armor. Now, however, he had become marginalized. Many people attributed this to Li Xiang's bad luck, but behind closed doors, they whispered that Shen Feng had forgotten his old comrades.
By rewarding Li Xiang, Shen Feng was also signaling to his subordinates that as long as they followed him faithfully, rewards would eventually come their way.
Besides Li Xiang, three others received ability potions: Lin Yue, Qi Lingshan, and Luo Qing.
Lin Yue and Qi Lingshan were from Yuzhou. Promoting these two served as role models to reassure the people of Yuzhou and prevent them from feeling that things were unfair. Luo Qing was promoted because she was a confidante of Chang Jianyi and handled most of the secretarial work, making her a suitable recipient of an ability potion.
Shen Feng had initially assumed that his senior sister would first reward Yin Li and Zhang Xiaoqiang, as they were her closest friends. However, Chang Jianyi ultimately recommended Luo Qing, stating that Luo Qing was the most honest and lacked any ulterior motives.
After the rewards were distributed, the soldiers became excited. They knew that by following the City Lord, they would become stronger and their lives would improve.
Subsequently, Shen Feng announced his intention to lead an expedition for disaster relief. The soldiers immediately agreed, especially after receiving their rewards.
In reality, Shen Feng could have persuaded these soldiers through his prestige alone. However, the soldiers might have harbored resentment. By distributing rewards first, the matter became a natural progression, and the soldiers would undoubtedly strive to perform well in hopes of further rewards.
Shen Feng proceeded to the laboratory. Under Professor Niu's guidance, he was led to a hidden location—a deep cave, heavily patrolled by soldiers. No one could approach the area without authorization.
Many people were seen entering and exiting the cave, transporting numerous zombie corpses. These individuals had all signed confidentiality agreements, forbidding them from disclosing anything they saw there. This place was, in essence, one of Yuzhou's most secretive locations.
As Shen Feng entered the cave, he saw countless small cages suspended from the ceiling, with pipes running above them. For a moment, Shen Feng felt as if he had returned to Fish Town, where the situation underground had been similar.
Within the semi-transparent cages, zombie corpses were immersed in digestive fluid, their bodies continuously dissolving. Pipes connected to the top of the cages were constantly supplying nutrient fluid deeper into the cave.
The task of replacing zombie corpses had initially been performed by the Treants. However, it was now handled by specialized personnel. Ultimately, this was because Shen Feng did not permit any superfluous forces to exist in Yuzhou. Especially the Treants, which ordinary ability users could not defeat. While fire-element ability users like Xiao Sheng might have an advantage, other ability users would likely be powerless against them.
As Shen Feng walked, he said to Professor Niu, "Professor, Yuzhou's ability to smoothly produce evolutionary base is all thanks to you. Now, not only can we supply our own evolvers and ability users, but we can also exchange evolutionary base for resources. I never expected mutated plants to be so obedient, willingly producing evolutionary base for us."
Shen Feng had previously believed that his laboratory would not achieve significant results in a short period. However, Professor Niu had surprised him. The mutated plants were arranged underground to specifically produce evolutionary base. The evolutionary base was processed into a jelly-like substance, with each jelly capable of creating at least a second-tier evolver, its effect being more than ten times that of an evolutionary potion.
As Professor Niu walked, he said to Shen Feng, "Actually, I don't think the mutation of plants and animals is necessarily a bad thing. For example, the apple tree you brought back can produce several tons of apples daily. As long as it's supplied with enough fertilizer, it will continue to bear fruit. And this plant heart can continuously produce evolutionary base, ensuring that Yuzhou will not lack evolutionary base in the future."
Shen Feng quickly replied, "Professor, I need to take a lot of evolutionary base with me this time. If we encounter danger, I can only evolve again. While I'm away from Yuzhou, you must pay close attention to the mutated plants kept here."
Shen Feng was concerned that if he left, the mutated plants might start producing mist and Treants, and Yuzhou would not have enough power to resist.
Professor Niu led Shen Feng to the depths of the cave. He produced his ID card and opened a large iron gate. Inside the gate was a brightly lit laboratory. In the center of the laboratory was a massive glass container, surrounded by numerous firearms aimed at it. Within the glass container, the plant heart hung from a vine. It had opened its eyes and was peering around.
Professor Niu smiled and said, "Shen Feng, you can rest assured. The weapons in this laboratory are all remotely controlled. If this thing shows any unusual activity, the surrounding ultraviolet lamps will instantly activate, directly exposing it to death. It is monitored twenty-four hours a day, so you can relax."
Furthermore, there were many large fans in the room. If any white mist appeared, the fans would blow it all away, ensuring that the plant heart remained visible for monitoring at all times.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that the plant heart was under strict surveillance and could not cause harm. Moreover, with hundreds of soldiers patrolling the area daily, it was unlikely for anyone to approach the cave.
Inside the cave, there was a separate room dedicated to producing evolutionary base jelly. The essence of evolutionary base was a protein colloid, which was easily contaminated. Therefore, it needed to be heated and then rapidly sealed. It could be preserved for one to two years, and producing it as jelly also facilitated transportation.
Shen Feng wandered around the factory for a while, watching the evolutionary base jelly being produced on the assembly line, a smile appearing on his face. With evolutionary base, they could trade with other regions, exchanging it for grain or medicine. Others would be unable to refuse.
Just then, Professor Niu said, "When you go out this time, take Lu Kaiwen with you. He is my good student and is knowledgeable about many plants and animals, which could be helpful. He can even assist in finding wild vegetables."
Shen Feng nodded and suddenly asked, "By the way, Professor Niu, where are your family members? Do you need me to help you find them? Although it's the apocalypse, perhaps they are still alive?"
Professor Niu gently shook his head and replied, "No need. I don't have much family. My ex-wife disliked my lack of ability and took our child abroad. I've also lost contact with all my other relatives and friends, and I assume they are lost."
It turned out that Professor Niu was a solitary individual, with no one else. No wonder he had never mentioned going home in nearly a year. If one is alone, home is anywhere, or perhaps, home cannot be found anywhere.
"I'm sorry, I've touched upon your painful memories. Professor, you are still young, in your forties. Why don't you find a woman to marry and have children?" Shen Feng quickly apologized, not expecting to uncover the sad reason for Professor Niu's solitary life.
Professor Niu gently shook his head and said, "No need. Anyway, this world is so dangerous now. Having children would only subject them to more suffering. It's better to be alone. When I die, I'll be buried on a mountain, and everything will be resolved!"
Shen Feng disagreed with this sentiment, as he was about to become a father and was overjoyed at the prospect of his child's birth. As for whether the child would suffer in the future, that was something he would need to consider. He realized that Professor Niu's thinking was somewhat extreme and perhaps too bleak.
"The apocalypse will end, Professor. Don't think too much," Shen Feng couldn't help but advise.
Professor Niu smiled and did not reply, but there was a clear hint of sarcasm in his smile. Could the apocalypse truly end?
Yuzhou had also received some news from Yanjing. Although the information was brief, it was shocking. The impact site of the meteorite had an electromagnetic field with a radius of tens of kilometers, making it impossible for humans to enter. The salvage operation had therefore failed.
More and more people were realizing that the culprit behind the apocalypse was a meteorite. Whether it was animal mutations or zombie outbreaks, they were all caused by the zombie virus originating from the meteorite. Even the source of ability users' powers came from extraterrestrial elements on the meteorite. Yet, such a meteorite was impossible to even approach!
If the meteorite could not be salvaged, how could the apocalypse end?
Especially now, in addition to zombies and mutated beasts, extreme weather conditions were also occurring. This year's floods were particularly strange. Such a violent typhoon had penetrated deep into the hinterland of Jingxiang, which was unimaginable in the past. Many people speculated that this year's typhoon was also caused by the meteorite, although it could not be proven.
After preparing the necessary arrangements, Shen Feng boarded a ship with his men and headed straight for the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Fortunately, Yuzhou had enough ships to transport six thousand people. As they sailed downstream, headquarters also sent the first batch of refugees. The refugees crossed the Three Gorges by boat, sailed upstream to various parts of Yuzhou, and were then arranged for farming.
The refugees were immediately filled with gratitude. When the floods came, they had lost everything, and even surviving had become difficult. A slight misstep could lead to them being swept away by the floodwaters. Now, having a place to stay was like being reborn.
Thus, as Shen Feng sailed south, he saw many people on the boats waving and cheering.
"Lord Fengshen, thank you for saving our lives."
"Lord Fengshen, have a safe journey. Many people are still in the floodwaters."
"Please take care of yourself, Lord Fengshen!"
...From the boats sailing upstream, countless people were waving. Many of them had worried expressions, but upon seeing Shen Feng's group heading downstream, they forced smiles onto their faces.
Shen Feng looked at the expressions on their faces and waved back, responding to their enthusiasm.
Yang Chang walked over to Shen Feng and smiled, saying, "City Lord, they respect you very much. It seems your prestige has spread."
Shen Feng gently shook his head and slowly said, "Prestige is actually very ephemeral. When I can help others, my prestige reaches its peak. But if I stand by and do nothing, my prestige will instantly plummet!"
At this moment, the Yangtze River flowed powerfully downstream, and it was raining incessantly from the sky. It had been raining in Jingxiang for a month, and the downpour was far beyond what was considered heavy. Describing it as a once-in-a-century rainfall would not be an exaggeration. The typhoon had lingered over Jingxiang, bringing a continuous supply of abundant rainfall. The entire middle reaches of the Yangtze River were affected by floods. Although the Yangtze River had not breached its banks, the numerous bends and turns prevented the rainwater from draining, resulting in a catastrophic flood situation.
Yang Chang looked at the large fish in the river and felt a craving. He used his ability to transform the silver jewelry on his arm into a long chain, which shot directly into the water, piercing a grass carp. With a strong pull, he immediately hauled it onto the boat.
This scene was witnessed by the surrounding soldiers, who cheered loudly, "Good!"
Yang Chang looked at the plump fish in the water and smiled, "We can have an extra dish for dinner tonight!"
"These fish might have grown so large by eating zombies. Doesn't that bother you?" Shen Feng asked, frowning.
Yang Chang was unconcerned and said directly, "If that bothers you, then you shouldn't eat anything. Vegetables are fertilized with manure, crops are sprinkled with urea, and even apples are sprayed with pesticides. If you're truly picky, there's no clean food in this world."
"That's true," Shen Feng nodded.