Shen Feng saw that Chu Zhaoyan did not answer, and continued to ask, "I hope you will tell me honestly, what do people who become powerful, whether they are Evolvers or espers, think?"
Chu Zhaoyan originally wanted to say she didn't know, but saying she didn't know at this moment was clearly perfunctory. So, after thinking about it, she could only say this: "Evolvers and espers are all people from the City Lord's Mansion, and these people act under your leadership, City Lord. So, as long as you lead them, they are willing to save people and help others in need, that's it!"
Chu Zhaoyan naturally could not directly answer Shen Feng's question, so she chose to beat around the bush. If she said directly that people who gained power were unwilling to save others and only thought about becoming stronger themselves, it might dampen Shen Feng's enthusiasm. If Shen Feng was also unwilling to save people, wouldn't that mean many people waiting for rescue would not be rescued?
However, Shen Feng was no longer the impulsive youth he was two months ago. He understood what Chu Zhaoyan said and asked, "So, many people are unwilling to save people, right? Why go to other places to fight when they can stay in Luzhou and live well? Why risk their lives for others?"
Chu Zhaoyan did not answer, but silently stood by his side.
Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and said, "I have seen too many tragedies. All because of the collapse of order, people with power bully the weak at will. Hou Wenxi was like this, the repair shop back then was like this, and the food processing plant I went to today was also like this. It seems that weakness is the greatest sin, but I don't understand. Isn't human society very inclusive? Why has it become like this? In unseen places, it's all about the survival of the fittest!"
Chu Zhaoyan quickly said, "Don't be discouraged. As long as we work together, once all the zombies are killed, human order can be restored, and the matter of the strong bullying the weak will surely decrease."
Shen Feng just shook his head and smiled upon hearing this, explaining, "Don't worry, I won't give up halfway. I just feel that time waits for no one. It might take many days to retake Liancheng. As for other counties, hmm? It seems there are still five or six counties waiting for me to retake. Can so many people really wait for my rescue? What about beyond the scope of Luzhou? Are there still local tyrants in more distant places, oppressing more people?"
"Then let's act as soon as possible," Chu Zhaoyan said quickly.
Shen Feng gently shook his head and said, "We cannot act quickly. The soldiers need continuous combat and must maintain sufficient rest. In addition, the food in Liancheng must be collected and distributed uniformly. Otherwise, once we leave, the powerful will band together, and the other weak will only be further oppressed. When we leave, Liancheng must be able to maintain a basic organization!"
Chu Zhaoyan listened silently. At this moment, she didn't know what decision Shen Feng would make, but it was certain that Shen Feng wanted to speed things up. He hoped to accelerate the pace of retaking counties, but at the same time, he also had to ensure that the counties had the most basic governance capabilities. This would likely affect the speed.
Meanwhile, as Shen Feng was retaking Liancheng, the trucks that departed from Liancheng had already returned to Luzhou. They traveled back to the Luzhou urban area along the previously cleared highway, carrying mutated apple trees. The soldiers delivering the goods said to Chang Jianyi, "Deputy City Lord, these are the apple trees sent back by the City Lord. He said to plant them and then ask Teacher Niu Baiye about plant mutations to see if you can get an answer."
Chang Jianyi quickly had people plant the apple trees in the park near his City Lord's Mansion and invited Teacher Niu to inquire about plant mutations.
Teacher Niu frowned as he looked at the trunk of the apple tree, which had a diameter of five meters. He then asked the soldier who brought the apple trees, "Are there any wild beasts around this mutated apple tree?"
The soldier heard the question and quickly replied, "Yes, there was a pack of wild boars guarding the vicinity, but we killed them. Speaking of which, wild boar meat tastes quite good. Some of us can eat eighteen catties of wild boar meat!"
Teacher Niu looked at the sparse canopy, which still had some unripe fruits hanging on it, and white flowers blooming. He continued, "If my guess is correct, this tree probably doesn't reproduce using seeds."
The soldier was immediately amazed and said, "Teacher Niu, you are amazing, you can tell that? The doctor said the seeds of these apples are shriveled and clearly cannot be planted."
Teacher Niu smiled at the soldier's praise and waved his hand, saying, "Don't be so surprised. It's all due to thorough knowledge that I know so much. In fact, the fruits of this tree are equivalent to protection fees, and the wild boars are bodyguards. At this time, the bodyguards have become us!"
"I don't understand what you're saying," the soldier said blankly, completely unable to comprehend Teacher Niu's words.
Teacher Niu was not angry and explained more directly, "What I mean is, since the apple tree doesn't reproduce using seeds, why does it bear fruit? It bears fruit for only one purpose: to attract animals to eat it. And animals that eat the apples, in order to get a continuous food source, will basically guard the surroundings. This way, the purpose of this apple tree is achieved. It uses limited energy to bear fruit and gives it to the animals that eat the fruit, and the animals protect this fruit tree!"
"So that's how it is!" The soldier seemed to understand.
However, at this moment, Chang Jianyi suddenly asked, "Then, how does the apple tree reproduce?"
Teacher Niu gently shook his finger and said, "Don't fall into a misconception. It seems that fruit trees bear fruit for reproduction, but in reality, fruit trees bear fruit to pass on genes. After bearing fruit, the individual fruit tree can die, but the seeds can continue to grow. But this apple tree has mutated! This means that after mutation, the apple tree will not die easily. In this case, why should it pass on its genes? Of course, it just needs to bear fruit and doesn't need seeds to pass on genes at all."
Chang Jianyi couldn't help but shake his head at this explanation and said, "This apple tree is truly selfish. It doesn't want to nurture offspring because it can survive itself!"
"Animals are the same!" Teacher Niu said with a smile. "The longer animals live, the fewer offspring they have, because they can live for a long time themselves. I think Evolvers are the same. As humans evolve and become stronger and stronger, their ability to survive will increase, and it will become more and more difficult to have children. Because there is no need for children to pass on genes, after all, genes are selfish, and having children consumes a lot of energy. Therefore, it is highly likely that Evolvers will have difficulty having children."
After speaking, Teacher Niu continued to walk around the apple tree that had just been planted in the park, as if wanting to know more about this mutated plant.
Unintentional words, intentional listeners. Chang Jianyi couldn't help but ponder after hearing Teacher Niu's words, "If it becomes increasingly difficult for Evolvers to have children, doesn't that mean that if I continue to evolve, it will be even harder to have children? This is not good!"
Chang Jianyi had previously worried that it was not a suitable time to have children in chaotic times. But now it seemed that if he didn't have children early, his lifespan would be extended, and he would become stronger, but his ability to have children might decrease!
At this moment, Teacher Niu squatted on the ground and saw the scattered root fragments of the apple tree that had fallen on the ground. He immediately frowned and picked up a root segment to observe it carefully. Lu Kaiwen quickly asked his mentor, "Teacher, have you discovered something?"
Teacher Niu ignored Lu Kaiwen and instead asked the soldier, "Are there no other plants surviving around this apple tree?"
The soldier nodded and said, "That's right, all the other apple trees have withered. Teacher, how did you know?"
Teacher Niu Baiye held a broken root segment and said sternly, "The other apple trees did not wither, but were killed by this mutated apple tree. Its roots are the main mutated part. It should have released toxic substances into the soil, poisoning the other apple trees. Otherwise, the nutrients for this apple tree would not be enough, and perhaps its roots have other functions as well!"
At this time, Chang Jianyi was still deep in thought. Of course, he had considered matters related to children. He initially thought it was a time of turmoil and that it was not appropriate to have children in such an era. After all, it took ten months to conceive a child, and with so many things to deal with, having children was completely uneconomical. But the more he evolved, the harder it became to have children. Doesn't that mean that if he doesn't have children now, he might not be able to have them later?
Teacher Niu said to Chang Jianyi, "Deputy City Lord, I suggest that this tree be protected and used for experiments. Perhaps more mutated plants can be cultivated in the future. If it can alleviate the food problem, that would be a good thing!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it must be protected and people must be specifically chosen to guard it," Chang Jianyi agreed, returning to his senses.
Chang Jianyi announced the selection of personnel to take care of the mutated fruit tree, and finally chose a boy from Yuzhou named Lin Yue, who was previously a high school student. However, a high school student could also do the job of looking after a fruit tree.
Lin Yue came under the apple tree and looked up at the sparse canopy after being pruned, a smile appearing on his face, "My life begins now. I will definitely climb to the top."
Upon seeing Lin Yue, Teacher Niu Baiye brought a stack of white paper and said earnestly, "Your task is to record the temperature, humidity, and the growth status of the plant here, including its flowering and fruiting status. In addition, if there are any abnormal conditions, record them as well. After one month, I will come to review these records to determine the status of the mutated plant. Be sure to water it. Also, the Deputy City Lord will arrange for someone to guard here. If any children come to pick apples, you must drive them away!"
"Okay, Professor, I will definitely complete the record!" Lin Yue said with a smile.
After obtaining his new job, Lin Yue was particularly excited, so he found his girlfriend Fu Ya and said, "I am now considered a member of the City Lord's Mansion. The food I get every day can support both of us. You don't have to work anymore!"
Fu Ya was also very happy to hear this news, but she refused the suggestion to stay at home. Instead, she said, "I can't rely on you to support me forever. I also want to work. Currently, I'm making clothes at a clothing factory, and it's not too tiring. Don't worry."
Lin Yue hugged Fu Ya and said earnestly, "When Yuzhou is retaken, we will see if we should go back. If we can return to Yuzhou, we will get married."
Fu Ya nodded with a blush, "Don't go back on your word."
The middle school that was there before had now become a prison for criminals. Especially in the recent period, after Shen Feng led three teams to depart, the city of Luzhou suddenly became chaotic. Previously, with the suppression of the three combat teams, the people below dared not create chaos. But as soon as Shen Feng left with his people, coupled with the arrival of many people from Yuzhou, the situation in Luzhou immediately became chaotic. In response, Chang Jianyi began to take harsh measures!
Chang Jianyi quickly assembled a team of three hundred people, equipped with old-fashioned rifles, and another two hundred girls who had become Evolvers after using evolutionary agents. These girls were all selected by Chang Jianyi from the previous Self-Reliance Association and were loyal subordinates. With these two teams, Chang Jianyi arrested all those who committed offenses. If anyone dared to kill, they would pay with their lives. If anyone dared to force women, they would be directly dismembered, and their tools of crime confiscated. Those who stole would have a finger cut off.
As for those who gathered to cause trouble, they were imprisoned by Chang Jianyi. If they showed sincere remorse, they would be sent to repair the city walls to atone for their sins. If they did not show remorse, then they would continue to be imprisoned.
Qi Lingshan became a cleaner in the prison. While cleaning the rooms, he grumbled, "A bunch of scoundrels, the rooms are so messy, like pigsties. I've been cleaning for a week, and why are there more and more prisoners?"
After experiencing the hardships of life, Qi Lingshan finally recognized reality and understood a little that if he didn't work, he wouldn't eat. And when he didn't have the strength to resist, it was best to lower his head and pretend to be a grandson, not to foolishly stand out and oppose, or he would know the pain when he was dealt with!
"You brat, you talk too much. Hurry up and clean the room and get out!" a prisoner in the room said impatiently. They were already in a bad mood for being arrested, and now being criticized by a young brat made them even angrier. If their feet weren't locked with thirty-pound iron balls, they would have dealt with this kid by now.
Qi Lingshan continued to clean, and finally came to the deepest room in the dormitory. He gently pushed the door open and walked in, seeing the person tied to a pillar. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and then quietly began to clean the floor. He didn't understand what mistake this guy inside had made to have his hands chopped off and his feet tied to a pillar, and to eat only with his mouth, like cats and dogs lapping up food.