Chapter 191.2 – We Are V587 (6)

◎ Formidable Big Brother-in-law ◎

District E166, Yue Mountain.

Yue Mountain is part of an ecological landscape area, with lush vegetation and a rich variety of species. 90% of the area is covered by forests. After the apocalypse, ferocious beasts roamed freely, making it impossible for ordinary individuals with abilities to enter.

Zhang Ci opened the way with the Five Thunder, while Song Ke, with her spiritual weapon, cleared out the monster groups. The seven of them slowly advanced along the mountain path.

Passing by the martial arts school, both of them instinctively stopped in their tracks. Within the abandoned walls, wild grass reached knee height, and the roof was covered in green vines.

Zhang Ci and Song Ke, one in front and one behind, nodded and bowed.

The location of the plot of land was not far from the martial arts school, but they circled around it several times and couldn’t find a way in.

“Didn’t we just come here?” Lin Youyou, not very proficient in controlling her wheelchair, turned it around and found the mark she had made on a tree.

“Got lost?” Fang Zhixu murmured.

“Formation.”

“There’s a formation here.”

Zhang Ci and Zhuang Qingyan spoke at the same time, exchanged a faint glance, and then turned their heads, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s a Nine Palace Formation,” Zhuang Qingyan explained coldly, “this formation loops and repeats, creating a maze that makes it easy for intruders to go in circles.”

He glanced at the slightly confused Song Ke, smiled faintly, and said, “I can calculate the exit. Give me some time…”

“No need for that trouble,” Zhang Ci ruthlessly interrupted him. “Since he set up this formation, we can break it directly.”

He took out a talisman, chanted an incantation with one hand, and after it burned to the end, he pointed forward with his two fingers close together, saying, “By the spirit of the tortoise, two and four as shoulders.”

Zhang Ci walked quickly to the east, and the others followed without a word.

Zhuang Qingyan muttered, “This brother-in-law is really formidable.”

“Six and eight as feet, left three and right seven.”

“Wear nine and tread one, five in the center.”

Finally, the seven of them arrived deep in the forest, and Song Ke found an ancient stone tablet.

She blew away the thick dust on top and discovered a machine similar to a security system. “Senior Brother, can this be opened?”

Zhang Ci frowned and shook his head. “Apart from the formation, everything here is as unfamiliar to me as it is to you.”

“What about violent destruction?” Song Ke conjured a giant hammer, eager to try.

“No, this type of security system has a self-destruct program. If you smash it, everything will be lost,” Zhuang Qingyan quickly stopped her.

“…Oh,” Song Ke said dejectedly.

The group took turns trying various methods, but the stone tablet remained unmoved.

In the atmosphere of helplessness, Zhuang Qingyan closed his eyes in contemplation. Quickly combining all the information, he gradually pieced together a possibility. “I understand now. The old master handed over the plot of land to you and taught you the incantation to break the formation. It means he left a way out for Tianyi. If, one day, the existence of gene replication is exposed, it should be opened by the person he trusts the most.”

Zhang Ci’s expression remained indifferent. “If he trusted me, he wouldn’t have kept silent about Tianyi’s matters.”

Everyone fell silent. The knot between Zhang Ci and Zhang Ting was already difficult to untangle, and with the revelation of gene replication, the contradictions and suspicions would only deepen.

The only one with fatherly experience, Fang Zhixu, considered his words carefully. “Actually, I can understand the old master. Tianyi disciples bear a heavy mission, both a responsibility and a shackle. Your personality clearly doesn’t suit their organization.”

Tianyi’s philosophy emphasized following the natural way, while Zhang Ci’s ambitious goal was to defy fate. Zhang Ting, burdened by responsibility, remained confined to Yue Mountain, but he wanted his son to live freely. Despite being exceptionally strict, he never stopped Zhang Ci from making any decisions, including leaving the martial arts school and participating in the Azure Phoenix selection.

“Your father didn’t want to hold you back,” Fang Zhixu sighed.

Zhang Ci remained silent for a long time. Father and son had constant arguments during their lifetime, never truly opening up to each other. It was only after his father’s death that he truly understood Zhang Ting.

“You and Song Ke share the same birthday. The old master carefully prepared two gifts.” Zhuang Qingyan brought everyone’s attention back, pointing at the stone tablet with his cane. “One for the steady senior disciple and one for the beloved junior disciple.”

“The senior disciple has the property rights and the incantation to break the formation. So, is the key to unlocking the truth in the hands of the junior disciple?”

“You mean…” Fang Zhixu realized, his voice trembling, “Captain knows how to open the door?”

“Huh?” Song Ke looked confused. “I don’t know.”

“What did your master give you?” Zhuang Qingyan asked in a low voice.

“A protective amulet,” Song Ke answered honestly. “I don’t remember… where it went.”

After the battle in Loak, Song Ke’s terminal and belongings were neatly collected by Zhuang Qingyan. He used his mental power to search inside the spatial necklace and quickly found the protective amulet Song Ke mentioned, tucked away in a plastic bag and thrown in a corner.

Zhuang Qingyan carefully took it out; the charm felt cold in his hands, with intricate tranquility runes traced on its surface.

Lu Xiaoyu, with his alloy arm scanning, signaled with a continuous beeping sound, “There’s something here.”

His mechanical arm detached a miniature pair of tweezers, and he focused on dismantling the amulet. From inside, he extracted a chip as thin as a cicada wing.

Lu Xiaoyu, living up to his perfect score of 5.0 in the mechanics course, quickly assembled a device resembling a card reader and inserted the chip, handing it to Song Ke.

Song Ke swiped it against the access control.

Rumble—!!

The ground violently shook, trees collapsed, mud splattered, and everyone staggered. After a few seconds, the ground sank, revealing a slowly emerging concealed passage. Song Ke led the way, and the seven entered in single file.

Unexpectedly, the passage wasn’t as desolate as imagined. Weeds were cleared neatly, and even the lighting was provided by oil-free mechanical lamps.

“Technology after the New Calendar. It seems that the old master indeed built this place,” Zhuang Qingyan remarked.

As they walked, the temperature dropped, causing Xu Xing and Lin Youyou to shiver. Fang Zhixu took out thick clothing and helped them put it on.

Following the architectural blueprints, they arrived at a warehouse-like space shaped like the character “田”. Rooms were densely distributed on both sides of the corridor. Zhang Ci walked briskly, opening half-closed doors one after another, leaving everyone stunned.

This was indeed the renovated warehouse, with temperature-controlled freezers piled up to the ceiling, and on top were transparent cultivation chambers.

Mythical creatures like Suanni, Hornless Dragon, Qiong Qi, Sheng-sheng, and Hook Snake—all were gene replications. Various DNA chains slowly rotated on corresponding screens. Lin Youyou even saw a Kun, with the quantity displayed as 2, though one of the boxes was empty.

At the end of the corridor stood a dormant central hub, an outdated model eliminated decades ago.

Zhuang Qingyan gestured to Lu Xiaoyu, and his silver rhenium arm immediately connected to break through. The intrusion of a top-notch hacker shattered the weak firewall, and in less than ten seconds, the access was granted.

Zhuang Qingyan quickly skimmed through the records, detailing the comprehensive information of all replicated genes, including the complete DNA sequences. Without turning around, he casually said, “Senior Brother Zhang, Yue Mountain is no longer suitable for preserving the genes. Take the old master’s efforts with you.”

In reality, Zhang Ting’s choice of location was quite good. District E166 was far from the Alliance, sparsely populated, but due to the changes in the geomagnetic field after the apocalypse and the lack of weather simulation system in Yue Mountain, the radiation concentration had long exceeded the safety limits. Replicated genes were of inestimable value and could easily tempt people, but whether it was Song Ke or everyone from V587, they wouldn’t be swayed by greed.

“What about Song Ke’s treatment?” Zhang Ci frowned slightly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll copy the data from the central hub, and I also need 45 original samples from Song Ke’s body.”

“Okay, I’ll take them back to Shaye and find a place to store them,” Zhang Ci said, taking out a spatial item shaped like a talisman.

“I’ll help!” Xu Xing volunteered.

Preserving replicated genes required a stable low-temperature environment, and Xu Xing’s ice-based ability was like a professional insulation machine. He froze each cultivation chamber one by one, helping Zhang Ci collect them into the spatial item.

After tidying up both rooms, Xu Xing curiously approached and asked, “Sister, why are there many boxes empty?”

“Hmm?” Song Ke took a look, and indeed, normally, the cultivation chambers displayed real-time status, but the ones left on the freezer not only had blank contents but also no response from the recorder.

Before Song Ke could figure it out, Lu Xiaoyu’s voice came from behind, “Everyone, there’s bad news.”

V587: “…”

Lin Youyou, massaging her temples, said, “Please, don’t say it.”

They had already developed a form of PTSD from Lu Xiaoyu’s “good news” and “bad news.”

Unfazed, Lu Xiaoyu continued in a flat tone, “I just accessed the monitoring system and found that on the fourth day after the apocalypse, or more precisely, on the fourth day of the apocalypse, there was damage in the southeast corner of the warehouse. Judging from the traces, it was caused from the inside.”

Song Ke didn’t understand. “What does that mean?”

“It means…” Lu Xiaoyu looked towards Zhuang Qingyan. “You explain. What happens if the gene preservation conditions aren’t met?”

“In a high-radiation environment, gene activity will be stimulated significantly,” Zhuang Qingyan gazed at Song Ke and said solemnly, “ultimately… revival.”

Everyone took in a sharp breath.

Lin Youyou gritted her teeth, “Damn it, Lu Xiaoyu, you and your ominous predictions. Can’t it be a bit less unfortunate?”

Boom—!

Boom, boom—!!

The deafening sounds came from above just as the words fell.

The next moment, the wall cracked, and in Song Ke’s astonished eyes, an unbelievably familiar giant bird with luxurious feathers and tiger-like claws appeared before them. It seemed furious, flapping its heavy wings and smashing down with force! The entire corridor trembled, on the verge of collapsing.

“Get down!” Song Ke shouted.

A massive golden shield promptly shielded the seven. Zhang Ci instantly cast the Vajra God Incantation, while Lu Xiaoyu’s mechanical arm wrapped around Lin Youyou and Xu Xing.

However, a greater crisis was still looming. With the collapse of the underground warehouse, countless ferocious and grotesque creatures, either running or flying, poured out from all directions. Roaring, they attacked the group. The seven rolled out of the pile of soil, exposed under the blazing sun. The intense sunlight quickly burned patches on Song Ke’s skin. Zhuang Qingyan held her tightly, pulling the hood over her.

Roaring beasts, rampaging birds—various extinct creatures reappeared, their bizarre appearances highly intimidating.

Through the swirling dust, Song Ke’s gaze fell on the giant bird she had seen at the martial arts school. It had the body of a chicken, tiger-like claws, and a bunch of white long feathers on its forehead, giving it a fierce appearance. It stared coldly at her but didn’t immediately pounce.

“Qi Que, you have the same genes as it,” Zhuang Qingyan quickly explained.

Song Ke suddenly realized. No wonder that giant bird at the martial arts school didn’t attack her. It considered her one of its kind. As Lu Xiaoyu said, the damage occurred on the fourth day after the apocalypse. So, this Qi Que should be the first revived mutant, with exceptional intelligence, capable of commanding other creatures.

“What do we do now?!” Fang Zhixu held onto Song Ke’s leg, shouting in panic.

“The nest is destroyed, and they won’t let us go,” Lu Xiaoyu remained calm in such situations.

This group of mutants was exceptionally fierce, each possessing the strength close to a level 4 ferocious beast. Under the continuous attacks, cracks appeared on the surface of the shield.

Lin Youyou bit her lip, and taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, she suddenly raised her hand to inject a sealing agent! She staggered up from the wheelchair, recalling the tune she used to summon the mutated Kun. She sang a hoarse song, filled with a soothing meaning.

The first time, the group of mutants showed no reaction, continuing to roar.

The second time, some of the mutants’ attacks gradually slowed down and withdrew.

The third time, the Qi Que raised its head and emitted a long cry. The restlessness of the mutant group subsided, dispersing like a tide.

Xu Xing stared in astonishment, “Wow, you’re carrying us today…”

“Only temporarily, let’s leave this place quickly,” Lin Youyou said, smiling while overexerting her ability. She collapsed, and in that instant, Song Ke caught her and placed her back on the wheelchair.

With the mutants losing their nest and pouring out en masse, it wouldn’t be long before Yue Mountain became the most complex and dangerous forbidden area for the Alliance species.

The seven helped each other stand up, and Song Ke asked anxiously, “Senior Brother, is the gene safe?”

“It’s fine,” Zhang Ci confirmed with a glance. The spatial talisman was intact. He remembered something, “Those data…”

“Already copied,” Lu Xiaoyu said.

“Also noted down, double insurance,” Zhuang Qingyan said confidently.

Zhang Ci nodded, then gazed at the ruins in front of him, lost in thought. “So, that’s the reason he was killed?”

Zhuang Qingyan explained in a low voice, “Gu Hongyi was determined to obtain the Eternal Life Plan. When Vulture discovered the identity of the old master and realized that he held the replicated genes, torture couldn’t force him to talk, so they eventually resorted to killing.”

The two S7-level members of Vulture and Gu Hongyi, who gave the order, were killed by Song Ke in the Loak battle. It could be considered karmic retribution. However, the remaining remnants retreated to Utopia.

Zhang Ci clenched his fist, his tone heavy and resolute, “I can’t let it go. I want to kill every member of Vulture.”

“Do you want to go to Utopia? The fastest way is to win the Awakener Challenge,” Xu Xing said in a low voice.

Zhang Ci’s eyes gradually became firm, “…Challenge.”

…

On the starship leaving Yue Mountain, Song Ke looked down through the porthole at the lush forests, faintly hearing the commotion of the beast herds.

As she watched, she suddenly stood up, “Trouble!”

The direction where some mutants were retreating happened to be towards the isolated island below the mountain.

…

Aunt Qing was preparing a meal for Xiao Bao. This kid was becoming more and more picky, even refusing to eat the zombie leg she had scavenged. She had to slap him a few times before he behaved. Although Aunt Qing had slow thinking, she retained the habits of being human, mechanically starting a fire to boil water.

Overhead, a massive object approached, the intense airflow knocking over the stove. Aunt Qing cautiously stepped back, holding Xiao Bao, ready to run.

The starship’s hatch opened, and a young man waved enthusiastically, shouting, “Ah! Ah ah ah—!”

Aunt Qing had a puzzled expression with a floating question mark, “?”

It turned out that not all zombie languages were mutually understandable. Even after shouting for a long time, Aunt Qing remained wary.

He couldn’t help but feel frustrated, wishing he could go back and tell the expert who wrote “Zombie Language Beginner to Master” that zombie languages also had dialects!

Song Ke landed gracefully and stood in front of Aunt Qing, saying seriously, “I found a place for you to survive. There are no zombies there, and many of your kind.”

Xu Xing followed and opened his terminal, showing a picture of him with many Fallen, one of whom had a small blood zombie on their head, looking very happy. In fact, Xu Xing felt a bit guilty. Previously, Aunt Qing and Xiao Bao had frightened him so much that he lost control of his abilities, exposing their identities and missing the last starship. He didn’t expect to have a chance to make amends.

“It’s dangerous here. Come with me,” Song Ke said.

Aunt Qing embraced Xiao Bao and nodded slowly.

They had been abandoned on the isolated island, surrounded by monsters day after day. After years of waiting, they finally saw a starship for escape.

**TN

Qiong Qi – one of the Four Fearsome Beasts; In the North, Qiong Qi is described as resembling a tiger with wings that enjoy eating humans, starting from the head. While in the West, Qiong Qi is described as resembling a bull, and is covered in hedgehog-like spikes. All accounts agree that Qiong Qi is a fearce beast which enjoy eating humans.

Suanni – mythological creature which is said to be a hybrid of lion and dragon, likes to sit down and is one of the nine sons of the dragon

Qi Que – A strange bird in ancient legends that can eat people

Sheng-sheng – or xing xing (狌狌), also given the English-translated name of “live-lively”. According to Book One, or Classic of the Southern Mountains the sheng sheng resembles a yu (禺) or long-tailed ape, but has white ears. It is said to crouch while walking, but to be able to run like humans, and eating it imparts quick-running ability