Chapter 411 (1/2)
Mountain roads were muddy, steep, and waved crookedly all the way to the central plain of China.
Hulu Kouzi was the last exit from the great mountain range. It was originally just a small village. However, in order to comply with the China Western Development plan in the age of light, it had been merged with the other two villages nearby into a town by some local government officials. They also gave the new town a name, Xi Jin town, which meant the advancement of the west.
But to the people who had already lived there for a very long time, they still often called the place Hulu Kouzi rather than Xi Jin town, despite the address on their ID doc.u.ments showing otherwise.
At the beginning of the dark age, Hulu Kouzi was in great chaos like many other places. It was in such great chaos that according to the old people who were still alive at that time, it was far more chaotic than even during wartime.
Later on, when the insects appeared, many people were killed by the insects in the town. Some wise elders used their knowledge that they had learned during wartime to lead the people into the great mountain range. Fortunately, the insects did not seem to want to stay in the town for very long. The swarm just simply swept the village and left the town abandoned.
Having realized that the town was empty again, those who had escaped into the mountain range, but could not withstand living in the mountains, slowly moved back the town again.
However, although the insects did not come to the town anymore, people were still dying because of all kinds of diseases. What was even worse was that they slowly started to run out of food. As life was getting more and more difficult, many terrible things, such as cannibalism, began to appear in the town.
Things were getting worse and worse until finally, the spore forest appeared, then everything began to change. Survivors began to discover edible plants, and they started to use their farming skills to transfer the edible plants and plant them in their town.
However, the good days did not last long. Many vicious animals began to appear in the mountain in the north of the town. People who came out of the town to search for food were often attacked by them.
The town chief Qiao Weimin was originally the village deputy chief of one of the small villages. Originally, based on his social position, there was no way that he could ever become a town chief, even if he tried to bribe someone. However, in this chaotic age, all his superiors were either dead or had escaped to other places, leaving him to be the only person that was suitable to be the leader of the surviving town.
Of course, just having experience in leading people would not help him get the position. It was also because of his son, who was an energy manipulation master, that not many people in the town were against the decision.
However, Qiao Weimin could not fall asleep this evening at all. It was caused by what happened earlier in the afternoon.
Sometime in the afternoon, the ground suddenly shook violently. Just when people in the town thought that the insects were coming for them again, they saw a bright blue light appear in the west.
They were terrified, and before they could calm down, the sky went dark again. It was followed by the appearance of strange dark clouds in the sky, and loud battle noises.
The strange phenomenon made everyone in the town extremely nervous. There were more than a dozen people that had already come to him asking for what happened.
However, how on earth would he know what was going on? He was just as confused as everybody else who saw the strange phenomenon.
But not knowing how to answer people’s questions was not the reason that caused Qiao Weimin not able to fall asleep. It was that his son who had gone to the city to buy food, weapons and other necessities, with some other energy manipulation masters in town, still hadn’t come back yet.
Originally, he didn’t need to worry that much. Because once every three months, his son would need to go to the city to buy weapons and some other necessities for the town. However, what he saw that afternoon made him very worried about his son’s safety. He even stayed on the sentry post for the whole evening to wait for his son.
…..Next day morning…..
With the cotton quilt that was sent to him by his family member, Qiao Weimin who was snoozing on the sentry post suddenly heard a cl.u.s.ter of hurried footsteps. Just when he opened his eyes, he heard the vice-captain of the Militia brigade shout. “Chief, chief, the captain is back!”
Qiao Weimin instantly woke up, he quickly removed the quilt and got up. Soon, he saw a few familiar figures appearing in his sight, they seemed to be trying to desperately run away from something.
“Old Fang, quick. Lower the drawbridge, let us in!”
Hearing his son’s voice, Qiao Weimin felt relieved.
“What are you waiting for, quick, lower the drawbridge.” he urged when he saw that Fang Jinshan was not moving.
“Oh… oh…” maybe Fang Jinshan was scared by the way they had showed up. Apart from the swarm, what else could make those people run like that.
Some militias also heard the noise, they quickly lowered the drawbridge and followed Qiao Weimin out of town. However, as soon as they got outside, they saw Qiao Zhenxing suddenly sit on the ground.
“It’s gone, everything… they’re all gone, it is over…” Qiao Zhenxing murmured.
“What do you mean it is over?” Qiao Weimin was scared by his reaction.
“Father, they were gone, all dead….” Qiao Zhenxing responded. It seemed like he was very scared.
“What do you mean? Is it the insects?” You saw them?” Qiao Weimin also became very nervous.
“Yes, insects, everywhere, I have never seen that many insects before. It’s like a sea…” his eyes suddenly went wide open as if he remembered something terrifying.
Just when he finished talking, the faces of the people around him instantly turned pale.