Yan Jing had been observing the movements of Yu Zhou. When its leaders discovered that Yu Zhou was solely engaged in operations within the Dabashan Mountains, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. They knew that their own people could not be casually targeted with missile attacks, just as they hadn't used missiles against Taiwan.
Subsequently, Yan Jing received reports from their own personnel: "Migratory birds from Siberia have appeared, but in small numbers. Additionally, the local resident bird populations in areas like Taihang and Yanshan are not significant."
Yan Jing was a city that had previously suffered attacks from mutated birds. At that time, the migratory birds had directly airdropped zombies onto Yan Jing, causing immense casualties. At least tens of thousands of people had died in the ensuing chaos, and such a tragic event could not be allowed to happen again; it had to be stopped at all costs.
Currently, there was evidence proving that the number of mutated birds in the Yan Jing region was not large. This meant that they did not need to worry about the mutated birds, as their limited numbers indicated a lesser threat.
However, even though it turned out to be a false alarm, the headquarters in Yan Jing had already understood Shen Feng's intentions. Shen Feng was simply a person who defended his own territory and had no grand ambitions. He was only concerned with his own small patch of land and harbored no ill intentions towards other places.
Although Yan Jing was not under threat from mutated birds, the people in Yan Jing still wanted to know the progress of clearing mutated birds in other areas. No situation that arose during the apocalypse could be underestimated. For instance, Rong Cheng's failure to build city walls had led to zombies advancing layer by layer. Learning from past mistakes, the headquarters constantly used observation satellites to monitor the situation in the Dabashan Mountains.
According to Yan Jing's observations, after the Yu Zhou army entered the Dabashan Mountains, their operations were particularly swift, and they even conducted nighttime combat. Logically, the battle should have been resolved quickly. However, the progress on Yu Zhou's side was ultimately very slow, perhaps due to the overwhelming number of mutated birds in the mountains.
Even after ten days, Shen Feng had disappeared from Yu Zhou. It was understood that Shen Feng had also entered the Dabashan Mountains, and the affairs of Yu Zhou were once again handed over to Chang Jianyi for management.
At this moment, Yan Jing's attention was drawn to a more important matter. Everyone was focused on one event: Yue Hengyi, who had committed numerous wicked deeds, was to be executed today. This event was being watched not only domestically but also internationally.
There had always been a consensus that ability users were superior beings. This was simple because from the moment ability users appeared, they were one in ten thousand. Even with the advent of ability potions, only the elite could use them.
Ability users were also widely recognized as being able to do as they pleased, and even if they killed someone, there were generally no repercussions. Now, the public execution of a heinous ability user was happening for the first time, so how could it not attract attention?
Long Qian had initially hoped that his own people would carry out the execution, but Gong Changfa disagreed. Gong Changfa stated that he should be the one to see Yue Hengyi off, as they had known each other. The two sides argued, but in reality, both were vying for Yue Hengyi's head. Such powerful abilities, if not in their own hands, should absolutely not be in the hands of their opponents.
With this thought in mind, the matter even reached the headquarters. Ultimately, the headquarters ruled that the execution would be carried out by the military, and Yue Hengyi's abilities would be handed over to the Ability Administration for use by those who performed exceptionally well in the future. With this ruling, neither side could continue to argue.
However, on the day of the execution, Long Qian found Zhan Jinshu and said, "Find a way to make Yue Hengyi's body disappear. Do you understand?"
Long Qian's intention was simple: to create chaos during the execution. If Yue Hengyi's body were to "disappear" unexpectedly, the headquarters would have nothing to say. As for the abilities, they could be hidden and used later.
Zhan Jinshu quickly nodded and said, "I'll try my best. I'll create an abnormal disturbance and take the body away during the opportunity. I'm just worried that the Heavenly Chosen Bureau will interfere; they are not to be trifled with."
Zhan Jinshu still had ways to create chaos. Spreading a rumor could easily cause unrest in the city, and then the operation would be quite simple.
Long Qian said, "Don't worry, I'll keep Gong Changfa occupied. You can proceed with confidence."
After receiving the instructions, Zhan Jinshu immediately began her actions. First, she needed to create chaos during the execution, and then make the body disappear. This had to be done after the execution was completed.
With this in mind, Zhan Jinshu quickly found a group of hooligans in the city. These were formerly wealthy young men who had lost their ability to live after the apocalypse. They were too proud to take up ordinary jobs and had degenerated into hooligans. They were willing to do anything for money.
"All of you, go and spread the news that mutated birds are about to attack Yan Jing. Go and publicize this matter. After you succeed, I will find you a proper job, and you won't have to be idle anymore," Zhan Jinshu said haughtily.
Her attitude had a very good effect on these young hooligans. What was a haughty attitude? If you have the ability, you are the boss. As long as you can change our living environment, we wouldn't mind even eating feces in public.
The group of hooligans immediately flattered Zhan Jinshu, saying, "Young Miss, please rest assured, we will definitely complete the task you've given us and satisfy you."
Zhan Jinshu nodded with satisfaction and said, "As long as you can do it, returning to your past life might be difficult, but finding a job that pays quickly and easily is quite simple. You have all lived through the apocalypse for more than two years now, and you should have figured things out."
The group of hooligans naturally understood that times had changed. In the past, they lived like gods. They had everything they wanted, their families were wealthy, and they owned many houses, making survival effortless. When they were bored, they could go to bars and find lonely girls to talk about life and dreams. But with the apocalypse, money had become worthless paper, houses were no longer valuable, and their once beautiful lives had vanished without a trace.
Having a stable job with good benefits in the apocalypse was extremely important. After realizing this, all the hooligans expressed their determination to complete the task.
At this point, a clueless hooligan asked, "Why are we spreading this news? Will we be caught after spreading this news?"
Zhan Jinshu immediately frowned, thinking, "This kid really doesn't know any better."
When others noticed Zhan Jinshu's change in expression, they quickly criticized him, saying directly, "You really don't know any better. We are just the ones carrying out the task. Why are you asking these questions? Do you not want to do it anymore?"
"No, no! I was momentarily possessed. I asked the wrong question. Just pretend I said nothing," the person who had asked earlier quickly apologized, clearly realizing that he had made a serious mistake and could only apologize now.
Generally speaking, hired muscle should not question the employer's motives. The more they know, the more dangerous it becomes, as they might be silenced. Therefore, doing their job honestly is the most appropriate course of action.
After specifying the time and location, Zhan Jinshu left directly. The hooligans immediately began their actions. In order to secure a good job, they had to go all out. However, during this process, they absolutely could not leave any traces. If they were caught afterward, it would truly be miserable.
In Yan Jing, the most frightening things were zombies and mutated birds. These were things that had actually appeared in the city, leaving a deep impression on people. Even after more than a year, they had not forgotten. As long as there was news of mutated birds appearing, it would inevitably cause chaos.
At this moment, the execution was about to begin. Although it was a public execution, it could not take place on the streets. The experience of beheading in the marketplace in the past was no longer applicable. Yue Hengyi was, after all, an ability user, and dying on the street would not look good. Moreover, Yue Hengyi's brain needed to be recovered, and it would be more troublesome if it were snatched away by others in such a crowded place.
In an open-air courtyard, the execution site had been set up. It was in front of a wall that had many bullet holes. It was clear that this was the place used to deal with criminals.
Multiple cameras had been set up to broadcast the execution of Yue Hengyi live online. In the past, scenes of executions were generally not shown to people, let alone broadcast live. Such bloody scenes, if seen by children, would affect their physical and mental health.
But now it was the apocalypse, and apart from executing criminals, even more gruesome scenes had occurred.
As the live broadcast began, the prisoner was immediately brought out. Although the reason why ancient people chose to execute in autumn was unknown, one thing was true: the weather was pleasant and crisp. The air in autumn was cool, without the harshness of winter or the heat of summer. In such weather, after a hearty meal, being sent to the execution ground allowed one to fade away with the falling leaves.
Yue Hengyi was brought out of the special vehicle. As soon as he appeared, he reeked. It was impossible, as Yue Hengyi had not moved for a month, and no one had specifically taken care of him. The result was that Yue Hengyi had many excretions on his body, causing him to emit a foul odor.
Looking at Yue Hengyi's complexion, it was also very haggard, even more miserable than when he was judged a month ago. During this period, Yue Hengyi had not eaten well, essentially having nothing to eat. He survived solely on glucose injections. He couldn't sleep either, as he was subjected to strong light for twenty-four hours, which almost blinded him.
As soon as he appeared, everyone was startled. A once strong young man had become like this, which was truly unexpected. He was almost skin and bones, his emaciated figure completely unlike what an ability user should look like.
Yue Hengyi was then led to the front of the wall and seated on a specially made chair to prevent him from suddenly attacking.
As soon as Yue Hengyi appeared, various insults began to appear on the live broadcast platform. Even though many keywords had been blocked, one had to trust the wisdom of netizens. They could always invent new terms to insult others. Yue Hengyi's ancestors for eighteen generations were immediately cursed.
"This kind of person is a typical example of lacking culture. The reason for lacking culture is that they didn't have a tutor when they were young."
"Letting him live for another month was too lenient; people like him should be torn apart by five horses."
"Tearing apart by five horses is not enough! He should be subjected to the ten tortures of the Qing Dynasty. I don't believe he could withstand any of them."
"Hurry up and do it. I'm going to vomit just looking at this disgusting face."
... The crowd continuously vented their emotions online, and this was even with regulatory personnel deleting comments. Truly malicious insults could not appear in the comment section.
Yue Hengyi arduously raised his head and looked around, wanting to see if anyone would see him off. However, after looking around, there was no one he recognized. It seemed that no acquaintances would appear here before his death.
"Here, drink this bowl of wine. Be a drunkard on the road to the underworld," someone handed Yue Hengyi a bowl of white wine and directly brought it to his lips.
Yue Hengyi gave a bitter smile, then opened his mouth. The executioner immediately poured the white wine into Yue Hengyi's mouth. Yue Hengyi finally managed to drink his first mouthful of something in a month, and his stomach immediately felt burning hot. He couldn't help but cough.