Qi Ling Shan was originally showing off his extensive knowledge to Xu Xing beside him, but he didn't expect the vehicle ahead to brake suddenly. He was caught off guard and had no choice but to stop. This caused Xu Xing to hit the windshield, which is the consequence of not wearing a seatbelt. Seatbelts cannot function properly in the event of an accident.
Qi Ling Shan became somewhat exasperated and, not daring to blame the City Lord, questioned Lu Xian about why he had braked so abruptly.
Lu Xian and Shen Feng had already exited the vehicles in front and were walking, saying, "Come and see for yourselves why we braked!"
Upon hearing Lu Xian's words, Xu Xing and Qi Ling Shan quickly got out of their car and walked forward. They were stunned by what they saw. A small town that had once stood on the grassland had now been reduced to ruins. If it were just ruins, it would have been one thing, but there were also many human bones scattered on the ground, and the earth was stained with blood, creating a terrifying scene. This town must have been inhabited before, but for some unknown reason, it had been destroyed beyond recognition.
Seeing the tragic scene, Xu Xing felt a wave of sorrow. It was natural to feel saddened by the death of one's own kind, especially considering that they might have been living people before.
"Let's go up and take a look. We need to know what happened on the grassland, otherwise, crossing it will be dangerous," Shen Feng said to everyone. They then proceeded to investigate the situation. Logically, in the apocalypse, even small towns would have firearms. For self-protection, people would fight to the death if they encountered enemies. However, the fact that everyone in a town had been killed was truly terrifying.
Shen Feng immediately led his group into the town, leaving the cars outside. Considering Xu Xing's timid nature, the task of guarding the cars was assigned to her.
Xu Xing, unable to bear witnessing the tragic sight of her own kind being slaughtered, willingly agreed to stay outside the town to keep watch.
The town was in disarray. The fence that had once stood outside the town had also collapsed. At the collapsed section of the wall, Shen Feng discovered many scattered footprints. These were animal footprints, and they looked very much like those of wolves!
"Wow, we were just talking about the wolf totem, and now wolves have appeared. My mouth must be blessed," Qi Ling Shan exclaimed, unable to resist a sarcastic remark upon seeing the wolf tracks.
Shen Feng crouched down and measured the distance from his thumb to his middle finger, which is called a "kua." Shen Feng calculated that the largest footprint was two kuas long, indicating that there must have been a giant mutated individual among the wolves that attacked the town.
It had recently snowed on the grassland, and patches of snow could still be seen in some shaded corners. Qi Ling Shan suddenly spotted a wolf skeleton on the ground and quickly called out, "Quick, come over here! There's a wolf skeleton here."
Shen Feng looked at the white, bare skeleton. There were many bite marks on it. He then pondered, "So, the wolves couldn't find food in the winter and resorted to eating humans. This town was overrun by wolves. We can't underestimate the wolves on the grassland."
It is said that dogs do not eat their own kind, and even if fed dog meat buns, dogs can tell. However, wolf packs are different. When severely lacking food, wolves will eat their own kind. Many people may think of wolves as carnivores, but this is incorrect. Wolves are actually omnivores.
Zoologists have dissected wolf carcasses and found wild fruits and insects in their stomachs, meaning wolves eat everything and are not solely meat-eaters. If fed, wolves can also fill their stomachs.
After the snow fell on the grassland, food sources became scarce. The only places to find sustenance were human settlements. Thus, it made sense for wolf packs to attack human settlements.
Lu Xian used his abilities to scan the surroundings for any signs of living people but found nothing. Apart from the three of them in the town, there were no other living souls.
"City Lord, there are no living people here, but there might be survivors in the cellars. Let's split up and search. I haven't detected any wolf packs within a kilometer radius," Lu Xian said in a deep voice.
At this moment, Lu Xian's role in the wilderness became apparent. Lu Xian could sense heat over a large area, and if humans were alive, their bodies would definitely generate heat, as humans are warm-blooded animals and easily detectable. Since Lu Xian found no other living people, there was only one explanation: everyone in the town had perished.
The three of them then began calling out in the town, trying to find any survivors.
In many northern regions, there are cellars for storing grain and vegetables. Although the advent of refrigerators has made cellars less necessary, many households still maintain a cellar for storing items. In times of danger, people could hide in the cellars.
Shen Feng also placed his hopes on the cellars, hoping to find a few survivors there to inquire about the situation. They had to cross the grassland, and it was essential to prepare for any potential dangers.
However, after searching the town, Shen Feng and the others found no one. They discovered several cellars, but all of them had been opened.
"Gray wolves have a very keen sense of smell, so people hiding in cellars were likely found and eaten. It seems we won't be finding any survivors," Lu Xian said with resignation.
Human noses can only detect a limited range of scents, but dogs can detect things that humans cannot. This is why police dogs are trained worldwide to find what humans cannot. Dogs are descendants of gray wolves, and what dogs can smell, wolves can also smell.
Shen Feng discovered four or five cellars, all of which had been opened from the outside. Wolves are capable of digging, and upon finding a cellar, they could dig their way in.
Just then, Qi Ling Shan called out from a distance, "City Lord, Lu Xian, hurry over here! I've found some useful information."
Hearing this, Shen Feng and Lu Xian immediately moved towards Qi Ling Shan's location. As they approached, they realized Lu Xian was inside a building, holding a blood-stained letter with an opened envelope.
Lu Xian quickly said, "This was found on an office desk. It's likely left by an official from this town. It even states who it should be delivered to."
Shen Feng took the letter and looked at it. Indeed, there was a line on the envelope that read, "To Headquarters for your kind perusal."
Shen Feng opened it and read the contents. The letter stated: "We are surrounded by wolf packs. The telephone lines have likely been severed, and we cannot make calls. We can only leave behind this information for those who come after us to deliver to Headquarters. This matter is of great importance and should not be taken lightly.
Recently, many wolf packs have appeared on the grassland. They first came from Outer Mongolia, and their numbers are vast. We estimate that there are five thousand wolves outside the town. Perhaps, more wolf packs are hidden across the vast grasslands. These wolf packs include ordinary individuals and mutated ones. The mutated individuals are as large as elephants and move with great agility. To prevent future harassment by wolf packs, we request that Headquarters send troops to clear the grasslands of these wolves."
Upon reading the contents of the letter, Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and said, "It's a pity that Headquarters is currently overwhelmed and has no time to deal with matters on the grassland. We won't be able to deliver this letter."
Perhaps the person who wrote this letter had hoped for rescue from Headquarters in their final moments, but the letter ultimately became a suicide note, falling into Shen Feng's hands.
Lu Xian thought for a moment and couldn't help but say, "City Lord, why don't we take a detour? This place is too dangerous."
Shen Feng retorted, "A detour? From where? The forests of the Northeast? Can you guarantee there are no wolf packs there?"
Lu Xian pointed to the situation in the town and said, "But, City Lord, you've seen it yourself. The grassland is too dangerous now. Even with the four of us who have abilities, we might not be a match for the wolf packs."
Lu Xian was worried about never returning, especially on the grassland where there was no one to collect their bodies. Dying on the grassland would be truly unjust. He still hoped to return safely to Yuzhou and live with his wife. If he died, Hong Ye Hui would become a widow.
Shen Feng put the letter in his pocket and frowned in thought. "No, we'll continue north. We'll go faster and cross the grassland as quickly as possible. Once we reach the Siberian Plateau, there are many forests there, and we'll be safe."
Hearing Shen Feng's response, Lu Xian's face immediately fell, and his expression turned particularly grim. He couldn't understand why the City Lord would deliberately walk into danger when a detour seemed like the most sensible option.
Qi Ling Shan also agreed with Shen Feng's decision and said earnestly, "Since there are countless wolf packs on the grassland, no matter how we try to avoid them, we'll eventually encounter them. It's better to just charge through. Don't forget, we're traveling by car. The wolves rely on their four legs for movement, so we don't need to worry about speed."
In Qi Ling Shan's opinion, since they were traveling by car, surely four wheels could outrun four legs. With their speed advantage, they could leave the Mongolian Plateau in two days, and once they reached the north, the danger of wolf packs would be gone.
Lu Xian shook his head and said, "You all are thinking too simply. You only assume we'll encounter wolf packs on the plains, but wolf packs don't care about that. What if the wolf packs live in the mountains? It's the apocalypse now, and any situation can occur."
"If we take a detour, we won't have enough gasoline. If we get caught up with wolf packs and the car runs out of fuel, we'll have to walk. I don't need to worry about my speed, but it might be difficult for you few," Shen Feng said calmly.
Hearing Shen Feng's words, Lu Xian was rendered speechless. It seemed the City Lord was indeed correct. Without gasoline, encountering wolf packs would be even more dangerous, so they had no choice but to push forward.
The three of them emerged from the town and found Xu Xing, who was sitting on the roof of the car, polishing her long saber.
After her samurai sword broke, Xu Xing had found people at the steel plant in Yuzhou to help her forge a titanium alloy long saber. The blade had a faint blue glow. Since acquiring this saber, Xu Xing had been inseparable from it, rarely letting it out of her hands. As for the samurai sword Shen Feng had given her, Xu Xing kept it at home as a memento.
Qi Ling Shan gave a brief account of what had happened in the town. Upon hearing that they might encounter wolf packs on the grassland, Xu Xing became uncontrollably excited and said, "So, we're going to fight wolf packs? If I kill a few wolves, can I make wolfskin coats?"
Shen Feng hadn't forgotten the embarrassing incident of wearing a wolfskin cloak on stage. Now that Xu Xing mentioned wolfskin coats, Shen Feng casually replied, "As you wish, but whether you have the skill to make clothes from wolfskins is another matter!"
Generally, animal hides can be made into clothing, but the raw pelts are usually rough and stiff. Only after processing, such as tanning, do they become soft. Xu Xing clearly didn't understand this, thinking that she could make clothes simply by skinning the wolves.