When Yue Hengyi discovered vines creeping towards him, he immediately turned and fled. The beggar, however, remained in place, completely motionless. Strangely, the vines only pursued Yue Hengyi and did not harm the surrounding beggars or pedestrians. The locals also remained silent, knowing that silence would prevent them from provoking the throat vines.
After a long run, Yue Hengyi narrowly escaped the vines' grasp, passed through Tangshan, got onto the highway, and began to sprint towards Yanjing.
Yue Hengyi knew that fire could burn any mutated plant. The mutated plants he encountered in New Guinea, though capable of spewing water to extinguish flames, had no choice but to flee under the scorching heat of gasoline. This proved that as long as there was intense fire, any vine could be reduced to ashes.
Yue Hengyi had intended to find a car and head to Yanjing. If he could hitch a ride, that would be even better, saving him the trouble of walking all the way. Yue Hengyi possessed the stamina, but exhaustion was a real consequence.
However, after running on the highway for over an hour, Yue Hengyi saw no cars. He then suddenly recalled his conversation with Xun Yan and Gong Changfa. China was currently short on oil, leading to a nationwide scarcity of gasoline, and consequently, fewer cars on the road.
"Damn it, it seems electric vehicles will be the most popular mode of transport from now on. This is ridiculous. Xiao Sheng and his gang haven't opened the oil pipeline yet, what useless people!" Yue Hengyi muttered to himself as he ran.
Considering the time, Xiao Sheng and the others had been in Siberia for over a year, yet they had not completed their mission, resulting in a domestic oil shortage. As a butterfly effect, Yue Hengyi was forced to run back to Yanjing.
Despite his complaints, Yue Hengyi couldn't travel all the way to Siberia to help Xiao Sheng's group complete the oil pipeline mission. After all, more than half of the members of the Ability Administration had already been dispatched on missions. If these people couldn't complete the task, even with Yue Hengyi's help, it would be impossible.
Yue Hengyi ran until nightfall before finally returning to Yanjing. Standing outside the city gate, he saw the familiar tall city walls. He hadn't been back in a long time. The walls were clean back then, but after more than a year of wind and rain, they were now covered in moss and lichen.
The city gate was tightly shut, but soldiers were still on guard duty on the walls. This was because Yanjing had implemented a curfew, meaning people were not allowed to roam the streets freely at night or they would be apprehended. This measure was taken to prevent chaos during the flood.
Whenever disasters struck, they were accompanied by many people with ulterior motives, those who sought to take advantage of the situation and fish in troubled waters. These individuals rarely had opportunities in normal times, but when disasters occurred, their intentions immediately surfaced.
Therefore, to prevent any unrest, Yanjing enforced a curfew, allowing only workers on night shifts to be outside!
Standing at the city gate, Yue Hengyi shouted loudly, "Open the gate! I am a member of the Ability Administration, let me in!"
The soldiers on the city gate heard the shouts from below and quickly looked down. They saw a figure standing at the foot of the gate, whose appearance was unclear. When a searchlight shone on him, they recognized a familiar face – it was Master Yue Hengyi. However, it had been over a month since rumors had circulated that he was dead!
"The city gate is of utmost importance. Opening it at night requires layered approvals, with over a dozen procedures to follow. It's best to wait until the city gate opens at six o'clock tomorrow morning!" The soldiers muttered to themselves, unsure why the deceased ability user had reappeared. They dared not act on their own and decided to report the matter.
However, Yue Hengyi couldn't wait until the next day. He had rushed to the foot of Yanjing city gate with all his might. There was no danger at the moment, and all they needed to do was open a small gap in the gate for him to enter. He continued to shout, "I won't make it difficult for you. Just press the switch next to you to open a gap, and I'll slip in. You can close it immediately after I enter, and there will be no problem, no need to report."
"No, this is against regulations, and I won't do it. Please wait outside until I report your arrival and verify your identity. If I receive orders to open the gate, I will open it immediately." The soldier, however, refused righteously and offered a solution.
It appeared the soldier was very disciplined and would not open the city gate for someone whose identity was uncertain, to avoid trouble.
"Then lower the basket for me to go up. Is that okay?" Yue Hengyi continued to ask. If the city gate couldn't be used, demanding it would only put the soldiers on the wall in a difficult position. Surely, it wouldn't be a problem to ascend via the basket?
The basket was designed for convenience during critical moments. When the city gate could not be opened for some reason, the basket's function came into play. By using the basket, one could travel up and down the city walls without opening the gate, though generally, ordinary people were not qualified for such treatment.
The soldier still did not agree to Yue Hengyi's request and continued, "No, this is against regulations!"
Yue Hengyi retreated helplessly, shaking his head. He thought, "These guys keep talking about regulations, but they lack any flexibility in critical moments. If something happens, I wonder if you'll still need layered approval procedures!"
Yue Hengyi certainly wouldn't leave easily, having finally arrived here. If he had to wait another night, why had he been in such a hurry before? Wasn't this completely counterproductive?
Therefore, Yue Hengyi made up his mind. He was determined to enter the city immediately. Since the soldiers wouldn't open the gate or lower the basket, he would have to rely on his own abilities to get in.
After retreating a distance, Yue Hengyi immediately slung the Kang Long Jian onto his back. Then, he stared intently at the city wall and suddenly began to sprint. The soldiers on the wall were startled by this sight, completely bewildered by what this person intended to do.
Upon reaching the foot of the city wall, Yue Hengyi leaped upwards. The wall was over twenty meters high, and Yue Hengyi could leap ten meters. Although this jumping ability was formidable, it was far from reaching the height of the wall. However, Yue Hengyi's hands shot out, and his ten fingers dug fiercely into the concrete wall. At this moment, Yue Hengyi was able to hang onto the wall. Then, with a surge of strength from his arms, he managed to climb onto the wall.
Once on the wall, Yue Hengyi looked at his fingers. The nail beds of two of his fingers had fallen off. The soldiers on the wall had all taken down their rifles and aimed them at Yue Hengyi, who had climbed over the wall, shouting loudly, "Get down quickly! You cannot enter or exit without orders!"
"Fine, I'll get down!" Yue Hengyi then jumped into the city and quickly disappeared into the night.
The soldiers on the wall looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They finally had a clear understanding of the formidable physical strength of ability users. The tall city walls were completely incapable of stopping an ability user who climbed them with bare hands. If the zombies back then had possessed such formidable wall-climbing abilities, Yanjing might not have been defended.
"Report to the superiors quickly, otherwise, we'll be held accountable!" one of the soldiers said urgently.
Yue Hengyi just wanted to see Qin Kewei as soon as possible, so he immediately headed towards the location of the Ability Administration. There were guards on duty here as well, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter. When Yue Hengyi appeared, the guards did not stop him, seemingly recognizing him and letting him pass.
Next, Yue Hengyi rushed to the dormitory for ability users without delay. Ability users were treated very well, with each person assigned a dormitory, all of which were three-bedroom apartments. Furthermore, the Ability Administration had supermarkets and canteens where people could take whatever they needed without needing to pay.
Although ability users had enough strength to purchase housing in Yanjing, living outside made them susceptible to disturbances, especially from reporters. Previously, many reporters had constantly reported on celebrities' private lives, acting like paparazzi. However, after the apocalypse, no one cared about celebrities anymore; everyone was focused on ability users, who were heroes, strong individuals, and objects of desire. Thus, whenever possible, reporters would cover ability users, using methods such as covert photography and eavesdropping.
As a result, ability users within the organization preferred to live in dormitories, except for those who were married. Married ability users would rather endure being photographed than give up their private space. Living in dormitories all day, seeing colleagues every day, left them with no personal space at all.
Yue Hengyi soon saw that the lights were on in Qin Kewei's dormitory, and he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his return was worthwhile, and Qin Kewei was indeed in the dormitory.
Next, Yue Hengyi went upstairs, found Qin Kewei's dormitory, and began to knock on the door: "Knock, knock, knock..."
After the knocking sound, the dormitory door was quickly opened, and a haggard face appeared before Yue Hengyi. It was Qin Kewei, with dark circles under her eyes. Upon seeing Yue Hengyi appear before her, her face showed disbelief.
"Are you Yue Hengyi? Are you here to send a message in a dream? Whatever you want, I'll burn it for you. I'm sorry..." Qin Kewei's eyes were filled with disbelief. She clearly hadn't expected Yue Hengyi to appear here. Her mental state was clearly not good, and upon seeing Yue Hengyi, she mistook him for his ghost.
"Sister Qin, it's me, Yue Hengyi! I'm alive, I'm not dead!" Yue Hengyi quickly stepped forward and hugged Qin Kewei, comforting her gently.
For more than half a year, Yue Hengyi had thought of Qin Kewei incessantly. Several times he had woken up from dreams where Qin Kewei had met with an accident and died unexpectedly while on a mission. This unease had constantly plagued him, and now, seeing Qin Kewei, he embraced her in his excitement.
Hearing the reply and feeling the warmth of Yue Hengyi hugging her tightly, Qin Kewei finally realized that the person before her was not a ghost but the real Yue Hengyi.
In her excitement, Qin Kewei immediately hugged Yue Hengyi, tears streaming down her face, murmuring, "You're alive, you're alive!"
Yue Hengyi quickly replied, "That's right, I'm alive. I've crossed the ocean from a deserted island to see you!"
As the two were overcome with emotion, a voice came from inside the room: "Wife, if you keep hugging other men like this, I'll get jealous!"
Yue Hengyi was stunned. Why was there another man's voice in Qin Kewei's room?
Yue Hengyi first looked into the room and saw a man, shirtless, wearing floral shorts, standing inside. The two at the door were forced to separate.
Yue Hengyi couldn't imagine that there was another man in Qin Kewei's dormitory room. If it were just an ordinary person, it would be one thing, but the person appearing before Yue Hengyi was a disheveled man in his thirties, with stubble on his chin, standing with his arms crossed, watching the two.
"Who is he? Sister Qin, who is he!" Yue Hengyi asked excitedly.
Qin Kewei's face showed a hint of sorrow. She turned to look at the man behind her, then at Yue Hengyi's face, and finally lowered her head, saying softly, "He is my husband. I am already married!"
Upon hearing this answer, Yue Hengyi's mind went blank. This outcome was no different from a bolt from the blue for him. In an instant, he didn't know what he was thinking. He couldn't understand why, after enduring so much hardship and finally returning to China, and finally finding Qin Kewei, he had received such an outcome. It was simply unacceptable.