After learning that the solution to the locust problem was rain, Shen Feng had an idea. He had witnessed the abilities of a blue whale at sea before. This ninth-tier blue whale was an ability user, and the typhoon it summoned had an eye of thirty kilometers. The typhoon it generated possessed world-destroying power. Fortunately, this typhoon appeared at sea; if it had appeared on land, it was impossible to imagine what a great natural disaster it would have caused.
Shen Feng also thought of something: if he could become an eighth-tier ability user, would he be able to summon typhoons then?
Shen Feng already felt the limit of a seventh-tier ability user. He calculated that he had not evolved again in five years. In the following time, if Sichuan Province and Yuzhou continued to have no rain, Shen Feng would have to take action. Perhaps the scale of the typhoon he summoned would not be comparable to the blue whale's, but it would at least bring rainfall to Sichuan Province and Yuzhou.
The meeting concluded. Guo Pinming packed his belongings and prepared to head to Rongcheng. Many people from the City Lord's Mansion also departed with him. Many of them were temporarily recruited and brought along to take over other cities. Originally, Guo Lili also wanted to go, but Guo Pinming ultimately refused his goddaughter's request. This was because he knew that only by leaving his daughter in Yuzhou could Shen Feng be at ease. This arrangement was already an unspoken understanding.
Shen Feng personally escorted Guo Pinming to the outskirts of Yuzhou City. He said to Guo Pinming, "After you go to Rongcheng, you must stabilize the situation. Also, you must restrict the people of Sichuan Province from exploiting deep groundwater. It is already located in an earthquake zone. If groundwater exploitation continues, earthquakes will continue to occur. Rest assured, your daughter will be well taken care of in Yuzhou."
Guo Pinming quickly nodded and said, "City Lord, please rest assured. I will guarantee the stability of the areas around Rongcheng and will absolutely not cause any problems."
Then Shen Feng watched Guo Pinming leave and looked up at the sky. The sky was clear, with no clouds, showing no sign of rain.
"If the heavens don't bring rain, it seems I'll have to step in," Shen Feng mused to himself. If the locusts weren't eliminated soon, it would truly delay the planting season. Only by killing all the locusts within the territory could they continue to farm with peace of mind.
Yuzhou continuously allocated grain to Sichuan Province. The people of Yuzhou also noticed a decline in their quality of life, and many couldn't help but complain, "Continue to support Sichuan Province with grain? We'll end up eating cornmeal."
"It doesn't matter. I heard the City Lord will take action. Let's wait and see the City Lord's methods." Others had great faith in Shen Feng's abilities.
"Even if the City Lord takes action, what good will it do? Although he is the God of Wind, can he kill all the locusts that cover the mountains and plains?" Many people remained unconvinced.
Observant individuals began hoarding grain during this time. Although there were limits on the amount of grain exchanged daily, there was still room for manipulation. Finding a few children to help queue, or finding employees of companies that provided meals to queue to buy grain, could accumulate extra grain. For a time, Yuzhou's grain consumption became enormous.
People in the apocalypse were very vigilant and enjoyed reading newspapers. They were cautious of potential dangers at the slightest sign of trouble, as there were too many dangers in the apocalypse. When going out, they might encounter attacks from mutated beasts in the mountains. Even in cities, they might face mutated birds descending from the sky. After the number of mutated birds began to decrease, insects also started to mutate, especially the appearance of locusts, which were often accompanied by famine. How could they not be prepared?
Meanwhile, news arrived from Bingcheng that He Qiuan had officially prepared to retake Yanjing. Although the north was in turmoil, Bingcheng had been recuperating in the northeast for many years and now possessed sufficient strength. Some of the younger children had grown into adults, and this was a good opportunity to enter the pass. In fact, people in North China attached great importance to this matter. Due to the locust infestation, the Haihe Plain region had yielded no harvest. The arrival of people from Bingcheng would surely provide food.
When Jinling heard this news, they immediately issued strong commendations, considering the actions of He Qiuan and Gong Changfa to be very inspiring. They also mentioned another matter: in times of danger, Jinling could provide missile support!
The Bingcheng side subsequently refused this proposal and stated that they would continue to participate in future meetings.
Jinling's statement was an implicit hint to He Qiuan that missiles could be provided at any time, and thus missiles could also fall on them at any time. He Qiuan's refusal was actually a sign of submission.
He Qiuan also contacted Shen Feng, hoping that Shen Feng would send ability users to help at this time. In return, Bingcheng could provide Yuzhou with 200,000 tons of grain!
Such a large amount of grain was enough to attract Shen Feng, who was tempted. He selected ten ability users from Yuzhou to depart. Originally, Chang Haojie was supposed to lead the team, but Chang Haojie was getting married and had no time to go out. After much thought, he could only let Wang Xiqiang and Qu Zhaoqian go to help Bingcheng fight.
Shen Feng was also worried that his disciples might be ambushed outside due to lack of experience, so he also sent Lu Kaiyang along. This way, even if unexpected situations arose, Lu Kaiyang could offer appropriate suggestions.
"Your mission is to help fight, mainly to retake the ruined Yanjing. Just pay attention to coordinating with each other, and there won't be too much danger. However, you absolutely cannot let your guard down. Strange mutated insects might appear in the north. Be careful when you get there." Shen Feng then bid farewell to the ten ability users from Yuzhou.
Yuzhou would receive the grain through sea transport directly from the northeast to the mouth of the Yangtze River, then travel upstream against the current, pass through the Three Gorges, and finally reach Yuzhou.
The mutated locusts were becoming more and more rampant in Sichuan Province. Many people, having run out of food, used nets to catch locusts. After all, they were protein. Boiled in salt water, they could be eaten, but one couldn't eat too many. Locusts were different from grasshoppers. Eating a bit more grasshoppers was fine, but eating too many locusts could be fatal to humans.
Research had investigated that when the number of grasshoppers increased, they would continuously rub their thighs, and then their bodies would undergo changes, becoming more violent, and their body color would also change. At this time, locusts would contain toxins, and eating them would cause poisoning in humans. Therefore, locusts could not be eaten indiscriminately.
Seeing this situation, Shen Feng knew that since the heavens were not bringing rain, he had to find a way himself. He said to his three wives, "Next, I will evolve into an eighth-tier ability user. Then I will go to the Indian Ocean, summon a typhoon, and carry enough water vapor to reach Sichuan Province and Yuzhou to bring rain. You all should also prepare yourselves. After the rain, quickly plant your crops. In any case, Yuzhou must not experience famine."
When Shen Feng said this, Chang Jianyi had no reason to object. She said seriously, "You don't have to push yourself so hard. If we are truly short of food, as long as I use my abilities, all crops will grow faster, and I can obtain enough food by using my abilities. But since you have already decided, I can only support your actions."
Chu Chaoyan replied, "Coincidentally, you brought back many evolution crystals from the sea. This is the perfect time for you to evolve. With our protection, you can evolve with peace of mind."
Shen Feng had brought back thirteen evolution crystals from the sea. With so many evolution crystals, Shen Feng could evolve into an eighth-tier ability user. In fact, there were very few seventh-tier ability users. The number of seventh-tier ability users on Earth was only a little over a dozen, and two of them were in Yuzhou. If Shen Feng were to become an eighth-tier ability user now, he would definitely be ahead of all ability users.
When Luo Hui heard of his master's decision, he was also very helpless. Previously, he had been entrusted with an important mission: to take the evolution crystals for trade and to bring his master's family back from the hands of the Tianya Alliance. However, he later realized that he was just a decoy. In the box he carried, there were only ten pieces of red rock candy.
To save his family, Shen Feng chose to hide in the shadows. He found a disciple and had him drink a shapeshifting ability potion, transforming into Shen Feng's appearance. He walked around the streets of Rongcheng every day to mislead others. Almost everyone was deceived. Meanwhile, Shen Feng secretly followed Lin Yue with Li Keyi as they moved in the southeastern region. After finding the enemy, they tracked them closely. Lin Yue thought he was tasked with finding the enemy, but in reality, he was just a decoy to confuse the enemy.
Shen Feng hid in the underground of the Wind God Palace's castle. First, he went to the lowest level and found Du Xinshi in the cryo-chamber. They exchanged a few words and found that Du Xinshi's condition was still the same as before. Finally, he found a locked room, entered it, locked the door, and consumed the ten evolution crystals, finally entering the state of evolution.
Ability users encounter two evolutionary barriers during the process of evolution. One evolutionary barrier is from third-tier to fourth-tier, which requires a sufficient concentration of zombie virus protein to evolve. This is also called evolutionary base, and it is jelly-like. The second evolutionary barrier is encountered at sixth-tier, and only by consuming evolution crystals can one evolve.
Li Keyi had investigated the reason why. What was the difference between evolution crystals and evolutionary bases? She discovered that for ability users to become stronger, they needed sufficient extraterrestrial elements. Before sixth-tier, it was mainly about modifying the body. After sixth-tier, it was about increasing the extraterrestrial elements within the body. Evolution crystals contain a large amount of extraterrestrial elements. After absorbing them, one naturally becomes a seventh-tier ability user. At this point, a crystal appears in the ability user's mind, just like sea beasts.
Shen Feng slept for one night in the underground room, while Li Keyi and others stayed awake all night, guarding. They were constantly vigilant about whether anyone would launch a sneak attack at this time. In the end, no one dared to intrude into the Wind God Palace.