Chang Haojie was attacked by mutated birds as soon as he flew into the sky. The sky was the domain of birds, and anyone who flew into it was easily targeted.
However, Chang Haojie seemed to have anticipated the attack. He calmly began to unleash his abilities, and a vast mist instantly formed, enveloping dozens of meters around him. Within this mist, visibility was zero, and nothing could be seen beyond a meter.
Once the mutated birds entered the mist, they lost their sight. Birds with impaired vision had their flight capabilities greatly reduced. Collisions immediately occurred within the mist, and soon, birds were falling, knocked unconscious by their own companions.
Chang Haojie had clearly learned his lesson. He knew that if he exposed himself, he would become a target. Thus, he hid within the mist, unseen by other birds. Most people at this time wouldn't know Chang Haojie's location, let alone the mutated birds.
In the command center, Chang Jiany i and Chu Chaoyan breathed a sigh of relief upon witnessing this. It was evident that Chang Haojie had grown. He had learned to think strategically, understanding his strengths and weaknesses, and had found his own way to fight.
Besides Chang Haojie, other youths had also entered the battlefield. Atop the Wind God Palace castle, Wang Xiqiang stood on a tower, wielding a white longsword. This longsword was formed from salt crystals, which was how he unleashed his abilities. Salt was the most common crystal found in the Wind God Palace, hence his choice of weapon.
Wang Xiqiang could not only crystallize weapons but also manipulate already crystallized objects. His combat power was decent; he could barely kill mutated birds with his abilities. Fortunately, not too many mutated birds had attacked this area, otherwise, Wang Xiqiang's abilities would have been insufficient to fend off a larger number.
Within the Wind God Palace, Hua Jingran cautiously observed the outside while holding Xiao Hu and Shen Yishi. Xiao Long, on the other hand, was being held by Wang Xiran.
Xiao Long was very mischievous, grabbing Wang Xiran's collar with both hands and peeking inside, as if searching for something to eat.
Luo Qing was also in the room, ready to protect the people inside and guide them to underground shelters if the situation turned dire.
Just then, the room suddenly darkened, and the lights went out. Everyone in the room reacted instantly. Hua Jingran exclaimed, "What do we do? It seems like the power is out! We must restore the power immediately, or Sister Du will be in danger."
"Don't worry. The Wind God Palace has an independent underground power system. We just need to turn it on, but it requires fuel. You all be careful. I'll go turn on the switch now," Luo Qing said quickly and then walked into the tunnel.
In addition to Wang Xiqiang entering the battlefield, Qu Zhaoqian had also arrived. Without a word, he began to unleash his abilities. He was only about ten years old, with a hint of youthful innocence still on his face. Yet, even so, he had to fight, for he knew his cousin was a hero, and he too would become a hero.
"My cousin is a great hero, and I will definitely become like him. I want to join the fight too," Qu Zhaoqian thought to himself.
Above Qu Zhaoqian's head, objects began to rapidly oxidize and age. The mutated bird, seeing a child on the rooftop, assumed it was an easy catch. However, as the bird descended, it began to age irreversibly, ultimately dying from old age during its fall.
Birds generally have short lifespans. Most birds live for about three to five years. Exceptionally long-lived birds like eagles or golden eagles are said to live for fifty to sixty years. However, regardless, the average lifespan of birds cannot exceed that of humans. Even humans couldn't withstand Qu Zhaoqian's abilities, let alone birds.
Xu Xing was also fighting alongside others. Unfortunately, her battlefield was primarily on the ground, and earthquakes had little effect on the mutated birds. Thus, Xu Xing could only kill the mutated birds that attacked or ambushed her, with no other means available.
Finally, as night fell, Yuzhou welcomed a period of calm. The mutated birds left the skies of Yuzhou and headed elsewhere to rest. However, Yuzhou had suffered heavy losses. Hundreds of people had died in the day's battles. In addition to personnel casualties, there was also significant loss of firearms. Hundreds of machine guns had been prematurely retired due to continuous firing.
Yuzhou had no other recourse. While comforting the citizens, they also chose to work overtime to continue producing military supplies. Firearms and ammunition had to be kept supplied; otherwise, it would be difficult for Yuzhou to hold its ground.
Upon returning home, Shen Feng and his group found that the power was out in many parts of their house. They learned that the power lines had been torn down by mutated birds. Currently, the Wind God Palace was using a diesel generator. The smell of diesel was quite strong, but there was no other option. If nothing else, the cryogenic pod where Du Xinshi was located required constant power.
"Continuing to fight like this isn't a good solution. If it comes to it, I'll have to take poison gas and fly into the sky," Shen Feng said gravely.
"That might be for the best. It will cause some casualties, but as long as we can leverage the crisis of the mutated birds, it will be worth it. I will issue a notice for people in the city to wear masks and spray them with water. This can help prevent damage from the poison gas to some extent," Chu Chaoyan quickly said.
At this moment, Shen Feng's family was eating dinner, discussing their next course of action. Hua Jingran's ability was to create threads, which could be used to bind enemies, but there were few other uses. With such an ability, Hua Jingran couldn't do much. After all, after drinking the unknown ability potion, no one knew what kind of ability they would gain. If they lacked combat capability, they could only retreat to the sidelines.
Just then, Chang Haojie seemed to have made a decision and said to Shen Feng, "Brother-in-law, I want to continue evolving. Although my previous evolutionary direction might have been wrong, it's not too late now that I understand. As long as I can continue to evolve, my ability's coverage area will definitely improve."
"We'll discuss this later. We have a great enemy before us, so let's deal with the current threat first!" Shen Feng told Chang Haojie.
Chang Haojie became anxious and said earnestly, "Precisely because we have a great enemy before us, I need to evolve quickly. Only by becoming a more powerful ability user can I help at this time, right? Currently, my ability covers an area of only tens of meters, which is less than half of a standard football field. I have a premonition that if I evolve, I will definitely be able to achieve a larger coverage area."
After learning that his ability's development direction was incorrect, Chang Haojie had deeply reflected and refused to fall into despair. Instead, he wanted to continue working hard to get his abilities back on track, and all of this could only be realized after evolution.
Shen Feng hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm worried you might not be able to control the power after purification. From my perspective, your evolutionary speed is already a bit too fast. If you can't control the power, your abilities will become uncontrollable."
Chang Haojie said solemnly, "Everyone in Yuzhou is fighting desperately right now. In such a critical moment, how can I shrink back? Even if it becomes uncontrollable, I still want to do something. Brother-in-law, you must fulfill my wish."
Shen Feng had no reason to object and then looked at Chang Jiany i beside him, as if seeking her opinion. Chang Jiany i was always Chang Haojie's elder sister. Now that her brother wanted to make a decision, how could she, as his sister, remain indifferent?
Chang Jiany i looked at her brother's determined gaze, sighed, and said, "I understand. The child has grown up, so let him have his way."
Chang Jiany i also understood that Chang Haojie was now fifteen years old, no longer a child. His decisions at this age must have been carefully considered. She, as his sister, couldn't arrange his life forever, so she would respect her brother's decision.
Shen Feng thought for a moment and said, "Then you become a fifth-tier ability user for now. After dinner, go to the underground shelter. It's safer there."
Chang Haojie nodded quickly and said, "I will definitely prove my abilities. As long as I can unleash my abilities and shroud the entire city with mist, the mutated birds won't be able to attack freely. Then Yuzhou will be saved."
After dinner, Chang Haojie indeed prepared to consume enough evolution base and evolve. By the next day, they had experienced fierce battles. Even with soldiers fighting desperately, Yuzhou only managed to kill a million mutated birds by the end of the day. The people of Yuzhou were almost unable to eat the meat of the mutated birds. Furthermore, due to the appearance of the mutated birds, avian influenza also began to break out in Yuzhou.
"I've evolved! I've become stronger now," Chang Haojie said excitedly upon waking. He then unleashed his abilities, and mist enveloped the Wind God Palace. However, as Chang Haojie tried to further expand the mist's range, it could not spread further. Compared to the previous tens of meters, Chang Haojie could now cover an area of over a kilometer, which was already a remarkable achievement.
Yet, Chang Haojie still felt very uncomfortable. With such a small coverage area, how could he possibly shroud the entire city?
Shen Feng and the others also returned at this time. Seeing the white mist spreading around them, Shen Feng unleashed "East Wind Vast" and directly blew the mist away, saying, "Don't be discouraged. Your performance is very good. You are much stronger than ordinary ability users."
However, Chang Haojie was still dissatisfied and continued to say to Shen Feng, "Brother-in-law, I want to evolve again."
Shen Feng shook his head and refused, "Look around you. Uncontrolled white mist is appearing around you. This indicates that your abilities are close to becoming uncontrollable. If you continue to evolve, it will be dangerous."
Chang Haojie quickly looked around and indeed saw many white mists appearing around his body. He wasn't even using any abilities at this moment, yet the white mist was appearing uncontrollably. This was already a precursor to his abilities going out of control.
Li Keyi also advised him at this time, "Little brother, don't push yourself too hard. Human strength has its limits. Everyone has their own limits. Evolving without preparation will inevitably lead to uncontrollable abilities. The most severe consequence is that you might become an idiot."
Li Keyi was not exaggerating at all. Abilities are unleashed when extraterrestrial elements combine with the nervous system. Forcing evolution would place a higher load on the nervous system, and a slip-up could damage the nervous system, leading to idiocy. This was not an idle threat.
However, Chang Haojie became very stubborn at this moment and said to them, "Even if I become an idiot, I will continue to evolve. All parts of the country are fighting right now. Who isn't risking their life? To become strong, one needs to put in more effort than others. If I don't dare to take this risk, how can I become a strong person in the future?"
"Then what if you become an idiot?" Chang Jiany i couldn't help but ask.
"If that really happens, then you'll have to support me for the rest of my life. Come to think of it, becoming a fool isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least I won't be bothered by various worries!" Chang Haojie said, appearing very optimistic and with a sense of magnanimity. He had already made up his mind.
"Then so be it. I hope you can appear before me with your sanity intact," Chang Jiany i said helplessly. Her brother had grown up, his wings had hardened, and it was no longer easy to scare or threaten him.