Shen Feng's side had about four thousand people, most of whom were voluntarily following him into battle. Looking at the low-lying city around them, they felt a pang of guilt. Because their group had a large appetite, they might even eat this city dry.
"How many people do you have here? Seeing how poor your city is, I'd guess you have about half a million people," Shen Feng asked Gong Changfa, who was beside him.
Gong Changfa smiled slightly and said, "Lord Fengshen, you've underestimated us. Our city currently has two million people. If you think Ice City is weak now, then you'll be disappointed."
"Your dilapidated houses can accommodate two million people? Don't try to fool me. I don't believe your tall tales!" Shen Feng immediately retorted.
"That's because you don't know our special circumstances, which is why you're saying that. In reality, Ice City can now be considered a semi-underground city. The low-lying houses you see on the surface are intentionally built that way. The real space is underground!" He Qiuan explained.
"A semi-underground city? Then I must broaden my horizons. I never expected you to build a city underground; that's quite rare!" Shen Feng couldn't help but exclaim at this moment.
Following this, Shen Feng and his group were led to an inconspicuous building. Inside this building, numerous elevators were in operation. The elevators had only about five or six buttons for the upper floors, but twenty to thirty buttons for the lower floors, indicating that the underground city space had at least thirty levels.
"We didn't want to build our city underground, but we were forced into it. Every autumn, mutated birds attack the city. We had no choice but to dig deeper and deeper underground, and eventually, we simply built the city underground. This allows us to store food and also to hide. Most birds can't get in," Gong Changfa explained.
"I'm more curious about how the two of you ended up working together. You were both out of contact for years, and many people assumed you were dead. But now you're not only alive and well but have also secretly built a new city. It's truly unexpected," Shen Feng asked with curiosity.
He Qiuan shook his head helplessly and said, "There was no other way. In the beginning, we were very weak, with only tens of thousands of people, many of whom were the old, weak, sick, and disabled. In such a situation, all we could do was bide our time. Later, we found this place, Ice City, and after five years, we finally achieved some success. Many of our relatives and friends were killed by mutated birds, and we constantly dream of revenge."
Shen Feng nodded and followed the two into the elevator. After entering the underground space, he was stunned. There was an enormous space underground. What appeared to be an inconspicuous city from the outside had a vast space beneath it. The underground was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
There were many elevators in the underground space. These elevators had glass exteriors, allowing one to see the outside clearly. Shen Feng could see elevators moving up and down. These elevators were the passages for people to go out. Many children were playing carefree underground, and of course, some children were taken to school for education.
"No wonder I didn't see many children before. So, all the children are hiding underground," Shen Feng thought to himself.
Suddenly, Shen Feng thought of a very serious question and quickly asked the two beside him, "This underground city is lit everywhere, so it must consume a lot of resources. Where does your energy come from?"
He Qiuan shrugged and said, "There are oil fields on Sakhalin Island, and it's quite close to Ice City. We found a way to connect a pipeline to extract oil from Sakhalin Island and transport it to Ice City for the city's use. After all, Sakhalin Island was once our territory, so it's not too much for us to extract some oil, is it?"
Shen Feng secretly nodded at this point. He finally understood why Ice City had so much energy. Whether it was for building the city or developing industry, oil had always been very important. These people had found oil by finding a way to get it from the islands to the east.
"Let's not worry about that for now. The Songnen Plain is nearby. We've accumulated a large amount of food over the years, so you should eat quickly. In any case, you won't lack food in Ice City," Gong Changfa said confidently.
After Shen Feng and his subordinates arrived underground, they were soon led into a bright hall. Many steel pillars were visible in this hall. To excavate space underground, these pillars were indispensable. Without these giant pillars for support, the underground area would be prone to collapse.
Then, people began to serve the dishes. As the steaming hot meals appeared before everyone, their eyes lit up, and they began to eat ravenously. Some even ate with their hands without regard for their image. Fortunately, they were not in Yuzhou. If hot pot had been served in Yuzhou, it would not have been so easy for them to eat with their hands.
Compared to the ravenous eating of his subordinates, Shen Feng's table manners were not much better, as Shen Feng himself was also eating heartily. Compared to the frequent hunger in the wilderness, having delicious food was a great enjoyment.
"Shen Feng, don't rush. You're a renowned figure. It's not appropriate to disregard your image at this time," Gong Changfa said with a smile.
Shen Feng explained to the two beside him while eating, "You don't understand how difficult our battles in the wild are. If we can find mutated birds to fight, it's fine; we roast them and eat them. But if we can't find mutated birds for several days, then we basically have no food. At that time, we eat whatever we can find. Especially in the northern regions, there are hungry people everywhere. We can't possibly snatch food from these people, can we? So, we've also developed a habit of quickly stuffing whatever edible thing we find into our mouths."
Upon hearing Shen Feng's words, He Qiuan began to shake his head. After a while, he said, "Shen Feng, actually, many of us admire you. The reason is simple: you can save people. Now, many forces in the world are trying to seize power and profit, and few people care about the lives of ordinary people. But you are willing to consider the welfare of the people, which is a remarkable thing in itself."
Shen Feng then said, "Don't flatter me. I regret it. I've been rushing around outside for five years. I thought I could change this world, or at least kill countless mutated birds. But now,呵呵, I've achieved nothing. After our reunion, we'll have to prepare to part ways."
He Qiuan quickly asked, "Why? As far as I can see, you haven't achieved nothing. Although many people online are scolding you for being sensational, many grassroots people support your actions. If you give up, won't you disappoint them?"
Shen Feng put down his chopsticks and said, "Because I've thought it through. What's the use of fame? Why don't I use the strength I've used to pursue fame to pursue happiness? My youngest daughter is already over five years old, and I've spent very little time with her. She'd rather be close to some aunts than approach me. My two sons are also gradually growing up, but I can't watch them grow. I can feel them distancing themselves from me. Why? It's because I chose the wrong path."
Shen Feng's words immediately silenced everyone. They indeed envied Shen Feng for gaining the praise of countless people. Many no longer considered Shen Feng just a hero; many worshipped Shen Feng as a savior. But only Shen Feng knew what he had lost. Chu Chaoyan had tried to stop him from doing irrational things before, but he ultimately hadn't listened!
Now, He Qiuan and Gong Changfa also understood that Shen Feng's immense fame and the respectful treatment he received wherever he went were entirely due to his efforts over the years. Without these arduous efforts, Shen Feng would probably just be a slightly powerful figure in others' minds.
"Shen Feng, we also know that you've paid a lot, but have you ever considered that if you give up this matter, many people will completely lose hope? Even though Ice City is an isolated place, countless people have heard of your name and consider you their hope. Can you really bear to let them down?" Gong Changfa asked.
"Don't try to morally blackmail me. I won't fall for that. In short, I've calculated it. In five years, we've only killed forty million mutated birds. Even if we spend another five years, we can't do any better. So, instead of facing painful torment later, it's better to be decisive and just give up," Shen Feng said irritably. He was no longer happy with a bowl of "chicken soup for the soul" offered by others.
"So, you're disheartened because the efficiency of killing mutated birds is too slow! We now have an effective way to kill mutated birds, and we're looking forward to your participation. How about it? Would you like to hear our revenge plan?" He Qiuan also understood Shen Feng's other reason. The reason Shen Feng intended to give up was the slow progress in killing mutated birds, which had disheartened him. However, if they could propose a better method, Shen Feng might reconsider.
Shen Feng was silent for a moment and asked, "What plan? Let me hear it."
Gong Changfa and He Qiuan exchanged glances, both understanding that Shen Feng's question indicated he hadn't completely given up. If he truly didn't want to kill mutated birds, he would have appeared uninterested at this moment. Shen Feng's current attitude showed he was still hesitant.
"Actually, there's a mushroom forest that appeared in the northeast. Although it's very large, it's definitely different from the mushroom forest you saw in Yunnan Province. This mushroom forest has no intelligence; it's simply mutated fungi. This fungus has a special ability: consuming it will cause mental derangement, and in larger doses, it will suppress the nervous system, causing animals to faint!" Gong Changfa explained, implying that he intended to use the mushroom forest to eliminate the mutated birds.