After the doomsday, the Earth's air became much fresher. The zombie outbreak caused most factories to be abandoned, and the emissions of waste gases plummeted in a straight line. For a time, blue skies reappeared, looking as if they had been washed clean, spotless.
A large bird flew across the sky, but upon closer inspection, one could see that it was not a bird flying in the sky, but a person.
Zhang Jue, carrying the heavily injured Shen Feng and the unconscious Chu Chaoyan, flew towards Yanjing. He had originally intended to check if the zombies in the south were making any significant moves and, if possible, gather some information. However, he unexpectedly saw a plume of black smoke. Out of curiosity, he went to investigate the direction from which the smoke was rising and unexpectedly encountered Shen Feng.
Zhang Jue was also very curious why Shen Feng would appear south of Yanjing and in such a sorry state. Considering his combat strength, Shen Feng was at least among the top-ranked ability users, if not the absolute best. What kind of dangerous situation could have beaten him to this state?
Soon, Zhang Jue brought Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan to the hospital. Chu Chaoyan was quickly sent to the operating room for emergency treatment. Although Shen Feng was conscious, he was also severely injured and required treatment.
Shen Feng's most serious problem was his broken legs. After surgery to remove bone fragments, steel plates were inserted into his legs. After waking up from anesthesia, Shen Feng struggled to visit Chu Chaoyan, as he was most worried about any accident befalling her, which he could not accept.
However, Shen Feng learned from the doctor that Chu Chaoyan was still in the intensive care unit and her condition was not optimistic. She had not had any water for a full five days, resulting in severe dehydration. Her already weakened body had been hit by bone fragments. Although they did not hit any internal organs, it caused significant blood loss. Afterward, she fell into an underground river and was submerged in the icy water for nearly a day. After such an ordeal, it was a miracle that she was still alive.
The doctor finally said to Shen Feng, "Prepare yourself mentally. Miss Chu may not make it. She has lost too much blood and suffered too much from hypothermia. She could die at any moment."
Upon hearing the doctor's words, Shen Feng suddenly remembered the life-saving divine medicine he brought from Jiangyang and quickly said, "Doctor, I have a lot of evolution bases. Chaoyan is a third-tier ability user. If I let her take an evolution base, she will evolve! This way, all her injuries will heal. Is that possible?"
The doctor quickly shook his head and sternly told Shen Feng, "No! I am telling you responsibly, Miss Chu absolutely cannot take an evolution base now. Her body can't take it anymore! The healing of wounds after evolution you speak of is actually overdrawing her life force. In normal circumstances, using this method when injured is fine, but Miss Chu has not eaten or drunk water for a long time, and her glycogen and fat reserves are severely depleted. Her current body cannot last until the evolution is complete!"
"How can this be? How can this be? Why haven't I heard of this before?" Shen Feng was stunned. All along, he believed that evolution could solve all problems, so injuries didn't matter. Even in a near-death state, as long as evolution was successful, all injuries would be healed. But now, he learned that this was not possible, and he was completely bewildered.
The doctor sighed and explained, "Where in the world is there a panacea? Human evolution is also carried out on a certain foundation. The main energy storage substances in the human body are fat. During the time you two were underground, your bodies consumed a lot of glycogen first, and then fat was also consumed. Otherwise, you wouldn't have survived until now. Once there are no sufficient energy storage substances, evolution will only fail! Do you understand?"
The doctor's explanation was simple enough that even someone without a professional medical background could understand it. It meant that people with poor physical condition could not complete evolution because their bodies could not bear it. Chu Chaoyan happened to be in this state, her body severely overdrawn, and she could not endure the evolution any longer.
Shen Feng leaned against the wall, completely dumbfounded. He had thought that once they returned to Yanjing, Chu Chaoyan's life would be saved. He had thought that with the evolution base, Chu Chaoyan could evolve and then be revived. But now, it seemed that Chu Chaoyan was not as easy to wake up as he had imagined.
The doctor did not want to see Shen Feng so dejected, as these were important figures instructed by the higher-ups to be treated with care. He tried to comfort him, "Don't be too desperate. Ability users have strong vitality. If she can hold on for a while, there is still hope for her to wake up. Don't be too desperate."
Shen Feng sat blankly outside the intensive care unit room, beginning a long wait. He only hoped that Chu Chaoyan could wake up. When she did, he would say everything he wanted to say, not just the few simple, nonsensical words he uttered before falling into the abyss.
During this time, Xiao Sheng and Yang Chang came to visit Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan. However, Shen Feng was consumed by self-blame, blaming himself for not protecting Chu Chaoyan well enough, which led to her current state. At this moment, Shen Feng did not want to interact with anyone. No matter what others said, he refused to respond.
"If I were stronger, I could protect Chaoyan better!" Shen Feng thought to himself.
In the intensive care unit, Chu Chaoyan's breath remained weak. Her closed eyes had not opened again, and even her heartbeat was feeble. Her current situation was like a candle in the wind, capable of continuing to burn, but if a strong gust of wind blew, the candle would be extinguished instantly. The reason the candle was in this state was that its life was nearing its end.
The headquarters was surprised to hear that people had survived underground seventeen days after the zombie outbreak. They immediately paid attention. The longer one stayed underground, the more clues could be obtained. Once the zombie arrangements underground were known, there would be a greater chance of formulating a strategy. Therefore, they specifically instructed their subordinates to take good care of Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan.
There was still no decision on how to attack the zombies hiding underground, as everyone did not have a clear understanding of the underground situation. Even Yue Hengyi and Qin Kewei only knew that there was a second layer of space underground and knew little else.
However, when the headquarters sent people to inquire about the underground situation from Shen Feng, Shen Feng remained silent, merely guarding outside the ward blankly. Whether it was day or night, he sat outside, eating and sleeping, but never communicating with anyone.
Fortunately, Lu Xian stayed at the hospital and dealt with the people from headquarters. After much persuasion, he managed to get them to leave, but the headquarters people were persistent and insisted that Shen Feng reveal the situation in the underground tunnels as soon as possible, inquiring daily.
Finally, Shen Feng said to headquarters, "When Chu Chaoyan wakes up, I will tell you whatever you want to know. Until then, do not ask me anything. Since the zombies are hiding underground, headquarters cannot solve the problem. You should honestly wait until spring."
Shen Feng also knew that war was the most important thing. If victory could not be achieved, then at the smallest level, the ten million people in Yanjing would be threatened by zombies. At the largest level, reclaiming the zombie-occupied areas nationwide would be a joke. Therefore, this war must be won. However, he was not in the mood to talk about it; he just wanted to wait for Chu Chaoyan to wake up.
Chu Chaoyan's body was incredibly weak, to the point of exhaustion. In this situation, her life was maintained solely by daily infusions. Glucose solution was injected into Chu Chaoyan's body every day. After a week, color finally appeared on Chu Chaoyan's face, and her condition gradually stabilized.
The doctors discovered this situation and could not help but marvel at the resilience of ability users. It was a miracle that she could survive after losing so much blood and suffering from prolonged hypothermia. Now that her condition was stable, as long as they waited, Chu Chaoyan would wake up.
Three days later, Chu Chaoyan finally woke up. She opened her confused eyes but could only see a white ceiling. She frowned and tried to recall, but she couldn't remember why she was here. She turned her head to look around and found that she was surrounded by sophisticated instruments, and the electrocardiograph was emitting a steady beeping sound. It seemed she was in a hospital.
Soon, the news of Chu Chaoyan's awakening was discovered by the doctors, who immediately notified Shen Feng. Shen Feng quickly hobbled over to the bedside with crutches to check on her. Chu Chaoyan smiled at Shen Feng and said, "It seems you saved me. Thank you for your hard work!"
Looking at Shen Feng's familiar face, Chu Chaoyan also smiled. She had thought that after falling into the abyss with Shen Feng, there would be no hope of survival. But after waking up and suddenly finding herself in a hospital, she knew that Shen Feng must have saved her.
Seeing Chu Chaoyan awake, Shen Feng nodded emotionally. He recalled the fifteen days he spent with Chu Chaoyan underground. Without her companionship, he might not have been able to endure it, especially since Chu Chaoyan had given him all the water, which was something he would never forget. Now that Chu Chaoyan had woken up and her condition was stabilizing, Shen Feng finally felt at ease.
"Chaoyan, you rest well in the hospital. I will visit you often!" Shen Feng said to Chu Chaoyan.
Chu Chaoyan was slightly taken aback by Shen Feng's words and asked, "Where are you going?"
Chu Chaoyan actually hoped that Shen Feng would stay by her side. When one needs care, everyone hopes that the person they like will be by their side; that is the greatest comfort.
Hatred flickered in Shen Feng's eyes. The reason he and Chu Chaoyan were pushed into a desperate situation was the Corpse King! If they hadn't coincidentally encountered the underground river, they would have already died. This debt must be repaid, no matter what means were used.
"I am going to seek revenge! I will take an evolution base and become a fifth-tier ability user. I will gain greater power, and then... I will kill all these zombies!" Shen Feng said with a chilling tone.
Chu Chaoyan pursed her lips, unable to say any words of persuasion. She couldn't stop Shen Feng from doing this because she knew very well that she couldn't prevent him from doing such a dangerous thing. A man's dignity is most important, and underground, the Corpse King had trampled Shen Feng's dignity to nothing. If Shen Feng was unwilling to seek revenge, wouldn't his bones be broken?
"Then take care of yourself and don't encounter any danger!" Chu Chaoyan said reluctantly.
As Shen Feng's woman, Chu Chaoyan could only support him in doing this. Although it was dangerous, she couldn't stop him.
Shen Feng nodded and left the ward. He was still leaning on two crutches; broken bones don't heal easily. However, Shen Feng intended to take an evolution base to complete his evolution. He believed that after becoming a fifth-tier ability user, his strength would advance by leaps and bounds.
However, before that, the headquarters still needed Shen Feng's answer, and according to his answer, they would grant certain rewards.
Shen Feng did not hide anything and directly stated, "There are three levels of hiding places for the zombies underground. The first level is basically tunnels, more like a maze. The number of zombies on this level is not large; they are all ordinary zombies, mostly pawns. The second level has wider passages and many rooms, like an ant's nest. These rooms either store supplies or food. This is also the main force of the zombies, with a large number of both ordinary and mutated zombies. The third level is also vast, but it is inhabited only by the Corpse King and mutated zombies, and very powerful mutated zombies. This is the most difficult place to enter!"
"There's a third level underground? No wonder we couldn't find the Corpse King!" The headquarters personnel were surprised, not expecting the zombies to have a third level as a hiding place.
Previously, Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi had stayed underground for ten days, during which they had mostly searched the second level for the Corpse King but could not find it. After analysis, the headquarters believed that the second level was too vast, which was why the two had been slow to find the Corpse King's hiding place. But now, it seemed the Corpse King was hiding on the third level.
At this moment, Shen Feng suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Speaking of which, you'd better search the caves on the mountain cliffs in the Taihang Mountains to the west. With so many levels underground, the reason for not lacking fresh air is because there are caves on the mountain walls acting as ventilation shafts!"
"I understand. This information is most valuable. We will immediately send helicopters to search for ventilation shafts. Speaking of which, since it's like this on the west side of the city, the Yanshan Mountains to the north must be the same. The east and south of the city are plains, so it's hard to say." The headquarters personnel immediately reacted and returned to headquarters with this important information.
Lu Xian then asked Shen Feng, "City Lord, where are you going? Back to the base? Or find a room to recuperate?"
"I need to find a quiet place to prepare for my fifth evolution. I want to gain even greater power, enough to defeat any target. Otherwise, if such a situation occurs again, I will still be crushed. I want to possess the strongest strength so that no one can force me into a desperate situation again!" Shen Feng said with resolute eyes, stating his goal.