Under the cover of night, Shen Feng carried Chu Zhaoyan into Yuzhou. Half of the city's main urban area had been reclaimed, and fifty thousand sanitation workers were diligently cleaning the city daily. However, it would still take another half a month to completely clear it.
Shen Feng brought Chu Zhaoyan to the agreed-upon office building. Zhou Xiaoxiao and Yang Chang, as usual, handed over the documents to Shen Feng. Some were intelligence reports on Yuzhou, while others were reports sent by Chang Jianyi from Jiangyang. Jiangyang's laboratory had been continuously organizing the data Shen Feng brought back, extracting much useful information.
"We have to speed things up, otherwise, headquarters will definitely have opinions," Shen Feng said helplessly.
Hearing this, Chu Zhaoyan said indifferently, "I can only release poison gas to kill rats, but when it comes to clearing pollutants and cleaning, I'm afraid I can't help. You should know this better than I do, right?"
Shen Feng rubbed his forehead in frustration. "But we only have this much manpower. Yuzhou was originally a megacity with millions of people. It's too difficult to take it over quickly!"
Zhou Xiaoxiao quickly encouraged Shen Feng, "City Lord, don't be discouraged. As long as we can secure Yuzhou, then we will truly be like dragons swimming in the sea or tigers returning to the mountains. Just hold on a little longer. Once Yuzhou is ours, everything will be fine. Besides, headquarters is currently focused on the defense of Yanjing and doesn't have time to bother with us."
Shen Feng nodded and said to Chu Zhaoyan, "Now, you go release the poison gas quickly. We need to head back before dawn."
Currently, headquarters could not contact Shen Feng. His excuse was that he was pursuing mutated crocodiles, especially the forty-meter-long Crocodile King. Headquarters wouldn't let Shen Feng ignore the malevolent mutated beasts, so they had to allow Shen Feng's actions. However, if Shen Feng were discovered in Yuzhou, it would mean he was lying, and headquarters would have leverage over him.
This was the importance of legitimate action. Hunting mutated beasts was a perfectly normal reason, and even headquarters couldn't object. As for when the hunt would be successfully completed, that was not something headquarters could dictate.
Therefore, Shen Feng had been avoiding appearing in front of others. Apart from a few key individuals, no one knew Shen Feng's whereabouts. Shen Feng hadn't brought any electronic devices, which prevented him from being tracked by satellites. This gave Shen Feng ample time to wait until the main urban area of Yuzhou was reclaimed before heading to Yanjing.
The strategy of delaying was very necessary. It was clear that Tu Xuhuai had spent a lot of time within the system; he knew how to deal with superiors. One had to be proactive when necessary, but when it was time to drag things out, one must drag them out.
Chu Zhaoyan walked through the streets towards the area to be reclaimed tomorrow, carrying a basin of saline solution and standing next to an open sewer.
Rats loved to hide underground. Because they were weak, they learned to be nocturnal. In cities, especially in sewers, there were many rats, as they were rarely cleaned. Unfortunately, these rats had encountered Chu Zhaoyan. Poison gas was all-pervasive, especially chlorine gas, which was heavier than air. Once it entered the sewer, it would settle at the bottom and would not dissipate quickly. For the rats to survive, they had to leave the sewers, and the rats that left the sewers were then dealt with one by one.
Chu Zhaoyan squatted down and released poison gas into the sewer, muttering to herself, "If all the creatures on Earth keep mutating, will we ever return to a peaceful life? If we have to spend every day in battle, wouldn't that be too tragic?"
Chu Zhaoyan still dreamed of a peaceful life, after which she could publish her works. A writer who had experienced the apocalypse would surely produce best-selling books. However, Chu Zhaoyan also worried. If peace never returned, wouldn't she lose this opportunity?
Thinking of this, Chu Zhaoyan's mood soured. The outbreak of the zombie virus directly led to humanity's crisis with zombies, followed by countless biological mutations, which had drastically changed the world.
"I won't think about this anymore. I should focus on my work. I should try to get two hours of sleep later," Chu Zhaoyan finally gave up thinking and began to work diligently.
At this moment, Qiu Li had also stealthily entered the unreclaimed streets of Yuzhou, holding a bag of cornmeal. As he moved forward, Qiu Li kept observing his surroundings. For him, relieving his inner turmoil was the most important thing, but it would be bad if he were discovered by patrolling soldiers.
Qiu Li walked sneakily through the streets, hidden by the darkness, and was not discovered by anyone. His eyes scanned his surroundings, hoping to spot his target for the night. He muttered softly as he walked, "Life is short, enjoy it while you can."
However, Qiu Li walked for a long time on the empty streets without finding the woman who was said to be standing by the roadside. He couldn't help but wonder, "Could I have been tricked? Is Li Chao lying to me for candy? Or perhaps I'm in the wrong place?"
Qiu Li patiently walked along the street and finally saw a woman on a secluded street. The woman was squatting down, doing something. Qiu Li finally felt relieved, thinking, "It seems I was just too impatient. I found her after walking a little further!"
Thus, Qiu Li immediately walked over, his footsteps growing more urgent.
Chu Zhaoyan heard the hurried footsteps behind her and quickly turned around. She saw a strange man appear before her and couldn't help but knit her brows. "What are you doing here? Why are you here so late at night? Are you up to no good?"
Leaving the camp in Yuzhou was not allowed at night. Chu Zhaoyan felt something was wrong about seeing a strange man in the middle of the night. Wasn't it forbidden to go out casually at night? Why was he here now?
Qiu Li glanced around and saw that no one else was there. A fawning smile appeared on his face. "Stop pretending! You know very well why we're both here. Hurry up and do it, don't waste time. I have to work tomorrow."
"Do what?" Chu Zhaoyan asked, confused.
Qiu Li ostentatiously took out the cornmeal he was carrying. "What do you think? I've heard all about it. In your line of work, there's always an exchange of benefits, so look! I have five catties of cornmeal here. That should be enough! Hurry, hurry, let's get down to business!"
As he spoke, Qiu Li reached out his hand towards Chu Zhaoyan while starting to unbuckle his belt with the other.
Chu Zhaoyan took two steps back, her eyes turning cold. "I advise you to leave. You've got the wrong person. If you persist, I won't be polite!"
"Oh, oh, oh, don't be so heartless. We're all just trying to get by, don't be so picky. Besides, I'm a young man in my twenties, and I'm not bad-looking. Even if I don't suit your taste, you can bear with it for now. Don't worry, after tonight, we'll be strangers!" Qiu Li did not back down after Chu Zhaoyan's words; instead, he seemed to become more emboldened by resistance.
Chu Zhaoyan could no longer tolerate it. She was diligently working, and now someone dared to flirt with her and mistake her for a prostitute. It was utterly despicable. How could such a person exist in this world?
With that thought, Chu Zhaoyan wasted no more words. She stepped forward and delivered a groin kick. As a third-tier esper, her full-force attack immediately inflicted massive damage on Qiu Li.
"Ah..." Qiu Li did not expect that a simple act of unbuckling his pants would elicit such a strong reaction from the other party, so he took the blow squarely, with no chance to dodge. His piercing scream echoed through the city streets, startling countless mutated rats. Perhaps the rats had never heard such a tragic cry, so they fled in all directions.
Qiu Li felt the most intense pain of his life surge into his brain, as if a piece of flesh in his lower body no longer belonged to him. Continuous screams erupted from his mouth. Even the most seasoned individuals had never felt such agony and sorrow. Tears streamed from his eyes, and endless grief washed over him.
Seeing the fallen man wailing so miserably, Chu Zhaoyan felt a sense of triumph. Such an oblivious fellow deserved a harsh lesson.
However, Chu Zhaoyan soon noticed something else was wrong. The fallen man had not stopped wailing; his cries were becoming even more piercing. Chu Zhaoyan felt a little guilty and said to Qiu Li, "You brought this upon yourself. I already warned you. Don't come looking for trouble with me in the future!"
Just then, Shen Feng, with Yang Chang, rushed over from a distance. When Shen Feng heard the tragic screams from this direction, he worried that Chu Zhaoyan was in danger and immediately rushed over. Shen Feng used "As the Wind Follows," instantly transforming into a black shadow. In just over ten seconds, he arrived at the scene.
"What's going on? Have enemies appeared?" Shen Feng asked urgently upon arriving.
"Yes, we caught a pervert. It's this guy, he tried to assault me," Chu Zhaoyan pointed at the man on the ground, her face still showing a lingering fear.
Hearing this answer, Shen Feng breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head helplessly. "I thought you were in danger. Speaking of which, why is he screaming so miserably?"
Chu Zhaoyan blushed and said, "He wanted to take off his pants and act lewdly, so I kicked him. That's why... he's like this!"
Shen Feng and Yang Chang heard this answer and looked closely, only to see Qiu Li rolling on the ground, clutching his groin with both hands, clearly in extreme pain. Seeing this scene, Shen Feng and Yang Chang's expressions became a little awkward. The legendary "chicken flying and eggs broken" must be like this!
Shen Feng instructed Yang Chang, "That's enough. Find someone to take him to the infirmary. As for his future, that's uncertain. If he's truly a pervert, cut off one of his hands. If it was a misunderstanding, Chu Zhaoyan, you handle it yourself."
Chu Zhaoyan was very displeased and couldn't help but retort, "There's no misunderstanding. Besides, I already told him to leave, and he still tried to assault me. This is self-protection, isn't it?"
Seeing that Chu Zhaoyan was not in danger, Shen Feng felt relieved and turned to go back to review the documents. But at that moment, "crack, crack" sounds came from the darkness. Shen Feng heard these sounds and immediately felt that something was wrong.
"Clap, clap, clap..." A young man in plain clothes slowly emerged from the darkness, still clapping his hands. As he clapped, he said with a cold sneer, "Wonderful, wonderful! You've shown me a good show. The person who was supposed to be hunting mutated crocodiles in the forest is now beating up civilians in Yuzhou. Truly spectacular, I can't stand watching!"
Seeing the person who appeared before him, Shen Feng was greatly shocked. He never expected Ke Yiming to appear in Yuzhou. Moreover, looking closely at the digital camera he was carrying, it indicated that the scene just now had been recorded by him, meaning his location had been exposed!
"Speak up, why aren't you talking?" Ke Yiming asked with a smile.
Shen Feng's eyes darted around, and he said, "Hello, you might have mistaken me for someone else. We've never met before, and I don't understand what you're saying at all."
"Shen Feng, are you still pretending to be foolish? Don't think you can escape by pretending not to know me!" Ke Yiming directly exposed Shen Feng's little trick.
Shen Feng continued to pretend and replied, "You've really mistaken me for someone else. My name is Li Chao! Is the Shen Feng you're talking about very similar to me?"
"What a coincidence. My alias in Yuzhou is also Li Chao. This is truly like Li Kui meeting Li Gui!" Ke Yiming sneered.
"So you're also called Li Chao? That's quite a coincidence. There are too many people with this name, anyone could get confused, right?" Shen Feng continued to play dumb.
Seeing that Shen Feng refused to admit it, Ke Yiming pressed on, "Weren't you hunting mutated crocodiles outside? Why are you here now? Answer honestly, are you deceiving headquarters? Are you fooling us?"
Shen Feng still didn't admit he was Shen Feng. Instead, he turned to Yang Chang and said, "Minister, everything is fine here. I'll continue patrolling. If there's anything else, just call me by the name Li Chao, and I'll come to handle it anytime."
"You're still pretending! I've recorded the scene where you used your abilities just now. Besides you, who else in Yuzhou uses the wind ability?" Ke Yiming was exasperated. He didn't expect Shen Feng to still refuse to tell the truth in such a situation and was still putting on an act!
However, Ke Yiming was confident. He had the camera, and Shen Feng's every move just now had been recorded. This was evidence, and Shen Feng had no choice but to comply.
At this moment, seeing that he couldn't bluff his way through, Shen Feng could only shake his head helplessly. "Alright, alright, I admit I am Shen Feng, okay! To be honest, I never expected you to show up in Yuzhou. I've been caught this time!"