Strike the First Blow

by Tai Baiyang

  But even if that was the case, the evolving stock solution was still highly sought after by everyone because its effect was too good to be true. The flesh and blood essence from a mutated animal would be able to boost a human body numerous times.

  Therefore, after the first absorption, the person who was consuming it had to separate at least three portions to finish the rest successfully, even though a small part of energy would be wasted and lost over time.

  Zhang Mu's eyes were sparkling when he recalled the grand effect of this set of gourd. That was the precious item of the Ice Queen. He never expected that there would be a hidden history behind this as it turned out that this set of gourd had grown up in Jin Zhong city. But now that Zhang Mu knew its existence, then no one would be able to get it.

  Even though he had to wait until the third rank to use this set of gourd, but it would be a huge hidden card in Zhang Mu’s hand. Therefore, it was a treasure that he would not slip by.

  However, in Shan Xi city, Long Qi was not a fool. If he took advantage of the mayhem and stole the set of gourd, he would be suspicious. Therefore, Zhang Mu had to think carefully about the reports he had to give him, as well as his next move.

  He suspected that the old white fox did not know the specific effect of this set of gourd. If that was the case, then it was such a reckless waste of using this item.

  However, there was one more problem that Zhang Mu could not figure it out. The Obsidian Beetle said that it did not smell the rotten scent of the walking dead. Therefore, it means that the intellectual type of walking dead was not in the city. Did it hid in the walking dead herd and used the other walking dead as a cover? After all, this was its most vulnerable period.

  At this moment, Gu Quan had come around and looked at Zhang Mu, “Brother Zhang Mu, before Brother Shu left, he had drawn a map based on the memory of his emperor scorpion and handed it to me. I had combined the drawing with the interaction I had with General and completed a part of the map now. So I’ll leave the rest of the map to you.”

  After that, Gu Quan let his cat lean closer so that he could give a crumpled paper and a pen to Zhang Mu. The number and types of mutated animal had been listed on the paper already.

  Zhang Mu also started to draw on the paper, using various symbols like a solid triangle or a hollow circle, to mark on the map. He would then write the meaning of that symbol below.

  However, he had reserved parts of the details this time. He did not write all of the pieces of information that the Obsidian Beetle transmitted to him. He wrote the details a little scattered so that it was not obvious to notice that the east side was the easiest to break through.

  If there were proofs that he was wrong, Zhang Mu naturally had a way to deal with it. He would say that the matter regarding the golden python had caused some problem in his deployment.

  Nevertheless, Zhang Mu felt that after this incident, the old white fox would place a stricter demand for all the mutated animal to patrol every area. In that case, except for the core portion, the other sections should have a similar military strength. Therefore, Zhang Mu was not afraid that Long Qi would come after him.

  Now, the one who had the most trouble with Long Qi, was the woman with a deadly gray expression on the back of Gu Quan’s General.

  With her bearing the wrath from Long Qi, Zhang Mu would not have any conflict with Long Qi in that short period.

  Before they knew it, the group of four people had returned to the perimeter fortification of Shan Xi city. It seems that because the battle was getting closer, everyone started to become nervous. The scale of defense and the number of people had started to increase too. Even ordinary people have been recruited to defend the perimeter.

  Zhang Mu raised his head to look at the fortification and did not saw Li Hu’s figure. He turned his head to ask Gu Quan about this.

  However, that General which he sat on roared abruptly. It was as if a rumble of thunder had erupted. Slowly, the gate had opened.

  What? Even this could do the trick?

  Chapter 179: Long Qi’s ability

  Zhang Mu slowly entered the city. Right now, the entire town radiated a tense atmosphere. At first, the area from the wall to the residential area had been deserted for a long time. However, now, he could see evolvers getting ready to hunt outside of the city everywhere.

  Zhang Mu brushed aside all kinds of curious stares along the way as he rode on the back of the mutated wolfdog and went to the direction of the military camp together with Gu Quan. Unlike Zhang Mu, Gu Quan was extremely nervous that his heart was in his mouth. He did not know that this incident would cause such a scene, and he was unsure whether would it affect Long Qi’s plan.

  Those evolvers, who had followed him from the opening of the Cataclysm to the recovery of Shan Xi city, would know that even though Long Qi was an affectionate person and would treat his brothers well, but when it involved his core interest, he would transform into another person entirely.

  Gu Quan had no idea how he should respond to this. Although it had nothing to do with him, the matter would also involve him inevitably. Right now, he was gnashing his teeth in anger when he looked at Lin Hua.

  It’s fine if you dug yourself into a hole, but you even dragged your teammates down. At this time, I would rather have a god-like opponent instead.

  Frankly, if they pursued the matter, they would not blame on Lin Hua and her golden python. Usually, she was arrogant and had no respect for others. However, she would throw her heart to complete the task that Long Qi assigned to her.

  Despite that, the biggest problem fell on her golden python.

  Those chimpanzees were extremely disgusted with that stinky smell from that golden python. Even though the golden python had fled the moment the chimpanzees had discovered it, but its main evolution was towards strength. Therefore, its agility was about the same to those big and massive chimpanzees. As a result, the chimpanzees were chasing behind its tail closely.

  Since the chimpanzees were particularly sensitive to this scent, coupled with the fact that the golden python couldn’t run away from them, so the number of chimpanzee trailing the golden python kept increasing and increasing, until there were about dozens of chimpanzees pursuing the golden python desperately. Afterward, they had met the mutated wolfdog.

  After that series of event, the golden python which had a miserable fate, was left in Jin Zhong city with no corpse or bones left. And the most depressing point was, everyone was cursing it, including its owner that it was loyal to.

  Of course, no one knew the truth of this matter, so the golden python had to become the scapegoat quietly.

  Under Gu Quan’s eagerness, the group of people quickly reached the military camp. The guards recognized they were the group of people that Long Qi dismissed. Hence, they walked to the military camp unobstructed.

  Seeing that Gu Quan had leaped off his mount, Zhang Mu also leaped off from the back of the mutated wolfdog and followed him into the main tent with the muddleheaded Lin Hua.

  The main tent was enormous. Beside Long Qi who was dealing with the document, there were several civil servants counting the statistics in the tent. The papers on the table were piled up like a mountain, with numbers thickly dotted on the paper. And amongst these people, there was another person who kept exchanging the data that was just recorded and calculated.

  When Long Qi saw that Zhang Mu, Gu Quan and the rest had returned, he stopped the work on hand and watched them without speaking a word.

  When he saw Lin Hua’s bleary eyes and her disheveled hair, Long Qi felt that the plan might not carry out accordingly to his initial plan this time. Therefore, something must have gone wrong. He murmured but ensured that everyone who was working hard could hear him, “Stop all of your work first. Go out and rest for one hour. When you come back, I will tell you the newest data.”

  Those civilians wearing thick glasses seems to be awakened from their world abruptly as they slowly stood up. They could not defy Long Qi’s order, but
they seemed to be immersed in their calculation as they kept mumbling words on their mouth. They remained indifferent even when they saw Zhang Mu, a new face. Just like the air, they completely forgot the reason why Long Qi had allowed them to go out.

  This time, only the five of them were in the main tent, and the atmosphere quieted down instantly.

  Long Qi broke the silence first and looked at Gu Quan, “Say it. What happened exactly?”

  Jiang Shu had an unsociable and eccentric personality, so it was natural for Long Qi when he saw that he did not return together with Zhang Mu and the rest. Lin Hua’s current state did not look appropriate. Therefore, Long Qi could only ask Gu Quan, who had been with him the longest. He faintly felt that the matter was extremely critical this time.

  Even though Gu Quan was nervous, but facing Long Qi’s threatening stares, he could only answer him honestly.

  When Gu Quan told Long Qi about the entire matter, the whole tent seemed to turn colder. It was not those type of chill on the body, but it was the type of coldness that seeped into the soul. It was at this moment Zhang Mu finally grasp Long Qi's ability.

  It turned out that he was a second-ranked psychological evolver as well. In that case, he should have a similar strength like him, just that he did not know which path would Long Qi’s psychic ability be.

  Whether it was offensive, or just like Zhang Mu, a defensive ability, that would be difficult to pinpoint.

  Even though Zhang Mu’s psychic defense would not be subjected to Long Qi’s psychological pressure to a great extent, but now, Zhang Mu had exposed himself as a first-ranked tamer evolver. So he had to look like Gu Quan and Yuan Rui, with a painful expression on his face like he could not withstand Long Qi’s psychic power.

  Seeing that the four of them had shown such expression on their face, only then did Long Qi discovered that the psychological pressure that he released was a little strong. Straightaway, he retracted them back. When the other three people felt that the pressured was lighter, a relief expression showed on their face.

  Long Qi slowly responded, “So what you imply was Lin Hua’s golden python was eaten in Jin Zhong city, and it had caused an outbreak amongst all of the mutated animals in the city because it had injured a white fox’s eye?”

  When Zhang Mu saw that Long Qi had taken a glance at him, Zhang Mu pretended that he was overawed by Long Qi and said, “Yes. Just now what Gu Quan said, was what my mutated animal had reported to me. Lin Hua already admits that she had received the message that her golden python sent to her.”

  Long Qi’s gaze slowly shifted to Lin Hua, who was in a daze. His voice was accompanied by his psychic power, and it immediately woke up Lin Hua from the abyss, “Lin Hua, the matter that Gu Quan said earlier, was that true?”

  Only then did Lin Hua responded. In front of her eyes was the man whom she did not dare to face. At once, she could not utter any words at all. Her hands kept trembling as she explained while looking pale and powerless, “No. I have no idea what he was talking about.”

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