Upon receiving news of the Earth-Boring Giant Worm, Chen Feng wasted no time and headed straight to the destination.
He didn’t bring experts like Wei Xun, Zhang Jianxiong, because Order is no longer as before; prosperity will attract more scrutiny. Food, weapons, and population are all stacked in the camp, requiring guards to prevent giving enemies an opportunity.
Moreover, fighting an enemy the caliber of the Earth-Boring Giant Worm can’t be done by normal troops. An eight-meter body going berserk produces power akin to a derailed train. Subordinates facing such an enemy for the first time are likely to get crushed.
With more people, the chances of being discovered also increase. Chen Feng’s target this time entered the Bridge East area, and being spotted there would affect the hunting outcome.
"Bang... Bang..."
The Thunder Prison Dragon Lion ran across the ground, heading towards Bridge East.
Mount.
Meticulously cared for in Zhang Xueyuan’s hands, this proud beast, now ridden without dignity, carried Chen Feng on a frenzied ride.
One must admit, the Thunder Prison Dragon Lion was remarkably majestic. Its mane resembled lightning, each strand standing upright, its limbs were as strong as pillars, making thudding sounds as they stamped the ground, almost as if the ground might burst.
Surrounded by numerous monsters, but under the Thunder Prison Dragon Lion’s aura, they appeared timid and fearful, eager to avoid it, daring not provoke.
After some time of restoration in the Economic Development Zone, the number of bugs has decreased significantly, leaving only a few stragglers. As Skeleton Warriors kept converting them, they were doomed to die, ending up as dried meat hanging in front of houses.
Moreover, powerful monsters in the Economic Development Zone have long been slaughtered by Chen Feng; even Insect King-level creatures like Three-winged Demon Flies have been made into specimens for display in the camp.
However, the Economic Development Zone is an exception, while Bridge West’s situation is extremely dire in comparison.
According to Wang Feng’s account, during the calamity, a massive earthquake struck Bridge West, collapsing countless buildings. Survivors buried in the ruins numbered in the tens of thousands, so most survivors were located in Bridge East. Bridge West, once filled with towers and malls, has disappeared from view.
Now, Bridge West has become a bug’s paradise, truly a forbidden zone for humans.
The calamity not only altered the world’s structure and weather, but even changed the terrain, with rising sea levels submerging islands. Out of hundreds of millions living there, none survived, a true nation-ending event.
In some countries, volcanic eruptions are severe, accompanied by strong hurricanes and tornadoes. When wind meets magma, the city becomes like Hell, with modern towns of millions of people entirely consumed by fire. Not only corpses, but even ashes are scattered everywhere, leaving bones truly crushed to powder.
Even more, cities once standing on the ground have vanished completely, leaving nothing but a giant pit.
Dimensional Rifts.
Rifts possess unstable factors, these city-states might have experienced dimensional travel, entire cities torn away and arriving in other dimensions.
If they ended in a dimension-loving peace, those survivors might live stably, but descending into the Abyss or Bone Plain, filled with monsters, would instill fears akin to nightmares.
The apocalypse is like seawater, unending, and to avoid drifting aimlessly, one must possess formidable power that shocks all.
Rushing forth at full speed for half a day, until Chen Feng saw a bridge, commanding the Thunder Prison Dragon Lion to halt.
Half a day, covering dozens of miles; as strong as the Thunder Prison Dragon Lion is, it’s still flesh and needs a break before continuing.
Construction Bridge.
This is a city landmark, dividing the city into east and west, taking the bridge as the starting point.
This is just the edge of Bridge East; reaching the destination under smooth conditions requires another three to four days of travel.
However, the iconic city structure, supposedly costing billions to build, is now completely damaged, even the piers toppled onto the river.
This is a shortcut.
Crossing the bridge, moving forward along a loop road leads to the West Mountain Cemetery to track the Earth-Boring Giant Worm.
Yet now, the bridge has collapsed, meaning if Chen Feng wants to reach the cemetery, he must take the road traveled by Wang Feng. But if so, he’ll pass through Bridge East, crowded with people, likely to be discovered, detrimental to his plan.
When building this bridge, advanced seismic technology was used. The Economic Development Zone only experienced minor tremors; there’s no reason the bridge would be shook apart.
"Roar..."
While Chen Feng was pondering, the Thunder Prison Lion let out a roar, directing its body toward a corner of the river.
Following the gaze.
A corpse.
More accurately, a mutilated corpse.
This is a male body, only the lower half remains. After immersion, it’s severely decomposed, but surprisingly, the wounds aren’t cuts; they resemble bites, with fractures showing tooth marks.
The marks on the corpse are peculiar, not serrated like typical beasts, but blunt, resembling human teeth more than bugs or beasts.
However, the bite marks are large, each tooth print the size of a thumb; human incisors are typically larger, but never thumb-sized.
Chen Feng’s expression grew stern; this clearly isn’t a simple cannibalistic incident.
"Splash..."
Slapping sounds arose from the river, Chen Feng quickly calmed the Thunder Prison Lion, ordering it not to roar, and conceal its presence.
While Chen Feng hid in the shadows, quietly observing the still water surface.
Mutation is multi-faceted, not just terrestrial creatures but aquatic ones have also mutated; some fish exhibited atavistic traits, comparable to prehistoric beings, with fearsome power.
Could it be...
Some fish in the river mutated?
Yet motionless, Chen Feng hid beside, resembling a skilled hunter, patiently waiting for the prey to appear.
"Splash..." The familiar sound echoed again.
Chen Feng’s ears twitched, suddenly scanning the area where the sound emerged; an ugly, green-skinned creature with human features flickered on the water’s surface.
Though only for a moment.
But Chen Feng accurately identified the creature.
"Ogre!"
"And a water-dwelling ogre!"