"With the emergence of a large number of zombies and the mixing of humans and the undead, various geological disasters and extreme weather phenomena that defy common sense followed,"
"One moment it's a vast plain, the next it could be an earthquake opening up a huge pit... Supervolcano eruptions... Lightning strikes from a clear sky... Snow in June... Heatwaves that can bake a person to a crisp... Less than three kilometers apart, one place experiences summer, the other winter... It's become incredibly difficult to achieve a good harvest when planting crops..."
"Of course, this isn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying is the emergence of various powerful monsters, never heard of before, from unknown origins..."
"In just a few short years, over 80% of humanity perished... Those who survived rarely spoke of the Cataclysm, for it was too despairing... Perhaps their hearts had already died within them..."
"Naturally, they didn't have the time to discuss it, as they were all busy trying to survive... For the vast majority, life itself had become a luxury..."
"The 'Beacon of Creation' is said to have existed for thousands of years, but during the Old World, it was only known within a small, mysterious circle."
"After the Cataclysm, it began to be widely rumored, encouraging explorers to seek it out... They said it could change this world of disaster..."
Liu Laotou, in a rare display, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, exhaling a long plume of smoke, as if to calm his nerves.
"This..."
Lín and Lei Jian were stunned.
Although they didn't understand some of Liu Laotou's words, such as bank cards, passbooks, and financial systems, they grasped the general meaning...
Neither of them had ever heard such a detailed account of the Cataclysm in their lives.
As Liu Laotou had just said, most of their time had been spent learning how to survive in this world, how to grow stronger, and how to kill monsters... Lín had heard some things from her history teacher... but nothing this specific...
"Hoo~"
Ye Feng also let out a quiet sigh.
He had been in this world for quite some time, but this was the first time he had heard someone speak so comprehensively about the early days of the Cataclysm.
To be honest, what Liu Laotou had just said had truly shaken him...
Of course, Ye Feng also felt a trace of happiness.
Because he was now almost certain that this was the place from which supplies were transported via cable car to the supply stations and airdropped.
"By the way, Lei Jian, why did you keep reaching your hand to the ground at intervals just now?"
Suddenly, Ye Feng turned his head and looked at Lei Jian with a hint of confusion.
Lei Jian glanced at Liu Laotou, and after receiving a nod, he spoke, "I was searching for the Eternal Ice!"
"The arcane energy I command is of the earth attribute. Unlike the typical earth attribute used for offense and defense, my strength lies in perception!"
"My arcane energy can penetrate soil and rock to sense other elemental arcane energies, making it perfect for prospecting for arcane ore... "
"The Eternal Ice is, in essence, a special existence of arcane energy! If the distance is right, I should be able to sense it!"
Lei Jian explained quickly to Ye Feng.
"A special existence of arcane energy?"
Ye Feng frowned, somewhat confused.
"It's ice-attribute arcane energy!"
Lín chimed in, "Normally, ice-attribute arcane energy is extremely cold and can easily cause harm upon contact. But the Eternal Ice is different. Although it's incredibly cold, it won't melt even in magma, yet the ice-attribute arcane energy it emits is very gentle, and has miraculous effects on certain kinds of injuries!"
"I see~"
With Lín's explanation, Ye Feng finally understood.
"Are you guys going to keep searching around here? I plan to go to the energy tower in the city center to see what's going on~"
Ye Feng had observed through his telescope that the tallest energy tower in the center periodically flashed with electricity, and sections of cable cars were rapidly moving towards the distance, presumably transporting supplies to those supply stations.
"Clang~!"
Before Lín and the others could answer, a large iron gate next to them, dilapidated from disrepair, fell to the ground.
"Cough, cough, hack... Roar~"
A horde of zombies surged out, charging directly at Ye Feng and his companions.
Ye Feng's hand flashed with light, and gripping his Tang dao, he charged forward.
"Sizzle~ Poof! Bang~ Cough, cough~ Sizzle..."
After a series of rapid sounds, all ten or so zombies fell to the ground.
"The clothing on these zombies... is the same as the ones that fell from the sky we saw earlier,"
Xiaoxiao observed with a hint of surprise after a brief examination.
"Initially, the cable car compartments might have contained supplies, but something must have happened later..."
As he spoke, Ye Feng looked again towards the city center, at the tallest energy tower. At that moment, another compartment zipped through the air...
"Lín, Lei Jian, let's go take a look together!"
After much consideration, Liu Laotou decided to accompany Ye Feng.
...
Almost simultaneously,
Somewhere in Ice City,
A middle-aged man with large black-rimmed glasses, holding a vial of potion and shaking it, walked slowly through a passage filled with red light and steaming heat.
Following behind the middle-aged man was an unusually tall, bare-chested man, his body covered in muscles and dotted with various surgical scars.
The scarred, muscular man was also carrying someone whose facial features were bizarrely deformed, and whose gender was indistinguishable, the person being Snow Ghost himself.
"Dr. C, I never expected it to be this hot beneath the icy, snowy Ice City!"
The scarred, muscular man wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice filled with surprise.
"This Ice City was deliberately built on top of a volcano, likely to utilize the heat from below to ward off the extreme cold!"
Dr. C, however, found this quite normal.
"Dr. C, speaking of which, Snow Ghost hasn't woken up since he coughed up blood and passed out yesterday. Is he really alright?"
After a pause, the scarred, muscular man spoke again.
"No need to worry about Xu Shunming, that imbecile pervert. He condensed his spiritual body outside and suffered an attack. He'll probably be a fool even if he wakes up!"
At this moment, a displeased voice came from a pool of water on the ground.
Dr. C and the scarred, muscular man both turned their heads to look at the pool of water. If an outsider were present, they would surely be astonished, for that pool of water possessed a nose, eyes, and a mouth...
"Hey, Kellegi, is there really anything in this godforsaken place that can help your research? Here... T..."
At this point, the pool of water spoke.
Dr. C stopped walking. "Don't underestimate this place. This was one of the first planned shelter locations, and there's the Eternal Ice..."
"And my name is Crazy. If you're going to call me, get it right!"
With that, Kellegi continued walking on his own, showing no concern for the pool of water's earlier reluctance to move.
"Damn it!"
Watching Kellegi's retreating back, the pool of water condensed upwards, eventually forming a person who cursed and followed.
...
On the other side,
Ye Feng and his group had already entered the energy tower at the very center of Ice City.
...