Chapter 113: The Future

It must be said that the devastation caused by this earthquake far exceeded Fang Xia’s expectations.

Along the way, many wild beasts that had been hiding were shaken out into the open. Seeing that almost none were unscathed, he simply tossed them all into his space.

"Brother Fang, look! These wild chickens are so tiny."

Fang Xia followed the direction of the voice. Beneath a meter-sized wild chicken, there were five normal-sized chicks hiding—clearly its brood.

"Don't kill them; take them back to raise."

Fang Xia quickly stopped the young woman who was about to strike. Bringing them back meant turning them into a renewable resource. If he kept harvesting other animal offspring, he could establish a farm in his territory, and then he would never have to worry about food again.

As for snakes, however, he would pass—they were too terrifying.

It was nearly dark by the time Fang Xia returned to the campsite with his group. The other teams had already returned, and they looked utterly bewildered when they saw Fang Xia’s entourage.

The two in the back were each clutching a pair of chickens? And the ones further back were leading two pigs? Their minds struggled to process the scene; it was as if their commander hadn't gone out on a mission, but had spent the day shopping at a local market.

"Have someone look after these. Make sure they don't run off; we're going to raise them all."

Fang Xia was already lost in a dream of two pigs becoming four, and four becoming eight. If he had known it would be this easy, he wouldn't have bothered hoarding so much food; he should have just stocked up on animal feed. But that was just a passing thought; pigs don't grow to maturity in a single day.

Night fell. The tents were set up in an orderly fashion, though not in the same spot as the previous night. That area had become far too uneven due to the earthquake, so they had found a flatter patch of ground.

Inside the tent, the little girl, feeling down, had gone to sleep early, and the others, having no mood for play, washed up briefly and retreated to their rooms.

Lying on the bed, Liu Rui nestled into Fang Xia’s arms. "Brother Fang, once we return to Dawn City, can we stop living such an exhausting life?"

Having seen the state of Dawn City today, Liu Rui suddenly wondered if they could just live happily there from now on. Although she had lost contact with her family, she still had Fang Xia and these friends. Since the apocalypse began, she had lived in constant fear, handling every task in the group herself. For the sake of a single airdrop crate, she had once led a dozen girls to draw their blades against hundreds of men. In truth, the reputation of the "Harem Group" in Dawn City had been carved out by Liu Rui and her people.

Fang Xia had done much as well, but his contributions were things ordinary people could not comprehend. If possible, Liu Rui just wanted to be a quiet, beautiful girl who read comics and kept Fang Xia company. Just like before the end of the world, her favorite thing had been staying in her dorm, reading books, and binge-watching shows.

Before Fang Xia could answer, Bai Xing, who was nearby, leaned over as well, looking at him with expectant eyes. At the end of the day, they were just young women in their early twenties, all victims of this cursed apocalypse.

"All right, let's take a break then," Fang Xia finally said, seeing their hopeful gazes.

But both women were perceptive. They exchanged glances, and Liu Rui spoke up. "Brother Fang, do whatever you need to do. We are all one now; as long as it's something you intend to do, we will support you unconditionally."

"Wait a while. Let’s focus on recuperating first. Once we are stronger, I want to go elsewhere." Fang Xia pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tore it open, and put one in his mouth. Bai Xing obediently produced a lighter and lit it for him.

"Go elsewhere? To another city?" Liu Rui hadn't realized Fang Xia harbored such thoughts. If White City could produce a Dawn City, other provincial capitals surely couldn't be much worse; the surviving humanity would eventually build cities for survivors.

"Yes, White City is still too small. I have a premonition that this apocalypse isn't as simple as it seems. If we just lie flat and wait, we will eventually be truly annihilated. I want to go to a larger city. The nearest one, Magic City, is only a few hundred kilometers away. At our current speed, we could reach it in a few days. There, the population is larger, the survivors will be more numerous, and information will travel faster."

Magic City—a super-tier city from before the apocalypse. Its population, including the transient population, was several times that of White City. Since his rebirth, Fang Xia had learned many things he hadn't known before and uncovered many secrets. He wanted to understand more, rather than waiting passively.

If there ever came a day when humanity faced extinction, he hoped he wouldn't be the one hiding in a house, waiting for some "tall figure" to hold up the sky for them. Instead, he wanted to be that tall figure, taking his destiny into his own hands.

The room fell into silence. Neither woman said a word; they simply held onto Fang Xia all the tighter.

A brand-new day dawned. Today, Fang Xia prepared to lead the girls back to Dawn City. Unsurprisingly, the city was still in chaos, everyone busy with rescue efforts. Due to the earthquake, many former roads were now impassable, which would require time and effort to resolve.

Fang Xia had to bring his people back; in his own territory, there were two groups totaling several tens of thousands of people, and he needed to keep a close watch on the situation at all times.

Leaving had been easy, but the return journey brought minor troubles. The original route had changed drastically, with roads frequently blocked, forcing them to detour or clear a path.

By the time they reached Dawn City, even with mental preparation, Fang Xia was still shocked. The roads were completely buried; corpses were everywhere, and some people had been buried alive, with only their upper bodies exposed. Two days ago, when he was leaving, Fang Xia had offhandedly mentioned some structural issues with the buildings. Well, now they had all collapsed; no need for repairs.

Few buildings remained standing; those that did were mostly wide, low-rise structures. It was a matter of luck—if you were unlucky, the earth had simply split right beneath you, leaving nothing behind. According to his experience from his past life, thirty percent of the population died in this disaster, though the mortality rate for combatants was significantly lower.

Fang Xia now understood that in the face of such natural disasters, there was no distinction between combatants and ordinary people; they were all just people, some perhaps slightly more capable of struggling than others. If your luck was bad, even a fourth-tier combatant could die just as easily. The reason fewer combatants died in his past life was simply because there were so few of them to begin with.

Fang Xia led his team toward his territory. Along the way, he saw crowds of disheveled people sitting on the ground everywhere, their faces filled with despair.