Chapter 471: Chapter 435: Base
After Zheng Xuan and Ma Jun’s teams secured the quarry, they gathered the remaining stone miners together. Some who had previously escaped into the woods and were rescued by Zheng Xuan and his group were now following them back down the mountain.
Looking at the situation now, some of the escaped stone miners chose to go home down the mountain, while others returned to the quarry. Almost none went toward Bright Moon Mountain.
After all, from their perspective, there’s nothing over at Bright Moon Mountain. If they go there, they’ll face hunger and cold with only a dead end ahead. It’s better to follow Zheng Xuan and his group back to the quarry; maybe there’s a chance of survival. In the worst case, they might end up becoming bandits.
As night approached, Zheng Xuan directed the stone miners and captured soldiers to move the surrounding corpses to one place and burn them on the spot. After finishing these tasks, he let everyone have a good meal and sleep at the quarry for the night.
Tomorrow morning, they would distribute the quarry’s leftover food, leaving the choice to stay or leave to each individual.
Including the captured soldiers, after discussing with Ma Jun, Zheng Xuan decided to release them, allowing them to report to the local county government that the quarry had been raided by bandits.
Afterward, Zheng Xuan and his team planned to temporarily defend the quarry and wait for the soldiers to come for a crackdown.
Being few in number yet highly mobile, they could completely outmaneuver the enemy by retreating when the enemy advances and attacking when the enemy retreats. They just needed to distract the local government here for a month to buy more time for Bright Moon Mountain.
Even if the local county government informed the Evil Suppression Bureau, as long as Ghost Level Yin Walkers weren’t dispatched, Zheng Xuan and his group wouldn’t be afraid.
...
At that time, beneath the cliff at the back of Bright Moon Mountain.
A massive octagonal birdcage-like building was undergoing final top construction, surrounded by many smaller birdcage-shaped structures that were already completed.
Within these buildings, generators were roaring, supplying electricity and illuminating the entire construction site brightly.
Workers from modern times were working around the clock in shifts, toiling passionately. Various engineering vehicles were bustling around the site, transforming the once barren woodland into the prototype of a modern steel city.
As dusk fell, the canteen’s meal whistle sounded, prompting workers to switch off engines, joyously chat, and take their utensils to the canteen for dinner.
In the distant land, scarlet mist wafted with the night wind, accompanied by eerie ghostly cries, urging workers to quicken their pace back indoors.
"Little Chan, are you going on patrol again?"
"Yes, it’s Xia Chan’s shift now!"
As the vice-captain of the Guard Team, Xia Chan, having eaten her fill, walked out of the construction site canteen. She called out to Xuan Yu, found the bicycle her sister had specially prepared for her in the shed, and rode it leisurely.
Ding ding~
She rang the bicycle bell, and Xuan Yu jumped onto the back seat, curling up to lick its paws.
Xia Chan’s task was night patrol. The bloody mist at Qinzhou’s edge was slowly retreating towards the center of Qinzhou, but very slowly. These mists were still highly damaging to ordinary people and easily attracted Evil Spirits.
However, Xia Chan could enhance her abilities by absorbing these mists, so every evening after eating, she’d go to different places on the site to ’eat Qi’, absorbing thicker mist patches, gradually consuming all the mist within thirty miles, greatly reducing the burden on other guard teams.
After spending time in the Deceit Dynasty, and frequently fed various herbs by Qiao Ling, Xuan Yu not only grew considerably larger, but could also easily deal with Evil Spirits below the Ghost Level, shredding them with one swipe.
With Xia Chan and Xuan Yu patrolling the construction site’s perimeter at night, no disturbances ever occurred.
When feeling bored, Xia Chan would use her hair to uproot nearby dead trees, boost her abilities, and unintentionally assist the workers tasked with logging.
Xia Chan patrolled along a fixed route, while Xuan Yu leapt onto the top of a nearby birdcage building to gaze ahead.
In just a few months, changes here were astonishing.
All buildings had octagonal birdcage designs. Xia Chan heard from the architects that this combines the architectural characteristics of Eight Diagram City with some cage principles. The finished buildings not only effectively fend off Evil Spirits but also support regular electricity and internet use.
The site was temporarily divided into four major areas, centered around the largest birdcage building, which would become the future research institute and office building.
The northeast, southwest, and northwest areas were designated as living, production, energy, and military sectors respectively.
The living sector featured staggered high and low-rise buildings, accommodating at least twenty thousand people, rivaling the size of the erstwhile Wangshan City, with better living conditions.
The production sector, being the largest area, was situated near the river on the western side, with plans for future expansion. It included farm zones, livestock areas, and industrial production zones Xia Chan didn’t quite understand.
The energy sector was in the most remote location, with numerous low hills complicating the terrain. Xia Chan heard that some mineral deposits and new energy sources were discovered there, though the thick-lensed researchers were still investigating specifics.
Xia Chan found the enormous wind turbines under construction in the energy sector most amusing. When spinning, they produced a loud roar and reportedly generated electricity too.
The military zone was where Xia Chan, Guard Team, and mobile unit members currently resided. Xia Chan felt they were overly rigid, doing nothing but constant patrols and training; it was dreadfully dull.
Arriving at the base’s perimeter wall, Xuan Yu leapt from the bicycle’s rear seat and directly vaulted over the two-meter-high wall, while Xia Chan parked the bicycle, unlocked the large iron gate before exiting.
Outside the iron gate wasn’t a dead wood forest but a long-abandoned farmland. Standing in the higher farmland, Xia Chan could see under the low hills, a small village enveloped in faint bloody mist.
Though pitch dark, the village had several eerily glowing pale lanterns, combined with the calls of night owls, creating a dread-inducing atmosphere.
Summer memories recalled Xia Chan and her sister, along with Qiao Ling, once descending the mountain to rest in that village.
At that time, Xia Chan followed Qiao Ling to treat the village elders. Despite having no food themselves, they still secretly stuffed black bread buns to Xia Chan.
Reflecting on this and observing the village’s desolate and lifeless state, Xia Chan felt a sudden melancholy.
"When will sister return, after all?"
Meow~
Xuan Yu comfortingly rubbed its head against Xia Chan’s feet.
Xia Chan wiped her eyes, "Little Chan feels her hair is about to be full. Aunt Qiao said, when Little Chan feels full, Little Chan will become powerful and needs to find a secluded spot to sleep without affecting others. Tonight, let’s go to that village."
Meow!
Xuan Yu nodded in agreement, as the person and cat crossed the abandoned farmland toward the village.
Over recent times, Xia Chan absorbed significant power from the bloody mist. As these forces integrated, her hair gradually turned red in bunches, with red now covering most with only a few black strands remaining.
Qiao Ling once reviewed Xia Chan, predicting once her hair is entirely red, she’d reach the fifth layer of strength. And due to the special nature of these mists, Xia Chan’s physique would uniquely change too.
The specifics will, of course, only be revealed after her complete transformation.
