Chapter Forty-Two: Departure! Southern Base

As his strength gradually increased and his understanding of martial arts deepened, Ma Yi found himself ascending to a new level—like the heroes in novels or films who could wound with a mere flower or leaf. This was the next stage Ma Yi sought to master: a realm where, even without divine weapons, one could unleash their full power at will. Weapons were merely amplifiers.

Having comprehended the mysteries of the slicing strike, Ma Yi now found that his blows, delivered by his own body, were even stronger than those with a weapon. If that enormous water leech were still around, Ma Yi could strike it from atop the wall; whether he could kill it was uncertain, as he had never tested its defenses.

Ma Yi did not keep his insights to himself. He shared his understanding with the three giants of Changfeng Base. Under his guidance, their slicing strikes doubled in power. They marveled at Ma Yi’s talent, but their awe was tinged with fear.

They admired Ma Yi’s openness, unaware that his instruction was a gesture of gratitude for what he had learned from them—a return gift. Their fear stemmed from recognizing that Ma Yi’s strength surpassed that of a level-five evolver; they worried for their positions. The three of them together were no match for Ma Yi, and if he wished to kill them, it would be effortless.

Ma Yi sensed their unease, smiled, and said nothing. After all, if someone stronger than oneself were on one’s turf and wasn’t a close friend, one would naturally wonder if he might take over.

“By the way, I forgot—have you found anything about P City?” Ma Yi asked, sipping his porridge and looking at the three.

“Ah, I’ve gone through all our base’s records. Not a single person is from P City. The few books we have don’t mention anything about its geography either,” Old Xu sighed. He wasn’t stalling Ma Yi; he genuinely hadn’t found any information about P City.

“What about your superior base?” Ma Yi thought of Li Li’s nemesis, rumored to be a captain from Changfeng Base’s higher command.

“Southern Base might have something, but we don’t know. No one replies to our messages. For a small base like ours, unless we have something they need, they rarely pay attention to us.”

“Where is Southern Base? I’ll go myself, and there are some things I need to resolve.” Ma Yi nodded. Since this small base had no news about home, it was better to set out early. Not returning left him uneasy—whether it was just a brain hallucination or someone truly waiting for him, he’d know once he went back.

“Southern Base is southeast of ours, at least two hundred li away. There’s a Tongshan Base along the route; its highest officer is a comrade from my cohort. We still keep in touch, though not recently. Perhaps we could check there first,” Old Lu suggested, glancing at Ma Yi. His comrade hadn’t been in contact for half a month; he was worried for his safety and also hoped Ma Yi might find news there, saving another hundred li trip.

“That works. Let’s prepare and head for this Tongshan Base first,” Ma Yi agreed, feeling increasingly eager to return to P City.

One assault boat, two barrels of gasoline, some flatbread and dried meat, a bag of spirit shards—Ma Yi had little to pack. Li Li had nothing extra, just two changes of clothes.

Before leaving, Ma Yi visited Fat Qian and the others. The two children following Fat Qian were clever and alert. If fate allowed, they might meet again. What surprised Ma Yi was that Qian Ying, the little girl who always called him a grumpy old man, wept uncontrollably at their parting, revealing another side of her.

“Work hard and improve yourself; maybe we’ll meet again someday,” Ma Yi comforted the girl, bid farewell to the others, and, with the supplies prepared by the three giants, left Changfeng Base with Li Li.

Rain had fallen not only at Changfeng Base. Ma Yi piloted the assault boat, and after twenty li, the world remained a vast expanse of water.

The three old rats, adept at both tunneling and swimming, followed Ma Yi’s orders, trailing at a distance. With their strength, the aquatic insects were no threat, so they were quite safe.

During the torrential rains, the three rats had feasted, using their abilities to great advantage.

The corpse rat hung far behind; Li Li’s eyesight wasn’t as keen as Ma Yi’s, so she couldn’t see it.

Villages, factories, cars—everything was submerged, resembling a water world.

Many houses and trees were crawling with terrestrial insects; these had previously caused Changfeng Base much loss but also brought them spirit shards. Spirit shards were discovered through a series of accidental experiments with insect bodies. The method was simple, and all bases now knew it. Before leaving, Ma Yi asked about it, and the three giants explained without hesitation, knowing Ma Yi was departing. Ma Yi treated the shards as snacks, but for low-level warriors or evolvers at home, they were quite beneficial.

The process was simple: crush the insects’ corpses, soak them in water, ferment for a few days, then filter and evaporate the water like boiling salt from seawater, yielding spirit shards. As for the so-called spirit cores, Xiang Tianxiao had one, found inside a slain giant insect. Spirit shards could be produced, but spirit cores grew only within the insects themselves.

Ma Yi suspected spirit cores were like beast king flesh inside evolved beast kings, only appearing in insect leaders, absorbable by humans with effects far exceeding spirit shards—but only advanced evolvers could use them safely.

The clue Old Lu had given was that, as southerners, they knew little about P City, but Ma Yi could ask the comrade at Tongshan Base, a northerner who might know more.

Tongshan Base was built atop a mountain called Copper Mountain, with high terrain. Its top officer was Qin Yu, a level-four evolver, stronger than Old Lu.

Insects occasionally attached themselves to the assault boat and were killed by Li Li. With abundant water, aquatic insects proliferated rapidly, now present in almost all water bodies. Fish were somewhat immune to these insects, though not all species; survival in water was more brutal than on land—it was eat or be eaten.

Ma Yi saw a three-meter-long fish floating on the surface, its body covered in tiny blood-sucking insects—leeches. He watched as strange fish chased and tore at evolved aquatic insects; the water was a constant battlefield, every moment a struggle for strength and survival.

After the apocalypse, all creatures began to fight for a place atop the food chain’s pyramid. Only through battle could one know who truly stood at the pinnacle. Humanity had fallen from the top to the middle; perhaps it would rise again, or perhaps it would be eliminated from this game. Which species would ultimately rule the pyramid was still unknown.

During the journey, Ma Yi caught several insects to study. Terrestrial insects fell into two categories: those that could fly and those that couldn’t.

A half-meter-long dragonfly, when roasted, was fragrant—reminding Ma Yi of the cicadas he ate as a child, especially the back muscles, which were tender and springy. But this once-beneficial insect was now ferocious, eating mosquitoes and other insects, even aquatic bugs; it had even tried to attack Ma Yi and Li Li, but ended up as Ma Yi’s meal.

Earthworms, also beneficial insects, fed on decaying leaves. Now they grew one or two meters long, resembling snakes. Unlike the dragonfly’s sharp jaws, earthworms were gentler, lacking the monstrous ring of teeth seen in movies; their cowardice remained, but their skin was incredibly tough—Ma Yi couldn’t pierce it even with the dragonfly’s jaws.

The earthworm’s only weakness was its fear of water and tendency to shed its tail under stress. Even with tough skin, if attacked, it would break off its tail to escape—making it the most timid insect Ma Yi had encountered.

Ma Yi, being a zombie, feared none of this. He cleaned the severed tail, which proved to be another tasty treat. After roasting, he cracked the hard shell to reveal large chunks of muscle—flavored somewhat like chicken but with a distinct earthy aroma.

Li Li watched as Ma Yi tinkered with a small alcohol stove, grilling meat while piloting the boat, unconcerned about toxins, eating heartily. Even earthworms, as disgusting as they seemed, were devoured—though Ma Yi grimaced at the taste, he still ate several pounds. A glutton who dared eat anything.

By the time they abandoned the boat and came ashore, Ma Yi had consumed dozens of pounds of insect meat, finally satisfied. Truth be told, he’d never eaten his fill at Changfeng Base, enduring hunger as best he could. Now, free from the base, he didn’t care if Li Li thought him a monster; he just wanted to eat his fill—self-reliance meant abundance.

More than deliciousness, Ma Yi cared about being full—it gave him strength. He had shrunk so much; perhaps lack of nutrition was to blame, and eating well might restore his size.

But reality embarrassed him. When hungry, Ma Yi was about one meter tall; after eating, he was stronger and more energetic, not quite at his peak, but his height had actually decreased—he measured himself and found he’d shrunk another two centimeters.

“Damn it, I refuse to believe I’ll keep shrinking—am I turning into an insect?” Ma Yi angrily smashed the tape measure. The assault boat had traveled nearly eighty li, now concealed onshore in case Tongshan Base yielded no news and he had to go on to Southern Base—if the water stayed high, he could use the boat again.

Searching the village, he found a battered car. With his current height, he could no longer drive; the task fell to Li Li.

The mountain roads were rough, especially since the plants had likely mutated; many buildings were overrun with vegetation, unrecognizable, like abandoned tribes. Cracks in the concrete roads sprouted half-meter-tall weeds, making it hard to drive. Not knowing what dangers lurked behind the foliage, Li Li sometimes had to get out and check for safety.

Ma Yi, with nothing to do, lay in the passenger seat and drifted off to sleep.