Early the next morning, Mu Shan led the group of children to pack up and prepare to leave. In fact, there was not much to pack, but they were reluctant to part with the pots and pans that they had painstakingly made.
They often had to move in the wilderness, but no one said anything about it. There were about ten people in the group, all of whom were aberrants who had undergone genetic mutations due to radiation.
Radiation was one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. The sun was a huge nuclear fusion reactor, and the radiation it emitted was the cornerstone of life.
However, the radiation after a nuclear explosion was different from the mild radiation in the world. It was violent and disorderly, and it seeped into the body of a living being and destroyed the most basic genetic structure. It was not just humans, but other creatures that were affected were also undergoing changes in their inherent evolutionary path. With the abuse of fission weapons, the number of aberrants was rapidly increasing.
Half of the group was made up of thirteen or fourteen years old children, and there were also a few thin and weak women, so they did not move quickly. They did not dare to go to the human city, so they could only continue to move south, towards the deepest and densest rainforest.
They moved along a relatively flat road that looked like a road during the golden age. The road was covered in a thick layer of moss and grass, and was very slippery.
After walking for about two hours, they had left the familiar place. The surrounding environment was becoming more and more unfamiliar, and it was also becoming more and more frightening. Three years ago, this place was still a territory of humans, but now, traces of human civilization had completely disappeared in the rainforest. Nature did not give the humans a good feeling, but a terrifying feeling.
If it were not for Mu Shan leading the way, the wilderness would be a land of death for the group of people.
The surrounding trees were getting thicker and denser, and even the sunlight was completely blocked, so much so that the light became dim. The smell of rotting trees assailed their nostrils, and the chirping of birds and insects in their ears became more and more sparse.
In front of them, Mu Shan's figure suddenly froze, and he gently waved his hand to the back, indicating that they should retreat. The group was a little confused, and they curiously stretched their heads to look ahead.
They saw a giant python that was dozens of meters long and two to three meters thick, coiled up into a ball and resting under a big tree. The giant python's belly was bulging, and its greenish-black scales had a metallic luster. Its huge body was like a thousand-year-old tree with twisted roots and intertwined joints.
Without a doubt, this was an extremely powerful beast. It was born with an incomparable sense of oppression that made people feel fearful.
It would be difficult for ordinary people to remain calm when they suddenly encountered such a creature. Fortunately, this group of people had been in the wilderness for many years, so their mental fortitude was not bad. No one shouted or screamed, and they did not even dare to breathe loudly. They all quietly retreated.
Mu Shan's expression was solemn, and his voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzzing. "Everyone, please don't panic. Snakes usually don't take the initiative to attack their prey when they're full."
Perhaps they were lucky that the snake did not wake up. The group retreated far away and changed direction to continue forward.
When it was almost dark, they finally saw a small dilapidated city in front of them. The human city was now completely occupied by green plants. There were all kinds of vine-like plants everywhere in the city. Only a few small concrete buildings could tell that this was a human city in the past.
With the arrival of the crowd, rustling sounds could be heard from the surrounding weeds and shrubs. A large number of strange insects were disturbed and fled in all directions.
Everyone was trembling with fear. Only Mu Shan remained calm and said, "Let's find a place to rest."
This small city seemed dangerous, but in fact, there were no particularly powerful mutated beasts.
They found a building that might be a sentry post and lit a bonfire to disperse the insects and humidity. After a day of traveling, coupled with the fact that their bodies were weak, the children quickly fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, Xiao Yu curled up next to Mu Shan. Her big bright eyes stared straight at the bonfire. Suddenly, she asked softly, "Grandpa Mu, where … where … are we going?"
Mu Shan sighed and said softly, "The more dangerous the place, the safer it is. There must be a place where we can survive in the depths of the rainforest. Some of the powerful beasts are very intelligent. They won't treat people like us as food, such as Old Liu. So, we only need to find a powerful beast's territory to live in."
"Then, why don't we go to Grandpa Liu's place?"
Mu Shan frowned and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Old Liu is too close to where we used to live. And … and he might be up to no good!"
"Grandpa … Mu, Liu … is very good." Xiao Yu hurriedly stuttered to explain.
Mu Shan's face was a little gloomy, "You don't understand. He's too intelligent. He might not have any bad intentions in the past, but that might not be the case in the future. He's learning our human knowledge and understanding human nature and sociality. I think he'll soon become a demon!"
"Demon … Demon?"
"Yes, some creatures that have lived for a long time can not only understand human language, but can also confuse people's minds. In the past, we called these highly intelligent creatures' demons'. They're a more powerful type of beast."
Nothing happened that night. The next day, they set off again. After walking for half a day, the trees were obviously thinner. Gradually, they left the forest. The vegetation in front of them disappeared and was replaced by sand dunes. Deserts usually didn't appear in the south. There was no doubt that there had been a nuclear explosion here.
Mu Shan waved his hand to signal for them to stop. He bent down and grabbed a handful of sand. It should have happened within the past two years, but he didn't feel too much radiation. He couldn't help but feel strange. Generally speaking, the center of a nuclear explosion would become a dead land for a long time in the future. Nature might take hundreds of years to erase the residual radiation after a nuclear explosion, but this place seemed to have been purified.
"Moo …"
At that moment, a loud roar that sounded like a tiger or a cow came from the sky. The sound was so loud that it shook the earth.
Following the loud roar, all the animals in the forest crawled up and trembled.
An indescribable pressure shrouded them. Mu Shan's face changed drastically and he felt numb on his skin. He quickly looked up at the sky. Through a layer of faint clouds, a huge shadow appeared in the clouds. It was a giant snake that was hundreds of meters long. There was a pair of horns on its huge head, and its body was covered with a layer of green scales. There were also four huge claws on its abdomen. It no longer looked like a snake, but more like a legendary dragon!
The Green Dragon's bell-like eyes looked down at the team below without any emotion, as if it was looking at a group of ants.
Its cold eyes penetrated the bottom of their hearts, making them unable to resist. One by one, they knelt on the ground.
Mu Shan was the only one who could barely stand. The invisible pressure from the outside stimulated the hidden power in his body, and a thick black fog rose up.
The Green Dragon looked at him as if it sensed something. It seemed to feel that its dignity was being challenged. Once again, it let out a roar that sounded like a tiger or a cow. The surrounding clouds were pushed away by this wave of air, and a large empty space was instantly cleared in the sky.
A layer of clouds quickly condensed around its body, and it flew over. This was the legendary Cloud Ride!
This was a complete beast. Mu Shan's face was pale. Generally speaking, a complete beast would not care about them. However, the thing in his body was stimulated, and he could not control it and wanted to come out!
"Eh, it's you!"
At that moment, a surprised male voice was heard. Following that, the Green Dragon in the sky let out a terrified roar. It shook its head and wagged its tail as it hurriedly escaped on the cloud.
A stream of light flashed past, and a man with sparkling starlight appeared in front of them.
Whether it was the adults or the children, they were a little dazed because the person in front of them did not look like a human at all.
His entire body was like a crystal statue, and the light spots that overflowed were circulating around him. His pair of baby-like eyes were like two stars in the night sky. When he was still, he was calm and silent, and all things were annihilated. When he was flashing, he was brilliant, and the world seemed to be filled with colors again. His movements and stillness explained everything in the world.