Chapter 104: 104, The real disaster

Ren Xiaosu once chatted casually with Yan Liuyuan about a topic: what would happen if the wall protecting humanity collapsed? At the time, Ren Xiaosu didn't think much of it himself. After all, if the wall collapsed, it was just a matter of rebuilding it. The big shots inside the barrier would still be big shots, and the refugees on the outskirts would still be refugees. But now it's different. The wall could collapse at any moment, and it couldn't be allowed to collapse now, because there were wolf packs outside, beasts and poisonous insects fleeing from the Jingwu Mountains, human-faced worms, and experimental subjects! The earthquake caused by tectonic plate movements was like a black swan suddenly flapping its wings, bringing disaster to the barrier. This barrier was like a place between two tectonic plates. When the plates moved violently, it was immediately torn apart. But the disaster brought by the earthquake didn't end there. The houses inside the barrier began to collapse, and countless living people were buried under the buildings! Ren Xiaosu stood on a hillside, far away, watching all this. The wall that had protected the barrier for decades or even centuries was like a crumbling glacier, its walls collapsing in chunks, eventually turning into ruins. This was probably the most shocking and maddening scene Ren Xiaosu had ever seen in his life. The private army guarding the wall hadn't even had time to retreat before they fell to the ground along with the wall, crushed to death! You should know that the wall was about fifty meters high. Any normal human falling from that height would surely die! The human-faced worm tide that had been unable to break through the wall now surged into the barrier city. The "big shots" inside the city hadn't even had time to recover from the chaos of the collapsing houses before they had to face the man-eating worms! Wang Fugui and the others all stopped in their tracks and looked back at the scene, each of them filled with deep fear. "Xiaosu, can the people inside the city survive?" Xiao Yu Jie whispered. Ren Xiaosu turned and continued walking toward the 109th Barrier: "As long as we can survive, that's enough." In Ren Xiaosu's view, there must be some people inside the barrier who could escape. A city of hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't be without a few smart ones, and there was the Qingshi Consortium's army inside. But all that had nothing to do with him anymore. This era was about minding one's own business and keeping a low profile. The big shots of the barrier had never cared about the refugees' lives before, and now no one would care about their lives either. Moreover, this disaster was beyond anyone's control. Suddenly, someone said, "Look, there's something strange glowing in the barrier." The next moment, Ren Xiaosu looked back and was shocked to see a huge water bubble materializing in the sky, floating toward the human-faced worms. The water bubble burst open, pushing the worm tide back more than ten meters, and the frontmost worms seemed to be killed outright. Others might not know what it was, but Ren Xiaosu immediately thought of Zhang Baogen, who had been captured by the barrier! This water bubble was a bit larger than the one he had seen before, but its shape and function were very similar. Ren Xiaosu felt puzzled. It seemed Zhang Baogen wasn't dead yet, and his abilities had grown stronger! "Supernatural beings!" someone exclaimed. "Someone inside the barrier has taken action." "What is this water bubble?" Ren Xiaosu looked at the people shouting and thought, If I told you this was the saliva bubble Zhang Baogen spat out, would you believe it? Wang Fugui's son, Wang Dalong, muttered, "I wish I were a supernatural being too." Before, because the barrier had been capturing supernatural beings, everyone had avoided the term, fearing any association with it. But, honestly, who wouldn't want such transcendent abilities? Even Wang Fugui, who was already in his middle years, hadn't he once dreamed of it? This was the ultimate desire of humanity for the world. However, supernatural beings were rare. Now, it seemed there were only a dozen or so among the hundreds of thousands. Ren Xiaosu knew there must be hidden supernatural beings inside the barrier, but their numbers wouldn't be too many either. "How can one become a supernatural being?" Wang Dalong asked curiously, looking at his father, Wang Fugui. Wang Fugui was speechless. "I don't know either." Yan Liuyuan said casually, "Maybe it requires some conditions, like luck, or bloodline or something?" Wang Dalong grew despondent. "Then my father isn't a supernatural being either." Yan Liuyuan comforted him. "Don't despair. Maybe he's not your real father?" Wang Dalong: "???" Earlier, even when love had died, Wang Dalong hadn't cried. But now, he let out a loud wail. "Ren Xiaosu, you and your brother are too vicious," Wang Fugui almost cursed. "Zhang Baogen is also a supernatural being. Do you think his father has any supernatural bloodline?" At this moment, after Zhang Baogen had consecutively spat out four or five water bubbles to repel the worm tide, many people had a chance to catch their breath. They took advantage of the gap and fled directly toward the outside of the barrier, heading in the direction where Ren Xiaosu and the others were. When the barrier's wall collapsed, the broken walls formed a huge roadblock. It wasn't easy for people inside to get out, but fortunately, there was a gap in the direction where Ren Xiaosu and the others were, enough for several people to pass through at once. When in danger, everyone has a tendency to blindly follow the crowd. Those trapped in the disaster had lost the ability to think normally, only following where others ran. One person rushed toward the gap, and other survivors followed, slowly accumulating like a snowball. Wang Fugui just estimated roughly. The number of fleeing people was probably over a thousand, and it was still growing. They couldn't wait any longer. The human-faced worms wouldn't willingly let go of so much food, and the wolf packs wouldn't either. The chaotic gunfire was getting weaker. Ren Xiaosu had originally thought the Qingshi Consortium's combat forces would play a significant role, but he didn't know why. He hadn't seen the combat regiment being deployed in battle. Maybe the military camp was too far away? Gradually, some people inside the barrier wanted to jump into the river to avoid the human-faced worms. According to common sense, insects usually fear water. But as soon as someone jumped in, something opened a bloody maw underwater and swallowed the person whole, and the murky water immediately turned red. The entire barrier city was filled with smoke and the stench of blood. Ren Xiaosu had never seen such a cruel scene, and even he found it brutal. He frowned and said, "Hurry up. Those who escaped might attract danger here." Many refugees around them were too tired to move on. They hadn't felt it when they fled the settlement earlier, but now that they had stopped, their muscles ached all over. You should know that the energy consumed during a full sprint far exceeded that of a jog. Wang Fugui, Wang Dalong, Yan Liuyuan, and Xiao Yu Jie didn't have Ren Xiaosu's physical condition, but when Ren Xiaosu said they had to keep moving forward, none of the four said a word of objection. At this moment, only by following Ren Xiaosu could they survive! Xiao Yu Jie and the others gritted their teeth and followed Ren Xiaosu's steps. Ren Xiaosu whispered, "After intense exercise, a lot of lactic acid will start building up in your body. You must keep moving forward, or you'll suffer even more if you rest for a while." Other refugees saw Ren Xiaosu and the others leaving. Some followed, but others thought the human-faced worms weren't paying attention to this side, so they didn't need to rush. They weren't giving up, just waiting a few minutes. No matter when, there were always people hoping for luck. Suddenly, Xiao Yu Jie and Yan Liuyuan had already noticed that among everyone present, only Ren Xiaosu looked relaxed, as if he wasn't tired at all... Thank you to loyal servant Wangcai and student Yan Shibao for becoming the new allies of this book.