Volume One: Mutation Chapter Forty-Nine: Clearing the Battlefield

Stepping out of the room, the world outside was already bright, with warm sunlight shining upon the sea, reflecting a magnificent horizon where sky and ocean met as one.

On the city wall, several soldiers were sweeping up the aftermath of the battle. Last night, they had already buried their fallen comrades; now, only the corpses of mutated creatures remained, needing to be transported down to the beach below for processing.

The young guard led Liu Cong and Liu Qingqing down the stairs, and the pair drew a flurry of gazes. Most were captivated by Liu Qingqing; clad in a flowing white dress that revealed a delicate, ivory calf, she exuded an ethereal grace. The surrounding soldiers could hardly tear their eyes away, only returning their gaze—tinged with awe—to Liu Cong after lingering on her.

A handful of young soldiers watched the trio depart, unable to hide their envy for the couple who seemed blessed by heaven.

"Sigh, the God of War isn't just powerful—he has such a beautiful woman by his side! Truly enviable. If only I could marry someone so lovely..."

"You? Forget it. In times like these, having any woman willing to be your wife is already a stroke of luck. But this girl really is stunning—she’s even more beautiful than the celebrities we used to see!"

"Celebrity or beauty, we’ll never get close to them. We’d better serve diligently—after two years, we’ll be assigned to one of the top ten safe zones. Not even most stars have such privileges!"

"The benefits are good, sure, but it's dangerous too. If the God of War hadn't arrived in time, we'd all be done for."

"Exactly!"

...

Liu Cong found his thoughts stirred as he walked—this was the second time he'd heard mention of the top ten safe zones, and the soldiers spoke of them with such admiration that he felt a growing itch to see them for himself.

"Are they really that wonderful? I should visit them if the chance arises," Liu Cong murmured.

With sharp ears, Liu Qingqing caught his words, curiosity in her voice. "Brother Liu, what's so good that you want to see it?"

Liu Cong chuckled, "I'll bring you along when I go, then you'll know."

Chatting as they walked, the three soon arrived at the beach below. The area had been submerged overnight, the tide rising high, leaving the sand saturated and soft—a unique sensation underfoot.

Were it not for the scattered corpses, Liu Cong would have liked to linger, basking in the sun and feeling the sea breeze—a pleasure in itself.

On the beach, small teams moved back and forth, hauling mutated creature corpses to pile them near the shore, creating a scene of busy activity.

Ahead, four or five soldiers were bundled tightly, thick waterproof gloves on their hands—the standard attire for those clearing the battlefield. At the moment, they were working together to carry a severed limb over three meters long, its origin unknown, but it looked heavy and solid.

Seeing the soldiers struggle, sinking into the sand with each step, Liu Cong kindly lent them a hand. A stream of blue energy wrapped around the limb, pulling it toward the mountain of corpses in the distance. The soldiers felt their burden lighten as the limb flew to its intended place almost effortlessly.

They paused in surprise, but, recognizing the young guard with Liu Cong, understood who had helped them. Even though Liu Cong regarded it as a minor task and didn't even glance their way, the soldiers gave him a crisp salute before returning to their work.

Here, larger corpses were fewer, but even the smallest was bigger than a person. Though the cleanup was arduous, everyone worked with genuine happiness—surviving to clear the battlefield after victory was a blessing in itself.

Liu Qingqing noticed that bullet holes on the corpses she passed were often concentrated in a single spot, the impact points densely packed. Though the bloody scene made her pale, she forced herself to observe.

"Brother Liu, they're so skilled—every shot lands on the same spot. No wonder they can kill so many monsters," Liu Qingqing whispered, clutching Liu Cong’s arm.

"Indeed, focusing fire on one spot is much more effective against monsters. These mutated creatures are tough and thick-skinned; it’s hard to wound them otherwise. But saying it is easier than doing it," Liu Cong replied.

The young guard overheard and spoke with pride, "Our soldiers undergo rigorous training. Hitting the bullseye is routine for them—every one is a sharpshooter."

Liu Cong smiled sheepishly but offered praise, "Impressive! When I first handled a gun during military training, I couldn’t even hold it steady—I barely hit the target. That’s when I realized how incredible the sharpshooters on TV are. When I practiced, even a slight misalignment sent the bullet skyward. My instructor always hid behind me when I fired, afraid I’d accidentally shoot him."

Liu Qingqing laughed, "Brother Liu, you’re too much! I hit the target easily back then. Later, the coach told me about the three-point alignment; out of ten shots, I’d hit three or four."

Liu Cong scratched his head, "Maybe I just lack talent for it. My results were so poor that our instructor made up a joke to describe how bad my marksmanship was."

"What joke?" Liu Qingqing asked with interest.

"Ahem, listen—A certain officer said to a soldier, 'You’re so dumb! Yesterday you fired a hundred rounds and didn’t hit the target once!' The soldier replied, 'That was yesterday. Today I've improved!' The officer asked, 'Oh? Did you hit the target today?' The soldier said, 'I still didn’t hit the target, but today I only fired fifty rounds!'"

Liu Qingqing bent over with laughter, tears glistening in her eyes. She wiped them away, giggling, "Brother Liu, your joke is so exaggerated. I laughed until I cried."

The young guard in front also chuckled, "Sir, we tell that joke all the time. Your instructor was definitely teasing you."

"Really? I thought he made it up just for me," Liu Cong replied, realization dawning.

"Handsome guy, with your marksmanship, you’d hit all one hundred shots, right?" Liu Qingqing teased.

Liu Cong said, "Qingqing, those are fixed targets. These mutated creatures are moving targets—much harder to hit."

The young guard, never before called handsome by such a beautiful girl, blushed. "Just call me Wang. Actually, it’s not that difficult—their bodies are so big you can hit them by feel, even without aiming, especially for those of us who practice often."

"Alright, no need to be modest. Your marksmanship is excellent!"

...

While chatting, the three arrived at the site of the giant seahorse corpse Liu Cong had slain yesterday. A crowd had gathered, engaged in some activity.

"Brother, you're finally here! Come see what's inside this monster's body. We haven't figured it out, so nobody dared touch it," Zhang Chu greeted Liu Cong warmly. If Liu Cong hadn’t arrived in time last night, the missile would have landed right on them, turning the area into a wasteland.

Seeing him, Liu Cong felt a surge of annoyance. "Uncle Zhang, what is it? Knocking on my door at dawn—was it that urgent?"

Liu Qingqing couldn’t help but laugh, drawing their attention. Her cheeks flushed as she explained, "I just found your way of addressing each other amusing. You call him brother, he calls you uncle—your seniority is all mixed up."

Zhang Chu realized she was right and laughed, "It's just a term, not about seniority. Brother, it was my fault to disturb you so early—I promise it won’t happen again. Just help me this once, and then you can rest, alright?"

As he spoke, his gaze flickered ambiguously between Liu Cong and Liu Qingqing.

Liu Cong knew what he was thinking and grumbled, "Fine, just show me what you want to see."

He pushed through the crowd and saw the corpse he had split in two yesterday, now laid with two long ladders. The scattered organs and blood had been cleaned away. Zhang Chu walked to the base of the ladder, reaching to climb, but Liu Cong grabbed his arm.

"I'll take you up," Liu Cong smiled, lifting Zhang Chu effortlessly. It was Zhang Chu’s first time experiencing such a flight, and he clung tightly to Liu Cong until they landed atop the corpse, finally relaxing.

"Brother, if you want to fly, go ahead, but don’t drag me along. These old bones can't handle it. When we go down, I’ll climb myself—you can fly alone," Zhang Chu said, patting his chest.

Zhang Chu knew Liu Cong was getting back at him for disrupting his good fortune, intent on making him look foolish.

"Uncle Zhang, you’ve flown on planes before—why be afraid now?" Liu Cong snickered.

Zhang Chu, leading Liu Cong forward, grumbled, "Planes at least ascend slowly. You, on the other hand, shoot up like a rocket. I can't take it."