Volume Two: The Expedition! Chapter Seventy-Eight: Slaughtering the Black Feather

Li Yu quickly replied to Liu Cong: South Korea was willing to lend sixteen transport planes to assist China in the evacuation operation. This meant that thirty large transport planes would take part in the effort to evacuate Japanese residents. Liu Cong was well aware of South Korea’s disaster situation—it was better than most other countries, with no particularly difficult high-level mutated creatures appearing so far. Since the Koreans were willing to do him a favor, he gratefully accepted it, resolving to repay them when the opportunity arose. After all, large transport planes were in short supply everywhere; the Black Rain had corroded more than seventy percent of the world's outdoor electronic equipment, and these sixteen planes from South Korea were likely their last reserves.

Thirty planes sounded like a lot, but Liu Cong still felt it wasn’t enough. Transporting six hundred thousand people with thirty planes—it was hard to say how long that would take.

Li Yu seemed to sense his concerns and smiled, saying, “Thirty is already quite a number. If we modify the interior structure, each large transport plane can carry between eight hundred and a thousand people. Thirty planes per trip would mean twenty-four to thirty thousand people moved at once. In just twenty or so trips, we can finish the evacuation. That’s only three or four days’ work.”

The idea of fitting so many people into a single plane made Liu Cong secretly click his tongue. “Isn’t it dangerous to cram so many people in?”

The stampede incident in the Great Cylinder Safe Zone had left him deeply aware of the dangers of overcrowding, and he worried that something similar might happen if a plane was packed so full.

“I’ve already checked with the Air Force. There’s no problem with this. It’s not as if we’re transporting fully armed soldiers. As for safety, I believe that compared to keeping their lives, people would rather risk a little injury.”

“Alright then, I’ll go speak with Masao Nakamura now. As for the Korean planes, it’s best to have them arrive as soon as possible.”

When Liu Cong met Masao Nakamura, he no longer felt like making trouble for him, just wanting to finish the task and return home. Nakamura fully agreed with the plan for air transport—it was the ideal solution for them. No one wanted to risk excitement out on the sea unless necessary.

After a brief discussion, Nakamura stated he would immediately have people clear space around the safe zone to park the supporting transport planes. The planes would begin here, evacuating all Japanese residents from every safe zone.

Once the two parted, Nakamura issued the evacuation notice without delay, telling all Japanese residents to prepare for departure—just a few more days of endurance, and they could settle in China.

Upon hearing the news, the Japanese residents cheered and wept with joy. Countless people took to the streets, expressing their delight to each other. China had given them hope for survival. For a time, the status of Chinese expatriates in every safe zone soared; the Japanese residents, newly blessed with hope, lavished praise and kindness on the expatriates.

Liu Cong returned to his room and put on some fresh clothes, but immediately felt uncomfortable, as if shackled. He had to take them off and once more form a black casual outfit on his body, instantly regaining that weightless ease.

The clothes formed from Black Fire gave off a gentle warmth and were wonderfully comfortable to wear.

Barefoot, he went downstairs. Fifty members of the God of War squad were already exercising loudly. Zhao Tian saw Liu Cong and trotted over. “Commander, why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

Liu Cong stood barefoot on the ground, his fair skin starkly contrasting with the earth and his black outfit. No wonder Zhao Tian asked.

“Barefoot feels better,” Liu Cong said, grinding his foot against the ground without any pain.

Zhao Tian looked down at those feet, which hardly looked manly, scraping the ground, and quickly switched topics. “How did your talk with the Japanese go?”

“It’s settled. The planes will arrive in a few hours. With Korea’s planes, there’ll be thirty in total.”

“So the evacuation can start tonight?”

“That’s right. We’ll evacuate one safe zone at a time, starting here.”

Zhao Tian nodded knowingly. “What about our people? Are we leaving with them or after?”

Liu Cong gave him a look as if he were a fool. “What do you think?”

“… Obviously, we go after the Japanese are gone.”

“We’ll see. Our people need to be on the planes for communication. If there’s an emergency, we can evacuate first—it’s not as if those of you who aren’t translators are much use staying here anyway.”

Zhao Tian was momentarily stunned. The words cut him to the quick. Liu Cong patted his shoulder. “Alright, keep training. I’m going out for a bit.”

“Huh? You’re leaving again?”

“Relax. I’ll be just beside the safe zone, won’t go far. Call me if you need anything.”

With a brief farewell, Liu Cong flew out of the safe zone, landed in an open area, and prepared to experiment with a new use for Black Fire.

Earlier, he’d noticed that clothes formed from Black Fire didn’t affect the environment. When he sat on the sofa, it didn’t react to the heat; it seemed that after Black Fire took shape, it lost its burning ability.

Standing barefoot on the earth, Liu Cong let a tuft of Black Fire form in his palm. With a thought, the flame morphed through various shapes, finally condensing into a black feather.

This black feather was identical to those on the Black Fire Phoenix—a sudden inspiration for Liu Cong. When he first comprehended this new use for Black Fire, for some reason, the image of the Phoenix was the first to appear in his mind.

He opened his palm; the feather lay docilely, looking utterly ordinary, harmless. Yet Liu Cong sensed a mysterious aura flowing within its natural patterns.

Flipping his hand, the feather drifted gently to the ground, remaining quiet and calm. Its tranquility made Liu Cong wonder—had it truly become an ordinary thing after taking shape?

While he was picking up the feather and racking his brains for answers, several zombies suddenly attacked from behind. Liu Cong turned and put distance between them, intending to use them for an experiment.

He hurled the feather, which transformed into a black flash, piercing through a zombie and then through two more before floating to the ground.

To a normal person, this would seem formidable, but Liu Cong knew that with his current strength, he could achieve the same effect with a pencil. This meant the black feather had acted only as a sharp tool, not unleashing any special power.

Unconvinced, Liu Cong condensed another black feather, hoping for a different result. This time, as soon as the feather formed, it again became a black flash, darting through the remaining zombies, piercing them each, before fading away.

Liu Cong stared in amazement. He hadn’t had time to do anything—he’d simply summoned the feather, and it had attacked the zombies autonomously, then vanished.

Why were the two feathers, both formed from Black Fire, so different?

After several experiments with mutant creatures, Liu Cong finally discovered the proper method. When he formed the first feather, his only thought was to shape Black Fire into a feather. With the second, he infused his intention to destroy the zombies. That was the difference.

It seemed that whatever idea he held while creating a Black Fire form would imbue it with unique properties. The first feather lacked killing power but its existence was indefinite; the second, after killing zombies, disappeared on its own.

After several trials, Liu Cong began to grasp the principles of Black Fire’s transformations. He formed another killing feather, intending to keep it and see how long feathers with different purposes could last.