Volume One Mutation Chapter Nine Choice

Early the next morning, Liu Cong gathered the three of them in the hall for a brief meeting. His long hair had been trimmed to a moderate length, giving him a fresher appearance.

“You don’t need to be so serious,” he said with a smile, watching the three sit neatly on the couch like schoolchildren. “We’re just here to discuss a few things. I know you’re curious about my abilities, but I can only tell you they can’t be replicated. So let’s skip that and get to the real issue.”

He paused, eyes steady. “Humanity’s situation is precarious. It’s no exaggeration—based on what you know and what we’ve guessed, both humans and Earth’s native life forms face extinction. We can’t just wait for the end; we must do something, at least fight for ourselves. What do you think?”

He waited for their response. Last night, as he practiced and pondered, it became clear to him: he was part of humanity. Even if he survived the apocalypse, life without human society would be worse than death. He’d felt that loneliness and despair once already and never wanted it again.

If the three only wanted to survive, he would find enough supplies for them to live for a long time and then leave. If they resolved to fight for humanity’s survival, Liu Cong would escort them to the nearest human settlement, regardless of whether they were ordinary people.

If everyone relied on others to save themselves and the planet, humanity would stand no chance against this calamity. Only if countless individuals united could there be a faint hope—even if it was slim.

The three exchanged glances. In their minds, saving the world was something that had nothing to do with ordinary people like them. After all, regular folks couldn’t even resist common zombies and mutant rats, let alone the creatures lurking in the sea. For a moment, they were at a loss for words.

After a brief silence, they made their stance clear.

“Brother Liu, just tell us what to do. I’ll listen to you. Sooner or later, we’re going to die anyway. Rather than wait for it, why not take a chance?” Guo Fei gritted his teeth, then looked at Li Jing and Zhang Han.

“But what can we do? We’re just ordinary people,” Li Jing protested, feeling aggrieved. The terror of the monsters was etched deep in her heart, and instinct told her she could do nothing but wait for death.

“Brother Liu, we’re willing to fight too,” Zhang Han said firmly, turning to Li Jing. “Jingjing, hiding won’t help. This is a global disaster. If we aren’t strong, no one will save us. We can’t fight monsters, but I believe Chinese men aren’t cowards. We can support them from behind. I’m a humanities major, I can teach and educate. You studied medicine—you can heal and save lives. If there’s something we can’t do, we’ll learn. For what we can do, it’s our duty!”

Liu Cong was surprised. This gentle, timid girl’s words were unexpectedly bold. Guo Fei applauded and cheered.

“Exactly! Well said! Li Jing, don’t hesitate. If this were ancient times, you’d be a goddess saving the world! And doctors are rare now—who knows how many have died? The country needs you. Without all this, you’d just be an ordinary doctor after graduation. This is a rare opportunity! If I’d studied medicine, I wouldn’t think twice. Doctors are invaluable now, right?”

Guo Fei’s chatter lightened the mood instantly.

“Go to hell, Guo Fei! Let me tell you, if you get sick, I’ll make sure to jab you a few extra times!” Li Jing was amused, snapping back at him.

The atmosphere was lively. Liu Cong, seeing their resolve, was pleased. He continued, “I believe if humanity unites, we can overcome this crisis. I want to get you to the nearest human settlement. Only there can you safely put your skills to use. But do you know where the closest safe zone is?”

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The three understood what he meant. Zhang Han asked, puzzled, “Brother Liu, aren’t you coming with us?”

Liu Cong smiled. “You know what I can do. If I don’t fight monsters, should I leave it to you ordinary people?”

The three fell silent. They knew well how terrifying the monsters were, and could only hope Liu Cong would stay safe.

“The last time we heard the regional broadcast, they said there was a safe zone along the Huainan highway. Just follow the road, and you’ll find it. But it’s only temporary—they plan to move to Henan, where there are fewer lakes and rivers, just some inland streams and plenty of groundwater,” Guo Fei said, dejected. “But it’s been over two months. Who knows if they’ve already left?”

“Huainan isn’t far. If we had a car, it’d only take five or six hours. We could check at a dealership for any undamaged vehicles,” Liu Cong frowned. “Let’s listen to the radio first, see if there’s any new information.”

Guo Fei got up and rummaged around, finally pulling out a radio from the pile of supermarket goods. He installed the batteries and tuned to the broadcast frequency they’d heard before. The room fell silent, only the static of the radio breaking the hush.

Twenty minutes passed, but there was no signal.

Liu Cong frowned. “Is the distance too far? Can’t get a signal?”

“No idea. We heard it before. Maybe they’ve already gone?” Guo Fei wondered.

“Forget it. Let’s just wait by the radio. Maybe something will come up.” With that, Liu Cong reclined on the sofa and closed his eyes to practice.

Guiding the energy within him, Liu Cong pondered. When he channeled energy to his hands, the black energy turned to flames—burning. The white energy enhanced his vision. If he directed it to his ears, could he hear more distant sounds?

He acted on the thought, carefully guiding the white energy toward his ears. A warm sensation spread from within, and then he heard rhythmic heartbeats. Holding his breath, he ignored the heartbeats of the three nearby, trying to catch distant sounds. In the silent sky, where not even a bird sang, suddenly the whir of a helicopter’s blades and strange bird calls reached his ears, faint at first, then growing louder.

“There’s a helicopter coming,” Liu Cong suddenly opened his eyes, walked to the window, and said, “Stay here, don’t go outside. I’ll check it out and be back soon.” Without waiting for a reply, he opened the window and floated out, leaving the three behind in stunned silence.

“Did you see that?” Guo Fei swallowed.

“We’re not blind!” Li Jing replied quietly.

Zhang Han rolled her eyes. “The point is, Brother Liu said a helicopter is coming, okay? Brother Liu can fly. It’s not surprising at all. Haven’t you seen American movies? Heroes all fly. To me, Liu Cong is no different from Superman.”

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...

Liu Cong hovered atop a thirty-story building, focusing his energy toward the sound’s direction. Hundreds of meters away in the sky, several helicopters wobbled through the air. Nearby, more than twenty sparrows—each several times larger than normal—darted around, trying to force their way into the helicopters, repeatedly crashing against them.

In the lead helicopter, a middle-aged officer commanded the formation to disperse and land, while grabbing a satellite phone and shouting, “Headquarters, headquarters! Helicopter squadron three encountered bird attacks en route to defense line G15. Preparing to land and counterattack. Requesting permission to use Glory Tactics! Repeat, requesting permission to use Glory Tactics!”

Meanwhile, the helicopter suffering the worst attack lost balance. The pilot struggled to regain control, but suddenly a giant sparrow smashed through the windshield, cracks spreading everywhere. Shards of glass pierced straight into the pilot’s eye, making him scream in agony. Yet his hands still gripped the controls tightly.

In the cabin behind him, the soldiers could barely keep their balance, unable to aim accurately. As another monstrous sparrow prepared to strike, the pilot—with one blinded eye—roared and directed the helicopter into the densest flock.

“I’ll fight you to the end!”

In an instant, the helicopter’s blades shredded several giant sparrows, blood raining in the air. Yet the cockpit was finally breached by another sparrow, several combining forces to bite the pilot’s arm and yank it hard.

“Ah!” The pilot’s arm snapped off at the shoulder, his face contorted in agony, screams echoing. The helicopter spun out of control, crashing into another nearby aircraft.

In slow motion, everyone watched the doomed helicopter in stunned silence, mouths agape. Just as tragedy seemed inevitable, Liu Cong arrived. He darted beneath the spiraling helicopter, steadying it with both hands.

The blades still spun rapidly. Liu Cong flew to the front of the fuselage, stabilizing the craft while shouting at the pilot, “Stop the blades! I’ll get you down!”

He’d sensed something was wrong and rushed over immediately, but everything happened too fast. Unable to prevent disaster, he could only save lives.

Repeated shouts finally registered. The dazed pilot, using his remaining arm, gripped the controls and began a descent. Seeing him regain consciousness and the helicopter stabilize, Liu Cong let go and reached for a giant sparrow flying nearby.

Each sparrow was as big as a rooster. Dodging their sharp beaks, Liu Cong seized one by the head and squeezed its neck with force. A sharp crack sounded, and the monstrous bird went limp.