Looking out the window, his heart sank. The landscape should have been vibrant with life at this time of year, lush and green, but instead, it was all dead branches and withered grass, looking even worse than the desolation of winter. Suddenly, a scene of apocalyptic devastation flashed through his mind. Was this the malevolent influence of the Nine Absolute Spirit Gathering Formation? This cursed formation had consumed so much life force, reducing ordinary grass and trees to this state. What about the people and animals trapped within it? They must have all perished, turning into dried corpses or mummies.
Cold sweat began to pour from his forehead, and Lin Feng’s face turned deathly pale, his breathing heavy as if an invisible hand was choking him. “Are you scared now?” Xu Xiaoman suddenly spoke.
“What has happened?” Lin Feng turned to look at her, his expression complex, staring at Xu Xiaoman’s tense face. “Why has it come to this?” At that moment, they passed by a livestock farm, but there were no animals inside, only heaps of scattered bones. A few workers in white uniforms were mechanically disinfecting and cleaning the area. Xu Xiaoman deliberately slowed down to let Lin Feng see this scene.
“Why do you think? Don’t tell me you know nothing!” Xu Xiaoman’s voice was sharp. “As the son-in-law of the Lan family, don’t you dare say you’re unaware of what they’ve done!”
“The Lan family? What exactly have they done?” Lin Feng pleaded. “Sister Xiaoman, please explain clearly, I really don’t know anything!”
“You’re lying!” The car screeched to a halt in the middle of the road. “Look me in the eye and tell me, you really don’t know anything? Say it!” Xu Xiaoman was visibly agitated, her eyes blazing as if she would devour him if he uttered a lie. “Do you know how many people died this time? Entire villages were wiped out, exterminated! And you dare say you know nothing?!”
Lin Feng felt guilty because he knew he must be involved in some way, but he also knew he couldn’t bear the responsibility, nor was he capable of doing so. Facing Xu Xiaoman’s interrogation, he steeled himself to deny everything. He looked into Xu Xiaoman’s eyes, his gaze steady. “I don’t know! And I’m not lying!” Having undergone harsh psychological training in Niu Niu’s learning space, he had overcome such basic mental tests, especially now, with his mental strength enhanced by numerous fortuitous encounters, dealing with this level of psychological pressure was as easy as crushing an ant.
Xu Xiaoman seemed to believe Lin Feng’s response, and surprisingly, her mood lightened. “If you really are unaware, that’s for the best!” She sighed, seemingly deflated, sinking into her seat. “What the Lan family has done this time is atrocious, inhumane. They’re practically anti-human, cultists, truly terrifying!”
“Sister Xiaoman, what exactly has changed? What did the Lan family do? And when did all this happen? Weren’t you in the mountains at the time?”
“I… forget it, you’ve probably just been used by the Lan family. But prepare yourself, special agents will likely visit your home in the next couple of days to ask some questions. Don’t be nervous; they’re just interested in your ability as a superhuman. Your status has already been noted by the National Security.”
“Superhuman?” Lin Feng was puzzled. “They gathered a large number of superhuman lunatics in the mountains, trying to execute some long-rumored god-making plan. It went wrong, turning the area around Yushan Mountain into a death zone. They used a highly radioactive substance to stimulate brain mutations, which is why the environment has become so horrific. It’s truly terrifying!”
