parentshiftbook Chapter 115 Exploration
Chapter 115 Exploration
Chapter 115 Exploration (Two chapters combined, an extra chapter for "I've Already Castrated")
Because there was no one left in the temporary base, and the outer door was blocked, the temporary base was now empty except for Xu Mo.
Xu Mo wandered around inside and found that only a portion of the items had been taken. Some less important and bulky items were left behind, and the bunkers and such were not dismantled.
Arriving at the factory's rest area, Xu Mo saw through the outside window that the beds for people to rest were still neatly arranged, but the bedding and other items on them were gone, presumably taken away.
After wandering around for a while and finding nothing particularly interesting, Xu Mo prepared to leave.
However, Xu Mo's eyes flickered when he saw the factory's tightly closed gates.
This door is so big, if we put an armed vehicle sign on it, wouldn't what's inside be like—
But if that's the case, it would be too conspicuous. It's fine to drive it when I'm out alone, but how am I supposed to explain the source to people in Jiangcheng? And then there's the fuel consumption; they're all gas guzzlers.
"There will be opportunities in the future."
After comforting himself, Xu Mo chose another wall at the temporary base and climbed over it.
After all, there are already a lot of zombies blocking the entrance, so there's no need to create trouble for yourself.
As soon as Xu Mo climbed over the wall and stood up, he heard the roar of a zombie in his ear.
It was obvious that the nearby zombies had sensed his presence and were searching for him.
However, because Xu Mo was standing on the wall, these mourners could only stretch out their hands and roar in vain below the wall, and could not pose any threat to Xu Mo.
After observing the surrounding zombie households, Xu Mo noticed something strange. There were about four or five zombies surrounding him from his left, and more than ten zombies from his right and in front of him, but only two were actually approaching him, and both of them were relatively close to him.
Looking at the zombies on his right and in front of him, Xu Mo was somewhat puzzled.
Xu Mo stretched out his right index finger and touched his tongue. Then, he squinted and carefully felt the sensation on his index finger, and he knew the answer in his heart.
There was a slight breeze nearby, though not strong, it did create some air currents. The wind was coming from the right, so the zombies on the left could naturally sense their presence and more of them gathered around.
Of course, with the roars of the zombies, those zombies that had been indifferent to Xu Mo's aura were also attracted.
Ignoring the howling zombies below the wall, Xu Mo jogged along the top of the wall for a while, chose a spot with fewer zombies, jumped down, and headed straight for Fortress C-07.
He wasn't going back to the fortress; he wanted to go inside and see what was going on.
While he was moving ammunition, he had only seen a steady stream of zombies emerging from inside, which had filled him with curiosity. Now that he was out, he naturally wanted to see what was going on over there.
Along the way, quite a few zombies that sensed Xu Mo's presence followed, but because they were indeed too slow, they were all left far behind him.
As Xu Mo passed by Fortress C-07, he turned his head to look. Although the entrance was open, there were no zombies surrounding it, which was a good thing for him.
After passing the C-07 fortress, Xu Mo moved nimbly through the ruins. The buildings here had long since collapsed into rubble due to bombing, which more or less affected his speed, and there were also more zombies ahead of him.
Then, most of the zombies, sensing his presence, roared and followed. Most of them were slow-moving zombies, but there were also some that were relatively faster. However, due to the obstacles, their speed was not much faster.
Within two or three minutes, Xu Mo discovered that he was being followed by hundreds of zombies, including a level one strength zombie that had somehow appeared out of nowhere.
"roar--"
Just as Xu Mo continued running forward, another roar came from the left. Then Xu Mo saw a level one agile zombie jump out of a pile of ruins and pounce straight at him.
Xu Mo had anticipated this situation; he had already taken his machete with him when he passed the C-07 fortress. Seeing the agile zombie rushing towards him, Xu Mo took a deep breath, channeled his inner energy, and then slashed down diagonally from right to left.
A flash of white light, and the head and half a shoulder of the agile zombie that pounced on it fell to the ground.
Xu Mo ignored all of this. He stepped over the corpses of the agile zombies and continued running forward. His goal was to quickly approach the very center of the core area to see what was going on inside. There was no need to linger unnecessarily.
After running for about two more minutes, Xu Mo discovered that the area was riddled with bomb craters, and the rubble was covered with a layer of black ash, all traces of bombing and burning. There were more zombies around than before, and they all moved closer to him after sensing Xu Mo's presence. Xu Mo estimated that if he stopped, he would be surrounded by these zombies in less than a minute. At this point, the only thing he could do was keep running to create space.
Moreover, Xu Mo felt as if a faint mist had appeared around him, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
"Infantry fighting vehicle?"
Just as Xu Mo ran forward another two hundred meters, he spotted a familiar figure: an infantry fighting vehicle overturned next to a pile of rubble. One side of the vehicle was dented, the tracks were broken, the turret was twisted and deformed, and the bulletproof glass of the observation window was shattered into a spiderweb pattern, with dark red bloodstains faintly visible inside. It looked as if it had been overturned by a huge external force impacting from the side.
However, the armored vehicle was surrounded by a number of zombies, which were scratching at the armor plates in vain, making a screeching sound. He couldn't observe the extent of the damage. But this armored vehicle reminded Xu Mo of the superhuman team he had seen before. He wondered if it was something they had left behind.
"roar!!"
Just as Xu Mo was hesitating about whether to go up and check on the status of the infantry fighting vehicle in the distance, a huge roar dispelled his idea.
All he saw was a zombie over two meters tall running towards him. It was unusually burly, with its muscles bulging and bulging, like a heavy biological armor attached to its skeleton. Its original clothes had long been torn into strips and hung tattered on its body.
What's most striking is that its right arm, starting from the elbow, is no longer in the shape of a human hand, but has transformed into a bone blade nearly a meter long. As it runs and approaches, the bone blade swings with its arm, making it look as if it's chasing it with a two-meter-long sword.
"Holy crap! What the hell are you?!"
Seeing the zombie charging towards him, Xu Mo couldn't help but curse. The strength-type zombies he had seen didn't move this fast, and the agility-type zombies didn't have such an exaggerated physique. This one in front of him was a combination of the two, with an exaggerated size and fast movement speed. It was probably a level two zombie. Seeing this, Xu Mo immediately turned and ran back.
"roar!"
Seeing Xu Mo turn and run, the level 2 zombie roared again and continued to chase after him with long strides, leaving deep footprints on the rubble with each step.
"How about we make up? Don't move here, I'll go buy you some oranges!" Xu Mo shouted as he ran back.
But the level-two zombie behind him ignored Xu Mo's shouts and continued its relentless pursuit, its bone blade whistling as it sliced through the air. As for the ordinary zombies that had been following Xu Mo, they all cowered in fear and remained motionless after hearing the roar of the level-two zombie, which actually made it easier for Xu Mo to escape.
"Damn it! They won't listen to reason, so they'll have to suffer the consequences!"
Xu Mo cursed at the level-two zombie that was relentlessly pursuing him, then tucked the machete back into his waistband, shrugged, and took the Barrett rifle that was on his back.
He turned around, loaded the gun, aimed, and fired.
"boom!"
In less than a second, Xu Mo had completed this series of actions. Then, he saw a bowl-sized hole suddenly explode in the left chest of the level 2 zombie. Shattered muscle tissue and dark blood sprayed backward. The powerful impact of the armor-piercing bullet caused its massive body to stagger back two steps. Torn bones and fragments of internal organs could be seen on its chest.
However, this fatal blow did not bring it down immediately. It merely looked down at the wound on its chest, let out an even more ferocious roar, and actually started charging towards Xu Mo again, though its speed was noticeably slower than before.
Are you Xiaoqiang?
Seeing that the level 2 zombie hadn't fallen, Xu Mo gasped in astonishment; its vitality was truly unmatched.
But that's all there is to it.
Seeing that he hadn't killed the level 2 zombie with a single shot, Xu Mo now aimed his crosshair at its head.
"boom!"
With the second shot from the Barrett, the head of the level 2 zombie on the other side exploded, and its body swayed and fell to the ground.
"Roar!"
However, before Xu Mo could even feel happy, he heard two more loud roars, which were exactly the same as the roar of the level-two zombie he had just dealt with.
Upon hearing the two roars, Xu Mo's eyes narrowed, and he put away his Barrett and ran away without looking back.
Just kidding, I was just curious and wanted to see what was inside, not to go and die.
After much effort and going around in circles, Xu Mo finally returned to Fortress C-07 without any major incident.
After removing all his gear, Xu Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief; today's exploration had been quite exciting.
Moreover, Xu Mo, having recovered, once again deeply felt the insignificance and powerlessness of an individual in the torrent of the apocalypse.
A level of strength might be enough to dominate among ordinary zombies and level one mutants, but it's far from sufficient to face higher-level threats and an increasingly bizarre and unpredictable world.
Just like the level 2 zombie I just encountered, the imposing aura it exuded as it ran closer and the trembling, motionless ordinary zombies around it all demonstrated its power.
This power filled Xu Mo with deep apprehension; he dared not test its strength amidst the horde of zombies. In such an environment, even the slightest mistake could be fatal. Looking back, he realized that firing a gun would have been a reckless act; he should have simply run away.
"I can't stay stuck in the Bullhide Realm any longer!" A resolute glint flashed in Xu Mo's eyes. "I must become stronger! I must break through to the Iron Bone Realm as soon as possible!"
Having made up his mind, Xu Mo no longer hesitated and assumed the stance of the Thirteen Bodyguards' external martial arts. His feet were firmly planted on the ground like roots, his consciousness sank into his body, his breathing became long and deep, and he began to actively guide the surging blood and qi.
His blood and qi surged like scorching mercury within Xu Mo's body, washing over and pounding against him again and again, attempting to penetrate deeper into his bones.
The energy and blood in the cowhide realm were already extremely vigorous, and each circulation brought a tremendous sense of power.
However, Xu Mo could clearly sense that there was an invisible, tough barrier preventing the qi and blood from further tempering and transforming the bones.
This barrier is the gateway to the Iron Bone Realm.
Xu Mo recalled the scene when he broke through the Bull Skin Realm. At that time, he not only accumulated enough Qi and blood, but also comprehended the "intention" of the skin membrane being like a drum, which finally led to his entry into the Bull Skin Realm.
"What is the intent of the Iron Bone Realm?" Xu Mo asked repeatedly in his heart as he urged his blood and qi to break through the barrier.
A few days ago, Xu Mo encountered a bottleneck. The energy he gained from gathering qi every day no longer strengthened his qi and blood, but instead flowed into his limbs and bones, nourishing every inch of flesh and every bone.
At first, Xu Mo was a little confused, but now that he has calmed down and thought about it, this may not be a bad thing, but rather a sign.
"Iron bones, iron bones—" Xu Mo murmured to himself, "It's not about turning bones into iron in the literal sense. That's just the appearance, the result."
Xu Mo's mind followed the energy that had seeped into the depths of his body, carefully experiencing the changes within it.
This energy of blood and qi is constantly strengthening his foundation and enhancing the most fundamental essence of his life. It makes his muscle fibers denser, his fascia more resilient, and more importantly, it seems to be awakening the dormant potential of the bones themselves in an extremely slow but steady way.
"The essence of a 'cowhide-like' barrier lies in defense," referring to external protection achieved through the flow of qi and blood between the skin membranes, forming a powerful buffer and rebound.
"So, the core of the Iron Bone Realm might lie in 'inheritance' and 'development'?"
Xu Mo's thoughts gradually became clearer.
"The ability to bear is not only about resisting external attacks, but also about bearing the even greater power that one unleashes. As the body's framework, the skeleton must possess sufficient strength and resilience to support power outputs beyond the limits without harming itself. This is a kind of strength that comes from within, the cornerstone of power."
"To unleash is to explode, to penetrate. In the realm of Iron Bones, power flows through the muscles and bones. With a single movement, the muscles and bones resonate, unleashing penetrating destructive force. It is no longer merely the defense of the skin and the brute strength of the muscles, but rather the twisting of the entire body's power into one, which is then released instantly through bones harder than steel."
Xu Mo thought of the members of that team of superhumans whose bodies gleamed with a rocky or metallic sheen. Their strength wasn't just about tough skin; it was as if their entire body structure had been reinforced, capable of bearing and unleashing astonishing power.
"My previous practice focused on the cultivation of qi and blood and the tempering of the skin, but I neglected the deepest layer of qi and blood's influence on the bones."
"The essence of the Iron Bone Realm" is perhaps a steadfastness rooted in the earth, a resilience capable of bearing immense weight, a penetrating power concealed within and erupting outwards. It is not merely hardness, but like refined steel, possessing both hardness and toughness—a perfect unity of strength and bone.
Having grasped the direction, Xu Mo's mind became even more focused. He no longer rushed to forcefully break through the barrier, but instead adjusted the frequency of his breathing and blood circulation. He imagined himself transforming into a majestic mountain, its roots firmly planted in the earth, unmoved by wind and rain; he also imagined himself as a fully drawn bow, all its power contained and compressed within its bones and tendons, ready to be released, but once unleashed, it would be earth-shattering.
Immersed in it, Xu Mo felt his blood and qi circulation become more restrained and profound, no longer surging violently as before, but flowing slowly like warm magma, continuously soaking and nourishing every inch of his bones, and engaging in a deeper level of integration with them.
That invisible barrier still existed, but Xu Mo was no longer anxious. He had found the right path; all that remained was patience and perseverance. Perhaps he still needed a trigger, a stimulus that would allow this restrained power to fully erupt and undergo a qualitative change.
Opportunity — Stimulus —
With these two words swirling in his mind, Xu Mo was immersed in his understanding of "inheritance" and "expression." He imagined power like subterranean fire, surging and accumulating beneath hard rock, finally finding a breakthrough and causing a cataclysmic event.
Thinking of this, Xu Mo felt as if his tense body had transformed into a layer of rock that was suppressed to the extreme. An urge to release his pent-up emotions drove him to concentrate all his thoughts and energy into his right fist. Xu Mo did not consciously move his body, but his body was like a fully drawn bowstring. Following that intuition, he suddenly exerted his strength and punched forward.
boom!
A muffled sonic boom, like thunder, exploded inside the fortress. This punch did not strike a physical object, but merely the air, yet it caused visible airflow disturbances. The air in front seemed to be forcibly compressed and pushed aside, forming a brief ripple.
The ripples crashed violently against the concrete inner wall several meters away, producing a muffled "thud".
The power of this punch far exceeded Xu Mo's usual full-force strike.
However, after the punch, Xu Mo's expression was not one of joy, but rather one of instant paleness. His body swayed slightly uncontrollably, producing a feeling of unsteadiness and staggering similar to that after exerting too much force.
Xu Mo immediately steadied himself and carefully examined his body, sensing the changes within.
This investigation caused Xu Mo to frown deeply.
The abundant and vigorous qi and blood within his body had actually decreased after that punch. Roughly estimated, nearly one-twentieth of it had been consumed.
This kind of consumption is not the usual drain on the Bullhide Realm, but a more direct extraction. It's as if, in order to support that extraordinary attack just now, a portion of the vital energy and blood essence was forcibly overdrawn as fuel.
"No—this doesn't feel right!" Xu Mo's eyes sharpened, and he immediately realized the problem.
This method of achieving a burst of power by suddenly consuming a large amount of vital energy is more like a desperate or emergency tactic, an unconventional method that kills a thousand enemies but also inflicts eight hundred casualties on oneself. It can indeed unleash astonishing destructive power in a short period of time, but the cost is the depletion of vital energy. If used frequently in battle, it may even shake one's foundation, and it is by no means a long-term solution.
"This is definitely not the right path to break through to the Iron Bone Realm," Xu Mo thought firmly.
Breakthrough in the Iron Bone Realm should be a sublimation of the level of life, a transformation of the essence of the bones, enabling them to naturally bear and unleash greater power, like replacing a wooden bow with a giant steel crossbow, with more powerful force and longer-lasting momentum, rather than this kind of overdraft like drinking poison to quench thirst.
That punch just now might have been an unintentional touch on the surface of some kind of "explosion," but it went astray, misinterpreting "explosion" as simply "burning."
"It seems that inheritance is the foundation, and development is the result. Without a solid enough foundation, forcing development is like a tree without roots or water without a source." Xu Mo slowly calmed his somewhat disordered breathing, and his mind became clearer.
"My direction is correct. What's needed is to patiently hone the foundation, allowing the Qi and blood to fully integrate with the bones, so that it can transform naturally and achieve its goal effortlessly. Those shortcuts that lead to sudden bursts of growth can no longer be used."
This minor accident and the loss of vital energy served as a crucial warning to Xu Mo. The path of cultivation is fraught with peril; a single misstep can lead one astray.
Having abandoned that accidental, almost exhausting outburst, Xu Mo calmed his mind once more. He visualized himself again, transforming into a majestic mountain, its roots firmly planted in the earth, unmoved by external winds and rains, yet containing within it a vast and powerful force of the earth's veins.
This time, Xu Mo no longer pursued a momentary, earth-shattering breakthrough, but instead attempted to activate the surging blood and qi within his body in a more delicate and guided manner. His intention, like the most precise carving knife, guided the scorching blood and qi flow, no longer merely satisfied with the circulation of the meridians, but more actively and deeply nourishing every tiny corner of his limbs and bones, especially the bones that support the entire body structure.
The flow of qi and blood is no longer a violent surge, but rather a gentle yet persistent cleansing and permeation. Like the tide repeatedly crashing against the rocks, though not fierce, it contains the enduring power to reshape the landscape.
Xu Mo could feel his blood and qi trying to integrate into the tight structure of his bones, awakening its dormant potential and making it more dense, resilient, and full of vitality.
"Based on the experience of the mistake that just occurred, this feeling—perhaps this is the right direction," Xu Mo realized.
That kind of overdraft-driven burst is a forced extraction of power, like a rootless fire, burning quickly and extinguishing just as fast. But the current continuous nourishment and cleansing, though slow, is fundamentally strengthening the carrier and source of power, a true foundation-building effort. Once completed, the power that bursts forth will be natural and inexhaustible.
After this round of in-depth cultivation ended, Xu Mo slowly withdrew his practice and carefully sensed his own condition.
Sure enough, the total amount of qi and blood in his body had decreased by about one-fifteenth compared to before he started cultivating.
But unlike the weakness he felt when his energy was forcibly drained before, this time Xu Mo clearly knew that the lost energy was not lost out of thin air, but had truly integrated into his body, becoming part of the foundation of his muscles, bones, and skin, and becoming the cornerstone for him to advance to the Iron Bone Realm.
However, this feeling that one's Qi and blood are not at their peak and fullness still brings some minor discomfort, as if the body is somewhat "empty" and needs to be replenished.
"Resources—we still need resources." Xu Mo understood. He remembered the supplements he had specifically returned to Jiangcheng to retrieve before coming to the fortress. At the time, he thought it was just in case, but now it seemed incredibly farsighted.
Walking into the bedroom, Xu Mo began rummaging through the pile of supplies. He quickly found the large bag of tonics he had brought, containing ginseng, deer antler, cordyceps, and other similar items he had previously scavenged.
He took out a wooden box, opened it, and inside was a ginseng root in perfect condition with clearly defined roots. Xu Mo plucked off a few pale yellow ginseng roots and chewed them.
The ginseng root tasted slightly bitter upon first sip, then transformed into a gentle, warm current that slid down the throat and into the stomach. In no time, a pure medicinal power began to dissipate within the body, like sweet rain nourishing parched land. The blood and qi, which had been somewhat depleted due to cultivation, began to slowly and steadily regain their fullness, and the slight discomfort gradually dissipated.
"The poor are learned, the rich are skilled in martial arts; the ancients were right." Feeling the changes in his body, Xu Mo couldn't help but sigh.
In peacetime, practicing traditional martial arts still requires substantial nutritional and medicinal support. In this perilous, energy-consuming post-apocalyptic world, resource support is even more crucial for progressing further on the path of cultivation. Without these tonics, a single instance of training that deeply nourishes the body with qi and blood, as just now, would likely require several days of rest to recover, severely slowing down the training progress.
Now, with these reserves, he can engage in this highly efficient and fundamental cultivation every day, greatly shortening the time required to break through to the Iron Bone Realm.
Carefully putting away the remaining ginseng, Xu Mo felt the renewed abundance and vitality of his blood and energy, and his eyes became even more determined.
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