Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 309: Chapter 35: Strategy and Power

At dusk, when the sun had not yet completely set, its residual light penetrated the radiation clouds, casting an eerie frosty blue hue on both the mountains and the ruins.

The Snow Peak Mountains undulated continuously, surrounding a broad lake shaped like a crowing rooster. Severe radiation and heavy metal pollution had turned the originally crystal-clear surface of the lake into patches of vibrant colors. Oily layers of bacteria, a fist-thick, were sliced open by the blast of fighter jets passing overhead as the squadron of the Four Heavenly Kings swept over the water toward the mountains, eventually landing on a decaying runway at the foot of the hills.

“They’ve arrived.”

The man with white short hair, speaking with a Moscow accent, hummed through his nose while holding a military binoculars.

He was dressed in a misshapen military uniform, with the collar turned up and a bandage wrapped around his neck. The last button of his uniform was undone, making the hem flare out in an ugly split.

From his demeanor to his clothing, the white-haired man exuded a slovenly air.

Yet, a photograph of such a man had cost “Tan Ya Mining” the lives of forty exploration team members.

Yakov, in life a mere researcher at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, had voluntarily injected himself with the untested Spring Yak gene during the outbreak of the nuclear war and miraculously survived. According to the exploration records of Tan Ya Mining, Yakov was the puppet master behind the zombies of Great Demon Lake. After the harsh winter, all the zombies’ research on the Yak gene and their activities against the outside world were orchestrated by him.

Standing behind Yakov were several others, mostly dressed in dark black wool coats. Despite their pallid skin, they all retained youthfulness and smoothness. Everyone present without exception was an advanced α-level zombie, for whom the dreadful radiation in the air was as gentle as a spring breeze. Apart from their fierce dispositions and changes in habits, these individuals preserved the same intellect and appearance they had in life.

Except for Winter Yak, her face was still as rotten and terrifying as when Li Yan first saw her.

The fighter jets descended slowly, rows of steel behemoths, each weighing tens of tons, slid side by side on the mottled old runway. Sparks flew fiercely where their tails scraped the concrete. The propellers of the Black Buddha went from an initial roar to gradually weakening, and eventually, they came to a stop.

The pilots opened their cockpits one after another, with air so hot it seared their lungs, causing even these elite soldiers, each with at least a third-order genetic enhancement, to contort their faces in pain. It felt like countless knives stabbing into their chests, and their exposed skin quickly became swollen and began to spread at a rapid pace.

Some soldiers who couldn’t bear the pain hurriedly pulled out syringes as thick as their little fingers from their packs and injected them into their necks. It was a radiation-resistance drug, procured at a high cost by Medicine Buddha long ago, and it worked wonderfully.

The man who looked strikingly like Porco Rosso rested his arm on the control panel, his gaze wandered, and eventually settled on Winter Yak, revealing an indescribable smile.

“Long time no see, Vera.”

Winter Yak made no movement, but the white-haired man approached: “Isn’t this our beloved Living Buddha? I could hardly recognize you without your monk’s robes. Should I call you Ramu Jue, or should I revere you as ‘Ala’?”

“Considering our decades of friendship, and since you, Doctor, have no faith in Medicine Buddha, just call me Ramu Jue. But on another note, what happened to your neck?”

Ramu Jue’s face had a hint of a shy smile, his kind eyes reminiscent of a young bartender in a pub, listening sympathetically to someone’s troubles, seemingly oblivious to the slight mockery in Yakov’s words.

“A minor inconvenience, but it’s been dealt with,” Yakov evaded the question vaguely.

Ramu Jue stepped out of the cockpit: “I suggest you brace yourself. The real trouble is just about to start.”

An α-level zombie in a wool coat suddenly came up to Yakov and whispered a few words.

Yakov’s face registered shock upon hearing them. The zombie in the wool coat spoke very softly, but Ramu Jue, who was quietly smiling beside him, still frowned: “Nina is hurt? Are there still such formidable wandering Hunters in zone b?”

“It might be other organizations with ulterior motives that sent them. Area B is such a mess right now, everyone wants to dip a toe in.”

In front of Ramu Jue, Yakov seemed to be deliberately maintaining something, he waved his hand nonchalantly, “No worries, no need for us to take action. Just the name ‘Shuishu Park’ will hurry the Black Star war chariots to clear the field for us, stopping other forces that want a share of the pie. Just like you designed.”

Ramu Jue chuckled at this, “You make me sound like some sort of ambitious villain trying to overthrow the world.”

“Aren’t you? The cult leader?”

Yakov’s tone sounded joking, but his eyes were serious.

At this, Ramu Jue’s smile slowly faded, “My disciples, they sacrifice themselves for the truth.”

Yakov rolled his eyes, “I know, long live the Medicine Buddha…”

He then curled the corner of his mouth, “But you’d better pray that everything goes as you hope! Otherwise… you should know that your Medicine Buddha has crumbled, and the Great Demon Lake won’t listen to your brainwashing spiel.”

At that point, a dangerous glint appeared in Yakov’s eyes.

Ramu Jue shook his head with a smile, “Doctor, you know better than anyone that if I coveted your position, I would have been the master here twenty years ago.”

He said it casually, but the atmosphere instantly chilled. The dozen or so stationary steel behemoths stood in silence, radiating an unnerving might.

“…”

Yakov cursed “Ukrainian mongrel” bitterly in his heart, but he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he snorted coldly and left with a stiff parting remark.

“If this time, Yu Shu fails to appear and fulfill her promise, then we have no reason to continue our cooperation, Sergei!”

…

Lacking any knowledge of the drastic changes in the outside world, Li Yan was blissfully unaware. It was the dead of night, and the temperature outside could drop to minus ten degrees. He huddled by the fire made from scavenged fuel, preparing to leave early the next morning to return to the Kuang Zhuoma Company to exchange for currency and permits.

During his days at the Great Demon Lake, Li Yan had not only learned of many strange incidents before and after the bitter winter, but he also made tangible gains.

Firstly, there were samples of three super genes: Thunder Yak, Autumn Yak, and Super Sensitive Yak.

Besides that, he had several other pieces of valuable research material. However, after converting them to money to pay off Song Zuo’s share, there would not be much left.

In the profound silence of the night, Li Yan sat cross-legged on the ground surrounded by fragments of the Ring Dragon. He held the broken hilt of the Ring Dragon in place and pieced it back into shape, then stored it in his own insignia.

For the current Li Yan, shattering the Ring Dragon Sword was but a trivial matter, especially since he had an Azure Phoenix Sword as a spare.

Yet, sentimentally, Li Yan still felt a twinge of heartache. Counting the time he had spent lingering in the fruit, the unnamed Han Sword, once treasured by Taishuai, had been with him for over a year. Li Yan had fought with the sword in the arena, on battlefields, and against demons. On several occasions when he was flush with points, Li Yan had come across better weapons, with sharpness and properties that were only stronger than the Ring Dragon’s. Yet, he still chose the Ring Dragon as his primary weapon, even planning to reshape it with the “Mud of Yazi” to ensure that this initially ordinary weapon could keep up with his growth.

But now it seemed, the Ring Dragon had indeed lost all value and significance for repair, leaving it no more than a keepsake to be collected.