Their journey was fraught with challenges, requiring them to cross mountains and rivers, and clear paths through dense thorns.
Aside from the perilous experience in that cave, the group of seventeen had a relatively smooth journey, encountering no more hordes of demons.
With their current strength, they weren't so weak as to be completely devoured by demons after just a few steps. After nearly ten days of travel, the remote Jinlin City finally appeared before their eyes.
It was a mountain range, with a train tunnel still cutting through it. This time, everyone chose not to take the dark tunnel, preferring to climb over the mountain directly. Clearly, the cave demons had left them with a very bad memory.
Upon reaching the high point of the mountain range, they immediately saw a vast, open plain basin. To the Western side, an endless expanse of plains and low hills stretched out, all visible at a glance.
To the North was a winding river that flowed past a city already in ruins, overgrown with weeds. The river flowed into the distance, turning to the Eastern side, which was the direction of the mountain range they had come from.
"That's Jinlin City. It's only been fifteen years, how did it become like this?" Zheng Bingxiao gazed at Jinlin City from afar and asked.
"When demons inhabit a place, it's bound to turn out like this. All the houses, streets, and roads are ruined beyond recognition. Plants use demon excrement as nutrients, growing incredibly fast, and everywhere will be covered in vines, moss, and grass," Jingjing said.
"Let's go. We'll first survey the outskirts and count how many demons are wandering here," Song Xia said.
Immediately, the group approached the outskirts of Jinlin City.
During these days, Mo Fan had naturally altered the directions of the markers Lu Zhenghe had left.
Although he yearned for the demon transformation, he didn't plan to use the blood essence before reaching the High Level.
Based on his original world's knowledge, the higher his cultivation, the smaller the backlash from using the demon transformation would be. Moreover, and most importantly, he possessed an innate dual-element talent. Wouldn't it be even more satisfying to awaken an additional magic element before obtaining the demon transformation?
They quickly arrived at the outskirts of Jinlin City, where they searched and confirmed there were only a few scattered minor demons, with no large groups found.
The outer forest's exploration went very smoothly. They marked it green on the map, indicating that the outer forest was relatively clear and had few demons.
"Let's just go straight in. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go back. Staying out here for too long makes me feel uneasy," Luo Song said.
Luo Song, with his physique, had lost a lot of weight over these ten days. In short, he didn't want to suffer here any longer.
He only endured because he knew that if he didn't complete the mission and return, he wouldn't receive more resource rewards. Otherwise, he wouldn't be willing to endure this hardship.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhenghe immediately said, "Surveys aren't that easy to finish. We have many points to survey, and they've all been marked. Unless we split up..."
He was naturally not in a hurry to return, because he was waiting for his older brother to help him defeat Mo Fan and win the goddess's heart.
"Is there a problem with you acting alone?" Mo Fan looked at Lu Zhenghe and asked.
"Why should I separate from the team?" Lu Zhenghe retorted.
"As a captain, do you not even have that much courage?" Mo Fan pressed.
"Do you dare!?" Lu Zhenghe felt a bit embarrassed and immediately retorted.
"Of course." Mo Fan shrugged, indicating he had no problem.
It would be a good thing if such a foolish person could be eliminated early.
Seeing Mo Fan's indifferent attitude, Lu Zhenghe chickened out. Although he had a War General Level demon wolf, it didn't mean he could act recklessly.
"Don't be so arrogant if you don't have the ability," Mo Fan continued.
Lu Zhenghe clenched his fists but ultimately didn't get angry. He chose to endure!
However, for a moment, he didn't even dare to look at Mu Ningxue.
But unfortunately, if he had glanced at Mu Ningxue, he would have found that she wasn't paying him any attention at all.
The seventeen people began to enter Desolate City. The roads that originally led directly into the city were filled with abandoned cars, already covered in verdigris. They were jammed on the outer ring road, making it imaginable that during the evacuation, these cars had completely blocked the roads, and most people had abandoned their vehicles and fled.
Cars are actually very impractical in the face of true disaster, because they are too dependent on roads.
After passing through the outer ring road, streets and houses gradually appeared.
The street roads were visibly cracked, with winding fissures crawling across the entire road. Weeds grew within these cracks, as if their immense vitality had shattered the road as they expanded.
The houses were covered in dust, densely overgrown with climbing ivy. Unidentified vines climbed up the buildings, growing into the windows of those houses, and those dim windows likely led to more dilapidated and messy interiors.
The trees on both sides, untended for a long time, had canopies that blocked out the sun. At this moment, the seventeen individuals from Pearl Academy and Imperial Capital Academy walked along these broken roads, which resembled both a lush forest and a residential area. Hearing the occasional low roars from not far away, each of them had a somewhat solemn expression.
This former residential area was the first place they needed to survey after entering the city. From various signs, it was clear that a large group of demons had once inhabited this place, as mountains of dried demon excrement, like sand, were scattered everywhere in the corners of some houses, and the bones of some large animals were also strewn across the ground.
A city destroyed by demons, everywhere exuded a sense of desolation.
"Let's find a place to settle down first," Song Xia said.
"In a building. We need to first occupy a building as our base. The rooftop of this building should ideally be connected to other buildings for easy evacuation," Lu Zhenghe, eager to show off, immediately said.
"Right, tall buildings offer a wide view, which also makes it easier for us to stand guard. Otherwise, if a large group of demons approaches, we'll have difficulty detecting them."
...
The others also thought this was a good suggestion. At this moment, Mo Fan looked at the central building and said, "That one looks good."
Although he knew where the demons were, there were also gains to be had there.
A gray building stood tall in this residential area. Perhaps due to the washing of rain, this building didn't look so filthy.
Most importantly, this building, standing amidst a ruined street, was relatively well-preserved, and its solidity was naturally extraordinary. Not only was the building itself towering, but its entire base was also grand and imposing.
Seeing that spot, the others also felt there was no problem.
Then, the group approached that location.
The entire municipal building had a three-tiered structure. The first tier was the main municipal hall and its auxiliary floors, forming a rectangular shape, covering a very wide area!
The second-tier structure was a misaligned cube-shaped floor structure built upon that massive base, which, when compared to the rectangular base below, would appear to have very distinct architectural features.
The third tier was the square, high-rise building erected above this cube-shaped building, likely constructed for government agencies not entirely open to the public. Its height made it stand out like a crane among chickens amidst this large area of residential buildings, streets, and urban districts.