Go Into the Mountain

Yang Xiao walked to the edge of the playground, slipped into the woods, and entered Jade Cloud Mountain.

There was one thing Yang Xiao found very strange. Though many buildings had collapsed, the terrain and forests of Jade Cloud Mountain had suffered almost no damage. 

Did an earthquake really happen last night? Why was Jade Cloud Mountain unaffected, while the Academy of Ethereal Darkness built at the foot of the mountain was severely damaged? This didn't make sense!

According to what Yang Xiao saw, almost all buildings inhabited by humans had collapsed, while uninhabited areas had little damage. This seemed to be a targeted massacre against humans, causing great harm to the human population. No wonder Gu Bo said 90% of humans died overnight. 

Could this really have happened across the whole Earth?

That was a population of tens of billions!

If true, it would be an organized, premeditated massacre!

But who had the ability to initiate such a massacre beyond the bounds of technological knowledge? Was it the aliens represented by Gu Bo?

Yang Xiao shuddered at the thought.

Usually, there was an asphalt road from the mountain foot to the peak, but the area where Yang Xiao walked seemed to be a rarely frequented forest with towering trees and dense shrubs of about two meters in height everywhere.

Yang Xiao took out a watermelon knife and held a steel pipe. He cut through the vines and branches blocking his path, slowly moving forward.

The sun was getting higher. Yang Xiao checked his watch. It was already 10 a.m. 

He took out his phone again but there was still no signal.

With most buildings destroyed, and no electricity in the city, naturally, there was no network signal either. Perhaps even the telecommunication company's transmission towers and data centers had been destroyed.

Yang Xiao thought for a moment, then turned off his phone, conserving the battery for crucial moments when he might need it as a flashlight.

He recalled Gu Bo saying all creatures would genetically mutate in seven days. His hiding spot couldn't be far from the playground. When the time came, he had to run back immediately. He believed the Gene Store could deal with mutated creatures.

After walking about half an hour on the mountain, he found a huge rock dozens of square meters large halfway up in the forest. It was surrounded by bushes over two meters tall. This was a naturally concealed spot, and from here, he could have a clear view of the entire playground below, including the Gene Store.

If attacked by mutated creatures, he could reach the playground in half an hour.

Yang Xiao decided to use this as a temporary shelter for these seven days. 

In the forest on the mountain during the day, it was relatively safe, but at night, it became more dangerous with various mosquitoes, centipedes, and venomous snakes coming out to roam.

Yang Xiao put down his backpack on the rock and laid down the watermelon knife and steel pipe, starting to sleep.

From now on, he decided to reset his biological clock, sleeping during the day and staying alert at night.

Around 2 p.m., Yang Xiao naturally awoke. He heard the bustling voices from the playground below. Peering through the bushes, he saw that over a hundred people had gathered there.

These people were clustered in small groups on the playground, discussing something. They seemed curious and puzzled about the Gene Store, mixed with a hint of fear.

Most didn't seem aware of the risk in seven days. Many still waited for government rescue teams to arrive. For now, they could find water and food in the ruins. Overall, people's mood was relatively relaxed.

A few alert individuals began rummaging through distant ruins for supplies, just in case. 

In addition to the campus scene, Yang Xiao could also see scenes further outside the campus. The high-rise buildings near the university had all been reduced to rubble, creating a wasteland.

On some ruins, he could vaguely see people moving about in twos and threes.

Not everyone knew about the Gene Store. Those further away began organizing self-rescue efforts, searching the rubble for their loved ones and neighbors.

Yang Xiao sighed and closed his eyes again to force himself back to sleep.

Not getting enough sleep during the day would make him drowsy at night, and he definitely didn't want to fall asleep and risk being bitten by centipedes or venomous snakes.

On the playground, Xiao Zhe carried a backpack full of food, looking for Yang Xiao.

"Where did this guy go?"

Xiao Zhe was the vice president of the student council and a well-known figure at the school. Many people knew him.

Some survivors gathered around Xiao Zhe. 

"Xiao Zhe, we've suffered such a huge disaster, shouldn't we organize ourselves for self-help? You are the vice president of the student council; you should take the lead in organizing everyone for self-rescue."

"Why haven't any university leaders come to save us? Also, where are the soldiers and police?"

"What about the government? Where are Dawn City leaders?"

"Also, what's that strange orange building? Those two silly costumed warriors at the door, are they filming a movie? They're dressed so weird."

"Is what that old man said true, about genetic mutations of creatures on Earth in seven days? It sounds kind of funny to me!"

...

Xiao Zhe was feeling overwhelmed. He didn't want to take on the role of a leader and organize everyone because they would soon encounter a significant challenge, food shortage.

With enough food in his backpack to sustain him for seven days, he just wanted to find a place to hide and endure through this week. If he became a leader for everyone, he anticipated that he would have to share that food sooner or later.

Of course, being a leader could come with many advantages if he could successfully unite everyone, such as potentially acquiring more survival resources through force.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Zhe reluctantly decided to organize self-rescue efforts. 

"Here's the thing. If everyone trusts me, I can lead us to organize and face the current disaster together. However, once you join my organization, you must obey orders and arrangements without question. If you can do that, then join my team; otherwise, everyone should look after themselves."

Dozens of men and women voluntarily joined Xiao Zhe's team, while more people chose to wait and watch, going their own way.

Xiao Zhe counted and found that there were approximately thirty people who had joined his team.

"Alright, I have a task for everyone. Go to the ruins and find as much food and bottled water as possible. Then we'll manage the resources as a whole. Also, try to find some iron rods or other objects that can be used as weapons for self-defense."

"Xiao Zhe, searching for food is one thing, but do you really believe what that old man said about the genetic mutation of Earth's creatures after seven days?"

"What I'm worried about now isn't the genetic mutation of Earth's creatures in seven days, but how we'll survive that long. Do you all have enough food and water stockpiled?"

Hearing this, everyone suddenly realized. Now they were all empty-handed, having just picked up random scraps in the ruins without thinking about the long term.

In their minds, the government would definitely come to rescue them.

"Okay, let's not waste any more time. Start moving now. Search for food in the ruins immediately, and then gather at the playground. Bring any essential supplies you can find."

Xiao Zhe fully displayed his leadership skills. He decided to establish the Self-Rescue Team of the Academy of Ethereal Darkness to confront the disaster.

There was strength in numbers! 

Also, when there was a will, there was a way.

However, he didn't mention rescuing the injured in the rubble from start to finish. He didn't want to waste too much time, and the Gene Store and the two guards at the entrance weighed heavily on his mind. He had a vague sense that the situation might be even more severe than he had anticipated. 

Xiao Zhe's organization was very effective, and soon, more than a dozen people joined his team. Everyone began searching for food in the ruins of the shopping center. However, luck wasn't on their side because more people had come here to scavenge for food, and most of the easily accessible food had already been taken.

So, everyone started splitting up to search for food in the ruins of the stores outside the campus. By the afternoon, each person had returned to the playground with a bag full of food.

Xiao Zhe had them gather and evenly distribute the food and assigned individuals to stand guard for defense.

He successfully formed the first team of the Academy of Ethereal Darkness, and by the second day, there were over a hundred people in the group. They had collected a significant amount of food, which was piled up on the playground, and they had set up makeshift tents.

In the middle of the night, under the bright moonlight, Yang Xiao sat on a rock, drinking mineral water and eating two sausages and a pack of salt-baked chicken. 

Around him, various insects were constantly making noises. He didn't dare to use his phone's flashlight, relying on the moonlight to scan his surroundings continuously. Fortunately, there were hardly any insects or centipedes on this large rock, so he could spend the night there in peace.

At this moment, on the playground, the team organized by Xiao Zhe, consisting of over a hundred people, gathered together. Some were sleeping, while others were on night watch, guarding against anyone trying to steal their food.

Xiao Zhe had stopped accepting new members unless they could bring enough food. 

In Xiao Zhe's team, boys made up about seventy percent of the group. At present, each person had simple weapons like iron pipes, steel bars, and wooden sticks. This team could be considered the most formidable in terms of combat capability at the moment.

There were approximately one to two thousand survivors in the entire university, with around four to five hundred currently gathered on the playground. More people were scattered in other locations.

News about the Gene Store and genetic mutation in seven days was also spreading gradually.