Li Xiaofei and Li Junjie stood at the very front, their broad and sturdy figures shielding the others behind them. A whirlwind of dust grew closer with each passing second.
As it neared, they could see it was a convoy speeding through the desolate wasteland. The convoy consisted of four motorcycles, a minibus, and two heavy trucks. The wheels crushed the barren earth beneath them, kicking up a trail of dust like a soaring dragon.
Li Xiaofei’s eyesight was exceptionally sharp. He immediately noticed that the motorcycles, the minibus, and the heavy trucks were identical in design and appearance to vehicles from Earth’s 21st century.
Moreover, the drivers were humans like Li Xiaofei and the others.
Could it be that the intelligent life forms on planets outside the battlefield of the universe are also human?
This thought surfaced in the minds of Li Xiaofei and his companions.
“They don’t seem like enemies,” Zhang Zhihong remarked. “Should we stop them and ask?”
“Alright,” Li Xiaofei nodded. “We’ll act based on the situation.”
Zhang Zhihong stepped forward alone, positioning himself directly in the convoy’s path. He waved his hands and shouted loudly. The convoy clearly noticed him; however, they showed no intention of stopping. On the contrary, they accelerated.
“Damn it!” Zhang Zhihong gritted his teeth in frustration, feeling his molars ache. “Are aliens really this unreasonable?”
Resolving himself, he stood his ground. He channeled his Xuanzhen energy, preparing to withstand the first heavy truck with his bare hands.
The sound of screeching brakes filled the air as the truck’s tires lost traction and skidded across the arid ground, carving a long trail in the dirt. It finally came to a stop just two meters away from Zhang Zhihong.
"Are you out of your mind?" The driver, wearing a dirt-yellow aviator hat and goggles, stuck his head out of the truck window and started cursing furiously, "Do you think I won't just run you over?"
Zhang Zhihong glanced back at Li Xiaofei and the others in the distance.
Mandarin. How are these supposed aliens speaking Great Xia's Mandarin?
"Who are you?" Zhang Zhihong shouted.
At the same time, he waved to Li Xiaofei and the others, signaling them to come over.
"Not good, it's an ambush!"
As soon as the driver saw Li Xiaofei and the others approaching, his expression changed drastically. He immediately rolled up the truck window.
Six gun barrels emerged from both sides of the truck's cab, pointing outward like ominous black holes. At the same time, the motorcyclists on either side pulled out rifles and submachine guns and aimed them at Zhang Zhihong.
"Don't misunderstand!" Zhang Zhihong twisted his body, easily dodging the bullets, and quickly raised both hands. He shouted loudly, "They're my friends... we just happened to pass through here. We mean no harm!"
"An extraordinary one?"
The motorcyclists, stunned by how effortlessly Zhang Zhihong avoided the bullets, immediately put some distance between them.
"We have nothing on our truck," the driver, who had spoken earlier, rolled down the window again. He cautiously stuck his head out, his tone shifting to one of pleading. "There are only elderly and children in the trucks behind us. We've already run out of food and water. Please, spare us, O mighty Extraordinary Ones."
Zhang Zhihong froze for a moment. It seemed like they were terrified of him.
Li Xiaofei walked up to stand beside Zhang Zhihong and raised his hand.
A flame suddenly ignited on his palm, causing cries of alarm to erupt from the convoy. To them, someone capable of controlling fire was an extraordinary being who was not to be provoked. If this individual harbored any malicious intent or intended to rob them, their situation would be perilous.
"Everyone," the driver spoke again, this time stepping out of the truck.
He was tall and muscular. Jumping down from the driver’s seat, he spread his arms wide to show he was unarmed.
His expression was tense as he pleaded, "Please, don’t hurt us. We’re just a group of homeless wanderers with no value whatsoever."
"I don’t want your water or food," Li Xiaofei said, extinguishing the flame in his hand. "I just want to ask you a few questions... rest assured, we mean no harm."
"What do you want to know?" asked the driver, trying his best to cooperate.
Li Xiaofei asked, "What is your name?"
"My name is Li Hongqiang," the driver quickly replied.
"Where are you from?" Li Xiaofei asked again.
"We escaped from Chang'an City in Shaanxi Province," Li Hongqiang responded hastily.
Li Xiaofei's heart trembled. He turned to look at the other members of his team. Shock was written all over their faces.
Shaanxi Province and Chang'an City. These two names were far too familiar.
Li Xiaofei forcibly suppressed the doubts and shock surging in his heart and asked again, "What is the name of this planet?"
The driver froze for a moment upon hearing the question.
He thought Li Xiaofei was joking but still answered honestly, "Earth."
Li Xiaofei’s mind went blank.
He glanced at the sky, where one sun and two moons still hung.
The crimson blood moon and the silver-white crescent moon—these celestial bodies, so utterly alien in appearance, screamed of an otherworldly realm. And yet, you’re telling me this is Earth?
Beside him, Zhang Zhihong, Bai Qiqi, Ren Dong, Li Junjie, and Ximen Piaoxue were equally stunned, their expressions betraying their utter disbelief. They couldn’t hide it even if they tried.
Even the eyes of Ye Liuying, who was usually cold and impassive, were trembling violently. Her repeatedly fluttering eyelids betrayed the storm of shock in her heart.
How could this place possibly be Earth?
"What... countries exist on this Earth of yours?" Li Xiaofei asked again.
This question left the driver completely dumbfounded.
An Extraordinary One, and yet he doesn’t know something so simple that even a four- or five-year-old child would consider it common knowledge?
Is he deliberately toying with me? Or...
Countless thoughts flashed through the driver’s mind, but he still answered honestly, "There are no countries left on Earth. Ever since the Governor descended, all nations have been destroyed. Humanity is on the verge of extinction."
"You just mentioned Shaanxi Province?"
"Yes, this used to be the territory of Great Xia. Even now, the survivors are still used to calling it that. But Great Xia has long ceased to exist."
"Yes, the Great Xia People's Republic."
"Then... does that mean there were once Yiggs, Europe, and the Bayer Federation as well?"
"Of course, they all existed. But they were all wiped out long ago. The Governor destroyed everything and now rules over Earth."
"Yes, a creation of the Star Council. A cold, invincible machine of order. Anyone who violates the Star Charter is deemed an enemy of Earth and is eradicated by the Governor."
"You don't know the Star Council?"
"I know... but... never mind. Where are you planning to escape to?"
"We’ve heard there’s a refugee camp recruiting people in the Taibai Mountains of the Qinling range. We’re heading there to seek shelter."
The driver hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously, "Are you all registered extraordinary individuals? Do you have sequence certificates?"
Undocumented residents, in other words, unregistered and secretly evolved individuals, were prime targets of the Governor’s crackdowns. If these young men and women didn’t have sequence certificates, traveling with them could bring disaster.
Once the Governor tracked them down, not only would the Extraordinary Ones be eliminated, but the ordinary wanderers accompanying them would also be slaughtered without exception.