I Am Also An Extraordinary Creature
Chapter 277 - 231 Process_1

Chapter 277: Chapter 231 Process_1

"Let’s go check out the scene first..." Zheng Yichen, bothered by a headache, plugged the telephone line back in its original place and rode off. In a world without various kinds of surveillance, such a move was especially convenient.

From the information obtained so far, the Boundary Breakers were very likely to be behind the troublemaking. The Equilibrium Faction? It didn’t seem like something they would fuss over, right?

Spanning oceans, and just like what he had done in the last world, the difference was that this world was truly cold to death, an exceptionally abnormal coldness. Having reached another hemisphere, Zheng Yichen could see from a great distance a ’Sky Pillar’ connecting heaven and earth, which was nearly identical to the Dusk Pillar visible to him.

No, the Dusk Pillar was rather inconspicuous, while the presence of this Sky Pillar was simply explosive, leaving an impression that was incredibly profound.

Zheng Yichen didn’t immediately approach it; instead, he contemplated collecting some extra intelligence within the city. After all, nuclear bombs had exploded there, and going directly seemed like setting a trap for himself, right? Although something like nuclear radiation might not immediately threaten his life, and even residual effects could be dealt with by the Dusk.

But it’s better to avoid touching that stuff if it can be avoided, right?

The city ’near’ the Sky Pillar had been abandoned. The entire city was filled with blocked and deserted vehicles, children’s toys scattered on the ground, and more, but not a single human figure was in sight. Several zombies suddenly appearing in such surroundings wouldn’t seem out of place.

However, this was not some sort of biochemical apocalypse. All of this was brought about by the Sky Pillar. The area surrounding the Sky Pillar was even colder, not only that, Zheng Yichen also felt that the ’Elements’ in the environment had become much weaker.

He had noticed this upon arrival.

The Sky Pillar wasn’t a beam of light but something resembling a tornado. Some factor in this world was being siphoned by the Sky Pillar.

"Is this the work of the Boundary Breaking Faction?" Zheng Yichen was puzzled. The Boundary Breaking Faction was known for indiscriminate absorption, meaning they coveted everything, be it matter or energy, in a world.

But the current situation clearly showed they only wanted a part.

Zheng Yichen walked through the desolate city, where places like supermarkets had become empty. No resources were to be seen.

Upon opening a house door, he saw three family members huddled together without a hint of life. "Sorry to disturb," Zheng Yichen whispered, then closed the door.

Some people had managed to flee; others were forever left in this chilling place.

He continued to explore other places. The electricity was gone, and due to the lack of maintenance, combined with the ravages of time, the city decayed quickly without people. The information recorded on newspapers he found dated back to over a month ago, approximately when the nuclear bomb detonated.

As Zheng Yichen was searching for anything useful, a bright light appeared...

However, compared to the Sky Pillar, this flash of light was like a large bulb on a Christmas tree. The bulb burst without impacting the tree in the slightest.

"What the fuck—" Zheng Yichen cursed on the spot. What did this mean? Did it mean that while he was there to solve the problem, not only did he have to watch out for the enemy, but he also had to be wary of the possibility of being blown up by the locals?

Don’t just throw mushroom clouds around so carelessly, okay?

A faint rustling sound arose, and Zheng Yichen looked toward its source: a man wearing a thick coat, looking wretchedly desperate, holding a cardboard bag with various sundries and life resources inside.

The man couldn’t help swallowing when he saw Zheng Yichen, not because he had any ideas about Zheng Yichen, but because Zheng Yichen seemed out of place in this environment. There were still a few active people in this city.

Each person was dressed more heavily than the last, so Zheng Yichen looked particularly out of place, and his motorcycle didn’t look ordinary either.

And the young man appeared to be quite angry.

"Perfect, I have some questions to ask."

"I’ll answer anything you ask!" The man in the heavy coat said decisively, noting that Zheng Yichen’s complexion was rosy, showing no sign of lacking food. It was best to cooperate with such a person.

Zheng Yichen pointed toward the Sky Pillar: "About that thing."

"...That’s the symbol of doomsday. Ever since it appeared, the bizarre severe cold started. The government tried many things, but eventually, all their efforts came to nothing," the man said with a heavy expression. "Even when using all kinds of weapons, they couldn’t interfere with the Sky Pillar, including the attack you just saw."

"From the sound of it, are you used to nuclear explosions?"

"I see them several times a day, how could I not be used to them?" The man said dejectedly. "The frequency used to be higher before, but now that it’s getting colder, the number of explosions has decreased. Still, there have been so many explosions, and the doomsday Sky Pillar remains intact."

"Can I ask you a question?" The man looked puzzled at Zheng Yichen. "I’ve seen others like you before, they’ve fought with some very powerful people..."

"People like me? If you’re asking about my identity, I’m probably a colleague of those people. What happened to them?" Zheng Yichen said.

The man in the heavy coat paused to think: "Some of them died, while others were blown up while fighting with those suspected of protecting the doomsday Sky Pillar."

"..." Fuck! That actually happened.

Zheng Yichen looked at the man, "You seem to know quite a lot."

The man shook his head helplessly, his expression bittersweet as he pulled a military dog tag out from under his collar, "I took part in the war against the Sky Pillar."

"There were those who opposed the use of nuclear weapons, but others firmly believed that with those weapons, we could end the doomsday Sky Pillar and deal with those unidentified people..."

"Yet the outcome wasn’t significant, the Sky Pillar is still there."

"I’m just a soldier," the man in the coat said desolately, "apart from following orders, I couldn’t change anything. But now I’m a deserter, without even the chance to leave this city."

The outside is too cold. While hiding in this city, one can still scavenge plenty of resources. Find a cold room, stock it with insulating materials and one can survive; but once you leave the city, the fate that awaits you in the wilderness is to be frozen to death.

Daytime is cold, nighttime even colder.

"Tell me about the war against the Sky Pillar," Zheng Yichen said as he took out a palm-sized bottle from the motorcycle and tossed it to the man in the coat, who caught it with a puzzled look.

"What’s this?"

"Drink, consider it your payment," Zheng Yichen pulled out a similar little bottle and took a shallow sip.

The man in the coat hesitated but soon took a sip. He had really seen those people who fought to protect the Sky Pillar; they possessed very special powers. If Zheng Yichen was one of them, then the gun probably wouldn’t work.

He just used his tongue to lightly taste the liquid in the bottle. It wasn’t alcohol, but something like a medicinal concoction that made him feel warm.

Nice stuff.

He immediately screwed the cap back on tightly and stowed it away carefully. He could still endure the harsh cold of the environment, but this stuff could save his life in worse times.

"The Sky Pillar appeared during winter..."

"Skip that part, I already know it. It’s the subsequent events I’m interested in, the war surrounding the Sky Pillar. Tell me the details about that," Zheng Yichen interrupted.

The man in the coat went straight to the part Zheng Yichen wanted to skip, "We responded as soon as the Sky Pillar first appeared. It wasn’t so cold then, and various investigations were carried out. Other countries also requested to enter and investigate, but they were all turned down by the local government."

"Back then, everything was normal, but as the Sky Pillar grew, things became uncontrollable. That’s when some people with special abilities appeared. They were formidable. Overnight, all the senior officers of the deployed forces nearby were assassinated, and the war began."

As the coat-clad man spoke of the war between the military and a group of Special Ability Users, Zheng Yichen roughly confirmed some things. The environmental level of this world was neither high nor low, but it was poor in terms of developing special powers!

Zheng Yichen asked, "So, do you have people with special powers on your side?"

"Yes... but they were no match for those people and were wiped out. Those protecting the Sky Pillar were very cruel to those with special abilities. It was only later that some stronger ’Special Ability Users’ appeared. They seemed natural enemies, like rivals competing between two factions."

"It was their arrival that turned the tide in the war, but I heard that something else happened during this period of the war."

At this point, the man in the coat hesitated, unsure whether to continue.

Zheng Yichen clicked his tongue, "Is it a matter of trust, or is it about interests?"

"...both, I guess," said the man in the coat with a wry smile. "The trust issue isn’t too bad; even if those people come from unknown factions, they are still opposed to those on the Sky Pillar’s side. The main issue is interest."

"The people on the side of the Sky Pillar aren’t fools. Some of the higher-ups were enticed by what they offered."

Well damn, Zheng Yichen could already imagine what that was about. The enemy won’t just fight blindly. After the Dusk mercenary appeared and the pressure against the local forces increased, they naturally used other methods. As long as they could disrupt the alliance between the Dusk mercenaries and the indigenous forces, they could gain an additional advantage.

Enticed? It’s just greed leading them to be trapped.

"Such information shouldn’t be known by a common soldier, should it?"

"I’m a deserter now," the man in the coat shook his head, not elaborating too much on his identity. "Later on, some people started to realize, but by then, the Sky Pillar had already attached itself to the land. Even after a purge of the problematic individuals, it was too late."

"We also lost the trust of those who claimed to be the Dusk mercenaries..."