Chapter 11: Arriving Home

Zhou Quan's expression was peculiar, a mix of hesitation and awkwardness. He nudged Chu Feng and whispered, "Do you think that person, with a pair of silver wings, could fly high in the sky?"

"Possibly," Chu Feng nodded, then found it amusing. "Why are you so squirmy? You're not the one who grew wings."

"But don't I have a bright red fruit too?" The chubby Zhou Quan cautiously opened his backpack. The plant he had dug up earlier was still there, wrapped in a transparent bag to contain its fragrance.

On the plant was a crimson fruit, the size of a fist, sparkling like red agate. As soon as the bag was slightly opened, a rich fragrance wafted out.

"Do you think if I eat it, something will grow on me too?" the chubby man wondered, deeply conflicted.

This time, Chu Feng didn't laugh; his expression was serious. It would have been different if he hadn't known before, but now it seemed the fruits of these mutated plants were extraordinary.

"Wait a bit first," Chu Feng said. "Let's see if there are more reports about the person who grew silver wings."

"Why does it smell so good? What kind of fruit is that you have?" the middle-aged driver asked, looking surprised.

The car sped away from the small town, driving along the road towards the horizon.

"Just a wild fruit, we don't know what kind, so we're a bit hesitant to eat it," Zhou Quan said.

He genuinely didn't dare eat it carelessly. What if, instead of wings, he grew a horn or a tail? He wouldn't know where to cry then.

"Don't just eat anything you don't recognize; it could be poisonous," the middle-aged driver kindly warned. He then sighed, worried about his family.

He only worked in the small town behind them; his family lived in another town, hundreds of li away. He had no idea what had happened at home.

Overnight, strange phenomena had appeared in many places, and experiencing it firsthand had left him terrified. He wanted to get home as quickly as possible, which was why he was driving like a maniac.

The middle-aged driver's driving skills were undeniably impressive, with incredibly daring overtakes and constant jolting that nearly made Zhou Quan sick.

"I'm impressed, sir, truly impressed!" Zhou Quan had initially found it exciting, but he soon became listless, almost foaming at the mouth.

Outside the car window, trees along the roadside blurred past rapidly, making even Chu Feng feel dizzy. He was genuinely concerned that such reckless driving would lead to a dangerous accident.

He looked back, seeing the enormous, emerald-green vine still clearly visible. It covered the sky, blocking the sun, and they hadn't yet left its vicinity.

It hung suspended in mid-air, its main body far from the ground, resembling a towering green city reaching to the heavens, or perhaps undulating mountain ranges, vast and boundless.

How massive must it be? But then, thinking about it, it made sense; otherwise, how could it have pulled down a satellite?

The middle-aged driver sped for over a hundred li straight before slowing down upon entering another small town, where there were more vehicles.

"There's a follow-up report!" Zhou Quan said, pointing to his device. "Look, the person with silver wings can really fly in mid-air, and their whole body is surrounded by silver light! It's astonishing, but they also look... incredibly majestic!"

Zhou Quan showed Chu Feng the clear photo of the person on his communicator.

It was a young man, very handsome. When his body emitted silver light, his pupils also shone brightly, radiating silver rays, and even his hair became dazzlingly white.

Chu Feng was moved. The world was undergoing drastic changes, and some things were becoming increasingly incomprehensible. Certain supernatural phenomena couldn't be explained by the world's existing laws.

"Why aren't there more reports?" Zhou Quan complained, highly dissatisfied. "They should let that person talk about what it feels like."

He kept searching and finally found another new report.

"This person has been invited by the Heaven's Grace Bio-Group," Zhou Quan said. "That's a huge company; they'll conduct a full examination of his vital signs."

Chu Feng frowned slightly upon hearing this. Heaven's Grace Bio-Group belonged to the Lin family and primarily dealt with biomedicine. He hadn't known this earlier; he only gradually learned about it after breaking up with Lin Nuoyi.

The name "Heaven's Grace Bio-Group" was truly... Chu Feng mused. He used to think the Lin family's leader was simply ambitious, which was why they chose such a name.

Now, it seemed there might have been a deeper meaning. From Lin Nuoyi's behavior, he knew the family understood certain truths and had long anticipated the coming changes to the world.

After learning about the Lin family's background, he finally understood why, when he wanted to see Lin Nuoyi off at graduation, her family had been so cold, forcing him to wave from a distance and then leave.

"What's wrong, brother? Why are you spacing out?" Zhou Quan asked, seeing him lost in thought.

"Just thinking about an ex-girlfriend," Chu Feng said casually.

"Did you break up with her first? Regretting it now?" Zhou Quan chuckled.

"No, she broke up with me," Chu Feng admitted frankly. There was nothing unspeakable about it; he didn't feel ashamed, and it was time to move on anyway.

"You got over it so quickly?" Zhou Quan was surprised, then groaned. His first love had left him heartbroken for two years, and he still hadn't fully moved on. This trip to the Tibetan region was a revisit to old memories, and also an attempt to finally forget.

Chu Feng said, "Things between us were always quite ordinary. We didn't spend a lot of time together, and it began as uneventfully as it ended."

"What happened?" Zhou Quan asked curiously.

Chu Feng shook his head. Although he had moved on, he didn't wish to say more.

Finally, after driving several hundred li, the middle-aged driver was nearing his home. Chu Feng and Zhou Quan couldn't hitch a ride any further and had to get off early.

"I can't see that giant vine anymore!" Zhou Quan looked back. The sky was clear blue and unobstructed. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling unburdened.

In that area, he had always felt an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Half an hour later, they entered the adjacent large city and arrived at the long-distance bus station, where buses headed towards the Taihang Mountains in the north.

After the bus departed smoothly, both felt a sense of relief. They had been worried it wouldn't run given the current situation.

"It seems nothing unusual is happening in this area; only the road we traveled earlier felt so strange. It must have been that giant vine!" Zhou Quan grumbled resentfully.

The long-distance bus's destination was a large city in the north, known as the ancient capital of six dynasties.

Along the way, it would pass the foothills of the Taihang Mountains. In fact, both Chu Feng's and Zhou Quan's homes were at the northernmost end of the Taihang Mountains, right next to that ancient capital city.

"If there are no surprises, we should reach the Taihang Mountains before sunset," Chu Feng said.

The distance to the northern city was eight hundred li. Even with traffic, at the speed of a long-distance bus, they would certainly arrive before sunset.

Unusual events were continuously appearing in various places, and now, on the bus, these were the most common topics of discussion.

"I heard they've already used missiles to try and shoot down some of the things in space."

"Hmm, I heard that too, but I haven't seen any reports about it. Not sure if it's true!"

The voices on the bus were mixed, with all sorts of discussions.

Chu Feng and Zhou Quan exchanged glances. They thought of suspended plants similar to that giant vine and realized they truly needed to be destroyed immediately!

Time passed, and the bus continued to travel steadily.

Zhou Quan sighed. He searched on his communicator but could only find one last image: the young man with silver wings being picked up by people from Heaven's Grace Bio-Group.

That was the last photo; there had been no further reports about him since.

"Are they really just taking him for a check-up? It looks more like they're welcoming a new VIP," Zhou Quan grumbled discontentedly. Top luxury cars were leading the way to pick up the young man, and high-ranking Lin family members were present in person.

Chu Feng glanced at the photo but said nothing.

Nowadays, all sorts of reports were circulating, unsettling people as unusual events were continuously reported.

After a quick scan, Chu Feng stopped paying attention. He ate some food and drank some water on the bus, then closed his eyes to rest, gradually falling asleep.

"Brother, wake up, there's a problem," Zhou Quan called to him.

Chu Feng was nudged awake. When he opened his eyes, it was already afternoon, and the sun was not far from setting.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"The driver's a bit freaked out," Zhou Quan informed him. "He said he's driven over a thousand li, but we still haven't arrived. And according to the road signs, it looks like we still have several hundred li to go."

Moreover, they had encountered mysteriously damaged roads along the way, sometimes having to bumpy along dirt roads for a while before rejoining the main highway.

Chu Feng was wide awake now. Was it like the area covered by the vine? Was the earth expanding, as if being stretched?

Some passengers thought the driver had taken a wrong turn, but he swore he had been driving this road for five or six years and couldn't possibly be mistaken.

The bus continued to drive, following the directions indicated by the road signs that everyone recognized.

"I'm not going any further! This is crazy! This must be related to those abnormal events being reported. I want to live, I don't want to die!" The driver, a man with a short temper, threw his hands up when he heard someone complain again that he might have taken a wrong turn.

"Huh?!" Someone looked up towards the front left.

A massive, towering mountain, reaching into the clouds, had appeared abruptly right beside the road, almost completely blocking it.

"That mountain wasn't there a moment ago, what's going on?"

"Driver, please drive faster, let's get out of here!"

A chorus of terrified shouts erupted from the bus.

Without a word, the driver slammed the accelerator to the floor and sped off like lightning. He was truly terrified, having personally witnessed the mountain inexplicably appear.

"I really shouldn't have traveled so far from home!" he regretted, blaming himself, his face pale as he relentlessly accelerated.

Inside the bus, many people were panicking.

Having experienced similar things, Chu Feng and Zhou Quan remained calm.

However, in the end, Zhou Quan couldn't help but pray, murmuring, "God bless us, let us get home safely!"

The bus was driven like a madman, charging forward, narrowly avoiding accidents several times.

In fact, it was clear that other vehicles had also accelerated; the people in them had evidently been startled on their journey too.

"Thank heavens, we're finally back."

As the stars appeared, Zhou Quan exhaled deeply. He saw familiar landmarks and the endless Taihang Mountain Range in the distance.

Chu Feng also gradually relaxed. They were only a few dozen li from home; at this point, they could even get off and walk the rest of the way.

However, after driving a few more li, the bus suddenly slammed on its brakes. Many passengers were thrown forward into the seats in front of them, letting out cries of pain.

"How are you driving?!" someone yelled angrily.

Soon, however, the complaints died down.

Under the scattered stars and moonlight like water, a large lake appeared ahead, with wisps of mist rising from it, blending with the moonlight as if veiled in a light gauze.

The lake was vast, glowing faintly under the starlight and moonlight, possessing an indescribable spiritual aura and beauty.

It was indeed beautiful, as clear as a celestial lake, seemingly absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

"What's going on? The road's cut off! How did a large lake just appear out of nowhere?" Zhou Quan was stunned. His home wasn't far, and he had grown up in this area, never once seeing such a lake.

The road simply ended here!

"Why are you just staring? Let's get off and go around it!" Chu Feng urged.

The sudden appearance of the lake, to Chu Feng, was much like the massive mountain that had abruptly appeared earlier. The earth was expanding and undergoing drastic changes.

Some previously unknown mountains and geographical features were emerging and revealing themselves!

The people on the bus split into two groups: some wanted to go around the lake, while others preferred to wait there until daybreak.

Chu Feng and Zhou Quan trekked for several dozen li to get around the large lake, walking until deep into the night. Finally, they saw a small town in the distance.

It was a county town called Shunping, where Zhou Quan lived.

Chu Feng's home was still more than ten li further away.

"Finally home!" Zhou Quan exclaimed with immense joy, completely relieved.

"Hmm, what's that?!" Chu Feng looked towards the Taihang Mountains. Suddenly, a continuous rumbling sound filled the air, and enormous mountain peaks, towering into the clouds, abruptly appeared.

They were incredibly majestic, thousands, even tens of thousands of meters high, stretching endlessly. Hundreds, even thousands, appeared at once. Compared to them, the original mountain ranges seemed dwarfed.

Moreover, the area glowed with brilliant light, appearing utterly sacred!