Chapter 25: Unprecedented Prosperity

Chu Feng circled Zuo Jun, clearly noticing that his head was significantly larger and very swollen. Having been kicked by the yellow ox six times, he probably had complete amnesia.

"Don't come looking for trouble again. Why bother?" Chu Feng shook his head.

He mused that if Zuo Jun were to come again, his head might not survive. What was "the great Dao is simplicity"? Two more kicks from the yellow ox and his head would likely turn into a rotten watermelon.

Chu Feng thoroughly checked Zuo Jun, especially his communicator, to see if there were any recent calls. Unfortunately, it was still blank.

Chu Feng guessed that Zuo Jun likely deleted his traces after contacting someone.

This time, he carried Zuo Jun and ran for about thirty to forty li before dropping him on a broken road leading to the county town, then returned.

Life had returned to the town. Many people went to work in the fields every day, and a good number of crops had already been sown.

According to some elders, this climate was ideal for crop growth. If all went well, they would mature in a few months, potentially leading to a bountiful harvest.

As a result, there were many more smiles on the faces of the townspeople.

Suddenly, there was a commotion on the street. Many people were carrying a young man whose body was burning hot, constantly emitting white steam. He was crying out in pain and struggling.

"Quick, take him to Old Doctor Wang!"

Someone shouted anxiously. A group of young men hurried, carrying the person toward the town's most renowned medical clinic.

Chu Feng, having just returned, witnessed this scene and quickly followed to see if he could help.

"Wang Pan, my child, what happened to you?" The young man's mother rushed over, throwing herself forward, tears streaming down her face. She was utterly terrified.

Wang Pan's face was contorted. He thrashed about, and several adults struggled to hold him down. His body was scalding hot, emitting white steam.

Chu Feng was startled by the sight and fell into thought.

"Sister-in-law, Wang Pan ate a fruit in the field, and this is what happened," a middle-aged man nearby explained.

Recently, many townspeople had been cultivating their fields, making full use of the land.

Wang Pan's family also owned a plot of land. He had been working there today with others, clearing it. During a break, he smelled a fragrant scent and found a silver fruit in a distant patch of grass.

The plant itself was very ordinary and common, yet it had borne a shimmering silver fruit.

Wang Pan was thirsty at the time, and the fruit's alluring scent made him unable to resist eating it. However, it wasn't long before he began to writhe in pain on the ground.

People spoke animatedly, explaining all these details.

Wang Pan's mother immediately burst into tears, her face soaked. She was terrified, fearing her son would die.

"Why are you crying? The child isn't dead yet!" Wang Pan's father said angrily. He and a few others worked together to finally get him into the clinic, as resuscitation was the most urgent matter.

Several adults tried their best to hold him down, but it was no use; Wang Pan's strength was growing, and he was about to break free. Finally, Chu Feng stepped forward to help, managing to immobilize him.

Old Doctor Wang observed carefully and used instruments to conduct a thorough examination of Wang Pan.

"His vital signs are extremely chaotic, and some hormones are surging. His condition is not good; I have never encountered a patient like this," Old Doctor Wang said, his forehead covered in sweat. He felt somewhat helpless.

"This child was harmed by rumors! He must have believed what the reports said, about someone eating a fruit and becoming a silver-winged deity. I think it's all nonsense!" an old man remarked.

"Yes, although there have been many strange occurrences recently, some are truly absurd and cannot be believed!" another middle-aged man nodded.

Chu Feng remained silent, listening quietly. He observed the young man on the sickbed, knowing that, barring any accidents, Wang Pan would become an anomaly.

Although Old Doctor Wang was highly skilled and renowned far and wide, he genuinely had no cure for Wang Pan.

He looked ashamed as he told Wang Pan's parents that he was at a loss and could only observe for now.

Wang Pan's father's face turned ashen, while his mother began to wail loudly again, consumed by fear.

That day, everyone in the town warned their children not to eat any strange wild fruits they might encounter, lest Wang Pan's situation repeat itself.

Chu Feng did not go home. Instead, he stayed with Old Doctor Wang, watching over Wang Pan.

After Chu Feng held him down, Wang Pan gradually fell asleep and stopped thrashing, but his body continued to tremble, and white steam still emanated from him, a somewhat terrifying sight.

Wang Pan's parents had no desire to sleep; their eyes were swollen from crying.

At daybreak, Wang Pan, who was restrained on the sickbed, finally awoke, letting out painful cries as he tried to break free.

Chu Feng was startled awake and quickly went to hold him down.

"I'm in pain..." Wang Pan cried out.

Chu Feng watched as Wang Pan's abdomen swelled, then a crackling sound emerged, like bones extending, sending shivers down people's spines.

During this process, a shroud of hazy white mist enveloped him.

Evidently, Wang Pan's body was undergoing a drastic transformation.

Finally, he wailed and roared in agony, alarming everyone nearby, and many townspeople rushed to the scene.

Half an hour later, Wang Pan quieted down, and the white mist dissipated. Everyone was dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost.

From Wang Pan's abdomen, an extra pair of arms emerged, silver-white and seemingly powerful.

"Ah, Wang Pan, what's wrong? Are you still unwell?" his mother shrieked, rushing towards him.

Wang Pan's face was pale, and he felt a bit weak. He told his mother that he was fine, just very hungry.

"You say you're fine? Look... you have an extra pair of arms!" Wang Pan's mother cried again. Her son had turned into a monster, which made her incredibly sad.

Many in the town heard the news and flocked to the clinic, which became completely surrounded.

"Quick, prepare food!" Wang Pan's father shouted, asking relatives and neighbors to help bring some.

"Could those reports be true? Look, Wang Pan really did undergo a mutation!" someone whispered.

Now, Wang Pan had completely transformed. He used to be a bit plump, but now he was very thin, with an extra pair of arms, and his formerly dark skin had become fair.

In the end, Wang Pan ate a lot of meat and bowl after bowl of rice. He finally filled his stomach and no longer felt hungry or weak.

As he ate, his two silver-white arms also moved, continuously bringing food to his mouth.

People watched in utter amazement.

Finally, Wang Pan walked out into the courtyard, waving his silver-white arms and sensing the changes in his body. His heart felt heavy; after all, he now looked somewhat like a monster.

Bang!

He punched angrily, and the result made many people's eyes almost pop out.

In the clinic's courtyard, there was a decorative rock that he cracked with a forceful punch, leaving several very deep and long fissures.

It seemed two more blows would shatter the stone.

"My goodness, how much strength is that?!" people exclaimed.

"The reports are true! Those strange fruits can actually cause mutations. This is practically a superhuman!" some young people said, filled with envy.

That day, many people from the town went out, searching for various wild fruits among the field grasses and outside the mountain forests. Young people were predominant among them, as if they had seen a mysterious door open.

Many wanted to approach and step through that door.

Two days later, Wang Pan's condition stabilized. Another check-up at the clinic showed many abnormal values in his body.

In particular, his extra pair of arms was extremely tough; ordinary knives couldn't cut them, and their strength was immense, equivalent to the combined power of several adults.

Wang Pan, who had been slightly plump, became completely thin, and his skin color also began to change to silver-white. According to Old Doctor Wang's estimation, his mutation might continue.

"My son now possesses extraordinary power. According to the reports, he might even become a deity in the future," Wang Pan's mother told everyone she met.

She feared others would call her son a monster and that he wouldn't find a girlfriend in the future.

In fact, many were envious, and even some adults tried searching for strange fruits outside the town when they went out.

For the past two days, besides practicing his special breathing technique and boxing, Chu Feng had been using his communicator to search for various reports and news about these strange fruits.

In recent days, all sorts of news had appeared online, and reports about strange fruits had surged.

This was because, for several consecutive days, mutations weren't limited to just one or two individuals, but affected many people from all over the world!

Another day passed, and when Chu Feng searched for reports again, he found even more people. Many towns had reported incidents, and in slightly larger areas, there was always one or two people undergoing mutations.

Someone estimated that, based on existing reports, the number of mutated individuals had already exceeded ten thousand!

This was an astonishing figure, and it only accounted for known cases. One could imagine that if unregistered cases were included, the number might be several times higher.

The internet was abuzz. Could it be that a mysterious new era was truly upon them?

Mutated individuals all possessed supernatural abilities. Some could fly and burrow through the earth, some could melt metal, and others could enter lava and survive...

The whole world was discussing it, filled with excitement.

People felt that a grand new age might be dawning.

The abilities of some people were comparable to mythological creatures, truly terrifying.

No matter how one looked at it, the current situation suggested an increasing number of mutated people, many possessing supernatural abilities, appearing like reborn deities. It was an unprecedented flourishing.

In the evening, a report emerged: some mutated individuals went to Celestial Being Biological Group to challenge the Silver-Winged Deity. However, the outcome was horrifying.

Those anomalies, despite teaming up, were all swept away by the Silver-Winged Deity alone, unable to withstand a single blow from him. This result shocked everyone far and wide.

The previously restless anomalies gradually calmed down.

Although they all underwent mutation, there were significant differences in their individual strengths. Those who awakened earliest seemed exceptionally powerful.

Shortly after, another report stated that Vajra single-handedly swept through a certain anomaly organization, defeating dozens of people, which again caused a huge sensation.

At this point, people understood that the earliest anomalies to appear—the Silver-Winged Deity, Vajra, Fire Spirit, and White Tiger King—now held unshakeable positions, as if they stood at the pinnacle of a pyramid.

Rumors claimed that mysterious powerful organizations supported them, providing various resources, including strange fruits, enabling them to grow increasingly stronger.

After reading these reports, Chu Feng fell into deep thought about what the future would hold.

He had not mutated and had not obtained any strange fruits. Currently, he was only practicing his special breathing technique and quietly honing his boxing skills alone.

He ignored such matters, focusing simply on gradually getting stronger. Once he mastered the Ox Demon Boxing, he planned to enter the Taihang Mountains to see if he could find anything.

Suddenly, his communicator chimed faintly; someone was looking for him.

"Lin Nuoyi."

Chu Feng was very surprised. Lin Nuoyi had never proactively contacted him since their breakup. Why today?