Chapter 77 - 70: The Road Ahead

Chapter 77: Chapter 70: The Road Ahead

After finishing his Qi Collection, Xu Mo stood on the rooftop, unwilling to go down for a long time. He greedily savored the warm touch of the sun on his skin. It was a warmth that seeped into his very bones and soul, completely different from the feeling of enduring the bitter cold by relying on fuel, clothing, or even his own vitality.

The sunlight didn’t just dispel the physical cold. It also drove away the heavy, oppressive feeling brought on by the darkness of the Eternal Night—a darkness that was all-pervasive, constantly trying to erode one’s mind.

Xu Mo tilted his head back and closed his eyes, letting the long-lost golden light filter through his eyelids, leaving a warm, reddish glow in his vision. What he breathed in no longer seemed to be the frigid, deathly still air of the Eternal Night. Instead, it was a mixture of the dampness from the melting snow and some indescribable scent of "life."

’So... having the sun is such a blissful thing,’ Xu Mo thought, overcome with emotion.

In the modern society he’d come from, sunrise, sunset, and brilliant sunshine were the most ordinary of natural phenomena. Sometimes, he had even found the scorching sun irritating.

However, after experiencing the prolonged darkness and witnessing the terrible impact the Eternal Night had on people’s minds, the ecosystem, and the very survival of civilization, Xu Mo finally understood what this sun, hanging in the sky, truly meant to all life.

It wasn’t just a source of light and heat. It was a symbol of hope, an anchor for the rhythms of life, the very cornerstone that sustained existence and the world’s function. Without it, the world had slid to the brink of chaos and madness. Its return, however, heralded the possibility of order and vitality.

This feeling of regaining something precious filled Xu Mo with an almost devout sense of gratitude and appreciation for the seemingly ordinary sunrise before him. He stayed on the rooftop longer than usual, not looking away until the sun had completely risen above the horizon, casting its brilliant light unreservedly upon the land.

His moment of reflection over, Xu Mo remembered that he had placed a thermometer in a shady but well-ventilated room on the third floor to monitor the temperature. He quickly descended from the rooftop and went to the room.

The thermometer was still in its place, but the glass tube was shattered, leaving only a faint trace on the inner wall.

’When did it break?’ Xu Mo frowned. It was possible the previous extreme low temperatures had exceeded the thermometer’s lower limit, or perhaps it had broken during a tremor. There was no way to know for sure when it had happened.

But of one thing Xu Mo was certain: the temperature was starting to rise, and likely by a significant amount.

This wasn’t just based on the Jiang City Shelter’s forecast. The sun climbing higher outside his window and the distinct "warmth" in the air—so different from the Eternal Night—clearly confirmed it. The process of snow melting and all of nature reawakening was now unstoppable.

Suddenly, Xu Mo’s brow furrowed.

’All of nature?’

’The reawakening of all life!’

Xu Mo muttered the phrase to himself.

Shaking his head, he cleaned up the broken thermometer and returned to the first floor. The Eternal Night was over, but his cultivation could not slacken in the slightest. He once again assumed his stance and began his daily Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training. With the sun out, Xu Mo felt as if his vitality was more vigorous and flowed more smoothly.

During his training, Xu Mo habitually turned on the radio. Just as he expected, the broadcast signals from the Jiang City Shelter and the Rock Shelter came through.

Aside from the routine broadcasts about the shelters’ status, aimed at reassuring people and calling for survivors to join them, both stations had coincidentally added a new, noteworthy message: "We are now issuing an urgent recruitment call to all survivors with experience in agriculture or related professional knowledge. Whether you have worked in crop farming, vegetable or fruit cultivation, or are proficient in fields such as soil and fertilizer, irrigation, or pest control, the Jiang City Shelter warmly welcomes you. We will provide stable housing, ample food rations, and corresponding Contribution Points as compensation. Let us work together to contribute to the shelter’s food self-sufficiency and sustainable development..."

Listening to the repeatedly emphasized recruitment message, a glint of understanding flashed in Xu Mo’s eyes.

’Are they starting to prepare for spring planting...’ he mused, holding his Pile Training stance.

The broadcasts from Jiang City and Rock were undoubtedly a strong signal. It meant the rise in temperature was a certainty and was likely happening quickly. The season suitable for farming was imminent, if not already here. Furthermore, it implied that the threats in a certain area around both Jiang City and Rock had been cleared on a large scale, creating a basic level of security for agricultural production.

Most importantly, it showed that these large shelters were beginning to shift their focus from "survival" to "sustainable survival" and even "development." At this stage, food production was the most critical link.

For the entire survivor population, this was undoubtedly a positive and hopeful trend.

The content of the broadcast also gave Xu Mo a clearer outline for his own future plans.

’Once all the snow melts and the roads become easier to travel, maybe I really should go take a look at the Jiang City Shelter,’ Xu Mo calculated inwardly.

He didn’t intend to apply for a farming position, nor was he planning to settle there long-term.

Xu Mo’s purpose was clear. First, he wanted to observe firsthand—to see for himself this important bastion of human civilization in the post-apocalyptic world. He wanted to understand its internal operating model, social structure, technological level, and the true living conditions of ordinary survivors. This would help him better grasp the current state of the world and its possible future trajectory.

The second reason was information exchange. The shelter would inevitably have gathered survivors and a wealth of information from all over. He hoped to get more information about the apocalypse, Mutant Beasts, the situations in other regions, and even potentially special technologies and knowledge. This would be very helpful for his own survival.

The most important point was to understand this world’s system of personal power. Xu Mo wanted to know where a "Cultivator" like himself stood in this world, and whether people had a systematic understanding and classification standard for supernatural abilities.

Ever since transmigrating to this post-apocalyptic world, Xu Mo’s increase in strength had been entirely self-taught. He relied on his childhood memories to practice the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training, breaking through to the Cowhide Realm through his own trial and error. But he knew almost nothing about this world’s system of personal martial power.

’Besides ordinary people, zombies, and Mutant Beasts, are there other ways to increase one’s strength in this world?’ Xu Mo wondered while continuing his exercises. ’Do the official shelters have specially trained combat personnel? Do they have a clear ranking system for personal combat strength? What level is someone like me, at the Cowhide Realm, considered in this world?’

These questions were crucial. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Right now, he was like someone fumbling in the dark. He only knew he was getting stronger, but he had no idea where he stood in the grand scheme of the power system.

Was he just a beginner? Or had he already achieved something noteworthy? If he encountered other Power Users who had undergone systematic training, what would his advantages and disadvantages be?

This uncertainty about his own standing made Xu Mo extra cautious when planning for the future. He urgently needed to understand the "rules of power" in this world.

Of course, all of this was predicated on ensuring his own safety and freedom of action.

With this preliminary plan in mind, Xu Mo felt he had a clearer goal for the days ahead. He collected his thoughts and focused even more intently on his cultivation.