N-A-A Chapter 45 Speculation
Chapter 45 Speculation
Wang Meng was right. Xu Mo did not believe that the three of them, or even their entire thirteen-person team, posed a real threat to him.
This confidence did not stem from Xu Mo's blind arrogance, but rather from his understanding of his own strength and his keen perception of the aura of others after entering the Bullhide Realm.
The leader, Wang Meng, had a sharp and capable demeanor, a steady gait, and piercing eyes. He was clearly a survivor who had experienced life-or-death battles and had rich practical experience.
Before his breakthrough, Xu Mo would definitely have been extremely cautious and attentive when facing someone like this.
However, in Xu Mo's perception after breaking through to the Bull-Skin Realm, although Wang Meng possessed a murderous aura, he did not give him any sense of danger. Simply put, Xu Mo could not detect any power aura on the other party that could threaten him. After being tempered by the apocalypse, Wang Meng might have superb fighting skills, but in the face of Xu Mo's absolute power, the effectiveness of those skills would be greatly weakened.
As for Zhao Ming, Sun Xiaoyun, and Da Niu whom he had met yesterday, their auras appeared even weaker in Xu Mo's perception.
It was the mark left by long-term malnutrition, mental stress, and physical exhaustion. Their physical condition might even be worse than that of an average healthy adult before the apocalypse. Facing such opponents, Xu Mo was confident that he could end the battle quickly without using firearms, relying solely on the machete on his back and his fists.
The disparity in strength brought absolute composure to his mindset. This was the fundamental reason why Xu Mo dared to appear twice and conduct the transactions so readily. The compressed biscuits, canned goods, and cigarettes he offered were just a drop in the ocean compared to his vast reserves. Exchanging these "insignificant" items for crucial information and avoiding unnecessary conflict was a very worthwhile deal.
In contrast, Xu Mo was more concerned about the information about mutated zombies that Wang Meng had revealed to him.
"Agile type, strength type, venom type..." Xu Mo muttered to himself, his gaze once again turning to the snow-covered ruins of the town outside the window—Qingsongling Town.
Xu Mo had always had a question: the extent of damage to many buildings in this town seemed to exceed what ordinary zombies could cause. The collapsed walls, the steel bars torn apart by immense force, and the floorboards smashed through as if by a heavy hammer—if it were just a large number of ordinary zombies crowding and ramming into them, it shouldn't have caused such severe damage.
Now, Xu Mo has a preliminary answer.
"In the early stages of the apocalypse, densely populated towns would certainly have a huge number of zombies. With such a large population base, the probability of mutated beings would also increase." Xu Mo's thoughts gradually became clearer. "Those incredibly destructive traces are very likely the 'masterpiece' of strength-type mutated zombies. They easily destroyed the load-bearing structures of buildings with their terrifying brute force..."
Xu Mo even thought of the large-scale westward movement of the zombies that night. Could such unified and abnormal behavior also be related to some unknown mutant with stronger guidance or special abilities?
"I just don't know how many mutants ravaged this town back then? Where did they go afterward?" Xu Mo couldn't answer this question for the time being, but the existence of mutated zombies gave him a new and higher assessment of the danger level of the outside world. Whether he stayed or left in the future, he had to take these terrifying monsters into account.
The next day, shortly after dawn, Xu Mo spotted Wang Meng's team on the rooftop.
The group, carrying packs that seemed even more bulging than when they arrived, headed out of town, suggesting they had made some gains. Wearing homemade snowshoes, they formed a loose line and resolutely marched eastward along the old road outside town, their figures gradually disappearing into the vast snowfield.
For Wang Meng and his companions, Qingsongling Town was merely a stopover offering temporary shelter and unexpected supplies on their long migration journey. Their hopes and future rested on a place two hundred kilometers away called the "Jiangcheng Shelter." Perhaps there, they could find a sliver of long-lost order and stability, even if it came at a price.
Xu Mo silently watched them leave, feeling little emotion. Everyone has their own ambitions, and he understood their choices. When individual strength is weak, banding together for mutual support and attaching oneself to a stronger organization is the most realistic option for the vast majority of survivors.
However, the appearance and departure of Wang Meng's team also served as a reminder to Xu Mo, prompting him to adjust his strategy for using his "golden finger".
Xu Mo did not immediately put back the signs that he had previously put away, such as "Welcome to Taste," "Pharmacy," and "Emergency Food Warehouse," on the corresponding doors.
From his conversation with Wang Meng, he learned that winter is the peak season for many small and medium-sized survivor groups to migrate and seek refuge in larger shelters due to the reduced activity of zombies. This means that Qingsongling Town, marked on the map as a "must-pass" or "potential rest stop," is likely to see other passing survivor groups in the near future.
If you have to frantically collect the signs every time a stranger comes over, and then put them back on after they leave, it's not only troublesome, but it also increases the risk of being exposed. If you don't have time to collect them one time, or if someone notices the glue residue and strange signs on the door, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.
"Looks like we can't take the easy way out and just stick the signs on the door all the time," Xu Mo decided. "When we need to scavenge for supplies, we'll bring the corresponding signs, stick them on the spot, and take them back immediately after use. It's an extra step, but it's safer and more discreet."
In this way, their secrets could be protected to the greatest extent possible, regardless of whether outsiders broke into the town. Those seemingly ordinary doors, most of the time, were just ordinary doors and would not attract any extra attention.
Xu Mo carefully collected the cardboard pieces with different names written on them and placed them in a separate compartment of his backpack, as if organizing a set of exclusive "master keys." This set of keys would only briefly appear when needed to open the corresponding "treasure vault."
After completing these tasks, Xu Mo's life returned to its usual rhythm. Morning exercises, qi gathering, daily cultivation, evening exercises, absorbing spiritual energy, studying... the cycle repeated itself.
Then, Xu Mo, or rather Qingsongling Town, was once again hit by heavy snow.
The snow on the ground hadn't melted because the temperature had remained below zero, and the subsequent heavy snowfall further thickened the snow. Xu Mo deliberately didn't clear the snow near his residence, in order to completely cover up his previous movements. This was also to prevent any survivors who came to town later from easily finding him.