Chapter 75: The Crowd

The more Shen Lie pondered, the more extraordinary he found the Starlight race to be. Whether it was their mind-boggling replication abilities, their even more extravagant sacrificial arts, or the unusual efficacy of their ordinary star energy, he couldn't help but wonder what rank this race held in the vast, boundless star domain, and how many other, far more formidable races might exist.

Nowadays, no one was naive enough to believe that humans only existed on Earth. In fact, whether humans themselves were truly human had become a question; the mutations following the awakening of ancestral bloodlines had cast the origin of humanity into uncertainty.

The silvery-white star energy he had acquired this time was substantial. It took a long time to fully infuse into that天赋 leaf mark. Once all the energy was exhausted, Shen Lie discovered that the leaf mark was significantly brighter than before, and he could sense that his affinity for lightning had also greatly improved.

It was a marvelous sensation, one that could be described as profoundly mystical. Standing on the rooftop, Shen Lie gently extended his right hand and felt the presence of numerous lively lightning elements surrounding him. If he so desired, these elemental factors could obey his command.

"Lightning!"

Shen Lie uttered the word softly, and with a flick of his will, a bolt of lightning formed in his hand. He waved his hand, and the lightning shot out, striking a mildly mutated fruit tree in the garden. The tree immediately emitted a plume of black smoke, followed by a sharp crack as it snapped in half.

Xia Ke, standing at the doorway, was startled by the sound. Because the roof was quite high, she hadn't seen what Shen Lie was doing up there, and she dared not climb up to look, so she remained unaware that he had conjured such a bolt of lightning.

"Cough, cough... um, are you alright?" Xia Ke had yet to decide how to address Shen Lie, so she could only clear her throat and ask vaguely.

"I'm fine. Let's go!" A figure leapt down from the roof, revealing Shen Lie’s face, which was full of joy.

Shen Lie hadn't expected that sacrificing such a small jade pendant would enhance his lightning talent so much. His lightning abilities were now surely on par with those of an average lightning-type awakener. Furthermore, with his increased talent, his lightning-based skill, "Hammer of World Destruction," would undoubtedly be even more powerful.

"Huh, why are there so many survivors gathered over there?"

Since he wanted to find some food in the town as a reserve, Shen Lie hadn't continued riding his motorcycle. The two of them searched as they walked, but after checking many shops without finding a single scrap of food, they rounded a corner and discovered a large group of people gathered ahead.

Shen Lie had long expected to encounter other survivors in this town. According to Xia Ke, there were at least a million survivors fleeing from Yangcheng in this direction. Even if many had died at the hands of monsters, the number of those who broke through was still significant. This place was only a little over a hundred kilometers from Yangcheng; if so many survivors were spread out in a fan shape, many would inevitably reach this area.

However, by the same logic, if humans could make it here, the monsters could just as easily track them down. Even if these people weren't short on food, they shouldn't be gathering so brazenly on the main street. This was no longer the peaceful era before the cataclysm!

When something is abnormal, there is usually a hidden cause. Though intrigued, Shen Lie didn't approach rashly. Instead, he took out his binoculars and led Xia Ke to the roof of a three-story building to observe.

Shen Lie first surveyed the surroundings. He had to admit that these people were lucky; within the range of his binoculars, no monsters were lurking, and there were no traces of giant insects in the sky.

Once he confirmed it was safe, Shen Lie aimed his binoculars at the center of the crowd, and he was met with a sight that left him utterly bewildered.

Dozens of people were gathered around a circular table, and on the table sat a very familiar object. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a very ordinary desktop radio from before the cataclysm!

"What is going on?" Shen Lie couldn't fathom it, so he asked Xia Ke beside him. Xia Ke was also looking through a pair of binoculars—Shen Lie was not short on such supplies.

"It looks like a radio. Could it be that this radio has some quirk that allows it to receive signals from a specific band?" Xia Ke was equally puzzled but proposed a hypothesis that made both her and Shen Lie start with excitement!

Since the cataclysm, all forms of wireless signals had been completely severed. Wired signals had been usable at the beginning, but they too had eventually been cut off, leaving different regions completely isolated from one another.

The consequence of this lack of communication was that survivors everywhere were like headless chickens. They didn't know which areas were safe, where large groups of survivors were gathering, and they were unable to coordinate operations, causing humanity to retreat steadily under the onslaught of monsters, suffering countless casualties.

If wireless communication could be restored, Shen Lie knew just how significant that would be. It would be a monumental event capable of changing the world's landscape! It would be a glimmer of hope amidst the shroud of death, granting countless people the possibility of survival!

"Is it possible?" Shen Lie suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued to observe through the binoculars.

Now that he had a theory, Shen Lie noticed that the radio on the table was indeed strange. A wire was tied to the radio's antenna and connected to a large iron frame on the side of the table. At the top of the iron frame was something that looked like a pot lid—likely a signal receiver—and finally, he spotted a sizeable battery under the table.

This scene was clearly an attempt to receive a signal, though it was unclear what signal they were trying to pick up or if they had succeeded.

Shen Lie focused his gaze on the people surrounding the table and was shocked to find that among the fifty or sixty people, there were over a dozen awakeners. Perhaps there were even more, as some awakeners’ mutations weren't very obvious.

This was a high ratio. If this was a team, Shen Lie believed it must include some very important figures.

"Oh! Oh!"

"It worked! Haha, it finally worked!"

Just as Shen Lie lowered his binoculars, a cheer erupted from the crowd, and many people began to jump and dance with joy.

The cheering was followed by silence. Shen Lie raised his binoculars again and saw everyone leaning in, ears pricked, listening intently to the radio. However, the distance was too great to discern the expressions on their faces.

"Let's go, let's take a look!" Shen Lie put away his binoculars and signaled for Xia Ke to head downstairs.

Xia Ke watched in astonishment as the binoculars magically vanished from Shen Lie's hands, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes. Although this wasn't the first time she had seen such a thing, she remained incredibly shocked; she couldn't fathom where this man hid such large objects.

But Xia Ke was a smart woman who knew what to ask and what not to ask. For her, the most important thing now was not to annoy this man, so that she could continue to stay by his side. This man was incredibly powerful, and not the type of brute who would harm her; only by his side could she be truly safe.

As Shen Lie approached the crowd at the table, he noticed several awakeners patrolling the periphery. He immediately understood that these people were a small, highly alert team. He offered the awakeners a friendly smile and consciously stopped at a safe distance.

Shen Lie’s appearance was very deceptive; unless he used his bloodline power to turn his body golden, no one could tell he was an awakener. Xia Ke, being a truly ordinary person, led the awakeners to assume they were just common refugees looking for food in town. After casting a warning glance at them, the awakeners paid them no further mind.

Just then, Shen Lie noticed more survivors emerging from various shops, approaching the crowd without being blocked. He realized that this team was larger than just the people present; many were likely still searching for supplies throughout the town.

"Old Long, did you really receive a signal? What information did you get? Is there any news from the capital?" A middle-aged man ran up, panting, his tone filled with intense anticipation.

"Everyone, wait a moment and listen for yourselves," said Old Long, a man in his sixties who seemed to have been spared from much hardship, as both his body and spirit appeared quite robust. Yet, even this old man looked bewildered, as if he had encountered something incomprehensible.