328: How did it become an old relic after only one year?

In an underground grotto, Bai Chi wielded an axe, chiseling at the surrounding rocks. This seemingly thin youth, however, possessed astonishing strength with each swing of his axe.

"I only dug up one," Bai Chi sat on the ground to rest, a bitter smile on his lips. Today, he had gone out early as usual, but after digging for most of the day, he had only found a single green exotic fruit.

"I need to go back earlier today. Old Man You should be returning soon." Bai Chi stood up, tucked the axe into his waist, and prepared to leave the underground grotto. On his way out, he planned to catch some Shrieking Insects in the Shrieking Forest. His current physique could completely resist the effects of the Shrieking Insects.

The grotto suddenly shook!

But very quickly, it seemed to return to calm. Bai Chi almost thought it was his imagination, but it had already put him on alert. He observed the grotto, temporarily halting his steps to leave.

"What's going on? Is there some large Pollution Beast outside?" He looked a bit nervous. How massive must a large Pollution Beast be to make a grotto dozens of meters underground shake like that!

Thinking of the potential danger outside, his face turned pale, and he tightly gripped the axe in his hand. He stood there for a full hour, and there was no further movement outside.

"Did it leave?" Bai Chi gritted his teeth. He couldn't stay any longer; he had to leave as soon as possible, otherwise, the new batch of supplies Old Man You brought in would quickly be snatched up.

Also, the Shrieking Insects he had accumulated over the past half-month should sell for a good amount of Yunzhou currency. He planned to raise enough money to travel to Ping'an Town, and next time, he would leave the base with Old Man You.

As Bai Chi appeared at the cave entrance, he suddenly saw a young man standing near the entrance.

The young man, dressed in white casual clothes, was staring at him with great interest.

"Who are you!" Bai Chi instantly brought his axe across his chest, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. Had the person in front of him discovered his secret!

What to do? Fight? Bai Chi felt a surge of panic. The young man in front of him clearly wasn't from a small base. His skin was fair, his clothes clean, and even after entering the Shrieking Forest, there wasn't a single leaf on him.

Someone who dared to walk alone in the Wasteland was definitely a strong individual!

It was important to know that the closest small base to his own was still over ten li away, and Ping'an Town was over seventy li away. This person was definitely not from those small bases, daring to cross a hundred li alone in the Wasteland! Bai Chi felt a chill in his heart.

Even the guardian of a small base couldn't possess such an aura.

Yunzhou, controlled by the Yunzhou Safe Zone, governed towns and bases of all sizes. Those in charge were not allowed to call themselves leaders; all were appointed as guardians by the Safe Zone.

"Who am I?" Tang Ping sized up the young man in front of him. He hadn't expected that a tiny bit of azure ancient wood energy, dispersed from the Azure Realm during his transformation, could actually evolve into a serendipitous encounter.

"You're a good kid, and we have some kind of fate. I find you pleasing to the eye, and I'm in a good mood today. Answer a few of my questions, and I can grant you one wish."

Bai Chi knew he had no power to resist. The person in front of him was likely a powerful Talent User. Although he knew the things behind him might be exposed, he dared not show any abnormality, fearing to anger the other party.

"What questions?" He forced himself to calm down and continuously observed the other person. However, the more he observed, the more sweat seeped from his forehead. He didn't know why, but in front of this person, he had a fleeting illusion of facing a vast, awe-inspiring sky.

Yes, this must be his imagination.

Bai Chi's face turned pale.

"What year is it now?"

When this question was asked, Bai Chi was momentarily stunned. He never expected the other party to ask such a question.

"It's the first year of the Gray Mist Era, December 29th."

"Gray Mist Era?"

"I heard it's counted from the year the apocalypse descended," Bai Chi answered honestly.

Tang Ping nodded. It seemed not much time had passed, only a year. It was much faster than he had expected; he originally thought it would take two or three years to complete, but now only a year had gone by.

Not bad.

"I remember this used to be the location of the Yunzhou Base, didn't it? Why has it become a desolate Wasteland?" Tang Ping looked around. Forget a base, even some dilapidated walls were rare. All around were strange-looking black-barked trees.

Bai Chi's expression gradually became a bit strange. Was this some kind of wild man who appeared from somewhere? Of course, he only grumbled inwardly.

"The Yunzhou Base, that was almost a year ago. After the contamination beast tide, the base relocated to Yunze Peninsula, three hundred li away. There, it's surrounded by rivers on three sides, and the Yunze Mountain Range blocks the other side, making it difficult for ordinary Pollution Beasts to cross. Also, it's now the Yunzhou Safe Zone, controlling an area of over seven hundred li nearby!"

When speaking of the Yunzhou Safe Zone, Bai Chi's eyes showed longing.

"It became a Safe Zone, that's not bad. By the way, do you know the name of the current leader of the Yunzhou Safe Zone?"

"I don't know," Bai Chi shook his head. How could he know such an important person? He didn't even know who the guardian of Ping'an Town was, let alone someone of such immense stature.

Tang Ping nodded slightly, not surprised by this. He chatted with the young man for a while longer, learning about the situation a year later.

However, this young man was just a low-level survivor and didn't know much about many things. He didn't expect him to provide a lot of information.

"Where do you live now? Can I stay at your place for a day? Um, I can pay rent."

Bai Chi hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded: "No need, just don't dislike it."

"Of course not. By the way, I said I could grant you one wish. What do you want?"

"No need, I feel pretty good right now."

"Really no need? If you miss this village, you won't find this shop again."

"Then can you not stay at my place tonight?"

"That's not possible."

"Then help me catch some Shrieking Insects."

"What are Shrieking Insects?"

Bai Chi: "..."

He felt very tired now. Forget it, he would catch them himself.

A slender iron skewer appeared in his hand. Bai Chi found a spot where there was an exposed rock surrounded by soil. He sprinkled some strange bait on the rock, then squatted in the nearby grass to wait.

Tang Ping, having nothing to do, was in a good mood after emerging from underground today. He also squatted nearby, intending to see what the young man was doing.

Soon, the soil next to the bait began to bulge, as if something was about to break through the ground.

After a short while, several thumb-thick insects with spiral mouthparts appeared, emitting piercing sounds as soon as they emerged. If an ordinary person faced them, this sound alone would likely make them dizzy and disoriented, and if there were enough insects, it could even cause them to bleed from their seven orifices and die.

Bai Chi's face was slightly pale, clearly, the sound was not entirely without effect on him, but he had been enduring it.

Soon, the Shrieking Insects stopped making noise and began to crawl onto the rock to consume the bait.

Just then! Bai Chi's iron skewer darted out quickly!

The first skewer pierced into the Shrieking Insect's mouth, followed by the second and third skewers. But when the fourth skewer was about to stab the fourth Shrieking Insect, these insects had already fled from the rock and burrowed back underground.

"These little things are Shrieking Insects?"

"Yes."

"What's the use of catching these things?"

"To sell for money."

"How much are they worth?"

"..."

Three hours later, Tang Ping followed Bai Chi back to the small base where he lived.

"Your home is really small," Tang Ping remarked with a slight sigh, looking at the space at the entrance.

"..."