468: Chapter 464 East, West, South, North

A few days later.

The four of them were finally all together. Lu Jianchuan leaned against the headboard of the hospital bed, swallowed the last bite of an apple, and tossed the core into the trash can.

Shen Mingyuan sat in the chair next to him with his legs crossed. Although his movements were still a bit slow, his energy had returned.

Wei Ziqing stood at the door, one leg slightly bent while the other was straightened, toe tapping the ground as he slowly rotated his ankle. Ye Ouyang squatted on the windowsill, arms hugging his knees, watching the people coming and going on the street below.

The city's reconstruction was almost complete. The smashed roads were paved with new asphalt, collapsed walls were rebuilt, and the green belts scorched by electricity were replaced with new turf.

People on the street went about their business—going to work, taking walks, or buying groceries to cook.

Except for the occasional person touching the small scar behind their ear, one could hardly tell that this place had been a battlefield just a few days ago.

Regarding that extra organ, the final decision was voluntary excision.

The The Authorities issued a notice explaining the pros and cons—leaving it alone wouldn't cause any issues, but those who wanted it removed could go for surgery at any time.

Most people chose to keep it; after all, no matter how minor the surgery, it was still surgery, and they preferred not to go under the knife if possible.

A minority felt uneasy having something that shouldn't be there inside their bodies and lined up at hospitals to schedule appointments.

Shen Mingyuan uncrossed his legs, stood up to walk a few steps, and then sat back down.

"Alright, things have finally quieted down."

Wei Ziqing leaned against the doorframe, pulled back the leg he had been tapping, and stood firmly.

"It won't stay quiet for long."

Shen Mingyuan glanced at him but didn't respond. Ye Ouyang hopped down from the windowsill and brushed the dust off his pants.

"Who cares how long it stays quiet?" He walked toward the door. "Let's go out for a walk first. Lying around for so many days, I'm starting to grow mold."

Lu Jianchuan got out of bed, changed out of his hospital gown, and fished out a set of casual clothes he'd worn countless times from the cabinet. Shen Mingyuan also stood up, and Wei Ziqing straightened up from the doorframe. The four of them walked out of the ward one after another.

The four of them walked out of the hospital gates and stood on the steps, the sunlight making them feel a bit dazed. Lu Jianchuan squinted at the breakfast stall across the street, then looked at the other three.

"What exactly did we come out here for?"

Shen Mingyuan froze for a moment and turned to look at Wei Ziqing. Wei Ziqing looked at Ye Ouyang. Ye Ouyang scratched his head.

"I saw you guys coming out, so I followed," Shen Mingyuan said.

Wei Ziqing leaned against the railing and thought for a moment. "Then let's discuss it now."

Ye Ouyang looked left and right, his gaze landing on an internet cafe at the corner with a flashing neon sign.

"How about we go to the internet cafe and play some games? We finally have some time off, after all."

The four of them looked at each other.

"Fine." Lu Jianchuan took the first step down. "To the internet cafe it is."

The internet cafe was dimly lit, filled with the rhythmic clatter of keyboards. The four of them opened four adjacent machines and leaned back in their chairs. When the screens lit up, Lu Jianchuan suddenly chuckled.

"This reminds me of back in school. Sneaking over the wall every day to find a computer to play on."

Shen Mingyuan turned to look at him, a bit surprised. "You actually had experiences like that?"

Lu Jianchuan waved his hand, his expression a mix of nostalgia and embarrassment.

"Ah, that... no need to say more, no need to say more."

Wei Ziqing and Ye Ouyang looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

The four of them browsed their respective screens—one played games, one watched videos, and another just flipped through web pages.

Even though the base provided each of them with a computer with much better specs than these, the feeling of sitting here was just different.

The light from the screens reflected on their faces, the occasional shouting of strangers came from nearby, the keyboards were coated in a layer of grease left by countless people, and even the chairs were a bit lopsided—but this messy atmosphere actually felt relaxing.

Wei Ziqing was browsing a local forum when his finger suddenly stopped.

"Hey," he called out.

Shen Mingyuan leaned over. "What is it?"

Wei Ziqing tilted the screen toward him.

"A new storm has emerged online recently." He pointed to a thread title. "It might be a lingering side effect of the previous invasion by the collective."

Shen Mingyuan leaned in for a look. The post was pinned, and the title was written in bold red letters: 'Humanity Supreme—Reject Animal Pollution of Our Bloodline'. The poster's avatar was a black fist symbol, with a small line of text underneath: Human Union.

"Human Union?" Shen Mingyuan read aloud.

Wei Ziqing scrolled down. The post was very long and used intense language, with a bolded slogan every few lines:

"Humanity spent millions of years climbing to the top of the food chain, not to stand on equal footing with animals."

"Evolution is a patent of humanity, not a pass for beasts."

"When animals start talking, should humans shut up? No, they are the ones who should shut up."

"Protecting the purity of the human Bloodline is protecting the bottom line of civilization."

Hundreds of replies had already followed. Some cheered, some cursed, and it was a total mess of arguments. Wei Ziqing flipped through a few more posts; the contents were largely the same, all promoting human supremacy, warning against animal threats, and calling for the establishment of 'Humanity First' communities.

Shen Mingyuan leaned back against his chair, his fingers tapping twice on the armrest.

"It's possible that the invasion of the collective really left a bad impression on the people of this city," he said slowly. "They've found an opportunity to spread this internally."

Ye Ouyang stared at the radical slogans on the screen and frowned.

"Will this cause any trouble?"

Shen Mingyuan leaned back again, tapping his fingers on the armrest. He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don't know. So far, nothing seems to have happened. That stuff online... it's probably just talk. Mostly."

When he said "mostly," even he didn't sound sure. Ye Ouyang glanced at him, and Shen Mingyuan didn't say anything else. People said such things online, but would someone really do something like that in reality? He didn't know. Wei Ziqing sat nearby, fingers resting on the mouse, unsure of what to say.

Lu Jianchuan withdrew his gaze from the screen and leaned back in his chair.

"Too extreme." He paused. "But it's also completely understandable. These things... sigh, there's really no helping it."

Wei Ziqing scrolled down further, his fingers sliding across the touchpad. His gaze stopped at a certain spot, and he tilted his head toward Shen Mingyuan.

"Look at the bottom here, there's even an invitation to join the association."

Shen Mingyuan leaned in to look. At the very bottom of the post was contact information, with 'Welcome like-minded compatriots to join' written next to it. He stared at that line for two seconds in silence.

Ye Ouyang looked at the screen, then at Shen Mingyuan.

"Of course, what else?" He patted Shen Mingyuan on the shoulder. "For our sake, join the Human Union."

Shen Mingyuan gave him a look.

"I'm speechless."

He took out his phone and noted down the contact information from the screen. Then, he typed a line into the application box:

"Humanity is too great. We should reign supreme over all animals. This isn't arrogance; this is how civilization should be."

Send.

The approval came quickly. A few minutes later, he was pulled into a QQ group.