I have a city in another world

Chapter 7073 The War Returns
The next morning.

Before dawn had completely dispelled the darkness, a group of survivors pushed creaking handcarts, struggling through the ruins of the city, finally stopping in front of the fog-shrouded settlement in the center of the city.

The wheels of the handcart were stuck deep in the rubble and dust, and each push was accompanied by a screeching sound.

The truck was piled high with supplies—canned food, compressed biscuits, fresh water, medicine, as well as boxes of bullets and well-maintained rifles.

These valuable resources in the wasteland were used to exchange for the ransom of Junior Brother Ding, a Blood Demon Sect cultivator trapped in the thick fog.

Bai San stood with his hands behind his back at the front of the group, his face grim as he directed, "Hurry up, unload the stuff and pile it up in that open space over there!"

Several martial artists responded and hurriedly unloaded the supplies from the vehicle, quickly piling them into a small hill on the open ground.

Bai San stepped forward and shouted into the thick, deathly fog, "The supplies have been delivered! Release the people immediately as agreed!"

His voice echoed over the empty ruins, without deliberately displaying a tough stance, lest he inadvertently make things worse.

As soon as he finished speaking, the thick fog in front of him seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, and began to churn violently.

Immediately afterwards, the fog slowly parted to both sides, revealing a deep passage that could only accommodate one person at a time.

Bai San's spirits lifted, and he immediately focused his gaze into the passageway.

At the end of the passage was a wall made of huge black rocks. The wall was covered with a thick layer of vines that I had never seen before.

The vines varied in thickness, were tangled and twisted, and had a menacing appearance.

Even more bizarrely, they seemed to possess life, slowly wriggling in the mist. The tendrils of the vines resembled the torsos of venomous snakes, while the strange leaves and flowers were like countless raised snake heads, greedily sensing the atmosphere of the outside world.

The team included many veterans who had struggled to survive in the wilderness for years, but none of them had ever seen such a bizarre plant.

A chill ran down their spines, and everyone realized that this was yet another terrifying mutated species unlike anything they had ever seen before.

In the perilous and unknown wilderness, mutated plants are top-tier natural disasters on par with mutated beasts. They come in various forms and have unpredictable abilities. Countless survivors have perished at their hands or been controlled by their pollen and spores, turning into walking corpses.

Who would have thought that such a terrifying "living defense line" was hidden in this seemingly calm thick fog?
A chill ran down everyone's spine; they were secretly glad they hadn't acted rashly and tried to force their way in.

Otherwise, it would probably have become nourishment for those vines by now.

Inside the passage, Junior Brother Ding lay on the ground, his face bluish-purple, his body swollen, and he was barely breathing. Clearly, he had suffered inhuman torture in the thick fog.

Seeing this scene, Bai San felt not worry, but rather a surge of pleasure.

He was hoping that his junior brother Ding would die so that he could avoid trouble later.

However, on the surface, he still pretended to be anxious and said in a deep voice, "What are you all standing there for? Go and bring him back!"

The martial artist whose name was called was deathly pale, his legs trembling. He was terrified, afraid that he would be swallowed up if he stepped into the thick fog, or attacked by those eerie vines.

But he dared not disobey Bai San's orders.

He took a deep breath and rushed into the foggy passage with his eyes almost closed.

Fortunately, the vines along the way only twitched slightly, seemingly not targeting him. He successfully carried the limp Junior Brother Ding on his back and scrambled out.

Just as he rushed out of the passage, feeling relieved and thinking that everything was fine, two deafening roars suddenly came from the thick fog behind him!

Two grotesque mutated monsters, covered in bone plates and with bloodshot eyes, suddenly burst out of the mist, opened their blood-red maws, and pounced straight at the crowd!
Everyone was horrified and retreated hastily.

However, just as the two monsters were about to burst out of the dense fog, the vines on both sides of the passage suddenly sprang up!
Countless vines, like serpents emerging from their holes, swiftly wrapped around the monster's limbs and torso, dragging it back into the depths of the thick fog no matter how much it struggled and roared.

That scene was like a living, breathing wall made of plants, firmly locking all the ferocious creatures that tried to cross the boundary inside.

Everyone stared in disbelief, their hearts pounding with fear.

Before they could recover from their shock, the thick fog rolled in again, and the passage was quickly swallowed up by the fog, as if it had never existed.

Only the resounding roars of unwilling beasts echoed from the depths of the thick fog, lingering in the air and sending chills down one's spine.

Bai San stood still, a hint of regret flashing deep in his eyes.

The passage was opened for too short a time; he only had time to see the strange stone wall and vines, and a fleeting glimpse of the defensive measures.

Although he was not proficient in formations, his years of cultivation and intuition told him that it was by no means a simple plant mutation, but must contain some kind of profound formation.

Even if he could only glimpse a fraction of it, even just the surface, it would be an incredible opportunity for him.

Unfortunately, limited by his talent, he knew that even if he understood it, he wouldn't be able to learn it.

But it doesn't matter, this intelligence itself is priceless.

Taking it to curry favor with Feng Jiu Kui, or secretly selling it to other forces, would both bring huge benefits. The person has been rescued; this place is not safe to stay any longer.

Bai San clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the depths of the thick fog and said, "Thank you all for keeping your promise! We'll take our leave!"

He dared not delay for the slightest and immediately ordered the troops to retreat.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but turn back and take one last deep look at the churning thick fog.

How many secrets are still hidden in this thick fog?

Who exactly is this mysterious and powerful figure who has never shown himself, and why did he choose to stay in the ruins?
That curiosity and greed for the unknown grew wildly in his heart like vines.

Not long after Bai San and the others left, a passage silently opened up again in the thick fog.

This time, the passageway was much wider, winding and leading directly to the core area of ​​the settlement.

A group of men and women filed out of the passageway, pushing more handcarts and carrying baskets on their backs, clearly there to move supplies.

Looking at the mountains of supplies piled up on the open ground, everyone's face was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster. These were their guarantee of survival, their hope.

On this ruin, the survivors no longer yearn for the distant tomorrow; they focus only on the present and on what they have to offer.

The supplies were quickly and orderly transported back to the gathering point, stored in a cleaned warehouse, and managed and allocated by designated personnel.

In the resource-scarce wasteland, every grain of food is of paramount importance, and there must be no waste or loss whatsoever.

Not everyone participated in the moving. On the seventh floor of a building in the settlement, nearly a hundred survivors who had undergone a second round of selection and possessed martial arts talent were diligently practicing.

They included men, women, young and old, of various ages, and each of them was drenched in sweat.

Tang Zhen will teach the basic techniques for free, and everyone can practice them. The only condition is that you must endure hardship and complete the prescribed training targets.

For ordinary people, there are never any shortcuts on the path of spiritual practice.

The rules had already been set: those who could persevere would enjoy standard resource allocations—better food, more rest, and even pills personally refined by Tang Zhen to enhance their physique.

If they can't persevere, they can only return to being ordinary members and engage in manual labor such as moving and construction.

More than food and supplies, the survivors craved increased strength.

This is a power that can truly be in your own hands and can be used to save your life at any time. Once you have it, you will benefit from it for life.

No one needs to urge them on; everyone is putting in their best effort to cultivate themselves, fearing that they will be the one who is eliminated.

There was no perfunctory work, no slacking off; they were truly fighting with their lives on the line until they were exhausted and could no longer stand up.

The original ten monks at the gathering place are now acting as instructors and commanders.

Although their training period is still short, as extraordinary individuals, their physical abilities, perception, and understanding of power far surpass those of ordinary people, making them more than capable of guiding these novices.

Standing at a high vantage point and looking down, the perspective is different, and more problems become apparent.

Although no one said it outright, an invisible sense of urgency enveloped everyone's hearts.

They all knew that the last war was just the beginning, and an even bigger storm was yet to come.

When Tang Zhen appeared on the training field, everyone stopped what they were doing, bowed respectfully and greeted him, their eyes filled with eagerness and anticipation.

Recently, they have witnessed Tang Zhen's various methods: defeating martial arts experts, killing extraordinary cultivators, and even shooting down an airplane in the sky with a single shot.

The seemingly chaotic piles of stones he designed and built could generate such a dense fog that it could not only hide the gathering place, but also attract and trap all kinds of monsters.

Many members of the community privately discussed that even the legendary inner city cultivators in the mountain city were probably nothing special, and might even be inferior to Tang Zhen.

This realization brought everyone's awe of Tang Zhen to its peak, and they regarded him as the only hope for survival in this post-apocalyptic wasteland.

After surveying the gathering area and confirming that everything was in good order, Tang Zhen returned to the rooftop.

He looked up at the sky, his brow furrowing slightly.

On the horizon, a dark cloud was rapidly gathering and churning at an abnormal speed, carrying a suffocating and ominous aura as it pressed towards the mountain city settlement.

Those were not naturally formed clouds, but rather a catastrophic weather event artificially created by some powerful supernatural force manipulating highly toxic substances.

The Blood Demon Sect's attack had already begun silently.

Sure enough, not long after, an alarm sounded in the mountain town settlement, the piercing and heart-wrenching siren turning the residents of the town pale.