Before everything goes out

Amidst the deafening gunshots, blood splattered everywhere.

The bullet pierced the back of the head, was stopped by the hard skull, lost its balance, then flipped and churned, causing a cavity effect.

They only made a small opening to go inside, and came out from the back of his head, revealing a bloody hole the size of a bowl.

This time, Li Fei died quite decisively.

Compared to being twisted into a pretzel, this feeling is as relaxing as getting up in the middle of the night to pee.

For an instant.

Consciousness scattered, all perception lost.

Like a brief black screen in a game.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground. In front of him were Niu San and She Qingqing's faces together, both of them filled with shock.

"He really can't die..."

Under the unwavering gaze of the two men, Li Fei sat up from the ground.

He reached behind his head and touched his hand, finding it covered in blood. His expression was complex as he fell into thought.

Three days ago, on a rainy night, I had my first near-death experience...

That sound from the original world, that ever-rising feeling of happiness...

All the signs made him almost certain that as long as he died here, he could return to his original world.

And now.

He unexpectedly gained "immortality".

Immortality—something many people spend their entire lives trying to obtain, something that should have filled him with excitement and ecstasy...

But now it has become a curse that imprisons him.

He would rather go back than struggle and writhe in this bizarre world.

Over there, I have family and friends...

Someone is waiting for him.

"Holy shit! Li Fei! Are you even human?!"

Niu San, who had witnessed the entire event, belatedly exclaimed.

She Qingqing stood there, her expression stiff, unable to utter a single word in surprise.

It's not "regeneration," but "resurrection."

Watching Li Fei get shot in the head, watching the blood flow back, watching him get up from the ground...

This scene broadened their already narrow worldview to an unprecedented level.

"With your trick, getting revenge will be even easier for us!"

Niu San picked up Li Fei and excitedly spun him around.

In his view, an immortal monster would undoubtedly be a powerful ally on the path of revenge.

"No, that's not enough."

Before feeling dizzy, Li Fei broke free from his embrace.

Look around.

I didn't have time to look at it closely before, but now that I see it, I can't help but marvel at how formidable the enemy was.

Throughout Shuanghe Village, everything from large houses to small stones by the roadside has been twisted and distorted, presenting a bizarre and twisted appearance.

Is it some kind of special weapon?

For example, the distorting force field in science fiction movies?

No.

Judging from the weapons and equipment of the Ringlings, although they are sophisticated, they are probably not advanced to this extent yet.

Therefore, the enemy is most likely a powerful corruptor.

This level of power far surpasses Liu Yongxiao's, and even far exceeds the scope of "humanity".

Compared to this, his resurrection is clearly insignificant.

later.

More important than finding my enemies is improving my strength.

Since corrupt individuals exist, there must be corresponding cultivation methods. Just like Liu Yongxiao, he wasn't able to withstand bullets from the beginning.

but.

For specific cultivation methods, it's best to ask the Corruptors. If you can't find the Corruptors, then asking Huanzi should also work, since those people seem very professional and should know quite a bit.

correct.

Speaking of rings.

Li Fei remembered that the original owner's team leader called him and Niu Zhiyuan both "Connectors".

So what does "connector" mean?

Does every Connector possess this ability to resurrect?

After all, according to Liu Yongxiao's theory, once a person is corrupted, they will become what they fear most...

Furthermore, if every Connector has the same near-death experience, they should all want to return to their original world through death, so in theory, all Connectors should be able to be resurrected.

uncertain.

It can't be that simple.

There were some details that Li Fei couldn't figure out, so he casually asked Niu San about them.

"By the way, has your second brother, Niu Zhiyuan, never experienced this?"

"What's going on?"

"resurrection."

"Uh, I really don't know. Maybe he didn't tell me? Anyway, I've never seen him."

Niu San's answer made Li Fei frown slightly.

If that's the case, then it's hard to say.

The specifics cannot be determined until Niu Zhiyuan is found.

The only certainty is that before that, he needs to find out as much information as possible about the "Connectors".

After all, according to Fan Yaodong, the ring members have done some research on this. If they could find a ring member to interrogate, it might lead to significant progress.

"However, the words 'connector' should have some special meaning."

This is what Li Fei thought.

Hypothesis.

If it refers to "time travel" or "immortality"...

Why not just call them time travelers or immortals? Why bother with such a complicated name? It doesn't fit the rigorous style of the Ringling Army.

and so.

The word "connection" probably has another meaning in it.

link...

link...

Could it be that this link leads to that shameless man?

Li Fei is uncertain.

But he always felt that his resurrection was somehow subtly connected to it.

"The Faceless Man, the Connector, the Corruptor's cultivation, the method to resurrect Lin Wen... I need to find out all of these."

Li Fei made up his mind.

The more he learned, the more he realized how little he knew about the world.

Whether it's for revenge or to return, he needs as much information as possible.

So, what are your plans for the future?

She Qingqing's voice interrupted Li Fei's train of thought.

"Find the ring first."

Li Fei gave his conclusion.

In fact, he had many paths before him.

Whether he seeks revenge, resurrects Lin Wen, or returns to his original world...

Or perhaps, it's simply about gathering intelligence.

No matter which road you take, they all lead to the ring.

Once a loop is found and questioned, everything will progress.

"Okay! That's what we think too!"

Seeing that Li Fei shared the same idea as him, Niu San clapped his hands in approval, but quickly fell into deep thought.

"But your bracelet is broken, there's no GPS tracking, how are we supposed to find you?"

"Not sure, let's go check at the village entrance first."

As Li Fei spoke, he led the two towards the village entrance.

Niu San is right.

Without the wristband for location tracking, not only can we not find other wristbands, but we also can't find the fixed outpost.

Therefore, they can only rely on...

"Tracking".

The three of them stood at the entrance of the village.

At the crossroads where the villagers were leaving the village, Li Fei squatted down to examine the area carefully.

really.

There are obvious tire tracks on this dirt road.

If it were a cement road, it would be hard to see clearly, but it rained a few days ago, and the wet, soft road surface left clear tire tracks like reliefs when cars drove over them.

The depths varied, pointing directly out of the village.

"If things go well, we can find the ring by following these wheel tracks."

Li Fei stood up and looked along the dirt road.

It's endless.

At the corner, the view was blocked by the dense bushes along the roadside.

"Where does this road lead? I mean before the cataclysm."

"Well..."

Niu San scratched his head and looked at She Qingqing.

He was only ten years old at the time, and he rarely even left the village, let alone went outside the village.

"This road leads to the city."

This is how She Qingqing answered.

"How big is the city?"

"...We call it Chengli, but it's actually a city, Changjiang City. It's very big. I don't remember exactly. I only went there twice with my dad when I was a child."

How far is it?

"It's at least fifty or sixty kilometers, maybe even more."

"Then it might take us two days to walk, and that's assuming everything goes smoothly along the main road."

Li Fei made this estimate.

After a brief discussion at the village entrance, the three reached a consensus and decided to follow the wheel tracks to find Huanzi.

In any case, it's definitely impossible to stay in the village any longer.

Considering everything that has happened before, those rings could come back at any time.

After all, there's still such a large Tai Sui (a type of rare fungus) at the foot of Shuanghe Village, which is definitely valuable to Huanzi.

To put it another way...

Even without considering revenge or intelligence, if they were simply trying to survive, they would at least need to get to the city and find a new place to live.

Food, lodging, water, and lighting.

They now lack almost all the conditions necessary for survival.

However, even in an emergency...

"Before we officially set off, we need to visit the rings' camp."

Li Fei said this to the two who were seriously considering it.

Three days ago, they left in a hurry and didn't have time to take a lot of equipment.

Tents, sleeping bags, lamps, or other equipment they couldn't name.

Without exception, they are all high-quality military-grade products.

If they could search the area thoroughly again, it would undoubtedly be a huge boost to the strength of the three of them.

"What time is it now?"

Li Fei looked at Niu San.

On his thick wrist was a mechanical watch with a shattered mirror.

These are Niu Wenbing's belongings.

The first time we went into the mountains, when several of us took turns keeping watch at night, we relied on this watch to determine the time.

"It's almost 2:30."

Niu San glanced at his watch.

In the decade following the catastrophe, this chart underwent numerous adjustments and is not very accurate; it can only be used to get a general idea.

"Just as I thought. We probably won't have enough time today, so we'll set off as soon as it's light tomorrow morning."

Li Fei glanced at the sun high in the sky and made a decision.

The other two naturally nodded in agreement.

Even taking the shortcut through the underground cave to get to Fan Yaodong's camp would take half a day.

Therefore, in order to avoid traveling in the mountains at night, they had to set off as early as possible.