Chapter Six: A Narrow Escape

When Wujue regained consciousness, he had no idea how long he had been asleep. According to Xiao Han’s account, when they found him, he was already unconscious. Later, Xiao Han brought him back underground, hiding him away until he finally awoke—it was already three in the morning.

He hadn’t expected to have slept for so long. Wujue sat up, trying to regulate his breathing and meditate while asking for news of the outside world. Xiao Han explained that shortly after he had boarded the warship, an explosion had occurred. The blast engulfed more than half the city. Xiao Han and some others had only avoided disaster by ducking into an underground pit just in time.

When the explosion ended, they crept back above ground and discovered that most of the city had been destroyed. The infected zombies had largely perished in the blast. The few that remained seemed to have lost their sense of purpose, wandering aimlessly toward the outskirts. It was only because Xiao Han had steeled himself that he managed to rescue Wujue.

Then, pointing to a strange device beside them, Xiao Han said, “Master, when you were unconscious, you clung tightly to this machine. I don’t know if it’s important, but I couldn’t leave it behind, so I dragged it back with the electric scooter. It must be important, right?”

Wujue glanced at the device and suddenly felt a jolt. According to Huron’s memories, this should be the computer system from a Tianzhu warship. If nothing had gone wrong, it probably contained vital information—perhaps even strategic intelligence.

From his many years resisting cults, Wujue had developed a keen eye for such things. He approached the device at once, attempting to access its data. Xiao Han followed and remarked, “It looks like a microcomputer, probably for controlling the spaceship. But there’s no electricity or network here, so we can’t use it.”

Wujue began inspecting the equipment. Drawing on Huron’s memories, he recognized it as an advanced biochemical system of the Tianzhu, similar to but more sophisticated than current human computers. Although the main power was gone, such devices typically had backup batteries—enough to last a few hours.

After some searching, he managed to open up the machine and locate a special button. Twisting it sharply and reassembling the device, he was able to power it up. Instantly, a line of text flashed across the screen, full of unfamiliar, alien words. Xiao Han chuckled beside him, “It’s all written in alien language! We can’t understand any of this!”

Wujue shook his head and tried to translate the key terms using Huron’s memories. The gist was: T200 system officially activated, entering backup status, with one hour of operation remaining.

Several options were presented: first, contact the base and request help from allies; second, check current mission and eliminate obstacles; third, search all resources in Tienhai City and update the map.

Wujue knew it was unwise to alert the enemy, and the second option was irrelevant to them. However, the third option might prove useful. He selected it, and the system immediately displayed all currently available data. Most of Tienhai City’s map appeared before them, and this time, even Xiao Han could make sense of it.

“It’s just an electronic map,” Xiao Han said. “But look—there are a lot of annotations. These must be resource-rich locations in Tienhai City, plus transportation routes and the like.”

As Wujue studied the map, a sense of familiarity washed over him. He recalled that this area had once been called Susong Road, close to the coast. Now it had been renamed Tienhai City, and its boundaries had expanded considerably. He vaguely remembered, after Dalin Temple was destroyed and he organized the resistance against the cult, that he had established a secret contact point here.

According to the map, that contact point should still be nearby. If it had not yet been discovered, it would still contain weapons and perhaps stores of food and medicine—supplies originally intended for an uprising, but now possibly the key to survival.

With his experience fighting cults in the past, and Huron’s years of battling the Tianzhu, Wujue understood deeply how vital resources were in this new world. He turned to Xiao Han and said, “We must move immediately. There’s an underground chamber not far from here that should have the supplies we need. How many people can we gather right now?”

Xiao Han glanced around. There had been a few hundred people hiding down here at first, but after some saw the zombies retreat and left, only a few dozen remained.

After a moment’s thought, Wujue gathered the group and shared his plan. It was clear that, in the face of disaster, these people were still in shock, unable to fully process what was happening. Some had witnessed Wujue destroy the alien warship, but they still doubted his judgment.

One person spoke up, “Shouldn’t we wait for rescue? Surely the government won’t abandon us. Help will arrive soon, and besides, it’s safer here. Going outside is much more dangerous!”

Listening to their arguments, Wujue could only shake his head. The people were scattered and divided, unable to unite—a fatal flaw in times of crisis.

So he said, “Regardless of your thoughts, I’ll set out at first light to find a safe hiding place. Anyone willing to come with me is welcome; those who feel it’s too risky can stay behind. Once I have results, I’ll send word to everyone.”

Some hesitated, skeptical that anyone could be so selfless at a time like this. One even sneered, “Does this monk really think he’s some kind of enlightened master? If there’s order to maintain, that’s the police’s job. Besides, we have police officers here.”

Two middle-aged men stepped forward. “That’s right, we’re police officers. There’s no need to panic. We’ll make contact with others soon, and rescue should arrive shortly. There’s no need to run around and risk it.”

Soon, the crowd had clustered together, completely ignoring Wujue’s suggestion. He could only shake his head and sigh, giving up on arguing further.

Actions speak louder than words. Huron’s experience told him that this was only the beginning; more suspicion and doubt would follow.

Xiao Han, indignant, clenched his fists. “Master, they’re being so unreasonable! You risked everything to save them, and yet—”

Wujue waved his hand. “Say no more, Xiao Han. Let’s get some rest and leave early tomorrow. We’ll prove our sincerity through our actions. For now, just rest.”

Xiao Han could only comply, leaning against the T200 system and closing his eyes to rest.

Wujue sat cross-legged, meditating and reflecting on the day’s battles—the gifts from Huron, the encounter with Desai, the fight against the Tianzhu—all of which had benefited him greatly. Still, despite his improved abilities, he felt he was barely able to stand against such terrifying foes.

As this thought passed, something occurred to him. He opened his eyes and woke Xiao Han. “Xiao Han, you move with agility. Would you like to learn some light movement techniques?”

“Light movement? You mean qinggong?” Xiao Han, though drowsy, perked up at once.

After seeing Wujue’s prowess these past days, Xiao Han had come to view him as a legendary martial monk, feeling a surge of admiration.

“Something like that. I think you have natural talent. To help you fight those zombies in the future, I’ll teach you a set of techniques from Dalin Temple, never before shared with outsiders. Once you master this, your movements will become much faster.”

Xiao Han nodded eagerly. “That sounds great, Master. Please teach me.”

Wujue motioned for him to come closer and whispered the secret incantations of the technique. Xiao Han memorized them, pondering them silently.

With Xiao Han’s physique, Wujue was confident he would soon grasp the essentials and, with practice, achieve even greater mastery.

So, the night passed in silence, and both rested.

End of Chapter 6: A Narrow Escape.