Behind the large tree was a flat clearing. Countless birds that had died from the extreme heat lay densely scattered across the ground, nearly covering the withered yellow grass beneath them.
Mo Fei looked closely. Among the birds she could recognize were sparrows, turtledoves, Chinese bulbuls, magpies, pigeons, and several other wild bird species commonly found in Bai City.
There were also some birds with gorgeous plumage whose names she did not know.
They lay motionless across the clearing. Some had been dead for quite some time, while others had only just breathed their last, their eyes still open with the last traces of life lingering within them.
Mo Jiayue, who had always loved small animals, covered her eyes, unable to bear the sight.
“Don’t be afraid.” Mo Jianian patted his younger sister’s shoulder in comfort, his expression solemn.
Without question, this was also the first time he had ever witnessed such a scene.
He was still too young to understand that the sorrow welling up inside him was the grief of seeing an entire species decline, the instinctive sadness of sympathizing with others who faced the same fate.
Mo Fei was equally stunned by the shocking sight before her. It was far more direct and overwhelming than simply watching the flock fall from the sky back at the villa.
“Did they all die from the heat?” Mo Jianian asked.
“Yes. And it won’t just be them. Other animals in the world, like the chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, and sheep we eat, the fish and shrimp in the rivers, the sharks and whales in the ocean, the cats and dogs that run on land, and even humans, can all die from the heat. This will become the new normal. Like I told you before, the world from now on will be one where only the fittest survive. That is true for every living thing.” Mo Fei said.
Mo Jiayue listened with only a vague understanding. “Mom, can we bury them?”
“Okay.” Mo Fei nodded. So many birds dying in one place could easily lead to an epidemic. Burying them would be for the best. She took a hoe out of her space.
She had bought a complete set of basic traditional farming tools for her space, including hoes, sickles, machetes, and even harrows.
At the time, she had not known what she would use them for, but now they had finally come in handy.
Being a chef was physically demanding work, so Mo Fei was fairly strong. With the help of the two children, the three of them quickly dug a large pit, more than enough to bury all the birds.
“I’ll gather the birds!” Mo Jiayue called out.
“Wait. Use a shovel to scoop them into the pit.” Mo Fei took out protective gloves and helped both herself and the children put them on before taking several shovels out of her space.
The three of them worked from different directions, shoveling birds into the pit. In less than twenty minutes, the pit was completely full, yet there were still birds left behind.
When Mo Fei reached the edge of the clearing, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
A sense of foreboding washed over her.
The sky had already grown dim, and the setting sun was just about to disappear below the horizon.
Mo Fei raised her head and looked ahead.
Beyond the clearing was an even denser forest, already shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see what lay inside.
She stared in that direction, and gradually the sounds coming from it became clearer.
“Coo… coo… coo… coo…”
It was the call of a bird, and it was getting closer.
“Run!” Mo Fei reacted instantly, grabbing Mo Jianian and Mo Jiayue before taking off.
All she could hear was her own ragged breathing as she sprinted, the children’s cries, and the endless cooing behind them.
Even after running four or five hundred meters, the sound never faded.
Mo Fei could not help glancing back. Two enormous birds were soaring through the air, circling directly above her and the children.
Something resembling raindrops fell from the sky.
Reacting immediately, Mo Fei opened an umbrella over herself and the children. The liquid instantly corroded the fabric of the umbrella.
Such terrifying corrosiveness! This wasn’t a bird at all. What on earth was this thing?
Mo Fei had never expected to encounter something like this so early in the natural disaster evolution period. Had bird-like monsters already evolved in the dense forests on the outskirts?
Could it be that some of those birds had not died from the heat at all, but had fallen victim to these monstrous birds?
The two creatures flew incredibly fast, relentlessly pursuing them.
If she ran straight home now, there was no guarantee the monsters would not follow.
With saliva this corrosive, it was only a matter of time before the roof of her villa was destroyed.
She still had another rental car stored inside her space. Mo Fei quickly calculated how long it would take to bring the vehicle out, get the children inside, and whether they had any chance of shaking off the two birds by driving in circles.
Just then, Mo Jianian suddenly shouted, “Mom!”
At that instant, Mo Fei’s sixth sense reached its limit. She immediately threw herself to the ground.
Almost at the same moment, the grayish white tentacle, nearly half a meter long, extending from Mo Jianian’s arm pierced straight through one of the monster birds.
The creature had originally targeted Mo Fei, diving toward her from behind in an attempt to pierce her spine with its talons. When Mo Fei dodged, Mo Jianian’s tentacle happened to gain just enough reach to strike.
One end of the tentacle remained attached to Mo Jianian’s hand, while the other twisted deep into the monster bird’s internal organs, as though devouring its flesh and blood. Only when the three minute duration of his ability was nearly over did the tentacle reluctantly withdraw from the creature’s body. The monster bird was completely dead. Its flesh had been ripped open, yet Mo Fei noticed that not a single drop of blood had fallen onto the ground.
By then, Mo Jianian’s left hand had already returned to normal, but it was stained with thick black blood.
Mo Fei frowned and immediately poured water from her space over it to wash it clean.
At the same time, she wondered whether Jianian’s tentacle ability instinctively absorbed blood.
“Mom, the other bird is gone.” Earlier, Mo Jianian had found his tentacle somewhat frightening, but now he only felt that three minutes was far too short. One bird had disappeared, which meant they were still in danger.
“Don’t be afraid.” Mo Fei straightened up and stood protectively in front of Mo Jianian and Mo Jiayue, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
They had fled in blind panic, and only then did she realize she had never been to this area before. The trees around them were more sparsely scattered, and the other monster bird had vanished without a trace.
Just as the family of three remained on edge, a burst of gunfire suddenly rang out nearby. Mo Jiayue covered one of her own ears with one hand and Mo Jianian’s ear with the other. Only moments ago she had been frightened by the blood covering her brother’s hand, but now she had completely forgotten about it.
A crisis could force a person to grow up in the shortest possible time.
Mo Fei took an electric baton out of her space.
If there were gunshots, then there had to be people.
In the past, only the police could legally possess firearms, but that was no longer necessarily the case.
Especially when the gunshots were this close to them.
Mo Fei slowly edged forward and soon spotted a white SUV parked about one hundred meters away.
Standing beside it was a tall man wearing a gray sun hat and gray sun protective clothing. He had a straight posture and was taller than almost every man Mo Fei had ever met. He stood sideways, seemingly completely unaware that Mo Fei was watching him from a distance.
The man held a double barreled shotgun aimed at the strange black bird circling overhead.
The monster bird had already been hit once. More corrosive liquid continuously dripped from its beak.
The man’s aim was exceptionally accurate. After two more shots, the monster bird finally lost the strength to struggle. It fell weakly to the ground, and the dreadful cooing that had echoed from its beak disappeared completely.
Both children stared in amazement before enthusiastically clapping.
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
The man had clearly heard the children. He merely glanced in their direction, revealing the upper half of his face above the mask.
His eyes lacked any visible emotion. They were as deep as a cold pool, making him appear exceptionally indifferent and detached. Looking at them was no different from looking at the nearby trees.
The man simply took out a rope, tied up the monster bird, dragged it into the SUV’s trunk, and started the vehicle.
Mo Fei remained where she stood without saying a word, every muscle in her body tense.
Only after the SUV had disappeared from sight did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
To Mo Fei, that unfamiliar man was just as threatening as the monster bird. Only after the sound of the engine completely faded did the immediate danger seem to be over.
By then, night had completely fallen, with only the faintest trace of light remaining.
Still shaken, Mo Fei took out a high powered flashlight and hurried back home with the frightened children.
Fortunately, they were already close to the villa.
Song Yi and Mo Zhicheng had witnessed everything through the surveillance cameras and had nearly been scared out of their wits. They had been waiting outside the villa gate the entire time.
If Mo Fei had not repeatedly warned them not to go out, they would already have gone to rescue them.
Fortunately, everything ended without disaster.
Song Yi took the two children to bathe and change clothes, while Mo Fei sat on the sofa with her fingers pressed against her temples, resting with her eyes closed. It took quite a while before the color gradually returned to her face.
“See? I told you not to go out.” Mo Zhicheng began nagging beside her.
Too exhausted to argue, Mo Fei replied, “Fortunately, we ran into a good person. Well, maybe not exactly a good person.”
These days, anyone carrying firearms and ammunition was either a police officer or some sort of criminal. After all, the government still existed, and firearms and ammunition remained strictly regulated.
“What nonsense are you talking about? He saved your lives, so he’s a good person. Did you ask where he lives? We should go thank him.” Mo Zhicheng scolded his daughter.
Mo Fei tilted her head back and drank a glass of ice cold milk to calm herself. “You’re right. A life saving kindness outweighs everything. If I ever see him again, I’ll cook him a full Manchu Han Imperial Feast.”
“You’d better mean it.” Mo Zhicheng knew Mo Fei was trying to silence him with jokes, so he gave one right back.
But to Mo Zhicheng, seeing his daughter occasionally bicker with him like this felt far better than watching her constantly act cautious and afraid to say anything. It made her feel much more like herself.
After taking a shower, Mo Fei sat on the edge of her bed, gazing through the floor to ceiling windows at the nighttime forest.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual, but then she noticed that a light had suddenly appeared in the darkness.
It came from a villa about five hundred meters from her own.
It had the same layout as hers and was also the closest villa to her home.
But the real estate agent had previously told her that the owner had bought it and never once returned to live there.
Had she suddenly gained a new neighbor?