Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 1226: Chapter 936: Old Grievances

Half a month later, the Central Siberian Plateau, Baikal Mountain Range.

Cold winds emerged from the distant snowy mountains.

Underneath the fur cap, Huai Shi looked up, breathing warm air.

The bonfire before him crackled crisply, sparks flying, while the clay pot hanging over the fire bubbled with the sound of unsalted lamb soup.

Huai Shi sighed, took out a paper package from his pocket, and sprinkled a little of the rock salt he had scraped off after a two-kilometer run into the pot. Using a wooden ladle, he skimmed off the froth, covered the pot again, and continued simmering the soup.

Below the wind-blocking pile of rocks, the hillside appeared to have tufts of green, where dirty sheep lowered their heads to nibble at the grass.

The Old Shepherd, leaning on his cane and draped in furs, smoked his own sun-dried tobacco while chatting with Luo Su. The two seemed to be in joyful conversation, often bursting into laughter.

Huai Shi watched intently.

”Are all Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy folks somewhat brain-damaged?”

Either they’re running to Nara to feed deer, or shutting themselves indoors to simulate Genesis, or else they’re herding sheep in the wilderness. One plays wilder than the other.

This old man before us, especially, reportedly hasn’t set foot in a city in thirty years.

He manages all aspects of life on his own.

And yet he’s not dropped dead; it’s testament to the remarkable physique of the Sublimators.

When people let themselves go, all kinds of weirdness emerge, like homebodies who long stay inside; over time, problems are bound to arise.

Initially, Huai Shi couldn’t fathom what kind of person necessitates a helicopter air drop just for a meetup.

Upon first encounter, he thought he’d come across a wild man, intending to whip out his phone for a picture. But the old man shot him a glare, wiping out the signal on his phone.

Instantly full signal vanished.

Within five minutes in his presence, the phone was dead; an hour later, Huai Shi noticed Luo Su’s watch began disassembling. Two hours on, not a trace of modern electronics remained on them.

Even the bank cards in their wallets were demagnetized.

Luckily, Huai Shi hadn’t yet used the saddlebag’s once-every-half-month wish power, or he’d be streaking through the wilderness.

If you ask Huai Shi, this old man isn’t some Alchemist; he’s simply an EMP targeting civilization, a killer of advanced electronic devices.

If he were to visit a city, one wonders what chaos would ensue.

The odd part is, despite his extreme specialization, he counts as a top Alchemist, yet now, Huai Shi still hasn’t figured out how the old man does it.

He seems like a toxin against civilization in himself, a mobile electronic catastrophe.

Is this the strategic weapon of the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy?

The usage being to toss him into enemy territory?

As the soup neared readiness, the two had finished their chat and were walking toward the tent.

One could vaguely see the Shepherd’s serious expression and a trace of relief: ”Given this situation, I have no reason to refuse.”

The old man opened his mouth, tossing the unextinguished last bit of his roll-up into his mouth, chewing tobacco and sparks, casually asked: ”Have you been to Kaja’s?”

”Uh...” Luo Su froze for a moment, ”That’s a good question.”

The Shepherd withdrew his gaze: ”You must know, as long as both of you are alive, this question is unavoidable.”

Luo Su said nothing.

Only Huai Shi blinked curiously beside them.

Who is Kaja?

The old man’s enemy?

But the name sounds female; if it’s a Russian name, then Kaja’s full name should be... Yekaterina?

”Hiss!”

Huai Shi gasped by the soup pot, pretending to sniff the aroma, his heart full of curiosity.

But after that, the two discussed nothing more on the matter.

Making him itch with curiosity.

After finishing their talk and drinking soup, Luo Su patted his pants and left.

On the way down the mountain, Huai Shi asked: ”Where to next?”

This journey feels thrilling like going out to catch Pokémon.

But having wandered from Yingzhou to America, then around a Great Circle to the Russian Federation, even Huai Shi felt a bit like wanting to go home.

”What, tired?” Luo Su asked.

”It’s okay.” Looking at his fur jacket and pants, Huai Shi said: ”I just hope you tell me where we’re going so I can change clothes beforehand next time.”

”Don’t worry, Huai Shi.”

Luo Su spun a lighter, seemingly helpless: ”Next up, aside from a few trivial issues, there are just two slightly troublesome places—”

He paused, suddenly asked: ”Rome or Egypt, which do you prefer?”

”Uh...”

Huai Shi thought for a while: ”Since you suddenly asked, of course I pick...”

”Of course, pick Egypt, right?”

”...”

Luo Su gleefully looked at his sideways expression: ”Just kidding, to liven up the mood, Miss Fu Yi’s interning recently, you won’t see her in Rome, why rush.

If you ask me, we might as well tour London, let Miss Ai play guide, fully enjoy the vibe of Astronomical Society Headquarters, what do you think? Or let’s roam the Frontier Darknet, visit the Three Sages? Or, India? Heard Miss Luo surpassed her father recently, broke through three trials out of six, oh, what promising future...”

Huai Shi’s eye twitched wildly.

He doesn’t want to go anywhere!

Death Perception keeps reminding him wherever he goes there’ll be calamities—

Can’t you hope for something good for me?

And during the banter, Luo Su’s smile froze slightly.

His steps halted suddenly.

”What’s wrong?” Huai Shi asked, ”Weren’t we going to Egypt? Why aren’t we leaving?”

Luo Su looked up, gazing toward the end of the sky, and sighed.

”Looks like we don’t need to anymore.”

”Huh?” Huai Shi was puzzled.

”We were a step too slow.” Old Turtle shrugged helplessly, tilted his head, lit a cigar, and sighed lightly, ”Someone’s already here to pick us up.”

In just a few seconds.

The pale color rose from the end of the sky, from the depths of distant mountains, dancing above the sky dome. Like spiraling white ribbons.

Huai Shi widened his eyes, feeling his scalp tingle.

That was a storm.

A vortex formed in the sky by the storm.

A terrifying storm carrying countless white snow, diving down from the frigid plateau, unimaginably vast, yet as it advanced, it swiftly contracted, finally becoming a snow-colored tornado like an angry dragon surging in the sky.

Heading straight for them, howling!

”Wow!”

The Shepherd’s head emerged mysteriously from the nearby grass: ”They got here fast!”

”You bastard, did you betray me?” Luo Su questioned.

The Shepherd froze for a moment, then laughed.

”What would I betray you with, a phone? A mobile? Wireless network? Or maybe my loud voice, standing on the mountaintop, shouting towards the Ural: Look, Kaja, that dog Luo Su is here with me—”

Old Shepherd snorted coldly, spreading his hands, ”Come on, she’s the old godmother of the Russian Federation, Gaia of Storms. In every snowflake here, there’s her name, every wisp of frostwind is her hair. You stepped onto her land; did you really think you could hide from her eyes?”

Luo Su was annoyed, ”I made masks!”

”I casually removed them, so what!”

The Shepherd answered irritably, ”Luo Su, you always need to face problems.”

At that moment, the storm howled down from the sky dome.

Huai Shi’s scalp tingled as he instinctively ducked, crouching down to brace himself for the impending horrific impact.

But the storm bypassed him completely, sweeping past him on either side, indifferent to his insignificant presence.

When Huai Shi looked up, he realized Luo Su was gone.

Aside from Old Turtle, not a single blade of grass or leaf was disturbed.

”Whoa, Alice in Current Circumstances adventure!”

Huai Shi was stunned for a while, unable to hold back an exclamation, sincerely wishing that Old Turtle could find the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow as companions during his reincarnation in another world and never return.

But immediately, he started to panic again.

”So what about me!”

”You probably, maybe, perhaps... got left here?” The Shepherd gloated, ”He has a little old grudge to settle. It might be a bit troublesome, and it wouldn’t be convenient for you to show up.”

Huai Shi was puzzled, ”How troublesome?”

The Shepherd thought for a moment and said seriously, ”As troublesome as an ex-girlfriend asking for debt.”

”...”

Huai Shi was overwhelmed by the massive amount of information, shaking his head, ”Pretend I didn’t ask.”

But that old turtle Luo Su squandered away three and a half billion, the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy reformation was half done and collapsed, where would he go? Back to Tanbo?

”I see you’re idle anyway, why not accompany me to herding?”

The Shepherd eagerly suggested, ”I see you’re pretty good at making mutton soup, why not help me work, and I’ll teach you some Primitive Witchcraft?”

If I had an interest in survival in the wild, I wouldn’t have come to the Russian Federation!

Before Huai Shi could respond, he heard the storm howling on the horizon.

The pale tornado returned.

As if it forgot its car keys when leaving, it suddenly backfired and instantly engulfed him.

When the storm dissipated, Huai Shi was gone.

Only the Shepherd stood in place, dumbfounded, looking up at the sky.

”Hey, Kaja, at least take me too, I haven’t gone out in years, hey!”

No response.

Only the bleating of a flock of sheep running past.

The sky was high and the land was vast.

.

In the storm, Huai Shi didn’t experience the dizziness and vertigo he expected.

It was as if he just blinked.

And he was no longer in the mountains, but in an unfamiliar city, surrounded on all sides by tall factory walls and countless plumes of smoke rising from chimneys into the sky.

Cars roared past him, and the church bells rang out.

A flock of white doves flew up in the square.

Pedestrians holding cups of coffee rushed by.

And Huai Shi looked around, still wearing a fur coat, fur pants, and a fur hat.

Like a bear intruding into the city.

”Where is this?”

”The capital of the Ural Industrial Zone.”

In front of the church, the black-robed priest who had been ordered to wait, replied, ”Mr. Huai Shi, welcome to the Russian Federation.”