Cave Refuge-Chapter 278 - 274: Stay or Leave (4000 words)

The new natural disaster had been confirmed as an earthquake; perhaps due to the presence of numerous Insect Nest Hunters, whenever a bug nest appeared in Pengcheng, it would quickly be dealt with as soon as it was discovered, then processed into nutritional supplements. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Perhaps because ordinary people had less contact and, with nests being handled typically within two hours of discovery, plus the concealment by officials and Insect Nest Hunters, the general public scarcely understood the danger posed by these nests.

However, what was unclear to the public was obvious to those who managed to integrate into the convoy; many of these individuals had also been involved in broadcasting that video of bugs devouring bait. Even now, the fear induced by that footage had not dissipated for those who had seen it.

Therefore, they were aware that the peril in this disaster was not solely from the earthquake; the bugs also constituted a significant threat.

However, most people in the convoy were civilians—after all, those who managed to secure a private vehicle at this time were all no ordinary people. They held key positions at the West City District Command Post and would not have had access to private vehicles otherwise.

But everything has its pros and cons. They had spent much time currying favor, which naturally left them with no time to practice cultivation, resulting in the absence of martial artists among them.

Whereas the retired members of the elderly group in the convoy, having some leisure time, had begun to cultivate. However, due to their age, even with the aid of nutritional supplements, their cultivation progressed slowly because their qi and blood were already in decline, making their cultivation efficiency extremely low.

Mr. Thompson and Mrs. Thompson practiced a health preservation formula, which strictly speaking, was not the path of cultivating qi and blood for martial artists, but an authentic Cultivating Immortality Method. Although the practice of this formula was slow, its effects were stable and balanced, with virtually no risk of qi deviation, and it was not demanding in terms of innate talent. In the cultivation world, it was considered standard fare, unlikely to be esteemed by anyone of note within a sect.

Despite its slow cultivation speed, this had to be considered in context; the concentration of Spirit Energy in the air was sparse, so even if other methods absorbed Spirit Energy faster, with the concentration being what it was, there was little difference in cultivation speed compared to other top-tier methods under these conditions.

Practicing the health preservation formula, nevertheless, bolstered their physique and increased the qi and blood in their bodies. In the initial stages, the effects were not much different from those gained by martial artists, so when the bugs encountered Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, they fled as if meeting martial artists, neither attacking nor staying.

Mr. and Mrs. Thompson had always lived on the upper floors of the office building. After Dong Tianyu advised them to avoid going downstairs as much as possible, they largely abstained from leaving their floor. However, with a substantial number of officials’ family members also residing on the upper levels, and in an era devoid of mobile entertainment, many started visiting each other out of boredom.

As a result, even though Mr. and Mrs. Thompson hadn’t ventured downstairs, they still heard plenty of information from others, and living amidst high-ranking officials’ families, they were very knowledgeable about the West City District and privy to matters generally unknown to ordinary people, including intelligence regarding bug nests.

When they learned about the bug nests through others, they understood why Dong Tianyu didn’t want them to go downstairs. They also grasped the danger of the bugs, and of course, they knew that the bugs feared martial artists.

Just as the elderly couple were feeling fortunate for becoming martial artists, the earthquake occurred, and the rest is well known to everyone.

Given the slow cultivation rate of the health preservation formula, and considering the age of the elders, it would usually take a considerable amount of time to cultivate qi and blood to the level of an early-stage martial artist under regular circumstances.

However, the initial purpose of this formula was to improve physical health, and the nutritional supplements could certainly accelerate this effect. When many in the elderly group—aware of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson’s own cultivation and of the effects of the supplements—began their practice.

Being the hidden emperors of the West City District Command Post, they could easily exchange virtually anything for unlimited nutritional supplements, as long as they were willing to pay the price. It just so happened that none of the elderly group lacked for basic necessities, so along with them, Mr. Thompson also traded the items from Dong Tianyu for a considerable amount of nutritional supplements.

With an unlimited supply of nutritional supplements, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson’s cultivation advanced rapidly, entering the Qi Refinement Realm soon after, effectively making them Qi and Blood Martial Artists.

But the health preservation formula could only improve physical health to a certain extent. As they continued to practice, they would slowly improve, but the main benefit was the cultivation of Spirit Power. As such, barring any unforeseen events, it was unlikely that their physical strength and internal qi and blood would reach the level of an Inner Breath Realm Martial Artist before the Foundation Building Stage.

It was precisely because of the random appearances of bug nests that Robinson William had specially arranged for two trusted individuals to protect Master Ye and his family.

Although there were many people in the convoy, the number of martial artists—including beginners like Mr. and Mrs. Thompson—would not exceed twenty.

Yet, from the current encampment, the number of survivors who had reached this location with the convoy had already surpassed a hundred, and judging by the continuously increasing line of vehicles at the end of the convoy, the number of survivors arriving here continued to grow.