After leaving the train station, Chen Shouyi walked to the newsstand: "Give me a map of Dongxing City!"

"Do you want the ink-printed map or the older color-printed map? The ink-printed one is a bit cheaper, five yuan each, while the color-printed one is expensive, a hundred yuan each. These maps are all old stock, and they're getting rarer; they might even become collectibles in the future..." the newsstand owner said with a hearty laugh.

"The color-printed one!" Chen Shouyi interrupted his long speech and handed over a hundred-yuan bill.

This time when he went out, he carried quite a lot of money with him, enough for his expenses for the next few days.

He opened the map, carefully looked for the route to Dongning, then closed it and put it in his backpack.

"Mister, may I ask you something?" Chen Shouyi asked the newsstand owner, "Do you know what's going on over in Dongning?"

"You want to go to Dongning? I advise against it; even if you go, you won't be able to get in."

...

A few minutes later, Chen Shouyi left the newsstand, his brows furrowed.

The newsstand owner's words were very similar to those of the two sisters on the train, even suggesting the situation was worse. Now the entire Dongning area is surrounded and blocked by the military, yet for some reason, both sides are in a strange state of calm.

He looked up at the grey sky, exhaled softly, and walked forward.

Dongxing City is one of the eleven prefecture-level cities in Jiangnan Province, and before the mutation, its economic level was always above average. Yet, steam-powered vehicles on the street were pitifully few. Even after walking for more than ten minutes, Chen Shouyi only saw one.

Perhaps because it hasn't experienced war, compared to the sparsely populated urban area of Hedong City, there are significantly more people here, and it's much livelier. On both sides of the streets, there are many open shops.

After asking several passersby, Chen Shouyi finally found a shop that sold bicycles.

...

The setting sun gradually slanted westwards, and the clouds seemed to be dyed with a layer of golden light.

A young man wearing a travel backpack was riding quickly on the provincial road with his back to the sunset.

On both sides of the road, newly planted rice seedlings in the fields were lush and growing robustly, about the height of chopsticks. Many farmers were kneeling in the fields, clearing weeds among the seedlings.

Up ahead by the river, huge wind-powered waterwheels lined up along the riverbank, their blades slowly turning in the gentle breeze, drawing river water into the ditches. It felt like a return to ancient times.

This young man is Chen Shouyi.

Starting from Dongxing City, he rode quickly all the way and had now reached the outskirts of Qingyu District, bordering Dongning City.

He stopped, took a bottle of mineral water out of his backpack, unscrewed it, and drank while looking up at the sky.

Chen Shouyi's expression was slightly grave. From here, he could see a large number of military airships floating in the distance, like sesame seeds. Clearly, the newsstand owner was right; the entire Dongning was under military blockade.

After resting for a while, he put the water bottle back in his backpack pocket and continued cycling.

However, after only riding for a few minutes.

He heard a crisp "crack" sound, as if something stuck the pedal, making it difficult to move.

Chen Shouyi immediately got off the bicycle and looked at the completely broken chain, his face looking displeased.

Damn, the quality is so bad!

After the mutation, industrial production capacity plummeted, and industrial prices skyrocketed several times or even tenfold. This roughly made, unpolished, clumsy bicycle cost him more than two thousand yuan.

He didn't mind the price.

Being someone who enjoys the treatment of a Grand Martial Artist, Chen Shouyi wasn't short of money, but the quality was so poor.

How long has he even ridden?

Even if he rode a bit fast and exerted a little force, the chain shouldn't have broken!

There's still a long way to go.

Chen Shouyi frustratedly slapped the seat.

With a "bang," the seat and the springs inside flew out, the entire main shaft bent.

Unfortunately, no matter how frustrated, it was useless. After taking a few deep breaths, Chen Shouyi took his briefcase and sword, which were hanging on the handlebars, placed the bicycle by the roadside, and began walking miserably.

As night fell, the farmers in the fields started to return home one after another.

When no one was around, Chen Shouyi immediately picked up his pace.

Even though he was walking, every step covered a distance of six to seven meters, just as fast as riding a bicycle. It's not that he couldn't go faster, it would just consume too much energy.

Night quickly descended.

There were no street lights on the provincial road, and it was pitch black all around, with only faint glimmers of light coming from villages in the distance.

"One kilometer ahead is Dongning City," Chen Shouyi quickly passed under a traffic sign.

"Finally about to enter Dongning!" His expression was grave as he continued forward.

Several minutes later, as he observed this small town near Dongxing, it seemed already abandoned. The streets were empty, and the houses on both sides were pitch black without any lights, eerily quiet like a ghost town.

Compared to the previously clean roads, this place was quite dirty and disordered, with trash everywhere.

Scattered clothes, shattered pots and pans, various bottles, and even occasionally stray bullet casings and already darkened bloodstains could be found.

There had obviously been some conflicts during the town's migration.

Chen Shouyi was a bit worried about the Shell Lady's situation. After opening the zipper and taking a look, he found she was still sound asleep, so he zipped it back up.

After walking a few more kilometers, Chen Shouyi finally saw lights in the distance.

There was a blockhouse, with searchlights on top of the blockhouse constantly sweeping the surrounding area. More than a dozen soldiers were standing on both sides of the road, and there was a barricade across the highway, blocking the road.

Noticing Chen Shouyi approaching, all the soldiers immediately became vigilant, unlocking their safeties and aiming their guns.

"Who goes there? Entry is prohibited here."

Chen Shouyi raised his hands: "Don't misunderstand, I mean no harm. I'm from Hedong and have both a Martial Artist Certificate and a Safety Consultant Certificate from the Hedong City Government. I have relatives in Dongning City, and this time I'm here to bring them back."

Although Chen Shouyi already possessed the strength of a Martial Artist, his documents were still the original Martial Artist ones, as there wasn't even a qualification for a Grand Martial Artist in Hedong City, let alone a Martial Artist.

Upon hearing this, the soldier's tense expression relaxed a bit, but the gun in his hand remained aimed firmly.

At a signal from an officer with a lieutenant's insignia, a dark-faced soldier quickly jogged over.

Chen Shouyi took out two certificates from his pocket.

The soldier took them and carefully compared them.

"Platoon leader, both certificates are genuine, and the person is indeed the Safety Consultant from Hedong City."

On hearing this, the platoon leader immediately made a gesture to stand down. All the soldiers lowered their guns and said, "Sorry for the inconvenience, it's our duty. However, although your identity checks out, according to orders from above, entry into Dongning is currently prohibited to everyone. I'm afraid you'll have to turn back!"

PS: Today there was a thunderstorm, it seemed to have cut the line, and the power went out for quite a while, so this is all.

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