"I won't go into more details. From now on, we'll stay together. But judging from everything, there must be reborn people or travelers in this world. They know what will happen and pass it on to the higher-ups, who then arrange everything in order according to future natural disasters."
Lan Jin's analysis made sense, but how did this relate to mutated creatures?
Lan Jin explained, "I haven't seen it myself, so I can't guarantee my thoughts are correct. But I think the forest we visited before definitely has problems. Even if it's a natural disaster, that forest couldn't just appear suddenly. Not only were the plants too strange, the animals seemed inflated, like they had been blown up many times.
So that separately enclosed forest, it feels more like an experimental base. Plants, animals, even people could be test subjects. Otherwise, why would such a forest grow in a deserted place? If we hadn't come to the H city base, we might never have known it existed.
So I think being there wasn't their choice. It was arranged.
Why? Simple. Who knows what could happen inside. Fewer people, they can handle it secretly. But if many people come and panic breaks out? Experiments are always done in deserted places anyway.
And when we first went to that forest, Brother Zhang said nothing could get out of that circle. But the creatures came out anyway, on their own. So why was Brother Zhang so confident at first?
The answer is simple. The forest is no longer under human control. It has mutated. The only way to stop it is to destroy it."
"As for the insect powder", Lan Jin said, "Insect powder is even simpler. My dog won't touch it, so we don't either. Animals are cautious. But for the people outside, with no food, they have no choice. When they see food, can they say no?
I think even at the start, when collecting materials, they already factored in the follow-up. People weren't completely out of supplies, so they wouldn't eat that foul powder.
But anyway, I'm sure someone intentionally arranged those insect powders, then sold them to people living outside the base.
Remember, those plants grow inside the forest. Ordinary people don't even know the forest exists. And it's dangerous. Could normal people go in? Even if they did, they'd have to dry it, grind it, mix it with insect powder, then sell it nationwide. Can ordinary people do that? They don't even have transportation. How could they sell it across the country? Even if they could…
As for plants giving people abilities, it's not hard to guess. All things interact. Poisonous snakes have antidotes nearby. Plants must have countermeasures."
Lan Jin felt tired and didn't want to go on. But if you didn't understand the problem by now, it was really foolish.
Ling Jiang still had a point she didn't understand. "Why would the higher-ups do this? Just to kill us living outside?"
"No," Lan Jin said. "I'm just guessing. In the past life, someone probably gained abilities and brought them into the base. They had direct contact with plants, so reactions were stronger. People like Brother Zhang, who had abilities later, had too severe consequences. The base's order collapsed. Some had abilities, some remained normal, some died on the spot.
Not everyone's ability is strong enough to face enemies. In survival, it doesn't seem worth it.
So this time, someone provided a new plan. Make plants and insects. During the insect plague, dry them. When extreme cold comes and food is nearly gone, release this 'life-saving' food. No need to think much. Everyone outside will eat it.
Think back to the marketplace. How long did it operate? How long was insect powder sold? Soldiers guarded it. With such smelly food, could there really be no problem? People ate it. Later, whatever reactions they had didn't matter. It happened outside. We aren't base personnel. Even if the base knew, they wouldn't interfere. They let people deal with it, then after results came out, they descended to recruit talent, taking all with abilities into the base to serve."
All of this was just Lan Jin's speculation.
"I have no proof. This is just my guess. But judging from Brother Zhang's reaction, I think I'm probably right."
Thinking closely about it—
It was terrifying just to think about.
Ling Jiang panicked. "No. If you already suspected everything was wrong, why move into the base? Isn't it more dangerous there?"
"First, we have no proof the military base did these things, though they must be aware. Second, ordinary people can't access this. Last, if we don't live in the base, where else? My advice is, don't ask what you shouldn't. Know less, ask less."
After a moment, Huang Jinghe said, "Then my parents must know. They told me to store extra food, to eat only at home. Later when I contacted them and they learned I had abilities, they were surprised. They asked if our food wasn't enough. I didn't think much then, but now it all connects. Sister Lan's analysis is probably right."
"So if we want to live safely, we ask nothing. Knowing too much may trap us. Later, leaving may be impossible," Lan Jin said seriously to the three.
The three sighed. Lao Gao said, "This is so hard. Living is so hard. So many things. Just an apocalypse, yet such a big conspiracy."
"These speculations are pure guesses. Just listen and forget," Lan Jin said seriously.
But could such things really just be forgotten?
Silence fell. Ling Jiang asked, "Do we still participate in the special training? We're stronger than others. If we stand out too much, what then? But if we don't, they won't believe us."