Mutagen

Day 132 - 7:22 AM - S. Lewis Road Overpass, Pottstown Expressway, Royersford, Mongomery County, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Everyone was in the middle of preparing the things they needed to cook and eat breakfast.

After leaving the area around St. Gabriel's Hall, the road was not too hazardous. Although they came across many commercial compounds and establishments because they were traversing the main expressway, the infected population was not that high compared to cities.

If they were to count the number of infected that they came across since they left the Cannibal Den, it should be more or less around five to six hundred. It was actually quite a lot. But comparing the number of infected they came across these past days, this number did not even reach a quarter.

The only problems on the road were the pretty heavy traffic that was abandoned. Several accidents on the road caused the blockage of traffic, causing a whole lot of cars on the way. Furthermore, both lanes had the same state. It was most likely that after the accidents, many people that tried to flee decided to counterflow the incoming traffic.

That, however, made things more complicated as more accidents occurred.

Because of this, Roan was forced to drive the vehicle slowly, while paving way across the heavy traffic. At the sites where the accidents happened, Mark and the others would go out and remove the crashed cars by force.

When the sky lightened up as the sun rose from the horizon, they decided to stop and rest after finding a suitable area. Everyone did not manage to get proper sleep, after all. Thus, they decided to rest while those that were able to would prepare a warm soup for breakfast.

Well, finding a good and safe place to rest still took more than an hour, though.

Hannah took the lead in cooking as usual. It was the only thing she could contribute to the group, after all.

On the other hand, despite the language barrier, Feng Zhiruo volunteered to help in cooking. She was not much of a cook herself, but the speed and accuracy she had while cutting the ingredients would make professional cooks drown in shame.

At first, Feng Zhiruo actually thought that she would be declined of her participation. It was not surprising since she was among the group of people that attacked Mark and Mei before. However, Mark actually agreed to her surprise. It was not like she was planning anything bad. Still, to be trusted to participate in making food was not something to be given to people that could potentially harm the group.

Feng Zhiruo could not tell whether Mark was too trusting, or it was just he knew that she had no ill intentions. However, Mark never looked like the former type. In fact, he looked like a scary person that would have a hard time trusting anyone. Thinking about this made her head hurt a bit.

Well, Feng Zhiruo was quite right in that. If Mark was not an Empath of a high level, he would be someone hard to communicate with because of his low trust in humans.

While waiting for breakfast, Arnold and the others took charge as lookouts, allowing Roan and Mark, who had the least resting time, to relax.

And now, Mark could be seen on the roof of the vehicle lying down with his head on Mei's lap.

It was a scene that could make many men envy.

Mark and Mei were of Asian descent. Feng Zhiruo was the same, being a Chinese.

Nevertheless, even in American standards, Mei beautiful and attractive.

Being a cultivator, Feng Zhiruo was also someone pretty. But compared to Mei, there was a vast difference.

Furthermore, even if Mei did not have the body of void, she still had the advantage compared to Feng Zhiruo. It was because she had both Chinese and Filipino blood flowing in her.

It was one of the characteristics that were quite strange with Filipinos. Someone born a half-Filipino and half of another origin would likely end up with an above-average appearance. Although not everyone, it happened in a lot of cases.

While Mark and Mei spent their time there, Elise wanted to join. However, she was being stopped by Felicia.

On the other hand, Snow was watching Hannah and Feng Zhiruo cook. Looking at this, it started to become questionable what was the reason Snow wanted to become human. It was definitely because of food. Definitely.

While cooking, however, Feng Zhiruo froze. She could not help but look at the surroundings by reflex.

It was because she could feel a certain kind of energy suddenly circulating.

What kind of energy? 

Of course, it was the kind of energy that Chinese Cultivators were very familiar with.

Qi, it was the vital force that was inherent in all things, living or not. This was the type of energy that Chinese Cultivators use to strengthen themselves far above human limits.

Without a doubt, Feng Zhiruo would become surprised to feel natural Qi in the surroundings to suddenly circulate.

Nevertheless, as suddenly it came, the circulating Qi vanished.

"Hmm... It's not working."

Feng Zhiruo suddenly heard a troubled mutter from behind. She could not help but look and detected the last strands of Qi around someone.

Unexpectedly, Mark was at the center of it all.

Mark was supposed to be resting. But from what it looked like, he was doing something else covertly instead.

Feeling the gaze and detecting the surprised emotion she had, Mark glanced at Feng Zhiruo a bit before looking away and continuing his business.

Mark closed his eyes and performed a set of breathing techniques.

Once more, Feng Zhiruo felt the Natural Qi in the surroundings circulating. The Natural Qi was moving towards Mark.

"H-how..."

Feng Zhiruo was shocked. That breathing technique could not be any more familiar to her. It was the basic foundation building breathing technique that their sect practiced. To be exact, it was something that was being practiced by the new members of their sect to accustom their bodies to the absorption of Natural Qi and build their foundation as cultivators.

But why would Mark know about it? Furthermore, he was actually able to circulate Natural Qi in the surroundings while lying down instead of sitting in a meditational position.

And then, like before, the Natural Qi vanished. This time, Mark had a slight frown.

"It's not really working."

Mark sighed.

Now that he had a good time to feel calm and relax, he had the chance to dig the elder's fragmented memories in his subconscious. He immediately found this foundation building breathing technique and tried it.

Concentrating his mind and breathing in the air at different intervals through his nose and mouth, Mark could feel another kind of energy thickening in the surroundings.

The next thing that was supposed to happen was to let that energy enter his body, through his meridians, and then, to the so-called, Dantian. He managed to vacuum the energy towards him. However, he could not feel it entering his body at all.

Mark closed his eyes, digging through the elder's memories. He could not find anything wrong with what he was doing. The sitting position was not really required either. And rather, a comfortable position could be used instead. In fact, he succeeded in condensing the Natural Qi. The only thing that was going wrong was when he was trying to absorb it.

"Gege, what are you doing?"

Mei asked as she noticed the energy that Mark managed to circulate in the surroundings.

"I'm trying a breathing technique used by their sect. Something to absorb Natural Qi in the surroundings." Mark pointed his thumb at the dumbfounded Feng Zhiruo. "I can't manage to absorb it for some reason, though."

Mark then raised his head towards Mei.

"Why don't you try it?"

"Can I?"

Mei asked.

"Yeah, I'll guide you."

Mark said as he lifted his head from Mei's lap and sat up.

From there, Mei closed her eyes and followed Mark's instructions.

And there, the same phenomenon happened as the Natural Qi in the surroundings gathered once more. The condensed Qi then circled and moved like a vortex with Mei in the center.

Unexpectedly, Mark felt the Natural Qi was actually being absorbed by Mei, albeit slowly. However, the process seemed to be different from what Mark saw from the elder's memories.

"HAH?!!!"

An utterly shocked voice was heard, causing everyone to stare at the source with an incredulous expression. Of course, the shocked cry came from Feng Zhiruo after seeing Mei actually succeed. But that was not the most surprising thing for her, however.

[H-how! The Natural Qi is being purified before she absorbed it!]

Feng Zhiruo was too shocked that she spoke the whole sentence in Mandarin.

Of course, no one here could understand Feng Zhiruo. Only Mei, who could only stop her meditation because of her cry, and Mark, who can only understand some broken parts of her words.

Everyone could only stare at Feng Zhiruo, whose mouth was agape. It would not be long before her saliva flowed out of her mouth. When she realized, she immediately closed her mouth with an embarrassed blush.

Mark wanted to ask her about this. However, now was not the time to be immersed in it. Maybe, after they return home. Besides, Feng Zhiruo was not someone hard to get along with and would surely entertain their questions. It was even more possible since she seemed to have witnessed an unfathomable thing from Mei.

After that short intermission, they ate breakfast with Feng Zhiruo's face still red in embarrassment. However, she was glancing at Mark and Mei the entire time. It was obvious that she wanted to ask about what happened just now.

Mark ignored her, though, with a mischievous thought. Being ignored like this, her curiosity would thicken as time passed by. When the topic came again, she would be blurting out everything that Mark would want to know.

Soon, they continued on their journey. Inside the vehicle, however, Feng Zhiruo's stares from behind were burning holes in Mark and Mei. The two could only shrug.

They left that overpass after breakfast and made their way through the main expressway. Unexpectedly, unlike the past days, today was rather uneventful. The only time they stopped was when they ate lunch at the bridge over the Schuylkill River at Pottstown.

It seemed that as they made their way farther from Philadelphia, the safer the roads became. This situation was not really surprising, considering that the next City they would pass by was actually Reading, which was their destination. Along the way, there were only small communities with lesser population, even before the outbreak.

After driving for the whole day, Reading City was not really far anymore. Thus, Mark decided that they would not make another stop and continue to drive after sunset.

It was around five in the afternoon when they reached Stonetown. 

It was when...

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"

Roan exclaimed, and Marielle was also shocked. Without hesitation, Roan stepped on the breaks. If not for Mark stopping him, he might have reversed the vehicle.

Why?

Well, there was just a dragon flying in the sky towards them.

Everyone inside the vehicle was got the shock of their lives. That wings of a bat, a body of a lizard. It was definitely a dragon of the myths. Although they already had a fair share of seeing unusual creatures, they never expected to see an actual dragon.

Furthermore, it was flying towards their vehicle at extreme speed.

"Geez, they can't wait any longer, huh."

That was when they heard Mark mutter as such.

Mark then opened the vehicle and jumped out with Mei.

But then, before the dragon could reach them, they saw a strange thing sweep towards Mark at a fast speed.

To their shock, they saw a strange shaped sword flying down. Then, it stopped in front of Mark.

With a smile, Mark grabbed the handle of the sword. At this time, the dragon was already above, hovering in the air. It seemed to be finding the right angle to land.

Before it could land, however, they heard a worried cry from above.

Mark slapped his forehead and opened his wings.

It was because three girls just jumped off the dragon.

"Seriously... These girls. Why are they imitating a certain Dagon Girl that jumped of a pervert dragon?"

They heard Mark mutter as such before he flapped his wings to fly up.