Hidden Crisis

Under normal circumstances,

if strength increased fourfold, speed could generally only double at most.

But Yang Yu's speed increase was clearly far above average.

Perhaps this was also related to Yang Yu being a Xingyiquan master.

Xingyiquan itself excelled at explosive strength and explosive speed.

Given Yang Yu's current accomplishments in Movement Technique, such speed was normal when he erupted with full strength.

Satisfied with the test results, Yang Yu prepared to head home.

Along the way,

the pedestrian traffic on the streets had visibly decreased.

Moreover, most people wore expressions of worry and grief.

Clearly, not every family had been as fortunate as Yang Yu and Jiang Fang, with all their family members surviving the Double R Virus.

Although, proportionally speaking, nearly 30% of the population had perished over the past three months,

that figure was calculated from the total population.

For specific families, it might mean the entire household had been infected, or only one or two members remained uninfected.

Walking slowly through the streets,

Yang Yu looked at the increasingly desolate roads and urban districts on both sides.

His heart was filled with emotion.

Because civilians had stayed indoors for so long, many of the Stray Cats and Stray Dogs from before had died, either from lack of food or the virus.

Only a very small number had endured, and these stray animals that survived the virus had also undergone strange changes.

Yang Yu had just seen a Wild Cat flash past like a gray phantom.

Looking closely,

he saw that it was a stray cat whose body had doubled in size!

"As expected, the animals that survived have mutated to a greater degree!" Yang Yu felt heavy-hearted. "Perhaps the higher-ups already know about this. After all, the news this morning said that although martial law has now been lifted, everyone is still advised to avoid remote places whenever possible, lest they be attacked by unknown creatures."

That Mutated Stray Cat just now was half a meter long.

If it bore hostility toward humans, ordinary people truly would not be its opponent.

Only Martial Way experts like Yang Yu could deal with it calmly.

Watching the stray cat vanish into the distance, Yang Yu's expression darkened.

Since that mutated Wild Cat had not attacked Yang Yu, he would not go up and kill it outright.

After all, this was only the initial stage. The conflict between animals and humans had not yet fully surfaced.

And Wild Cats did not actually like attacking humans. The real concern was those mutated large Fierce Dogs,

as well as the countless rats in the sewers, all kinds of insects flying through the air, mosquitoes, and so on.

Those were the most deadly and dangerous.

Yang Yu quickly returned home.

Seeing Grandfather cooking, Yang Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He hurriedly told Grandfather about the animal mutations he had seen on the road and urged him to avoid going out as much as possible for now.

If he absolutely had to go out, Yang Yu needed to be by his side.

Seeing Yang Yu so serious, Grandpa Yang was taken aback for a moment, but he still chose to agree.

After all, this was his grandson's filial concern.

While they ate, the news happened to report that stray animals had begun attacking humans in some places.

This corresponded with what Yang Yu had just said.

Seeing that some people had even died because of it, Grandpa Yang frowned. "Although we survived the Double R Virus, the situation seems even worse now."

Then the broadcast shifted overseas, where there were even more cases of animals attacking humans.

This was especially true in countries with vast territories and sparse populations, where the animals were larger and more ferocious.

There had already been many incidents of wild beasts attacking human settlements.

Fortunately, although wild beasts had also been enhanced by the Double R Virus,

most of them had not yet undergone obvious mutations, and their individual strength was still ordinary.

Humanity could still suppress them with modern firearms.

However, some more far-sighted people felt a vague sense of unease.

After all, the physical fitness of humans who had survived the Double R Virus had indeed improved.

There was no doubt about that.

But judging from all the signs, the animals seemed to have mutated more successfully and become more ferocious.

This caused quite a few people to worry.

But such people were only a minority. Even when they posted views on social platforms urging people to take precautions in advance, they were quickly drowned out by ridicule and abuse from all kinds of netizens.

Yang Yu was rather surprised when he happened to see this.

Sure enough, there were quite a few intelligent people among humanity.

Beneath one of those drowned-out posts was a comment calling on humanity to stop being arrogant and complacent. Instead, people should pick up the Martial Way and weapons they had once discarded, train while their physical fitness had been enhanced, further strengthen their individual abilities, and prepare for all possible emergencies.

But without exception, the post was filled with mocking remarks:

"No matter how high your martial arts are, you're still afraid of a kitchen knife."

"Beyond seven steps, a gun is faster. Within seven steps, a gun is both accurate and fast."

"What age is this? You're still clinging to that outdated dross. Open your eyes and see the world." And so on.

Yang Yu looked at those netizens who treated it all as entertainment.

Yet he could not laugh at all.

Perhaps they would not be laughing half a year from now, either.

If any of them were still alive then, they would surely regret why they had only mocked others instead of seizing these golden six months to hone their bodies and practice the Martial Way.

But there had never been medicine for regret in this world.

All Yang Yu could do was take care of the people around him, then, after growing stronger, protect those worth protecting to the best of his limited ability.

After watching many videos and reports of animals attacking humans,

Grandpa Yang became even more motivated to learn martial arts.

After all, the elderly saw farther and understood more.

And practicing martial arts could strengthen the body and prolong one's life.

Of course, something with only benefits and no drawbacks was worth doing.

Grandpa Yang watched Yang Yu demonstrate various Fist Techniques for him.

Deep down, he also knew that his grandson's changes might have been even greater.

The next morning,

Yang Yu arrived at the park, where Wang Lin had also come.

Yang Yu had contacted him by phone the night before and asked him to come practice Fist Technique together.

Because his mother, younger brother, and younger sister had died, Wang Lin was in low spirits.

But upon seeing Yang Yu's message, he still forced himself to come.

"Brother Yu, do you think the Double R Virus will mutate into something even more severe?"

Wang Lin asked weakly as he practiced his punches.

"It probably won't, right? Didn't the experts say that although humanity paid a terrible price this time, we ultimately defeated the virus completely, and the genes of those who survived were optimized, with their physical fitness and intelligence both improving to varying degrees?"

Yang Yu looked at Wang Lin. "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Grieve, Xiao Linzi. Your family in heaven would also want you to pull yourself together and live well in their place."

"I know, Brother Yu. It's just that whenever I close my eyes, I see them. I remember their struggles before they died."

By this point, Wang Lin could no longer remain standing. He collapsed to the ground, buried his head between his legs, and began to sob.

Seeing this, Yang Yu stopped practicing Fist Technique as well. He reached out with his right arm, pulled Wang Lin close, and silently stayed with him.

After a long while,

Wang Lin finally finished crying. After wiping away his tears several times, he looked at Yang Yu sheepishly. "Thank you, Brother Yu. I've figured it out. A calamity like Double R falling from the sky is ultimately a natural disaster beyond human power. From now on, I'll live well."

"Mm, that's the Xiao Linzi I know."

Yang Yu reached out and pulled Wang Lin to his feet. "May the dead rest in peace; may the living strive forward!"

"Since we were fortunate enough to survive, we cannot let that fortune go to waste."

"Okay, Brother Yu!"