Rescue

After hearing what Christina had said, Zhou Bai asked in a subdued voice, "Who are you?"

A burly man with a full beard leaned his head over. "We're the Heavenly Court Rescue Team. We're taking you back to the nearest outpost. Don't worry, you're safe now."

"Us?" Zhou Bai stared at him. "Did anyone else survive besides me?"

"Yeah, a little girl." The bearded man frowned. "But she's not doing too well. You awakened primordial spirit powers, so you're in better shape. That little girl's body was infected by Polluted Spiritual Machine and has already undergone Demonization. Her condition is a bit dangerous."

Zhou Bai hadn't expected anyone else to have survived. Excited, he asked, "Can I go see her?"

"Don't rush. You'll get a chance to see her once we reach the outpost." The man tried to reassure Zhou Bai, but kept some things to himself. "Fewer than one in ten survive Demonization in good health, and it's even harder to remain sane. Whether that little girl makes it will come down to luck."

"Polluted Spiritual Machine..." Zhou Bai saw that the other man was wearing nothing but a T-shirt and could stay outside without suffering so much as a scratch. He hurriedly asked, "Can you avoid being infected by Polluted Spiritual Machine?"

The bearded man could tell what Zhou Bai was thinking at a glance, and explained, "We're different from you. Our primordial spirits were adjusted using Immortal Dao Technology before we were born, and we received Runic Vaccines after birth. That's how we can move around freely outside.

"Even so, cultivating is still dangerous. It's best to cultivate inside an outpost with a large formation. And you can't stay outside for too long, either."

Primordial spirit adjustments... Runic Vaccines... Then why did Dr. Zhuang... Zhou Bai shook his head, trying to make sense of what the man had said. Then can we get primordial spirit adjustments and Runic Vaccines?

"Primordial spirit adjustments can only be done before birth. As for Runic Vaccines, you can get them once you're back. Don't worry. The Flying Carriage is really fast; we'll be there soon. You weren't infected too badly, and you're wearing an infection-proof suit. With your primordial spirit powers, you should be able to hold on."

Zhou Bai felt a little more at ease. The other burly man looked at him curiously and asked, "Were you attacked by Heavenly Demons?"

At the words "Heavenly Demons," Zhou Bai's expression shifted. The scene from that time surfaced in his mind again, and his face darkened.

He nodded. "Our teacher blew up his primordial spirit to kill the Heavenly Demon and save us."

The bearded man was taken aback. A moment later, he shook his head. "I admire your teacher. But to be honest, Heavenly Demons can't be killed."

Seeing Zhou Bai's confusion, the bearded man continued, "The nature of a Heavenly Demon's life is extremely unusual. It doesn't belong to any lifeform we know. They say that as long as the Heavenly Demon Empress is alive, the Heavenly Demons will be reborn in the Heavenly Demon Pool, no matter how many times they die."

Zhou Bai thought of the Snake Monster Heavenly Demon still being alive and clenched his fists. "How is that possible?"

"In this world... even the Heavenly Dao can be twisted. What isn't possible?" The bearded man shrugged. Seeing Zhou Bai grit his teeth, he asked, "What's wrong? Angry? That's just how things are. The Heavenly Court has been fighting the Heavenly Demons for hundreds of years, and things have only gotten worse."

"Then we'll kill the Heavenly Demon Empress and tear down that Heavenly Demon Pool."

"Huh?" The bearded man looked at Zhou Bai and laughed. "So young... Others have tried that before. All they did was turn Earth into an apocalypse. We're lucky just to be alive now, and you think we can wipe them all out..."

The bearded man shook his head, his eyes filled with indescribable sorrow. "You have no idea how terrifying the Heavenly Demons are."

"I'll wipe them all out." Zhou Bai clenched his fists, remembering the sea of blood at the base. He glanced at the Auxiliary System in his consciousness and seethed inwardly. Heavenly Demons... Just let me lie around for a few more years. Then I'll wipe every last one of you out.

The bearded man rolled his eyes, not taking Zhou Bai's words seriously. Looking out the window, he said, "We're here. Get ready to disembark."

Only after getting out did Zhou Bai realize that the "Flying Carriage" he'd been riding in was a bronze carriage. The Bronze Horse pulling it stamped a hoof, and the entire carriage rose a meter off the ground, hovering as it moved away.

What kind of black technology is this? Zhou Bai watched in amazement. A maglev carriage? Looking at it, he couldn't tell whether the carriage was advanced or primitive.

On another carriage, Elsa was carried down on a stretcher. Golden fur covered her from head to toe, and dozens of rectangular talismans were wrapped tightly around her fur, seeming to bind her in place.

"Elsa!"

Seeing Zhou Bai move toward her, the bearded man stopped him. "Don't worry. We'll do everything we can to save her. Going over there now will only get in the way. Once she's better, I'll take you to see her."

Zhou Bai restrained his agitation and nodded, following the bearded man's instructions.

Next, Zhou Bai followed the burly man into the outpost before them. As far as the eye could see, there were rows of white houses with white walls, all marked by a minimalist style.

After that came a series of examinations, questions, vaccinations, and treatment.

When an old man injected the Runic Vaccine into Zhou Bai's brow using his primordial spirit powers, Zhou Bai immediately felt a fine, steady force flow into his mind. It quickly multiplied and replicated, then finally became countless runes that formed chains around his sea of consciousness.

Christina studied the Runic Vaccine thoughtfully. "These are indeed protective runes. They should keep you from being infected by Polluted Spiritual Machine outside."

The old man who had injected the vaccine into Zhou Bai looked at him and said, "Remember, the vaccine isn't invincible. The longer you stay outside, the more its power will be depleted, and the greater your risk of infection. You should return to a safe zone to rest at least once every seven days, so the Runic Vaccine can rest, too."

Zhou Bai nodded, then was taken away for treatment.

In modern society, an injury like his would probably have taken months to heal.

But in this world, where people could cultivate and use spells, runes, formations, and other supernatural powers, Zhou Bai only needed a few mouthfuls of medicinal pills to stabilize his injuries. As long as he rested well for a week or two, he would make a full recovery.

After they confirmed again that Zhou Bai was fine, they assigned him a room and returned his personal belongings.

The examinations, vaccination, and treatment had all been handled swiftly and simply, with little unnecessary small talk or procedure. Zhou Bai realized this seemed to be the way things were here: everything was done as quickly, simply, and efficiently as possible, with no needless waste of time or resources.

Was this efficiency-first approach the result of a long war?

But with such a vast human civilization, did Dr. Zhuang not know they existed? Why had he always called us the last humans?