The Guide to the End of the World: Four Sentinels Compete for Favor

At the southernmost tip of the Scorching Sun Plain lies the Red River, which flows across almost the entire continent.

Before the end of the world, the climate here was pleasant, the rainfall was abundant, the scenery was picturesque, and lakes of all sizes were scattered among the low hills. Looking down from the sky on a clear day, these lakes were as dazzling as gems inlaid on deep green velvet, and Liancheng was located in the center of these lakes.

Further south, across the Chi River, where thousands of horses gallop and waves rage all year round, there is a stretch of dramatically rising mountains and ridges, with thousands of hills and valleys, peaks and ridges, deep valleys, waterfalls and springs, countless strange peaks and caves, and lush forests, verdant and lush ancient trees that tower into the sky and block out the sun.

That is the Plateau of Fear where Eagle City, isolated at the southernmost tip of the continent, is located.

The Chi River is like a clear boundary, separating the two cities, which are less than 300 kilometers apart in a straight line.

Because of the terrain, when the apocalyptic flood broke out, the water level of the Chihe River surged, the banks collapsed, and the water from the Chihe River and the overflowing lakes gathered together, almost submerging the entire lake-dense area.

After the flood receded, these areas failed to return to their original state because of the large amount of silt brought by the bursting of the Chihe River and the excessive stagnant water, turning it into a muddy swamp.

Countless corpses of humans, animals and plants rotted and fermented in the mud, and the once prosperous plains and lakes became an insurmountable quagmire of death.

Being able to defend the Liancheng base under such circumstances, Jian Huaixi is actually much more reliable than he looks.

Not only that, before rushing to Guanghui City alone, Jian Huaixi also made detailed and thorough defense deployment in Liancheng to deal with emergencies. However, no matter how tight the defense was, it was useless when encountering such an opponent at this time.

Three groups of mecha formations, with Liancheng as the center, conducted a low-altitude dragnet search of every inch of land in the lake-dense area. Once a suspicious hiding place was found, the mecha would release metal detection probes as thin as hair. These probes could drill through the gaps to anywhere. Once the search target was found, they would release high-voltage current. Even giant mutant animals could not withstand such a thundering blow.

In a collapsed red brick building, sunlight shines through the cracks in the bricks and tiles into the mud-filled room (if it can still be called a room). The tiny dust particles in the air and the silver probes are clearly visible under the extreme contrast between light and dark.

The probes patrolled the messy and narrow room like a school of sardines. Soon, they confirmed that there were no signs of any living creatures here, and they went out of the small building in groups towards the sunlight.

Only one probe seemed to be a little confused about the very ordinary shadow in the corner. It hovered in place, and a light green scanning light bar shot out from the top of the probe, scanning the empty corner again. After confirming that there was really nothing, it retracted the light bar and turned around to catch up with the main force.

Behind the shadow barrier, there seemed to be some bustling scene without any aura. He sat cross-legged on the ground at the corner of the broken wall, with his elbows on his knees and his chin supported by his fists. He looked bored at Qiao Fengyu who was lying in the mud and struggling furiously in front of him.

The man who was imprisoned in the narrow cage of shadows had sunken cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and his body was dirty and smelly. He was only in his early forties, but half of his hair was already white.

Logically speaking, his mental strength level is not weak. Even if he doesn't follow Blue Fox, he can still earn a living in the apocalypse.

When they parted ways outside Kang Baibo's base, he was still decent and had the energy to get angry with them about Qiao. How did he end up like this now?

Qiao Fengyu struggled until he was exhausted, but he could not break free from the translucent cage that was as cramped and oppressive as a coffin. He collapsed on his back, gasping for breath. After a long while, he swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice: "It's my bad luck to fall into your hands today."

"But I want to know the truth before I die. How did you find me?"

Jing laughed, with an innocent expression on his handsome and spotless face. He said affectionately, "Brother Qiao, how can you say that you are unlucky for what happened today? This is entirely your own fault."

"Although your spiritual power level is low, you pretended to be a decent person before the end of the world, and you managed to deceive your friends."

"You!" Qiao Fengyu half straightened his neck and stared at Jing with his cloudy eyes.

Jing put his fingers on his lips and said, "Shh, I haven't finished yet."

After saying that, the shadow cage on Qiao Fengyu tightened another half inch, pressing him back into the mud.

Jing continued, "Although your mental strength is indeed too low, Brother You and Lan Lan are kind-hearted and did not despise you. They are willing to call you brother and listen to your commands. If you had been more aware of being a gigolo at that time and played your role as the cowardly big brother well, wouldn't you be here today?"

The shadow cage did not affect the circulation of air, but Qiao Fengyu felt that he was almost unable to breathe.

In addition, Jing Zuo had low mental strength and was a gigolo, which made him so angry that his blood vessels seemed to burst.

This is not the end. Jing said again: "Forget it, you also have your advantages. You can sell out your friends for fame. But what I am particularly curious about is why you climbed up by selling out Brother You and Lan Lan, and then were kicked down so quickly. It is said that you didn't stay with the leader for more than half a month. What did you do?"

Qiao Fengyu gritted his teeth and refused to answer. Jing nodded as if he had understood something. "I know, Brother Qiao. You know that during the Battle of Guandu, Xu You couldn't get along with Yuan Shao, so he went to Cao Cao and brought the news that Yuan Shao's baggage and food were all stored in Wuchao, and that the garrison commander Chunyu Qiong was drinking all day and was unprepared. Cao Cao therefore launched a surprise attack on Wuchao and defeated Yuan Shao."

Qiao Fengyu didn't know what he was going to say, so he frowned. Jing said, "Then, Xu You thought he had made great contributions, and repeatedly disrespected Cao Cao. He called Cao Cao by his nickname regardless of the occasion, and was finally killed for a reason."

Qiao Fengyu couldn't help but think of the cigarette that caused him to be kicked off the bus. Seeing him lost in thought, Jing couldn't help but smile and said, "Brother Qiao, you don't think this is really the fundamental reason why Xu You was killed, do you?"

"Xu You was killed because he was no longer useful to Cao Cao."

"Xu You suggested to Yuan Shao that they divide their army and attack Xuchang overnight because Yuan's army captured the messenger sent by Cao Cao to Xudu to collect grain and brought him to Xu You. Xu You suggested to Cao Cao that they attack Wuchao by surprise because he was Yuan Shao's adviser and knew where Yuan Shao stored grain and who was the general guarding the grain."

"At best, he is just an information carrier. Now that his most valuable information has been used up, what use is he to Cao Cao? Just kill him."

Jing lowered his eyes and looked at Qiao Fengyu's dirty, unshaven face. The blood immediately faded away. He said lightly, "Brother Qiao, do you look like that greedy and unwise Xu You?"