The Ultimate War Of The Apocalypse
Chapter 219 - 215: Beyond Space and Time

Chapter 219: Chapter 215: Beyond Space and Time

Lizhizi was pulled onto the vehicle by Zhao Qiang, without any chance to refuse.

On the vehicle, Gao Yuan and the others couldn’t help but discuss the Taoist, who they once thought was amusing but now found mysterious. However, despite their discussions, they couldn’t connect Lizhizi to the aliens’ conspiracy, as it seemed there was no reason or possibility for that.

When the car stopped for refueling and everyone got out to eat, Gao Yuan saw Lizhizi again.

Li Jingang jumped down from the truck, took a couple of military fuel cans, and went to refuel the SUV ahead, followed by Panxin getting off the vehicle, then Zhao Qiang, and after Zhao Qiang came down, Lizhizi also leapt out of the truck bed.

At first glance, Lizhizi seemed alright, but the panic on his face as he looked at Zhao Qiang and his expression of grievance suggested that he might have suffered a bit.

Windbreak forests lined both sides of the highway, primarily composed of poplar trees, and beyond that stretched the barren desert. The wind was strong, and the temperature was low, causing Lizhizi to instinctively tighten his cotton robe as he jumped from the vehicle.

"Boss Zhao, what’s going on? Did you get anything out of him?"

Zhao Qiang took a few steps towards Gao Yuan and said, "I did ask, but it’s nothing. It’s exactly this ’nothing’ that makes me suspicious."

"What do you mean by that?"

Zhao Qiang looked back at Lizhizi and said, "He chose this route because he divined a geomantic omen which indicated that going west would be very auspicious, so he ran away from the shelter in the middle of the night, using only a flashlight for illumination, walked dozens of miles on mountain roads, and as soon as daybreak hit, he mounted a bicycle and headed west."

Gao Yuan frowned and asked, "He was telling the truth?"

"The truth, a hundred percent the truth."

"But the shelter is so heavily guarded, how could he have possibly gotten out?"

"Because he left through the shelter’s main gate openly, telling the sentinels he was going out to help. With people going in and out of the shelter all last night, the sentinels didn’t think to stop him. Then, instead of opting for the valley path filled with corpses, he went straight up the mountain and found his way out by feel."

No wonder, then—because of the sheer number of zombie corpses, dealing with the bodies was a major problem for the Guisui Shelter. With the weather already warming up, letting hundreds of thousands of corpses decay and stink could spell the end for Guisui Shelter. Hence, they started clearing the bodies last night, which gave Lizhizi his chance to leave.

"This guy’s got talent!"

"He went up to Mount Wudang at the age of eight, spent decades there, and later went to Taoist temples on other mountains. Walking through the mountains is nothing to him."

"No wonder. That makes sense; he must walk on mountain paths often."

"Went up the mountain at eight, dedicated his life to Taoism. Yeah, he’s a true Taoist, not a charlatan out to swindle money. Cultivation is his belief, not a tool for deception. But this guy seems to always find us. It still makes me uncomfortable. We’re almost at Linhe City, where there’s a shelter. Let’s just leave him at Linhe."

"No need for further interrogation?"

"No need, but we definitely can’t keep him with us. What’s the point of carrying a Taoist along?"

Zhao Qiang turned his head to glance at Lizhizi, furrowed his brows, and muttered under his breath, "Nothing but trouble."

It was still early spring, and it was bitterly cold outside, especially with the desert roadside right there, where the strong wind was chilling to the bone. Better to quickly use the restroom and get back inside the vehicle.

Li Jingang had finished refueling and was carrying the empty fuel cans back. As the others who had gotten off to stretch were beginning to board again, Zhao Qiang said to Lizhizi, "Get on the vehicle."

Lizhizi looked at Zhao Qiang, then at Gao Yuan, and suddenly made a run for it.

Before Zhao Qiang laid a hand on Lizhizi, Lizhizi stopped and, with a face full of sorrow and anger, said to Gao Yuan, "You’re the leader, aren’t you? I’m asking you, do you guys have no sense of reason anymore? Is this road owned by your family? You can go your way, I’ll go mine, what gives you the right to stop me from going!"

Gao Yuan was caught with his eyes wide, speechless. Lizhizi continued with a sorrowful and angry face, "Have I followed you? I was clearly walking on my own, alright? You could’ve just driven past, couldn’t you? Did I ask you to stop the car, did I block the car? I was riding my bicycle, singing songs, walking just fine, then you guys came out of the car, dragged me onto it, and then claimed I was stalking you. Where is the justice in that?"

Gao Yuan said, "Well... You go your way, we’ll drop you off at Linhe, and then you can go wherever you want; how about that?"

Lizhizi seemed to think that Gao Yuan was a reasonable person and his voice immediately rose several notches as he said, "What about my bicycle! My bicycle was left hundreds of kilometers away, how am I supposed to go now? I could have ridden my bicycle, but now I have to walk on my own two legs."

Gao Yuan hesitated for a moment, and then he looked towards Zhao Qiang, who calmly said, "No problem, I’ll compensate you with a new bicycle and a complete set of gear as an apology. How about that?"

Lizhizi was stunned for a moment and looked at Gao Yuan, then said with a much softer voice, "You have bicycles there? You must be kidding."

"You’ll find them at the Linhe Shelter."

Gao Yuan smiled and said, "That’s right. You can go wherever you like. I’ll send word to the Guisui Shelter and tell them not to detain you by force; how about that?"

Once again, Lizhizi fell silent, then he looked at Gao Yuan and murmured, "Couldn’t you just take me with you, please? No matter where you’re going, can I come with you?"

Gao Yuan shook his head, and Lizhizi continued, "I can help you bring good fortune and avoid disaster. Look at the fortune I told yesterday, wasn’t it accurate? Pretty accurate, right? I just want to contribute."

Zhao Qiang and Gao Yuan both shook their heads. But then, the group’s biggest wildcard, Xinghe, walked over.

Xinghe merely glanced at Lizhizi, then nonchalantly said, "Take him with us, Gao Yuan. I need to use the restroom; accompany me."

Gao Yuan stood frozen, and Xinghe frowned, saying, "Come on, I’m scared going alone."

Scared, could Xinghe be scared?

Zhao Qiang asked in a low voice, "Why should we take him with us?"

Turning her head, Xinghe said indifferently, "Oh, because he is a Taoist. My ancestors didn’t even encounter Taoism the last time they came to Earth..."

"Don’t say it!"

"You don’t say."

Zhao Qiang and Gao Yuan, one after the other, told Xinghe not to speak, but it was too late. Xinghe had not only spoken, she continued, "But as for the philosophy of Lao Tzu, we have studied it and believe that Lao Tzu’s philosophy transcends the limitations of space and time and remains a valuable thought throughout the entire universe, which is why we have included his ’Tao Te Ching’ in our knowledge system."

All three were stunned. Zhao Qiang, with a shocked face, said, "You’ve included Earth’s philosophical thoughts?"

Lizhizi, on the other hand, was extremely shocked and excited, exclaiming, "My God! You are a Celestial! You truly are a Celestial!"

Xinghe waved her hand and turned to Lizhizi, saying, "No, I am not a Celestial. I am a Celestial, from another planet, what you think of as Celestials does not exist, or rather, that’s a misunderstanding on your part."

Suddenly Xinghe stopped talking. She looked towards Gao Yuan and said, "Accompany me to the restroom."

Gao Yuan glanced at Zhao Qiang, as if to say it’s your call now, then he and Xinghe flipped over the highway guardrail and walked down the expressway.

Zhao Qiang watched Lizhizi for a while and finally sighed, saying, "Get on the car!"