Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 228 Cognitive Calibration
In his previous life, Su Xun was acquainted with a friend who worked at a gold mine in Lingnan, and they had discussed the movement of mineral veins underground.

The other party's answer to this question was: It's very difficult. The greater the depth, the greater the resistance. Even life forms born from the depths of the earth find it difficult to move there.

The same applies to many mutant plants; they are not incapable of moving underground, but they are simply not as fast as they can pull out their 'legs' and run away.

Moreover, the person in front of them is of a relatively low rank, so it would be no easy task to leave quietly in such a short time.

The other party is clearly quite talented. If he can be used by the legion, he will be a great help. If possible, Su Xun will try his best to win him over.

If that's not possible, then it's necessary to ensure that the other party doesn't become the enemy of the legion.

Those who came with him have begun to head in various directions to investigate whether there are any large-scale strongholds in the surrounding area, and to assist them in evacuating to nearby base cities to make room for the major events that are about to take place here. At the same time, they also need to confirm whether there are any high-level beings in the surrounding area that may pose a threat, or valuable relics from the civilization era.

This is a complex task that may take a considerable amount of time, but everything will proceed in an orderly manner. The corps has considerable influence in the surrounding area, and the broadcasting station has begun targeted broadcasts. People who hear the broadcasts will cooperate with the evacuation, and various large-scale security zones in the surrounding area are also sending forces to assist in completing this plan.

Those who remain outside the base city are generally quite capable of self-preservation and action. Su Xun is not worried about their relocation difficulties; he is only afraid that they might plan to come here to join the fun.

If such people really exist, then we can only let them have good luck.

After a long day of travel, night had gradually fallen. The change from day to night no longer affected Su Xun. However, under the cover of darkness, the wilderness became even more silent.

Those creatures that survived the great catastrophe now face severe cold, with countless plants freezing to death. Even those that survive are now in deep hibernation, leaving the landscape devoid of life. Occasionally, a few mutated beasts will appear, but they are intimidated by Su Xun's aura and flee far away.

The resurgence of spiritual energy brought forth extraordinary beings, while the numerous dangers and disasters following the Great Cataclysm continuously filtered out the survivors. This is an inevitable natural evolution of the world, and it may not have a specific purpose, but the future will only be suitable for the survival of extraordinary beings, which is an unchangeable fact.

The damage caused by the cataclysm was not only inflicted on humanity. Rather, it could be said that, with Su Xun's help, humanity in this lifetime has recovered the best and preserved the most strength among all species.

The road was barely visible in the snow. Su Xun was rarely seen acting alone, and he felt like he was taking a walk, his thoughts wandering a bit.

The traces left by the mineral vein were not hard to find. No matter how powerful it was, it had only just developed consciousness. Following these traces, Su Xun gradually approached an abandoned village not far from the mine.

Further away from the transportation lines, this area had not been completely cleared. Su Xun had not seen any zombies for some time. As soon as he approached, several pounced on him. They were all first-tier or even lower-tier beings. Before they even got close, they had already frozen into ice sculptures, which then shattered.

Su Xun did not conceal himself, and those in the village naturally noticed his arrival immediately.

In the dark night, a figure stood in the middle of the street. In reality, it was a sculpture made entirely of silver, emitting a faint glow.

The sculpture depicts a teenage girl, and in the direction she is looking, there is a zombie that looks exactly like her trapped inside a car.

The zombie ignored the silver statue, which was understandable, since they didn't eat silver. However, when Su Xun arrived, it struggled to get out of the car, but was restrained by the seatbelt. Although people of this age should have entered the shelter before the cataclysm, there are always exceptions. Delving into it now was pointless. Su Xun glanced around and stepped forward.

As Su Xun approached, the silver statue turned its head... not in a normal way, but by abruptly rotating its entire head around its shoulder. The silver statue stared at Su Xun for a moment before turning its body around as well.

At the same time, a harsh, metallic scraping sound emanated from within its body. A certain fluctuation traveled through these sounds and reached Su Xun's senses. This was not language, but a signal. Su Xun heard in it a sense of alienation, vigilance, and being driven away.

Su Xun stopped in his tracks, stared at the other person, and said, "If you stay here, you are very likely to die, and I cannot let you wander around. Joining us will not do you any harm."

The communication between the two was not based on language, but on the spiritual fluctuations behind the language that carried information. In terms of the precision of control over this aspect, Su Xun was much more meticulous than the silver statue opposite him.

His words were not alarmist, but the other party did not respond immediately. Instead, they fell silent, and it was unclear what they were thinking. They seemed to disagree with Su Xun's words.

The village fell silent for a moment. Su Xun was somewhat helpless. This situation was quite normal. He had experienced it many times in his previous life. No one knew what these guys were thinking. The other side was not even silicon-based, let alone carbon-based. The only consensus that humans, animals, plants, and all sorts of strange and wonderful spiritual beings could reach was usually through fighting.

If you tell it that it will die in a while, it probably won't understand what "in a while" means or what death means. But when you actually beat it to the point of death, it will immediately understand everything. Su Xun usually calls this cognitive calibration.

Seeing Su Xun step forward again, the silver statue also moved. The ground beneath its feet seemed to suddenly be subjected to an unbearable force, and it suddenly collapsed. The silver statue moved accordingly, carrying enormous power as it rushed towards Su Xun.

"Crack!"

A dazzling white light burst forth from Su Xun's body. At this moment, he was radiating rampant spiritual power. If viewed from a different angle, it would appear as if an extremely brilliant spiritual star had appeared in his location, and the attack was like a 'solar prominence' ejected from the star, containing intense power.

"Oh!"

The white light lashed out like a whip at the silver statue, instantly shattering it into pieces. However, Su Xun did not relax at all; he knew very well that the battle had only just begun.

Countless heavy footsteps echoed as countless silver statues emerged from the streets and alleys of the village, shrouded in night. They varied in form, most with rough faces, and some barely resembled human figures.

Interspersed among them were some animal figures, whose movements were stiff and twisted, and who looked more like zombies than zombies when they got close. But each of them possessed extremely terrifying strength, and many buildings were as fragile as building blocks in front of them!
After smashing several more silver statues, Su Xun touched the ground with his toes and flew to a high place. In an instant, several silver spikes emerged from the spot where he had just stood!

These silver-cast statues are not actually part of the mine itself, but they appear to be a significant part of it. If they were to be destroyed by ordinary means, it would not have much effect. However, Su Xun knew exactly how to deal with them.

The violent spiritual energy swept outwards like a tsunami from his center. The silver statues shattered and stopped instantly upon contact with it, as if they had lost their lives. However, the other side quickly found a way to deal with it, and an extremely fierce confrontation broke out in this small village.

(End of this chapter)