RotA – Chapter 70

The beast tide, like a black cloud, bore down heavily upon the floating human base.

The Floating City had resided at an altitude of nearly ten thousand meters for decades, far from most dangers on the ground, and its fortifications were nowhere near as robust as the Underground City Base’s.

For all these years, if not for the Main City Research Institute’s insistence that mutated beasts would sooner or later evolve the ability to fly at high altitudes, the base’s main city might have disdained building any other anti-air systems, confident in its electrical protection system.

Now, with the beast tide upon them, the base’s few anti-air combat assets were fully activated. Unfortunately, the small number of aircraft, missiles, and anti-air missiles could only intercept a very small fraction of the horde.

The beast tide passed through the exploding clouds of smoke and dazzling firelight, descending like the grim reaper upon the Floating City, which was protected by its electrical barrier.

The electrical barrier was never intended to defend against a large-scale invasion from its inception. The base’s power supply was limited at any given time, so the barrier naturally had a maximum tolerance. It could withstand one small-scale beast tide each time it was activated—that was its limit.

But the beast tide before them was by no means small.

The scale of the tide was immense, and even the species of beasts had evolved to be far stronger than before.

Among these mutated beasts, the smallest was the size of two or three humans.

Like moths to a flame, they scattered in all directions toward the main city, ignoring the obstruction of the electrical barrier, single-mindedly intent on breaking into the aerial fortress before them.

In an instant, countless mutated beasts unable to withstand the high-voltage shocks plummeted from the sky, smashing into buildings and crashing to the ground, destroying the city’s vegetation, roads, and architecture like falling boulders.

People were panic-stricken and terrified.

Screaming crowds ran through the streets and alleys.

Looking up, countless bizarre birds circled in the sky.

Looking down, one saw the shadows they cast as they swept across the sky, like the advent of the grim reaper.

Chai Yuening and Chu Ci had just run downstairs when they were stopped at the military district exit by the people assigned to monitor them.

Fortunately, Ye Qing, who had just left not long ago, turned right back around. Wielding an emergency directive the research institute had obtained from the military, she immediately got them into her vehicle.

“The beast tide is too large. The base may shrink its defensive perimeter at any moment. The military district isn’t the most important area. The research institute, the buoyancy core, and the City Defense Building, which houses the various survival systems—those are the places the base must defend no matter what,” Ye Qing said. “Dr. Yi reported to the base and applied for your transfer to the institute the moment the alarm sounded, and it was approved. Don’t worry, the base will ensure your safety.”

An irrepressible fear laced Ye Qing’s words. “If the base can survive this beast tide…”

A researcher who had lived her entire life in the main city of the base had perhaps never imagined that death could be so close.

The will to live is an instinct, but beneath that instinct lay an undeniable terror.

This world had gone mad; it seemed intent on giving humanity no chance to breathe.

Even if the base could survive this beast tide, what about the next one?

No one knew the answer. Despair shrouded this human base, once the closest to the light.

The van drove through the chaotic streets. Panic seemed to permeate the entire base.

Mutated beasts that had fallen from the sky crashed heavily to the ground. Some were already dead, but others were still struggling and twitching as if they could come back to life at any moment, letting out waves of terrifying, agonized groans.

Some people boldly approached with clubs, and some armed mercenaries delivered finishing shots to the beasts that were not yet dead, but mostly there were just terrified crowds.

The base’s broadcast system tried to maintain order, but the calm-sounding voice was utterly unable to soothe the deep-seated fear in people’s hearts.

“We’ve sent a distress signal to the Underground City Base, but… can we really hold out until they arrive?” Ye Qing said in a low voice.

Chai Yuening couldn’t help but wonder, with the Floating City under sudden attack, was the distant Underground City still all right? As long as there was no internal infection, the Underground City’s fortifications should be able to withstand most external assaults, right? The members of her mercenary team, and You Lan who had returned to the Seventh District, they should all be safe for now, right…

Before her thoughts could wander further, a secondary alarm blared across the skies of the Floating City.

People habitually looked up, only to see a crack appear in the transparent electrical barrier in the sky.

From the moment it appeared, the fissure began to expand infinitely, soon tearing open a massive hole.

The barrier that had blocked the beast horde completely collapsed. The hemispherical shield, flashing with electricity, dissipated inch by inch. Countless mutated beasts dove down through the breach, lunging toward the crowds to bite and tear.

Human terror was pushed to its peak at that moment.

A mutated beast swooped toward the white van. Its massive body grazed the roof, its two sharp claws hooking the side windows. The small vehicle instantly lost its balance, as if it were about to take flight.

Ye Qing cried out in alarm. Chai Yuening pushed open the window and fired two shots at the right wing of the beast above them. The electrical current that exploded from within the bullets instantly caused the large bird to lose its strength. The van sped forward, and the beast tumbled to the ground behind them.

A fierce wind swept through the window, messing up her hair.

She heard sharp, piercing screams and saw countless wailing people trying to call for help being left far behind by the vehicle she was in.

The mutated beasts had invaded the city. They swooped toward buildings and streets, pouncing on, biting, and preying on humans.

Scene after scene, it was just like what had once happened in the Underground City Base.

If the Floating City could survive this beast tide, how many people would die, and how many would survive?

She didn’t know, and she was afraid to know.

“This world is about to break… Half a century of our research, our desperate struggles to survive one crisis after another, can’t keep up with the speed of its collapse…” Ye Qing’s hands, gripping the steering wheel, were slick with sweat, and her voice trembled exceptionally. “Yes, we’re at the end of our rope. Sometimes we even want to pray to God, pray for forgiveness, pray for a way to live… In the limited time we have, we probably won’t be able to research anything of consequence. Humanity can’t hold on for much longer…”

“Sometimes I really want to tell the Doctor, just give up. Let yourself go. Before everything ends, at least live for yourself for just one day, instead of being trapped in this unknown fog until the very last moment…” Her tone wasn’t exactly agitated, but her emotions seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. “But I can’t. The Doctor wouldn’t like to hear that.”

Chai Yuening also knew that humanity might not last much longer. If they really wanted to do something, they couldn’t rely on their own two feet, couldn’t rely on walking toward unknown mutated beasts. That would be far, far too slow.

She needed the help of the Floating City Base. She had no say here, but Yi Shuyun did.

Chai Yuening couldn’t help but speak up. “Ye Qing, we…”

Ye Qing: “What?”

Chai Yuening: “We are willing to believe that the Ecological Mother Flower truly exists. We want to find it, to pacify its anger…”

Ye Qing was stunned and took a long moment to process it. “You… you’ve decided? That’s just an unproven speculation…”

Chai Yuening replied in a heavy voice, “But it’s also a sliver of hope right now. What if?”

What if that seemingly absurd speculation was the truth people had been desperately searching for?

Chai Yuening said, “We want a plane to take us deep into the Fog Zone, preferably to the general area where the black vine was discovered. Since Senior Zhang Hanqing once went to that place, it means it’s not too far from the base.”

Ye Qing: “The Fog Zone is so vast. Even if we can pinpoint a general area using Old World documents, it would be very difficult to get you there… A plane without a signal to guide it will go off course. High-altitude flight can’t penetrate the dense fog to observe ground conditions. Forget about a single plant, you could miss even large Old World buildings. Unless… unless you fly at low altitude through the dense fog, but the risk is too great. Besides, the fuel capacity of all the base’s aircraft models is insufficient to enter the depths of the Fog Zone and still have enough fuel left for a wide-area search…”

Chu Ci softly interrupted Ye Qing’s words. “Just take us to a general area. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”

Ye Qing was momentarily speechless. After a long silence, she said no more, only sending a short message to Yi Shuyun via her communicator.

She had no standing to stop them. No matter how impossible this seemed, even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of success, she shouldn’t stop them.

Because for humanity to survive in this collapsing world was, in itself, a seemingly impossible goal. Too many people, knowing full well that the path ahead was a hopeless dead end, were still unwilling to give up easily.

Upon learning of Chai Yuening and Chu Ci’s decision, Yi Shuyun immediately sent people to the base’s Old World Archives, trying to use keyword searches to locate the city where the black vine was once excavated on an Old World map.

It was a land of rolling mountain ranges. The ten-thousand-meter-deep drill well had been established on the edge of a basin city.

Ye Qing quickly brought Chai Yuening and Chu Ci to the Base Research Institute.

Yi Shuyun came out to greet them. It had been some time since they last met, and her white hair seemed to have increased.

“I’ve already submitted the application to the base, but I can’t tell them the real reason, or they’ll definitely think I’m crazy, and a crazy person isn’t fit to make any requests of the base.” Yi Shuyun walked ahead with a grave expression. “I told the base that a very important piece of data was missing from the research materials sent by the Fog Zone Base, and that it’s related to the aftermath of this beast tide. I need to retrieve it as soon as possible.”

Chai Yuening understood Yi Shuyun’s meaning.

At this point in time, if they wanted the base to dispatch a plane to take them away from here, then “going to the Fog Zone” would be the most reasonable excuse.

“The base has always wanted to establish contact with the Fog Zone. As long as you agree, there’s no reason for the base to refuse.” Yi Shuyun walked into her research lab, picked up a newly copied map from her desk, and solemnly handed it to Chai Yuening. “Too much data from the Old World has been lost. To protect the drilling project from outside interference, the people of that time designated it a classified project. There were only a few reports on its results, so its general location is difficult to pinpoint. Based on analysis of existing data, we’ve circled six possible points.”

“Six points…” Chai Yuening couldn’t help but frown.

If there was only one point, she could still lie to the pilot and say that was the location of the Fog Zone Base. But with a full six points, none of which had a specific coordinate, only a general area, and they would still need to search at low altitude upon arrival—how could she possibly visit them all?

“After you leave the base, you’ll have to find a way to convince the pilot yourself,” Yi Shuyun said. “I can’t help you with that.”

Chai Yuening nodded heavily. She took the map and was just about to open it for a look when a tremendous explosion boomed from the distance.

The next second, she felt the human base beneath her feet begin to shake violently. She subconsciously grabbed Chu Ci’s arm, pulling her to her side for protection.

Yi Shuyun’s back slammed into the long table behind her. Ye Qing rushed forward to steady her. As she looked up, the lights flickered, and many things on the desk and in the file cabinets fell off with the violent shaking.

The human base, which had floated securely at high altitude for over fifty years, felt as if it would plummet downward at any second.

And below that ten-thousand-meter altitude was the place where a million souls from the outer city had been smashed to pieces.

What was the worst that could happen?

No one dared to think about it.

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