Chapter 149.1 – Fire Seed (19)
◎ Can you swim? ◎
“Prepare for landing.”
The starship announcement sounded again, and this time, there was no need for Lu Xiaoyu’s reminder. All crew members in the rear cabin neatly and uniformly clicked their seat belts in place.
After approaching the periphery of the island, a transparent barrier appeared in the sky, and holographic signs automatically lit up: “Please use the supplier channel.”
Following that was a small bright square area: “Please present your admission authorization here.”
Lu Xiaoyu decelerated and turned the direction, and the starship hovered neatly in the highlighted area. Song Ke and Yin Xiao opened their terminals, pulled up the temporary admission obtained after accepting the mission, and two seconds later, the barrier opened a passage, just large enough for the starship to pass through.
The aerial signs also turned into clear navigation maps: “Please continue driving three kilometers along the current road and land at the Splendid Tower.”
It had to be said that the visitor system of the Elderly People’s Nation was planned very reasonably, just… with a somewhat inexplicable soft coercion. They had no other choice but to follow the route provided by the system, and there was no possibility of “I’ll go around first” at all.
At the top of the Splendid Tower, there was a luxurious helipad. Lu Xiaoyu found a vacant space, smoothly landed the starship, and just as he stabilized, the ground passage folded open, and the entire starship was slowly taken into the building, transported to the temporary parking level.
After the two teams came out, they could only take the observation elevator, which had only one button inside: “Visitor Hall.”
“Ding—” The elevator door opened, revealing a spacious banquet hall, and surprisingly, there were already quite a few people on the scene.
Song Ke sensed it slightly and was surprised. These people were all awakeners! The chaotic and diverse awakened energies were like those in a vegetable market.
“Why are there so many people?”
“Fifty teams, there must be those who arrived earlier than us,” Zhuang Qingyan said.
The Northern Base was too far away, and they rushed non-stop, taking a full five days.
“Not only the Alliance,” Yin Xiao pointed in two directions, “but people from the Cario Empire and the Luce Federation are also here.”
Song Ke looked in the direction he pointed. Although it was unclear what permissions the other two countries used to enter, the awakeners in the hall were clearly divided into three groups, and their differences were apparent just by their appearances.
Ninety percent of the cities in the Luce Federation were located in the ice fields, with a cold climate. Most of the awakeners there had high noses and deep-set eyes. Both men and women were tall and slender, looking like they had explosive combat capabilities. Among them, the most eye-catching was a pair of intimate-looking lovers. The man had a sturdy physique, nearly two meters tall, resembling a powerful polar bear, while the woman, estimated to be around 1.9 meters, had shoulder-length brown hair and a somewhat unapproachable face.
On the other hand, in the Cario Empire, due to being an immigrant nation, the awakeners had various skin colors, and their irises were colorful. At first glance, it was challenging to determine their nationality.
“What are they doing here?” Jennifer snorted lightly.
Yin Xiao chuckled, “Girl, your grandfather is, after all, from Cario. Are you forgetting your roots?”
Jennifer was unashamed and even proud, “But my father made an enlightened decision against our ancestors. I am a born and bred Alliance person.”
Zhuang Qingyan looked at the three different forces in the hall with a meaningful smile, “The Elderly People’s Nation is located at the intersection center of the three-country sea area. The residents are not only from the Alliance, and they probably heard the news and came to join in. It’s reasonable.”
“Sister…” Suddenly, Xu Xing pulled Song Ke’s sleeve and stared straight at someone across the hall.
It was an awakener from the Cario Empire, and he looked quite young. Freckles adorned his tender face, and his thick, curly reddish-brown hair framed his face. His eyes were a clear ocean blue, and despite his young age, he was already close to 1.7 meters tall, surrounded by people like the center of the universe.
Tustan’s electric-type awakener leaned over to gossip, “His name is Dylan, quite famous.”
Xu Xing blinked, “Why is he famous?”
“Dylan is from Cario and is also the youngest S-class awakener in the world. He reached S2 level at just ten years old. His ability is in the mysterious category called ‘Nightmare Descends,’ which can unconsciously make people’s bodies fall asleep while keeping their minds awake, creating hallucinatory nightmares similar to ‘sleep paralysis.'”
After hearing this, Xu Xing pursed his lips, “…”
His self-esteem took a heavy blow. He was happy to be able to take on S-class missions, but here was someone who reached S2 level at just ten years old. While he struggled to grow to 1.7 meters, Dylan effortlessly reached that height at eleven. It was truly a crushing defeat, both in abilities and height. Comrade Xu Xiaoxing became a complete emo.
“Yin Xiao?” Several awakeners with Alliance faces walked over, and among them, a short-haired woman, elegant and agile, greeted them proactively. “The Northern Base is distant. I thought you wouldn’t arrive until at least tomorrow.”
“I hitched a ride.” Yin Xiao smiled, raised his hand to try to put it around Song Ke’s shoulder, but considering it might be offensive, he temporarily changed it to a patting motion.
“This is Captain of V587 and also my friend, Song Ke.”
“Yooooo, Gu Ruoyi, Captain of the ‘Peace Dove’ Team in Minlin (B16 District).” Jennifer stepped back, whispered to Lin Youyou, “I swear on my sixth sense as an illegitimate daughter, she’s interested in my dad and wants to be my stepmother.”
“Stepmother? Then who is your dad’s legal wife?” Lin Youyou laughed.
“There,” Jennifer discreetly pointed at Song Ke, “hasn’t entered the door yet, a long way to go.”
Feeling a chill behind her, Jennifer rubbed her arm. As she turned around, a handsome young man in a wheelchair was expressionlessly staring at her.
Jennifer’s magical sixth sense kicked in again, and she quickly changed her tone, “Actually, my dad continuing to be single is quite good, really!”
In the “Peace Dove” team, a man with rainbow-colored hair in the back exaggeratedly exclaimed, “V587? Never heard of it. I guess you don’t even have a ranking in the Alliance? Is your Northern Base so short-handed that you’re randomly picking a team to make up the numbers?”
“We do have a ranking,” Song Ke argued seriously, “Currently, we are ranked 235,706th.”
“What rank?” Rainbow-head was stunned for a good three seconds, even scratched his ear. Then he burst into laughter along with his teammates, “Hahaha! Did you guys hear that? How many numbers did she just say?”
“235,706th!” Rainbow-head’s exaggerated tone attracted the attention of many people. “Is this your level? Did you deliberately bring in an A-class to act as a newbie? Are you A-class?”
“No,” Song Ke honestly shook her head.
Rainbow-head then asked Lu Xiaoyu, “What about you? A-class.”
Lu Xiaoyu couldn’t be bothered to look at him and coldly spit out a word, “No.”
“Hey, there’s also a guy in a wheelchair,” Rainbow-head turned to the other side, amusing himself, “Bro, are you disabled people having a party here? Are you A-class?”
Zhuang Qingyan folded his hands together and politely said, “Of course not, how could I be A-class?”
The four A-class members of V587 exchanged glances, “…”
Similarly, Yin Xiao and others who knew Song Ke’s true level had the same reaction, “…”
This rainbow-haired guy was really something. Was it luck that he got it wrong each time? Or was it bad luck that he always managed to pick an S-class? Truly incomparable… luck.
“Enough, Yang Xiaobo, say one more word, and I’ll have you roll back to Minlin,” Gu Ruoyi reprimanded with a cold face.
Yang Xiaobo raised his hand to his mouth, mimicking a zipper motion.
Yin Xiao chuckled and ignored him, “Why is everyone gathered here?”
“Because we can’t leave.” Gu Ruoyi calmly dropped a bomb, “The Elderly People’s Nation’s weather simulation system is malfunctioning.”
Weather simulation system?
Song Ke quickly glanced at Zhuang Qingyan. That name sounded familiar.
Gu Ruoyi took out a terminal and displayed the environmental index, “You also entered through the sky route, right? Following the navigation all the way indoors, so you didn’t feel it. The current temperature outside is 38°C. The sunlight is glaring, and the heat radiation intensity has exceeded thirteen times the normal post-apocalyptic level. Staying outdoors for an extended period can easily cause mutations.”
“Somebody tried to go out just now, and within five minutes, their awakened energy went haywire. Helpless, they had to retreat.”
“Did you report it for repair?” Yin Xiao asked.
“We’ve already contacted the Qinglan Research Institute, but…” Gu Ruoyi sighed, “After the apocalypse, many advanced repairers suffered casualties, and currently, they can’t spare the manpower. The earliest they can arrive is two days later.”
“Sister Ruoyi, what’s the use of telling them? They can’t fix it anyway?” Yang Xiaobo started blabbering again, unable to stop his mouth.
Gu Ruoyi took a deep breath, turned her eyes away from him, and rolled her eyes, “Yang… Xiao… Bo.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything more.” Yang Xiaobo instantly conceded.
Gu Ruoyi nodded apologetically to Song Ke, “Sorry, he has a sharp tongue, likes to boast, but he’s not a bad person.”
Song Ke frowned slightly. Their admission was only for 48 hours, and in two days, it would all be over.
“But wait, if there’s radiation outside, what about the residents here? Did they turn into zombies?” Someone in Tustan’s team asked in confusion.
“Do you think they’re idiots? If they sensed danger, they would definitely hide first, like in basements or air-raid shelters, and then send out distress signals,” a companion reasoned convincingly.
“The problem is…” Gu Ruoyi said in a deep voice, “We haven’t received any signals, and we can’t contact any organizations.”
Everyone fell silent after hearing this, disbelief flashing across their faces.
Suddenly, someone stood up in the corner, an awakener who ignored his companion’s attempt to stop him, insisting on going out. He shouted, “What’s there to be afraid of? Not every bit of radiation will cause mutations. It’s a matter of probability. I’ll be back before my awakened energy goes haywire.”
Gu Ruoyi quickly explained, “They were the first team to come in, hoping to take the lead. Seeing more and more people, they probably couldn’t sit still.”
The polar bear couple not far away glanced at the person who spoke, had a brief conversation in a low voice, and made no move.
The person smashed a window, leaped onto the balcony, then jumped to the adjacent ribbon bridge. He strode into the sunlight, his back disappearing in an instant.
About seven or eight minutes later, he nonchalantly strolled back, “I circled nearby, and there’s no one in the entire Splendid Tower.”
He spread his hands, basking in the sunlight, and casually smiled at his companions, “See, I’m perfectly fine. My awakened energy is stable. I told you, radiation is a matter of probability—”
“Tahp—” His body suddenly swayed, a piece of rotten flesh falling from his face.
“Captain!” His teammates in the hall panicked.
The person absentmindedly wiped his face, and another piece of decaying flesh fell off. Under the intense radiation, his eye pupils rapidly turned gray, teeth bled and fell out, his appearance quickly resembling that of a zombie.
“What’s happening…?” Before he could finish his sentence, his last bit of sanity disappeared, turning him into a full-fledged mutant zombie. Emitting a deep, hoarse roar from his throat, light orbs flickering in his palms, he pounced toward them.
From leaving to coming back, the entire process took less than ten minutes, and this person transformed from a human into a ferocious zombie.
“Bang, bang—” Other awakeners in the building quickly took action, eliminating him.
The martyr’s body lay quietly on the ground. After this incident, no one dared to go out without permission.
