Chapter 392: Chapter 391: A Green World
He walked a bit further towards the exit, and along the way, traces of human presence gradually increased.
Indeed, if enough time passes, everything can be erased.
But in such a cold and damp environment, merely four hundred years is not sufficient for plastic products to completely degrade.
Lv Bai stepped over the murky, foul-smelling puddle; the various debris piled on the roadside could no longer be identified. Some plastic bags that originally contained things were full of holes, their texture turning into tattered strips like worn cloth.
He slowed his breathing, planning to swiftly pass through this area filled with a corrupt stench.
The air along the way was filled with a thin mist, like a light gauze; not too thick, but it could somewhat affect visibility.
Fortunately, the writing on the signs hadn’t completely worn off, preventing any worries of getting lost inside.
As buildings meant to protect personnel and materials during wartime, theoretically constructed according to the highest specifications, they were unquestionably sturdy.
However, Lv Bai discovered that the concrete coatings on the roots of the walls had spread into dense cracks, making one wonder if a collapse might occur after some time.
"An earthquake? Or something else?"
Though somewhat puzzled, Lv Bai instead quickened his pace.
Right now, he really wanted to know what the surface had become.
Lv Bai sprinted breathlessly to the exit of this civil defense structure, where a rusty, heavy iron door blocked his path.
The door was well-sealed, isolating the inside from the outside, not allowing even a hint of air to pass through.
Due to years of disrepair, the lever for controlling the iron door’s movement was already damaged inside. Lv Bai twisted it a couple of times, nearly pulling the lever off, but the iron door showed no response.
Lv Bai took a step back and let out a long sigh.
No need for precise measurement; the weight of this iron door was undoubtedly upwards of a hundred tons.
Normally, humans wouldn’t have the slightest chance of lifting this thing.
He could certainly rely on the abilities [Iron Fist Breaks Wind] and [Needle Woman’s Spirit] to directly smash the iron door into powder.
But considering the unknown state of the outside world that might affect the underground shelter, destroying this iron door seemed somewhat inappropriate.
He thus sifted through his "Discard Pile."
[Celestial Horned Ant Bloodline (Golden): Gain the bloodline boost from the Path of Power, allowing one to lift objects over four hundred times their own weight once the boost is activated. The longer this ability is used, the more irreversible ant-like transformation of the body will begin.]
Four hundred times may sound exaggerated, but this ability isn’t as powerful as it might seem.
Simply calculating would show that an ordinary adult male acquiring this ability could only lift something weighing several dozen tons at most, not even close to the load a large truck could handle, let alone considering the negative effects. Rating it as Golden Level isn’t an insult.
In fact, even if Lv Bai now uses [Celestial Horned Ant Bloodline], the extra strength wouldn’t be enough to support him in lifting this heavy iron door.
Fortunately, he had previously grabbed the ability [Read] from Vice President Zheng. The temporary slot displayed an ability—
[Multi-shadow Clone Technique (Colorful): Distribute physical strength evenly to create clones. Clones can attack, and the number of clones is limited by the user’s own strength. Any degree of damage suffered by the clones will cause them to immediately dissipate, and upon dissipation or automatic cancellation, all memories and proficiency gained during the clone period will be fed back to the main body.]
A series of white mist rose, and a dozen Lv Bais appeared in front of the iron door.
The main Lv Bai stood in the center of the iron door, raising his hand to command, "Everyone look at me, follow my lead."
The dozen Lv Bais each reached out and explored the iron door, finding suitable points to exert force.
Once everything was ready, Lv Bai chopped downward with his right hand: "Lift!"
The Lv Bais listened to the command and simultaneously exerted force.
Rumble~
For a moment, the huge sound echoed through the corridors of the civil defense project.
The heavy iron door was slowly lifted, reconnecting the four-hundred-year-sealed civil defense project with the outside world.
Lv Bai squatted down; before his eyes was a world of wilderness, vitality, and greenness.
The road’s broken cracks sprouted unknown weeds half a person tall, almost ready to engulf the road completely.
The distant gray-black steel jungle, covered by massive plants, seemed like skyscrapers clad in green garments, quietly standing in the years mankind vanished.
Theoretically, if humans disappeared in an instant, it would only take decades for any bustling city to be enveloped by a sea of green.
Lv Bai walked out of the civil defense project; behind him, a series of thumping sounds echoed as a dozen shadow clones dissipated into white mist.
He indeed wanted to marvel at the overwhelming Life Force of the plants.
Yet the problem was.
In the record of the underground shelter, didn’t it say humanity fully retreated underground because of the Ice Age?
He could understand that perhaps over these four hundred years, the temperature had returned to normal.
However, even though Lv Bai’s geographical knowledge wasn’t great, he could clearly see that there were no traces of erosion from water flow near here.
"Did the so-called Ice Age really exist?"
Lv Bai walked along the highway; the roadsides were filled with rusty, black discarded vehicles. The remaining paint on the car shells was like dried rice paste; a light touch would cause it to crumble and fall immediately.
The wild grasses growing wantonly underfoot did somewhat affect travel efficiency, but in an unclear situation, he wasn’t inclined to make conspicuous actions.
The fresh smell emitted by the various plants did make travel not too tedious.
Lv Bai walked for about an hour to reach the city.
Thinking of city transportation planning, there was no need to consider; it surely couldn’t be used.
He was just about to think about which direction to head when he suddenly realized that the weeds on city roads weren’t as lush as those outside.
This wasn’t due to the growth pattern of vegetation; the state of these plants on the road seemed more like regular trimming by someone.
Lv Bai pondered for a moment, finally deciding to head to the city center first to take a look.
If one wanted to survive in a city that had become overly green, the foremost issue was the food source.
At least from leaving the civil defense project until now, he hadn’t seen any animal that could serve as food.
Even if someone was indeed surviving, in such a food-shortage condition, the number of people wouldn’t be too many.
Lv Bai passed between two office buildings covered in greenery, arriving at a site resembling a plaza.
Just then,
a sharp sound of something cutting through the air suddenly attacked from behind him.
Mastering [Flash Time], the act of stealth is never viable against Lv Bai.
He even had the leisure to turn his head to glance at what exactly was trying to attack him.
