Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Superstorm
Chen Xuan discovered that she wasn’t averse to socializing; she was just uninterested in mingling with ordinary people.
At least in front of him, she didn’t seem like someone who was stingy with words and was actually quite talkative. As long as she had a few drinks—be it beer, liquor, or cocktails—she would open up her chatterbox.
Of course, this was on the premise that the topics discussed weren’t confidential.
Just as Chen Xuan speculated, the mechanism indeed monitored all corners of the world from space. The Evangelical Association didn’t extend the flames of war to the Moon. Perhaps in their perspective, once the Dimensional Limit Mechanism lost its foothold on Earth, it was no longer a threat.
The rest of the world wasn’t in much better shape either.
Major cities were largely occupied by nano-living bodies, forcing people to disperse and migrate to more remote villages or even wastelands for survival. These places naturally could not support such a large population, resulting in famine, disease, and natural disasters spreading like wildfire, leading to a massive global population reduction.
"The Earth has been destroyed by the Evangelicals." Lin murmured as she twirled her glass, "We estimate about three billion people have died from the nano-infestation, and this number is expected to rise over the next decade. The biggest issue on the ground is that rebuilding is nearly impossible; unless buried underground, large machinery on the surface can easily be replaced by nano-living bodies, leading to horrific massacres."
Replacement doesn’t mean that the nanobots slowly corrode mechanical equipment.
Instead, the machinery disappears on the spot, replaced by a nano-living body that looks and functions almost identically.
No one has seen how this process happens.
It’s only known that in this era of rampant nanobots, any large mechanical equipment left outside is no longer reliable.
So the most common form of transport for the Fireline Band is small motorcycles.
Transport vehicles must be disassembled and stored when not in use, and they must be stuffed into tents and monitored with cameras at all times.
"A third of the population dead..."
To be honest, Chen Xuan didn’t feel much about this number. Although many people have died, humanity hasn’t been extinguished. From the advancement standard of the Ability Store, he even accomplished a heroic feat of salvation, saving humanity from destruction.
"Are other places like Jiang City, covered year-round by nano-storms? Are there any other gigantic nano-living bodies?" he asked curiously.
Lin didn’t answer directly but changed her approach, "You definitely can’t imagine what the Celestial Patrol looks like from space."
Chen Xuan nodded; indeed, he couldn’t imagine it.
Logically, the top of the four legs should be the body of the Celestial Patrol, but given how exaggerated the legs are, how much more exaggerated must the body be?
"Eye of the storm." Lin uttered these three words.
"What?"
"Using radar from space, these gigantic nano-living bodies look like moving eyes of a storm, and the cyclones formed around them are what you call sandstorms." She replied calmly, "Moreover, these storms are no less formidable than super typhoons in meteorological terms. For instance, the Celestial Patrol’s coverage almost spans half of the Asia region."
Chen Xuan was shocked, "The sandstorm is caused by the Celestial Patrol?"
"Even if it’s not causing them, it must be related to it."
"And in the eye of the storm is..."
"An abyss," Lin shrugged, "Its top surpasses the atmospheric escape height, with the central vortex drop estimated to be over a hundred kilometers deep, enough to fit ten Mount Everests. Given it’s an abyss, naturally nothing can be seen."
Chen Xuan listened, dumbfounded.
He could tell that the Celestial Patrol was incredibly tall, but he hadn’t expected it to be this astonishing!
What does it mean to surpass the boundary of the atmosphere? This essentially means entering space. Keep in mind that the orbital height of some low-earth satellites is only 200 kilometers.
His mind couldn’t help but conjure an image: raging yellow sands swirling around the abyss, stepping inward would plunge one into a bottomless pit, whereas outward it stretches for thousands of kilometers, nearly covering the entire continent. Its lower end extends close to the ground level, supported by only four "thin as bamboo" long legs. This scene is truly terrifying.
"Really... nothing can be seen?"
"We deployed unmanned spacecraft and small satellites, but as soon as they approached the abyss area, they would lose control and crash. However, the vast number of nanobots floating around the abyss doesn’t impede observation, so we can see the ground through the sandstorm." Lin paused, "If you ever get the chance to visit the Moon headquarters, you’ll be astounded by the extraordinary scenes created by these gigantic nano-living bodies."
Chen Xuan keenly caught the plural noun she used, "More than one?"
"Of course, there are five nano-living bodies of its size, perfectly corresponding to the five continents." She replied, "So you should already know the answer; nano-bot-formed sandstorms are visible in most regions of the world, swirling around the giant nano-living bodies, forming five windwalls."
Seeing Chen Xuan’s shocked expression, Lin chuckled, "First time hearing of this? In fact, this isn’t much of a secret. The mechanism often reports their observations to ground survivors. The managers of various bases in Jiang City should be aware of this too. Unfortunately, it seems they choose to play deaf and dumb, pretending not to know."
Is it because they can’t resist, so they simply choose not to publicize it, to avoid unnecessary panic and despair?
Chen Xuan was momentarily at a loss for words.
If the Fireline Band knew about the outside world’s situation, would they still have the courage to shout slogans like "Fight to the end against the nano-living bodies"?
"The worst is yet to come." As if the news wasn’t scary enough, she added with interest, "We’ve observed that in recent years, the storm ranges have been expanding. For example, the wind circle in North America is already about to collide with South America’s. Considering the entrenchment and merging phenomena among nano-living bodies, no one knows what the outcome will be when these giant nano-living bodies converge."
Chen Xuan was already too tired to think, "At the worst, it’ll be the end of the world."
"So going to space is the right choice," Lin said seriously, "Don’t waste your talent."
This guy... actually cares about me.
Chen Xuan pretended to be moved, "Thank you, I’ll think it over. But if the Celestial Patrol doesn’t leave, do we really have a chance to return to space?"
"Who knows, after all, the mechanism will never give up." She looked again at the crowd in the room, a trace of undisguised disdain flashing in her eyes, "You’ve asked me quite a few questions, now let me ask you."
"As long as it’s within my knowledge."
"I’ve heard you’ve captured a high-ranking Ability User from the Evangelical Association?"
Chen Xuan felt a slight ripple in his heart; the mechanism found out about this just after arriving in the daytime? The band probably didn’t leak this, so it might be the subway station side that let it slip.
"That’s right," he admitted frankly, "This guy’s identity is quite complex. In a sense, he’s one of your mechanism’s people."
If the base can’t keep its mouth shut, then there’s no point in him denying it. Besides, his brilliant acts of punching the core of the Evangelicals and kicking the Celestial Patrol’s domain were already widely known. Anyone could easily associate him with this matter by asking around.
"A traitor to the mechanism?" Sure enough, Lin wasn’t too surprised. It was evident she was somewhat aware of the undercover plan, "The Fireline Band should have interrogated him, right? Do you know what he’s confessed?"
Chen Xuan poured her a full glass of wine with a flick of his wrist.
"If you want to know, you’ll have to have a drink."
"You’re certainly bold," Lin said, with no trace of displeasure in her tone. She casually picked up her glass and drank it all in one gulp, "But that’s what makes it interesting, go ahead."
The bar seemed like a territory just for the two of them.
Aside from Honglian bringing two plates of food and quickly leaving, no one dared to interrupt their conversation. As drink after drink was downed, the atmosphere between Chen Xuan and Lin seemed to get much closer, and the topics gradually expanded. Toward the end, Lin even talked about her background and some of her experiences at the lunar base.
It wasn’t until around ten in the evening that Chen Xuan, estimating that the banquet was about to end, feigned an expression of lingering interest and took out a gift from his pocket that he had prepared long ago.
Comments