EDEH Chapter 82

The vibration was very weak, almost negligible.

 

Sang Jue walked to the window to look at the city streets. People hearing the alarm were stunned for a moment, then instead of rushing home, they all surged toward one direction.

 

Some drunks hadn’t reacted yet, looking bewildered at the surging crowd, getting knocked to the ground and cursing.

 

Purple alarms flashed frantically on the streets, cold broadcasts exploding in everyone’s ears: “Level one alert activated, citywide martial law. All residents must immediately proceed to shelters! All residents must immediately proceed to shelters!!”

 

Only then did the roadside drunks seem to wake from a dream, grabbing passersby and asking dizzily: “Wh-what level is this…”

 

“Level one, it’s level one! Hurry up!!”

 

Those brains numbed by alcohol immediately reflexively controlled themselves to surge toward the nearest shelter.

 

Sang Jue still remembered that the last deviant bird attack was a level two alert, telling people to go home and close windows and doors, but this time it was level one, telling people to hide in shelters.

 

He hadn’t known where the shelters were before. According to normal resident procedures, one would receive a “New Resident Guide,” but he had been brought in directly by Huo Yanji.

 

However, many days ago in the training ground, while Huo Yanji held him close and massaged him, he had whispered about many things after his departure.

 

For example, don’t agree to anything Hill asks—Hill wouldn’t harm him, but that didn’t mean other people at the research institute wouldn’t use any means necessary; prioritize self-preservation in danger; if problems arise he can’t solve, first find Wei Lan and Colin, or as a last resort, Patrol Commander Liao Te or Major General Tang Bai.

 

He also explained that if alarms occurred, he must follow the broadcast instructions. Level four alerts were likely small monster waves, not a big problem.

 

Level three alerts might be medium beast tides, or extreme weather damaging city infrastructure like lightning rods—in such cases, stay home.

 

Level two alerts might be flying contaminants or large spore clusters—for the former, stay home with windows closed; for the latter, go home, close all ventilation, and wait until the alert ends.

 

Level one alerts were most dangerous—rift eruptions or large contamination waves, worms, honey-guides and such… these required going to shelters, because once the city was breached, staying home meant certain death.

 

Huo Yanji’s voice was crisp, but even so, such long instructions under those circumstances were taxing.

 

Sang Jue had nearly wilted, finally threatening fiercely: “If you keep talking I’ll kiss you!”

 

Huo Yanji indeed stopped talking, but at the final moment, he pinned him down, restraining his hands, making him repeat everything he’d said, or else he wouldn’t be allowed release.

 

So wicked.

 

Sang Jue could only blush, stammering as he recalled and recited everything.

 

Two beeps—Sang Jue received a call from Zhang Min. The alarm sounds in the background there overlapped with Sang Jue’s, doubly piercing.

 

Zhang Min asked: “Sang Jue, are you still at the apartment?”

 

Sang Jue said: “Yes.”

 

Zhang Min’s tone was unusually urgent: “Don’t go toward District E! Close your doors and windows, bring your ID card and get to the apartment complex entrance quickly. A car will pick you up for the shelter within five minutes, license plate 125!”

 

“Okay, stay safe.”

 

“You too.”

 

Hanging up, Sang Jue looked at the night outside, retracted his tail, and reached to close the window.

 

Before opening the door to leave home, he hesitated, then returned to the room, stuffing several pieces of clothing that clearly didn’t belong to him into a bag, including two notebooks belonging to Wu Ke and Ivan, and Old Karl’s gaming device.

 

Then he left the house like the wind, arriving downstairs.

 

The car was already waiting at the alley entrance. The driver was a military officer Sang Jue had seen but who didn’t have much presence. He started the car and said: “There’s a communicator next to you, the superior is waiting for you.”

 

Besides 007, Sang Jue was rarely addressed as “you” by anyone, so he wasn’t used to it.

 

But Huo Yanji was more important right now. Sang Jue picked up the military communicator and said crisply: “Wife.”

 

The officer in the front seat: “…”

 

Impressive.

 

“…” Huo Yanji’s voice, unheard for many days, came through: “Sang Jue, stay well in the shelter, don’t run around. I’ll come back as soon as possible.”

 

Sang Jue: “Okay, have you reached the underground city?”

 

Huo Yanji: “Got there a few days ago.”

 

What happened in the underground city should be military classified information, so Sang Jue didn’t ask. Both of them paused without speaking, leaving only faint breathing sounds in the communicator.

 

Huo Yanji asked: “Have you made new friends during this time?”

 

Sang Jue answered immediately: “No, I was too busy thinking about you.”

 

“…”

 

Sang Jue’s straightforward shots always caught people off guard.

 

Huo Yanji asked: “How much did you think about me?”

 

Sang Jue thought about it: “Except when talking to others, I was thinking about you all the time—did you think about me?”

 

Huo Yanji: “Yes.”

 

Sang Jue copied him: “How much?”

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “Even when talking to others, I was thinking about you.”

 

Sang Jue huffed: “You’re copying me.”

 

He heard a fleeting light laugh in his ear, and Sang Jue contentedly curved his lips.

 

Huo Yanji seemed a bit busy. They’d only been talking for two minutes when voices came from the other side, reporting something.

 

Huo Yanji told them to handle it first, then said to Sang Jue: “I need to get busy. Stay well in the shelter, don’t run around.”

 

Sang Jue: “Mm—”

 

After waiting a while, there was still Huo Yanji’s breathing sound on the other end. Sang Jue asked puzzledly: “Why are you still there?”

 

Huo Yanji: “Waiting for you to hang up.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Two beeps, and Sang Jue returned the communicator to the officer in the front seat, politely saying: “Thank you… sir.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Sang Jue saw the nearest shelter, which was more than full, with most people looking anxious as they queued… The main city hadn’t had a level one alert for seven years.

 

Everything was chaotic, with some people trying to cut in line by force.

 

The officer didn’t drop him off here but continued forward.

 

Sang Jue was somewhat puzzled but didn’t ask. He didn’t sense any malice from the officer—probably Huo Yanji had made other arrangements for him.

 

About ten minutes later, they reached another shelter. The number of people here was relatively fewer and more orderly.

 

The officer stopped the car and opened the door for Sang Jue: “We’re here. You can queue up behind and enter. Other matters will be arranged by someone.”

 

“Okay, thank you.” Sang Jue walked a few steps, then turned back to ask: “Is there something special about the people here?”

 

The officer laughed and said: “This is a military family shelter.”

 

Sang Jue blinked several times, modestly curving his lips, somewhat happy.

 

Although there were many residents queuing in front of the shelter, there was actually no need to be too urgent.

 

The alarm sounded because the outpost station dozens of kilometers away had discovered an abnormality, allowing the city to sound the alarm in time to prepare, but there was still some time before the monsters reached the main city.

 

Others couldn’t feel it, but Sang Jue noticed that the weak vibration in the air had become stronger. The monsters were getting closer and closer…

 

He couldn’t tell what species they were, but there were many of them.

 

“Please show your ID card.”

 

Sang Jue handed it to the staff member. After swiping it, he could enter the elevator. The shelter was underground, accessible by stairs or elevator.

 

The elevator was still operational now, but once disaster struck, it would be shut down for safety.

 

Sang Jue was inconspicuous among the military families, small and squeezed into a corner, only able to compare heights with two teenagers nearby.

 

Hmph.

 

“What is it this time? Crawling contaminants?”

 

“Every time there’s an alarm, we rush to the shelter in such a hurry, but with the city walls there, there’s really nothing to fear.”

 

Everyone in the elevator was discussing, with some taking opposing views: “Being cautious is good, can’t be too relaxed. We only need to fail once and we’re all done for.”

 

“Exactly… and the recent situation isn’t good either, quite chaotic. Better to be careful.”

 

“Don’t forget, the most dangerous of level one alerts are underground rodent contaminants.”

 

Hearing this, the woman next to Sang Jue immediately started crying, tears streaming down silently.

 

Someone asked what was wrong. She shook her head and only said one thing: “My husband is at the outpost.”

 

“…” Everyone instantly fell silent.

 

Everyone knew the terror of underground contaminants, with various ant species being the most representative. Wherever they went, it was like an earthquake, with all land being turned over and reshaped, all buildings collapsing.

 

If it really was underground contaminants, the outpost would definitely fall first, and all soldiers would certainly die.

 

Outpost soldiers were always in the most dangerous position—they were the first line of defense.

 

Over the past decades, the main city’s outpost had been rebuilt twenty-six times.

 

“Ding”—the elevator door opened, and a gentle female voice sounded: “Welcome to the shelter—please all residents maintain order, stay calm. The military on the front lines will do everything to ensure everyone’s safety. Do not incite panic, and if it occurs, please report to the nearest supervisor.”

 

The Supervisor Organization had been dissolved, but the elevator broadcast hadn’t been updated yet, probably because no one expected disaster to come so quickly.

 

Sang Jue followed the crowd into a large air-raid shelter, about four meters high with decent conditions. There were thick steel pillars reaching from floor to ceiling forming rows of beds, with four beds stacked vertically.

 

Someone comforted themselves: “Didn’t General Huo propose inserting steel plates under the city walls in previous years? It should be almost complete.”

 

“I know about this, but the project is too large and the cost is particularly high. It seems only some areas have steel plates inserted underground…”

 

Sang Jue was assigned to a bed in a corner, the topmost one.

 

He climbed up, listening to everyone discuss this alarm, and suddenly remembered Deputy Zhang’s warning not to go to District E under any circumstances…

 

He feared these people had guessed correctly – it was underground contaminants attacking.

 

And District E, which hadn’t fully completed its underground construction, would become the first place to fall.

 

Indeed, it took less than half a day.

 

The city’s alarms blared, and soldiers’ communication channels kept flashing: “Raise the isolation wall in District E!!!”

 

“District E has fallen, requesting bombing!!!”

 

“Bombing request approved – soldiers still fighting in District E, please enter underground shelters quickly. Indiscriminate bombing will commence in ten minutes!!!”

 

The contaminated monsters crawled underground, and wherever they passed, the concrete-poured ground cracked completely, towering buildings instantly collapsed into ruins.

 

Gray buildings fell like dominoes, one after another, and after the dust settled, only ruins remained, along with countless sounds of fighting and gunfire.

 

“Retreat! All of Team 18 retreat—”

 

“Boom!”

 

The building suddenly collapsed, dozens of deviant soldiers buried in the flying dust.

 

After a long while, the smoke dispersed, revealing a deviant who had been cut in half by a broken pillar. He raised his head, struggling to extend his arms, trying to crawl away.

 

But the earth beside him suddenly bulged, and a giant arthropod creature drilled out from the ground, its shadow covering him completely.

 

Its body was round, with a square head topped by two hard, scythe-like long jaws, covered in gray bristles, its oval abdomen wriggling.

 

He had no doubt that inside, it was digesting his comrades.

 

This was a mutant antlion. Its sprayed mucus was highly toxic and extremely difficult to decontaminate.

 

Grief made him use his last bit of strength, his arms transforming into long tentacles, suddenly stabbing toward the antlion’s abdomen – its only weak point.

 

The antlion stiffened, and the moment it fell, the severed deviant also lost his last breath.

 

But this antlion wasn’t completely dead, only spilling a large pool of black-green liquid from its abdomen, along with some undigested flesh and blood.

 

It crawled up wriggling, drilling back underground, waiting to heal its wounds and seek new food.

 

The broadcast carried an officer’s cold, hard voice: “Underground bombing of District E begins. History will forever remember your sacrifice!”

 

Countless soldiers who couldn’t retreat to shelters in time didn’t look up, fighting steadfastly to the very last moment.

 

—Until the deafening “boom” sounds rose and fell continuously, with gunpowder smoke everywhere.

 

**

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