EDEH Chapter 148

The impact of Rift No. 2’s collapse continued to deepen and intensify.

 

Everything was developing toward destruction. People contaminated by mental pollution went mad in deadly silence, while those still conscious faced wave after wave of monster attacks, resisting desperately.

 

This day, alarms sounded throughout the city—

 

Sharp, piercing sounds exploded in everyone’s ears, giving those trapped in contamination-induced chaos a moment of clarity. They looked outside sluggishly to see countless fighter jets taking off, their rapidly rotating propellers cutting visible waves through the air.

 

A full thousand aircraft.

 

No matter how serious past battles had been, the main city rarely deployed fighter jets—partly because they weren’t very useful, partly because reserves were too low. But this time they suddenly deployed everything without warning, showing how serious the situation was.

 

“Beep beep, beep beep!!”

 

The urgent beeping made everyone’s heartbeat quicken. They carefully distinguished the frequency, then suddenly despaired—

 

This was a special-grade alert.

 

The special-grade alert that had never sounded since humans established the warning system after the meteor season!

 

Despair instantly filled the city. Some ignored the news about going to underground air-raid shelters, numbly closing doors and windows to wait for death.

 

Others went to rooftops and, in their lucid state, learned from compatriots already mentally contaminated by leaping down.

 

Death meant liberation.

 

Fuck this life—whoever wants to continue can continue.

 

That damned dawn—whoever wants it can have it.

 

Boris, who had served food in the lower district cafeteria for twenty years, fell face-down at high speed.

 

On both sides of his peripheral vision were gray, defeated high-rises. In the distance were ruins from the last antlion battle that hadn’t been fully rebuilt. Wind rushed in his ears, and beside him was another confused person who had jumped before him.

 

He didn’t know about “mental contamination,” but had noticed something wrong with people around him. He called these people “confused”—

 

Previously unable to control their thoughts, now unable to control their bodies too, spending all day either staring at others eerily or committing suicide and self-harm as if feeling no pain.

 

The confused person hit the ground before him, becoming mud—body scattered in pieces, flesh and blood mixed together, arms and legs bent at angles like a wooden dummy.

 

Boris groaned inwardly—perhaps he’d chosen too high a building this time. Hopefully he wouldn’t die too ugly.

 

Then he crashed to the ground right after, his eyeballs popping out of their sockets, staring blankly at his own mangled corpse.

 

No one came to collect his body, no one was moved by his death.

 

The conscious were either heading to the front lines or on their way to shelters.

 

He was one of the most invisible specks of dust dying in this era.

 

If he’d known it would end like this, he shouldn’t have been so stingy with his ID card balance last month. He should have gone to the cafeteria to feast, giving his thirty-plus years of life one grand meal.

 

Sigh.

 

The gray-blue eyeball wrapped in whites rolled once on the ground, finally accidentally bumping into a panicked passerby who stepped on it, crushing it.

 

“…”

 

Boris watched his own corpse, his gradually fading consciousness thinking at the last moment: I’m already dead, my body is three meters away… but who was just thinking?

 

When I jumped from the high building, was it from my own consciousness, or like the confused people, was I controlled by something, becoming an invisible puppet?

 

Perhaps the confused people see me the same way.

 

His consciousness grew lighter and lighter, feeling like it was floating, flowing rapidly toward the distance…

 

As if somewhere there was a huge black hole, in eternal hunger, trying to eat him, digest him.

 

There were many others in his situation. Though they’d lost their bodies and couldn’t see or hear, he sensed that the consciousness of those who had died was gathering rapidly toward some center like him, about to be fed into some monster’s mouth.

 

Perhaps not a monster.

 

A deity, or an ancient devil.

 

…

 

“The Nineteenth Army is completely wiped out, Fourteenth Army prepare!!”

 

Several kilometers outside the city walls, dense monsters crashed like giant waves. Dozens of outposts standing three kilometers from the safe zone instantly collapsed, offering no resistance.

 

The only consolation was that this monster wave was so massive that the human side detected it early and issued retreat orders to outpost soldiers.

 

Even so, soldiers on the front line at the city walls felt their scalps tingle.

 

This was perhaps the most terrifying monster wave attack since the Collapse History—countless species intertwined and interspersed, forming an unstoppable tide that came crashing down like mountains and seas.

 

The flying monsters alone were enough to make one’s scalp crawl. Surface monsters were even more diverse, while underground monsters emerged from the depths, causing the earth to collapse wherever they passed.

 

When hungry, they’d devour monsters on the ground, then continue toward human settlements.

 

Fast-climbing giant centipedes were merely meals for larger monsters. Giant snakes coiled around toads would have their heads severed by mantises if they weren’t careful.

 

The queen bee’s followers preyed on the rare thorny plants in the monster tide, only to become meals for man-eating flowers atop hyena heads.

 

Massive and tiny, flying and galloping—countless bizarre individuals gathered into an even more terrifying whole. Wherever they went, giant trees were destroyed and mountains crumbled.

 

They agitated and slaughtered each other while not forgetting to advance toward the same destination.

 

On the human side, fearless warriors fell and were quickly replaced by new soldiers. They defended the walls that had stood for ninety years, never retreating a step.

 

“Humanity never surrenders!!”

 

“Humanity will prevail!!!”

 

They shouted their final slogans before death. Even when their bodies fell, their guns remained upright.

 

Flying deviants who normally served as reconnaissance troops gripped explosives and dove deep into the monster tide, trying to trade one for ten and give the warriors behind them a brief respite.

 

Fighter jets concentrated fire on the ground but were powerless against flying birds. Crashed fuselages became the most brilliant flames in the dark sky, riding the wind to charge fearlessly toward the dark tide below.

 

Flames shot skyward as monsters let out terrible shrieks.

 

“BOOM—!!”

 

Black-purple lightning lit up the sky. At the same moment, artillery fire erupted below, smoke billowing. After an instant of brightness, heaven and earth darkened, buildings collapsed, destruction descended.

 

“North District about to fall, requesting support!!”

 

“Request immediate reinforcement from the 41st and 42nd Armies!!”

 

“South Gate undermanned, urgently need reinforcement!!”

 

“Reinforcement approved!!”

 

“Report, no available reinforcements!”

 

The military frequency constantly carried reports of defeat. The old general strode into the main communications room: “Still no contact with General Huo?”

 

“Report, no!”

 

A month had passed since Huo Yanji and Sang Jue left the main city.

 

Half a month ago, they’d received news of the Waste Waters canyon explosion, but had yet to see Sang Jue and Huo Yanji return.

 

Though few participated in the vote on whether to sacrifice an officer to end contamination—fewer than 300,000 total—it still reached a final result. Unsurprisingly, the side choosing sacrifice won an overwhelming victory.

 

Even those who scoffed at the vote and treated it like child’s play might have thought at the moment of voting: if truly only one person’s death could end this centuries-long disaster—then go die.

 

No matter who this person was, what contributions they’d made, what meaning they held for humanity—please die immediately.

 

For the dawn.

 

However, the voting results never received their initiator.

 

Huo Yanji was missing. He and Sang Jue had vanished completely, as if evaporating from the world.

 

Though mercenaries claimed to have witnessed a black dragon carrying a human flying toward Eye of Paradise after the Waste Waters explosion, contamination hadn’t ended—it had intensified.

 

Perhaps in three more months—no, just one month or even ten days—there would be no trace of humanity left on the surface.

 

Everything they were doing now was merely desperate resistance.

 

The number and agitation level of monsters far exceeded their defensive limits—not just in the main city.

 

“How are the other districts?”

 

“District Two has completely lost contact, District Five’s defense line is about to be breached, District Seven’s north city has fallen, District Fourteen has lost contact, District Eighteen is confirmed destroyed, District Twenty-one has lost contact…”

 

The communications building was one of the most important hubs for all safe zones. What losing contact meant was self-evident, and there was no point listening further.

 

Now each major safe zone was like tiny ships caught in a shipwreck, only able to look after themselves, powerless to reinforce others. Either they’d be swept into whirlpools by the waves, or continue struggling to survive in violent turbulence.

 

A sudden “bang” came from behind. The old general turned to see Tang Bai kicking the door open.

 

He was disheveled all over, clearly just back from the front lines, questioning with fury: “General, please tell me where General Huo is? And where is Major General Ling?!”

 

The old general was silent for a while, then said calmly: “They won’t be coming back.”

 

Only the old general and Ling Gen knew about selling Huo Yanji to Sang Jue. Others knew nothing about it, believing the old general’s story that General Huo had led a team to support District Five.

 

But thinking about it, something felt off. After nearly a year of events, Huo Yanji could be called the backbone of the main city—how could he easily leave the city?

 

Combined with that public vote, one could guess something.

 

Tang Bai clenched his jaw tightly, closing his eyes: “I’ll assume General Huo was taken away by Sang Jue again. What about Major General Ling?”

 

In the old general’s silent response, Tang Bai punched the nearby wall, angrily saying: “I don’t know what you’re scheming all day long, but fuck it, we’re all going to die! Humanity is finished!!!”

 

“Sang Jue is our only hope.” The old general said coldly.

 

“Then where is that only hope?!” Tang Bai had obviously already guessed the truth. He roared: “You used General Huo as a bargaining chip—please tell me, has the contamination ended? Have we found a breakthrough?!”

 

Everything remained the same.

 

The aurora-like substance emitted by Eye of Paradise continued to spread, monster agitation intensified to its peak. District Two, which hadn’t lost contact three days ago, reported a full 100,000 suicides in the city—completely uncontrollable.

 

Perhaps Sang Jue hadn’t kept his promise. He took Huo Yanji but wasn’t willing to return underground.

 

Or perhaps he did return underground, but things didn’t go in the direction they predicted—Sang Jue couldn’t end the contamination either.

 

Human extinction seemed inevitable.

 

Just at this moment of despair, a soldier suddenly shouted through the communications earpiece: “General Huo is back!!”

 

“General Huo has returned with people!!!”

 

The angry Tang Bai had to suppress his emotions, exchanging glances with the old general, both seeing shocked uncertainty in each other’s eyes.

 

…Which General Huo?

 

Was it Huo Feng from decades ago, or Huo Jiangmian who led a thousand experimental personnel to execute the “Dawn 2” project a few months ago?

 

Whoever it was, being able to crawl out of the already collapsed Rift No. 2 was an extremely bizarre miracle.

 

An officer’s shout came through the earpiece: “Squad Seventeen, quickly open the gate for General Huo!!!”

 

Tang Bai instinctively pressed the communication button to stop them. The area outside the city walls was full of monsters—how did someone returning from outside break through layers of encirclement to reach the city gate?

 

But he was still a step too late. Only several sharp screams came through the earpiece before cutting off abruptly.

 

Tang Bai quickly headed outside: “Colonel Qin, respond if you copy!!”

 

Dead silence in the earpiece.

 

Tang Bai immediately realized something was wrong. He switched the officer frequency to the soldier public channel: “This is Major General Tang Bai. Any soldier at the main city gate who hears this call, respond immediately. Repeat, any soldier at the main city gate who hears this call, respond immediately and report the military situation—”

 

Still no response.

 

Tang Bai’s pace nearly broke into flight. He reached the rooftop where a fighter jet was circling and waiting. Thanks to the lighthouse’s sonic dispersal device, avian monsters still circled outside the city, with only a few unaffected bee-eaters breaking through.

 

He pushed aside the pilot and personally flew the fighter toward the main city gate.

 

Soon, he saw a horrifying scene from afar—

 

Huo Jiangmian had indeed returned.

 

Behind him were many residents who had previously gone underground with him. They all seemed to have successfully evolved into powerful deviants—

 

However, their sharp, keen tentacles weren’t pointed at monsters, but at their fellow humans around them.

 

They wore tattered clothes, covered in human blood, emotionlessly carrying out large-scale contamination in the city, showing no regard for past bonds.

 

The monsters surging into the city had no interest in them, only fighting with resisting soldiers.

 

No matter how strong the soldiers’ beliefs, they ultimately couldn’t resist tens of thousands of monsters and fell one by one.

 

Among the monster horde, ‘Huo Jiangmian’ stood out conspicuously, his upright figure like a leader of monsters. He muttered hoarsely to himself: “Bo Qing… Ah Qing… Ah Qing…”

 

“I’ve done it all.”

 

But the next second, his voice suddenly turned cold and harsh: “—Kill them.”

 

The circling helicopter attracted ‘Huo Jiangmian’s’ attention. He retracted the tentacle that had just stabbed a soldier to death, looked up, his cold gaze seeming frozen, completely emotionless.

 

The living Huo Jiangmian had abandoned himself, strictly fulfilling Bo Qing’s ideals. After death, devoured by humanoid creatures, he erupted with his greatest obsession from life.

 

The one who should avenge you most is me.

 

But I did nothing.

 

I should do something…

 

I should do something.

 

The co-pilot said in horror: “General Huo is already dead—these are humanoid creatures!!”

 

One humanoid creature wasn’t hard to deal with.

 

But ten, fifty, a hundred, a thousand?

 

Their bodies were undying, their spirits indestructible, with only obsessions from life and indestructible contamination desires.

 

Tang Bai looked at Huo Jiangmian below, his eyes blood-red, his hand gripping the brake lever with such force it turned red and hot, veins bulging.

 

No matter what had happened in the past, the ‘people’ behind Huo Jiangmian had once been residents they desperately protected, and Huo Jiangmian had once been the highest faith he looked up to as his goal.

 

This humanoid creature currently harming his former subordinates had once been a military soul revered by tens of thousands.

 

Perhaps those soldiers who died with eyes wide open couldn’t believe until death that they would die at ‘Huo Jiangmian’s’ hands.

 

“I’m sorry… General!” The word “General” was almost forcibly squeezed from Tang Bai’s throat.

 

He finally pressed the red attack button, firing artillery at the main city gate that had been breached by monsters, and reported with difficulty through the communication channel: “Main city gate has fallen, immediately raise the inner isolation wall, all surviving soldiers retreat to the inner isolation wall immediately! I apply in the name of city defense major general… for outer perimeter blasting.”

 

The same situation had played out once before in the antlion battle a few months ago, though only District E was blasted that time.

 

“Request approved! Begin ten-minute blast countdown—” came the old general’s voice through the earpiece. He paused, then continued: “History will forever remember your sacrifice.”

 

Those soldiers who maintained firm beliefs until death, those mercenaries who voluntarily charged to the front lines—

 

If humanity still had the chance to record history, history would forever remember them.

 

After the violent noise, all survivors heard only ringing in their ears. All sounds seemed muffled by a thick membrane, their bodies swaying as they faced monsters ravaging their compatriots just meters away.

 

Several giant mushroom clouds shot skyward. Monsters and soldiers who hadn’t had time to retreat were blown to pieces together. Under the dust, broken limbs were everywhere—half-bodies instinctively writhing, or heads with only eyeballs able to move.

 

Towering buildings reaching into the clouds toppled into each other, collided, collapsed, burying countless broken corpses under the ruins.

 

“Sir, we should retreat too!!” Seeing Tang Bai remain motionless, the pilot had to overstep bounds and grab Tang Bai’s hand that was death-gripping the brake.

 

Tang Bai looked at the ruins below, his eyes so red they seemed ready to drip blood.

 

“I understand your feelings—” the pilot said almost chokingly, “but the inner city still needs you.”

 

Over all these years, no matter how positions changed, Tang Bai had always been the officer who defended the main city walls the most.

 

Initially under Huo Yanji’s command, later promoted to major general, Huo Yanji had assigned this responsibility solely to him. He had stood countless times atop the high walls, looking down at the continuous urban districts, secretly vowing in his heart—

 

As long as I live, the walls live.

 

More painful than death was watching with his own eyes as everything he had once protected was destroyed in an instant, turning to dust.

 

The helicopter staggered away, but didn’t see that after the mushroom clouds dispersed behind them, a complete ‘Huo Jiangmian’ remained.

 

He hadn’t been blown into countless pieces like other humanoid creatures only to reconvene, but headed straight for the inner city, straight toward the lighthouse—

 

The lighthouse’s peak was already shrouded in low clouds, its warm yellow light flickering vaguely and unclearly, but in ‘Huo Jiangmian’s’ eyes at this moment it was still particularly glaring—

 

It shouldn’t exist.

 

It should be extinguished.

 

The rapidly advancing ‘Huo Jiangmian’ gradually liquefied, his familiar face dispersing, limbs distorting, body becoming flowing liquid that constantly transformed during movement.

 

Sometimes it was Huo Jiangmian… sometimes it bore traces of Bo Qing.

 

More often, several tentacle-shaped things wanted to drill out. They stared at the liquid membrane, and after multiple struggles finally broke through the surface, becoming an octopus monster covered in slime.

 

It raced at incredible speed, climbing up the lighthouse in full view of everyone.

 

The light inside the lighthouse flickered on and off, and golden medals representing deviant honors on the outer wall fell one by one to the ground, covered in the slime left by the octopus’s passage.

 

Someone asked in a lost voice: “What is it trying to do—”

 

The smell of gunpowder was everywhere, artillery smoke rising on all sides. The gloomy sky served as backdrop, with dark purple and deep blue lightning in the oppressive clouds as the only decoration behind the tall lighthouse.

 

The giant octopus coiled around the lighthouse’s middle section, its sucker-covered tentacles either piercing through lighthouse windows or wrapping around the outer walls. It grimly increased its force, tentacle suckers tightening more and more. Occasionally medals covered in slime would fall from great heights, tentacle slime dripping steadily.

 

“Crack.”

 

Under the octopus’s pressure, the lighthouse’s outer wall that people considered solid split open.

 

Then the crack grew larger and larger, beginning to spread like a spider web upward and downward with that giant octopus as the center.

 

Humans no longer had the strength to stop it, only able to watch helplessly with peripheral vision as the lighthouse representing dawn was about to collapse while fighting monsters—

 

Suddenly, “WHOOOM!!!”

 

A sudden sound wave resonated in everyone’s minds.

 

It seemed to come from outside, yet also from the depths of the soul.

 

Time seemed frozen at this moment—all things still, creatures motionless, the world falling into brief silence.

 

Perhaps a second passed, perhaps a minute…

 

First, the giant octopus coiled around the lighthouse’s middle section seemed to have its soul struck, falling at high speed from beneath the clouds and crashing heavily to the ground.

 

After a moment, the octopus’s enormous body melted into a pool of liquid matter, then recongealed into Huo Jiangmian’s form, staring blankly in one direction before moving forward.

 

Not just him.

 

At the same moment, all humanoid creatures on the surface or below rifts—regardless of what they were doing, whether conducting large-scale contamination of crowds or digesting corpses to replicate genes—unanimously dropped what they were doing and stiffly converged toward the same direction.

 

Beyond humanoid creatures, even residents seemingly affected by “mental contamination” were included.

 

They were like puppets suddenly strung up, yet also like the most devout pilgrims—

 

From all directions, regardless of whether the path ahead held thorns, cliffs, or mountains and seas, they wouldn’t stop, taking the shortest straight-line distance to rush fearlessly toward the ‘sanctuary’ they worshipped.

 

Any soldier or mercenary with outdoor survival experience knew that was the direction of Eye of Paradise.

 

***

 

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