The wind that tore through everything caused the semi-transparent force field outside the gondola to sway.
The airship in the sky rapidly retreated a certain distance. An exceptionally deep and dull loud roar rudely drilled into the eardrums of the people in the cabin who were struggling to stay upright, and even their thoughts shattered into near-blank fragments amidst the roar.
On the ground, the spreading infrasonic shockwave caused the trees to wildly bend backward.
As soon as the fine twigs left their trunks, they turned to ash in the all-consuming white light.
Even people on the ground near twenty kilometers away all felt as if a giant beast was turning over deep underground. Even with their eyelids tightly shut, many still saw an intense white light that couldn’t be blocked out.
In the small villages and towns further away, the glass windows emitted a heart-wrenching, crackling shudder, blocking out the gusts of warm air from outside that resembled a midsummer squall…
People around the world watching the airship broadcast via the World Ark saw, on the horizon where the city of Shrock once stood, a giant fireball rolling, expanding, and rising, its edges glowing with a distorted hellish white.
“Golden Shell… “
“Legacy Initiative… “
The people’s gazes were tightly drawn to the canopy by the cloud-crowned, world-spanning brilliant shell, pulled like a curtain.
The cloud crown unfurled wantonly beneath the azure firmament, bearing the beauty of destruction, like a flower of death offered by the earth to the sky.
Every mind was stunned blank.
“The city… is gone… ” a voice murmured like a dream. The crowd slowly came to their senses, realizing what had happened.
All the buildings had been annihilated by that indescribable explosion!
A shiver of terror rippled through the people’s flesh!
“The list of cities we just mentioned! “
Someone roared with a tremulous voice:
“Could it be all of them… “
In their minds sprawled images of dozens or hundreds of cities, with unmanned propeller planes encroaching upon their airspace one after another.
“Those planes without pilots… “
“Can we humans truly create such things? Why do they feel like evil forces controlled by the Fogfolk? “
“That’s no devil! ” a few shouted in terror, “It’s something far worse than a devil! What do they plan to do with this? Wait… kill the demon that triggered the end times with this?! “
The panicked crowd’s thoughts spiraled into chaotic conjecture.
Standing outside the dense crowd beneath the airship, a pale-faced young man in a thin trench coat turned away, donning a tall black hat.
“The times shall perceive it. “
A woman gazing up at the black-and-white screen in the sky also turned to follow him:
“All the radio stations have been hacked by us, except for the World Ark… “
“Ha, it’s like a heaven-sent assistant—oh wait, our opponents wouldn’t be so merciful. It still falls to the ‘Creator of the White Violet Tide’ to promote this shelter plan. Hmm… we need to think of a way. “
“And as luck would have it, he just happens to have an airship publicity operation. It’s not so bad, though. Claiming the inheritance together means we can dig up even more. “
A few steps later, another loudspeaker blared overhead across the city.
They turned around and looked up along with everyone else.
“—Attention, everyone! Beware of any possible nuclear explosion crisis! The truly terrifying radioactive dust will spread near these cities!!! “
……
Panic spread through the crowd like a plague. But deeper than the panic was a shock and chill that originated from the very depths of the soul. People in cities across the world had witnessed firsthand the instantaneous evaporation of a metropolis—a display of power nearly divine that humanity had managed to grasp!
Meanwhile, in the offices of various nations, and in every other place that had picked up the broadcast and was paying attention to the matter.
The announcement coming from the radio was abruptly cut off at the moment of the explosion by a piercing shriek that overwhelmedeveryfrequency!
Then, a dead silence ensued.
“It’s… “
The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was frozen in place, the color draining from their faces.
“…a nuclear explosion. “
……
The airship watched from a distance, high above the scarred earth.
Earthlings who possessed relevant advisory memories no longer cared about the broadcast order. Holding onto the microphones, they transmitted everything they could recall about nuclear disaster protective measures through this chaotic broadcast.
People from all walks of life in various parts of the city listened in disbelief as the Fogfolk relayed a list of precautions.
— “In areas ranging from ten to over thirty kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, people will experience symptoms of nausea and vomiting within a few hours… “
— “Without protective suits or prompt and adequate medical treatment… death will follow from the strange disease… “
The miraculous Fogfolk were actually afraid of such a bomb.
“Nuclear radiation? “
The terrifying theories in the broadcast left the men, women, and children on the long street utterly bewildered.
But they forced themselves to believe, to trust that the shattered and ruined scientists of Golden Shell had, before the end, created a weapon that could even terrify the Fogfolk, who consorted with devils.
“Is there really such a thing in the world? “
Nuclear radiation. It was like an invisible demon that would linger for years, decades, even centuries, even on the scorched-black earth!
They still couldn’t understand, but this was a broadcast from the World Ark.
The former glory of the Golden Shell Federation was now seared into everyone’s minds, carrying a suffocating dread.
……
“A nuclear radiation equivalent value test is underway; equipment is being hastily prepared. “
“Confirmed, other cities are the same—all destroyed. But… the seawater-backflow area in the south alone remains untouched. “
Back in the office, the members of World Ark were all caught in a tense atmosphere, listening to the scarce information about nuclear bomb explosions that everyone had gathered from various sources.
The list of cities, recited for seven to eight minutes, scraped gently like sharp thorns against the hearts of all present.
So far, they were unable to determine the true purpose of the operatives who called themselves the “Golden Shell Legacy Operation. “
It was clear that the radiation-contaminated areas were not conducive to any form of life in the near future.
Amid the buzzing murmurs, a knock came at the door. A person from the State Affairs Office of Shide**ferns, wearing a cyan uniform, spoke politely and formally, requesting everyone to move to the meeting.
“You mean… all of us here? “
“Yes, please have all citizens of the Fog State attend this meeting. “
The purpose of the meeting was self-evident.
Seated in a spacious meeting hall decorated with indigo and red, like a grand theater, they listened to Prime Minister Shide**ferns’ unscripted speech from above.
Facing the terrifying nuclear bombs that could be dropped on major cities at any moment, the Prime Minister made a series of appeals.
But later, some relatively good news was disclosed in the second half of the session.
“Our Warriors have discovered evacuees near Shrox City and Uonrayl City, all wearing protective suits that can block nuclear radiation. “
Prime Minister Shideferns raised his head slightly and added, “Of course, these radiation protection remarks are from those fellow countrymen of the Fog State responsible for the evacuation. “
The buzzing murmurs broke out again.
“All Fogfolk who received evacuation orders are unaware of the true purpose behind the request.“
The Prime Minister’s words shocked everyone, yet they also seemed quite reasonable. If news of such an attack leaked, it would undoubtedly trigger chaos and resistance.
“They have no idea that a ‘nuclear bomb’ attack is coming.“
“Even the evacuation personnel don’t know… “
“Just who could be the mastermind behind this plan? Claiming to be the Golden Shell Federation—what nation would that be? “
Prime Minister Verdirich Silva fell silent for two or three seconds, and the surrounding ministers watched as the murmuring voices from below naturally softened a bit.
“As of now, a document has been forwarded to us. However, we cannot verify its authenticity. “
The Fogfolk below all displayed curious expressions.
“The document provided to us states that… “
He pinched the edge of the document and raised it to shoulder height, then opened his mouth to say into the microphone: “As long as the people enter the nuclear radiation zone, they can safely survive the apocalypse. “
A dead silence swept through the assembly hall of fifteen thousand people.
“But we cannot verify this. “
……
Through several major gates of the parliament hall, groups of people streamed out, debating among themselves.
Zhao Anlong, who had arrived, waited for Yang Zicang and Ying Renyu to emerge. A crowd gathered around them, their dense shapes covering a stretch of steps.
“Let’s find a place to hold a meeting. “
As soon as Yang Zicang proposed this, a hand was raised in the crowd and a voice said: “There’s a labor union office near where I live. “
……
Inside the union office, beneath the rough brick walls and towering arched windows, a large group of arriving fellow townspeople pulled out wooden chairs stacked in pairs along the walls, setting them up and forming an arrangement.
Under the iron chandelier, Yang Zicang carried down the mottled green painted long table from the podium and placed it among the crowd. Sword Thirteen wiped the dust off with a hand and slapped the documents in hand onto the table surface.
Hundreds of faces of all kinds turned upward. They stared at the movements of Yang Zicang, Sword Thirteen, and the others behind the peeling green leather table.
“If this document is genuine, then the executor of this plan is actually just… a group of elderly stateless people who once belonged to the Golden Shell Federation.“
“The remnants of the Golden Shell Federation…” Murmurs of shock spread through the crowd.
For the “Fogfolk,” who do not belong to this continent, they understood the difficulty in this better than anyone.
No nation, no wealth, no resources—they might even have to contend with an entire era’s opposition.
Amid such hardship, relying solely on investment and protection from an anonymous Luminary, they began decades ago to conduct research as heroic and secret as Prometheus’ undertaking, preparing for this very day.
“They have brought forth wonders that do not belong to the people of this era.“
The people present felt an admiration from the depths of their hearts. Then, they thought back to the questions raised at the meeting.
Was the response plan provided by this document true?
Can people truly avoid being attacked by the underground iron vine’s nightmare evil when the world ends in a month, just by entering a nuclear radiation zone?
“President Buchen, and everyone else, what do you think of its authenticity? “
“That’s exactly what we need to verify. “
Yang Zicang glanced at Dereiano beside him and nodded at him.
Dereiano, with his arms crossed, took a long, slow inhale through his nose as he flipped through the documents, saying:
“According to the Jinbei Legacy’s claims, they’ve conducted animal experiments in recent years that demonstrated the frequency at which small-scale nuclear tests trigger the birth of apocalyptic demons through mass killing of life. “
He looked up and said:
“The data in this document indicates that the frequency of triggering is zero times. “
The tension of the crowd hung in the air.
“Under the same conditions, however, when life gathers without nuclear experiments, the frequency of triggering underground demons is seventy percent. “
Everyone was astonished.
“Furthermore, they mentioned… “
“What is it? “
“Even in areas with no prior signs of life, after being cleansed by nuclear energy, even across several kilometers, no records exist of underground demons being provoked, even when creatures entering the radiation zone are subsequently slaughtered. “
“In other words… ” one man exclaimed in awe, “the nuclear radiation zone also possesses the ability to shield against the underground demons’ ability to sense surface life? “
“Yes, ” Yang Zicang nodded on the side. “So our mission this time is to verify exactly that. “
Everyone began nodding in agreement.
“Then, what about large-scale life… “
“We can only pity those cattle and sheep. “
Large quantities of poultry, cartload after cartload of cattle and sheep, were being transported by military personnel in protective suits driving vintage green round-nosed trucks to the city of Wenruier, which had been nearly emptied due to General Odrelev’s rebellion and unrest.
The Fogfolk responsible for this operation, following protocol, began conducting quasi-humanitarian slaughter of the livestock with innocent expressions in their eyes while the airship hovered.
Patches of animals stopped breathing, convulsing and collapsing onto the blood-soaked ground.
“Using weapons like doomsday to face the approaching calamity of the end times, sighs… “
Mortav, gazing down at this scene from high above, rarely revealed a look of worry and sadness.
“What has happened to our world? “
Inside the gondola, the Fogfolk standing around the glassroov walls listened to the sigh and each showed a hint of sadness in silence. “We don’t know either. “
Mortav stared intently at the ground. When he first heard that something like this had been created, his initial reaction was disbelief. Then came doubt, which lingered even now.
He couldn’t accept the fact that such a catastrophic creation now existed in this world. Moreover, that team seemed, like his Tavco Electronics, to have bypassed the period stagnation to obtain gifts from the future.
What more advanced and terrifying things still existed from the bygone era? Joy, and annihilation… were they both just science?
He seemed to snap back and focus, nowstaring out of the window.
Minutes passed onminutes.
On the scorched black earth below, where rivers of blood flowed, people in protective suits were hoisted up by winch cables dangling from airships. On the ground, only a few livestock stood trembling amid the fallen corpses, letting out mournful cries.
“Report to the General Commander: No anomalies in the past three hours. “
“Report: As of four hours and thirty minutes, no signs of the doomsday demon emerging… “
“Report to Congress… As of midnight, no unusual activity detected underground… “
Inside the office, illuminated by a mixed-white chandelier, several people in cyan uniforms waited anxiously.
The Prime Minister instinctively rubbed the bridge of his nose with his clasped hands.
Ministers kept turning their heads to look at the black telephone on his desk. Every time it rang, everyone’s gaze and thoughts were completely drawn to it.
Ring-ring-ring… Click.
— “Report: As of twelve hours, no abnormal changes on the surface. “
The Prime Minister, holding the phone receiver, breathed rapidly a few times before saying, “Good. “
He set down the phone and looked toward the people in the room, all of whom were staring at him.
“Everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we… have actually… again… ” He stifled an involuntary tremor in his throat.
“Chancellor Ferdirich! “
“It succeeded, didn’t it! ” one minister exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement as he stood up and spread his arms. “It was successfully verified, right? As long as our people enter the radiated zones, they might actually survive the apocalypse… “
“Yes! At least it’s possible—highly possible! “
The Prime Minister stood up, violently slamming his hand on the table, then turned around, laughing and crying hysterically, indifferent to the pain.
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