Chapter 632 Twenty-Eight Hours

It's better to do it sooner rather than later.

The comfort of hiding here is only temporary; without news from the outside world, everyone's heart is in suspense.

The crowd dispersed after breakfast.

The 5S team held a short meeting in the pavilion in the garden outside.

The group first reviewed the previous battle.

After a day of rest, everyone was able to rationally view the problems that existed in the battle.

"The mimicry ability of the 'Avoiding Vine' is extremely abnormal. It can even imitate our fighting style and weapon habits. The more we fight it, the more it understands us."

Fu Heng remained remarkably calm. "As long as the core isn't destroyed, or the red eyes continue to provide energy, the chaste vine can regenerate indefinitely. If we engage in a war of attrition with it, we will undoubtedly lose."

Mutant plants are more troublesome than aberrant variants.

The red eyes can enhance them remotely, making it futile to clear out any number of vines.

But none of that is the main point.

“So far, we haven’t had a direct confrontation with Red Eyes,” Xie Tu pointed out the crux of the problem. “The angelica vines alone have kept us busy.”

Even the red-eyed, disposable limbs couldn't defeat it; in this situation, it truly has no chance against humans.

Jiang Mu became unusually silent, not mentioning a word about his own affairs.

Xia Mingang then looked at Yun Zhao and asked, "You fought with it?"

Taking advantage of this moment, Yun Zhao explained to everyone the situation of her consciousness link with the red-eyed person.

"Only death can take you away from here..."

Fu Yan sneered, "An invader, yet he pretends to be a high and mighty 'god,' telling us in a condescending tone that this is 'evolution,' the 'survival of the fittest' universal law?"

Weakness is the original sin.

It is not surprising that other civilizations exist in the universe; hundreds of years ago, Earth began trying to explore extraterrestrial civilizations.

However, human technology was unable to break through to outside the solar system until the dark end of the world arrived.

Compared to Yun Jue, who frequently engages in interstellar travel, and the so-called 'Pupil Shadow Clan' who silently appears in the skies above Earth, Yun Jue is far behind.

The gap is like an insurmountable technological barrier, like an ant trying to fight an elephant.

Even Xia Mingang became much quieter. He turned to Yun Zhao and asked, "How confident are you about dealing with Red Eyes?"

Yun Zhao answered quickly: "I'm not sure."

She had a brief exchange with the red-eyed guy, but he was clearly holding back and hadn't used his full strength.

In an attempt to gauge her strength, she used almost 80% of her power, but faced with the vast and icy spiritual energy, she gained no advantage whatsoever.

Now that things have come to this, there's nothing left to hide.

Yun Zhao explained the situation in his mental realm, saying, "I definitely can't beat it right now."

This was the first time anyone had realized that her mental state was incomplete.

Xia Mingang found it unbelievable, "If an incomplete domain is this powerful, what would it be like if it were complete?!"

While S-class Sentinels represent the pinnacle of human combat power, their weaknesses are too glaring.

—It is extremely susceptible to being corrupted by dark matter.

Through Kerry's account, they also realized a more cruel truth: in the eyes of advanced civilizations, S-class Sentinels might just be comparable to ordinary interstellar warriors.

Whether it was Jiang Mu, Fu Yu, or Xia Mingang, they all understood this in their hearts.

Yun Zhao's strength is crucial to winning this battle.

Fu Yu frowned. "In other words, you can't unleash your full power right now, and your chances of winning against Red Eyes directly are extremely low."

Yun Zhao nodded.

"Can't Kerry restore you?" Jiang Mu asked.

Yun Zhao: "I've already asked, and there's no answer."

Xie Tu spoke calmly, revealing the truth: "If we deal with the gatekeeper, there's a chance she'll recover."

A simple sentence.

Fu Yu and Jiang Mu instantly understood that their next objective would be to choose between the artifact and the woman.

The reason is simple.

The red-crowned crane and... Kerry, neither of them wanted to be the first to face off.

Especially Yun Zhao.

Even knowing that Kerry wouldn't actually die, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Besides, the manor castle served as her base, providing shelter and supplies. It was neither morally nor logically right for her to touch him now.

Jiang Mu asked, "How do we choose?"

"Selecting collectibles".

Xia Mingang spoke first, "It likes crowds, so it must be very conspicuous. Maybe we can find it once we go inside."

Xie Tu rarely agreed with Xia Mingang's point of view, nodding: "I have fought with that woman before. She is very well hidden. Her territory has complicated terrain and no supplies. It will not be easy to find her."

Upon hearing this, Fu Mo readily agreed, "Then let's go find it."

Objective: Eliminate the guardians of the collection and help Yun Zhao regain his strength!

It's rare for five people to reach a consensus.

After discussion, we decided to leave this afternoon.

Yun Zhao had no objections. She was too young when she lived here, and her memories of the castle were very vague, far less than her attachment to Qingshan Town.

Of course, Kerry is an exception.

Yun Zhao decided to put Kerry's problem aside for the time being, as it would have to be addressed after Red Eyes.

Now, no one is even sure if they can beat Red Eyes.

According to Kerry, the scale of this outbreak is unprecedented, and I wonder what's happening outside.

The lack of any news made everyone feel very uneasy.

...

Outside.

The rate of collapse in the contaminated area is accelerating, and the large amount of released dark matter is spreading at an alarming speed.

Despite it being the height of summer, the sky had turned a gloomy gray.

It was gradually being covered by a wriggling, viscous, grayish-black substance.

Upon recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the four bases immediately mobilized together, activating the "return to home" contingency plan and notifying all small shelters they could contact.

"All outer sentries and combat units:"

Abandon the current mission immediately and evacuate to the nearest base at full speed.

Authorize the use of all necessary means to remove obstacles in the path.

All civilian shelters and settlements: immediately activate the highest level of evacuation protocols.

Close all entrances and exits and inspect the life support system.

For those still outdoors: Please immediately find the nearest fortified cover. If there is no cover, prioritize moving towards the core areas of the four major bases.

All resource points: Prioritize supplying defensive fortifications and energy cores with all resources.

Dawn Base.

The highest-level alarm pierced the silence, tearing through the sky.

[Urgent Announcement: Global Disaster Warning]

[Attention all personnel! Attention all personnel!]

The monitoring center has confirmed that the concentration of dark matter in the atmosphere is increasing exponentially, spreading far faster than expected. According to the latest data model from the calculation team, the existing barriers will completely fail within 28 hours.

[Repeated: It is predicted that the world will once again enter a prolonged dark age in 28 hours.]

Residents outside the base area are urged to immediately cease all non-essential outdoor activities and, with their belongings, relocate to the air-raid shelters within the base.

[To reiterate: Residents outside the base area are urged to immediately cease all non-essential outdoor activities, bring necessary supplies, and relocate to the air-raid shelters within the base.]

Zhao Yan was shopping for vegetables at the farmers' market when she heard the announcement above her head, and she froze on the spot.

For their generation, the memories of that dark and hopeless period seem like they happened just yesterday.

The fear of being deprived of sunlight and forced to live in a repressive environment is like a scar etched into the bone, never truly healed.