Chapter 154 The Ultimate Natural Disaster 4
"Climbing to the top of the tree is considered a success. How is that possible? Master Lin is so young now, but this tree looks... looks..."
"Oh my goodness, this tree is reaching into the clouds. It must be at least tens of thousands of meters high!"
In the center of Ankang City, the townspeople shouted in shock.
Faced with the sudden change in mission, they were shocked and terrified when they received the quota: "Oh my god, someone is dying every second, and the number of people will only decrease, not increase. How will Lord Lin finish climbing?"
"No, what is this?"
Someone suddenly noticed that there was a new light yellow protective cover in the center of the square, with a red button on the platform.
Around the button, there was a virtual human figure formed by condensed solid light beams. The human figure pressed the button with his thumb. With a click, the tree that Lin Muqiu was hugging moved away from the ground.
Obviously, this is the system demonstrating.
The swordsman closest to the button had a sudden thought, "I understand!"
She took two quick steps and pressed the button quickly.
The tree was indeed a little closer.
She was almost ecstatic, "Great! Lord Lin is saved!"
The others also smiled happily.
Her brother standing next to her teased her, "Hey, sister, you care so much about Master Lin! I'm sure you'll get a lot of rewards when she comes out!"
"Fuck you, I'm not doing this for a reward!"
Everyone laughed and talked, finally smoothing out their tense spirits.
Her brother was about to make a joke, but suddenly he became angry.
Before he could see what was happening, he saw the landslide debris falling down rapidly and the person was gone.
Right in front of him, his sister was smashed into a meat patty.
He was grinning, but in just a moment, bright red blood splattered everywhere, splashing into his mouth, and the broken limbs and fragments were kicked into his mouth and throat like a football. The force was so great that it choked him and made him cough, and his throat was sore and itchy.
He vomited and fell to his knees, vomiting all over the floor. He could feel the gastric juice he vomited out was mixed with the remains of his companions' limbs and bones, still warm and fishy-sweet. He couldn't tell whether it was his sister's flesh and blood or crushed brain matter.
"No!!!" He was terrified and even tried to scoop out the vomit full of debris and try to piece it together.
But unexpectedly, the next second, the rolling stones hit him mercilessly again.
The wizard next to him tried to hold him back, but was a second too late. With a loud bang, he watched helplessly as he turned into a meat patty again.
It's over, everything is over. They are the last two siblings left in the family.
The others closed their eyes in despair, unable to bear to look any longer, but had to open them.
The city of Ankang was filled with the smell of blood.
The expressions of the people around instantly turned into fear, worry, and deep pain and reluctance.
It seems that anyone who presses the button is targeted and attacked!
"Notice, everyone, the central government has issued an orange alert!"
"receive!"
The message was quickly compiled: [In the center of Ankang Town, a button has appeared. Each time it's pressed, a portion of the tree will be reduced. However, the natural disaster situation here is even more severe. Requesting support, requesting support! Requesting the town to redeploy manpower and resources!]
*
The orange-level strategic news spread throughout Ankang City like a torrential rain.
Kedero, who was commanding the internal battle, noticed another point:
"Lin Muqiu's wish can take effect in any corner of the continent?!"
His eyes suddenly shone with incomparable brilliance and determination. "So, Lord Lin, can you make a wish to bring back those who died in the natural disaster?"
His eyes sparkled, and suddenly an overwhelming aura swept over the surroundings.
The people around seemed to finally realize something and were stunned for a moment. "So, my daughter can come back now, right?"
"Oh my God, if that's the case, then my wife can still be saved, right? Lord Lin can make a wish to bring everyone back!"
"Let me go to the central area and press the button. I'm not afraid of death! As long as my husband comes back, I'll do anything!"
"You're so stupid! If you can make a wish to bring the dead back, then why should we be afraid of dying? We can still be resurrected anyway!"
Everyone was talking at once. The torture of the natural disaster filled their eyes with tears, but their love for their loved ones made the tears in their eye sockets sparkle.
But someone keenly noticed something strange, "That's not right. Even if everyone pressed it, considering the total population of Ankang City, wouldn't it be enough to cover the total length of the trees?"
There are more than 90,000 people in Ankang City, and most of them have been killed or injured, but each time the button is pressed, it seems that the distance is reduced by less than half a meter.
The length of this tower is tens of thousands of meters.
In other words, even in the most ideal situation, where all the living people pressed the button, there might still be a gap of several hundred meters.
What's more, countless people will die in the process.
"Damn, isn't that cheap!"
Someone cursed angrily.
However, the system remained unmoved, only Lin Muchu was on the tree, gasping for breath.
Gradually, their voices became quieter and quieter.
Yes, the most important thing right now is, can Lord Lin really hold on?
*
Lin Muqiu was holding on to the tree, soaked all over, like a fish drowning in the sea.
The wet clothes clung to her back, sticky and damp, but she didn't care about the current embarrassment. Only pain and a faint light remained in her heart. Because she rarely cried in her life, countless partings had already become a habit in her heart.
She left her grandfather and her hometown, was sent to an orphan as an orphan, and was then found not to be an orphan. She swung like a ball, was sent to her father, and then was kicked back to her mother's friend. Everything in her life was moving away from her, and she rarely looked back. She thought those were all old memories from long ago and were not important, but the severe pain in her heart at this moment made her realize that she still loved him very much.
When her heart began to ache with the dull pain of separation, she realized that she loved him.
Even in the virtual world, she loves him.
The world is virtual, but cuteness is real.
Love is real!
She looked at the townspeople on the screen who were looking at her in panic. Some of them would call her Lord, some would be more mischievous and would playfully call her "our Lord", and some would be more orthodox and reserved and would call her Lord Lin Muqiu. She would never betray these people who called her "you, you" all the time.
Because to betray them, she would have to peel off a part of her flesh and blood, and they had already been a part of her life.
It is a very important part.
What's more, grandpa should also be a part of this virtual world.
Then after the natural disaster, perhaps everything will reappear like a miracle after a short period of time.
The system would not lie to her about this.
The pain in her heart turned into a glimmer of light. She growled, and with her trembling arms she climbed up the vines on the tree trunk. She kicked her legs hard and climbed up desperately.
The townspeople outside the screen stared at her blankly, and finally endless light rose in their eyes.
Their Lord Lin is back!
*
The ground was filled with the smell of blood, and especially after the manpower was dispatched to press the button, there were fewer and fewer people guarding the city gate.
But the Ankang City Central Office continued to send messages: "Requesting support! Not enough people to press the button!"
Marissa killed the beetle with her sword, and was exhausted and breathless. "Damn, the intensity of the natural disaster seems to have increased!"
Augustine said nothing, silently gripping the sword in his hand, looking at the devastated city of Ankang and the countless beetles surging like rising coastlines, his lips trembling slightly.
None of the people dispatched to the central government came back alive.
How to dispatch, how to dispatch?!
Everyone present is his brother.
Their lives are as precious as his.
David saw his dilemma and squeezed his legs together while riding the turkey, "I'll go!"
Peter stopped him again, "Goodbye! Your turkey is so fat, it's obviously not qualified. I'll lead the team."
"Fuck you!" David cursed. "I said I'd go, so I'd go!"
Augustine lowered his eyes. "Stop arguing. We're all going to go in the end. Even if someone from outside came to help us, the total number of people in Ankang City wouldn't be enough. Besides, in a life-or-death situation, how could we let people from other cities risk their lives?"
David and Peter fell silent, as if by tacit agreement. Peter retreated, and David whispered, "Then I'll accompany you as soon as you go. Even if it's the road to the underworld, I won't let you be alone. I'll be your companion."
"Don't talk about it. Just take care of your silly turkey." Peter raised his head proudly. Looking at David's turkey, which was so fat and shiny that it was clucking in anger, he laughed loudly and rode away on the turkey with peace of mind.
It's not easy for those who leave, but it's not easy for those who stay either.
The guards at the gate were becoming fewer and fewer, and the battle was becoming increasingly difficult. The corpses of beetles and humans piled up all over the city. A surge of rage filled their chests, "Damn it! Kill the Scourge!"
Such disrespectful words once again inspired the soldiers' hearts.
Augustine turned and called to the guards, "The entrance is crowded! The new members can't get in, clean up the battlefield!"
"Okay!" David shouted, picked up the space necklace and wanted to collect the beetle's body.
The system sent a reminder:
[This derivative is a special natural disaster derivative and cannot be collected! It will only be automatically cleared after the natural disaster. Please try again later *&*…&*]
"Damn it! Fuck you!" David growled, kicking the Beetle's corpse over. "Does this mean we can only collect the bodies of our companions?"
He didn't want to put his companions into the space necklace like props and garbage, especially, he didn't want to admit that his brothers were all dead.
His hand holding the necklace trembled slightly.
It was at this moment of distraction that a beetle fell from the sky and stabbed his chest with its sharp arm covered with furry spikes.
He was unable to dodge and stumbled, with blood gushing out of his chest.
His turkey was the first to react, crying and clucking, and then spewing flames at the beetle.
As the beetle's venom splattered, the turkey opened its feathered arms to protect him.
David knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, but the furry arms were still hooked around his chest.
His first reaction was to try to pull it out, but the barbs were excruciating. Suddenly, he remembered the first aid lesson that taught him not to pull out a sword after being stabbed, as this would cause direct blood loss to the damaged aorta. So, he resisted the itch in his chest and refused to pull it out.
But he suddenly remembered that the beetle's arms were poisonous, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He couldn't choose.
It was clearly only three seconds, but everything in his past was suspended before his eyes: his mother who smiled and pulled his hand when he was a child, his strict and rigid father who would remember to buy him candy when he got home, and many friends who loved him and left their backs to his guards. But why... why was everything in his life drifting away from him?
He had never done anything bad in his life. He loved his city, continent, relatives and friends. Even in his last moments, he could say that he was worthy of everyone in the world. He had fulfilled his responsibilities as a citizen, a friend, and a turkey owner, and he had lived up to his parents' dying wishes.
He loves this world very much, even though this world has never been gentle to him.
But why...
He is unwilling, very unwilling...
So tired, so tired.
He stroked the turkey's head, enduring the dizziness and severe nausea, and tried to raise a big smile, which was uglier than crying. "I saw my parents."
He whispered to Turkey, "Maybe I'll be reunited with them soon."
"Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck!" The turkey flapped its wings vigorously, spun around, and pecked at him with its beak, trying to wake him up.
David took a deep breath, then used up the last of his strength, regardless of the venomous pain on his hands, and grabbed the turkey's two large wings, making the most risky move in his life.
He cruelly threw the turkey out of the city.
The system alerted: [You have used the item: Red-level Flying Magic Carpet. This item can be used on anyone or anything to fly to a designated location (this item cannot violate other system restrictions). Conditions of use: The user must pay the price of their life to deliver the item to the designated location.]
It's always safer outside the city.
He took a short breath and finally closed his eyes contentedly.
The turkey was caught off guard and was thrown out of the door. The flying magic carpet disappeared and it staggered in pain.
But it was just a simple-minded little animal that didn't understand such complicated emotions and logic. It only knew that it seemed as if the owner had used the most powerful trick in his life on it to throw it so far.
It screamed miserably, and regardless of the bruises and pain all over its body, it ran towards the city in a panic and miserably as soon as it was thrown out of the protective shield.
*
Elda, who was guarding the city, was hit by a turkey and felt dizzy, but he still tried his best to hold the turkey. However, the turkey ran back like crazy with such great strength that he didn't even see what was happening before the turkey ran away.
He only saw that the turkey ran so fast that its claws were worn and covered in blood. He recognized that the tag on the turkey's neck was from Ankang City.
After a long while, one of the team members finally recovered from the shock and said hesitantly, "Is that David's turkey? If even it escaped, then is there something in the city..."
Everyone was shocked and their faces became serious.
Elda's expression changed as he said to his subordinates, "Inform everyone on the continent that Ankang City needs support. This is a matter of life and death. Please be sure to be there."
The subordinate clasped his fists, sweat dripping down his forehead. "General, I have been notifying you, but..."
General Elda took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Then you should say that anyone who comes to Ankang City to support will be admitted to the Knights Corps as an exception. I will personally grant them the highest level of knighthood and medals, and I will also distribute the full amount of this bonus to them."
"This..." The subordinate hesitated even more. "General, your concern has caused confusion. If others hear about such a high reward, they will only think the situation is dangerous and will not dare to come."
The veins in Elda's hand gripping the sword bulged, and the pent-up anger erupted completely. "What else can I do? Is human nature really that selfish?"
"Why didn't you tell me when you received a favor? Why didn't you tell me when you got the natural disaster technology for free?!"
"And now that the scourge is over, all cities will be free of it! Why should these cowards enjoy the same treatment as us? Why, why, why? Should people with chivalry endure more suffering and humiliation? Do my warriors deserve to die for them? We're all the same, all the same!"
The others tried to appease him, "Don't say that! Lord Lin doesn't want you to think that way! After all, this is about human lives! It's normal that others don't dare to come..."
"And you've forgotten your knight's oath... [Whether this continent loves me or not, I will save its people from danger thousands and thousands of times. Only then, when I die, can I proudly say I have lived up to my conscience, lived up to the expectations and cultivation of this entire continent, lived up to this armor and uniform, and lived up to the expectations placed on me by my lord.]"
The Lord's expectations...
Elda's lips trembled slightly, and he finally said, "Okay. No matter what, I will fight and die for them until the last moment."
"I have been running away from the glory of knighthood for half my life. This time, I won't hide anymore."
The long time was as biting as ice, and the low sobs of others could be heard in my ears.
But no one wanted to hide.
As soon as the voice fell, a familiar voice suddenly came to my ears:
[Extremely good news. After the final catastrophe ends, all those who died in it will be resurrected, even those who died in the past. I guarantee that when the catastrophe ends, everything will return to how it was before.]
Just as I promised Ankang City, I now promise you to bring justice, freedom, and happiness to every corner of the continent. I didn't understand it when I was young, but now I do. I love you as much as I love my own life.
【Now, I need you, the mainland needs you.】
【......】
The voice was very familiar, echoing overhead, penetrating every corner, and reaching the invisible distance.
Their heads shot up.
Such sounds could be heard wherever there was a simulation training room.
"Wait, is this Lord Lin's voice?" a guard asked tremblingly.
Elda was also shocked, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that this was indeed Lin Muqiu's style.
Plan ahead and prepare everything.
So... Lord Lin had already guessed what would happen, right?
But the question is, why let her endure such suffering alone? Could she accept being betrayed by the other civilians on the mainland? Or did she trust them, believing that as long as the news was announced, they would definitely come?
Elda wiped his eyes with his rough thumb and tried to change the subject. "And everyone who died in the natural disaster can actually be resurrected? What on earth is the system trying to do?"
The others echoed, "Yes, if you want to destroy the continent, there's no need to do this. But if you want to resurrect everyone, there's no need to let them suffer like this, right?"
Weiser raised a new question, "How did Lord Lin manage to get the message out? It's impossible. I sent my men in to try, and even if they sent a flying letter or an animal, anything involving confidential information would be immediately tampered with and erased. There would be no result."
So, since the message could not be passed on, why was the simulation training room an accident?
*
Inside the simulation training room.
Yun Yi smoothly input data into the simulation training room. Countless data merged into the shape of a dragon, attracting people's attention like a black hole.
The small system on the side flashed, emitting colorful lights.
As a system himself, Yun Yi knew that this was equivalent to a person's facial expression changing very dramatically.
So Yun Yi asked, "If you don't fulfill your monitoring responsibilities, will the main system erase you?"
"I didn't see anything!" the small system emphasized, flashing gray twice guiltily. "Besides, wasn't this data input function originally given by the main system? How can it be considered cheating..."
Yun Yi didn't comment. After typing in the data, he stood up suddenly.
The little system was startled, "What are you doing?"
"People can't get out of the protective shield, but props can."
"I am the master's tool, and also the information itself that cannot be tampered with or erased."
*
At the same time.
Countless people squatting in front of the simulation training room heard and saw the message sent from the simulation training room.
Some came for fun, some out of fear and anxiety, but the majority came out of concern for the fate of the mainland. They might not have the courage to actually fight on the battlefield, but they still cared about the survival of the mainland.
Inside the training room, the system popped up countless videos of the latest situation in Ankang City. There was no fiction or concealment, and the decadence and pain in the videos were clearly visible.
In the picture, the teams don't even have time to communicate with each other. Even if a few team members died, no one would notice. Only the body collection team members took all the pain. They put their companions into the space necklace like props and garbage, and dared not slow down for a moment.
Because even if they don't collect them, the beetles will actually eat the corpses when they are not fighting with humans.
Everyone in the simulation training room shuddered violently and subconsciously held each other's hands.
But there was rarely any crying sound coming from the screen. There was not a single coward in Ankang City.
Even though their legs were trembling, they were still determined to defend the last line of defense in the city.
For their family and friends, for the city and Lord Lin, they fought!
Even though they had only descended less than half of the 30,000 meters, they still risked their lives, their legs trembling as they braved it without fear of life or death.
The scene changed, and it was Lin Muqiu climbing up with difficulty. She used her hands and feet, her chest rising and falling, and she breathed deeply. Even though the reduction in the length of the tree mainly depended on the team members pressing the button, she still refused to give up. If she climbed one more meter, perhaps a few fewer people would die in Ankang City.
The long climb and the thorns left her hands with countless bloody scratches and scars. Her clothes were torn in several places, making her look disheveled and messy.
Someone finally couldn't stand it anymore and stood up and yelled, "Fuck you, you really think I'm a loser! You guys aren't going, right? I'm going!"
"I'm going too!"
"Big brother is right, we can all be resurrected anyway! I'm not afraid of pain!"
Everyone spoke one after another. There were a few who were indignant, but in the end, there were more people who were afraid, and even more people chose to remain silent in the corner.
An aunt quickly grabbed her child and scolded him, "Are you stupid? You said you'd be resurrected, but who can guarantee that? Your father died in a natural disaster as a guard! You're the only child in our family. If you die, how can I be worthy of your dead father?"
As he was speaking, the screen in the simulation training room flashed and began to play new images.
The people inside were no longer the recent situation of Ankang City, but people familiar to countless people present. There were shy, handsome faces, faces holding hoes and smiling freely, as well as countless scenes of natural disasters causing death, and countless guards protecting them.
Everyone was stunned because the people on the screen were all their relatives who died in the natural disaster.
The aunt was the first to react. She cried out shrilly, then rushed over and burst into tears, "Oh my old man..."
Everyone was stunned, because apart from a few space mages on the mainland, few people could fully record the images of their loved ones, so that when they saw their loved ones again in another way, their first reaction was not pain, but stunned.
They thought that they would never see them again for the rest of their lives except in times of reminiscing.
Even in this way.
But more people reacted, recognized their relatives, rushed over, and touched the screen as if trying to get into it.
The cry of countless people claiming their place was heard in the simulated training room:
"Mother, so this is what my father looks like!"
"Sister, my sister, why, why have you refused to see me in my dreams for the past ten years... Do you still hate me? If I had accompanied you back to visit relatives, would you have been fine?"
"No, Father! Don't! I will never make you angry again, don't leave me! Ahhhhh I'm going to kill you, damn Scourge! Father... I have passed the Guards exam, Father, I shouldn't have talked back to you that day, I should have trained well, Father, I hate myself so much!"
Many people who had been silent before collapsed instantly when they saw their loved ones and the elderly and children died in the natural disaster, squatting on the ground and crying.
And Lin Muqiu's voice came to their ears again:
[Extremely good news. After the final catastrophe ends, all those who died in it will be resurrected, even those who died in the past. I guarantee that when the catastrophe ends, everything will return to how it was before.]
Just as I promised Ankang City, I now promise you to bring justice, freedom, and happiness to every corner of the continent. For our families, for those we love most, we must pay the price, no matter the cost. This isn't for ourselves, but for the shared dream of all humanity.
Now, I need you. The mainland needs you. Your fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, friends, and children also need you. For those who died in the natural disaster, I pay tribute to you.
May we all have the resolve to stand up to all injustice and suffering.
Even if that injustice was brought by God.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
