With only seven minutes left, breaking through the alien encirclement will not be an easy task.
"Operator, find the weak point," Lu Xinghe commanded the drone operator.
The operator immediately launched the drone, and the real-time footage was quickly transmitted back. Behind the hospital was a high slope where there were only a few alien species, which could be reached from the hospital rooftop using ropes.
Six minutes left in the countdown.
Everyone started running towards the roof. Du Lu was still holding An Yuan hostage, and Lu Xinghe wouldn't let go of Han Ling either. Neither side seemed inclined to fight the enemy together.
Upon reaching the rooftop, the security officers used guns to anchor ropes to the opposite hillside. The alien creatures below sensed that humans were about to pass overhead and tilted their heads back with their mouths wide open, creating a scene resembling demons crawling out of hell.
Luo Ning glanced at the expressionless Du Lu, then at Wen Xi, and carried Wen Xi on her back, quickly climbing up the high slope along the rope. The others followed suit.
The aliens, attracted by the scent of humans, began to climb up the slope. Some of the faster ones reached the top at the same time, and the first group to arrive immediately began to clear out the aliens, filling the air with the stench of blood once again.
Four minutes left in the countdown.
Some of the aliens were already rushing to the rooftop. Several security officers were guarding the door to prevent them from coming up. The iron door was being rammed loudly, and they were almost unable to stop them.
But An Yuan and Han Ling remained calm and composed.
A dark shadow swooped down from the sky; it was Wen Rong, who had disappeared in the chaos. She was going to rescue Han Ling from Lu Xinghe's clutches so that Han Ling could leave from the air. No matter how many aliens there were on the ground, they wouldn't be able to harm him. As for these human security officers, let them become food for the aliens, especially this man who had broken half of her leg last time.
"Lu Xinghe, be careful!" Luo Ning, who was watching clearly from the slope, immediately warned him.
Lu Xinghe had noticed that the winged alien was missing long ago. Just as Wen Rong was about to approach him, he raised one hand and several arrows shot out from his arm. This was something he had specially prepared for aliens like Wen Rong.
The arrows all contain An Xiaoruo's genes; even if they can't kill Wen Rong, they can immobilize her.
Wen Rong immediately dodged, but there were too many arrows and the distance was too close. She was shot and fell to the ground, but she was very tenacious. She reached out and pulled out the barbed arrow and pounced again. Lu Xinghe shot Wen Rong down with another shot.
"Du Lu, aren't you going to help?" Wen Rong shouted.
Du Lu currently controls An Yuan and has been observing everything from the sidelines. He does nothing unless Han Ling gives an order.
Han Ling had originally been waiting for Wen Rong to lead him away, but now it seemed that it wouldn't be easy, so he could only order Du Lu, "Du Lu, take us away."
Du Lu then released An Yuan from his grasp and leaped up to pounce on Lu Xinghe. The former teammate who had fought side by side had now become opponents. Both were familiar with each other's skills. One possessed powerful alien strength, while the other was equipped with excellent weapons. After the two clashed, it was difficult to determine a winner for a while.
With Lu Xinghe no longer blocking her way, Wen Rong immediately tried to leave with Han Ling, but the other security officers intercepted them. This time, the base had assigned them the task of bringing Han Ling back.
Two minutes left in the countdown.
“Dr. An, let me take you up.” Meng Ting said, and then went to carry An Yuan on his back.
An Yuan glanced at his suitcase: "Open the suitcase."
Meng Ting looked at the alien that had broken through the iron gate and was roaring as it ran towards him: "Doctor, what time is it and you're still thinking about revenge?"
An Yuan snorted coldly and went to open the box himself: "Do you think I really just want revenge?"
After the box was opened, An Yuan picked up the iron rod. Almost instantly, the surrounding aliens opened their mouths wide and knelt down. Du Lu and Wen Rong covered their ears, but Luo Ning, Wen Xi, and the aliens on the hilltop were all normal.
One minute countdown.
All the security officers retreated to the high ground, and Han Ling was captured by the security officers again. Du Lu and Wen Rong jumped off the roof and blended into the densely packed alien species.
"What happened?" Luo Ning looked at everything on the rooftop in confusion. After An Yuan took out the stick, the mutant suddenly collapsed.
Everyone quickly evacuated to the top of the hill, and the vehicles arrived and sped away before the aliens could catch up.
Luo Ning's military vehicle has eight seats. Two security officers sit in the driver's seat in the front, and six people sit in groups of three facing each other in the back. She, Lu Xinghe, and An Yuan are in one group, while Han Ling is in another group with the other two security officers.
"Interesting. You actually found the sound wave frequency to deal with these alien species. It's just a pity that the killing range is too small," Han Ling said, looking at An Yuan.
An Yuan replied, "This was originally designed specifically for you and the alien species around you."
Luo Ning rubbed her forehead and said, "Dr. An, if that's the case, why didn't you just say so back then?"
An Yuan replied calmly, "At that time, he was missing that winged alien creature that could fly. If he had told them, wouldn't they have been on guard?"
After saying that, he said to Lu Xinghe, "This device may be mass-produced in the second half of the year, and then you won't have to face such difficulties anymore."
Luo Ning looked at the box again. If she had actually picked up that iron rod and triggered the switch, she would have been the first to fall down. She had seen the painful expressions on the faces of those aliens; being attacked by sonic waves was definitely an extremely uncomfortable thing.
But An Yuan insisted on sending her, clearly intending to torment her as well.
After listening, Lu Xing hugged Luo Ning in front of An Yuan. When Luo Ning felt this, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.
An Yuan was stunned for a moment.
The car fell silent, and the dust kicked up by the wheels made Luo Ning cough.
Lu Xinghe took out a water bottle and handed it to Luo Ning under An Yuan's watchful gaze: "Have some water."
"Okay." Luo Ning naturally took the kettle and drank a few sips. Just as she was about to put the lid on, Lu Xinghe took it and drank directly from the spout without any attempt to hide it.
An Yuan frowned again.
There were still traces of the alien blood on Luo Ning's face and hands. Lu Xinghe gently wiped them off for her. Luo Ning wanted to do it herself, but Lu Xinghe held her hand: "Don't move, you can't see where it is."
An Yuan's eyes widened, and Han Ling couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. The other security officers remained calm; they had long since accepted Luo Ning's existence.
Luo Ning noticed An Yuan's unpleasant expression out of the corner of her eye. Considering An Xiaoruo, she whispered to Lu Xinghe, "Alright, everyone's watching."
Lu Xinghe was still wiping the blood off her hands. He had deliberately let An Yuan see it, because that was the only way he could protect her.
Luo Ning watched his every move, and gradually her eyes were only on him.
An Yuan looked away. The security officer had developed feelings for the alien species. Whether it was genuine affection or pity, it had gone off track.
Han Ling, however, was very interested in Luo Ning. She was indeed more genuine than Wen Rong and Du Lu. She didn't show any appetite when sitting with humans, while Du Lu and Wen Rong had to use drugs to control it.
After the convoy left, the aliens gradually dispersed. Wen Rong sat on the ground, panting heavily, blood flowing from her ears.
Sound waves are most damaging to winged aliens. She was able to resist them before because of her enhanced training, but this time she couldn't withstand them.
Du Lu climbed the high slope and followed the vehicle tracks to catch up.
Wen Rongfei flew to his side: "You can't just leave like this, we have to go back and get the medicine."
Du Lü ignored him and sped up.
Wen Rong shouted loudly behind him, "If you die, don't blame me for not warning you."
Du Lu quickly disappeared from her sight. She angrily returned to the hospital alone, took out the remaining bottles of medicine, and when she passed the room where the aliens were, she thought for a moment, then emptied the gasoline from the car and poured it on the aliens. Finally, she threw in a burning piece of wood.
In an instant, the room burst into flames, and the alien species that had been sleeping were awakened by the intense pain. They rushed toward the door, but the door had already been locked by Wen Rong.
Wen Rong watched all of this calmly, and only after the wails in the room gradually subsided did she turn and leave.
Airport.
The convoy arrived at the airport in the evening. The plane was already ready for takeoff. Because half of the beast tide had changed course, the airport, which was not originally on the beast tide's route, would soon be affected.
There were two planes: one was the small plane that had previously transported Luo Ning and Wen Xi, and the other was the transport plane that Lu Xinghe and his team had come to rescue them.
The transport plane was more spacious than the smaller plane, and Luo Ning and Wen Xi both preferred it. However, the guards at the airport also had to be transferred, so they opted for the smaller plane.
After boarding the plane, Wenxi subconsciously looked out the window, but all she saw was an orange sun.
Five minutes after takeoff, the horde of animals passed by. Everyone stood up and looked out the windows. They saw a vast and mighty herd of exotic creatures rushing past their feet, even more awe-inspiring than the animal migrations on the African savanna in documentaries.
"Lu Xinghe, how many humans are left in the world now?" Luo Ning murmured.
“Not many left,” Lu Xinghe replied.
"How much is 'not much'?" Luo Ning remembered that the novel said there were still tens of millions of people seventy years after the apocalypse.
However, a population of ten million is a very, very large city in her world, but the base she sees is not that big and could never hold ten million people.
"There's still about two million left, what's wrong?" Lu Xinghe asked.
Two million is just the population of a small city in her original world, but it is now the total population of this blue planet.
"Two million should be enough. Once the mutants turn back into humans, the world will be lively again," she said hopefully.
Qi Xiaowei, who was standing nearby, also said, "Then if every family has more children, perhaps in less than a hundred years we can restore it to the way it was before the apocalypse."
"If I survive to that day, I won't be a security officer anymore. I'll write a novel called 'The CEO's Runaway Wife and Her Eight Babies'," the only female security officer still alive in this operation said wistfully.
"Eight babies in one birth? Are you sure this is human?" Qi Xiaowei asked in surprise.
"That's how novels were written before the apocalypse, and there were even sixteen treasures. But the main character was a rabbit. Do you want to read it? I can lend you the book."
Luo Ning's smile gradually froze when she heard the word "rabbit." She knew that rabbits could reproduce, and she herself was a hybrid of human and rabbit genes. Surely such a thing couldn't happen.
She walked silently to her seat. Lu Xinghe saw her looking dejected and reached out to pull her back: "What's wrong? Did Dr. An say something to you again?"
"No." She shook her head, tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "You know I have rabbit gene interaction, right?"
Lu Xinghe knew, of course, that the soft, yielding mass that fit perfectly in his palm could cure all his unhappiness.
"I know, are you feeling unwell?" he asked worriedly.
"No, I..." Luo Ning hesitated, then blushed and said, "Never mind, you go ahead and do your work. We'll talk about it later."
She sat down next to Wen Xi. Wen Xi noticed that her face was flushed and that Lu Xinghe's gaze was following her, and felt a little envious.
On another plane full of soldiers, the soldiers were also pressed against the portholes.
"So there are so many different species. When will this fight ever end?" a surviving soldier said, bewildered.
"Perhaps it will be our next generation."
"It could also be the next generation."
The airport commander shouted, "Don't be so discouraged! Haven't you heard that the beast tide has turned around? Things are moving in a positive direction. Cheer up, everyone!"
The soldiers silently returned to their seats, none of them noticing a young soldier in the corner, his eyes covered by the brim of his hat, his eyes a cold blue.
Three hours later, the plane flew over the sea. Under the moonlight, the sea was calm and peaceful, like a harbor.
"Is the new base at sea?" Luo Ning asked after seeing the sea.
“Yes, on an island a hundred nautical miles from the coastline,” Lu Xinghe replied.
For Luo Ning, everything at sea was a completely new world; the novel only described events on land and didn't mention the sea.
"Aren't there other species in the sea too?" she asked again.
"Yes, so once you get to the island, don't go into the water easily. Although sonar has been installed along the coast, accidents can still happen."
"Oh." Luo Ning said with some anticipation.
The plane arrived quickly, and Luo Ning saw the island, located in the deep sea, its outline resembling a crescent moon.
"Is the island called Moon Island?" she asked jokingly.
Lu Xinghe asked in confusion, "It is indeed called Moon Island. How did you know that?"
"Because it's shaped like the moon."
"Isn't it like a scimitar?"
Luo Ning: ...
Wen Xi, who was listening to the two talking, couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Look at you, you're not romantic at all. Wenxi is laughing at you." Luo Ning said, then hugged Wenxi and laughed as well.
The laughter gradually dispelled the somber atmosphere in the cabin, and the corners of everyone else's mouths involuntarily turned up.
"I never expected that Lu Zheng's son would fall in love with a different species," Han Ling said to An Yuan, who was sitting in front of him.
"Which eye of yours saw that Lu Xinghe likes mutants?" An Yuan was about to do the opposite of what he said.
“I saw it with both eyes,” Han Ling replied. “I never imagined that humans and other species could have this kind of relationship, but you actually made it happen.”
An Yuan only wants a child who can provide genetic material; he doesn't want a real emotional bond between a human and a different species. If the civilians find out, it will be very dangerous. Their mental fortitude is far inferior to that of security officers and soldiers, and this will only bring them fear.
"Do you think Lu Zheng knows?" Han Ling asked again.
An Yuan glared at him.
Han Ling pretended not to see: "He must have known. He hid Liang Xia for many years after she became a mutant. Like father, like son."
Upon hearing his mother's name, Lu Xinghe gave her a cold look.
Han Ling smiled at him, and when Lu Xinghe turned to talk to Luo Ning, he whispered, "As expected of Liang Xia's son, his eyes are just like Liang Xia's when he's angry."
An Yuan sighed softly, and the two of them involuntarily looked at the moon outside the porthole. The moon seemed to resemble the man, and the man seemed to resemble the moon.
The plane landed at the airport quickly. The moment Luo Ning stepped off the plane, she smelled the sea breeze and heard the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore, like a moonlight sonata.
She looked around at the white sandy beach, the low hills, and the dense forests—a landscape completely different from the base.
The residential area is not far from the airport. It consists of holiday villas and hotels left behind by people who developed this area before the apocalypse. Long-term sea wind erosion has made them dilapidated, but they can still be barely habitable after some cleaning.
The island is now full of researchers and military personnel; there are no civilians, and the only means of transportation are airplanes and two small cruise ships.
Luo Ning and Wen Xi were arranged to stay in a villa by the sea. There was no electricity on the island, and they could only rely on candles and power-powered devices for lighting.
After entering the villa, Luo Ning looked around the room. There was no bed, only sleeping bags. The windows were broken, and a cloth was used to block the wind from outside, but the window frames were still rattling loudly in the wind.
Lu Xinghe brought their things over, and Luo Ning gave the most complete room to Wen Xi so that she could rest and recuperate during her pregnancy. After helping to spread out Wen Xi's sleeping bag, she went to her own room.
"Are there mosquitoes here at night?" she asked Lu Xinghe in a low voice.
"Yes, but I've already prepared mosquito repellent; it's in the bag." Lu Xinghe said while looking at the message on his communicator.
"How is the base doing now?" she asked, also concerned.
Lu Xinghe's expression was somewhat solemn: "An hour ago, the beast tide arrived at the base, and we are currently defending it with all our might. So far, no alien species have managed to break in."
He sat down on the ground and turned on the video transmitted from the base. In the video, the lava belt and the edge of the abyss were densely packed with alien species. They rushed forward without fear, but were immediately swallowed by the lava. Those that fell into the abyss were also swept away by the giant waves, and those that tried to climb over the high walls were killed by heavy firepower.
"Actually, I don't quite understand why we have to come to such a far place. Couldn't we just find an air-raid shelter or something near the base to hide in?" She felt that it was too far away, and even if she wanted to help, it would be beyond her reach.
Lu Xinghe rubbed her head: "Have you forgotten about the arthropods? They are the best at digging holes. Once they invade, places like air-raid shelters will become graveyards. In the future, the people in the base will also move to the islands. There is more than one island around here. This area will form a base cluster in the future."
Luo Ning felt a little moved by his caresses. The man who used to be like a younger brother could now give her a sense of security.
He is now twenty-four years old, while she will forever remain in that year of twenty.
Lu Xinghe's hand touched her soft hair. Looking at her gentle appearance in the candlelight, he couldn't help but move his hand from her hair to her face and her lips.
His fingers gently caressed her delicate lips, as if he were stroking the most tender rose.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her, and Luo Ning also knelt in front of him, reached out and hooked her arms around his neck, tilting her head back in response.
Outside the villa, a tall, slender figure in a military uniform was watching Wenxi's room from the shadows. The sea breeze ruffled his hair, revealing a pair of icy blue eyes.
As if sensing something, Wenxi, who was half asleep, opened her eyes and looked out the window, but there was nothing there except a tall tree.
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