Chapter 174 Prototype
“Ding Dong——!”
“Ding Dong——!”
In the afternoon, there was a sudden doorbell ring outside. Lu Yan was sitting in front of the computer searching for information about Hong Yue. Hearing the noise, he pulled out a chair and stood up to open the door. What he saw was a face that was smiling brighter than the sun. The eight white and shining teeth all told of the owner's excitement:
"Brother, I'm here to find you!!"
Lu Xiaozhao was standing outside dragging a suitcase, wearing a sun hat on his head and carrying a cross-body bag on his shoulder, looking like an elementary school student on a spring outing.
Lu Yan was stunned for a moment when he saw this, and then he remembered that he had sent a message to Lu Xiaozhao yesterday to ask him to move in. He closed his eyes and wiped his face, and said with a slight headache: "Come in."
What kind of thing is this? There is already a wanderer in the family, and now there is another one. Lu Yan seriously suspects that if he dies one day, his family won’t even know how he died.
Lu Xiaozhao had no idea of Lu Yan's worries. He dragged his suitcase into the house to change his shoes. He carefully glanced at the living room and asked in a low voice, "Brother, who is that?"
He forgot Xing Yuan's name.
Lu Yan: "Are you asking Xing Yuan? He's in a meeting and probably won't be back until the evening."
The Sky City was about to be lost, and the top leaders could no longer sit still. The lights in the executive building were on all night long, and detector drones were released in batches. Their destinations were all contaminated areas. However, that strange area seemed to have a barrier, and any instrument would malfunction or be damaged for no reason if it approached. A day and a night passed, and no useful information was obtained.
Lu Yan settled Lu Xiaozhao in the guest room, then sat back in front of the computer. He put on headphones, and the person connected to the other end was Feng Xiangming. Today, the president was holding a meeting of a thousand people in the multimedia room, and he, a young researcher, also took a seat to listen in, and was sending a message to Lu Yan through the air.
Because there were too many people in the conference room, the sound from the other end of the microphone was a little noisy. It was not until the director began to speak that everyone gradually fell silent. For a moment, Lu Yan could only hear the old man's voice in his earphones:
"According to reliable information, there may be a large number of wanderers gathering deep in the contaminated area, waiting for an opportunity to launch a war against humans. Their scale is huge, far beyond any single raid, and they are likely to start their attack after the red moon disappears."
Lu Yan closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Needless to say, this news must have been brought by Xing Yuan.
Someone in the audience disagreed: "According to historical records, the Wanderers have attacked our city no less than a thousand times. Although the scale of this attack is huge, it does not necessarily mean that we cannot win."
The microphone made a shrill sound due to excessive volume. The dean stared at the person who was speaking and asked in a deep voice, "What if I say that the priest has woken up?"
“Wow!”
The name was like a stone thrown into the water. The originally silent conference room was suddenly in an uproar. Everyone looked at each other in shock. It was obvious that some of them could not digest this news. They all talked about it:
"How is that possible?!"
"Isn't the priest dead?"
"How could it still be alive?!"
The director's face was already extremely tired. He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, patted the table and signaled everyone to be quiet. The virtual display behind him projected a slightly old historical data:
"The priest is not an ordinary monster. He once created the Wanderer, who already possesses human thinking and wisdom, but his specific form is still unknown."
"Hundreds of years ago, he led the Wanderers to try to capture the Habitat City. That was the first city attack in history. Humanity was on the verge of extinction in that catastrophe until the Sky City suddenly appeared and gave us a place of refuge."
The ancestors who witnessed history have long since passed away, and those who survived can only fill in the stories of those years with a few words.
The Devil City at that time was not called Devil City.
Her name is Habitat City.
No one can tell how humans survived, maybe it was the mercy of God, or maybe it was not their destiny. After the sky city appeared, the remaining humans took refuge in the clouds. Suddenly that day, countless blazing fires appeared on the ground, madly burning all living things, and wanderers were reduced to ashes.
A crack appeared in the city ground, trapping the priest inside. The area has been abandoned ever since, becoming a polluted zone where no one has ever set foot.
Later, humans gradually awakened their superpowers and rebuilt the city, but everything was different from before. The habitat city turned into a ghost city. They had a string of virtual data on their wrists out of thin air, using life as currency to distinguish the rich from the poor.
They all thought the priest was dead, but they didn't expect that he was just in a deep sleep.
Humans have been able to expel wanderers many times, largely because those monsters have not developed intelligence and can be easily captured with weapons. However, if they are commanded and controlled by priests, the advantage they can gain will be very small, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a disaster.
Panic, helplessness, fear, uneasiness, despair, and dead silence.
The conference room suddenly became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Finally, someone asked with a grim expression, "Is the news accurate?"
The director of the hospital slowly closed his eyes and said expressionlessly, "That's right. They expected to take action after the red moon. The priest is currently hiding in the contaminated area. There are countless high-level wanderers guarding nearby. The detection equipment we sent out was destroyed without exception due to energy field interference, and we can't get any information."
"Hasn't the research institute been testing the PB barrier? In previous experiments, this energy barrier can effectively prevent the invasion of wanderers. If it is used on the battlefield..."
The director interrupted coldly, "Do you know how expensive and scarce the energy consumed by the PB barrier is?! With our current technology, the barrier can only cover two-thirds of the Sky City at most. Do you know what this means?!"
Everyone here is not a fool, and of course they know what this means.
Does this mean that at least one-third of Sky City is unsafe? No, no...
This means that the Devil City will be completely separated from human territory, which means that the land and even the humans living on that land will be abandoned by their compatriots and completely buried in the dust of history.
Professor Mo was the first to slam the table and stand up. His beard was gray and his facial nerves were twitching abnormally with anger: "What do you mean?! Are we just going to ignore the people in Devil City?!"
Someone else explained in a low voice: "Professor Mo, Sky City has long been overcrowded. The total population of Devil City is more than twice that of Sky City. If it really comes to a last resort, we can only consider the overall situation..."
“Blah——!”
Upon hearing this, Professor Mo suddenly got angry and tore up the audit materials. Several students tried to stop him but failed. He just sneered and said, "Twice? I think it's more than that! Historically, the population of Devil City was more than ten times that of Sky City. Now it's only twice as much?"
He questioned everyone word by word, his voice resounding in the air above the conference room, "Do you know where the rest of the people have gone? Do you know how many people have died in Devil City over the years?! What do you mean by considering the overall situation? What do you mean by a last resort?! I am old and my eyes are blurry, I can't understand those roundabout ways, you just say let the poor die, I, an old man, can hear it more clearly!"
The director of the hospital advised: "Mr. Mo, the situation is not that serious now, we are still discussing countermeasures..."
"Negotiation!"
Old Mo was so angry that his face turned red. He angrily scolded, "You discuss and formulate strategies every year, but what is the result?! Devil City is always the one that is abandoned! They live underground, they are poor people, and you live in the clouds, and you have all turned into beasts!!"
A deep furrow appeared between the chief dean's brows. He pulled out a chair and stood up, his face full of self-blame and guilt: "Mr. Mo, even if we drive out all the people in Sky City and move in all the people in Devil City, there will still be two-thirds of humanity that cannot be taken care of. People will definitely die in this war, or it is destined to die. The only difference is who will die. I, the chief dean, am incompetent and I have disappointed you!"
There are limited people with special powers, limited weapons and ammunition. Humans are extremely powerless in this war. The director can only try his best to keep the people in Sky City alive. He is powerless against Devil City. If the limited resources are transferred to Devil City, Sky City will definitely be in chaos.
Professor Mo burst into tears upon hearing this. What saddened him was not that the president could not save those people, but that whenever a disaster struck, the first thought that came to his mind was never to fight, but to abandon, to abandon his fellow countrymen.
Professor Mo trembled as he tore off his work badge from his neck and threw it to the ground angrily: "If it really comes to that, I will resign! Anyway, I am old enough. I have worked diligently on research for so many years just to see the wanderers driven out. If I see the destruction of the Devil City, I will not be able to face my ancestors in the underworld!!"
He lost his temper. Although he was over 50, he was as angry as a tiger. However, the moment his work badge was torn off, it was as if all his strength was drained away. He couldn't even stand steadily. He covered his face and cried like a child. Finally, he left the conference room with the help of students. Everyone could only hear his choked voice: "We are compatriots... compatriots... human beings cannot continue like this..."
This conference hall, which can accommodate thousands of people, is clearly divided. In the front row sit the official leaders of Sky City, in the back sit the supernatural team in black uniforms, on the right sit the researchers in white coats, on the left sit the patrol team in camouflage combat uniforms, and in the back sit the guard team...
Various colors are mixed together, just like various classes, and who among them is born to be in this position, and how many have climbed here step by step from the Devil City.
Chen Yan and his friends closed their eyes in pain with red eyes. They never expected to receive such news today. Those were real lives. Many of their relatives even lived in the Devil City. How could they just watch them die? !
A burst of low sobbing suddenly rang out from between the seats, spreading like ripples and spreading like a virus, but it was unclear who was crying or if everyone was crying.
The director stood on the stage like a dead tree, old, dejected, and motionless. Secretary He Zhuan could only take over his work and continue the meeting: "After the Monitoring Institute analyzed the energy fluctuations of the Wanderers, we found that the red moon may have provided them with nutrients. The Wanderers are advancing in large numbers. This phenomenon is particularly obvious among the low-level Wanderers. This means that after the red moon is over, their overall strength will rise by a level. There will be more third-level Wanderers, and even more fourth-level Wanderers. Ammunition may not be able to resist..."
He Zhu paused before continuing: "We currently have the following measures and hope that relevant departments will cooperate."
"First, seal all entrances to Sky City and suspend issuing passes. Ordinary residents are not allowed to enter or leave at will."
Everyone looked up in surprise. Was this the sign of a complete break with Devil City?
"Second, the Quartermaster Department purchased a large amount of supplies and set up an aid point on Yunduan Road, allocating some food and water to distribute free of charge to the residents of Devil City."
"3. All armed forces stationed in Devil City shall be withdrawn immediately. On-duty personnel are strictly prohibited from leaving their posts and all vacation activities shall be stopped..."
“Bang!”
A female psychic sitting in the front row suddenly stood up. She stared at He Zhuan with wide eyes and anger: "So Sky City is going to completely abandon Devil City?! Then what about our family members? What about our relatives and friends? They are all in Devil City. Am I going to watch them die?!"
"What's the point of distributing supplies? How can you travel if you eat well before you die?!"
He Zhuan saw the black uniform on her and said in a deep voice: "This is an order! You are also a superpower, you should know that obeying orders is..."
"I don't know what the order is! I only know that my supernatural power is used to protect my country! If I can't even protect my family, I'm useless. You even blocked the entrance and suspended the issuance of passes. You are simply forcing me into a dead end!"
The female superpower ripped off the badge on her clothes and threw it to the ground. With red eyes, she gritted her teeth and said word by word: "From today on, I will quit the Superpower Team 12! Anyway, I can kill wanderers anywhere, so I might as well go back to Devil City and stay with my family!"
He Zhu gritted his teeth in anger and warned: "You are seeking death!"
"If you want to die, then die. If you are afraid of death, I will not go to the battlefield!!"
She slammed the door and left angrily after saying nothing. The light from the corridor outside shone into the conference room through the half-open door, making the room seem even darker and more gloomy, making it hard to breathe.
After the first one, there came the second, and after the second, there came the third. There was a rustling sound, and people kept getting up and leaving. Chen Yan took his comrades who came to attend the meeting and left. In a moment, the huge conference room was empty, with only a few senior executives sitting sparsely in the front row.
He Zhuan couldn't read any more, so he turned his head to look at the chief dean and said in a low voice: "Chief dean..."
The chief dean did not say anything. He raised his hand to signal for silence and shook his head. His voice suddenly aged by more than ten years: "Let's adjourn the meeting."
Xing Yuan had been sitting quietly below, but this did not mean that he was interested in the content of the president's meeting. He just suddenly felt a strange emotion.
Wanderers are particularly sensitive to all painful things. At this moment, a thick dark cloud was floating above the conference room, sad and majestic, like an endless stream of waves, icy and bone-chilling, hitting over and over again, making people feel exhausted.
This emotion was so overwhelming that Xing Yuan felt uncomfortable for a moment, as if he was in the depths of the sea. He frowned slightly, wondering if this was the sadness of human beings? They were sad that they were powerless to save their compatriots, and could only watch them die, even their cries were silent.
Everything was quiet all around, and a thought suddenly popped up in Xing Yuan's mind: What about Lu Yan?
Will Lu Yan die too?
He is also a human being.
Xing Yuan suddenly felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, as if the dark clouds above his head had dropped a damp rain, and everything was affected, including him.
The red moon stirred the energy in his body, and the human was stirring his heart.
Xing Yuan stood up from his seat and was finally ready to leave. He turned around and found that Secretary He Zhuan was staring at him. He was somewhat moved. He did not expect that Xing Yuan, who had always been a troublemaker, would support the authorities at this moment and insisted on listening to the entire meeting.
What a good man! What a good man!
Xing Yuan didn't know what He Zhu was thinking, he just felt that the tearful look on his face made him look like a fool, so he didn't even bother to look at him and just turned around and left.
On the other side, Lu Yan had taken off his headphones and sat silently in front of his computer. Although he had not experienced that scene personally, feelings of anger and powerlessness flooded his body.
What can we do? Is this the only way for humans to protect themselves?
He Zhu even said that this red moon would provide nutrients for the wanderers, allowing them to complete a collective advancement, while humans would still be wandering at a low level, unable to find a way out.
Lu Yan turned on his phone. He wanted to send a message to Xing Yuan, but he didn't know what to send. Finally, he slowly typed out a line of words:
【It's going to rain soon, go home early. 】
I don’t know if Xing Yuan will be able to advance. He is already at level five, and if he advances further he will become a level six expert.
He was so engrossed in his phone that he didn't notice that Lu Xiaozhao had begun to change in the living room. He was crawling and twisting on the floor, tearing his clothes, and finally turned into a ball of thick black mist. He flew silently from outside to behind him, his scarlet eyes revealing his desire for flesh and blood.
At this moment, the computer screen was black. When Lu Yan looked up, he found a pair of red eyes reflected on it, right behind him: "..."
Oh, shit.
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