Chapter 95
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Chapter 95: Fish Body and Bird Wings
The Northern Continent was in ruins, and Xue Zheng drove a large armored cargo truck, humming a tune alongside Wen Jing, who sat in the passenger seat, as they traveled west under the not-so-intense sunlight.
The cargo hold of the armored truck was filled with various weapons and ammunition, including a small missile launch pad. The two-seat hover vehicle that Blanch had given them was firmly tethered to the truck with three steel cables, floating behind it—a stark contrast to the large truck in front, resembling a fierce tiger running forward with a cub hanging from its tail.
They had just fought a fierce battle and were still a bit exhilarated. As they hummed a victory song, the large bloodstains on their clothes gradually disappeared, thanks to the self-cleaning factor in their protective suits.
Xue Zheng held the steering wheel, and after finishing the song, she excitedly began to recount their achievements.
The two groups they had encountered were the government troops of the Northern Continent, who were in the process of relocating part of their weapons stash when they were ambushed by recently betrayed mercenaries.
After observing for a while, they noticed that the government troops were clearly at a disadvantage. However, the loss was also heavy on the mercenary side. Seizing the moment while the battle was at a stalemate, they activated their cloaking device, picked up an ion cannon that the government troops had dropped, and sent away the remaining fighters on both sides.
“I’d say there were at least a hundred or eighty survivors, all well-armed, and we took them down in just a few minutes. I consider us equivalent to a thousand-strong army,” Xue Zheng said, shaking her head with amusement.
Wen Jing propped her hand against the window, resting her chin on it as she gazed into the distance, “Your rhyme has a somewhat rustic flavor.”
“My literary level is on par with our Dr. Yan Yi’s. When it comes to rhyming, I can be reckless.”
As they joked and chatted, the news panel in the vehicle activated, broadcasting two international news updates:
【The recently declared independent Southern Federation has officially gone to war amid the chaos, with the International Special Operations Department taking over the presidential palace. Meanwhile, all maritime territories of the Southern Federation are officially under the jurisdiction of the International Maritime Convention Department.】
【A spokesperson for the Western Federation recently stated that they would fully cooperate with the Special Operations Department to mobilize supplies, ceding their maritime territory and accepting oversight from the World Unity Organization to jointly maintain peace in the federal continent.】
After hearing this, Xue Zheng exclaimed, “Director Yao is impressive! This shows she’s coordinating well with President Wen; with them around, the federation won’t fall into chaos this time.”
Wen Jing considered the complexity and workload involved in the negotiations between various forces and nodded deeply, “Only she has that capability. Look at the place beneath our feet; even the Special Operations Department has people here. How are things going now?”
Xue Zheng glanced at the nearby smoke. The Northern Continent had always been quite chaotic, with frequent changes of power and regional friction. It seemed there had never been a peaceful time in recent years, and it was a key focus for the Special Operations Department.
After the nuclear leak at Poli Port, the Special Operations Department promptly sent personnel, with another male deputy director overseeing this area.
The upper management of the International Special Operations Department was composed of a director and six deputy directors. The director was a nominal lead from the World Unity Organization, responsible for formulating overall policies, while the specific tasks were distributed among the six executing deputy directors. There was internal strife typical in any organization as well.
When Yao Chi was first appointed, she had faced rumors and subtle ostracism for being the only female leader in the executive team.
However, Yao Chi was exceptionally skilled at leveraging her strengths and lacked fixed principles, her moral standards being flexible. She navigated situations with the finesse of an eel.
For her, handling this kind of situation was effortless. Within less than a year, she had solidified her position by maneuvering between two factions that tried to ostracize her, while also establishing close cooperative relationships with high-level officials of other organizations in the World Unity Organization. These external alliances quickly made her a sought-after figure among various factions within the Special Operations Department, and her status steadily rose.
Of course, this came with its share of criticisms and slanders, but Yao Chi seemed to be indifferent to others’ attitudes toward her and always managed to create the most beneficial situations for herself amid controversies.
After the chaos triggered by the nuclear leak at Poli Port, there were deputy director-level personnel monitoring the situation in the Northern Continent. However, three deputy directors had changed in rapid succession recently, and the situation seemed to grow increasingly chaotic.
Hearing Wen Jing mention the area they were driving through, Xue Zheng scoffed, “They’re all deputy directors, but there’s a world of difference in their competence. I foresee that once the federation stabilizes in a few days, Director Yao will have to visit here herself.”
Wen Jing continued to gaze out the window, simply responding with a soft “mm,” without saying any more.
After a while, they arrived at the Agricultural Institute. Wen Jing took out her satellite phone and sent a message to Professor Euyun. Soon, an iron gate began to open slowly, and Xue Zheng drove the armored truck inside.
As they parked the vehicle, they saw a group of people approaching. At the forefront was Professor Euyun, who had just turned seventy. She had short, curly silver-gray hair, a face marked with deep wrinkles, and bright, penetrating eyes. Despite her age, she appeared to have maintained her fitness, standing tall without any sign of stooping, walking with a strong presence.
“Wow, this old lady,” Xue Zheng said, stretching her neck to get a better look from the truck. “She looks like she could knock me down with one punch. We better be polite when we talk.”
Wen Jing glanced at her with a smile, “You should be grateful we’re here to deliver supplies, not to fight.”
As they saw the group coming closer, they jumped out of the truck. Professor Euyun warmly welcomed them, exchanging pleasantries. She first inquired about the situation at the asexual reproduction laboratory and mentioned that communication on the Northern Continent had been unstable due to the mercenary rebellion, which was why she hadn’t been in touch with Dr. Mei’er.
After Wen Jing finished updating her on the latest developments at the asexual reproduction laboratory, Professor Euyun then asked about the children at Green Pasture Manor, showing keen interest in their situation.
They walked and talked, surrounded by a crowd as they entered the Agricultural Institute, which featured a large indoor crop experiment area, sorted by type into neat sections.
Professor Euyun had long been monitoring predictions about solar flares. With the ongoing air pollution issues, she had been researching indoor and underground cultivation of various crops. Now, with global chaos, this place had become a new hope for ensuring food supply in a world facing apocalypse.
After a brief tour, Professor Euyun invited them into her office. Soon, a person responsible for receiving supplies returned and informed Professor Euyun about the amount of equipment on the armored vehicle, which was enough not only to arm the Agricultural Institute but also to send some supplies to Green Pasture Manor.
Satisfied, Professor Euyun clapped her hands and formally thanked the two of them again. Then she turned to Wen Jing and smiled, “Your mother asked me this morning if you had arrived. The signal here has been unstable recently, so your message might not have gone out. As soon as you arrived here, I just replied to her. Let’s check for any updates from her later.”
Wen Jing smiled a bit shyly and looked down. When they left the Eastern Federation, she had sent a message to her mom, but after landing in the Northern Continent, things piled up one after another. After sending the message, she had not had time to check again and later realized it hadn’t been sent. She was thinking of checking the signal in this area to see if it was more stable and ask about her mother’s situation.
Wen Yang was likely still in the federation’s naval fleet. Once they stabilized the nearby waters, she would be returning to the headquarters of the International Maritime Convention Department in the neutral state.
As they sat in the office, enjoying a lavish afternoon tea, they discussed the situation in the Northern Continent. Just then, the communication device on Professor Euyun’s desk rang, signaling a video call from Wen Yang.
Professor Euyun adjusted the camera to capture all three of them and quickly connected the call, revealing Wen Yang’s image on the screen.
She first noticed Wen Jing and Xue Zheng, nodding slightly, then smiled and greeted Professor Euyun. She mentioned that she had nearly finished handling matters on her end and was preparing to return home soon. She also inquired about the situation in the Northern Continent.
After hearing about the turmoil there, Wen Yang calmly responded, “Yao Chi will be heading there soon. I believe the situation will stabilize quickly. After all, solar flares are coming soon; even the foolish should know to find shelter in time. Though, we all understand that for those lacking radiation antibodies, it doesn’t matter where they hide.”
“Indeed, that’s the case on the continents,” Wen Jing said. “But there’s one place I want to deal with before the solar flares hit.” She pointed to the globe on the desk and found a small black dot at the southern edge of the ocean. “Here, Abraham Island. I got word from Blanch yesterday that there’s a Sabbath base on this island built secretly by several wealthy families from Nanzhou. This doomsday fortress has been completed for many years, equipped with independent water circulation and planting systems. It might offer a refuge for those without antibodies to survive the impending radiation.”
Professor Euyun frowned slightly, recalling, “A few years ago, a wealthy individual did purchase underground planting technology from us, which must have been used for this.”
Wen Jing nodded. “They already have a group of people on the island, but to maintain the island’s independent system, their energy consumption is severe. The mercenary rebellion in the Northern Continent is actually helping them secretly transport energy resources.” She paused, her expression darkening. “Not only that, Blanch found that they have been gathering a group of young women in Nanzhou to send to the island soon using modified cargo ships. They label these women as goods, calling them ‘containers for the holy infants.’”
Everyone in the room fell silent at her words. Wen Jing continued, “They see the Sabbath base as humanity’s last hope, but I believe if such a place exists, humanity is truly finished.”
Wen Yang frowned and tapped a few buttons on her work panel. “Recently, there have been cargo ships reporting in the southern waters, and their routes are somewhat circuitous. I’ll send someone to investigate.”
They discussed the upcoming arrangements for a while before static interrupted the call due to signal instability, and they ended the video.
Professor Euyun led them to a tidy room for a rest. That evening, the Agricultural Institute received news that Deputy Director Yao Chi had arrived in the Northern Continent.
Since leaving the federation, Wen Jing had kept in touch with Yao Chi. Upon learning about Abraham Island, she had immediately sent a message to Yao Chi to confirm the situation.
That night, Yao Chi quietly dispatched a warplane for them, equipped with a single nuclear bomb, just like the Hoot-12 from before. Understanding the plan, Wen Jing and Xue Zheng boarded the aircraft under the night color and departed from the Northern Continent.
The Night Sky was chaotic as they flew over the smoke below, traveling south supersonically, arriving at the ocean’s southern edge by dawn.
A faint light began to appear on the horizon; in about an hour, it would be morning.
Wen Jing watched the coordinate display, gradually lowering their altitude as her gaze locked on the nearby Abraham Island, which was miles away from the nearest continent, confirming its secluded location.
They circled above for a while, and the scanning system of the aircraft reported that ground missile defense systems had been detected.
She frowned as Xue Zheng saw the synchronized report from behind, “Why did they set up such a large defense system? They really put a lot of thought into this base.”
A system of this scale could easily intercept even nuclear bombs with standard missile deployment methods.
Luo Yu thought for a moment and magnified the surrounding sea area on the coordinate display. She recalled her mother mentioning a very special place in this sea area.
After confirming the location on the display, she descended again on the eastern side of Abraham Island and pulled the control stick, releasing the nuclear bomb into the sea from low altitude before rapidly climbing.
Xue Zheng was still calculating the furthest drop point when she looked up and saw Wen Jing had already completed the drop. “We only had this one nuclear bomb, and you just threw it into the sea like that?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a rumble erupted from below, and the churning seawater boiled violently, followed by an eruption of hot lava. Xue Zheng looked down, her voice rising in pitch, “Undersea volcano?!”
A ray of sunlight rose from the horizon, bathing them in golden-red dawn above while below, the fiery eruption unleashed waves as high as walls crashing toward Abraham Island.
Sea water surged into the Sabbath base, flooding the dreams of the wealthy and their last hope.
Watching this scene, Xue Zheng coldly remarked, “Well done, Sabbath base; this time, you’re completely at rest.”
Seeing ash clouds quickly approaching, Wen Jing turned northward. Before leaving the area, she gazed down at the submerged Abraham Island, and her mind suddenly recalled the voice from the system when she joined the Time Bureau and chose her codename: “Luo Yu, fish body and bird wings, when seen, the great water of its city.”
