Chapter 64: News of the Fall of Yangcheng

Shen Lie moved continuously until he reached the periphery of the main column. He chose a direction guarded by the military, but in the current chaos, no one took notice of his small group.

"Look, Heavenly King Shen, what is that?"
"Helicopters! Oh! What is that?"

Just as Shen Lie began to orient himself after leaving the main group, he heard a cry of surprise from Duan Yu behind him, which immediately turned into a shriek of terror.

Shen Lie also heard a low, humming vibration. He looked up, and his face turned ashen; he was even worse off than Duan Yu, his blood drained away and his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"Do not make a sound! Run!"

Shen Lie’s scalp went numb at the sight of the two giant insects. He knew all too well how terrifying these creatures were. Even if they had twice as many Awakened ones, the outcome would remain unchanged. He could only hope that their luck would hold and they would remain unnoticed.

Although she did not fully understand why Shen Lie’s reaction was so intense, Du Lili and Duan Yu sensed the menace of the monsters in the sky. Without a word, the team followed closely behind Shen Lie, moving silently and swiftly.

They had barely covered a hundred meters when the three helicopters reached the sky above the main column. Before they could land, the two giant insects, as if bored with their sport, suddenly launched a violent assault.

These giant insects were ice-elemental. A few breaths of frigid mist sent the helicopters spiraling down, trailing black smoke. Two of them crashed into the crowd, while the third plunged right in front of Shen Lie’s group.

Shen Lie’s face turned green, his heart jumping into his throat. Cursing his misfortune, he veered off in another direction, all the while keeping a wary eye on the two monsters.

With these giant insects present, Shen Lie had no mind to spare for the spider monsters; compared to these behemoths, the spiders were as harmless as ants. He knew they absolutely could not cross paths with these insects, or certain death would follow.

Seeing the three helicopters decimated in an instant, the entire column erupted in panic. Everyone instinctively scrambled away from the area beneath the insects, fleeing in a frenzied stampede.

These two insects were slightly smaller than the one Shen Lie had encountered at the Golden Palace—the former had been thirty meters long, while these were roughly fifteen or sixteen meters, and possessed only two pairs of wings instead of the many the other had.

Even so, their power was terrifying. Every dive claimed several human lives. Their maws were immense, capable of swallowing two people at once, and a single lash of their tails could sweep away a crowd. Meanwhile, human attacks seemed like nothing more than a light tickle against their hides.

"Division Commander, what do we do? If this continues, we’re finished!" The appearance of the giant insects had long since diverted all attention from the spider monsters. The entire column was in complete disarray; people desperate to escape drove their vehicles at full speed, ramming into anyone in their way. The air was filled with screams.

More people were trampled by the panicking crowds than were killed by the insects. Seeing that the situation was beyond saving, Zhang Kaitai closed his eyes in agony and ordered the military personnel to evacuate immediately.

A desperate flight for survival began. Everyone knew that no matter how fast they ran, they might not escape the range of the giant insects, but the goal was not to outrun the bugs—only to outrun their fellow survivors.

The fields surrounding the highway were instantly flooded with people. The soldiers, no longer tied to their posts, followed the division’s order to break out in small groups. With their superior physical conditioning and no families to weigh them down, they were the fastest of the lot.

Some soldiers still harbored hopes of downing the insects, firing countless anti-aircraft shells into the sky. Unfortunately, the monsters were not only capable of breathing ice, but they were also incredibly fast. The shells missed their marks, only succeeding in drawing the creatures' attention. After a few dives, there were almost no functional cannons left on the ground.

Yet, the barrage was not entirely in vain; it bought the survivors a little more time to increase the distance between themselves and the monsters.

"Division Commander, we must retreat too! If we don’t leave now, it will be too late!" Zhang Kaitai stood rigid, clutching half a scorched document, staring up at the giant insects ravaging the crowd. His officers, seeing the total collapse of the column and that only a hundred or so of their own soldiers remained, grew desperate.

"Leave? To where? I suspect Yang City has fallen. We have no hope left!" Zhang Kaitai’s eyes remained fixed on the white giant insect, his voice devoid of emotion.

"What? Division... Division Commander, you said Yang City has fallen? That’s impossible! It can’t be true!" The officer was shaken to his core, refusing to believe it.

Zhang Kaitai said nothing, merely handing the scorched document to the officer.

"This... how... what are we to do?" The officer read the text, his face turning ghostly pale. His hands trembled so violently he dropped the paper, which fluttered to the ground, the words blurring in the twilight.

"We have made every possible effort, yet we could not turn the tide. It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the failure to defend the city..."

This document had been recovered from one of the downed helicopters. Though only a few scribbled lines remained, they contained enough information to crush Zhang Kaitai’s spirit.

The fall of Yang City had broken him. Throughout this long journey, he had endured immense pressure, sustained only by the firm belief that he would deliver these people to safety. He believed that as long as the people, the city, and the army remained, there was hope for humanity.

But Yang City had fallen. Not even four months into the apocalypse, the largest military base in the north, a stronghold that had been prepared for years, had been destroyed by monsters just like that?

How many people could have survived? How many would make it out? If Yang City had fallen, what of the Capital? Could the other bases hold?

A barrage of questions flooded his mind. Yang City held a deeper significance for him—it was his home, where his parents, wife, and children lived. Were they still alive? Would he ever see them again?

Suddenly, Zhang Kaitai’s eyes turned bloodshot, and his entire body began to convulse violently.

"Division Commander! Division Commander! Help! Something’s wrong with the Commander!"
"Division Commander Zhang, what’s happening? Wake up!"
"Look out, the spider monsters are charging! We must retreat!"
"It’s no use, the spiders are coming from the rear too! Where are the vehicles? Get an armored car, we have to get the Commander out of here!"
"You go first, the Independent Regiment will cover you! Move!"
"The bugs! Watch out for the bugs, don’t get near them!"

The spiders, having been quiet for a moment, launched a full-scale assault, throwing the situation into absolute chaos. The screams were deafening, a true scene of the apocalypse.

"Is the Division Commander...? Ah, he’s Awakening! Everyone, guard him! Don't let anyone interrupt his Awakening!"

Under the immense pressure and the devastating news of Yang City’s fall, Zhang Kaitai’s psyche had reached a breaking point, triggering the awakening of his bloodline.

Awakening times varied, and this was a process no outsider could influence. Professor Liu and the military researchers watched from the sidelines, while the military’s Awakened squad stood guard, desperate to keep the giant insects and the spiders at bay.