Chapter Sixty-Four: The News of Yangcheng's Fall

Shen Lie moved without pause to the edge of the large convoy. He chose a direction guarded by the military, but in the current chaos, no one paid any attention to his small group.

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

Just as Shen Lie began to orient himself after leaving the main group, he heard Duan Yu’s exclamation of surprise, which quickly turned into a cry of terror. Shen Lie heard the buzzing sound as well. He looked up, his face turning deathly pale—even more so than Duan Yu’s. Not only was he bloodless, but his legs were trembling.

"Don't make a sound! Run!"

Shen Lie’s scalp tingled 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 their luck was better than others and that they wouldn't be spotted by the beasts.

Though they didn't fully understand why Shen Lie reacted so violently, the monsters in the sky were clearly formidable. Du Lili and Duan Yu said nothing, and the small team followed closely behind Shen Lie, moving rapidly in silence.

They had barely gone a hundred meters when the three helicopters reached the area above the main convoy. Before they could land, the two giant insects, as if bored with their play, suddenly launched a fierce assault. The insects were ice-elemental; a few breaths of frigid energy sent the helicopters spiraling down in plumes of black smoke. Two crashed into the main crowd, and one fell right in front of Shen Lie’s group!

Shen Lie’s face turned green, his heart jumping into his throat. Cursing his rotten luck, he frantically swerved to run in another direction, all the while keeping a wary eye on the two monsters. With these creatures present, Shen Lie no longer had the heart to worry about the spider monsters; compared to these two, the spiders were as harmless as ants. He absolutely had to avoid them, or death was certain.

Seeing the three helicopters decimated in an instant, the entire convoy fell into a state of total collapse. People instinctively scrambled away from the area beneath the insects, fleeing in a frenzied panic. These two insects were slightly smaller than the one Shen Lie had encountered at the Golden Palace—which had been thirty meters long, whereas these were perhaps fifteen or sixteen meters, with only two pairs of wings instead of many.

Even so, their power was terrifying. Every dive claimed several human lives. Their mouths were cavernous, capable of swallowing two people at once, and a single flick of their tails could sweep away a crowd. Meanwhile, human attacks felt like nothing more than tickles to them.

"Division Commander, what do we do? If this continues, we’re finished!"

The appearance of the giant insects had long since left no one to resist the spider monsters. The entire formation was in shambles. To escape quickly, some drove their vehicles at top speed, crashing into anyone in their path, accompanied by endless screams. More people were being trampled to death by the fleeing crowd than were being killed by the insects. Seeing that the situation was beyond saving, Zhang Kaitai closed his eyes in agony and ordered the military forces to retreat immediately.

A desperate flight for survival began. Everyone knew that no matter how fast they ran, it was impossible to escape the insects' targets; survival was no longer about outrunning the monsters, but about outrunning the other survivors. The farmlands surrounding the highway were instantly flooded with people. The soldiers, no longer holding their posts, followed the order to break out in different directions. With their superior physical conditioning and no families to weigh them down, they were actually the fastest among the refugees.

Some soldiers still held onto the hope of shooting down the giant insects. Countless anti-aircraft guns opened fire, but the insects were not only capable of breathing ice, they were incredibly fast. The shells missed completely, only drawing the monsters' attention. After a few dives, there were hardly any functional cannons left on the ground. However, this barrage was not entirely useless; it stalled the two monsters long enough for the survivors to gain a little more distance.

"Division Commander, let’s retreat too! If we don't go now, we won't make it!"

Zhang Kaitai stood ramrod straight, holding half a charred document. He stared up at the two monsters wreaking havoc above the crowd, lost in thought. His officer, seeing the crowd in complete collapse and their remaining military force dwindled to barely a hundred men, urged him anxiously.

"Go? Where can we go? I suspect Yang City has fallen. We have no hope left!" Zhang Kaitai’s eyes remained fixed on the white giant insect, his tone devoid of emotion.

"What? D-Division Commander, you say Yang City has fallen? That’s impossible! This can’t be true!" The officer was shaken to the core, refusing to believe it.

Zhang Kaitai said nothing, simply handing the charred scrap of paper to the officer.

"This... this... what do we do? What are we supposed to do?" The officer read the text, his face turning deathly pale. His hands trembled so violently he couldn't hold the paper, and it fluttered to the ground, the characters blurring in the dim twilight.

"We have made our greatest efforts, yet we could not turn the tide. We must announce with a heavy heart that the defense of the city has failed."

This document had been recovered from one of the downed helicopters. Though it contained only a few scribbled lines, it was enough to convey the devastating truth. It was this scrap that had left Zhang Kaitai in total despair. The fall of Yang City had shattered his resolve. Throughout this journey, he had endured immense pressure, but he had held onto one firm belief: to bring these people to Yang City.

No matter the danger or the criticism, his conviction had remained steadfast. He believed that as long as the people remained, the city stood, and the troops held their ground, there was hope for humanity. Yet, Yang City had fallen. The apocalypse had barely lasted four months, and the largest military base in the north—a stronghold prepared long before the end of the world—had been destroyed by monsters just like that?

How many people were left inside? How many could have survived? If Yang City had fallen, what about the capital? Could the other bases hold? A series of questions swirled in Zhang Kaitai’s mind. Yang City held personal significance for him; it was his hometown, where his parents, wife, and children lived. Were they still alive? Would he ever see them again?

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

"Division Commander! Division Commander! Someone come quick, the Commander is having an episode!"
"Commander Zhang, what’s wrong? Wake up!"
"Ah, no! The spider monsters over there are charging! We must retreat!"
"It’s no use, the spiders are coming from the rear too! We’re out of time! Where are the vehicles? Get a bulletproof car and take the Commander first!"
"You go ahead, the Independent Regiment will provide cover! Move!"
"The bugs! Watch out for the bugs, don't go near that side!"

The spider monsters, having been quiet for a while, finally noticed the anomaly and launched an all-out attack, throwing the situation into even greater chaos. Everyone had gone mad; heart-wrenching screams echoed one after another, a true vision of the apocalypse.

"Is the Commander...? Ah, the Commander is Awakening! Everyone, cover him! Don't let anyone interrupt his Awakening!"

Under the dual pressure of the dire situation and the news of Yang City’s fall, Zhang Kaitai’s mind had finally reached its breaking point, triggering the awakening of his bloodline. The process of Awakening varied in duration, and there was nothing outsiders could do to interfere. Professor Liu and the military researchers could only watch from the sidelines, while a team of Awakened soldiers stood guard to prevent the giant insects and spiders from reaching them.