Chapter 409: Disaster

We grew up in the cradle of science, walking alone across the prairies of life, climbing the peaks of the origin code, knocking on the doors of the gods—and before all this, we never shed our pride.

On the ground, people constantly ran, were swallowed, and prostrated themselves, praying.

In the sky, infected Ishdarians were attacking. Many people screamed as explosions echoed one after another, and sporadic drops of blood-red rain fell from above.

“Run!”

“Get out of Velia!”

To prevent the virus from spreading, they had cut off external networks and began communicating solely through speech.

“How tragic… This is the first time I’ve heard an entire civilization communicate solely through speech, and the hustle and bustle of urban society is now the sound of its instant destruction. I wonder if there will be a tomorrow.”

Xia Naiming took a deep breath, carrying Du Xue’s brain core, and quickly fled the city, which had fallen into ruin. His heart was heavy. “Even if the Ishdarians aren’t completely finished… they’ll be severely hit.”

He had been imprisoned for several months and expected to be confined to a zoo for life. He never imagined that this era would collapse. He didn't know what the future held, or if the Ishdarians could survive.

“We Ishdarians will never be destroyed; no one can kill us,” Du Xue stated firmly.

“But this is… the apocalypse!” Xia Naiming exclaimed, his mouth agape.

He was incredibly intelligent and had already guessed what lay ahead. Having watched countless zombie movies, he knew this was far from simple and not something they could easily overcome like previous difficulties.

Their hot air balloon was flying through the sky.

“It’s too chaotic! I can’t rush to find help. It would be trouble if we ran into infected people who’d been bitten. We need to find a place to hide, a shelter, to avoid getting infected! And then, we need to break through the horde, find a hospital, and look for a body for Du Xue to inhabit!”

“No matter what, I have to save Du Xue; she still holds the highest human authority!”

The Central Research Institute was beyond reach.

This war had come too brutally.

They prided themselves as gods, but ultimately, they were still mortals. When the sky fell and the earth collapsed, and Velia, the proud city of the Ishdarians, was destroyed in an instant, only a handful managed to escape.

Even those who escaped huddled in corners, barely surviving, facing terrifying viral infections from the living corpses roaming the streets.

Diseases, viruses, plagues, and infections had long become distant words, vanishing with the evolution of civilization, technological advancements, and medical innovation. Yet today, they reappeared, unleashing their most primal and terrifying power upon this highly advanced civilization.

He thought for a moment, then posted online: “What do I do if a zombie virus breaks out in a sci-fi world? Waiting online, it’s urgent!”

Players: ??? “How long has it been? How did the tone shift so dramatically?”

In the vast Blue Sea Domain. Bubbles slowly rose and erupted from the magnificent underwater sanctuary. Exquisite luminous pearls and corals formed splendid decorations. Everyone stood before the palace, their gaze fixed on the huge curved screen at one end of a table.

The screen clearly displayed the terrifying upheaval in Velia, the mechanical city of the Ishdarians. The apocalyptic disaster weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts like a thick, dark shadow.

No one spoke; the atmosphere was silent.

Caroline couldn't rush back. She also knew clearly, what good would it do if she did?

She, like Milivena, was merely a scientist with no combat power. All of the civilization's combat strength was already there, and it could be fully utilized even without her; the Ishdarians could operate on their own.

“The Ishdarians will still return… setbacks are just part of the journey,” Caroline said, closing her eyes. “No advanced intelligent civilization passes through quietly; they all stumble, and so do we.”

“Is this gamble lost?” Hylandong asked.

Caroline did not answer him, softly murmuring Mr. Levis’s words from back then, “No matter how dark the times, we still believe in science, just as we believe in the dawn of humanity’s future.”

Caroline slowly walked up to Xu Zhi, placed down a cup, and said, “I still remember that day, that street, that milk tea shop, and the dream I spoke of with you.”

The object she had been gripping tightly, she hesitated for a moment, then released it and turned to leave.

Xu Zhi looked down at what Caroline had left.

It was a transparent plastic milk tea cup, already crumpled, showing signs of having been treasured for a long time, full of the marks of time, like a symbol of her resolve.

The terrible disaster had still broken out.

Caroline had already returned, urgently leading her subordinates away. This disaster was far greater than imagined; the destruction of the Ishdarians seemed inevitable, as knocking over a domino often requires only the slightest touch.

“It will be difficult for her to turn the tide…”

Beneath the beautiful, dark-red coral reefs, as bubbles churned in the seawater, Hylandong’s expression grew calm, though with a hint of sorrow for a fallen peer. “The unified brain's protective barrier, C language, which forms the Ishdarians’ life programming code and establishes their guilt-death mechanism, is perfect. However, research into targeted viruses that cause brain paralysis can also lead to the civilization's demise.”

“We, however, are different. Each of our brains establishes its own unique firewall… preventing such widespread infection.”

Xu Zhi’s expression remained natural upon hearing this. “Each of you is an isolated island; this has both pros and cons. The Ishdarians achieved a highly advanced civilization because of their system. Weren't you quite envious of them?”

“Indeed.” Hylandong acknowledged with a smile, “I envy them, yet I dare not become like them. I admire their courage; this race possesses a burning intensity like lava! Their pursuit of science is so radical and strong, I wouldn’t dare…”

He spoke frankly of his own timidity and cowardice.

Perhaps, this was the difference between a race living on the edge of lava and one living in the ocean.

One was radical, romantic, and passionate; the other, tranquil, steady, and conservative.

Starting from the same point, they developed vastly different civilization paths, leading to stark differences.

Hylandong continued, “So, I chose verbal communication, with each of us building our own firewalls, refusing heart-to-heart exchanges, creating barriers between individuals in our civilization, waiting for a virus outbreak, and then establishing a sanctuary for our race. Because I knew that while it’s difficult to kill those who break free from the guilt-death mechanism, the most terrifying thing is their ability to create viruses targeting their own kind…”

“And my national policy for the Sea Race is not truly conservative, but rather the most reliable path to success. Once the Ishdarians are extinct, we will effortlessly inherit their civilization’s achievements and naturally stand at their level… Thank you, Ancient God, for witnessing our wager.”

Xu Zhi was stunned.

None of these leaders, capable of guiding a civilization, were easy to deal with.

He had actually seen many instances of people developing cautiously and then covertly learning such strategies, and he himself was one of them. But it was rare to hear someone articulate it so refreshingly and with such clear premeditation.

This individual was clearly a master of it, making up for any lack of raw intelligence with sheer ingenuity.

Perhaps, inheriting legacies and becoming a 'demolition second-generation' (inheriting wealth from urban redevelopment) was the fastest way to reach the pinnacle of life’s fortune.

“However, the Ishdarians are a race that creates miracles. No one knows if they will survive this virus outbreak,” Hylandong said with emotion.

Hylandong smiled, remarking with great feeling, “If necessary, I will find a way to offer refuge to their people as a condition, not only to accept their civilization but also to marry Caroline… After all, her wisdom alone is profound enough to have far-reaching influence.”

Hylandong suddenly fixed his gaze on Xu Zhi, smirking and blinking. “I wonder, Ancient God, what is your opinion? Can I marry Caroline and achieve an alliance between our two races? If you are interested, I won’t compete with you.”

Xu Zhi looked at him with a strange expression: ???

If he wasn’t mistaken, the true Ocean Monarch Hylandong had long been dead. The body before him contained his wife, Mika, the Great Naga Princess, who was also the true mastermind behind Hylandong’s reign.

A woman marrying a woman—are you cheating on your husband? No, wait! You’re using your husband’s body to marry Caroline. Are you cheating on yourself?

“Who… cheated on whom? Did I cheat on myself? Or is it a double cheat?” Xu Zhi felt speechless. This was a philosophical question, and the whole situation felt completely wrong.

Hylandong merely smiled, assuming the posture of a formidable ruler. “For Hylandong, the Ocean Overlord ruling tens of millions of beings across the entire Blue Sea Domain, the valiant, righteous, and perfect Ocean Monarch Emperor, to marry Caroline, the Great Sage of the Ishdarians, would be the greatest honor for the Sea Race… I am fulfilling my husband’s mission as I move forward. What’s wrong with taking a new empress?”

Xu Zhi, wearing a strange expression, stopped dwelling on it. Compared to Caroline, a normal person, Hylandong—an abnormal person deeply in love with her husband, even a yandere who possessed his body after his death—was now proposing to marry a wife on his behalf… He turned and left.

“Ancient God, where are you going?” Hylandong suddenly asked.

Xu Zhi did not hide his destination. “I want to go see the Ishdarian city.”

He naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity. He wanted to see what terrifying situation had unfolded, whether it truly qualified as an apocalyptic disaster.

This was a major event, unprecedented even. He could clearly feel the destructive energy surging, far exceeding any previous world extinction event! It was only natural, given the Ishdarians’ highly developed civilization, with adults averaging fourth-tier strength—that was terrifying! Moreover, the entire world was vastly more immense than before. Now, with the extinction just beginning, he could already sense the energy of two emerging gods feeding back, pushing his realm closer to the sixth-tier limit—the Quasi-Emperor stage.

Quasi-Emperor…

Another significant stride and immense gain for him.

“You’re going to the Ishdarian city?” Hylandong asked softly, bowing slightly. “May I, your humble servant, accompany the Ancient God?”

He extended a hand, and a disc-shaped flying vehicle, styled in the manner of the Sea Race, came to a stop before them.