Chapter 798: Deep Into the Ruins

Humans had fully occupied the Hidden Mist Domain, and it had, in a way, transformed into a jungle where “giant crocodiles” ran amok.

The nine mega corporations fought fiercely for the mining rights of the crystal lodes and the exploration rights of the ancient ruins.

Although Superstar Resource Recovery Company had made a name for itself in the circle due to several mergers and acquisitions like a boa swallowing an elephant[1], it was not enough to compete with the giant crocodiles.

After all, they lacked a foundation and were not strong enough to fight head-on with the giant crocodiles.

Lu Siya told Meng Chao that in order to split up the monster civilization’s provisions, Sky Pillar Corporation’s shareholders, as well as the brothers and sisters in the Lu family who were connected by blood, were all scheming against each other. They would resort to any means necessary.

Even her father, who owned the most profitable company under the group, Sky Pillar Minerals, did not dare to guarantee how much profit he would get from this big cake.

Not to mention, there was the distribution of benefits between Sky Pillar Corporation and Universe Corporation, between the mega corporations and the Red Dragon Army, between the giant crocodiles and the small and medium-sized enterprises, between the Deity Realm experts and the low-level superhumans.

From a certain point of view, this fight for the spoils of war was even more intense than the Monster War itself.

With Meng Chao’s battle achievements, it was naturally no problem for him to get a few more medals and fight for the title of “Dragon City’s top ten outstanding youths.”

However, if he wanted to get real benefits from the monster civilization’s remains, he still had to patiently wait for an opportunity.

Meng Chao was not someone who was greedy for fame and fortune.

He mainly wanted to get more resources to add a few more valuable weights to his “Other World strategy.”

Facing the current situation of the giant crocodiles running amok, he could only watch helplessly.

However, on this day, the arrival of a mysterious VIP changed the situation.

…

“Master Lei!”

A plain-looking armored airship without any markings slowly landed in a temporary military base in the depths of the Hidden Mist Domain.

The cabin door slowly opened, and a burly old man, who was completely covered by a full-enclosed chemical suit, walked down step by step.

If one observed carefully, they would find that the fully-enclosed suit, which was of the highest level, was several times more bulky than the ordinary suit. The inside of the suit was filled with crystal-clear, pale-green liquid medicine.

There were also seven or eight tubes connected to the tank behind the suit to ensure that the old man would not be exposed to the air in the outside world. He would not be disturbed by the chaotic spiritual radiation in the Hidden Mist Domain either.

This was not a suit but a mobile medical cabin.

In addition, there were medical teams and the experts and officers who were waiting respectfully around the armored airship.

In the whole Dragon City, who else could put on such an ostentatious show besides Lei Zongchao, the Battle God?

Lei Zongchao frowned slightly. He was not interested in the welcome ceremony arranged by “Railway Gun” Long Feijun.

However, except for Meng Chao, who was supporting him by the side, Lei Zongchao did not let his emotions leak out and make the people welcoming him feel uneasy.

Instead, he smiled and abided by the duties of an old senior.

First, he gave an impassioned speech to the unit that had performed the best in this battle.

Then, he visited a few soldiers who were the bravest in battle and were so seriously injured that they had to amputate some of their limbs to replace the mechanical prostheses. He also promised to impart the latest mechanical martial arts that he and Meng Chao had developed to these soldiers.

After busying himself for half a day, he finally had the time to call Meng Chao to the side.

“Master Lei, why are you on the frontline?”

Meng Chao was pleasantly surprised and somewhat worried by Lei Zongchao’s arrival.

He knew that although Lei Zongchao was a martial arts legend from the past, he had already entered his twilight years.

When he was young, he had suffered the invasion of mysterious powers in the ancient ruins. He had also experienced the ravages of hundreds of fierce battles. Countless minor and major injuries overlapped each other. He was like a volcano that could erupt at any moment. It was not surprising that he would spontaneously combust and die the next second.

In order to stabilize his vitality magnetic field, he usually stayed in the Supernatural Tower and Battle God Palace.

He should not have appeared in a place like the Hidden Mist Domain, where the spirit magnetic environment was complicated. The radiation and interference were very intense.

Not to mention, the Lei Zongchao from Meng Chao’s previous life had perished together with the monster mastermind in the depths of the Hidden Mist Domain.

Meng Chao could not help but feel a sense of worry.

However, when he recalled that the present was different from the past, the Deity Realm experts had long swarmed over the monster mastermind. It had been dismembered and the entire lair had been gutted by the humans’ large-scale construction machinery. They did not have to worry too much about repeating the same mistake.

“So many brave and fearless Red Dragon Army troops and superhumans have fought to the death on the frontlines and even sacrificed their precious lives. Yet, I can only curl up in the Supernatural Tower. I have been waiting anxiously for a long time. It was not easy for me to receive the news of your great victory. Can’t I come to the frontline to join in the fun?”

Lei Zongchao chuckled and paused for a moment. His expression turned somewhat stiff as his voice became low. “It’s said that they found traces of Jin Qianxi in the monster mastermind…”

“Really?”

Meng Chao immediately understood Lei Zongchao’s feelings.

Jin Qianxi was his comrade-in-arms through life and death, and she was also his undying lover.

Although their relationship had transcended half a century of erosion and the barrier between the Yin and Yang Realms, Lei Zongchao still could not forget the love of his life even at the end of his own life.

Knowing that the love of his life had something to do with the monster mastermind, even if it was involuntary, Lei Zongchao’s feelings were extremely complicated.

He probably wanted to know more than Meng Chao what had happened in the monster headquarters and what kind of existence the monster mastermind was.

“They told me that the monster mastermind was an existence similar to an ant queen. Of course, it was countless times larger than the ruler of an ordinary ant colony. Moreover, through tens of thousands of sticky tentacles, it was connected to the genetic factory that was used to create the monster horde and the Apocalyptic Beasts. On the chest of this “super ant queen,” there was a human face that was properly inlaid. It looked exactly like Jin Qianxi. Also, when they were fighting the monster mastermind, it would occasionally speak in the tone of a human girl who had been tortured.”

Lei Zongchao sighed and said, “There’s no need to persuade me. My brain is very clear. I know that it can’t be the real Jin Qianxi, just her remains. Perhaps part of her brain tissue was accidentally picked up and swallowed by the monster mastermind, and the puppet was created by reading Jin Qianxi’s memories.

“However, even if it’s just a puppet, even if it’s broken into pieces or even turned into a pool of blood, I still want to go to the scene and see for myself and find out how she died.

“Meng Chao, can you understand this feeling? Come with me to the monster civilization’s ultimate lair?”

Meng Chao naturally would not miss this golden opportunity.

Lei Zongchao did not want to alarm too many people.

After greeting all parties, Meng Chao simply maneuvered a dual-driving all-terrain vehicle and drove Lei Zongchao out in a low-key manner.

Dragon City’s civilization had already opened up dozens of simple roads in the Hidden Mist Domain.

From the military base to the edge of the sinkhole, there was no obstruction along the way.

Since humans had exploded the surrounding mountains that contained crystal ore veins and changed the spirit and magnetic environment, the fog, which had lingered around the sinkhole for thousands of years, had mostly dissipated.

The jungle in the air that had originally covered the sinkhole had been burned to the ground.

Standing at the edge of the sinkhole, one could see as far as one’s eyes could reach to the bottom of the sinkhole that was nearly 1,000 meters deep.

After the indiscriminate bombing half a month ago, as well as the life-and-death battle between the Deity Realm warriors and the Apocalyptic Beasts, the dark jungle at the bottom of the sinkhole had long been torn apart and burned.

The humans had also built a large number of tents, semi-permanent bases, automatic fire points, and signal transmitting towers there. Tens of thousands of thinking war trucks, drones, and construction machinery had been transported there. It was like a roaring steam, with molten iron splashing and sweat streaming. The construction scene was bustling.

The ATV stretched out eight folded anti-joint crawling feet on both sides, replacing the tracks. They followed the gently trimmed slope and arrived at the bottom of the sinkhole.

They passed by a large warehouse area that was temporarily storing monster materials.

They also passed by an inflatable station that was filled with armored airships and hot air balloons that constantly emitted squeaking sounds.

There was also an open-air dining hall that could accommodate 50,000 soldiers and construction workers at the same time. The ingredients there were all slaughtered on the spot. Pieces of fatty monster meat and fresh meat tendons were still squirming around, while the soldiers were sweating profusely after their meals. They were satisfied and burping as they continued to head to the frontline.

When they passed by the ruins of Peach Blossom Town, Lei Zongchao asked Meng Chao to stop.

This was because the weeds and vines covering the ruins of Peach Blossom town had all been uprooted and burned to ashes.

This unfortunate satellite town revealed its broken and devastated state.

Time was limited, and the construction team only had time to clean up the ruins of the collapsed buildings.

The remaining ruins were still standing there alone, just like a wordless monument.

Perhaps, one day, even if the people of Dragon City built a memorial hall there to commemorate this satellite town that had once struggled hard and was ultimately doomed, they still would not know how to explain Peach Blossom Town’s destruction, right?

With Meng Chao’s help, Lei Zongchao came to the front of the “wordless monument” composed of broken walls.

His expression was solemn. He bowed deeply before the ruins of the town, paying tribute to the souls of his compatriots who were even more unfortunate than the people of Dragon City.

Meng Chao instantly understood what he meant.

Just like Lei Zongchao, he bowed deeply, hoping that all the wandering souls from Earth would be able to rest in peace.

After three minutes of silence, Meng Chao straightened his body and hesitated to speak.

“Do you really want to know whether Peach Blossom Town was destroyed by humans or monsters?”

Lei Zongchao sensed his confusion. “Do you still want to know whether Earth’s civilization was destroyed by an all-out nuclear war?”

Meng Chao hesitated for a moment and nodded. “Yes.”

“I don’t have the answer to the first question,” Lei Zongchao said. “But I can tell you clearly that Earth’s civilization was not destroyed because we are still here.

“Even if the earth is now heavily contaminated by radiation and is now a barren land full of devastation, the dust will eventually settle down. No matter how terrible the radiation is, it will disperse.

“By then, we will return to Earth. Brick by brick, road by road, city by city, we will rebuild the entire civilization.”

That was also Meng Chao’s belief.

However, he could not help but be conflicted. “How long will it take?”

“Not long.”

Lei Zongchao said, “It has only been two million years since the early human beings ignited the first spark of wisdom and human beings became the spirits of all living things, bathing the entire earth in the glory of civilization.

“Don’t worry, our path will definitely not be longer and more difficult than our ancestors’.”

[1] Chinese idiom that denotes greed or dissatisfaction