Chapter 82: Evacuation Range
The metal table let out a piercing screech as it was kicked. Zhan Ye’s chest was heaving; he was so disgusted by the Bai Ta’s shameless arrangement that he kept his eyes squeezed shut. The Golden Eagle circled overhead, clearly affected by its master’s emotions.
Su Tang slowly stroked Xiao Yu, her fingertips turning cold.
The Bai Ta’s order was essentially a death notice for everyone. Now, they had to either follow orders and blow up that insanely dangerous Cocoon within twelve hours, or wait for the Bai Ta to act and turn into ashes along with the entire Abyss.
No one spoke. The faint whistling of the wind outside the light membrane sounded particularly harsh.
“They don’t care about our lives at all,” Su Tang’s voice broke the silence, filled with irrepressible anger. “In my view, that talk about ‘all humanity’ is just an excuse to protect their own interests.”
“They’re just afraid. Afraid the Cocoon’s power will grow, afraid it will threaten their stable lives in the Tower.”
The Vice-Captain of the Third Squad turned pale. “Then what do we do? We can’t really go blow up that Cocoon, can we? Leaving aside the resource issue, when we were planting the bombs, I was in close contact with that thing. I could clearly feel that it contains immense energy and the fluctuations are obvious. Who knows what other changes it might undergo?”
“That’s why they’re in a hurry to use us as cannon fodder,” Zhan Ye snorted. “If we can blow up the Cocoon, they keep the Bai Ta safe. If we can’t, we disappear with the Abyss, and they get some peace and quiet. Either way, the loss is ours, and they win.”
Su Tang’s heart sank. She couldn’t help but suspect: did the Bai Ta really not know there was something like this in the Abyss from the start? When she was on a mission with the First Squad before, the area was far from the Abyss, yet unknown high-level pollutants appeared there. Could such a large Cocoon in the Abyss have just appeared out of thin air?
She had reason to suspect the Bai Ta knew about this all along. Sending them here was never intended for them to return alive. They would rather sacrifice two elite squads to stop the Cocoon’s influence from expanding further; it was clear the threat to the Bai Ta had reached a point where they would stop at nothing.
“Saying all this is useless now.” Mo Xiao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and think.
The Bai Ta’s order was like a death summons, with the twelve-hour deadline hanging over their heads. Looking at the wounded around him and the dwindling resources, Mo Xiao lowered his eyes. He knew clearly that going deep into the core of the Abyss to complete the mission now was no different from suicide.
The Bai Ta didn’t care about their safety, but he did.
“It’s unrealistic to risk our lives to complete the mission,” Mo Xiao said, his voice steady. “We can barely protect ourselves. Going to the core zone is just giving the pollutants more nourishment. The Bai Ta is afraid the Cocoon will threaten them and wants us to trade our lives for it—that is impossible.”
“But… but if we don’t blow up the Cocoon… we all know the kill range of those top-secret weapons. The Bai Ta won’t send planes to get us. Relying on our own power—not to mention the dangers on the road—escaping the kill range in twelve hours is very tight,” Klei said desperately. He couldn’t see a single ray of hope for survival.
“Then we hide,” Zhan Ye suddenly sneered. He tapped his wristband, opening the topographical map of the area. He pointed at a specific spot. Su Tang looked over; it was a mountainous area far from the Cocoon’s coordinates.
“I think the kill range for the Bai Ta’s weapon this time is about ten kilometers around the Cocoon. As long as we get out of that zone, we can survive.”
Su Tang’s eyes lit up. “You mean… we move away from the blast zone first?”
“Yes.” Zhan Ye traced an escape route on the map.
“Will this work?” Klei hesitated. “What if the Bai Ta expands the bombing range?”
“They won’t dare,” Mo Xiao said with certainty. “Beyond the mountains to the northwest are plains, only fifty kilometers from the Bai Ta’s energy shield facilities. If they dare to expand the bombing range, polluted dust could easily drift toward the Bai Ta on the wind. That would be truly inviting disaster. The high-level officials would never allow any possibility that threatens the Bai Ta’s safety.”
Mo Xiao let out a sardonic laugh.
Su Tang looked at the mountain markings on the map, and the pressure on her heart suddenly eased. It was true. The fundamental reason the Bai Ta issued the death order was fear of the Cocoon’s energy spreading. Therefore, their bombing operation would be exceptionally cautious; they would never dare let the pollution spread near the Bai Ta.
Mo Xiao carefully considered Zhan Ye’s plan. “I agree with you. However, the things outside might not let us leave so easily. Since they’ve developed intelligence, they must know our casualty situation. If I were them, I’d launch a second attack soon. They won’t give us time to breathe.”
Zhan Ye sighed. “There’s no other way. We have two paths: either die trying to complete that bullshit mission the Bai Ta assigned, or take a gamble. Life or death is up to fate.”
“I agree with Zhan Ye,” Su Tang said, stepping up to stand beside him. “I’m not going to waste my life upholding the Bai Ta’s ridiculous orders.”
Besides, she didn’t believe she would lose here.
“I support Captain Zhan too.”
“Captain Mo, let’s take the gamble.”
“Yeah, the Bai Ta was too heartless this time. There’s no need to throw our lives away for them.”
“Alright,” Mo Xiao nodded. “Since everyone agrees, let’s start preparing.”
“Klei, take some people to organize all usable supplies in the camp. Prioritize water, nutrient agents, and first-aid kits. Vice-Captain, count the total number of wounded Sentinels. Arrange teams of healthy and wounded personnel so that every injured Sentinel has someone responsible for them.”
“Received!” “Received!”
Everyone immediately sprang into action. The sound of footsteps echoing in the camp swept away the previous silence.
Su Tang carried Xiao Yu to the map. The little guy’s green eyes stared at the screen, its tail tip gently tapping a winding canyon.
Zhan Ye leaned over to look. “This canyon is hidden enough; it won’t be easy for pollutants to find us.”
He reached out to ruffle Xiao Yu’s head and, for once, said something nice. “At least you’re a bit useful, little guy. When I get back, I’ll buy you a whole box of spiritual entity snacks—guaranteed to be better than what that guy Ya Suo gets you.”
Xiao Yu arrogantly flicked its tail and huddled into Su Tang’s arms. It didn’t care for his snacks; it was helping them purely to take the little Guide back safely.
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