Chapter 369: Probing Reactions and Military Preparations Unfold (Part 2)

Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Probing Reactions and Military Preparations Unfold (Part 2)

There was no sound aside from what was coming from the video.

"His body is already full of these root-like tendrils, and the source can’t be surgically removed! What the hell kind of thing is out there in that frozen wasteland!"

"Let’s go. Disinfect, then take off these heavy isolation suits. I’ve really had enough. Dealing with these patients is completely draining."

It looked like a quarantine area inside a plastic tent. Some patients, horrifyingly gaunt, were strapped to their beds. Two medical workers in isolation suits moved from the "ward" to a decontamination room, and then walked into a locker room to take off their suits.

"Oh, hell! Oli, your hand! Oh no!"

"What? This can’t be real! No!"

The camera in the locker room recorded their terror. Whether through automated tracking or post-production editing, the video angle zoomed in for a close-up on one of the doctors’ arms.

An unnatural patch of "veins" pulsed there. Except for the size of the patch, the color was identical to what covered the bodies of the previously quarantined "patients."

The scene jumped, showing a view from the sky. It was a squadron of Tupolev bombers.

BEEP... BEEP... BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The aerial footage showed a small patch of vibrant green and color on the vast, white ground, only for it to be quickly engulfed by the fire of explosions.

The video then appeared to go into a flashback, showing footage from the perspective of a group of young people on an outing, then a suspense-filled recording from a five-nation expert team’s exploration, continuing until the survivors were rescued and the quarantine zone was constructed.

...

The second video showed a setting familiar to many, as it was clearly within Hua Country.

It was shorter, but more intense.

It was a close-up of a containment perimeter. In the frame, the perimeter was surrounded by soldiers in green uniforms, armed police, police officers in their respective uniforms, and firefighters.

There were also many SWAT vehicles and fire trucks, as well as some searchlight equipment.

The ground had been doused with water, and several large, thick copper pipes of unknown purpose had been set up.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP...

A frantic pounding sound erupted from under a manhole cover in the distance.

It wasn’t just the soldiers in the video who were tense; the hearts of the soldiers watching in the barracks were also in their throats.

"Take down the reinforcement frame!"

The Commander in the video suddenly gave the order. The camera angle showed the shock and fear on the faces of some of the soldiers and police officers.

When the Commander repeated the order, the soldiers, for whom following orders was their sworn duty, could only comply. They chose to trust their superior.

Vehicles with attached grappling hooks and steel cables revved their engines, tearing apart the system reinforcing the manhole cover.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It was like a blowout. Countless giant rats gushed from the manhole covers like a fountain, spilling onto the ground and frantically scurrying in every direction.

"Now!"

The Commander’s voice rang out.

Electric arcs crackled and flames roared. So that’s what the earlier preparations were for. The terrifying, giant rats were instantly carbonized by the scorching electricity and fire.

...

The third full video was of the Cellular Immunity Plan in Kyoto.

It was more comprehensive and detailed than the first two, and also more terrifying.

To think that such terrifying monsters could be hiding in a megalopolis with a population of tens of millions.

In the recordings from the helmet-mounted cameras, the jostling and terrified screams were non-stop, punctuated by the intermittent crack of suppressed gunfire and flashes of flame.

Kills, captures, casualties!

From picking off targets one by one to surrounding strongholds and ambushing reinforcements, from pursuing fleeing enemies to luring them into traps, the video showed Superman-like figures, but even more common were the soldiers who, despite their inner terror, still advanced with their guns raised.

The high-stakes battle finally concluded at a highway ambush point, where a helicopter’s rocket pods eliminated the final target.

...

Strange swamp gas and fires in rivers; bizarre mass deaths and illnesses; various unexplained hazardous chemical spills...

The soldiers present had seen fragmented news reports about many of these incidents on TV or online.

But they had never imagined that behind it all lay a series of breathtaking battles of wits and courage—the nation’s repeated struggles against terrifying entities.

There were a hundred thousand soldiers in the barracks, mostly elite active-duty personnel and recalled top veterans. They were divided among more than a dozen assembly grounds, all watching the videos simultaneously.

The screenings started after dinner and continued until 10 p.m. For hours, not another word was spoken.

At first, it was out of discipline. Later, it was out of shock.

No one was a fool. They could easily tell this was no movie, no special effects. Paired with recent military measures like the veteran recall, a terrifying guess was on the verge of being spoken.

"All personnel, on your feet!"

The Officer’s booming voice carried through the loudspeakers.

WHOOSH—

The words of the base’s highest-ranking commander simultaneously broadcast from the loudspeakers to all the soldiers in every corner.

"Comrades! After watching those videos, I know you have many questions, many concerns, and perhaps even a deep-seated fear!"

"I was the same when I first found out!"

"That’s right. You’re not wrong! Humanity, our entire world, is facing a tremendous crisis! To put it bluntly... just as the rumors say, the end of the world is not far off!"

"The monsters you saw are both invaders from the Otherworld and mutations of Earth’s own creatures. Yes, this isn’t a novel, and it isn’t science fiction!"

The soldiers remained deathly silent, but small movements—hands clutching pant legs, eyes darting from side to side—betrayed their tension and anxiety.

"However! I, Chu Jianfeng, refuse to accept this fate! The military of Hua Country refuses to accept it! Our Central Command refuses to accept it! And our allies refuse to accept it!"

"We have a more accurate name for it: the ’Dark Tide’!"

"I like that name! Tides rise, and tides fall! And I can tell you this with absolute certainty: this is not the first time the world has faced a crisis that threatened to blot out the very sky!"

His voice paused for a moment before he suddenly roared.

"Every man feels fear! Even soldiers with wills of steel are no exception. But fear is meant to be overcome!"

"We formed human walls against the floods! We dug through rubble with our bare hands after earthquakes! The Dark Tide is nothing more than another disaster in the course of human history! We have guns! We have artillery! We have the comrades standing beside us!"

"This is just another hard-fought battle to test our mettle! In as little as half a year, we may be crossing blades with an unknown enemy!"

"As soldiers, your families will be a priority group for evacuation. But as protectors of the people, I expect you to stand tall!"

"Tell me, do you have the confidence?"

As the question fell, the response was unusually sparse. Everyone was still in a state of shock and disbelief, unable to process the commander’s words in time to respond.

"I didn’t hear you! Are you all a bunch of cowards? The soldiers from the other military regions who have already fought the monsters, the martyrs who have already fallen, they wore the same uniform as you cowards! Aren’t you ashamed?!"

Shame, naturally, was there, but so was a flicker of indignation. They weren’t cowards; they were just still processing the shocking news.

The longer speech had given the soldiers time to recover. They knew the commander would ask again, and everyone was waiting for that moment. They couldn’t charge into battle with rifles now, so they would have to answer with a roar.

Sure enough, General Chu Jianfeng roared the question once more.

"Tell me, do you have the confidence?!"

"YESSSSSS!"

"I CAN’T HEAR YOU! LOUDER! DO YOU HAVE THE CONFIDENCE?!"

"YESSSSSSSSSSS!"

The mass of soldiers roared until they were red in the face, veins bulging in their necks.

"Very good. Tomorrow, we begin sector response training! Within a month, you will be handling the corpses of actual Demons, and may even participate in mobile deployment operations!"

Northwest, Huazhong, Southern China...

At military installations all across Hua Country, soldier mobilization had already begun. The worst-case scenario of six months was now just over three months away; even the best-case scenario was less than ten.

Not long after, the military organizations of the World Alliance nations also began disclosing secrets, though police organizations had done so much earlier.

PS: First Chapter of the day for Tuesday.

Recommending another great book!

I thank my parents’ greatness for creating my body, I thank my parents’ wisdom for shaping my soul, and most of all, I thank my parents for making me a second-generation heir....

A different kind of heir, but I really am one.

The latest blockbuster from veteran urban fiction author Zhongqiu Yueming, *I’m Really A Rich Heir*, is here! Now available and taking off!

ps: A pair of rich, drama-loving parents creatively raise their son to believe he’s poor. Come see the varied life of the "poor" young master.