Chapter 386 Crossroads
The UH-60 utility helicopter flew across the skyline of the small town of Carmel. It was late at night. Looking down from the air station in the universe, the entire northern hemisphere was ablaze with lights, and pieces of network light were connected together, like The earth opened a wound, but gentle lava poured out from it.
However, in the midst of the light and fire, the UH-60 utility helicopter was flying through an extremely dark area, like a black spot that suddenly appeared on the skin of the earth, which was shocking.
Just like if the light is the blood of the earth's wound, then this black spot is undoubtedly a malignant tumor. It suddenly appears in the firelight and forms a stark and ugly contrast with the light that symbolizes human civilization. It's so eerie and dark that it sends chills down your spine.
On the helicopter, Lin Nian, who was wearing anti-noise headphones, stuck his head out. His black trench coat was blown by the wind. He lowered his head and looked at the ground. What he saw was darkness. Deep darkness. The helicopter flying over this area is like a lone gull jumping over the black ocean. The darkness hides storms and waves, as well as some deeper, terrifying things.
With his eyesight and the height of the helicopter, he could vaguely see rows of single-family houses, buildings, squares, and churches from the darkness on the ground. The most horrifying thing was that there were even countless pedestrians lying on the streets. They were all dressed in different clothes and lay quietly in the dark, not knowing whether they were alive or dead. What shrouds them is a layer of unsettling black. This blackness is not just a simple color, but a bone-corrosive inert substance. The light cannot invade and can only be allowed to stay in this area. Flow slowly.
This small town has been swallowed up by something, and anyone who dares to approach it will be trapped in it for eternity.
"The current height is about one thousand meters, which is almost twice as high as the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. At this height, it is basically possible to drive outside the 'area'. We have tried to descend to 800 meters before, and the driver was clearly alert. Uncomfortable, I was able to leave safely by raising the altitude on autopilot." In the helicopter cabin, an instructor wearing the same black windbreaker came over, put his hand on the cabin door next to Lin Nian, and stood beside him and leaned over to look. Towards the ground, "We are safe at this distance. But it is only safe."
"Have you ever tested the edge of the field?" Lin Nian withdrew his gaze and raised his head. The strong wind blew his black hair wildly as he stood at the edge of the cabin, and the lights on the distant horizon slightly illuminated the underside of his forehead. His eyes could only be illuminated slightly. If the helicopter flew any lower, the abnormal darkness would seem to swallow him and the helicopter together.
"It covers almost one-third of the town and has a diameter of 15 square kilometers. This is the first time the Executive Department has seen such a large-scale word spirit since its establishment. It was released when the third-generation species you dealt with in the Port of Chicago went berserk. Compared with this, Yan Ling is like playing tricks." The instructor whispered, looking at the disturbing darkness on the ground.
"What the execution department means is that our enemy may be on the level of a Dragon King?" Lin Nian took off his noise-cancelling headphones.
"Not sure. But I remember that you should have seen the first-hand file, which is the original mission file that was carried out in this small town before the incident." The instructor said.
"'A'-level dangerous hybrid, escaped in a car accident in a prison van before being taken into Chernobyl Prison, and was later found in the small town of Carmel. After half a month of investigation and layout, it was finally concluded. A huge accident occurred during the arrest."
"An 'A'-level hybrid has caused such a big mess." The instructor seemed hesitant to speak, and his eyes were full of boredom.
"It seems to be an impossible thing. What was the voice of that dangerous hybrid?"
"Serial No. 55, Yanling·Qilu. Many commissioners suffered losses in his hands. The other party knew how to hide his identity and had strong anti-tracking capabilities. There were no signs of light and heat when releasing the Yanling. The characteristics of the affected person were like He was injected with a sedative. This is the exact words of one of the commissioners who encountered him: It felt like he had taken a large dose of Quaaludes, and he fell into a nightmare unknowingly." The instructor whispered, "Yan Ling's The largest recorded number of captures is '5'. This is a word spirit that varies from person to person. The purer the bloodline, the stronger the effect."
"But this time he captured an entire town, with a population of almost tens of thousands." Lin Nian said.
"Not that many. The execution department secretly evacuated people before the mission. The number of people affected was only about 4,000 to 5,000. This is the number of people urgently counted by the execution department within 24 hours."
"If more than four thousand people die from the word spirit, it will be a big event that can shock the whole world." Lin Nian nodded, "But an 'A' grade hybrid used the word spirit to capture several people in one go. Thousands of people, is that too exaggerated? Or are you mistaken, and the other party is actually a Dragon King who has not yet awakened?"
"." The instructor didn't say anything, just silently staring at the dark town of Carmel.
"Whatever, let's deal with it like the Dragon King." Lin Young said in a loud voice, confirming something that the instructor did not dare to mention easily. He was probably the only one who dared to say that in this operation.
After the execution department finalized the details of the mission, even if they were facing a second-generation species, and the execution department said their target was a hybrid, they had to call the opponent a hybrid. Sometimes the qualitative results that were too outrageous were always hidden. There are some unknown undercurrents that only those with sufficient qualifications can explore. Others will be dragged into the bottomless abyss the moment they step in.
"Tell me something I don't know."
"The field spread from the central block and spread to its current scale within a few minutes. All the staff members within 15 square kilometers lost contact almost instantly. The universal physical rules have not been changed, but the electromagnetic waves show abnormalities. After members of the equipment department rushed to the scene and conducted professional measurements of the equipment, it was determined that there was indeed an unknown electromagnetic field covering the town."
"Have you basically determined that it is the word spirit of a certain 'thing'?" Lin Nian nodded and said, "What are the specific manifestations in the realm of word spirits?"
"Only the 'creatures' in the domain are directly affected by the spirit of words, including common cats, dogs, birds, swimming fish and various small insects other than humans. As long as any creature with a brain and a complete nervous system will be trapped in the domain, 'Standby' state. According to satellite camera observations, most of the victims on the streets are still alive, but without supplements of food and water, their physical condition will only get worse and worse until..."
"Until death." Lin Nian nodded, "So this is an urgent matter. Originally, I thought there were only a few victims, but now it seems that the situation is worse than I imagined. The execution department's initial response is .?"
"All the execution personnel on site were wiped out at that time. After the director in the central control room of the college headquarters learned of the incident, he immediately organized a 'special emergency department' and a 'rescue team.'" the instructor said, "At first We did not rush deep into the field, but only temporarily stationed five hundred meters away from the field. No one knew whether the field would suddenly continue to expand. Minister Schneider realized that this might be a trap and wanted to wipe out our entire execution department. Bureau."
"I want to know what rescue measures you have tried that have failed."
The instructor was stupefied by these words. He looked at Lin Nianhou and found that the other party was also staring at him. "If the rescue measures are successful, I won't be here anymore. Keep talking."
"The first rescue was a plan proposed by the Equipment Department, using their modified medium and large unmanned vehicles to bring people out of the area. But this method failed before it started. When they calculated the signal reception range of the unmanned vehicle, Realizing that there is electromagnetic interference in the field, after the driverless car drives in, it becomes a decoration and cannot receive the signals transmitted from the outside world. "
"Use unmanned vehicles to drag people out? It's very much the equipment department's idea." Lin Nian scratched his eyebrows, "They never thought of moving them one by one, so as not to move one-tenth of the remaining people. Are you going to die of hunger or thirst first?"
“When they thought about this, their initial countermeasure was to ask the school board to withdraw funds to build an autonomous vehicle manufacturing assembly line, and build hundreds of autonomous vehicles in one go, thus bringing everyone out more than a dozen times. "
"Then what?"
"Then they found that it was easy to bring people, but difficult to find them. They could indeed do this, but only if they knew where everyone in the town was. The influence of electromagnetic waves did not give them the opportunity and time to create a network that could cover the entire town. of bioradar.”
"Please tell me that the next rescue measure was not thought up by the Equipment Department."
"Well, after the Equipment Department proposed this rescue plan, Minister Schneider asked for logistical monitoring equipment and electromagnetic wave indicators. Although they sat on the bench for a long time, they suddenly came up with another plan, which probably meant that after the rescue plan was carried out, The helicopters were equipped with claws and they picked up the people in the town like they were catching dolls. Minister Schneider ignored them, so the subsequent rescue measures were all decided internally by the executive department."
"I don't want to listen to the equipment department's ideas anymore." Lin Nian sighed, "What did you do?"
"We sent people directly into the field to test the waters."
"After the equipment department, it is very much like the execution department. But it is still a very direct way to test the strength and effect of the field." Lin Nian paused for a moment, "But aren't you afraid of further loss of personnel by doing this?"
"If I can save four thousand lives with one sacrifice, then I am willing to pay the price and bear all the curses after that sacrifice."
"Secretary Schneider's exact words?"
"That's basically what it means."
"A duplicitous guy." Lin Nian said, "If he really had this preparation from the beginning, then he could just throw me in."
"The cost of sacrifice is both large and small. You can only apply voluntarily for the water-testing operation. Those who are married and have families will also be screened out in the first round." The instructor looked at Lin Nian and said.
"But it still can't hide the fact that people were sent to collect data by stepping on mines." Lin Nian said lightly, "Some direct and efficient methods are often wrong, such as pushing people onto the rails to derail the tram."
"If I were Minister Schneider, I would not take risks with you when the situation is unclear. The 'S' class is not used for charging. The value of your command and presence is greater than your use of killing enemies." The instructor said, "There are many dead soldiers who can charge into battle, but there is often only one person who can establish faith in the hearts of dead soldiers."
"Is that what he said? Death warrior?" Lin Nian asked, "Does he think those people below are willing to die for me?"
"Yes. He said that if I ask you this, I will answer you like this. In fact, there are other reasons why the minister did not include you in the first rescue team." The instructor wanted to say something else, but stopped after catching a glimpse of the expression of the boy next to him. The words are only half spoken.
"There is no one down there who is willing to die for me, only them who I am willing to sacrifice for." He said lightly.
Amidst the noise of the propeller and the strong wind, the cabin fell into silence, waiting for the helicopter to arrive at the lake at the end of the town, and then fly back towards the starting point from the dark distance after turning around.