With engines roaring, the PL1109 gradually took flight.
It was accompanied by the entire fighter fleet. Together, they made up the base's aerial combat force.
Upon the vast flatland, waves of monsters surged toward the base.
Through the porthole, Lu Feng looked northwest of the base.
Amidst the monsters' howling, the closest ones came not from outside, but within the base, where the military base was located.
Earlier, they had demanded the abolition of the Trial Court's absolute power over life and death along with the transfer of suspected mutants to the military camp for supervision. For the sake of demonstrating the correctness and nobility of the move, Colin, the organizer of the anti-trial movement, and the other core members volunteered to become their observers and guards.
So when the distortion arrived, that became the first monster outbreak site. It was too far to see clearly, but one could imagine the scene of carnage.
But nobody was in any position to care. The xenogenics that humans mutated into were nothing more than the weakest type of monster.
A slimy and grotesque octopus as tall as the Twin Towers wrapped around the buildings of the Twin Towers with its tentacles. The lights inside the towers blinked wildly, and its tentacles pierced through the glass. As it devoured humans with its razor-sharp teeth, screams filled the air. It could be heard even in the air.
With a tremendous noise, the glass corridor bridge connecting the Twin Towers collapsed, and several black human shapes fell with the debris. They were caught in the monster's gaping, toothy maw, and the sounds of the buildings toppling covered up the sounds of bones and flesh being chewed.
"Do we bomb it?"
"Yes."
No longer in any position to care about what kinds of serious consequences it would cause, all they could do was drop bombs. If the monster was allowed to continue attacking, humankind's final refuge would also turn into ruins.
Large uranium shells were dropped, and in the mushroom clouds, the monster's body broke into countless segments that slammed into the ground. The two lofty towers gradually tilted, crashed into each other, and collapsed.
Dust filled the air.
The frenzied assault and resistance lasted for an hour.
Then they could no longer continue bombing.
Apart from where the artificial magnetic pole was, the other parts of the base had either been occupied by monsters or razed to the ground. Perhaps they had been occupied first before getting razed to the ground. Only ruins remained in the thick fog of smoke.
The monsters' sole objective was living humans.
Now, they were all aiming for the entrance to the Magnetic Field Center, which was humankind's final wartime encampment. In order to protect the magnetic pole, the defenses there were of the highest standards, forming a virtual bastion of steel.
Thus, those hordes of massive and ugly creatures that defied description securely surrounded the Magnetic Field Center and rammed their way in.
The airborne fleet could not drop even a single more shell because the light shells they had been equipped with were depleted. Now, all they had left were a few heavy thermonuclear weapons.
If they wanted to wipe out the huge monsters around the Magnetic Field Center, the aftereffects of thermonuclear weapons would level the entire artificial magnetic pole. Even if they controlled the scope and didn't harm the magnetic pole, the tremendous destructive power of the thermonuclear weapons would also directly destroy the base's power supply system and accelerate the deaths of the people in the Magnetic Field Center.
Now, all the ground combatants had sacrificed themselves.
The situation inside the Magnetic Field Center was unknown.
Except for the thousand or so people who had been temporarily transferred to the Magnetic Field Center, the base had no survivors.
And the airborne fleet could do nothing about it.
What was even more spine-chilling was that this was now the age of distortion, and distortion meant that substances would change at a fundamental level. Perhaps in the following second, the airplanes would crash, the magnetic pole would break down, or contactless infection would occur among the thousand people in the Magnetic Field Center, leading to the magnetic pole being compromised from within.
Compared to dying, personally witnessing the utter downfall of this city was even more cruel.
The aircraft fleet quietly hovered up above, like ghosts drifting away after the death of the entire base.
A communicator rang.
It was a message from the Magnetic Field Center's provisional commanding office.
"This is the Magnetic Field Center. The military is defending the entrance to the last. Half of our firepower has been consumed. Ruling out other unforeseen events, defense is expected to last three hours."
"Although we don't know why the base has become the target of a monster attack, the current situation is not something we can handle, nor is it something the airborne fleet can combat."
"Please cease the combat mission immediately, otherwise it will only burden the base's defense.”
“Furthermore, we have detected that a large number of flying monsters are heading toward the base. For the sake of preserving humankind's vital forces, please leave the base immediately and find a safe place to land."
"Although we do not know how long you can survive for, please live on."
"Please immediately withdraw from the base."
The aircraft fleet hovered for a long time.
"I repeat, this is an order. Please immediately withdraw from the base."
"The base gives you its blessings. Good luck.”
The communication ended.
The channel was silent. In the cabin, all that could be heard were the sounds of suppressed and tense breathing. The officers fixedly observed the blighted land below, and it was difficult to say whether the expressions in their eyes were of hatred, despair, or perhaps something akin to cinders.
At last, another aircraft pilot's voice came from the fleet's communication channel.
"PJ143 to PL1109."
"Where are we withdrawing to?"
The PL1109's officer looked at Lu Feng.
"Colonel Lu has an abundance of wilderness experience," he said.
The implication was that Lu Feng would decide where to withdraw to.
Lu Feng took the communicator.
"Highland 7, the military's six-star refuge, has facilities to support life."
"Canyon 313 in the northwest region of the central basin is devoid of strong and deadly monsters, and there is water."
"If the fighter planes have enough fuel, we can consider the Underground City Base."
He mentioned the three places in a flat tone of voice, then said, "Please choose for yourself."
"PJ179 requests to know PL1109's destination."
Lu Feng paused.
His gaze swept over the people in the cabin.
"The Abyss," he said. "To aid the Highland Research Institute."
"The place where the Fusion Faction is?" An officer jerked his head up. "That's the xenogenics' territory."
"I am aware of that," Lu Feng said.
Similar questions sounded in the communication channel.
"Aiding the enemy?"
"Won't the area self-governed by the xenogenics be even more dangerous?"
"Requesting to know the reason behind this decision."
“It's my individual decision. The Highland Research Institute is the only existing human settlement outside of the bases," Lu Feng said flatly. "Please choose your destinations for yourselves."
The PL1109's crew commander raised no objections. After a brief hesitation, he manipulated the flight controls, and the engines roared as the fighter plane slowly turned to the south.
A voice came once more from the communication channel.
"Excuse me… You are—?"
"Trial Court, Lu Feng."
Silence.
The PL1109 climbed to a high altitude and flew through the boundless night in the direction of the Abyss, its wing lights glowing.
Above the base, within the hovering fleet, a fighter plane followed the PL1109 southward.
Then a second one.
Then a third one.
In the canopy of night, the wing lights and taillights converged into a flowing river of light.
Until only two remained.
"PJ254 and PJ113 have decided to stand by and await orders. We will survive or perish with the base."
"May you prevail."
PL1109's crew commander replied, "May we have a bright future."
"Take care, and good luck."
The Abyss, Highland Research Institute.
After the magnetic field failed, the image on the screen changed.