MTL - How to Feed an Abyss!-Chapter 57 kiss
Shi Yuan wandered in the wilderness.
Several teams of aircraft passed overhead and began bombing in the distance. The whole world was full of gunshots, explosions and roars of monsters, and it was in chaos. Rock snakes are active underground, and as far as the eye can see, there is no intact land left. Large areas of soil have been turned upside down, and potholes and ditches several meters deep can be seen everywhere. Yellowish-brown, crimson, and black are mixed, and the earth is broken.
The pungent smell of gunpowder made Shi Yuan feel uncomfortable, coughing twice from time to time.
He didn't know where Lu Tinghan was, but judging from the latest battle broadcast, Lu Tinghan was at the outpost of Fengyang City.
There are three outposts, scattered around the city. He looked at the map and knew the general direction, but it was really the same everywhere in the wasteland, and it was too difficult to distinguish.
He can only follow the monsters.
The snakes made of rocks were still swimming underground, instinctively rushing towards the place where humans gathered.
Shi Yuan stepped on the ferocious ground with one deep foot and one shallow foot.
A group of snakes rushed past his feet, and a few jumped out from time to time. After seeing him, they hurriedly avoided.
There are exceptions.
A rock snake as tall as a half-story building quietly appeared behind Shi Yuan and followed him. When Shi Yuan turned his head, a big head was facing him, and the snake-like dark brown vertical pupils looked at him, spitting out a scarlet letter.
Shi Yuan was licked violently by that Xinzi, there was no smell of saliva, but a unique fragrance of earth.
"Don't lick me!" Shi Yuan protested, "Go and play by yourself, I still have things to do."
The rock snake licked him again, then lowered its head toward him, watching him intently. There is fear and hesitation in its eyes, but more fanaticism, devotion and desire.
— Just like the monsters off the stage in Shi Yuan's dream.
In retrospect, the purple lantern beetle queen bee I met before also had the same eyes. The queen bee wanted to hug Shi Yuan, but the rock snake curled its tail and handed a shiny and beautiful stone to Shi Yuan, wanting to give it to him.
Just like believers carefully select tributes and present them to the gods.
"Thank you, I don't want it." Shi Yuan said, "You can go to another place quickly and play stones with your friends."
The rock snake refused to go.
Shi Yuan raised his tail and made a sound to threaten it!
It was frightened away by Shi Yuan for a moment, but after five or six minutes, it poked its head out again and followed Shi Yuan quietly, its eyes becoming more and more fanatical.
The longing for ascension overwhelmed its fear of death.
Whether it is spit out letters to please, or send beautiful stones, it is actively seeking death in exchange for endless time and strength.
Shi Yuan ignored it, and it followed silently, and when Shi Yuan turned his head, he would see its letters and stones. Two hours later, when three aircraft flew by at ultra-low altitude, the rock snake twisted its head violently and let out a growl. It jumped, sank into the mud, and led a group of small snakes to chase the aircraft.
A monster is still a monster.
No matter how docile and cautious he is in front of Shi Yuan, he can still show his most ferocious fangs.
Shi Yuan continued to search.
He didn't dare to turn into a black mist, and walked through several battlefields on foot.
A few more rock snakes approached him, the same to please, the same piety and desire, and the same desire to die.
This is never a good sign.
Before Shiyuan entered the city, 99% of the monsters were simply afraid of it, but recently...more and more monsters tried to approach him.
They are getting more restless and no longer satisfied with their existing strength.
Perhaps for any creature, evolution, reproduction, and expansion are irresistible temptations. In the long river of their souls, a silent horn is blowing, urging them to disregard life and death and step into the hall of divinity collectively.
Since then, a new journey is calling, and the battle will never end.
Death is for the higher good of the race.
Shi Yuan has no interest in this.
He could only keep chasing away the monsters around him and looking for Lu Tinghan with tired steps.
The wasteland is too big, and the battle line is very long. Shi Yuan didn't know how far he had traveled, and he didn't know if he could be found.
Until a majestic sunset fell, the earth was dyed into a sea of blood. A burning beam of light descended from the sky like a sharp sword. From Shiyuan's point of view, it is dazzling, just dividing the sky and the sun into two.
Space-based weapon "Hammer".
It was so bright that Shi Yuan's eyes hurt.
In the next second, there will be strong winds!
Sand and stone flew randomly, and the shock wave rolled towards Shiyuan like a sea of mud. Shi Yuan was first staggered by the wind, then swept away by the mud, and rolled for a long distance before stopping.
A thin layer of soil pressed on him, his face was covered with dust, he raised his upper body and coughed twice.
His body was quite sore, and there were a few **** abrasions, but it didn't affect his movement.
His head was dizzy, and he froze for two seconds, then suddenly looked at the place where the "heavy hammer" fell.
There are hundreds of meters of deep pits at the place of the fall, and on the edge of the pits, large pieces of metal and walls are scattered.
It was an outpost, shaken by the aftermath of the Hammer, into ruins.
Shi Yuan stared at it blankly, and got up abruptly! Thick black mist poured out from his body, and he went straight towards the outpost.
…
5 hours ago, at the southeast outpost of Fengyang City.
There were dead rock snakes all over the ground, and the soldiers collected the more complete corpses and brought them back to the outpost.
This was a big victory, but the soldiers in the outpost were not very happy.
Xing Yifeng walked into the command room and saluted Lu Tinghan: "General Lu, we still haven't located the Snake King."
This morning, the observers at the outpost saw the continuous black shadow like a mountain in the thick fog.
The black shadow opened his vertical pupils and looked at the outpost. Its pupils shimmered, and it looked like a small planet in the mist.
That is the snake king of the rock snakes.
Snake King spat out his letter, staring at the outpost and Fengyang City. Then it sank into the earth without a sound.
No one knows how such a huge body disappeared, and how it swam in the mud and rocks.
There are too many monsters beyond human cognition, but the Snake King is extraordinarily weird and the most dangerous kind. If a monster of this level gets close to Fengyang City, it will destroy the city.
Everyone is chasing its pollution signal, to no avail. This is like a time bomb/bomb, buried deep in the ground, which may detonate at any time.
From early morning till now, Lu Tinghan tried to figure out the rock snake's movements and defended against two waves of attacks.
Even he doesn't know where the Snake King is.
After listening to Xing Yifeng's report, Lu Tinghan put on white gloves and fiddled with the rock snake fragments in the container.
Soon the gloves were covered with mud and blood, and he crushed a cracked stone, saying, "It's still around, watching us."
Xing Yifeng: "Look at us?"
"It's observing us and finding the perfect time to attack." Lu Tinghan said, "It won't be lurking for too long, it will appear soon."
Xing Yifeng's heart tightened, and he said: "The 'Rainbow Sword' and the 'Heavy Hammer' are ready, and they can be aimed and fired at any time."
"The 'Rainbow Sword' may not be effective against infected creatures of this size." Lu Tinghan said, "The laser of the 'Rainbow Sword' is suitable for precise strikes, not for large targets. We have to use the 'Heavy Hammer'."
"Heavy Hammer" is a kinetic energy weapon, and its strike range is much larger than that of "Rainbow Sword". Correspondingly, it also has limitations, and it cannot be used too close to the city, otherwise it would be tantamount to suicide.
They must complete this strike before the Snake King approaches the city. This is a contest of life and death, and there is only one chance.
Xing Yifeng looked towards the wasteland.
During the fierce battle for more than half a month, the perimeter of the outpost has been cut down by three or four meters, and there are rocks, shell casings, fragments and corpses everywhere. Perseverance is meaningful. Lu Tinghan has gradually mastered the rock snake's behavior pattern, and Su Enqi has fully cooperated and deployed troops. The battle situation is getting better.
Subterranean swarms of infestation are deadliest.
The last time a large group of underground creatures appeared was in the 165th year of the Alliance, when fish shoals attacked the city from the ground, and the Alliance lost 5 cities in a row before destroying them. It is a miracle that only one part of Fengyang City was destroyed this time. The broadcast of the battle situation transmits information in real time, even if Xing Yifeng is not in the city, he knows that people's support for Lu Tinghan is getting louder and louder.
—To put it simply and crudely, in this era, if you can win a battle, you are your father, and you are the heavenly king.
Lu Tinghan was right to insist on staying on the front line, otherwise the city would have already fallen.
This time, the city can hold out.
If... the Snake King didn't show up.
As a special infected creature, the "deer outside the high forest" wanders around all day long and is not aggressive. The "Black Queen" infected by the No. 0 abyss has been subdued and housed in a laboratory in the main city. The Snake King's pollution value is not the highest, and there is no endless time, but looking at the 70 years since the Abyss appeared, it is the monster that threatens the city the most.
none of them.
Even in the past, in the heyday of the alliance, the Snake King had the power to break through more than a dozen cities.
If Fengyang City hadn't held up, the main city would have been destroyed as well.
Xing Yifeng sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, I don't know if they can kill the Snake King, the monster like a mountain, with the ability to move freely underground, it was born for destruction.
But with Lu Tinghan around, it shouldn't be a problem... right?
He was thinking about it when Lu Tinghan suddenly said, "After the rock snake's disturbance this time is over, the abyss should have a period of calm for a few months. Let us regain our strength."
"This is a good thing!" Xing Yifeng was overjoyed. Knowing that Lu Tinghan said this, he must be confident, "As long as we kill the snake king, the remaining rock snakes are not to be feared at all. I heard—I heard that, The data center has received the data from Tiecheng, and we may be able to complete the 'Overview' plan by taking advantage of this opportunity."
"Yes, maybe it can be completed." Lu Tinghan also looked at the wasteland, "We can send the last spacecraft into the sky."
Xing Yifeng felt encouraged, and said, "What about Gleaner City? We can go back one day."
Lu Tinghan: "Yes."
Xing Yifeng became more and more excited, and the exhaustion from the past half month was swept away. However, he heard Lu Tinghan say: "I can't see these anymore. I will die here."
Xing Yifeng: "..."
Xing Yifeng: "...Huh??"
His brain shut down.
Lu Tinghan still looked at the wasteland, as if he was talking about something trivial: "I will die here."
Xing Yifeng stayed for a few seconds: "If you want to go back to the city, the aircraft can take off at any time."
"I won't go back." Lu Tinghan said, "The Snake King showed up today to find me."
——At that time, the dark green vertical pupils of the giant snake shimmered strangely in the fog.
Its eyes were bigger than the outpost, slowly turning, and finally landed on the narrow glass of the outpost.
It saw Lu Tinghan.
Only saw him.
Xing Yifeng was startled and said, "...how could the monsters look for you?! How could they know of your existence?"
Lu Tinghan: "They have been mutating and evolving, especially since the peak period. It has appeared before that after infected creatures obtain human bodies, they inherit their memories and even imitate their appearance before death. I guess Snakes have a similar ability."
——Shi Yuan's convoy encountered such a monster.
At that time, the tentacle monster with gorgeous feathers controlled two human corpses, asked the convoy for help, and tempted them into the trap.
Now that I think about it, that was a dire omen.
Soldiers who died were not in the minority. The rock snakes devoured their corpses and obtained memories to bring to the snake king, so they knew that there was such a natural enemy among humans.
Natural enemies must be eradicated.
Xing Yifeng was still in disbelief: "This...does this mean that they have the ability to think logically?"
"Not necessarily. Sometimes the instincts of creatures are amazing. For animals and plants, the instincts left over from thousands of years of evolution are their optimal solutions. Even simple-minded insects can do the most beneficial behavior for the group. Infect Creatures have accelerated evolution countless times, and the same instinct was born as soon as they were born." Lu Tinghan said, "I don't think they have real thinking ability. However, we will know the answer—after the snake king dies." He paused, "You will know."
He added: "It is a good thing that the Snake King is willing to attack the outpost first, so that he can use the 'Heavy Hammer' with more confidence."
Xing Yifeng was stunned for a few seconds, and said anxiously: "Is there no other way? What about someone else serving as bait at the outpost? I, I am willing to stay!"
Lu Tinghan: "Time is running out, and no other plan can guarantee to kill it. It came to me. I want to stay here. If everything goes well, it will die from the 'heavy hammer'. If luck is better, I didn't get killed by Hammer's blast, and the fight would be over."
Xing Yifeng rekindled some hope: "That is to say, before it gets too close to the outpost, hit it with a 'heavy hammer'."
"Yes, but I don't think it can be done." Lu Tinghan took off his dirty gloves and threw them aside casually, "I can locate it and guarantee that the 'weight hammer' hits it, that's the limit, no We should expect more miracles. That's why I said, I will die here."
He continued: "I've thought about my own death many times. I have to say it was a sudden death, but it was worth it. No city can survive without ending rock snakes here. It was a necessary sacrifice and I'm glad I died. Quite valuable." He looked at Xing Yifeng, "Now, prepare to evacuate the outpost personnel, leaving only a few death squad fighters."
Xing Yifeng stood where he was.
Lu Tinghan: "Go quickly."
Xing Yifeng hesitated to speak, the veins on his forehead twitched, and finally saluted with his jaw stretched: "...Yes." He walked a few steps, then turned around, "General Lu, I will stay together. For the glory of the alliance."
Lu Tinghan nodded: "For the glory of the alliance."
In the next 5 hours, the snake group came to commit three or four rounds, and was repelled one after another.
As dusk approached, most of the outpost fighters had already evacuated. Fourteen soldiers from the Death Squad stayed behind and stationed at their posts. Only Lu Tinghan and Xing Yifeng were left in the huge command room.
The snakes were restless again.
Lu Tinghan said, "It's coming soon."
Through the trembling ground, dancing snakes, strange vertical pupils and cold fangs, he once again glimpsed the monster's heart.
The whole land is a surge of rock snakes, and they form eddies and waves, rushing to the outpost.
Machine guns spewed flames.
Not enough manpower, the defense is very difficult. But their purpose is not to hold the outpost, but to persist until the Snake King appears.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
Several rock snakes slammed into the glass in front of them, making a terrifying sound.
Lu Tinghan didn't change his face, and asked Xing Yifeng: "Is the suicide note ready? Have you said everything you need to say?"
"I said it all, it was done 2 hours ago." Xing Yifeng said, hesitantly asked, "What about you?"
He saw Lu Tinghan take out his phone before, as if he wanted to send someone a message, but finally took it back. Inexplicably, he felt that Lu Tinghan actually wanted to say something.
"No." Lu Tinghan said.
Xing Yifeng said in his heart that the land general is worthy of being a land general, knowing that he is about to die, he can restrain his redundant emotions.
He said: "If only I were as firm as you forever. I'm not afraid of your jokes. I called my family in the afternoon and listened to their voices. I really almost retreated hahahahaha."
Lu Tinghan: "Say goodbye will soften your heart."
"Yes." Xing Yifeng sighed, "That's why I said you will always be firm."
"I'm not firm." Lu Tinghan said flatly, "Otherwise, why don't you think I didn't say goodbye?"
Xing Yifeng froze suddenly. In the next second, Lu Tinghan walked quickly to the screen, stared at Snake Tide, and shouted into the communication channel: "10 kilometers east of the southeast outpost of Fengyang City, aim at the 'Heavy Hammer'!"
At the same time, the ground trembled, and the mountain-like Snake King raised his body, his dark green vertical eyes greedily looked at the outpost, and met Lu Tinghan's eyes.
Thousands of kilograms of soil slipped from its body, covering the sky and the sun, unaware that its head had been targeted, and death fell from heaven. It does not know that its death is approaching.
The "heavy hammer" fell, and several tons of tungsten rods penetrated the atmosphere and flowing clouds, burning and falling.
"...I was still shaken." At this time, Lu Tinghan actually laughed, "A strange kid put on a stage play and asked me if there was a God of Salvation. Have you seen that stage play? It's called "" Martyrs."
Xing Yifeng scratched his head: "I've seen it, the acting is really good, I like the part where the savior saves the world. Maybe I'm superficial! I really believe that there is a savior."
"The script is just a script." Lu Tinghan said, "So, I told him that there is no such thing in the world—there is no **** of salvation, no divine power to save the world, but I am that martyr."
Then the "heavy hammer" fell, destroying the dead.
Shi Yuan searched around the outpost inch by inch, rummaging through many bodies.
They are all dead.
Shi Yuan couldn't tell whether they died from the rock snake or the "heavy hammer", but they all died.
The sun had already set, and in the last light of the sky, he found Lu Tinghan.
Shi Yuan moved away the rubble that was pressing on him, tremblingly went to check for his breath—
And breathing.
And heartbeat.
A hanging heart was put down heavily, Shi Yuan knelt and sat beside Lu Tinghan.
It was the first time he understood what "love" was, and what he experienced was not the youthful and beautiful ambiguity, nor the strong affection, but worry, fear and fear, which filled his heart completely. At this moment, he knew Cheng Youwen's regret, and also understood Edward's madness.
It turns out that this is what it feels like to lose someone.
Love is the fear that you will never be able to hold that person's hand again.
Shi Yuan trembled again and leaned over—
With his fear and panic, with his ignorant and fierce love, and the secret that has never been revealed, he gave Lu Tinghan a kiss of blood and mud.