Chapter Seventy-Four: Departure from the Mountain Base

Meanwhile, Yuri Gotney had returned to the northern airstrip of the Mountain Base. In fact, during his earlier conversation with Zhang Desen, Yuri had already ordered his subordinates to evacuate those who needed to leave, for the base had descended into chaos, and with the self-destruct mechanism now impossible to disable, there was nothing left but to abandon it.

Of course, Dadu Kur still remained bound, though he found nothing strange about this. He understood well enough that, in the eyes of Yuri Gotney and his associates, he was counted among the rebels.

For a long time, he had aided Goba Shauf in deceiving the Central Committee, scheming with secret weapons and plotting to seize supreme power in the Aolme Empire to satisfy personal ambition. This had far exceeded the limits of Yuri Gotney’s tolerance.

Previously, when he was captured by Zhang Desen, he was still certain his own kind would rescue him, and so he maintained some courage in resistance.

But now, forced to divulge all his secrets to Yuri Gotney, he was struck by a profound sense that, though the world was vast, there was nowhere for him to hide. His own people would now see him as a traitor.

At this moment, Yuri Gotney suddenly turned to Kaba Duer and said, “Duer, I intend, upon our return, to immediately abandon the Coastal Base. There's no point in delaying further. What do you think?”

Both Kaba Duer and Dadu Kur were taken aback by this, though Dadu Kur quickly reached his own conclusion. The Coastal Base had been headquarters only because it was the earliest established, but its integrated resource supply was dwindling. Though still superior to the Prairie Base, the surrounding area grew increasingly cramped.

The Prairie Base, however, was different. Few humans lived nearby, and there was a vast source of fresh water—Lake Baikal. Establishing a ground base there would mark a return to the surface, offering ample space for development, restoration of resources, and population recovery—a promising choice for long-term growth.

Yet, this would require Yuri Gotney to eliminate the Gekur Base, preventing the onset of nuclear winter. Dadu Kur grasped this in an instant and spoke his thoughts aloud. Hearing this, Yuri Gotney said to Kaba Duer, “Ah, Duer, my friend, this chief of staff is much quicker than you—no wonder you never manage to collect useful intelligence!”

Kaba Duer, though somewhat annoyed, could only reply, “I am ashamed, my Leader. I have not fulfilled my duties.”

Yuri Gotney continued, “Enough, my friend. You must strive to learn more.”

He then turned kindly to Dadu Kur. “Kur, how about becoming my friend from now on?”

Dadu Kur was stunned, unable to believe Yuri’s words. Yuri Gotney continued, “Do not be surprised. Let me remind you—Goba Shauf is far too obsessed with personal ambition. Our goal must be the survival and flourishing of our people, but he created the Doomsday Volcano for his own security. Does this benefit our kind? Do you wish for us to forever exist underground, destined for extinction?”

He paused and continued, “Let me remind you—our population is dwindling. If we wish to preserve our civilization, we must unite. Do you agree? I can give you time to consider. Duer, take the chief of staff to rest—treat him well. Do you understand?”

Kaba Duer answered immediately, “Yes, my Leader. I fully understand your intentions. Rest assured!”

“Good, go now!”

Meanwhile, Zhang Desen and his group reached the tunnel exit, where Zhou Yongli awaited them. Zhou brought news that Emperor Zhong Yongcheng of the Southern Dian Kingdom wished to host a martial arts tournament to select champions.

Hearing this, Zhang Desen was puzzled and asked Zhou Yongli, “Is this information reliable? Do they truly have the mind to organize a tournament now?”

Zhou replied, “According to reliable sources, Emperor Zhong Yongcheng hopes to use the tournament to choose a hero capable of vanquishing demons. The victor will be dispatched directly to tackle the monsters, and those who succeed will be rewarded with gold and noble titles—a far more direct path than previous years, when winners served several years in the warrior camps.”

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Zhang Desen asked, “So they hold this tournament every year, but this year, with the threat of the Terrorfolk, it’s taken on a special significance?”

Zhou Yongli said, “That’s correct.”

Zhang Desen remarked, “Clearly, they take the threat seriously. Have they posted notices seeking particular individuals?”

Zhou replied, “No, they're only seeking champions—nothing about searching for anyone specific. That's all the villagers knew.”

Zhang Desen asked, “Where are those villagers now?”

Zhou said, “They've left. I didn’t let them inside, so they wouldn’t learn about our operations. Sent them home.”

Zhang Desen silently praised Zhou Yongli’s discretion. Had the villagers entered and witnessed events, who knows what tales they might spread? He nodded and said, “Excellent. Continue the evacuation.”

“Yes.”

Once everyone had assembled outside the tunnel, Zhang Desen led their swift retreat along their original route.

But upon returning to the primeval forest, an unexpected peril arose. When they first entered the subterranean woods, there had been few creatures—at most, a devil frog and some large dragonflies. Now, however, swarms of gigantic prehistoric mosquitoes, each as long as forty centimeters, filled the air. Perhaps it was feeding time.

Spotting Zhang Desen’s group, the mosquitoes immediately surged toward them. The party was startled; those armed with muskets began to fire, and Zhang Desen raised his Type 95 assault rifle and opened fire as well.

Yet the mosquitoes only increased in number. Panic began to set in; dealing with the Terrorfolk hadn’t been this troublesome, but now a horde of bloodthirsty, needle-bearing insects had them at a loss. Zhang Desen shouted, “Don’t panic! Stick to the plan and the route—fight as you retreat!”

The warriors responded in unison, “Yes!”

Amidst their struggle, the mosquitoes’ natural predators—dragonflies—arrived to feed. These were ancient dragonflies, each with a wingspan nearly a meter wide. The chaos increased as they darted about the group, and those without muskets drew their swords and sabers, hacking and slashing to drive off the insects and dragonflies.

But before they could fend off the swarm, herds of geckos, each over two meters long, emerged. Next came devil frogs, meter-and-a-half-long spiders with trailing tails, and centipedes three meters in length—all in masses.

The group was bewildered, forced to keep shooting and swinging their blades. Zhang Desen regretted not bringing a flamethrower from the ship—if he had, they could have cut a bloody path through at once.

Thinking quickly, Zhang Desen pulled out a cloud-burst grenade, pinpointed an area with fewer ancient creatures, and threw it. The detonation instantly incinerated all within its radius, leaving charred corpses. The surviving creatures, terrified by the explosion, fled to safer distances, clearing a path.

Seizing the moment, Zhang Desen called out, “Everyone, move now—don’t hesitate!”

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“Yes!”

Zhang Desen led the group through the opening, making for the cave entrance. They soon reunited with Zhao Chengming and his team.

Unexpectedly, the prehistoric beasts surged toward the cave entrance as well. Zhang Desen and his companions were caught off guard, unsure why this was happening, but they quickly opened fire to hold back the advance. Some warriors hurled torches, trying to drive the creatures back.

Upon reflection, Zhang Desen realized the likely cause—the abnormal tremors of the base had startled the ancient beasts, sending them into panic. Indeed, the Mountain Base, on the verge of self-destruction, was issuing intermittent violent tremors.

He explained to Li Longfang, “It seems the tremors and destruction have frightened them.”

Li Longfang asked, “Frightened?”

Zhang Desen replied, “Yes. Organize the men—throw explosives and try to block the cave entrance…”

“Yes!”

Li Longfang quickly assembled several dozen people: some to light homemade explosives, some to supply, some to throw.

Seeing this, Zhang Desen ordered everyone to lie down. He threw another cloud-burst grenade, temporarily driving back the ancient beasts. Li Longfang’s team swiftly tossed the ignited charges into the passage leading to the Mountain Base, soon collapsing the tunnel.

But violent tremors followed, and Zhang Desen knew the cave might soon collapse.

Li Longfang turned and asked, “Desen, which way should we go now?”

Zhang Desen had been considering this. From earlier intelligence, he knew the original exit was now unguarded, yet he wondered if enemy surveillance devices might remain. After some thought, he said, “Go north—move now.”

“Yes!”

Zhang Desen led everyone, including the mentally unstable hunter, toward the northern passage. Noticing the hunter lying on a stretcher, he asked Zhao Chengming, “Chengming, what’s this?”

Zhao replied, “Ah, I was worried his loud voice would expose us, so after every meal I tried to coax him to sleep. This time, to prevent any trouble on the road, I put some medicine in his food so he'd sleep.”

Zhang Desen said, “Good—take care of him. We may need to question him further once we’re back.”

Zhao Chengming replied, “Understood.”

They proceeded northward, the journey uneventful save for unceasing, intensifying tremors. Soon, Zhang Desen and his group emerged from the cave.