"We still have two durability points left. We need to use them sparingly."
"I know, I know. It's normal for such a good spell to have restrictions on its use..."
Hearing that Yao Lingwu used the precious life of the talisman to save his group, Meili felt grateful and ashamed. She smiled and nodded repeatedly, looking silly.
Qi Ji did not dwell on this topic for too long. He clapped his hands, making a crisp sound, and said loudly:
"Then let's get down to business. You all want to escape this city and seek refuge inland, right?"
The members of the Challenger nodded.
Although the ordinary citizens who joined later did not know Qi Ji, the strength and posture she had just displayed made them realize without a doubt that this beautiful girl had an extraordinary status and strength, and they naturally tacitly accepted that she was the trusted leader of this team.
"only……"
Qi Ji slowly turned his neck and glanced at the faces of these people one by one:
"The inland area may not be as safe as you think."
======================
It's almost the end of the month again, please give me some monthly tickets~~
These two weeks are exam weeks.
Chapter 511 Reverse Thinking (Part )
"The inland... may not be safe?"
When everyone heard Qi Ji's words, they all looked puzzled.
"Excuse me... 105, what do you mean by that?"
Meili frowned, as if she had a premonition of something. Her purple eyes revealed a bit of uncertainty, but she couldn't figure out the meaning of the other party's words, so she asked:
“This group of unknown sirens crawled out of the sea. Although their number is huge, if they are dispersed throughout the Star Confederation and even the entire Northern Continent, their density will become very, very discrete and sparse, and they will not pose much threat.
“The fall of the Iron City was just a surprise attack. As long as the Star Confederation can react and gather its troops and extraordinary people, we will be able to quell the unrest, at least on land.
"Logically, we only need to go as far north as possible, away from the coastline and the Steel City, to be safe...isn't it?"
Others nodded in agreement with her.
Their behavior was not unexpected at all. She smiled without knowing what the meaning was, but did not respond immediately. She looked around:
"Let's find a place to hide first. Those things are coming to surround us."
The survivors were immediately startled, realizing that they were still in the fallen city filled with sirens. Standing in the middle of the street in the open for a long time was like an antelope walking in front of a lion!
"Yao Lingwu is right. Let's go back to the base first and then talk about other things...those newcomers, follow up." Meili commanded everyone very skillfully.
She was originally the captain of a ship, and she was powerful enough to command these people with ease. Everyone also supported and trusted this plump, tall and heroic lady.
A group of people formed a very thin "line" that was only two people wide, walking silently and quickly along the edge of the street, trying to hide their bodies as much as possible in the shadows cast by the eaves and buildings.
Qi Ji followed them slowly and leisurely, with a relaxed expression, a natural pace and a lively attitude. He did not show any sense of crisis as he should have in the current situation.
People did not feel dissatisfied with her attitude of being out of place and seeming to stay out of the matter.
Regardless of the identity and strength of this girl, such a lovely and bright figure, in such a desperate predicament... is like a lost traveler crawling forward in the endless dark wilderness, looking up and seeing the bright starry sky.
Even if it has no practical effect, it is an extremely valuable psychological pillar.
Led by Meili, the survivors team of more than a dozen people carefully traveled through the dilapidated and dangerous city. Thanks to Qi Ji's guidance, they were always able to know the location of the nearby sirens, so as to change the route to avoid conflicts.
Along the way, they did not encounter any battles. Each time they passed by the sirens, either in groups or alone, and it was considered a safe journey.
About half an hour later, the group arrived at the temporary base that Meili had found earlier.
At this moment, the sky was completely dark. The deserted city was no longer illuminated by lights. The sky was covered with clouds, blocking most of the starlight. The vision fell into a deep darkness, and people could only see things with the help of the moonlight that barely penetrated the clouds.
A three-story villa emerged in the deep night, all the windows were sealed and blocked, and several boxes of messy sundries were piled at the door.
Mary, who was at the front, cast a spell and created sparks, which seemed to be some kind of silent signal.
Seeing the flash of light, everyone stepped forward silently, moved the debris blocking the door as quietly as possible, and then slowly and carefully opened the door.
Everyone rushed in. After entering the villa, Meili's fingertips lit up a small ball of light, and the perfect light illuminated the surrounding space.
Qi Ji saw that there were also a lot of large and heavy debris piled up in the villa. After those strong members closed the door, they moved the debris to block the door from the inside.
"Okay... 105, go on, why can't we go inland?"
After drawing all the curtains and carefully checking the situation inside the villa with everyone, Meili and everyone returned to the living room and lit an oil lamp with the light ball in her hand.
A dim and unstable light enveloped the messy space. The survivors looked at Qi Ji in silence, making the atmosphere very clear and peaceful.
"It feels like telling stories with my friends in a dark room at midnight when we were kids..."
The scene before her made Qi Ji feel a little confused. She smiled with emotion and spoke to the expectant crowd:
"Let me ask you, this Kraken attack should be unprecedented in scale, right?"
The survivors looked at each other and nodded in unison:
"Yes."
One of the older people elaborated:
"I've never heard of a siren being able to capture such a large city. In the past, the most they could do was to wipe out a small fishing village. It was difficult for a city with a little coastal defense to be seriously damaged by a siren that came ashore."
"So you should all realize that this time... is different, very different." Qi Ji said in a storytelling tone:
"Then do you know how the navy of the Iron City was destroyed?"
That was the coastal defense fleet of a country's capital! It was composed of at least three ironclad ships and countless wooden warships. Although its strength was not as great as that of the Templar State's Maritime Knights, it was not to be underestimated.
Even if the number of sirens is too large for the navy fleet to handle, it should be able to delay them for a while, allowing the city to prepare for coastal defense and evacuate citizens.
However, according to the few words that the survivors had spoken to each other, the disaster happened extremely quickly, and the vast majority of people in the city, even the army and coastal defense forces on the coastline, and the official supernatural beings in the city center, were unable to react.
It's so weird.
"Uh……"
Everyone lowered their heads and recalled, and soon they answered:
“Miss, we were not at the port when it happened. We could only hear thunder from the south. It was very loud thunder and lasted for a long time. We could also hear the sound of very fierce waves.
"Less than ten minutes later, chaos broke out in the south. Some people were running for their lives while shouting that a tsunami had occurred and the navy had been wiped out...
"Then, a large group of monsters rushed up from the crowd... Oh, that scene..."
Meili thought about it carefully and added:
"The sky in the south was very dark at the time. It didn't look like there were any dark clouds, but somehow it was very dark, and it gave people a very uneasy feeling.
"And I can also sense very intense and obvious spiritual fluctuations... It may be emitted by the sirens, but it is somewhat different from the sirens."
In fact, Qi Ji had left some reconnaissance puppets in the Iron City, and he basically knew what the actual situation was. Now he was just asking questions in order to better guide everyone's thinking.
After listening to Meili's description, she said in a profound tone:
"The massive invasion of the Sirens that led to the fall of the Iron City can only be regarded as a catalyst at best. What actually destroyed the city's coastal defenses in an instant... is not something that a mere Sirens can compare to."
"what is that?"
Everyone was completely intrigued by her, but at the same time they felt deeply uneasy, with a sense of foreboding creeping into their hearts.
Qi Ji turned his head and looked towards the south. At the end of that direction there was only a wall with peeling paint.
But everyone felt that her pair of spiritual and deep brown eyes penetrated countless obstacles as she gazed at the scattered wreckage of ships on the dark and turbulent sea in the south.
She said in a deep and sinister voice:
"This generation's... 'Underwater Disaster'."
Chapter 512 Reverse Thinking (Part )
"Natural disaster..."
When people heard this word, their first reaction was not shock or fear, but deep confusion. They seemed unable to understand the weight and seriousness of this word.
They stared at each other in silence for a while, and then Meili asked with a serious and puzzled look:
"Yao Lingwu, the 'natural disaster' you mentioned... is it the kind mentioned in history books? The super monster from two hundred years ago?"
Qi Ji nodded and said in a tone that didn't sound like a joke at all:
“It’s this ‘natural disaster’.
“Two hundred years ago, a natural disaster from the previous generation completely ended the Second Holy Temple Empire, the former ruler of human civilization.
"Several major nations in the human world today, such as the Glorious Plantagenet Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Krestos Dynasty, are basically the products of the demise and disintegration of the Second Empire."
What she said was basically what was mentioned in history books. However, most of the survivors present were crew members of the Challenger, who were almost half illiterate and could only read and write, and did not know about this past.
Fortunately, Meili and several other citizens had received a certain amount of education and knew about some major events in the past, so they acted as temporary commentators and gave a brief explanation to others.
A few minutes later, everyone present understood what a terrifying existence "natural disaster" was.
"Now that everyone is clear about the basic concept, I will continue."
Seeing the expressions of fear and shock gradually appearing on everyone's faces, Qi Ji nodded slightly and continued:
"The so-called 'natural disaster' is not some kind of creature or alien species. It is difficult to regard it as a living thing.
"Compared to living organisms, natural disasters are closer to some kind of mechanical, unconscious 'power projection'. They have no concept of death and cannot be completely eliminated.
"Even if we use enough violence to destroy and defeat it, it can only temporarily delay its existence and enhancement in the real world. As time goes by, natural disasters will sooner or later come back to the world again."
"That's it..."
Everyone seemed to understand, but the confusion in their eyes did not diminish much. Soon, someone stood up and asked in confusion:
"Miss, what do these things you said have to do with us not being able to go inland?"
The tone of his voice was sharp and direct, but it did point out the issues that were pent up in everyone's hearts, and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yes, if those sirens and the blackness of the southern sky were caused by a new generation of natural disasters, shouldn't we flee to the north?"
Meili tilted her head and asked:
"Such a dangerous thing is in the sea to the south. We have to get away from it as soon as possible!"
Her statement was agreed by most people.
"The reason you have such speculation is that you don't have enough knowledge about natural disasters." Qi Ji sighed.
To be honest, she was a little surprised that these people had almost no concept of "natural disasters" and had such poor knowledge. Even after she had said so much, they still didn't understand?
"How to say?"
"I just said that the natural disaster is not a monster. It is a projection of a certain power, a conceptual thing."
Qi Ji spoke in the tone of a teacher imparting knowledge to students:
"Since it is a conceptual thing... Think about it, can the so-called 'natural disaster' only occur in the sea?"
"You mean..." Meili's pupils shrank slightly, obviously realizing something.
"It's just what you think." Qi Ji glanced at her and said:
"So-called natural disasters are definitely all-encompassing. Not only will there be natural disasters at sea, but there will also be corresponding types of natural disasters on land and in the air."
"That is to say, in addition to the 'underwater disaster' in the southern sea, there are also 'land disasters' inland and 'air disasters' in the sky?!"
Recalling Qi Ji's first words, Mei Li understood instantly and raised her voice uncontrollably:
"The inland has also been plunged into turmoil due to natural disasters. If we head northwards, we might collide with the 'natural disaster on land'?!"
"That's about the same." Qi Ji said.
"This……"
At this point, everyone was in extreme shock.
They originally thought that this chaos was limited to the Steel City, or at worst only the coastal areas were affected. As long as they successfully escaped from this city and headed north, they would definitely return to a safe and stable environment.
But Qi Ji's words made them think of an extremely terrifying guess: What if it is not just the Iron City that is in chaos, but the entire Northern Continent, or even the entire world?
What if there is no place to live in this world?
So...what difference does it make no matter where they escape to?
