Chapter 213: Where Else Can We Go?
Leng Feng can say without hesitation that the pain they’ve endured is far greater than what lies beneath these people’s feet.
He walked over to the edge of the table and picked up the tablet on top of it.
His finger slid softly, and he saved the video from just now.
There are still many people who haven’t gathered in cities guarded by high-level humans.
First, because there’s truly no place for them anymore; second, everyone clings to the illusion that since they’re behind these main cities, even if the Dark Forest wants to spread, it’ll pass through the outskirts first.
They think it’s not too late to relocate once the Dark Forest starts spreading.
Picking up the tablet, he went to the window, gazing at the blood-colored earth beneath his feet.
He chose to send it.
Now, the land ravaged by the Dark Forest has lost its network; most cities still maintain normal communication.
He sent the video to his personal account.
[I hope everyone can find a city and live well. It will be crowded and uncomfortable, but I truly hope you all can survive.]
The video had barely been posted before many people received the notification.
On Jiang Che’s side, he had just finished his call with Leng Feng when he saw the message pop up on his phone.
He follows very few people; Leng Feng is one of them.
He opened the video and saw the coordinates of those two high-level humans, who hadn’t entered the livestream, staying perfectly still.
When the satellite locked in and the zoomed-in image appeared, all that greeted the eye was endless darkness.
The video was shot during the day; the sunlight was piercingly bright.
Even though the Dark Forest was dense and deep, you could still see light trying hard to pierce through the thick black leaves.
It didn’t look completely dark—around it was grey, like misty dust floating in the air, the world drowning in oppressive grey.
The two just stood there, absolutely motionless.
They tilted their heads slightly upward, staring at the terrifying and twisted trees overhead.
The atmosphere on site felt suffocating; the twisted faces on the tree trunks seemed to be the souls of lives devoured.
The coordinates pinpointed those two cities; the satellite feed showed endless black running through distant mountains and forests, engulfing the entire city.
"Wait, the cities are gone?" Fei Hu stared at her phone; if Jiang Che got the notification from Leng Feng, naturally, so did she.
Her back went cold, feeling chills creep up from her feet.
No wonder those two high-level humans were frozen in place. If she’d seen this video herself, she’d be paralyzed too.
For high-level humans, their relatives are probably alive.
But they generally wouldn’t trust placing their loved ones in someone else’s territory.
In this world, trusting yourself is better than anyone else.
Family ties now seem cheap, but at the same time, immeasurably precious.
Scrolling further, she saw the proclamation of humanity’s destruction.
A group unable to enter the city banded together, building a bridge of life for the Dark Forest to devour, letting it spread all the way to outside the city.
Outside the city, life was no longer needed as a connector.
Without a strong human present, the overflowing crowd lured the Dark Forest like a delicacy, waiting to be consumed.
The moment the Dark Forest’s first vine reached over, the entire city turned black in an instant.
The crowded population didn’t have time to escape, couldn’t escape.
For creatures below tier thirteen, the Dark Forest is an absolute harvester.
The forests grown in these two cities are even more lush than those swallowed by the Dark Forest before.
One before the population converged; one after the overcrowded influx.
The dense forest was evidence of its once-booming population.
And those two high-level humans just stood before what used to be their city.
Anyone watching the video had no clue where this was.
Against that gloomy backdrop, you could barely make out the twisted, compressed, deformed letters on a sign.
The video stopped there. The humans, usually fond of sending barrage comments, said nothing. Only after the video ended did someone finally break the oppressive silence:
[Look at that sign—even though you can’t make out the words anymore, it looks just like the city entrance you see after the highway toll booth.]
After that line shattered the calm, others began to speak up.
[The two must have returned thinking they’d gone the wrong way.]
[I can’t even imagine what they’ll feel when they see their city destroyed...]
[They definitely weren’t here from the start. They probably looked for landmarks, then found proof this was their city.]
[A sign, crushed and deformed, its letters unreadable.]
[I’m leaving. I was still thinking if I should wait out the Dark Forest’s arrival before running, but clearly that’s impossible...]
[This happens in an instant. How are we supposed to hide?]
[Now that the two worlds’ portals are connected, how are we supposed to grind dungeons and level up? I don’t want to spend my life relying on others. If the lord dies, I’ll die soon too.]
[But those cities are already packed; where else can we go?]
...
Leng Feng answered their questions.
Imperial City will build multilayered structures—not more floors, but more flat levels.
To accommodate as many people as possible; the lowest layer will be dedicated solely to storing food.
Most humans nowadays are already tiered up—their stamina and energy are much higher than ordinary people.
He proposed a solution: if everyone pitches in, barring surprises, they could finish in one or two weeks.
As for materials, they’re directly shipped from other cities.
Nobody cares about cost or funding now, since moving these things doesn’t cost a penny.
Many cities with high-level humans have adopted the same plan.
All to fit in more people.
It’s not that they’re unwilling to act like evil spirits, cutting down a section of the Dark Forest then sending underlings to garrison—but right now, humans just don’t have that capability.
Opening up your own territory drains all your energy. Evil spirits have so many little dungeons only because they’ve accumulated them over years.
Jiang Che finished watching the video and shut it off, saying nothing.
He silently walked back into the room; Fei Hu and the others exchanged confused glances.
"What’s with him?"
"Is it because so many died? Is he suddenly feeling merciful?"
"Their deaths—do they have anything to do with us? Those who can get into cities and those who can’t, they’re basically opposing sides now." Ren Fengxiang waved his hand dismissively. Seeing the destruction of those two cities barely moved him.
He’s been outside all these years; what he’s experienced and seen is far worse than most people can imagine.