Chapter 677: Apocalypse Node
Year 2136.
A year has passed, and the towering structure has reached 168,400 meters, yet it is still a long way from the moon. However, Divine Power Tianyang has time on his side now. Each level of this giant tower has a large terrace, and Divine Power Tianyang likes to stand there and overlook the azure planet below. This planet, once tangled in human wars and pollution, has returned to tranquility.
However, the echoes have become more frequent and clearer. Human laughter and cries often echo in Divine Power Tianyang's ears, yet Cha Na, who went out to search for clues, hasn't brought back any valuable information.
On a regular day, one of Divine Power Tianyang's many avatars was in a room at the Pei Guode Hotel, reading human books, while his twelve other avatars roamed the world.
At that moment, Cha Na suddenly burst in, excitement shining in his eyes.
"Divine Power! I found a clue!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Divine Power Tianyang snapped the book shut and stood up, asking, "Where?"
In an instant, they were enveloped in golden light and transported to an abandoned factory area.
The factory was located on the outskirts of a small country in the Earth Sea, abandoned for a long time. Judging by the discarded equipment, it was a pharmaceutical factory, but large networks and power transmission cables sprawled on the ground, with a few discarded servers leaning against the walls.
Divine Power Tianyang closed his eyes, and the scent pathway lingered in the air. He could tell that a large group of people once gathered here, living here, and clearly, they were researching something.
But they left, leaving behind little trace of their presence. Additionally, there was no lingering smell of excrement around the plant.
"They stayed here," Divine Power Tianyang said.
"There's a scent; many people were here, but they left no trash. That's what I don't understand," Cha Na said.
"They have the White King, perhaps, and have already gone to another timeline," Divine Power Tianyang said.
"Then we'll never find them, and they can change the current situation from the past," Cha Na said.
"Not necessarily. If they could do that, they would have done it long ago," Divine Power Tianyang shook his head.
He looked toward a relatively open space inside the plant and said, "Look, over there, it was once there. I can smell its scent."
As he spoke, Divine Power Tianyang gazed in the direction of the scent's remnants, then transformed into a beam of golden light, enveloping Cha Na as they flew skyward and descended on another location.
Here was an abandoned research facility, with the central structure being a gymnasium.
The scent was very faint, but Divine Power Tianyang could still detect it. Clearly, this was another one of their hiding places.
"Did they transfer? Why? The Descendant Army never reported finding any human traces," Cha Na puzzled.
"No, they probably have two teams, each possessing parts of the White King," Divine Power Tianyang said.
"You once cut the White King in two, and the corpses couldn't be reclaimed in time. This implies that two teams are studying its power, and at some point, they collaborated," Cha Na said.
Divine Power Tianyang nodded and said, "They stayed here longer than at the factory. Moreover, the people from the factory also stayed here; I can smell the same scent."
"I'm afraid it's to utilize that..." Cha Na said, glancing at the nearby substation.
Nearby, there was a wind power station, with electricity transmitted to this substation through cables. They stayed here for a long time until the substation fell into disrepair and could no longer transmit power.
"I think so. They need massive amounts of power. The substation wouldn't break down so quickly without maintenance unless their demand for electricity was overwhelming, draining the substation in a short time, perhaps one or two years, maybe two or three," Divine Power Tianyang said.
"They need electricity, I understand. I'll dispatch the Descendant Army to destroy all the dams and power stations on Earth..." Cha Na said.
"No, don't alert them. Find those power stations, observe, wait, and be patient. We'll eventually know which power station they're near," Divine Power Tianyang said.
He aimed to capture this group alive, to capture Lin Yan if she was still alive.
For Divine Power Tianyang had a vague suspicion that their research direction had changed, no longer pursuing the creation of Super Black Medicine, but transforming into something else...
He had once scoffed at Ezekiel's prophecy, but the scenes Ezekiel depicted still left him a bit uneasy.
Time would bring him down...
But he had transcended time! He would not age; he was immortal.
Perhaps, there was another meaning to this phrase.
Perhaps, Lin Yan's current research would turn Ezekiel's words into prophecy, and time would bring him down. Would humanity return from other eras?
With this thought, he clenched his fist. If they could indeed come from the past to the present, it would be no more than killing them again, or perhaps... their actions were actually providing him with a large population...
Having the clue, the Descendant Army began to search globally for still-operational power stations, closely monitoring those substations that recently failed, and placing people in nearby observation. It didn't take long for them to quickly find over 1,200 operational power stations worldwide.
Five refugees, with ICR rifles slung over their shoulders, completed their patrol today. As they cautiously returned along the path, they discovered fresh, unfamiliar footprints on the ground.
Upon receiving the report, Lin Yan realized the severity of the situation.
She knew very well that perhaps the foundation had already been discovered by Divine Power Tianyang, with the opponent closing in on them, not even intending to alert them.
However, she couldn't leave immediately, as the 474th simulated world had just reached modernity.
This world, set in 1998, saw Demon Gods lurking in cities, using the Illusion Realm to construct various amusement parks, attempting to control and slaughter humans. Meanwhile, many superhuman groups, known as "players," emerged among humans. With the help of some Demon Gods who wished to coexist with humans, these groups gained power and were launching counterattacks against evil Demon Gods in one "game" after another.
If this world continued to develop, it might find a way to eradicate the Pseudo-Gods. Shutting down the simulation now would be too regrettable.
Lin Yan found herself in a dilemma; she did not want to risk the lives of the remaining thousand-odd people. At this moment, Fujiwara Makoto saw her hesitation and stepped forward, saying, "Leave it to me. If it's just dealing with those things, my abilities are more than enough."