Chapter 10The rest of the journey was really nothing special. There were a few hitches here and there. At one point, they encountered large, green slimes. Another time, they encountered goblins. Later, they were met with their first mutated animals. They were able to take care of all these creatures without a problem under the lead of Silver who did not have his previous carefree att.i.tude.
Of course, not all mutated into bad things. Spring-Autumn came across more [Food Trees] as they journeyed. Under the strange gaze of Blue, he happily harvested the flowers from it while whispering sweet nothings.
And finally,
"We"ve arrived." Silver announced.
They arrived at the foot of a mountain. There was a steady line of people in front of the way into the mountain.
These people were survivors in miserable conditions. Their hair was dirtied, their clothes ragged, and their skin covered in dirt. There was a slightly pungent smell coming from the people.
The area surrounding the base was a forest with a lush green hue. It gave one the feeling of peace and tranquility when looking at it, however, it would not be wrong to say it was the most dangerous place around.
"This is the underground base?" Blue asked.
Silver replied: "Correct."
When he answered, a chunk of exhaustion evaporated off everyone including the survivors Spring-Autumn deemed to be zombies.
"A couple of things." Silver continued. "They"re going to ask for your name and other stuff when you go in for logistical purposes. Do your best to cooperate so you can quickly get settled. Besides that, welcome to Area 211."
Blue put her hands on her soft chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Finally…"
Spring-Autumn paid her no mind and lined up with the group. He was pretty excited to enter an underground base of another country.
After an hour or so, they reached the front of the line.
"Name?" The inspector asked. It was a middle-aged man with a fairly deadpan face with blue eyes and graying hair. He was wearing BDUs with camouflage patterns just like the other military guys around.
Spring-Autumn promptly replied.
"A foreigner?" The inspector said in a strange voice.
"Is that a problem?"
"No… Not at all." The inspector made a special mark by Spring-Autumn"s name and called. "Next."
He entered and walked straight through the tunnel. There were a few lamps here and there to light up the way, but it was what was expected of a tunnel. Dust in the air, hard to breathe.
"What took you so long?" Blue waved her hand to greet him. She was already waiting in front of the huge elevator.
"Who knows?" Spring-Autumn smiled and said. Blue was getting in a better mood the closer they were getting to the underground base and it was understandable.
When in danger, one would always seek comfort.
They spent a bit of time waiting for people to fill up the area in front of the huge elevator. The operator was waiting to take them all down in a single go. It was a simple and efficient method of transportation. By doing this, the survivors would arrive in batches at the underground base. The persons at each station would have time to prepare and they would only need to focus on one thing at a time.
"Alright, enter slowly." The operator instructed. Like others, he was dressed in BDUs.
The big elevator creaked a rusty noise the more people entered it. A few people started to have cold sweat.
"Don"t worry, it"s totally safe to use." The operator a.s.sured them by revealing a bright row of smiling teeth. He gave a wave and the door closed.
With a big woosh! The elevator started to drop.
Spring-Autumn rubbed his ear from the pressure difference as they continued to go down. After a moment, they arrived with a thud!
A few zombie-like survivors held their mouths with their hands to stop the urge to vomit. Their minds flashed back to the operator"s bright row of smiling teeth. His words reverberated, "Don"t worry, it"s totally safe to use." Finally, one of the survivors fainted.
The elevator door slowly opened with a creak. The scenery changed and what greeted their sight was something truly stunning.
It was a huge open s.p.a.ce, spanning as far as their eyes could see. All the walls were lined with a special sheet of metal, turning the s.p.a.ce into a perfect cube. There were white lights everywhere. A few forklifts operated in the background as well as a few other types of machinery. Crates full of food were stacked on top of one another. There were segmented areas lined by metal walls. They could not see what laid beyond but it was not hard to guess that it was probably an area for the survivors.
A clapping sound brought their attention back to their surroundings. Waiting for them in front of the elevator was what appeared to be an important person.
He was wearing a white military uniform. His epaulet was gold in color with five stripes on it. He was a Rear Admiral. His hair has long turned gray from age but his bright blue eyes shone brightly. He had a sharp jawline as well as high cheekbones, giving the appearance of an imposing man on top of his tall, well-built stature.
On his uniform, there were a few bright medals, ribbons, and badges as well as his nametag, "Olg".
Admiral Olg placed his hands back to the seam of his pants after getting their attention with his clapping. With his hands placed at his side, he was almost at the position of attention. Evidently, he was a man who practiced strict military bearing.
"Welcome to Area 211." He said seriously. "First of all, excellent job for making it all the way here. As Listians, we will always stand united even in the most dangerous situations. Let me explain what is happening. Follow me."
And so, they followed Admiral Olg like obedient little ducklings.
"Our a.n.a.lysts are still examining the situation. We don"t have a full grasp of what is happening yet. However, one thing is for sure. Evolution. Everything is evolving. I"m sure you"ve noticed on your way here. The sky, the air, the plants, the animals, the strange creatures. They are no longer what they were previously. However!"
They walked past one of the segmented walls that were blocking their view. The living quarters of the survivors.
"Humans are also evolving!"
The survivors in their living quarters were not lifeless zombie-like things behind Spring-Autumn. Their eyes were clear, they were smiling. And most importantly, there were a few performing miraculous feats of strength. Demonstrating their abilities before all.
The atmosphere was filled with hope. Children were laughing, and despair was thin.
"This is Area 211."