Hyperthermal Hell || Apocalypse Paradise #1 [Complete]

93: The Earth Which Passed Away and Frozen

'What a breathtaking view...' Lin Sanjiu unwittingly slowed down her footsteps as she took in the panorama of the devastation that laid in the distance. 'No, that's not right. The word 'breathtaking' isn't too appropriate to describe this scene. How should I put this? Looking at this makes one feel so insignificant...'

If someone were to look down from the sky, they would see that the entire port and its surrounding district were in a half-melted state. The electrical poles had fallen in all directions, crashing down on multiple roofs. Buildings had either collapsed or were leaning dangerously... yet those were merely the backdrop of the composition. What caught their attention the most were the streets, which were strewn with wreckages of boats of all sizes, and that fishy, pungent stench that lunged at them. This twisted masterpiece, created by the apocalypse, overwhelmed their five senses.

A considerably intact fishing vessel had crashed right in the middle of a residential estate and bulldozed a row of shops. The hull of a tour yacht jutted out from a damaged car while the other half of the yacht laid on the ground, overturned. Lin Sanjiu could not help feeling disconcerted as she walked beneath the hull of a large steel ocean liner with her companions by her side.

"What... do you think happened?" Lin Sanjiu asked. It was almost impossible for them to make out the original form of the streets.

Feeling emotional, Hu Changzai tried to push his glasses up out of habit but missed. He'd forgotten that after he developed the physical enhancement passive ability, he'd thrown them away. "The rising temperature must have melted all the glaciers, causing the sea level to rise rapidly, and the ocean came through this area. Look at that ocean liner, it should be at least a few thousand tons. The waves must have brought it over from the open sea..."

"How strong must the waves be for such a massive ocean liner to be washed ashore?" Hai Tianqing ask incredulously. "How is it possible that such a large wave didn't reach the city?"

"Judging by this destruction, you shouldn't call it a wave, more like a tsunami..." Hu Changzai seemed to have forgotten about the Beret Men with guns standing behind them, as he slowed down his footsteps and carefully observed his surroundings. He took a breath before he continued. "Despite its magnitude, it would eventually die down. On top of that, the high temperature must have quickly evaporated most of the water."

It was a logical speculation, and it also explained the lack of survivors nearby. When Lin Sanjiu walked past a dead, unidentified, human-sized fish, her nostrils were assailed by the nauseating, unique stench of dried, rotten flesh. "I hope the customs warehouse isn't utterly destroyed," she commented dispiritedly as she moved away from the carcass.

Everyone inhaled sharply, frowning but keeping quiet.

All along, the Beret Men had shown no reaction to the devastation brought about by the apocalypse. However, when they heard about the possibility of the customs warehouse being destroyed, one of them suddenly spoke up. His voice identified him as the man who had killed Zhu Mei: "It would be terrible if it was destroyed/Food is important/Move quickly/All of you."

He did not look worried at all albeit his words. His red lips were still curled, and he displayed a happy and polite smile. His eyes were still as lifeless, but they were curved in an amicable manner.

'Do they need to eat?' When such a thought suddenly surfaced in Lin Sanjiu's mind, she was surprised by herself. 'Of course, humans need to eat.'

"Look at them, do you think they're alive? Do you think they're humans?" she turned and whispered to Hu Changzai, not quite knowing why she felt that way.

"What do you mean?" Hu Changzai hesitated for a moment before pulling his gaze away from the ocean liner's wreckage. "Their movements are quite weird, but how could they not be humans?"