Ch. 2821..2830
Chapter 2821 The Attack Of The Ancient Clan
Levi fastened his gaze on the two of them and asked inquisitively.
Ever since he managed to track them down, he was astounded that they seemed to have not made a move yet.
Thus, he wondered how they would seek revenge.
Digital God replied instinctively, “Actually, we—”
Before he could finish, Dr. Erebus cut him off. “Before we could take the first move of our revenge plan, you had already discovered it! We are well aware of the fact that we’ll only shoot ourselves in the foot if we strike impulsively against Zarain without proper planning. After all, how much can we do in barely twenty days?”
Even though Levi had a hunch that Dr. Erebus was keeping something under wraps, he did not sense anything awry on the spot.
Before that, he presumed that the two of them might have invented invincible weapons such as Leviathans to aid in their revenge. It never occurred to him that things would turn out to be the opposite of what he was thinking. They were not only bare-handed but also did not set up a large-scale testing ground or defensive base. It did seem like they were not ready yet, as they claimed.
Little did Levi know that they had no intention of inventing anything, to begin with.
Unequivocally, nobody could deny the existence of ticking time bombs that would go off at any moment in the world. Thus, they only needed to trigger one wittingly and go with the flow when it went off.
Of course, Levi was oblivious to what they had done.
After all, the two men had nothing with them at the moment. Not to mention, Shield had discovered all their secret defensive bases.
In other words, Levi did not think that they would be of any threat as he was convinced that at the moment, they barely even have the strength to retaliate.
After he left, Digital God asked apprehensively, “Don’t you think we’re being too impulsive? I’ve just realized that there are other countermeasures that we can apply.”
Dr. Erebus nodded. “You do have a point there. But now that the automation system has been activated, there’s nothing we can do but to wait for the catastrophic moment.”
On the other hand, the whole of Shield was in a high-strung state as they went about madly searching for Dr. Erebus’ whereabouts. Regardless of how they tried to keep the matter under wraps, they still found out about it shortly after.
While unleashing his wrath at Black Hawk, he assigned more subordinates to look for Dr. Erebus.
The Defenders of the Galaxy’s capability was beyond imagination. Within an hour, they managed to wipe out twenty-eight organizations that were in the midst of tracking down Dr. Erebus.
Their actions sent the whole world into turmoil.
By hook or by crook, Zarain vowed to trace Dr. Erebus’ whereabouts soonest possible.
They knew all too well about the Lab of Gods and had a clear insight that they would be in deep water if they could not get rid of Dr. Erebus soon.
Thus, they gave it their all tracking down the latter, knowing that they would be doomed if they failed to do so.
In the meantime, the members of the Ancient Clan were either seated or standing around the big round table in the ancient castle in Adrune.
“Dr. Erebus actually has high research value for us. How’s it possible for him to be a member of Sacroria when he’s just a human being like us? I bet it doesn’t solely rely on his research but is also closely linked to his formidability. That’s an interesting part that we should look into!” one of the members pointed out.
“Too bad Levi Garrison has gotten a jump on us! We can’t just let him off!” another member wailed.
“Anyone has any ideas on how we should get the matter resolved?” someone asked.
All the members huddled over and were engaged in a heated discussion.
“Since we’re planning to abduct Forlevia Garrison for our research anyway, why don’t we capture both Dr. Erebus and her in one go?” someone suggested.
“That might just work! If we manage to capture one of them, Levi will be caught off guard. By then, there’s nothing he can do!” another member alongside him yelled out gleefully.
Someone echoed excitedly, “That’s settled then! Let’s make our move earlier and head for Erudia now!”
Everyone agreed with the former’s suggestion in unison.
Without hesitation, the Ancient Clan gathered their subordinates and headed for Erudia right away. They got fired up and thundered out, “Let’s gather all the men and resources we have at our disposal to suppress Levi Garrison’s power!”
Shortly after, they were astonished by the overwhelming news. Both Dr. Erebus and Digital God had been taken away by Levi.
On top of that, there was a video clip on how everything happened, resulting in a worldwide uproar. The clip showed that Levi was together with the duo at the time.
Chapter 2822 The Choice Of Levi
“What? Levi Garrison has taken both of them with him?”
“I would have never believed that Levi did it if it wasn’t for this video clip!”
“Does this mean that he’s collaborating with Lab of Gods? If that’s the case, isn’t he a spy then?”
Everyone could not resist making wild guesses on that.
Meanwhile, Black Hawk was flabbergasted. Dr. Erebus is with Levi Garrison now? But how is that possible? Based on Levi’s character, he should have ended Dr. Erebus’ life the moment he sees him!
No… Something is wrong. Levi must have played a trick on Shield, so we would go after the four so-called prime suspects! Before long, the quick-witted Black Hawk managed to get a grasp of the situation.
He never expected that Levi would take Dr. Erebus away without finishing him off. There must be a reason why he is still keeping Dr. Erebus alive!
Even though Dr. Erebus had fallen into Levi’s hands, Black Hawk was suddenly put at ease. At the very least, he had a feeling that Levi would surely stop Dr. Erebus from taking any action and thus eliminate the potential crisis that had been looming over Zarain. Nonetheless, he could not resist getting all worked up as the latter had fooled them.
At the same time, Scindere and Polar, too, were livid at being tricked by Levi.
Moments later, Smythe gave Black Hawk a call, instructing him to bring Dr. Erebus back by hook or crook.
“Let’s set off now! I’ll get in touch with Levi once we reach Erudia,” Black Hawk announced resolutely and headed toward Erudia with a large group of fighters. There were even mysterious fighters assigned by Smythe among them.
After the news of Levi taking Dr. Erebus away went viral, all the other forces started heading toward Erudia, fanning the flames. In their eyes, Levi must have joined hands with Labs of Gods since he was giving refuge to their surviving minion. They even claimed that Levi was the whole world’s public enemy.
In an instant, the worldwide uproar was snowballing rapidly, resulting in various types of side effects.
Everyone was in a frenzy, be it the Defenders of the Galaxy or the alliance. All of them were pointing their fingers at Levi, pining all the blame on him.
Even a few forces that were closely acquainted with Erudia were also lambasting Levi. Everyone could not help but suspect Erudia had something up their sleeves.
They presumed Erudia had abducted Dr. Erebus in order to get their hands on the secrets of the Lab of Gods and Dr. Erebus’ techniques. On top of that, they believed Erudia had been scheming so they could emerge as a new threat just like the Lab of Gods.
The situation seemed to have exacerbated within a short span. In the end, everyone concluded that Erudia was the mastermind manipulating everything behind the scenes.
There was even a rumor that Erudia had colluded with Lab of Gods since long ago. Undeniably, all the Lab of Gods’ defensive bases were located in Erudia for the past three years. It could be their tactic to divert others’ attention as they were confident that the others would not expect them to set up their bases in spots deemed the most hazardous.
Nonetheless, everyone would rather believe that this was the best evidence to prove Erudia’s despicability. They could not accept that it was merely a coincidence. Why didn’t they set up their defensive bases elsewhere? How is it possible that Erudia didn’t sense anything amiss for the past three years? It doesn’t make sense! The only possible explanation is that Erudia must be in cahoots with Lab of Gods!
As time elapsed, there had been widespread speculation among everyone that Erudia was colluding with Lab of Gods. Subsequently, Erudia became the world’s common foe and was under great pressure.
Everyone in Erudia was stupefied. Is it true? When did Levi bring Dr. Erebus back?
Clueless about everything, they started blaming Levi for stirring up trouble despite his positive intent.
Meanwhile, the Dragonites were thunderstruck. Didn’t Levi reassure us that nobody would find out about this? We only need to let Dr. Erebus stay here temporarily. Did someone let the cat out of the bag? How is it possible that the news has gone viral?
As for the man that was now the talk of the world, Levi was very surprised. Even so, his instinct told him that both Dr. Erebus and Digital God were not the ones that had spilled the beans.
“I guess we’d better take our leave as soon as possible now that all kinds of forces are hot on our tails,” Dr. Erebus pointed out analytically.
Wearing a look of sheer disbelief, Levi could not wrap his head around how they had managed to get caught. D*mn it! Seems like I’ve underestimated them!
“What are we supposed to do now? I bet all the other major forces are heading toward Erudia as we speak,” Dr. Erebus asked Levi deliberately with a look of innocence.
Chapter 2823 There Is No Need For Anything
Dr. Erebus was curious to know how Levi would react. Now that we’re in such a precarious state, will he hand us over to the others or will he protect us?
The Dragonites came up to Levi and tried to enlighten him about the extreme circumstance. “Everyone suspects that we’re Lab of Gods’ accomplice now. Since Lab of Gods’ defensive base is located in Erudia, and the Leviathans have vanished, they claim that Erudia is shielding them. But I guess we can’t really blame them for drawing such speculation. Not to mention Dr. Erebus is here with us at the moment. So honestly, I can’t really see a way out of this…”
Needless to say, it was not absurd for the whole world to be suspicious of Erudia. As the rumor intensified, Erudia was deemed the world’s public enemy.
In fact, even the people of Erudia were requesting for Levi to hand Dr. Erebus and Digital God over. Fearing that the duo would spell trouble for their country, they demanded that the two men should be executed in front of everyone.
The Dragonites could tell that the whole situation was getting more out of hand by the second, and they feared that they would not be able to sustain the pressure for much longer.
They had been receiving calls from other major forces closely acquainted with them to check if the rumor was true and to request that the matter be resolved as soon as possible. Even Xyperia had sent a message to Erudia, urging them to take prompt action.
After all, they were all allies before. Now that their ally was suspected to be colluding with Lab of Gods, they could not and would not accept the fact that they had been betrayed by Erudia. Unable to tolerate this, they insisted that Erudia should give them a just explanation.
As a result, the Dragonites were under extreme pressure and had no idea how they could cope with the situation.
They were also well aware that this was just the beginning. They foresaw the situation would be even more stressful as the worst was yet to come. By then, all hell would break loose.
Levi never expected that there would be such an abrupt twist. D*mn it! I can’t believe that I’ve underestimated them! I should have kept my guard up more! It’s my fault that I’ve been found out.
The Dragonites fastened their gazes on Levi, waiting for his decision.
At the same time, Dr. Erebus’ curiosity was piqued even more. I wonder how is he going to solve this matter?
Moments later, all the Dragonites’ eyes were on Dr. Erebus.
If they were the decision-makers, they would surely hand Dr. Erebus over or execute him in front of everyone to clear their name. Otherwise, it would imply that they were in cahoots with Lab of Gods. In short, there was no other way out for them.
After what seemed like an eternity, Levi uttered, “I’ve decided to bring them away so that Erudia would no longer be involved in this matter. If worse comes to worst, you can just cut ties with me and sentence me to exile.”
The next moment, he turned to gaze at Dr. Erebus and Digital God earnestly. “Since I’ve taken both of you here and promised you a refuge, I won’t hand you over to anyone! Come on, we’re leaving Erudia at once. Most of the forces are probably already here. Even if a fight is inevitable, I won’t fight with them on this land!”
Dr. Erebus and Digital God were stunned and touched by Levi’s resoluteness. It never came across their minds that he would flee Erudia with them just to keep them safe. In fact, their first thought was that he would finish them off to prove his innocence.
Craig nodded approvingly. “Okay. Since you’ve made a promise to them, it’s only natural that you keep to your words. You’d better leave now then. And don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything here!”
Despite everything that had happened, they still trusted Levi and were confident that he would be able to find a solution.
Zephyr urged, “You need to hurry. A while ago, my subordinates reported that dozens of fighters are currently on their way here. Apart from that, Shield has also sent a large group of their subordinates here. They’ll probably reach here within half an hour.”
Everyone turned to look at Levi, urging him to leave with Dr. Erebus and Digital King as soon as possible.
Hearing that, Levi said to Dr. Erebus and Digital God, “Come on! We have to go now! I’ll definitely find a way to get the other matters resolved!”
However, Dr. Erebus remained motionless on the spot.
“Well? What are you waiting for? What’s the matter with you?” Levi urged him again in bafflement.
“There’s no need for that,” said Dr. Erebus as he remained seated.
Chapter 2824 The Super Spiritual Ley Line Of The South Pole
Looking at how calm Dr. Erebus was, Digital God heaved a sigh.
The only reason why they were in this predicament now was that they were curious about what kind of choice Levi would make. Now that Levi had shown his hand, they no longer see the need to continue with the act.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Levi asked instinctively.
The others also huddled over, puzzled by Dr. Erebus’ words.
Seeing the solemn look on Digital God’s face, Levi asked warily, “Could it be that you’ve already—”
Dr. Erebus cut him off by admitting, “That’s right. Took you long enough to finally realize it. We’ve already started our vengeance!”
Digital God let out a deep sigh. “We’ve activated the system too early. In fact, we’ve already taken action the moment you showed up.”
With an unmissable hint of regret in his tone, he added “Fearing that you would finish us off right away, we had no choice but to do start our plan early. We never expected that you would give us the chance to survive.”
Dr. Erebus was also wearing a grim look.
After the brief exchange they shared a while ago, and upon witnessing how Levi was willing to sacrifice for their sake, they had changed their impression of him.
At the moment, they felt like they could actually put aside their plan to take revenge.
With that, they could continue to pursue their dreams. Even if they still insisted on taking revenge, they could always go for other methods. There was no need to act impulsively and end up perishing together with their foes.
Nevertheless, it was too late to cry over spilled milk as the automation system of the aircraft had been activated.
There was a slight change in Levi’s countenance as he glowered at them. “How is that possible? There’s no way you could have done anything in such a short amount of time! Besides, I didn’t see you inventing any weapons or machinery!”
He could not think of any other mediums that they could use to seek vengeance.
Dr. Erebus replied, “That’s because we don’t need those to have our revenge. We have other ways to go about our plan.”
Hearing that, Levi’s and the others’ faces fell. D*mn it! This is bad…
Perplexed, Zephyr asked hastily, “What do you mean by other ways?”
“I’m sure you’re aware that Lab of Gods has explored a lot of places worldwide and indirectly mastered or uncovered a lot of secrets. Some of the secrets are beneficial and can be made use of widely. However, there are some that are hazardous and can cause pandemonium should it be used,” Dr. Erebus explained solemnly.
“So, you’re saying that you’ve made use of these hazardous secrets in your revenge plan? In other words, you only need to unleash them to achieve your target?” Levi finally understood everything.
He then questioned, “But you probably haven’t started anything, right? We should be able to stop it, right?”
In the face of Levi’s hopefulness, Digital God shook his head. “No. It’s too late. We’ve already activated the automation system of the two aircraft I invented. Once the system is activated, even I myself can’t stop it, let alone others. They can’t be destroyed, and I’ve installed a self-destruct program on them. Once they reach the designated location, they will self-destruct, causing a devastating explosion.”
Levi got the gist of what he meant. “So these two aircraft were designed to detonate at a specific location? And the resulting explosion will destroy everything?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Digital God nodded.
Levi regained some of his composure and refuted, “But the explosion will mostly only destroy a specific area, won’t it? So why do you sound as if doomsday is coming? Did I get something wrong?”
Deep down, he was convinced that the effect of the explosion wouldn’t be as serious as Digital God claimed. No matter how massive the explosion is, I bet Zarain will be able to stop it from happening. The idea that the whole world will be affected by one explosion is just too preposterous. He must be exaggerating!
With that thought in mind, Levi was no longer as worried as before.
However, Dr. Erebus nodded. “No, you didn’t get anything wrong. You’re absolutely right in the fact that doomsday is approaching us.”
Digital God also nodded fervently to convince them.
Levi’s face fell instantaneously at that.
“What do you mean by that! Cut to the chase!” he urged Dr. Erebus.
Getting straight to the point, Dr. Erebus said, “Lab of Gods has discovered a super-spiritual ley line in the depths of the glacier in the South Pole about nine years ago.”
Hearing that, Levi fell silent, his stony expression hiding what he was actually feeling at the moment.
In contrast, Craig’s and the other’s expressions fell and soured.
Chapter 2825 Utterly Hopeless
Super-spiritual ley line?
Those four words made Craig’s heart skip a beat, and his eyes widened with astonishment.
Is he talking about the same super-spiritual ley line we are thinking about?
The four men trembled involuntarily, clearly overwhelmed by their emotions.
Zephyr’s legs felt like jelly and he had to lean against the table for support so as not to fall over.
The news was simply too shocking for them.
They thought it would be a secret that they would bring to their grave, so they were stunned when the subject was brought up.
Levi could clearly see the drastic change in their expressions and knew something was amiss.
“What is a super-spiritual ley line?” he asked.
“Super-spiritual ley line embodies the energy capable of destroying the world. It is similar to what is commonly known as spiritual energy to people in Erudia. I guess you can call it the energy that all the ancient cultivators in Erudia needed when they cultivate. If the ancient legends were based on facts, it will be something the Esoteric Guild and the Ecclesiastic Order would love to possess,” Dr. Erebus explained.
“Since the energy is what the cultivators use, only they have the skill to control and manipulate it. That is why even though Lab of Gods found the super-spiritual ley line, they failed to control it, and thus were not able to tap into its incredible powers. Even Sacroria was stumped by it. As the super-spiritual ley line’s energy is beyond anyone’s imagination, releasing it will be like opening Pandora’s box that will bring the world to its end!” he added.
At that point in time, Craig and his pals had no doubt that Dr. Erebus was talking about the same super-spiritual ley line they knew.
“When the men initially discovered the super-spiritual ley line, they thought they found a replacement for sunstone. They tried ways and means to open it, but disaster struck as soon as a crack was formed on the super-spiritual ley line. The few thousand men who were in the exploration team died, and all the equipment on-site was destroyed. It was with the combined efforts of Sacroria, together with the elites of Lab of Gods, and with the aid of the most advanced technology, that they managed to seal the crack and prevent a disaster.” Dr. Erebus knew how terrifying that was, as he was witness to the close shave they had. Without his groundbreaking technology, Lab of Gods would not have been successful in their attempt to contain the super-spiritual ley line.
He threw a glance in the direction of Digital God, who still had butterflies in his chest when he recalled that fateful event.
“He’s right! I was there and could attest to that. We used a rare metal extracted from shards of an asteroid to seal the crack. We nearly failed to do so, but thankfully, Sacroria was there to lend a hand. After much difficulty, we managed to avert a disaster.” Digital God nodded nervously and went on to further elaborate.
“The super-spiritual ley line has been accumulating its energy for a very long time, probably a few million years. I did a fairly accurate assessment of its potential energy, and it is so immense it could destroy the entire earth, easy. No human can manipulate and control that level of energy!”
HIs words drew gasps of horror from those around him.
It is the same!
Craig, Zephyr, and the others knew instantly that Dr. Erebus and Digital God were talking about the Dragon’s Vein that was discovered under Project Atlantis.
Their description of their findings fitted exactly that of Dragon’s vein.
The super-spiritual ley line was found under the glacier of the South Pole. As such, both the Dragon’s vein and the super-spiritual ley line could be different sections of the same thing.
Due to the technological constraints in the past, they could not accurately work out the potential energy level, but their estimate was close to what Digital God had calculated.
Levi had a good picture of the situation after Dr. Erebus and Digital God shared their findings.
In short, the super-spiritual ley line was the source of an unimaginable level of energy, and as it was too immense to be controlled by humans, there was a high risk of it causing doomsday.
Dr. Erebus nodded in agreement and added, “That is what I have always been highlighting. Inventions can be beneficial to mankind, but they could also bring disasters. The key difference is whether we are able to control them.”
“So, the two aircraft you invented were meant to head to where the spiritual ley line was? You plan to send them to the spiritual ley line, release the energy from it, and destroy the earth?” Levi asked.
“Yes, the weapons on the aircraft and its self-destruct program were all fitted with the aim of destroying that spiritual ley line. And mark my words when I say that it will succeed in destroying it,” Digital God nodded and replied.
D*mn it! We are in an utterly hopeless situation now!
Upon hearing that, Zephyr collapsed to the ground, knowing all was lost.
Chapter 2826 Quick As Lightning
Craig knew the consequence of destroying the super-spiritual ley line would mean wiping out human civilization from the earth.
Everything would be wiped out completely!
In the worst-case scenario, not only would the human civilization be wiped out, but the whole earth would be blown to bits and pieces.
Of course, the destruction of the earth would not affect any one of them, as they would not have lived to see that happening. All humans would all have perished by then…
Dr. Erebus nodded and advised, “That’s right. The super-spiritual ley line will be destroyed, and all of us will perish together with it. So there’s no use in putting up a struggle. We only have to sit and wait for the arrival of doomsday.”
He and Digital God had long given up hope, but Craig and Levi were not about to do that just yet.
“No! We have to stop it!”
“That’s right, we have to give it our all to stop it! Destroying the super-spiritual ley line would mean disaster for all of us!”
“Come on then. Think hard! We have to find a way to stop it!”
Craig and the others knew how formidable the super-spiritual ley line was, so they were adamant about stopping its destruction.
Just then, Gary quietly pulled Levi to the side and revealed to him their true reason for terminating Project Atlantis.
Levi sighed. “So this is the reason. Unfortunately, telling me this won’t make a difference anymore.”
He finally understood why the five looked so shocked when Dr. Erebus shared their encounters. They already knew about the existence of the super-spiritual ley line then.
“How much time do we have before the aircraft reaches the super-spiritual ley line?” Levi asked Digital God solemnly.
“About three hours,” Digital God replied.
“Then we may still have a chance. I will head there right now. And you, I need you to come with me!” Levi pointed at Digital God and commanded.
Then, he turned to Gary and requested, “Give me the fastest fighter jet you have. Now.”
“Understood!” Gary immediately turned around and headed out to make the necessary arrangements.
Next, Levi looked across the room and confessed, “I’ll give it my best, but the probability of me successfully stopping the aircraft is really slim. Disaster awaits us if I fail. The most important thing you have to do now is to disseminate this information to the whole world, so everyone can make plans accordingly.”
He continued, “Next, open up Shelter and try to get as many people in as possible. We have barely sufficient capacity to protect our own population, so the only thing we can do for the rest of the world is to share this crucial information with them.
“Lastly, activate whatever defensive system we have. We’ll do whatever we can to minimize the damage, or at the very least, keep some lives or some things intact!”
All they could do was mobilize whatever resources they had on hand and keep their fingers crossed. It seems like the Shelter is finally getting put to good use.
Craig and the rest nodded vigorously and assured him, “Don’t worry. We will make sure we get these done!”
Nicholas shared his concern. “Unfortunately, even if we tell the truth, the rest of the world may not believe us. Some of them may think it is a conspiracy of Erudia, and that we are trying to create panic and chaos.”
“That’s right. I doubt anyone will believe us. Some may even try to stir up trouble with us and prevent us from activating the Shelter,” Chandler chipped in.
“Let me make an announcement to the world. That is the least I can do to clear your names. You guys go ahead and do whatever you need to do,” Dr. Erebus stepped forward and offered.
Before long, the fastest fighter jet Erudia had, Pengornis, arrived.
Pengornis was designed with speed in mind. The engineers took out all the combat and storage features from the jet and went all out to make sure it could achieve the fastest flying speed possible.
Levi and Digital God immediately boarded Pengornis and disappeared into the horizon.
“Hurry up! I need you to push this jet to its limit! Don’t worry about the consequences. I promise that I will protect you from harm.” Levi gave the pilot his instructions and assurance.
The pilot could tell that it was an emergency, so he threw caution to the wind and went full speed toward the destination.
In the meantime, Digital God was monitoring his two aircraft’s positions.
“Technically, we do stand a chance to intercept them!” he announced excitedly.
Levi was glad to hear that and breathed a sigh of relief.
He was confident that as long as he was given the chance and the time to do it, he could avert the disaster. He was thankful all was not lost.
It was a tense journey for all in the fighter jet.
Chapter 2827 International Conference
“No. This won’t do… I had better seek some backup support,” Levi declared as he contacted the Black Hawk.
Black Hawk was about to make some sarcastic remarks and question Levi about him secretly bringing Dr. Erebus away when Levi cut him off and went straight to the point.
“I have no time to explain in detail. They’ve already started their plan and we have less than three hours to salvage the situation. I will forward you the address. See if you can get there before me. We have to stop them!”
Black Hawk’s face fell upon hearing that. He could tell from Levi’s tone that it was an extremely grave situation.
“Noted. Forward me all the information you have and I will make the necessary arrangements,” he replied without hesitation.
After he received all the information, he immediately asked, “Can we lock on to it with superweapon and destroy it?”
Digital God shook his head and said, “No. I had foreseen this possibility and installed anti-tracking features on the aircraft. Whatever position you managed to track would be fake information. It could be either a misleading positioning or delayed information. Moreover, it was programmed to make unexpected detours to confuse potential trackers. No one can track it down, not even me.” Digital God then added, “I cracked my brain to come up with a complicated program so as to foil our enemies. Alas, my plan has backfired and I am now suffering from my own brilliance.”
Black Hawk took a deep breath and sighed. “Since we cannot determine their flight route and track them down, the only thing we can do now is to try and get to the destination before they do.”
“That’s right. That is the only option we have left. I can only work out a rough estimate of their positions, but am unable to predict which direction they will be heading next. Tracking is impossible.” Digital God nodded in agreement.
“Got it. I will get there using the fastest aircraft we have at Shield. I think we stand a good chance of getting there before them.” Black Hawk sounded pretty confident, and Levi was relieved to hear that.
With Black Hawk as backup, their chance of success had increased, so it was a positive development.
At the same time, the Dragonites had organized an emergency international video conference with the world leaders.
Dr. Erebus was the star of the conference which had attracted everyone’s attention. Even Smythe was watching it with keen interest.
“This is an emergency, so I won’t beat around the bush. I am Dr. Erebus, the one many of you are hunting for. As you can see, I am in Erudia now, but I want to clarify that Lab of Gods had no dealings or relationship with Erudia.”
His clarification caused an uproar, as everyone had assumed Erudia was in cahoots with Lab of Gods.
“Many of you were wondering why Levi brought us to Erudia. The reason is that we have started our revenge and Levi wanted to interrogate us to find out more about our plans. Otherwise, he would have killed us long ago, Dr. Erebus explained, and that immediately cleared Erudia and Levi’s names.
Everyone cheered, and their attitude toward Erudia changed immediately. They were glad that Erudia had not betrayed the world.
However, Dr. Erebus’ next sentence sent everyone into despair.
“I’m sorry but this is not the time to cheer. Our revenge plan has already been set in motion and it is now a countdown to doomsday. Human civilization is going to be wiped out soon, and the world that you know shall cease to exist…” Dr. Erebus went on to share more details of their revenge, and that information scared the life out of everyone who heard him.
After Dr. Erebus ended his speech, the representative from Dragonites told everyone that Levi was on his way to try and avert the crisis. As his chance of success was slim, the disaster could still happen. Erudia urged everyone to activate their emergency response systems to prepare for the possible calamity.
Erudia had already started moving the people and some essential supplies to the Shelter in preparation for the possible tragedy. The authorities in Erudia were doing whatever they could to put up the last fight.
Soon, a few of their allies also started activating their Shelters.
Chapter 2828 Wasted Last Chance
Erudia and her allies had helped one another with the building of their respective Shelters. They were completed a while ago and ready for use.
When they realized the situation warranted the use of those Shelters, they immediately activated their emergency response plan.
The capacities of the Shelters were sufficient to cater to Erudia and her allies. As for the rest of the world, they had to scramble to come up with alternative solutions.
“Based on the most optimistic estimates, we have less than ten hours before we have to face the catastrophe. In the worst-case scenario, if the explosions are more powerful than expected, then the spread will be rapid and we will have only six hours to prepare ourselves!” the Dragonites gave the warning at the video conference, so everyone knew the urgency of the matter.
The amount of time they had would depend largely on how much damage the two aircraft could inflict on the super-spiritual ley line.
If they only managed to crack it a little, then it would take roughly ten hours for the destructive energy to spread from the South Pole to the rest of the world.
If the damage were to be greater, the destruction could reach every part of the world in no more than six hours.
The message the Dragonites had for the world was simple. If the chance of averting the crisis was slim, then the top priority for everyone would be to make full use of the remaining time to save whatever they could. Save whatever you can?
That very pessimistic advice caused everyone to go into panic mode.
At that moment, Levi, who was seated in Pengornis, suddenly detected some abnormality.
Boom!
A blinding bright object came shooting toward them. It was a glowing arrow.
Boom!
Levi gave out a powerful strike to fend it off, shattering it into fragments.
“What the hell is that for? This is not the time to stir up trouble!” Levi shouted in exasperation.
He would not have been bothered by such sneak attacks normally. However, he was attending to a matter that would determine the life and death of humankind, so he was greatly peeved by such unnecessary distractions.
It was maddening to have to deal with such meaningless disruptions during that moment of emergency.
Every second was precious in their bid to thwart the destruction of the super-spiritual ley line, and Levi was not about to let anyone get in their way.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
More glowing arrows appeared in the horizon and came flying toward Pengornis.
“Get lost!” Levi howled.
He had no idea who was behind the attack. He only knew Pengornis was being delayed and precious seconds and minutes were being lost.
Meanwhile, Black Hawk was facing some obstacles as well after ending his call with Levi. When he requested permission to use Shield’s fastest aircraft, his request was shot down.
“Hold on now! This could be another of Levi’s cunning acts. Look at what he did to us earlier! He swore he would kill Dr. Erebus and even help us track him down. But the next moment, he went behind our back and took Dr. Erebus away!”
“That’s right. Levi is too sly and can’t be trusted! We are not sure if this is not another of his ploys, so we have to do thorough investigations before we take any actions!”
Many people joined in to prevent Black Hawk from jumping into action.
If Black Hawk was being honest, he himself was not fully convinced that he was doing the right thing. Deep in his mind, he also had the nagging suspicion that Levi was up to no good. That Levi could very well be trying to cook up a tall story to distract everyone from his betrayal.
“I think we should track Levi and see where he is heading.” Someone made the suggestion just before the Dragonites began the international video conference.
However, the moment they saw Dr. Erebus appear online and heard his side of the story, they began to waver.
The situation seemed to be genuinely dire and did not appear to be a deception by Levi.
Black Hawk instinctively knew something was not right, so he made a proposal. “Why don’t we do this? You guys go ahead and track down Levi’s position while I make my way to the destination. It’s better to play it safe and go to the rescue than to regret our indecision later on.”
“Very well. I have already tracked him down. This is the current position of Pengornis.”
Without further delays, Black Hawk hopped into the pilot seat of Shield’s Lumiere I and made his way toward Pengornis.
Lumiere I had a faster speed than Pengornis, so Black Hawk would have no problem catching up with Levi.
However, much time had been wasted when he tried to get permission to use Lumiere I. If Black Hawk had made his way straight to the South Pole, there could still be a chance he could turn things around. The delay in setting off and the fact that he had to catch up with Levi before heading to the South Pole meant precious minutes were wasted, and that few moments were all that was needed to change the outcome.
Chapter 2829 Carrying The Last Hope
Sadly, Levi encountered problems as well and was delayed too.
Initially, they had a slim chance of being able to catch up with Lab of Gods’ aircraft. However, the delays the two parties encountered had completely dashed that hope.
“What the heck is your problem? Why are you picking a fight with me now?” Levi was beyond infuriated by the disruptions he was facing. After all, it was not the time to stir up trouble, as the survival of humankind was at stake.
The Ancient Clan was the one who was trying to stop Pengornis.
They were the ones who betrayed Levi and when the whole world’s attention was on him, they had quietly made their way to Erudia.
They split themselves into two teams. One team was keeping an eye on Forlevia while the other searched for Levi and Dr. Erebus. When Levi was on his way to the South Pole, some of them came after him and harassed him for almost a quarter of an hour.
When they saw that they could not stop him, they had no choice but to retreat.
Levi was about to lose his temper and go on a killing spree to clear the path for Pengornis to proceed when he saw the enemy had started to back off.
He knew what his priority was, so he did not pursue his enemy and only urged the pilot to continue their journey at full speed.
“It is unlikely we can catch up now. Whatever time advantage we had is gone…” Digital God mourned.
Levi’s brows were in a knot as well, but he consoled himself by saying, “Thank goodness I got Black Hawk onboard. At least the team from Shield is already on their way.”
However, his pilot soon gave him a piece of bad news. “There’s an aircraft behind us, about four nautical miles away. It is faster than us and is catching up to us!”
Levi instantly knew what was happening. The people at Shield must have not trusted me enough and wanted to verify what I was doing.
The precious minutes they were counting on were lost, and the last hope they had vanished into thin air.
“Idiots! Fools, the lot of them!” Levi hissed.
He knew all was lost, and despite the record speed they were flying at, there was no hope of catching up with the other two aircraft.
Levi did not dwell on the setback. He immediately contacted Black Hawk and updated him on the situation.
Although he wasn’t optimistic about the attempt, he still requested Black Hawk to proceed to their destination at full speed to make a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation.
Although it was unlikely that they would be successful, it would be unthinkable to give up without putting up a fight. Black Hawk put his faith in Levi and went ahead at full speed. They were humankind’s last hope.
After the international conference was over, the Dragonites worked tirelessly with the allies to transport all the people and the important supplies that needed to be conserved to the Shelters.
There were five hundred Shelters in total, and some natural areas that were blessed with features similar to the Shelters were also used.
Their total capacities were just sufficient to cater to Erudia and her allies’ needs.
It was a challenge to transport all the people and important things to the respective Shelters within a short few hours.
Gary was Erudia’s Commander-In-Chief for that task, as he was the most experienced expert in that area.
Under his leadership, the process went on orderly and smoothly. Everyone was grateful for the availability of the Shelters. No one had expected it to be put to good use, let alone so soon.
The Shelters’ a lifesaver! Although they were faced with an unprecedented danger, those Shelters gave them a good chance of survival. Under such situations, even a fifty percent chance of survival was something to be thankful for.
All the allies were secretly glad they decided to work with Erudia on this project. Otherwise, their people would have nowhere to take refuge.
With the limited capacity and time, Erudia could only focus on ensuring the survival of her own people and that of her allies. She had no means to look out for others.
Most of the other countries and regions were not in a rush to go into high alert mode, even after they were told of the dire consequences of that possible catastrophe. Many had their doubts and thought Erudia had cooked up a tall story to justify keeping Dr. Erebus and taking over all the technologies and resources from the Lab of Gods.
After all, the concept of spiritual energy was alien and fiction to them. They had not heard of such a thing and the claim that it could wipe out human civilization and destroy the earth was unimaginable and laughable.
No one could blame them for dismissing the idea of the existence of things such as the super-spiritual ley line. Other than the few leaders of Erudia, no one had heard of such spiritual energies.
Even Black Hawk and the team at Shield had no knowledge of it, let alone the general public.
As they were unaware of such spiritual energies, they had no knowledge of their devastating power. As a result, most of the world did not take the warning seriously and did not take any precautions to take shelter from the disaster they were about to face.
Chapter 2830 Forlevia Went Missing
In fact, even Levi could not believe it initially. He thought what Dr. Erebus had described was too exaggerated, and nothing in the world could be that powerful.
He was only convinced after Craig made the confession and told him the true reason for terminating Project Atlantis.
Most of those people who were being escorted by Erudia and her allies to the Shelters to take cover were also not fully convinced of the existence of such immense spiritual energies. The only reason they obediently went along with the evacuation was that they would rather play it safe than take a risk.
They chose to trust their leaders, as the leaders had always shown that they cared for the people and did what was best for them.
The rest of the world was not as trusting, however. They had serious doubts about the claims of the impending doom. Most of them thought it was a lie that Erudia came up with to justify their act of taking Dr. Erebus away. They were certain that the people of Erudia wanted to keep all the secret technology and discoveries of the Lab of Gods to themselves.
They believed the powerful super-spiritual ley line was a myth fed to them to divert their attention.
They reasoned that if Lab of Gods had discovered and was in possession of such an immense energy source, they would not have lost to the Defenders of the Galaxy in the first place.
The super-spiritual ley line was projected to be so terrifyingly powerful that the claim became unreal. No one could believe there exist such powers that the world could be turned topsy turvy by a mere mythical spiritual energy.
On the other hand, those who believed in Erudia’s claims were caught between a rock and a hard place. Even though they were convinced a disaster was heading their way, they could do nothing. They had no safe havens to retreat to, and all their existing emergency response systems were simply not planned for a disaster of such scale. As such, they, like the doubters, did nothing as well.
In the end, eighty to ninety percent of the world’s population were still living life as normal.
At the same time, a few of the more intelligent entities began to do their own investigations into Erudia’s claims.
Zarain was one of those.
They had no doubts that Erudia and Dr. Erebus were telling the truth. As such, they immediately sprang into action.
For starters, they wholeheartedly supported Black Hawk and Levi’s quest to avert the disaster.
Next, they mobilized the Defenders of the Galaxy to activate their disaster preparation plans. In the case that Black Hawk and Levi failed to intercept the two aircraft and the catastrophe could not be stopped, they would be fully prepared.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, Zarain actually had many secret defensive bases that were as secure as Erudia’s Shelters.
As they knew Lab of Gods very well, they could totally understand Dr. Erebus and his team’s viciousness. If Dr. Erebus decided to take revenge, he would stop at nothing. Zarain was not surprised he chose to use such a mode of revenge, despite knowing it would lead to massive destruction and a total wipeout of humankind.
They were more fearful than Erudia and her allies of the consequences of Dr. Erebus’ revenge. As such, they activated their disaster preparation plans immediately after the international conference.
Stress and fear were mounting as the seconds ticked away and the fateful time got closer.
Craig and his team were saddened that the rest of the world chose not to take any precautions. However, there was nothing they could do if the doubters chose not to believe them. They had already given them the grave warnings and shared whatever information they had.
On the other hand, Forlevia, who was with her mother, also encountered trouble. The fighters of the Ancient Clan ambushed them with the intention of taking Forlevia away.
Knowing Forlevia was formidable and that they might not be her match, they did not confront her directly. Instead, they resorted to despicable means and captured her family.
Forlevia was caught off-guard by their sneak attack. Seeing her mother and relatives were in their hands, she had no choice but to go with them.
The people from the Ancient Clan put on a pair of special handcuffs on her to restrain her, then hurriedly bundle her away.
Those fighters were not weaklings, and they could have managed to take Forlevia down in a face-to-face confrontation if they teamed up against her. However, that would take too much time and effort on their part. They had already used up some of their internal energies in their bid to stall Levi earlier, so they decided to resort to underhanded tactics with Forlevia.
After Forlevia was captured by the Ancient Clan fighters, they released Zoey and her family. Their target was solely Forlevia. They had no intention of stopping Zoey and her family from taking refuge in the Shelters.
Zoey was devastated by the unexpected twist in the event. She tearfully left the evacuation site and went after Forlevia instead. Her daughter was more important to her than her own life, and she knew she could not live on should anything untoward happen to Forlevia.
No one, not even Levi, had seen the Ancient Clan’s action coming.