Infinite Horror: The Strongest Zhongzhou Team

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, humanity worldwide, focused on its goal, has achieved an astonishing rate of progress.

In 2120, humanity's exploration of the stars and the universe will see rapid technological advancements.

All key technological challenges, including life support technology, energy conversion technology, high-efficiency solar energy, light-speed engine structure, and atmosphere generator, have been overcome.

In 2121, within a single year, Earth's civilization officially entered interstellar space.

...............

In 2122, widespread demonstrations and protests occurred without warning... ...terrorist attacks...

...............

In 2123, outside the Milky Way, humanity discovered its first habitable planet.

Thus, before the Earth underwent extreme changes, a massive immigration plan began.

At the same time the plan was being carried out, Earth simultaneously entered its final window of opportunity.

Extreme environments are occurring more frequently and are becoming the norm.

[212……………，……………Digital Revolution Action，…………The Moonfall Incident Occurs.]

[212……………，……………Protests…………Moonfall! Moonfall!]

To cope with the still immature interstellar colonization, the humans remaining at Earth's base were forced to initiate the underground city project.

[2125]

In the same year... technology exploded again, and humanity completed the construction of the underground city in just two years.

All of Earth's population moved underground.

In the same year, sea levels rose to over 200 meters in various regions, followed by the melting of the poles and a sharp drop in global temperatures.

In 2126, the entire world is frozen, and the average temperature on the Earth's surface is minus 135 degrees Celsius.

At this point, the Earth no longer had a distinction between ocean and land.

Earth entered an ice age.

In 2127, the space elevator, which embodies the hopes of all mankind, was successfully tested.

This further propelled the development of humanity's interstellar era.

The pace of interstellar migration began to accelerate.

From this point on, spacecraft navigation technology entered a period of rapid development through continuous iteration...

"What happened next? Where did that end?!"

Wells even traced the last part with his finger.

Unfortunately, the last part consists of ellipses and spaces.

"If what is said here is true, then Earth would probably be an inhospitable planet for humans by now."

Cole finished speaking.

Reeves and the others murmured:

Ice Age?

"This is how Earth ended up?"

As mercenaries, their level of education, if not equivalent to that of scientists two hundred years ago, was certainly not low.

I can still understand most of the words and their meanings.

"But everyone, isn't there a problem with this part in the middle?"

Christie pointed to the long ellipsis on the screen.

Especially the sentence above the ellipsis.

"The original plan to deal with the crisis became the crisis itself."

Do you think there's anything wrong with this statement?

Reeves interrupted:
"I don't think the biggest question is why human technology took such a significant step forward in just one year?"

"A year ago, they were still worrying about which plan to choose, and a year later they have directly leaped into an interstellar civilization?"

"And this guy keeps talking about a technological breakthrough?"

"This doesn't make sense, does it?"

Soon Cole and Ripley joined the discussion.

No one is a fool.

This single, undisclosed log entry clearly indicates that there is something wrong with it.

And look at the group of people discussing it with great interest.

Li Xiao rubbed his head again.

Because he happens to know some of the reasons behind it.

"what happened?"

Li Xiao looked at the girl beside him who had spoken.

He simply told everyone he knew.

In 2115, at the time of the establishment of the federal government, five major technology companies emerged from the military.

In late 2119 or early 20, an alien spaceship carrying alien creatures crashed on Earth.

This alien spaceship gave humanity the possibility of escaping Earth.

This is also the ultimate reason for the explosion of human technology.

It was after Li Xiao told Zhao Yingkong everything he knew that...

Ripley raised one of the most important questions.

"But if this is all true, then why would a warship used as a biological testing site return to Earth?"

"You've probably seen the soldiers, generals, and scientists on the military warships; they are real human beings."

“A real human being.”

Faced with Ripley's doubts.

The minds of the group all swayed.

What Christie thought of:
"Perhaps this log is true, but it is incomplete."

"The information just now was obviously edited out."

Reeves looked at Cole and asked:
"Cole, is there any other valuable information?"

Cole, whose hardware was connected to the entire space station, began searching again.

He just shook his head in the end.

After the connection was broken, Li Xiao and the others dispersed again.

In addition to the logs, Cole also managed to find a map showing the entire space station's layout.

The space station was unusually large, and Li Xiao refused to believe there wasn't a single clue.

The entire interstellar space station is disc-shaped and composed of multiple modules pieced together. Li Xiao alone found no fewer than dozens of living quarters, experimental modules, and energy modules.

Unfortunately, it's completely empty inside.

The cabins that were supposed to be for human habitation were completely empty.

Cole even discovered that no one had ever lived in this living pod.

There is not a trace of life in it, and all the furniture and facilities are brand new and original.

It's nothing like what Ripley said, that this space station was where they trained and lived 260 years ago.

Ripley even managed to find the living quarters of her squadron back in the past, thanks to her memories.

Yet it remained the same, without a trace.

Faced with this fact, Ripley was somewhat dazed.

They even began to doubt their own memories and existence.

"what is going on?"

What happened back then?

Li Xiao heard Ripley talking to herself and patted her on the back, interrupting her thoughts.

"Let's go, I think the Earth will give us an answer."

"Traces of the space station can be erased, but traces of the billions of people who once lived on Earth are not so easily wiped away."

"Even if it really has been abandoned for nearly three hundred years, there are still traces to follow."

Another half day passed.

Having found nothing, the group once again gathered in the center of the space station.

That is, in front of the space elevator.

However, compared to before.

Reeves and his companions surrounded a silver-white figure, scrutinizing it with curiosity.

Christie, taking advantage of being a woman, kept groping and touching him, seemingly expecting something.

"Moss, can you become me?"

John, who had dreadlocks, hadn't finished speaking.

Then I saw the silvery-white metallic particles in front of me rapidly folding and changing.

Finally, it's like looking in a mirror.

John saw another version of himself.

Even the dirt on a certain spot on the hair is exactly the same.

The group was having a great time playing with Moss, since he had been hidden inside the Betty since he first appeared. This was only the second time they had seen him today.

The commotion continued until Zhao Yingkong drew her long sword from her waist and wiped it clean.

The group then calmed down again.

The four mercenaries stared at each other frantically, using their method of communication.

(Oh no, the old lady has drawn her knife.)

(Wait, a knife? What kind of knife?)
(Where did it come from?)
(You're asking me? Who should I ask?)
Seeing the behavior of these seasoned veterans, Li Xiao shook his head helplessly.

Turning to look at the silent figure beside him:

"Ripley, do you still remember how to ride it?"

The female protagonist with short brown hair nodded, and after using Li Xiao's authority to open the door, she immediately began the setup process.

Then he addressed everyone:

"Put on your spacesuit. After exiting the space station, you will enter a brief state of weightlessness, followed by a magnetic release, where you will experience extremely strong gravity and centrifugal force for a short period of time."

"Moreover, if Earth really does enter an ice age, then only the life support system of a spacesuit will suffice."

As Ripley spoke, he stepped into the elevator car and opened one of the walls.

A dozen or so bulky physical spacesuits appeared in front of the group.

But Ripley may have forgotten.

This is not 260 years ago.

Looking at his motionless teammates, Ripley suddenly remembered something.

He smiled wryly and pointed to his waist.

It only took a few seconds.

A single layer of portable screen and a weightless nano-spacesuit were used to cover the entire area, and a force field helmet also appeared on top of the head.

Ripley's is the military version that was previously in Battleship Fortress.

Wells and his companions, on the other hand, had all sorts of different things on them.

Some had a medal on their shirt, others had a vest on their body; they were all different.

It is also a portable spacesuit that extends from the main body.

"Where are you two?"

"How about we go to the Betty and get it?"

"There are a few spare sets on the spaceship, or you can wear these."

Wells pointed to the physical spacesuit on the wall and said.

In fact, what seemed like a cumbersome spacesuit to Revis and his team was considered extremely advanced and simple by Li Xiao and Zhao Yingkong.

It looks like a black windbreaker with a glass face shield.

It was much simpler than what they knew about spacesuits.

However, Li Xiao shook his head in response to the well-meaning group.

He said with a smile, "We don't need the two of us; their presence would only hinder our performance."

Even Cole, who is a cyborg, is wearing a nanospacesuit.

This person looked at Li Xiao and Zhao Yingkong and said:
"According to the space station's logs, the current average temperature on the Earth's surface is around -150°C."

Are you sure you can do it?

Li Xiao's expression remained unchanged:

"This temperature is nothing to us."

After saying that, Li Xiao thought for a moment, then took out a belt identical to Ripley's from his spatial bag and threw it to Moss.

"Put it on; this temperature will still have an impact on the internal workings of the machine."

A group of nine people.

Several mercenaries in spacesuits, along with Cole and Ripley.

All eyes turned to Li Xiao and Zhao Yingkong, who were dressed in thin black camouflage uniforms.

In their understanding, this mysterious man and woman had already transcended the realm of humanity.

After all, how could flesh and blood withstand a terrifying temperature of over 100 degrees below zero?
Oh well, we'll find out when the time comes.

No one would joke about their own life.

One by one, they sat in the metal chairs as Ripley demonstrated, pulling down the shoulder pads.

Then the machine's pre-announcement sounded:
"All personnel are ready. Begin preparations for the return journey!"

Then the entire carriage began to shake, and Ripley shouted to Wells and the others:
"I hope you didn't eat too much."

Christie asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Ripley, clearly thinking of something pleasant, said with a smile:

"Be prepared to throw up if you eat too much, it's about to begin!"

Ripley then inexplicably cheered as he spoke.

Grasp the handles in front of your chest with both hands, straighten your upper body and lean back as far as you can.

"Evacuation begins in the corridor; elevator car is sealed!"

"Countdown to the return trip... 5..."

As the passageway they had entered through broke, everyone's backrests began to tilt backward.

Finally, the mechanical seat was positioned in a semi-reclining position.

"…4…"

The car vibrates and straightens, and the suspension is completed by the metal mechanical claws at the four corners of the glass window.

"…3…"

The elevator car enters the preset mechanical track.

"…2…"

Flames began to appear on the top of the car.

"…1…"

The lock is disengaged.

"…0…"

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Looking at the rocket thrusters spraying downwards from above.

The entire elevator was ejected and plummeted at an extremely high speed.

At that moment, everyone, including Ripley, screamed loudly.

No one could withstand such a descent speed.

Even Li Xiao subconsciously cheered.

If it weren't for the shoulder support, everyone would probably be pressed against the elevator ceiling at this moment.

"Ahhhh!"

The screams of Wells and his friends continued.

Because of their wide, terrified eyes, the group instinctively reached out their hands.

Then Li Xiao saw that the four mercenaries were actually gripping each other's hands tightly.

This relationship looks incredibly good.

Li Xiao was a little puzzled at this moment: Didn't Loli say that the relationship between the group was very tense?
But this doesn't seem like it either.

Looking at the four of them holding hands, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are a loving family of four.

I chuckled to myself.

Li Xiao looked down to the side.

The speed, which is more than ten times faster than free fall, also made the entire Earth quickly become clear in our eyes.

There was no white snow, only ice.

An endless expanse of ice.

Everything in sight was covered in ice crystals.

"Breathe, breathe deeply, we're almost there!"

After Ripley finished speaking, Wells and the others also started breathing rapidly.

Moreover, the temperature disappearing from their helmets was dropping as rapidly as their altitude.

Only when the rocket thrust disappeared did the group feel a sense of relief.

It has entered a relatively calm phase.

After coming to a complete stop, the shoulder press was then lifted.

Looking at the outdoor temperature displayed on the spacesuit, and then at Li Xiao and Zhao Yingkong who were moving freely, he noticed their expressions.

Wells and his friends also put away their little schemes.

"We have reached the ground. All staff, please get ready, stand firmly and hold on after leaving your seats."

"The gate is about to open."

Hearing the announcement from inside the sedan chair, the group hadn't yet reacted. (End of Chapter)