Returning to hometown to farm: The apocalypse system arrived ten years earlier?

Chapter 357 The Earth's Core and the Migrating Spark

Although my cousin Shen Wenqian hasn't been home, she can video chat with her parents, grandparents, and younger brother in City 03, China, anytime via the internet.

Thanks to Jiang Cai'er's efforts, the internet is now far more advanced than in the peaceful past. Through holographic projection and 3D naked-eye effects, remote communication is as if the person is there in person. However, even so, Shen Wenqian's parents and grandparents miss her dearly, but they know that the world is not peaceful these days, so it's better for them to stay in the underground base. It's not safe for them to come back.

Moreover, Shen Wenqian has important work there.

Li Xiang helped Eileen collect a lot of metal materials again. Although there was a beast army guarding the area, the beast army could only protect the outer perimeter and could not maintain order in the underground base. Moreover, Eileen was used to using alchemical puppets and could control them as if they were her own arms, so she preferred these alchemical creations.

However, replenishing the existing number of alchemical golems would take some time. Li Xiang told her not to rush and to take it slow.

After their tender moment, Li Xiang left Eileen's place and used his earth-elemental ability to head deeper underground. Several "mother beasts" at the God-King level were still lurking there, and he cautiously went to scout out the situation.

Just like last time, when they reached about four or five thousand kilometers underground, the Nine Netherworld Eyes' vision suddenly changed, and a chaotic world appeared before them. It was unclear whether it was a spiritual world or a dark universe; it was extremely mysterious.

Little did they know, ordinary Saint-level cultivators couldn't even come into contact with this level; only God-level or higher cultivators could enter. But Li Xiang was an exception; his true strength far surpassed that of a Saint-level cultivator, allowing him to challenge those of higher levels.

He might have confidence in challenging ordinary gods, but challenging so many gods at the God-King level was naturally out of the question.

Li Xiang didn't go in; he only observed from afar. The mother beasts inside were still fighting, but several had already died. Li Xiang remembered there were more than ten before, but now he counted and only seven remained—almost half were dead.

As he exited the space, he saw that deep within the earth's core, there were still more than ten female beasts. Clearly, about half of them had become corpses, devoid of life.

"These corpses are also excellent materials; they might be able to be converted into spaceships." He had personally witnessed these "mother beasts" arrive from space, their "bellies" open, unleashing countless alien beast armies, just like a large space battleship.

Li Xiang was envious and had a strong urge to go forward and collect it, but reason told him that he must not get close. If he were to boldly steal the corpse, that would be truly courting death.

"The corpse of a God-King Realm expert shouldn't rot so easily. Even if it does, its bones and shell should remain immortal. We can collect it when the opportunity arises." As long as there are bones and shells, and the frame is there, it can be modified, saving a lot of manpower and resources. In addition, the spaceship in the shape of a beast naturally has "camouflage" when it travels through the Black Mist Starfield, so it won't be too "conspicuous".

Jiang Cai'er's research team currently has fifty or sixty projects underway. Among them, the two most important are: one is a miniature artificial sun, which can be placed in an underground farm, or, after the ground is recovered, a larger one can be built and launched into low Earth orbit, orbiting the Earth like a space station. If one is not enough, several more can be built to restore the light to the Earth.

Another major project is the spaceship. Since humanity wants to find and migrate to a new home, it will inevitably need such large-scale warships capable of interstellar travel. This does not conflict with the previously mentioned "artificial miniature sun"; they are parallel options, a two-pronged approach being prepared and implemented simultaneously.

However, the research on such large spaceships is extremely complex, and currently there is less than a third of the progress.

In addition to the spacecraft itself, it must also carry various carrier-based aircraft, reconnaissance systems, control systems, defense systems, holographic star maps, life cycle systems, nano-repair swarms (maintenance systems), communication systems (for long-distance transmission with other warships in deep space), mimicry gravity rings (centrifugal simulation of gravity, artificial gravitational fields, so that people do not float in the spacecraft), escape systems, and most importantly, propulsion engines, etc.

These things used to only exist in science fiction movies, but now, Jiang Cai'er is going to make them a reality one by one.

Li Xiang left quietly, and this time, he didn't alert any of the beasts. Perhaps they noticed him, but they were too busy fighting to pay attention to him.

……

The South Asian subcontinent.

A biting wind, carrying black mist, howled across the wasteland, while the exiled low-caste people huddled in drafty caves.

"Wait for me here, I'll take some people outside to find food." Seventeen-year-old Kanna used her earth-spike technique to break through the rock wall, piled up the rubble to form a barrier to block the cave entrance, and then whispered to the people inside the cave.

She was the only superhuman among them, so she became their leader. There was no other way; most of the inhabitants were her people. Ever since Amir's rebellion, the other dungeons had begun expelling lower-caste outcasts, especially the superhumans. She was driven out, along with her entire tribe.

There were many more refugees who were also driven out, but the outside environment was harsh, and if they stayed together, they would be easily discovered and attacked by monsters. Therefore, they had to disperse and try to survive on their own.

Kanna's tribe originally numbered over a hundred, but now, only about thirty remain after the deaths.

It's uncertain how long these thirty-odd people can hold out.

Her mother also tragically died in the last monster attack.

"The southeast oasis has the embers of the Blackfire Raven, where you can dig up tubers that haven't frozen." Kanna had no time for sadness. She wiped the ice shards from her face and, along with five young men from her village, activated her earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or technique).

She is a fifth-tier transcendent being with earth-based abilities, including earth escape, earth spikes, and quicksand. However, her earth escape has many limitations. For example, she can only bring a maximum of five people with her when she uses earth escape, and she cannot stay underground for too long. She has to come up for fresh air or build a small ventilation duct to replenish fresh air after at most half an hour.

Inside the cave, once Kanna left, the rest of the group became even more terrified. They huddled together, wrapped in moldy blankets, shivering and barely daring to breathe, for fear of attracting the strange beasts.

An infant, unable to bear the deathly silence, cried out, only to have it muffled by its mother's shriveled breast. There was no more milk in it, but at least it could soothe the infant.

Kanna and her group had reached a kilometer away, almost at the "oasis." Her spiritual power was limited, and she was finding it increasingly difficult as they went on. The energy markings on her forehead began to flicker, forcing her to bring them to the surface for fresh air and a temporary rest. She used quicksand magic to push aside the frozen ground and create a "temporary resting place."

Suddenly, a three-headed, blue-scaled beast leaped out of the black mist, its serrated mandibles instantly crushing the throats of the two youths behind it.

Kanna flung out earth spikes that pierced the compound eyes of the nearest beast, and the quicksand vortex slowed the beast horde's speed.

"Get into the crevice!" Kanna roared, activating her power, and a three-meter-deep trench split open in the ground. As the survivors tumbled and scrambled down, the tail hammer of an eighth-tier burrowing beast shattered the rock layers, and the flying chunks of frozen soil smashed the last person to the ground into a bloody pulp.

It was a mess, but at least I escaped.

Only three people returned to the cave, including Kanna, and the plant tubers they brought back were stained with their companions' blood.

There weren't enough tubers for everyone to eat; each person could only share a small bite.

Kanna gave the mother with the baby an extra bite, because the young infant needed milk.

The seventeen-year-old girl slumped on the frozen rock wall, her nose bleeding from the exhaustion of earth-elemental energy.

In the distance, in the firelight cast by flocks of black fire crows sweeping across the sky, the frozen corpses of refugees resembled twisted sculptures, but there were always people rolling under the claws of beasts, lighting torches—those faint flames were the resilient embers of life, more tenacious than the raging flames of the black fire crows.

“Kanna, let’s go to China to find the Divine Envoy. He once saved you. Lead us to seek refuge with him. I’ve heard that the underground cities in China are very safe and well-stocked with plenty of food and drink,” a member of the tribe said.

Upon hearing this, others echoed his sentiments, but their voices were all kept very low.

Hope arose in everyone's hearts.

"Only the divine messenger will take us in."

“We’re not the kind of people who just eat and drink for free. We can work. We’re willing to do any kind of work, no matter how lowly, dirty, hard, or tiring, as long as there’s a way to make a living.”

"But the road is too far."

"What does distance matter? Is there any chance of survival if we stay here? We're going to die sooner or later, either from starvation, freezing, or disease, or from being eaten by strange beasts. We might as well take a gamble."

Kanna wiped the blood from her nose, and the scene from nine years ago, when Li Xiang saved her from the clutches of a leopard, involuntarily flashed through her mind.

At that moment, the mysterious armored man descended from the sky and kicked the ferocious leopard away with one kick. The mysterious armored man held her in his arms. She was dizzy at the time and felt endless admiration and love for him.

Later, she learned that it was Li Sheng.

She knew that Li Xiang wasn't actually a messenger of the gods in India, but everyone considered him one, their protector, and prepared large offerings every year, hoping the messenger would come to collect them. Given Li Xiang's actions today, he truly was a protector of humanity.

"Will the divine messenger still remember me?" Kanna touched her cheek, somewhat uncertain. Most likely, the divine messenger wouldn't remember her.

Her mother often said that she was cute when she was little, with big, bright eyes and smooth, delicate skin. The divine messenger even touched her head and praised her for being beautiful, but that was many years ago.

How could the divine messenger possibly remember her after only one meeting?
However, for the sake of her people, she had to lead them to seek refuge with Li Xiang, as that seemed to be their only way to survive.

The place where Li Sheng was located was a sacred place in her mind, which could be considered a pilgrimage. At worst, she would die on the way to the pilgrimage.

She is a fifth-order transcendent being, so she should be of some value. If she can really reach the Holy Land, she will do anything for the divine envoy as long as he is willing to take them in.

(End of this chapter)