Almost 180 votes—if we break that number today, there will be an extra chapter! Four chapters total!

Dark clouds churned, dimming the heavens into a bleak and lightless expanse. A savage gale swept the land, accompanied by roars that echoed across the world, startling the wilderness and chilling the very soul.

Across the vast terrain, withered grass flew wildly. A colossal city stood firm against the fierce wind, its ramparts towering, lined with countless dark silhouettes. Heads swarmed the walls, while deafening, heart-wrenching howls erupted from within.

Before this base city, legions of monsters surged towards the walls. Some towered like skyscrapers, their massive bodies causing the ground to rumble and crack with fine fissures as they strode. Others were tiny, darting between the behemoths. Some were natural enemies, yet under the command of their respective leaders, they refrained from infighting or descending into chaos.

"Charge!! Roar, roar~~~"

Within the black torrent, countless monsters charged. An eight-zhang, golden-eyed Purple Ape, wielding a massive wolf-tooth club, led the army behind it toward the city walls.

Manifold generals of the base city, along with warriors from the great guilds, occupied the battlements. On the foremost artillery platform stood a stately, middle-aged man clad in golden armor, gripping a golden longsword—six feet long, a palm wide, intricately etched across its entire surface, now stained with copious blood.

He stood there, silhouetted against the wind, his blood-red cape flapping wildly behind him. With thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes, he held the hilt of his sword, gazing down upon the endless monstrous army with a grave expression.

Suddenly—

From the distance, a youth arrived as if propelled by wings, bowing his head and cupping his hands. "Commander Murong, the eastern corner of the wall has fallen! A small wave of monsters has broken through!"

Murong De's gaze sharpened, though his demeanor barely shifted. He looked out at the endless host of hideous monsters beneath the dismal, dark clouds. The earth-shattering momentum rushed toward them, suffocating. An ordinary person standing there, merely hearing the deafening roars, would find their legs turning to jelly, perhaps losing control of their bowels, or even suffering a complete mental collapse.

The wind howled.

The dark clouds roiled.

An endless shroud of black descended, obscuring the land, seemingly extinguishing hope within that abyssal darkness.

Murong De clenched his fist. His slightly trembling arm, after an indeterminate time, slowly steadied.

"Dispatch the Ghost Moon Emperor and the Lone Sword Emperor to lead reinforcements!" Murong De’s cape billowed in the wind, his eyes like blades. "Move all reserve missiles, explosives, and ammunition out. Additionally—'Nuclear Bomb,' prepare for launch!"

The youth flinched but dared not delay, hastily turning to depart.

Since obtaining the Atlantean civilization, the Huaxia Base City had developed rapidly, birthing numerous powerful figures. Utilizing the Virtual Combat Tower, many geniuses with potent battle techniques, yet lacking the bodily enhancement provided by Basification Flesh, had been discovered. These individuals were swiftly recruited by the Base City and the major guilds, provided with the best resources for cultivation!

Battle techniques demanded years—one, two, or even ten years of relentless, day-and-night practice to achieve mastery! Body quality, however, could be elevated simply by obtaining sufficient Basification Flesh.

Under these circumstances, generations of geniuses rose, shining brilliantly. After Ye Chen’s single battle at Nine Dragon Mountain established him as a King, these emerging powers felt their own strength affirmed and gained recognition from many, leading to their formal designation as 'Emperor' level experts!

Honored, revered, and mighty!

Each Emperor-level expert possessed strength roughly equivalent to the J-level, yet they had not awakened Superhuman Genes, primarily because they were "afraid to die!" The chance of awakening Superhuman abilities was only one in ten thousand!

Every Emperor cherished their life and would not undertake such a perilous endeavor. Only those who saw no future, pressed by hunger and the threat of monsters, wishing for death but unable to self-terminate, would choose this path—"Failure means death, which brings no pain; success means becoming a Superhuman expert whose status surpasses even the Emperors!"

Murong De turned to a high-ranking general and said gravely, "What percentage of civilians, children, and women have been evacuated into the Atlantean City?"

The general promptly responded, "We have secured [a percentage]!"

Murong De fell silent for a moment, then suddenly ordered, "Go instruct them: in at most [a duration], the spatial portal to the Atlantean civilization will close completely. Anyone not inside by then forfeits the chance! Remember, only inform the generals responsible for maintaining order; do not let this information spread. I do not wish to plunge the situation into further chaos at this time!"

The general’s face paled, and he stammered, "Yes." He bowed his head and swiftly flew off.

The entire Huaxia Base City accommodated over ten million entrance slots. Four-tenths of these slots remained outside the evacuation—that was four million people! This equaled the entire population of the Polish Base City. And how many could be evacuated in just ten minutes?

After all, there was only one passage!

"Don't blame me." Murong De gazed into the distance, where dark clouds blanketed the sky, and endless roars and screeches surged toward him with the gale. The air grew slightly colder, and a thin strand of water landed on his face, chillingly cool.

His hand trembled slightly. He knew that facing such a massive onslaught of monsters, the city's defenders could not possibly hold for long. Ten minutes was the absolute limit. At this moment of racial extinction, he could only ensure that the most exceptional portion survived!

A ruler must be decisive!

It reminded him of a story his father told him when he was young: there was only one boat that could hold 50 people, but there were [a number] people drowning in the sea. If all of them were loaded, the boat would sink. How should he choose?

As a fiery youth, he had declared righteously: If we die, we all die together!

But now, the burden on his shoulders was not fifty or sixty people, but tens of millions!

Could he drag tens of millions down with him in a "sinking ship"?

Therefore, he told himself this was an inevitable outcome. Perhaps it was deeply unfair to those abandoned, but only the weak were cast aside. If you do not wish to be abandoned, strive to become stronger!

In the post-apocalypse, everyone faced equality. There were instances of those who did not undergo human evolution yet surpassed the evolved humans, such as the "God of Slaughter, Ye Chen!"

Beyond him, there were many other warriors who, though not as powerful as the evolved humans, could at least fend for themselves. If they were abandoned, they had no one to blame but themselves...

Murong De thought this, a bitter taste touching his lips. Was this self-consolation?

Within the Base City, chaos reigned.

Many people surged toward the city center. However, this was a city designed to hold over ten million occupants, vast in scale. Many of the physically weaker would need several hours to run from the outskirts to the center. Even so, some refused to give up!

"Everyone run quickly! Hide in the Atlantean City for safety!"

"Ah! You stepped on me!!!"

Some survivors had their thighs bitten off by monsters. Lacking the funds for gene pod treatment, they could only become cripples, hobbling toward the center, only to be bumped by others surging behind them, losing balance, falling, and quickly being trampled into a bloody paste!

No one dared to offer aid; they didn't even glance back!

Under the bleak, dim light, streams of pedestrians hurried along the streets like ants, forming a chaotic black line, all clenching their teeth as they pushed forward. Some even shoved those beside them aside to ensure their own immediate escape.

"Waaah... Mommy!"

A small girl stood alone in the middle of the street, dressed in a pink frock, weeping uncontrollably. A surge of people suddenly rushed up from behind. Someone accidentally bumped the girl, causing her to lose balance and fall. Not long after the crowd passed, only a smear of blood and a crushed pink dress remained where she had been.

At the city center, near the spatial connection point to the Atlantean civilization, the scene was even more frantic.

"Aaaah, let me in! I must get in!!!"

"Get out of the way, all of you!!"

"You bastards in front, hurry up and enter, or scram!!!"

"Go! Why are you standing there? Get in!!!"

Countless shouts and curses erupted. Outside the black hole passage, a massive, endless throng pressed in, blocking the entire entrance solid. Those inside could barely move an inch. Before those in front could advance, the people behind were already shoving hard. Everyone knew that once inside the city, they were truly safe; no matter how many monsters outside, closing the spatial connection point would bar them.

Everyone looked frantic, faces red, screaming wildly.

Nearby, many generals and soldiers tried to maintain order, cocking their pistols, hoping to intimidate the crowd. Yet, against the sound of madness, the gunshots seemed weak, utterly failing to impose order.

Beneath the crowd, small children had their arms broken from the crushing pressure or were stamped into pulp. Many disabled individuals were simply thrown clear of the crowd by stronger people—not only were they not cursed, but they were met with cheers from the surrounding mob.

"Damn it, just a cripple, still trying to squeeze in. Might as well die quickly."

"Wasting my time. What good is a cripple who is still alive?"

"Opportunities should be left to the next person. An idiot like this doesn't know that a sturdy person like me is worth far more than you!"

Faced with the angry, nonsensical shouts of many, the scene became intolerably loud.

As time passed, the ten minutes concluded quickly. The congested passage had admitted only one or two tens of thousands of people. The greater the chaos, the fewer actually entered.

"Close the passage," a general commanded into his communicator.

Rumble~~~

The massive black hole slowly shrank, vanishing before the astonished eyes of everyone present.

"It's gone?"

"Why isn't it there?"

"Where is the passage!!!"

Everyone glared furiously at the soldiers maintaining order nearby.

A general stepped forward and said coldly, "The Atlantean City can hold no more. Everyone, please enter the underground air-raid shelters for refuge!"

"Air-raid shelters? Shelter your mother!"

"Air-raid shelters can offer refuge? Are you fooling children? Once that monster army breaks in, every structure will be swept away. What good is hiding in there?"

"Damn it, these bastards are purely trying to abandon us, telling us to leave so they can reopen the spatial portal and bring in the guarding soldiers later. It's utterly despicable!"

"Despicable! Shameless!!"

Many people grew even more agitated, filled with resentment and fury.

"Let's kill him together! At worst, we all die together!!!"

"Right, mutual destruction!!!"

"Damn it, you want to abandon us? You die too!!"

Many roared, rushing toward the nearby soldiers and generals like savage wolves. (To be continued~~~~)