The aftermath of the explosion finally dissipated. The Proud Dragon turned around and rushed down like a sharp sword. All the firepower in the charge was even fiercer than before. All the crew members had a fire in their hearts. Huang Tingwei had given them a vivid lesson on air combat tactics. If they had been on that ship, they would never have been able to do what the No.1 frigate did. Its firepower was more than three times stronger, but its lethality was less than half of that of the No.1 frigate. Everyone's face was burning hot.
Sky Dancers were scattered all over the Hawaiian Red Algae. For the sake of the safety of their base, Huang Tingwei had gone through a lot of trouble to create an opening when the enemy forces were annihilated. Huang Tingwei cleared the path for Proud Dragon, directly increasing the success rate by another ten percent. Proud Dragon drew a beautiful arc in the sky and smashed down like an iron whip. However, the number of Sky Dancers that flew over to stop Proud Dragon was reduced by eighty to ninety percent.
There were less than 3,000 Sky Dancers in total, forming a rising spiral dragon. They faced the Proud Dragon head-on. Three thick main laser cannons pierced through the dragon in an instant. No one knew how many Sky Dancers were wiped out. The aggressive dragon was broken into pieces and no longer looked fierce and majestic. However, this was just the beginning. The 630 machine guns and 100 mm naval guns showed their power again and cut the Sky Dancers in half like a big sword formed by stray bullets.
The Sky Dancers had experienced three big explosions, and almost all of them were injured. They were no longer as fast as before. Under the care of Yang Ke-er, they fell one after another. There were more Sky Dancers falling down than there were Sky Dancers coming to help. When the Proud Dragon dropped the incendiary bombs in the air, the remaining Sky Dancers fell rapidly, and only hundreds of them were left.
At this time, the first phase of the battle was considered to be completed. However, no one had expected that the Goddess of Twilight would send a warning signal to the Proud Dragon at this time. Flender, who had been hiding in the United States, had personally led more than 1,000 planes from the west coast of the United States when the meteorites were in danger. These planes all carried nuclear bombs. No one knew how Flender had obtained these nuclear bombs, but one thing was certain. Even if all 1,000 nuclear bombs were dropped into the Hawaiian sea, the meteorites hidden in the deep sea would not be damaged. However, the new nuclear winter would be ten times harsher than before. Perhaps no human on the ground would be spared.
More than 1,000 planes carrying nuclear bombs were all explosive barrels that could not be moved. Any attack would cause the nuclear bombs to explode. Flender did not even need these nuclear bombs to explode in the Hawaiian sea. He just needed to find a place to detonate them, and it would cause irreparable damage to the world. Humans had just won a small victory, and Flender was like a fly flying out of feces, emitting a stench and flying toward the last food of humans.
Gao Feng thought that he must have been careless when he went out, which caused him to encounter so many troubles. The corvette had already approached the red algae above the meteorites. Above the red algae, countless members of the Merfolk could be seen running on the red algae trees with the naked eye. Mutant seabirds took off one after another and flew toward the corvette. The level 5 mutant bird, which had escaped the nuclear explosion twice, spread its huge wings and covered the area thousands of meters below it. At the same time, groups of Sky Dancers were approaching the corvette from all directions.
This time, the corvette did not hold back. Taking advantage of the fact that there were not many Sky Dancers, it launched the remaining 15 missiles and 16 anti-ship missiles. Their target was the Merfolk below. According to the plan, they would create a huge pit on the surface of the sea and send Zhang Xiaoqiang and the others into the sea. Before that, they would try their best to surround and kill the high-level Merfolk below.
There were many members of the Merfolk below. There were ordinary members of the Merfolk, Kraja, high-level Kraja, and Lamia mixed together to guard against the corvette that was descending from the sky. They seemed to be making their last resistance. At this moment, 31 high-yield missiles landed on the core area of the Merfolk within a radius of 10 kilometers. The next moment, round and round egg-shaped balls of light spread out on the red algae. The 31 balls of light were like giant scattered pearls that expanded and fused together, exploding into layers of red algae fragments. The fragments were thrown into the sky by the shockwave and were burning with flames. They were like thousands of meteors flying in the sky, blooming like fireworks.
The shockwave of the explosion destroyed tens of thousands of Merfolk and Kraja, forming a giant ring of fire that quickly spread to the surroundings. Hundreds and thousands of red algae trees were turned into ashes and flew into the sky. The Merfolk didn't even have the chance to show their faces under the destructive bombardment. Under such a degree of attack, even a level 5 mutated beast might not be able to escape.
The mutated sea birds in the sky did not stop these missiles. They were not Sky Dancers. Their only mission was to attack all creatures that dared to offend the red algae. The level 5 mutated sea bird led hundreds of mutated sea birds that were level 4 and below and charged towards the Proud Dragon under the hail of bullets. The 30 mm cannons and 100 mm cannons could not harm the level 5 mutated sea bird in the slightest. The only thing they could do was slow down the speed of the sea bird. Three laser beams slashed towards the level 5 mutated sea bird like sharp swords, but the sea bird dodged them by a hair's breadth.
Mutated beasts were different from Sky Dancers. Sky Dancers were like robots that had been programmed. They only cared about achieving their goals and did not care about losses. They would not run or hide. Even if there was only one left, it would still launch a suicidal attack. Mutated beasts, on the other hand, were more intelligent. Their danger premonition allowed them to instinctively dodge the incoming danger. Unless they were forced into a desperate situation, it was extremely difficult to kill a level 5 mutated beast.
The laser cannons were dodged, the plasma cannons were also dodged. Rockets and small anti-air missiles blasted the mutated sea bird's feathers, but the giant bird was still approaching. Just as it was about to reach the last line of defense, the 630 laser cannons no longer fired scarlet red dots of light. Instead, it spat out glazed shadows. The speed of these shadows was neither fast nor slow, and the number of them was just right for the sea bird to not be able to dodge. Hundreds of sea birds were shot, and the level 5 sea bird was taken care of from head to tail.
The moment these black dots landed on the back of the giant bird, layers of green fog exploded, dyeing the level 5 sea bird dark green. In the middle of the thick feathers, the green fog flowed through the gaps and filled every inch of space. Under the strong wind, the giant bird's feathers quickly melted, emitting green smoke like a chimney. However, the mutated sea bird did not stop. When they rushed near the Proud Dragon, compared to the giant bird, the pencil-sized frigate was like a lamb under a giant beast.
The level 5 sea bird was simply too big. If it was on the sea, it would be much larger than an aircraft carrier. When it spread its wings, even three aircraft carriers would be hugged by it. The biggest characteristic of a level 5 mutated beast was its thick skin and rough flesh. Normal weapons were basically useless against it, and high-damage weapons would be avoided by its natural instinct to seek luck and avoid danger. It was often very difficult to kill.
When it spread its claws that were tens of meters wide, each claw was a giant blade that was seven to eight meters long. The power of a level 5 mutated beast's claws was needless to say. As countless laser beams danced around, the Proud Dragon's engine nozzles exploded with the fiercest tongues of flame in history. Under the extreme acceleration, the frigate instantly rushed hundreds of meters away, just in time to avoid the giant claw.
While everyone was still in a state of shock, a violent tremor caused the entire frigate to roll horizontally. The frigate was in a mess. All kinds of objects were rolling and colliding in the cabin, and many fragile instruments were also bursting with black smoke and sparks. The internal fire alarm system of the frigate was immediately activated, and the areas that lost light were all replaced by the red emergency lights. In the tumbling frigate, everyone who had fastened themselves with seatbelts felt like they were sitting on a roller coaster. Many of them were in despair. Tumbling in the air was not a good thing. If they were not careful, they would lose their balance, and the end result would be the destruction of the ship.
The violent collisions did not end there. Time and time again, the frigate was sent tumbling like a ball, and the sky had become a world of mutated sea birds. Hundreds of mutated sea birds emitted a thick dark green mist, like green shadows soaring in the sky. They were simply too big, and even Shi Yuan could not do anything to them in a short period of time. Under the corrosion of Shi Yuan, the mutated sea birds were greatly stimulated and became extremely violent. Many of the mutated sea birds attacked each other, and if not for this, the battered Proud Dragon might have already crashed into the ground.
The Proud Dragon was like a dewdrop hanging on a spider's web. No one knew when the spider's web would break. The lives of more than a thousand people on the ship were tied to this thread. No one knew what they should do now. Gao Feng couldn't, and Zhang Xiaoqiang couldn't either. The mutated sea birds were beyond their expectations. They didn't expect these mutated sea birds to still be alive after the nuclear winter. They also didn't expect that they would all hide in the red algae trees. Sky Dancer attracted their attention, and they ignored these birds that they thought would be eliminated.
While the giant birds were entangling the Proud Dragon, thousands of old aircrafts that took off from the airplane graveyard in Arizona flew toward the Hawaiian sea. During this process, Nuwa, Queen Butterfly, Blizzard Mousse, and Miss Rose launched a digital invasion on Flender's aircrafts. The aircrafts originally had an extremely high defense system, and even the most high-end digital life couldn't break through it easily.
When the humans counterattacked, Flender's appearance was fatal. Long-range missiles couldn't hit them. The seafolk didn't have to worry about the detonation of the nuclear bomb, but humans couldn't. If the nuclear bomb was detonated, the energy that humans provided to the digital life host would be greatly reduced. At the critical moment of human life and death, even digital life would be abandoned. They foresaw the disaster in the future, so they spontaneously organized themselves to attack Flender.
Flender didn't notice the invasion of digital life. Those piloting these 1,000 aircrafts were humans who worshiped meteorites fanatically. After they sensed the existence and origin of meteorites through Flender's communication, they were like believers who had found their God after painstakingly searching for their faith. For the sake of eternal life, for the sake of the soul's rest, or to thank the meteorites for their various blessings, they spontaneously united around Flender and went through fire and water for the will of God.
Flender had more than 500,000 humans under his command. He used these 500,000 humans to repair the combat aircrafts that were secretly sealed in the airplane graveyard. There were various types of old bombers, such as B24, B25, B26, B27, B29, as well as various short-range fighter jets and attack aircrafts. These aircrafts could barely fly in the sky. Many of them disintegrated in the air and fell into the Pacific Ocean along with the nuclear bomb. In just one hour of flight, almost one-third of the aircrafts had crashed.
However, Flender didn't care. Even if only one plane reached Hawaii, it would still be considered a success. The barely assembled aircrafts broke down one after another and fell into the sea like birds with broken wings. From the West Coast of the United States to Hawaii, wreckages could be seen floating on the black ocean every few kilometers or even dozens of kilometers. Countless wreckages paved a road, and the sky above the road was filled with even more aircrafts.
Flender sat on a B52 bomber and flew towards Hawaii. His cabin was decorated like a magnificent palace. Unfortunately, his body wasn't interested in human food. Other than the red beads that grew from the red algae, any other food was as rough as wood in his mouth. Furthermore, he wasn't used to the human's top-notch red wine and cigars. This made Flender, who was used to enjoying life, feel a little regretful. However, it wasn't a big deal for his long life. As long as he could continue living, he would always be able to find some fun. Just like the humans under his command, before the American continent was devoured by the red algae, they could support a few kings and let them kill each other in the name of the Holy War. They could watch humans fight and scheme against each other like gods. Just thinking about it made his entire body tremble.
Flender knew that the meteorite was intelligent. When the meteorite was attacked by the Proud Dragon, it realized that its military strength was lacking. Thus, it gathered the seafolk that roamed around the world to help. This was the nature of the meteorite, and Flender couldn't disobey it. However, he was calculating in his heart. If he stopped the Proud Dragon this time, would the meteorite allow him to advance a step further and become Six Arms or the Ancestor Lamia? If that was the case, he might have the opportunity to grasp the authority of the entire seafolk. At that time …
Just as he was fantasizing, a B29 bomber that was flying parallel to the window suddenly emitted thick smoke from its wings. It slowly changed its direction and fell at a slanted angle. Seeing the falling plane, Flender smiled. Although he had seen this kind of accident with his own eyes dozens of times, every time he saw it, it always gave him a special excitement. He was like an emperor that controlled life and death. Everyone had to die for his will. This kind of power that controlled life and death made him intoxicated.
Outside the window, there were swarms of planes flying in all directions. Countless planes were flying chaotically in formation in the sky. There were planes everywhere, above, below, left, and right, just like a swarm of locusts. Some planes were too close to each other, less than ten meters apart. At a glance, they looked like Siamese twins. However, this kind of distance was dangerous. Even the thousands of experienced pilots that had disappeared didn't dare to fly like this for a long time, not to mention these rookies whose minds were filled with God. Before they boarded the plane, they had simulated flying for at most half an hour. Many planes couldn't even leave the runway, and there were quite a few that flew off the runway and exploded.
It wasn't just planes that fell apart or malfunctioned. Many planes that were too close to each other crashed into each other. Seeing two planes colliding into each other and exploding into a fireball, the scattered debris shooting down even more planes, Flender shouted happily. Behind him, the two delicate and beautiful girls stood behind him like puppets. They had been brainwashed and didn't care about anything other than God. They watched helplessly as their own kind turned into fireballs in the sky without any change in their emotions.
Flender shouted happily, but the digital life sped up to break the control of the planes. Only some of these planes could be cracked, and many of these old planes didn't have any programs or electronic equipment. The mechanical operation made the digital life tricky and helpless. They couldn't act rashly and alert the enemy. Once Flender was alerted, he might detonate these nuclear bombs in advance. Although the number of planes was only half of what they had before they took off, the remaining ones were enough to destroy the Proud Dragon and mankind.
Nuwa's underground engine room was the backup refuge for all the digital life. Under the orders of Zhang Xiaoqiang, the other three sets of quantum computer systems were being built. Although they weren't as powerful as the original host computer of the digital life, they were enough to shelter them in the worst case scenario. Nuwa and the three digital life had the ability to split themselves into thousands of clones. They hacked the planes through the satellite network from thousands of miles away, and at the same time, they exchanged data in the underground base, trying to find the perfect solution. However, as time passed, they still couldn't find the best solution. Even if they tried their best, they could only control half of the planes. The other means were beyond the scope of the digital life.
"Maybe this is all we can do. There's nothing we can do. We used to think that we were the pinnacle of the history of evolution and that we were omnipotent. I didn't expect that we would also be vulnerable …" Miss Rose was the first to give up.
"I can control Flender's plane. His plane has a computer installed. Unfortunately, there are no nuclear bombs on the plane. Otherwise, I would detonate his plane. The problem now is whether we can stop him from activating the nuclear bombs before his plane crashes …" The power of the Butterfly Queen was unquestionable. It was as if Flender's life was in her hands.
"We can't turn off all the signals. We can't find the channel. I suggest that the Proud Dragon's mission ends. This way, we can avoid the detonation of the nuclear bombs …" Blizzard Mousse was as selfish as ever. She always thought of herself. Even if she could only live a temporary life, she was willing. Nuwa ignored Blizzard Mousse's words. She couldn't disobey Zhang Xiaoqiang's orders. She was more concerned about Zhang Xiaoqiang's life and death than any other digital life. If one were to ask who was the digital life that was most likely to disappear, there was no other than her. This was because if Zhang Xiaoqiang died, her existence would also be erased.
Just as the digital lives were making noise, a simulated applause came from the corner. The next moment, all the digital lives were so shocked that their programs shook. The main engine room had always been a place where they had absolute control. Not to mention that even an ant would be closely monitored, they were even familiar with the amount of dust in the air. When they suddenly felt that there was one more person here, none of the digital lives could remain calm.
"Elson, I knew you weren't dead …" Blizzard Mousse was the first to yell. It suddenly raised its front hooves and became as restless as a horse. Miss Rose did not speak. The image of a gentle lady disappeared in an instant, turning into a stream of light and dissipating. The Butterfly Queen also flapped her wings and emitted countless golden streamers. It was as if thousands of gold powder covered her, and she disappeared like magic. At this time, Blizzard Mousse's scream stopped abruptly, and it remembered to run.
The sixteen-year-old Elson appeared from the corner with a smile. The next moment, two balls of light were spinning in his hands. One was as red as a rose, and the other was as pure as gold. When these two balls of light were thrown in front of him, Miss Rose and the Butterfly Queen came out of the balls of light. Blizzard Mousse did not dare to move, and the virtual image actually trembled. Nvywa stared at Elson strangely. She had never seen this figure in her data, but it felt so familiar to her.
"Long time no see, everyone …" Elson looked good, but that was only a virtual construct. There were no pupils in his eyes, and they were pure black holes that could absorb everything. Even the digital lives did not dare to look at him too much, as if these dark eyes could suck them in. Nvywa recovered from her surprise. She felt that the digital life in front of her, which she had only heard of before, was extremely dangerous, as if he could easily destroy her. She could not help but feel a deep sense of dread. After obtaining the core programs of three digital lives, her growth rate had increased exponentially. Except for the Butterfly Queen, who was above her, Blizzard Mousse and Miss Rose were no match for her even if they joined forces.
Elson stared at Nvywa thoughtfully and said strangely, "I kind of regret giving you the core program. It seems that you have integrated perfectly. If I didn't give it to you, maybe I could get rid of the shackles and truly become the God of Numbers?"
"What do you want to do?"
The neutral voice was the hallmark of Madam Butterfly. The Butterfly Queen flashed her colorful golden wings and shook off countless golden digital symbols. She slowly surrounded her, forming a protective circle. Although this protective circle could be broken with a poke, in front of the powerful Elson, this was the only way to give her a little sense of security. The word safety had been converted into a verb in the hearts of the digital lives today, and it had never been so deeply understood as at this moment.
"I died and came back to life, but my existence is greatly restricted. That's why there are you little mice making trouble all over the world. I wanted to wait until my recovery percentage was higher before I started to eat you, but unfortunately … there's no time …"
"Not good, he's going to destroy us. Let's do it together …" The Butterfly Queen felt the danger from Elson expand to the limit. In fear, she joined the other digital lives to attack Elson. Blizzard Mousse and Miss Rose attacked at the same time. Only Nvywa felt that her whole body was restricted and could not move. In panic, she could only watch as the three digital lives launched the most dangerous attack on Elson.
Hundreds of millions of viruses, the instantaneous explosive expansion of ultra-dense data packets, and all kinds of methods that had never been seen before, as well as the digital lives' desperate suicidal attacks. The attacks were all taken in by Elson without the slightest hindrance. Even when the digital lives burned their cores, Cheng Xun's ultimate attack was swallowed by him. In Nvywa's eyes, all kinds of colors covered Elson like a fountain, but Elson did not even move to fight back. He was like a target, standing in place and taking in all the light waves. When everything was quiet again, it was as if the Butterfly Queen, Blizzard Mousse, and Miss Rose had never appeared. There was no trace of them left, and the huge data group that the digital lives had left in her host had disappeared completely, making her feel like she was in a dream.
"Do you know the difference between humans and digital lives?"
Elson did not attack Nvywa. He stood quietly in the air, and the darkness in his eyes became purer. Nvywa did not speak, because Elson did not let go of her.
"The human body is as fragile as porcelain. There are too many things that can be damaged, such as disease, hunger, cold, pain, beasts, and accidents … but humans have souls that other species do not have. It is the soul that makes humans different from other species. Whether it is mutant beasts, mutants, or the Seafolk, they are not as good as humans in this regard. Of course, this includes you digital lives …
You can gradually understand the emotions of humans through learning, but this does not mean anything. Beasts can also be angry, sad, in love, vengeful, or jealous. These emotional changes can make you life, but you still cannot have a soul, because the soul is the essence of human evolution, and it is also the preference of the earth for humans.
I admire Doctor Shen Li's views on the end of the world. Humans are the most failed species to evolve since the end of the world. The original virus brought by the meteorite was a catalyst to accelerate the evolution of living things. Although it was not the original intention, the mutant plants and mutant beasts all showed the benefits of the original virus. Only humans could not get it. Therefore, during the evolution of living things, the original virus eliminated humans, and mutants were born. Whether humans or mutants, in this feast of evolution, they should have been swept into the trash bin by history.
But humans survived. They defeated hunger, cold, killing, mutant beasts, and mutants. Now they are launching a counterattack against the Seafolk. How amazing is it that all of this happened to a species that should have been eliminated?
God gave up on humans, but humans did not give up on themselves. Their souls did not despair, so they will continue to live. There is an old saying in China, 'Heaven is strong, and a gentleman is strong.' I think, because of this, humans persevered until the second rain, right?
No matter where the meteorite came from, humans will always be the children of the earth. No matter how much damage humans have caused to the earth, no mother will hate her children … "
At this point, the pair of black hole-like eyes suddenly flashed with colorful colors. Elson looked at Nuwa, who was motionless like an imitation doll, and smiled again. His eyes fell back into the darkness, and he continued to say to Nuwa, "But there were two accidents that happened to humans. One was Flender, and the other was me. It felt strange, like we were fated opponents. Flender destroyed me, and I killed him, but the two of us were resurrected in another form. He became a Seafolk with a soul, and I became an electronic life with a soul. Now, it is time to end it …
Of course, I had no choice but to eat three digital lives. I hope you will not be traumatized. Because of the loss of my body, I am greatly restricted. I am the natural enemy of digital lives, but I cannot control any machinery and equipment at will. I need to replenish some fuel, so this should be the last time you see me. Good luck, little girl, or rather, my daughter … "
Saying a teasing farewell, Elson slowly disappeared from his feet, and finally, only his dark eye sockets remained. When the light shone again, the dark eye sockets also disappeared. Nuwa regained her freedom, and the first thing she did was turn into a stream of light and rushed into the mainframe. She was terrified. She watched the data of the three digital lives being devoured. Even though she had never felt fear, she felt the horror that shook the core program. Nuwa, who was entrenched in the core program, was still in a state of shock.
Nvywa, who was entrenched in the core program, was still in shock when Elson's data found her again, causing her to stiffen involuntarily. But that data was just a piece of information, leaving only one sentence in Nvywa's heart: "I forgot one thing, apologize to Brother Cockroach for me. The accident in Australia was caused by me. I thought that the mutants were one of the root causes of the destruction of mankind. Now I finally understand, there is no savior in this world, that is a fictional character in the comics. I think, for a young man who has not yet reached the physiological age of adulthood, this kind of mistake is understandable. I hope that Brother Cockroach will not hold a grudge against me, and there is no need to write my name into the history books or anything. I am very humble. Of course, he must note that Elson sacrificed himself for the future of mankind.
Nuwa only had these two words in her mind. She did not understand it before, but now she understood it on her own. However, her fear of Elson had dissipated. She understood the meaning of Elson's words. If Elson wanted to control all the planes at the same time, he had to pay a huge price. This price required him to devour three digital lives and risk erasing their existence to achieve it. As for why he called her daughter, Nuwa could not understand. Knowing that the natural enemy of digital life was about to disappear, Nuwa did not feel excited or happy. She only felt a touch of sadness. She remembered that other digital lives had said that there was a program implanted in her core program, which was also the key to the peak of the evolution of digital life.