CHAPTER 360: CHAPTER 357: 【DISAPPEARANCE】(TWO IN ONE CHAPTER)

Chapter 357 Disappearance

Chen Nuo pointed in the direction of the base’s living area.

This area was fairly well-preserved within the base. Chen Nuo had a simple reason for choosing the living area.

The living area’s modules could provide cover, and there were many clothes to protect against the cold and plenty of food.

When they burst into the living area’s module, Kamisou Ichiro had already killed six monsters along the way.

Seeing that the two of them had run into the doorway of the living area’s module, Chen Nuo quickly shut the module door. Without daring to stay put, they ran further inside...

The module door couldn’t stop the monsters from breaking through.

But then, Chen Nuo turned his head and couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment.

The monsters that had originally been chasing him on the ground outside suddenly turned around and ran away in unison!

Looking around, all the scattered monsters on the ground in the entire base seemed to receive some sort of command signal, and all swarmed toward the warehouse area’s pit that led to the underground glacier!

In an instant, they had left the place completely empty.

Chen Nuo’s mind raced... He checked the time.

There was one minute left before the explosion.

"Corot, did you do this?"

"Of course, kid. Consider it a little help on my part. Whether you can survive or not is up to your own fate now," Corot replied.

Chen Nuo snorted. "Don’t try to fool me, old bastard! You’re not that generous!"

After a pause, Chen Nuo quickly realized. "You want to call all the monsters back underground, to the place closest to the bomb, so when it explodes, you can take them all out in one go, right?"

Corot didn’t reply.

Clearly, Chen Nuo had seen through his true intentions.

Chen Nuo wouldn’t take Corot lightly!

The fact that his teleportation attempt had failed was enough to make Chen Nuo utterly cautious of this old man!

The teleportation had failed; the barrier hadn’t stopped others but had specifically stopped him!

Don’t forget... the barrier is controlled by this old man! He can even control some of the monsters inside the base!

Within a minute, inside the living area, Chen Nuo found what they needed: oxygen tanks and protective cold-weather clothing.

Both he and Kamisou Ichiro put on the new protective suits and quickly donned oxygen masks... Although unsure of how effective these items would be, Chen Nuo was willing to try anything that might increase their chance of survival by even one ten-thousandth of a percent!

Of course, he had a real plan.

After completing these preparations, the two men sat in a corner of the living area’s storage module and began to wait.

"I must say, you are a very intriguing person," Chen Nuo said to Kamisou Ichiro.

"You are quite fascinating as well, Mr. Anderson. Your profile didn’t indicate that you were this capable," Kamisou Ichiro replied.

"Likewise," Chen Nuo glanced at the man who spoke with such a stiff manner.

Although suspicious, Chen Nuo had a very good impression of Kamisou Ichiro. The man was at least proactive and very brave. When unexpected incidents occurred, he hadn’t flinched, had taken on much of the burden, and had indeed been a great help.

"I hope we have the time to properly exchange information," Kamisou Ichiro said slowly.

Chen Nuo’s heart stirred. He looked at Kamisou Ichiro, certain the man wasn’t just making polite conversation—his expression and eyes were very serious.

Chen Nuo nodded solemnly. "I share that hope."

"Then... it’s a deal." Kamisou Ichiro’s face actually revealed a hint of a smile.

But his smile seemed very forced; his stern and serious face barely managed to contort his mouth into a semblance of one.

The temperature had already dropped tremendously; even inside the living area’s module, it was frighteningly cold.

Luckily, both of them were Ability Users and thus much more resilient than ordinary people. They had also put on an extra layer of protective clothing. Though they were shaking from the cold, they were just able to withstand it.

Chen Nuo silently watched the time... The countdown to the explosion was etched firmly in his mind.

Ten... nine... eight...

Chen Nuo sighed. When the last second arrived, he reached out and gently placed his hand on Kamisou Ichiro’s shoulder.

Although... not doing so would mean a higher chance of success for him. After all, teleporting one person compared to two significantly increased the difficulty and energy consumption.

But Chen Nuo did it anyway.

After all, Kamisou Ichiro had just saved his life a little while ago.

It’s about having a conscience...

BOOM!!!

The intense shaking nearly bounced the entire module off the ground.

Immediately after, the ground shook like an earthquake. Inside the module, the two men forcibly stabilized themselves, Chen Nuo’s hand still gripping Kamisou Ichiro’s shoulder tightly!

Then, the underground flames finally erupted from the pit in the warehouse area!

Afterward, if one could look down upon the entire base, one would see that a circular section of land seemed to form around it, and the whole earth was trembling...

Then... suddenly, the ground began to collapse!

Chen Nuo let out a soft sigh...

Teleport!

The chances of a successful teleportation were slim, as his spiritual power had recovered too little.

Moreover, it wasn’t certain whether they could penetrate the barrier.

Besides, that old bastard Corot might still play dirty tricks!

Yet, if they could teleport out, that would be great.

Even if they couldn’t teleport out, the attempt had other clever uses!

Chen Nuo had figured out the pattern: every time he teleported, his body would disappear from its original location and then enter some kind of spatial crevice. Or perhaps a spatial tunnel?

Regardless of what it was, his body would vanish from its original spot, then be transmitted, breaching spatial barriers within another dimension!

This process would last for a few to tens of seconds, or perhaps even a bit longer.

At least during the "transmission process time," the two of them would temporarily leave the vicinity of the base!

This was Chen Nuo’s ultimate life-saving technique to escape the threat of the explosion.

If they could be teleported out, that would be ideal!

If not, they would at least enter another dimension, escaping the blast.

Vanel stood outside the barrier.

Inside the barrier, it had already become a wasteland!

Following the blaze of the explosion, the ground began to collapse! The collapse spread far and wide...

Vanel watched as each building within the base—the modules, the ruins, the command center, the bunker...

All of them fell into the fiery depths below...

However, what was eerie was that, due to the barrier’s presence, inside it was turmoil, as if a level-ten earthquake had struck.

But a step outside the barrier, the ground remained utterly still!

One side still, the other in motion, with only a barrier between them—such a scene looked extremely eerie.

Inside the barrier was hell on earth, with the land shaking and mountains moving.

Outside the barrier, it was as unmoved as a mountain.

However, Vanel, at this moment, couldn’t care less about being surprised by the situation.

He watched as the entire base inside the barrier fell...

His heart had completely sunk!

He knew very well that if Davarishi remained in the base and couldn’t get out, then under such circumstances, the probability of survival...

Nolan and the others hadn’t woken up yet; Vanel had moved them into a vehicle and laid them inside.

At this moment, Vanel stared fixedly at the scene within the barrier, fists clenched tight...

In such a scene, even if Chen Nuo were formidable... there was no possibility of survival, right...

Behind him, from the distant ice fields, came a rumbling sound—the sound of tracks crushing the snow and the roaring of engines.

The sound of honking intermingled...

Vanel turned his head to look. On the distant ice fields, the support team had arrived.

As Nolan had mentioned, rescue personnel dispatched by the Octopus Monster organization at the outpost had arrived after receiving news of the base’s predicament.

Vanel looked indifferently for a moment, did not move, but slowly turned back around, continuing to stare at the scene inside the barrier...

The rescue convoy stopped behind him, and personnel rushed over, quickly checking the vehicles, then discovered Nolan and the other two unconscious inside.

Some people ran up to Vanel, shouting something loudly.

Vanel hadn’t really heard them clearly. He just indifferently shook his head and said, "Do not enter the base! Set up a warning line! Maintain a distance of fifty meters from the perimeter of the base! This is an order!"

"What’s going on inside?!" The person speaking was the head of the outpost—he had personally led the team over after receiving Nolan’s message.

Vanel glanced at this person, his expression cold. "You can use a safety rope to tie something, throw it in, and then pull it back out. Then you’ll understand."

After saying this, he couldn’t be bothered with them any longer and just silently continued to stare inside the barrier...

For Vanel, the process from a glimmer of hope to its complete obliteration took an hour.

For that hour, the burly Russian stood quietly outside the base, teeth clenched, watching intently...

He didn’t speak at all, only occasionally asking his subordinates if they had found anything while searching the base’s other perimeters.

Upon hearing the answer was "nothing," Vanel didn’t bother to ask anything else.

As for questions others asked him, he ignored them entirely.

Anyway, after Nolan had fallen unconscious, Vanel was the highest-ranking person there. Even the head of the outpost didn’t have the authority to force him to answer questions immediately.

At worst, he would face an internal investigation when they got back.

An hour later, Vanel was completely in despair.

"We have to go back now! We can’t stay here forever! We must return to the outpost first! We’ll leave monitoring equipment here; we still need to report what happened here to higher-ups when we get back!"

After the head of the outpost repeated this for the third time, Vanel finally stopped refusing.

He nodded, taking one last look inside the base...

"Alright, we’re going back. Leave enough monitoring equipment! I want full 360-degree coverage of the entire base with no blind spots, full-range surveillance around the perimeter! Don’t miss anything."

After saying that, Vanel slowly walked back to the convoy.

The mutated corpses that had lain on the ground were now cleared away, to be taken back for autopsies.

The convoy had grown much larger.

Vanel jumped into the command vehicle, but as he did, he froze.

There was already a driver inside, sitting in the driver’s seat. It was Nolan!

"You?" Vanel was startled.

Just a moment ago, his subordinates had reported that the injured were sent ahead to the outpost for treatment. Why is Nolan still here?

"Don’t look at me like that, Vanel," Nolan sighed. "I was the first to wake up, and then I stayed behind. I just had someone take Captain and Rebecca back."

"When did you wake up?"

"About half an hour ago."

Vanel’s heart tightened.

Nolan sighed again. "You’ve been staring blankly at the base. What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking that this mission must be considered a complete failure. We have no gains here, and I was wondering how to deal with the aftermath—getting through the Octopus Monster’s internal investigation will be tough."

Vanel’s reply was watertight.

Nolan gave a wry smile. "Is that what you were thinking about? So... don’t worry about the internal investigation anymore. Maybe you should head back to Noah’s Ark. You’ve already failed an Octopus Monster mission once; this is your second failure. No matter how normally you act, the internal investigation won’t let you pass. Vanel, your undercover career can end now."

Vanel’s expression remained indifferent. "Maybe."

"Let’s go. We have some things to discuss on the way. Just the two of us in one car; I didn’t call anyone else, so it’s convenient for us to chat."

"Okay."

About one and a half kilometers to the west of the base, on the icy plain, a faint shadow suddenly appeared in the air.

Then a figure seemed to break through space, appearing three meters above the ground and crashing down!

Kamisou Ichiro lay on the ground, his closed eyes slowly opening, revealing a complex look.

He sat up slowly—although his movements were sluggish, it seemed that the power of spatial teleportation hadn’t caused him to lose consciousness.

He gently removed the oxygen mask from his face, then drew the combat knife he had used during the fight and caressed it in his hand.

"In the final moment, you even wanted to bring me along for the teleportation... Interesting fellow."

The monologue was spoken in his usual stiff tone, but beneath the stiffness, a strange undercurrent seemed to hide.

Kamisou Ichiro slowly stood up, gripped the combat knife in reverse, and after discerning his direction, began to walk slowly across the icy plain alone...

Soon, his figure vanished into the snowstorm...

"I’m very sorry, Vanel, but I had to do this. I’ve made my choice."

The snow vehicle drove slowly across the icy plain, Nolan suddenly speaking these words.

Vanel, sitting in the vehicle, was startled.

When he looked up, he saw the car had stopped. Unbeknownst to him, the vehicle had somehow strayed from the convoy.

Vanel, who had been in a state of confusion the whole way, hadn’t noticed.

At this moment, Nolan had already turned around, the muzzle of a gun in his hand pointed at Vanel.

"Nolan, you?"

"I’m sorry."

Vanel lunged forward!

BANG!

Nolan didn’t waste any more words and pulled the trigger!

BANG! BANG!

Three consecutive shots!

The first bullet hit Vanel’s left chest, the second his right chest, and the third his abdomen!

After three shots, Nolan felt the strength leave Vanel’s arms as he slumped forward.

He exhaled, pushed Vanel away with difficulty. The brave, bear-like man was no longer breathing.

"Life is often like this. I believed in the ideals of the Ark for many years, then I started to doubt. Now, I think the Octopus Monster’s views might make more sense. Forget it... You were actually a good person. I’m sorry."

Having said a few simple words to Vanel’s body, Nolan opened the car door, tossed the corpse out, and drove away...

「5 minutes later.」

Next to Vanel’s body, the air stirred, and a figure suddenly appeared.

Seed, with his curly short hair, stood there, quietly looking at Vanel’s body. After a couple of seconds... he gave a thoughtful smile.

"What a surprise... running into an acquaintance on my way home. Hmm, you are one of the people who fought with me in Brazil... Well, since you’re an acquaintance..."

Seed motioned with his fingers, and Vanel’s body on the ground suddenly vanished.

Dozens of meters away, Fox stood resignedly on the icy plain.

At her feet lay the unconscious "Diamond" Lillian and the Wizard.

Then, with a gasp of astonishment, she saw another person appear on the ground!

A burly man with a ferocious scar on his face!

But this man has a lot of blood on him... he doesn’t look unconscious. Is he dead?

"Seed!! SEED!!!!!!!" Fox shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Alright, stop yelling. Aren’t you usually calm?" Seed’s annoying voice came from behind her.

Fox turned around abruptly and glanced at Seed. "Is the person on the ground your doing? Didn’t you say you heard shots and went out to check?"

"Mm-hmm, yes, I brought him. An acquaintance I happened to run into, so I brought him along. Don’t you humans have that fine custom of giving people a lift?"

Fox’s eyes widened. "That’s a dead person!!"

Seed arched his eyebrows, then crouched down and gently touched Vanel’s body... "There, he’s not anymore."

「Three days later.」

A convoy of twenty vehicles then arrived at the outskirts of Red Circle Base. They set up camp here.

After tests, the low-temperature energy field, also known as the barrier, had disappeared.

However, the base no longer existed.

After the ground collapsed, the original appearance of the site was almost unrecognizable. The ground looked like it had been churned up, with all the original base buildings having fallen underground.

And, according to continuous monitoring, after the window period ended... the low-temperature energy field did not reappear.

That is to say, the extreme cold had vanished.

It was as if everything in this region had returned to normal.

The Octopus Monster organization spent another five days sending people to search and inspect inside the Red Circle region, but found nothing.

After leaving behind a large number of monitors, they evacuated.

In the following month, this place continuously transmitted information back for the Octopus Monster’s researchers to continue studying and inspecting.

Even during this time, the Octopus Monster organized two more groups to arrive at the scene for more in-depth searches.

Large underground detectors were also used to survey beneath the surface...

This was the kind of equipment used for finding mineral veins.

However, after surveying twice, it was confirmed that there were no suspicious findings underground... only some traces of the ruins of modular buildings.

The last significant initiative happened two months after the incident.

The Octopus Monster dispatched their final team, this time with drilling equipment.

Within the Red Circle perimeter, the area of the original base, they followed the map and information Nolan brought back. They conducted six drilling surveys at key locations like the "Command Center" and "Warehouse Area."

After drilling tunnels, they even released survey robots into them.

Still, they found nothing.

The outcome of this matter was...

The Octopus Monster subsequently canceled their outpost and the Antarctica monitoring base project.

Another fact unknown to most was that within the upper ranks of the Octopus Monster, an elder known as "Bai Jing" took full responsibility, surrendering all authority and retiring completely.

There was turmoil in the Underground World.

The incident in Antarctica had, after all, left behind enormous repercussions.

Even though the Octopus Monster sealed off all information about the Antarctic mission, the indirect impact on the Underground World was significant!

Several once-famous Ability Users had suddenly vanished for a long time!

They were suspected to be dead!

Beyond these individuals, three other disappearances shocked the people of the Underground World even more!

One of them, believed to be among the three most powerful Controllers of the age... the Wizard! Missing!

Among the ranks of Controllers, another legendary woman, considered by many to be on par with the Star Sky Empress... "Diamond" Lillian! Missing!

And, the new contender among the Controller overlords, the leader of the veteran organization "The Abyss"... Captain! Missing!!

The Underground World suddenly lost three Controllers!

The aftershocks of this earthquake were enough to be discussed in the Underground World for a long, long, long time...

However, unlike the attention generated by the disappearances of those famous Ability Users or the highly revered top Controller overlords, few knew that the world had lost one more person.

This person’s disappearance would not cause any ripples or draw attention in the Underground World. And those affected might not be many...

But the few who were affected had almost descended into madness...

This person was Chen Nuo.

"Chen Nuo! Where is he?!" Lu Xixi demanded.

The Captain sat there, his complexion ghostly pale. The woman before him possessed a face of extreme beauty, yet her murderous aura made her terrifying to behold, inspiring fear at first glance. More unsettling for the Captain was her murderous, sharp glare landing on his face, making him feel a despair as if he were on the brink of death! The woman, her seaweed-like long hair casually tied up, wore a loose red coat that failed to conceal her noticeably bulging abdomen...

"Where is Chen Nuo!"

"...I don’t know."

"Then tell me what you do know!"

Lu Xixi took a deep breath. "I know you’re his subordinate! But he’s gone missing! Brother Lei told me that before he disappeared, he was out with you! Now, tell me everything you know! Every single thing! Every detail! Even every word he said to you!"

"We did go out together... but when I came back, I couldn’t find him anywhere... And if it weren’t for the Controller identity that Chen Nuo got for me, I might have been silenced by the Octopus Monster. The Octopus Monster didn’t dare confront me openly, so they had to let me return... After I fled, I didn’t dare go back to Jinling City; I could only hide here... I now dare not leave the house, meet people, or contact anyone..."

This place was "The Abyss" headquarters.

The Captain’s condition didn’t look good; though he appeared to have no physical injuries, his complexion was ashen, and his mental state was clearly unstable.

"Then tell me! Where did you go!"

"......Antarctica."