Chapter 5: New Era (6)
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Wang Shengli was a smart guy.
Earlier, Lin Nan had proposed at a meeting to evacuate the citizens as soon as possible, but Zhao Nanyang was all about considering the vast complexity of the situation. You pull one thread, and it all unravels. So, he kept his mouth shut for now.
Now, the once-peaceful Ocean City had monsters roaming the streets. Just one giant ape alone had wreaked havoc in the business district, causing massive losses.
At least a dozen lives had been claimed by its mighty hands.
To top it off, there were four more monsters on the loose, scaring the living daylights out of residents as they dashed by, leaving behind a trail of trashed buildings.
Lin Nan said, “These monsters are likely the vanguard of our enemies. If we don’t act soon, we might be counting casualties by the hundreds.”
Wang Shengli replied, “Alright! I’ll go report to the higher-ups in person.”
“Thank you, Director Wang, for standing up for ordinary citizens,” Lin Nan said, somewhat sarcastically.
“Just doing my part,” he shrugged.
Moments later, Lin Nan received a call from Nie Zhengchu.
“Director, these four monsters are tough cookies! So far, five operatives have been injured, one seriously!”
“Don’t panic! I’ve got the situation at the city center under control. All capture operations will kick off once I arrive,” Lin Nan reassured him.
“Yes, Director.”
It looked like handling these beasts was a bit too much for the regular operatives of the Special Operations Bureau.
After all, many of their so-called awakened powers had very little to do with combat. Expecting them to go toe-to-toe with jacked-up monsters was like asking a cat to wrestle an alligator.
Nevertheless, with the four monsters fleeing in different directions, the common citizens could finally see just how terrifying these bizarre creatures were. Once the operatives wiped them out, trust in the Bureau might actually be rebuilt.
Maybe then evacuation plans could actually be put into action.
But time couldn’t drag on too long; otherwise, the keyboard warriors would lay all the blame on the Bureau, fueling a nasty public outcry.
Two full hours later, Lin Nan finally managed to bring down the four beasts.
But the repercussions were far from over.
That giant rat may have been the weakest, but its leftovers caused an absolute nightmare for the entire city.
It turned out the residents of Ocean City learned a valuable lesson about dangers lurking beyond their comprehension.
Vines sprang up like a contagious disease from the rat’s droppings, assimilating any nearby greenery in a flash. Trees transformed in an instant, sending countless tendrils outward. Any living creature—be it birds, cats, dogs, or even humans—passing by would soon be pierced and turned into dinner for these killer plants.
And don’t even get me started on how fast these vines reproduced! Even if the military sent in flamethrower units to clear them out, they grew way faster than folks could chop ‘em down. In just half a day, nearly a quarter of the city was blanketed with these deadly plants.
In the end, even the Special Operations Bureau found themselves outmatched.
Panic spread as residents scrambled for safety; half of Ocean City was in a state of utter chaos.
As the situation worsened, Zhao Nanyang finally made the call: all city residents needed to evacuate, leaving only combat squads behind.
Suddenly, the administrative machinery whirred to life, and drones blared evacuation routes while announcing free camping spots for the night.
Of course, if any resident was wealthy enough to escape to a neighboring city, the Ocean City government wouldn’t stand in their way.
Train stations and airports overflowed with people, while many on the paralyzed streets wandered around like lost souls.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan hung silently in the air, observing it all.
How could she not realize how massive the losses would be for Ocean City? But if she didn’t take action, the entire city could be in dire danger within days.
Choosing the lesser of two evils was all she could do.
Government workers led by Zhao Nanyang were running around like their hair was on fire, while Lin Nan, as the highest-ranking officer left behind, was being ripped to shreds online.
“What the heck! Why can’t the Special Operations Bureau solve this? Now we have to abandon our homes? You’re always bragging about putting the safety of the people first; why don’t you go deal with those man-eating plants instead?”
“Yeah! It’s the Bureau’s fault for flaunting their abilities and bringing all these monsters to Ocean City. If not for that prior big media exposure, we might never have had any issues!”
“Who’s gonna pay for our losses? Ocean City or the Bureau? You can’t just brush this off! Screw you!”
Of course, there were plenty of people backing Lin Nan too.
“Come on, do you have no conscience? If it weren’t for the Bureau, you’d probably be dead by now, thanks to those monsters!”
“Exactly! You keyboard warriors just blab without any action! Think you can take on monsters just because you’ve got a keyboard?”
“Don’t pay attention to these trolls; just support Director Lin!”
The squabbling online didn’t affect Lin Nan’s mood. It was her operatives who felt wronged for her; they were disappointed that a small fraction of the public couldn’t appreciate their struggle to buy time for an escape.
“Now is not the time to think about this. Let’s cooperate with the flaming unit to clean up those killer plants!”
“Yes, Director.”
As more and more residents evacuated the city, Lin Nan’s frown deepened.
This trend likely meant that a battle against the interdimensional creatures was about to break out.
While she still hadn’t fully uncovered Fu Yetian’s plans, she had this nagging feeling that this guy’s moves would far exceed her imagination.
Half a day wasn’t nearly enough time to completely evacuate a city with such a huge population.
Inside the city, many folks still clung to their hopes.
Since their food supplies could last at least ten days to a couple of weeks, some had decided to hunker down at home, ignoring the official announcements.
Others had elderly family members who couldn’t move, meaning someone had to stay behind to take care of them.
As the sun began to set, at least a few hundred thousand people still remained in the city.
At this moment, soldiers left behind were in a furious battle against the deadly vines.
The streetlights still flickered on, illuminating Ocean City like it was a bright day, while the occasional bursts from flamethrowers and the stench of burnt vines filled the typically quiet alleys, sending shivers of impending doom through the reporters left to cover the chaos.
But it didn’t seem like the nightmare was over.
Suddenly, a reporter pointed skyward, “Hey? What’s that big chunk of black mist floating up there? Looks just like dark clouds!”
Before long, the remaining residents began to emit a chorus of terrified screams.
