Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 698: Chapter 575 Rehabilitation Exercise_1

After two minutes, Huai Shi crawled up from the operating table. He looked down at his chest, and to his amazement, he could see the operating table behind him through the hole.

The gash in his chest had been pierced clean through.

Wind blew into the shattered compartment from outside, passing through his body and feeling unusually refreshing...

It’s a good thing I’m Third Stage; otherwise, I would’ve collapsed by now.

He never expected to appreciate the benefits of the Third Stage in such a place; it was truly beyond his expectations.

Before his internal organs had fully Etherized, no matter how tough he was, he was ultimately unable to escape the fundamental life cycle and its limits.

Now, with the subtle influence of the Soloist’s Stigma, the Etherization of Huai Shi’s organs had also made considerable progress.

After being stabbed through the chest not once but twice, and repeatedly impaled until many of his vital organs were shattered and only half of one lung remained, he could still breathe.

However, the cost was that the Holy Grace he clutched in his hand had shrunk considerably.

The most troublesome thing wasn’t actually the wound, but the Source Substance damage from the two weapons embedded in it.

The bloodlight left by Asura and the fury from The First Sun.

If it weren’t for the bit of Divine Nature from Soloist, which gave him just enough resistance to the transformation of High-order Source Substance, he might have already turned into a pool of blood or been burnt to charcoal by now.

Luckily, before they could finish him off, those two started fighting amongst themselves, leaving behind a mess that never really posed a significant threat afterward.

After Huai Shi performed a Shadow Burial Shuttle, these remnants were crushed into bloody water and sparks, and he shook them off.

After removing the shattered bones and cleaning the wounds, Huai Shi eventually rummaged through his saddlebag for a while and found the two bottles of ’Ancient Blood,’ a superior version of the Silver Blood Potion.

The crystal-clear, blood-red liquid was carefully dripped into the wound using a pipette. It quickly attached to the broken surfaces of the internal organs, growing rapidly and completing their outlines into perfect shapes.

The Potion, which had been in a dormant state, was awakened by Huai Shi’s Source Substance and merged into his body, replicating the damaged organs like countless living cells.

Even though he was well aware of its principles, the sight before his eyes stunned Huai Shi, and he couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

Whether it was another artillery strike or a violent high-altitude airflow, the truck jolted violently once again. Huai Shi’s hand shook, and a drop of the Potion landed in the wrong place.

By the time he realized it, he found... He seemed to have two appendixes now.

Uh, something like that, having one more or one less shouldn’t really matter, right?

He hesitated for a bit, reached in, and pulled one of them out.

For a moment, he couldn’t figure out which one was the original.

But given a bit of time, the Potion would gradually be metabolized, and the brand-new organs would be as good as the original ones, so there was no need to fuss over it.

I’ll just make do with it.

Ancient Blood could regenerate organs and heal severe injuries, but its only drawback was that it consumed a lot of the user’s Source Substance during the process.

It was fortunate he had a Source Substance replenishment ’exchanged’ from the Ivy League’s insurance vault; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

Amidst the violent shaking, Huai Shi didn’t have time to treat his wounds thoroughly. He quickly consumed several bottles of Source Substance replenishment, barely restoring his mana to full and his health to half, then stumbled towards the driver’s cabin, using the wall for support.

”Why is it shaking so much?”

Before he could finish his question, as soon as he left the compartment covered by the Depth Balance Instrument, everything went dark before his eyes, and he almost got thrown off his feet.

It felt like I entered a tumbling washing machine.

He was engulfed once again by the nightmare experience of being wildly driven by the Old Pal.

Huai Shi quickly grasped the door frame with both hands and instantly felt a rapid spinning and weightlessness, as if someone had tied a rope around his waist, with the other end attached to a never-ending Death Roller Coaster.

PFFT.

He couldn’t hold it in and spat out a mouthful of blood.

”Are you driving a truck or a centrifuge?!”

”Have you ever seen a truck flying in the sky?!”

Raymond, in the driver’s seat, yelled back without turning his head, fiercely yanking the steering wheel and flooring the gas pedal. The entire truck tilted its front end upwards in mid-air, executing a cobra maneuver—though it looked more like a club haphazardly tilting one end up. It was only then that Huai Shi saw the rapidly spinning, grey world outside the driver’s cabin.

The dim sky and pitch-black clouds, along with dozens of shadows, streaked past overhead. In the rearview mirror, the Salamanders followed closely, like giant dancing fireballs.

The sheer number of them... it’s simply overwhelming!

At the end of the sky behind them, the vast silhouette of an Airship slowly emerged.

On the dashboard, alarms for radar lock-on and impact warnings blared furiously, chiming one after another without end.

”What the hell?!”

Huai Shi, his vision darkening, exclaimed in disbelief, ”I’m just breaking out of prison! Did they really need to bring their entire base to come after me?”

”You wish!”

Raymond rolled his eyes. ”Do you think they’d deploy on such a large scale, burning who knows how much fuel money every second? All for you? Would it be worth it?”

The shrill cries of Flying Birds suddenly came from up ahead.

Two winged, living bombs soared through the sky, diving towards the truck—then exploded mid-air amidst the gunfire from the vehicle’s machine guns.

Flames spread from the explosion. A hurricane and intense heat swept through, and the chaotic airflow pushed, pulled, and battered the truck’s body like a tide, leaving it like a leaf fluttering in the wind.

At this moment, Huai Shi was exceedingly glad that Hell had no fluid dynamics.

Otherwise, the truck would have already plunged headfirst to the ground, rather than flying in the sky like a plane with a rocket booster strapped to it.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, through the glass, he saw once again that the enormous Airship in the distance had drawn even closer...

At the top of the Airship, a huge, balloon-like gasbag slowly opened, and countless flying machines rose from within like a flock of birds, advancing toward them like a tide.

Under the dusk’s dim light, the dark wings of the aircraft glinted with a crimson color, as if stained with blood.

The scarlet flying birds roared like steel, organizing into complex formations amidst the engines’ thunder, wave after wave ascending into the sky, flanking the Airship on both sides.

Even the vast, dark sea of clouds below was disturbed by this massive deployment. Dozens of ferocious black Tornadoes rose from the clouds, ascending like pillars into the sky.

Amidst the grand shriek of a steam whistle, the Tornadoes rapidly expanded and fragmented. From within them, huge monsters emerged, spreading their wings, resisting the pull of the earth, and soaring between heaven and earth.

A sudden chill engulfed Huai Shi completely.

Compared to that iron-grey tide, the truck fleeing desperately ahead was less than a tiny sampan.

How could I possibly presume now that the Ivy League, seemingly betting everything in one go, is chasing just me?

This is clearly an all-out war!

After their escape, they hadn’t withdrawn but had instead blundered onto the Ivy League’s marching route, right into the battle zone!

”What the hell!”

Huai Shi was astonished, incredulous. ”I was locked up for less than two weeks! What on earth has happened?”

”War happened, war, and more war.”

Raymond grinned, a strange laugh escaping him. ”All sub-control centers have been excavated. Now it’s the grand finale, Huai Shi! Welcome to the future! Surprised? Unexpected?”

”What the hell?”

Huai Shi’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. ”So soon? How many tens of thousands of words of plot did you skip? You bastard, you must be bluffing me!”

”I’m sorry, Mr. Huai Shi,” Mr. Raymond may have told you quite a few lies, but he’s telling the truth this time.”

Over the radio, the Director of Affairs’ voice came through, ”We are now in a state of decisive battle with the Ivy League, and we must thank you for your outstanding contribution.

Your jailbreak action has reduced the Ivy League’s logistics mobilization by at least sixteen percent, giving us a huge advantage in the early preparations.

We hope you can continue to strive in the upcoming phase—”

”I risked my life to break out of prison, haven’t even had a chance to enjoy the Iron Crystal Throne’s heating, and now you’re sending me to the battlefield?”

Huai Shi was incredulous. ”Even a tool needs time for its cooldown, right?”

The Director of Affairs sighed. ”Look at you, talking as if you were a tool.”

”Aren’t I?”

”You are the Principal’s Secretary, the Iron Crystal Throne’s temporary highest authority,” the Director of Affairs replied seriously. ”You are much nobler than a tool! We eagerly await you presiding over headquarters...”

Alright, old man, just stop talking.

Sitting atop the Iron Crystal Throne as a mere figurehead? I’d rather be a tool!

Huai Shi rolled his eyes. ”Let’s keep it simple. Where’s the enemy, how many are there, and how far are they from me... Honestly, I’m kind of eager.”

”It’s truly great to see such fighting spirit in you.”

The Director of Affairs’ tone became more cheerful. ”According to our probe: The nearest enemy signal should be right in front of you, about one kilometer away... a gravely injured fish that escaped the net. Since you’re passing by, why not finish it off? Consider it a rehabilitation exercise.”

”What? One kilometer?”

Huai Shi was bewildered, pressing his whole body against the truck window and looking in all directions. ”Where? I don’t see it.”

Before his words fully left his mouth, he caught sight of the iron-grey sea of clouds below suddenly tearing apart.

Boiling clouds spread out, wreathed in lightning.

And amid a brutal screech, a huge carapace broke through the cloud layer, flailing fragmented tentacles as it rose into the sky, as if crawling.

Only, its enormous body was now covered with wounds, its Armor shattered, and barely any of its dozens of thick tentacles were intact.

Within its solitary, unharmed eye, innumerable blood vessels pulsed with madness.

From a scorched, giant wound, dark green liquid continuously oozed, dripping slowly like thick rain.

Glands implanted in the Synthetic Beast were oversecreting massive amounts of hormones, causing it to frantically extend its tentacles in hunger, reaching toward the truck.

It was a massive Synthetic Beast covered in a thick shell!

But now, it looks like an octopus that just escaped the kitchen grill...

Why do the Ivy League’s massive Synthetic Beasts always have to resemble seafood?

Huai Shi sincerely couldn’t understand it, just as he couldn’t understand why the Ivory Tower would call this a ”rehabilitation exercise.”

Therefore, his first reaction was to turn back and look at Raymond, his voice filled with hope, ”Old Pal, that cannon we had, do we still have any shots for it?”

”Three special explosive shells. All used up saving you.”

Raymond looked back, his expression just as plaintive. ”To reduce weight, we jettisoned all other heavy equipment just now... Will two machine guns do?”

”Then what are we waiting for?”

Huai Shi, seeing the huge shadow rushing towards the window from outside, turned pale with fear. ”Run!!”