I Just Want To Retire Quietly

Chapter 16: The Abyss (IV)

Views:

Tan Yan landed on the ground facing the first rays of morning sun, with a ray of light shrouding him behind him. He was so handsome that he looked like a god descending from the sky, and the three of them were stunned.

The three of them were either experienced warriors or top students who had received first-class training. Even though the strength displayed by Tan Yan was comparable to that of □□, they were only stunned for a few seconds before coming back to their senses.

It’s just that the three of them performed differently.

Liang Xian subconsciously covered his chest and turned his head away from looking at Tan Yan.

An even more eager light flashed in Qin Li's eyes, and he stared at Tan Yan intently.

Ah San looked at his watch. "We have persisted in this extremely harsh environment for more than ten minutes. This is a great breakthrough. Although I haven't felt the special energy yet, my body's adaptability has increased. In addition, the time we entered the 'void' was 22:15, but the watch shows that it was dawn after just over an hour. The time in the two worlds is different."

"You are worthy of being called 'Jackal'. You can still notice these details in this situation." Tan Yan praised. What a good student.

Ah San: “…”

It was true that he was praising him, but what did "this situation" refer to? Was Tan Yan saying, "You are really excellent for remaining calm when you see me punching meteors and kicking meteorites"? Who was he praising

Ah San was very confused.

When he heard Ah San talking about the time, Liang Xian immediately suppressed his uncontrollable heartbeat and got down to business: "It's not that we can hold out longer, but the temperature is rising."

As for the lack of oxygen, they have all received some breath-holding training, and as long as the activity is not too intense, they can hold on for a few minutes. However, in an environment of -100 degrees Celsius, they will get frostbite within a few minutes.

Qin Li looked disappointed, it turned out that it was not because he became stronger.

"Not good!" Liang Xian said immediately, "If this planet really has no atmosphere to protect it, the temperature will rise quickly once the sun comes out. If the ground temperature is above 100 degrees Celsius, we will be roasted quickly."

"We need to find a place to avoid the sun." Ah San said immediately.

The two of them didn't even think of asking Tan Yan for protection, but wanted to solve the problem themselves.

Tan Yan is very pleased that his students are so motivated.

"Can you make something like an oxygen cylinder?" Liang Xian said to Tan Yan a little embarrassedly. "We can still adapt to the current temperature. As long as we carry oxygen, we can move around. I have an idea that I want to verify. We can't just stay here. We must move forward."

"Can."

As soon as Tan Yan finished speaking, the three of them felt something wrapped around their heads. It was very breathable and weightless, but their breathing became easier.

The three of them counted the supplies they had on them. Since they were just exploring the woods, Liang Xian's team only had weapons on them, and Asan only had a wooden magazine and a bayonet.

"Lack of food and transportation." Liang Xian sighed.

Qin Li and Asan couldn't help but look at Tan Yan.

Tan Yan: "... They say I don't have any superpowers and can't do it."

Hearing that he couldn't get the supplies, Asan and Qin Li were not frustrated, but relieved.

Fortunately, Tan Yan is not omnipotent, otherwise they would doubt the meaning of life.

"Move quickly in this direction before the sun rises completely," Liang Xian pointed to the distance, "If you encounter a meteorite, hide if you can. Tan Yan, don't take action unless it is necessary. We don't know your limit yet, so you must conserve your strength."

Several people trusted Liang Xian very much, so they put on their backpacks and headed in the direction he pointed.

Only Ah San hesitated. His spatial structure remained in the original world. If they were in the "poppy field", then the direction Liang Xian pointed to was...

"It's the direction of your underground base." Liang Xian noticed Ah San's momentary stiffness and spoke to confirm his guess.

"How do you know where the underground base is?" asked Asan.

"Guessed based on the surrounding terrain." Liang Xian said lightly.

"Then why did you decide to go here? Do you think..."

Ah San felt that this guess was too scary and did not dare to think about it further.

"I'm just guessing. I hope I'm wrong." Liang Xian sighed.

Tan Yan and Qin Li didn't understand what they were talking about. Liang Xian looked at Tan Yan's pure eyes and asked, "When did you enter the 'void'? How many times have you come in?"

"I can't say anything." Tan Yan shook his head.

"Are you afraid of causing panic? I thought you could know more information." Liang Xian was a little disappointed, "I just hope I'm wrong."

"What did you guess?" asked Tan Yan.

With Tan Yan by his side, Liang Xian felt much safer. He had not said anything before because he was afraid of causing panic, but Tan Yan always gave people a calming power. Liang Xian suddenly felt that it would be okay even if he said it.

"I suspect this is Earth," Liang Xian said, "an Earth without the protection of its atmosphere, in the last days."

Ah San had already vaguely guessed it but still looked a little bewildered. Qin Li was shocked, but Tan Yan remained as calm as ever: "Go on."

"As early as 1997, 1999, and 2012, there were rumors that the world would end in that year, and a new generation of floods would cleanse humanity and restore the ecological balance of the earth, but nothing happened in these years." Liang Xian said solemnly, "But what if it actually happened?"

"If that had happened, we would have been finished long ago." Asan disagreed with this statement.

"It did not happen in our world, but in another parallel world. In other words, after these worlds entered the end of the world, they were no longer our world," Liang Xian explained.

Qin Li and Asan looked deeply thoughtful, but Tan Yan had lost his composure. He was just confused and looked particularly helpless.

Liang Xian was stunned by the contrast. He tried hard to control himself from wanting to hug Tan Yan's arm and continued, "Although this is just a guess, it is not without scientific basis. I assume that the doomsday will occur between 97 and 12. Commander Asan, do you think your base can still exist?"

"If only the atmosphere disappeared and the Earth lost a layer of protection, the base should still be there." Ah San said seriously, "The base was built in 1990. When it was built, it was strong enough to withstand nuclear bombs. It has been repaired many times over the years, and the internal facilities are extremely complete. There are air purification, replacement devices and temperature measures to resist poison gas attacks, and there is also a considerable amount of stored food."

Each of them is a facility that can save countless lives in the apocalypse, and they now need to go to the base to confirm.

Although Tan Yan said before that there was a way to return to the real world, Liang Xian believed that since the "void" phenomenon had received national attention, they had to get more information back since they were here.

Only by facing danger and challenging it can we overcome it.

"I have never dared to go deep into the world behind the 'void' in all these times I have entered the 'void'," Tan Yan suddenly said, "Since there is a faster way to go back, there is no need to take the risk. I have always believed this."

He felt that he was doing his best to protect the people of Ping County, but when the research team questioned him, Tan Yan realized how little he had done.

For forty years, he never once tried to explore the unknown world. In the end, he was unable to provide any intelligence to the country and could only watch the "void" phenomenon become more serious.

It was not until he saw what Liang Xian did today that Tan Yan understood the correct approach.

"Am I wrong?" Tan Yan asked himself.

"Were you the only one who entered before?" Liang Xian asked.

"Yeah." Tan Yan nodded dejectedly.

"If I were alone, I would have frozen to death or died of lack of oxygen on the spot," Liang Xian said quietly, "The reason I dare to lead everyone to venture into this unknown world is because of you."

"Because you said you wouldn't let anything get in our way, we have the courage to explore." Liang Xian finally reached out his hand as he wished and hugged Tan Yan's frustrated shoulders. "If anyone has ever said that you couldn't find out any information and that your trip to the 'Void' was in vain, they are just talking nonsense. It was you who helped us cross the threshold of 'life and death'. You paved the way ahead so that we can move forward."

For a moment, the only sounds were the running footsteps, heavy breathing, and Tan Yan's almost inaudible "thank you".

The base was not far from the "poppy field", only ten kilometers away, and it only took a while to reach the base by running fast. Under Tan Yan's protection, they dodged two meteor showers along the way and arrived at the base half an hour later.

"This used to be a small sentry post. The sentry post was the entrance. In times of crisis, the small sentry post could be used to land back in the base. The original location of the sentry post would have been a deep steel plate." Ah San pointed to an empty space and said, "Now there is no such thing, and there are no footprints around. It doesn't look like there is an entrance."

The surroundings were desolate, full of holes and a few remaining tree roots, but the trees were dead.

At this time, the sun had risen completely. Without the refraction of the atmosphere, the sky was pitch black. There was only a light source emitting terrifying heat, like a searchlight in the dark night, enough to illuminate the surroundings, but it did not feel like daytime.

This is an extremely depressing and suffocating environment. Living in such a world will only make you feel desperate.

Are there really any survivors? Or is this really Earth

No one, including Liang Xian, was willing to believe it.

"It shouldn't be. The terrain here doesn't resemble the base at all." Ah San said, "It doesn't look like there are any people there either."

"No, there is someone." said Tan Yan.

He knelt on the ground, put his ear to the ground and listened carefully: "Deep, deep underground, I heard the sound of biological activities, but I couldn't hear the voices clearly. I don't know if it's Chinese... or in other words, I don't know if it's human."

Ah San: "… Is your team's hearing so terrible?"

Liang Xian looked at him sympathetically: "Yes, he heard all the bad things you said before."

Ah San: "I'm not saying bad things, I'm just expressing reasonable suspicion!"

"Shh..." Tan Yan raised his index finger, "Someone is coming."

Asan immediately rolled on the ground, found a rock as cover, and lay on the ground waiting for someone to come.

Qin Li and Liang Xian walked over slowly, took off their coats and covered their heads with them to block the sun, then lay down beside Asan.

Ah San: “…”

After lying there for what seemed like a very long time, a "humanoid creature" fully armed with a white reflective suit slowly walked over.

Ah San: “…”

Liang Xian looked at him: I told you that Tan Yan’s hearing has improved, why are you in such a hurry