Chapter 85

As the water and electricity entangled in battle, the electric currents no longer attacked the swarming skeletal monsters.

The thick fog rolled, enveloping even the battle between water and electricity. Dark skeletal monsters continuously crawled out of the cracks in the fog, spreading in all directions of the city.

Chu Nan no longer hesitated, rushing out of the ruins of the building and sprinting toward the distance.

Behind him, terrifying sounds continued, with large rocks being split and rolling. Occasionally, blinding blue-white light would slash through the fog.

The large amounts of pipes and wires fought, striking each other, becoming increasingly proficient. Their attacks became more and more lifelike, as if they were also using some method to undergo true mutations, evolving into genuine superorganisms.

Chu Nan, who was sprinting, still couldn't understand how electricity and water could give birth to consciousness and life. Even if they truly became life forms, they would be completely different from humans—superorganisms that they couldn't comprehend.

Could it be that these phenomena were also effects of the massive earthquake?

The Gaia Monument... How much of the Earth's Gaia consciousness has influenced things and substances? Will even more terrifying things be born in this world?

Can humans really continue to dominate the Earth?

Or perhaps, humans have always been mere pitiful creatures on Earth, never truly ruling the world.

The fog rolled and spread rapidly. No matter how fast Chu Nan ran, he couldn't escape the fog's expansion. He only managed to leave the battle between the superorganisms of water and electricity far behind. At the edge of the fog, faint singing could be heard.

The fog affected this vast area, and all life was fleeing.

This included the originally hidden zombies and undead, as well as human Awakened and animal mutants.

The sound of chains clanking echoed from a distance. No matter how Chu Nan fled, he could clearly hear the sound of the chains.

Chu Nan barely turned his head and, at the edge of the fog, saw a large, dark shadow swaying in the distance. It was a ship.

The ghost ship reappeared.

The eerie singing, faint and intermittent, came from this ghost ship.

The entire city had become increasingly insane, bizarre, and terrifying, almost like a place out of this world.

Even the now stronger Chu Nan felt a vague sense of despair.

Do humans really have a chance to survive?

In the fog, a vast army of skeletons roamed the city ruins, and the ghost ship, pulled by chains, slowly moved through the deep fog. Haunting, eerie, and intermittent singing drifted through the air.

The singing seemed to be a woman's voice, but it was mournful and chilling, filled with a bone-chilling feeling.

Chu Nan sprinted toward the direction of Baiyun District, not daring to stop. The fog rolled in all directions, and behind him were the sounds of the skeleton army and the ghost ship.

He wasn't the only one fleeing.

A large number of people and undead in this area were also startled and scattered.

Soon, Chu Nan realized that there were dozens of people fleeing with him.

Previously, he hadn't noticed any of them, but as the skeletons roamed, they were all startled and fled.

Those who fled slowly met their deaths.

Chu Nan didn't know how long he had been fleeing or how far he had run. The battle between the superorganisms of water and electricity had long been left far behind, and he could no longer feel it. However, the skeleton army and the ghost ship, which were always following, couldn't be completely shaken off.

As he continued to flee, more and more people appeared around him. Most of these people had Awakened, and some were even as fast as Chu Nan.

Those who could survive in such a mad and bizarre city were not weak. They had all endured hellish trials to survive.

Chu Nan estimated as he ran that the collapsed high-rise buildings around him were increasing, indicating that he had likely entered Puxian District and was not far from Baiyun District. He was approaching the center of Jiangtian City.

However, Chu Nan suddenly stopped, his face showing uncontrollable shock.

The ground ahead, in the center of Jiangtian City, had split open.

Compared to the crack he had fallen into earlier, this one was a child's play.

The width of the crack in front of him was at least a hundred meters, tearing the entire city apart. The other half of Jiangtian City had risen by dozens of meters. This insurmountable chasm suddenly appeared before everyone, and the faces of Chu Nan and the people around him showed despair and madness.

Even more terrifying was the thick fog rising from the massive crack, rolling like it was being directly spewed out.

At this moment, a large number of people, including the undead, had gathered on both sides of the crack. They had lost the desire to fight and were all gathered in one area. Some of the undead even rushed into the crack below, their expressions showing a hint of madness.

"Impossible... How can this be..." someone screamed. The world had gone mad.

Chu Nan's heart pounded like a drum, and he even forgot about the skeleton army and the ghost ship behind him.

In his mind, a loud, intense message was surging up from the bottom of the crack. The strong call and signal made him instantly understand that the "Life Stele" that the Gaia Monument had everyone seek and seize was buried deep in this crack.

This was the call of the Life Stele to all life, including human Awakened, the undead, and various mutants.

All kinds of life forms, under this call, gathered on both sides of the crack. However, the terrifying fear and bone-chilling cold from the depths of the crack still made people wary.

Except for a few mad undead who rushed down directly.

A large number of people gathered at the edge of the crack began to disperse to both sides because the skeleton army was approaching.

Chu Nan mixed in the crowd, forcing himself to suppress the call of the Life Stele and the impulse to jump into the crack. He fled to the other side with the crowd.

Occasionally, some people with poor self-control jumped into the crack, hoping to find the Life Stele.

As Chu Nan fled to the other side and looked back, he saw a strange scene.

The skeleton army did not scatter to chase them but instead headed for the massive crack, entering it.

The fog grew thicker, enveloping the entire city. The singing from the ghost ship became more piercing and eerie, almost piercing through the eardrums, instilling a sense of fear.

The endless skeleton army, like a tide, began to surge from all directions into the crack, disappearing into the rolling fog.

Many people saw this bizarre scene and stopped to watch silently.

It was a mad scene, a mad day.

The skeleton army surged into the crack, and the fog began to gather in the crack. Finally, the ghost ship, enveloped in the fog, appeared and disappeared into the fog-covered crack.

Only after all the skeleton army, the ghost ship, and the fog were swallowed by the crack did the large number of various life forms gathered on both sides of the crack let out a long sigh. Many people collapsed from exhaustion.

Chu Nan also fell to the side, holding the spider claw in his left hand and the dragon vertebra in his right, panting heavily. His forehead and back were drenched in cold sweat, feeling a sense of post-traumatic shock.

From the actions of the skeleton army and the ghost ship, could it be that the crack he had fallen into earlier and the massive crack in front of him were connected at the bottom?

So, the skeleton army emerged from that crack and returned through this one?

His idea of returning to Baiyun District to find his parents had been shattered by reality. Such a terrifying crack, he was not a bird and could not cross it.

Entering the crack and climbing out from the other side?

Such a thought was too dangerous to even consider.

However, the Life Stele seemed to be filled with infinite allure, continuously calling various life forms near it.

There were at least five or six hundred people gathered on this side of the crack. Chu Nan looked to both sides and saw a dense crowd. As for the other side of the crack, the fog and distance prevented a clear view.

Most of these people were gathered in small groups, but there were also many like Chu Nan who were alone, finding a place to rest.

The skeleton army and the ghost ship had disappeared, and although the fog still rose from the bottom of the crack, it no longer spread. The five or six hundred people gathered in this area to rest.

The Life Stele had a fatal allure to everyone, including Chu Nan, who temporarily didn't want to leave and was thinking of ways to seize the Life Stele.

Many small groups were talking to each other in low voices.

In addition to the five or six hundred people, some undead with a certain level of intelligence had also gathered in the distance. This group of undead gathered there, staring at the crack and occasionally looking at the five or six hundred people.

They were originally enemies, but in this special situation, there was no conflict, and no one thought of attacking them.

As everyone's emotions slowly calmed down, they were all drawn to the Life Stele, focusing their attention on it.

"Everyone, please be quiet. Can I say a few words?" Suddenly, a man stood up and raised his voice.