Chapter 15: The Finale

Suddenly, the restraints on Lei’s hands loosened.

He stumbled backward a few steps, regaining his freedom.

The massive creature before him seemed moved by his cries and released Lei... But this foolish thought lingered only briefly in his mind before it was drowned out by the vines surging from the depths of the corridor.

While they were mired in schemes and calculations, the Doomsday Seed continued its “diligent” expansion, reaching the facility’s exit. Under the sap-sucking roots, the creature shriveled rapidly like a bursting balloon. The snake-like vines dragged away its body but were not satisfied; they continued crawling along the floor.

Lei led a string of survivors fleeing toward the exit.

As the horde of monsters burst through the gate, several injured soldiers, pressed to the ground, became visible.

The monsters did not attack them — at least, not intentionally; all injuries were caused by trampling and collisions.

The abnormal entities regarded each other as prey, likely sensing something more terrifying. Upon noticing the exit was opened, they made the same choice as Lei — to flee first.

The soldiers on the ground could not rise. One managed to lift a metal tube and fired a bomb deep into the corridor.

Lei heard the explosion, but the flames at the corridor’s end flickered briefly before being swallowed by the advancing vines.

“The Doomsday Seed has evolved prematurely! It’s evolving; we need air support!”

A soldier grabbed a broken headset to report as Lei passed, ignoring his pain as he raised his gun and aimed at him.

“Stop, CVA!”

Like the facility staff, the soldier addressed him using the project’s fixed acronym.

“Remove your influence, or I—”

“I want to!” Lei shouted, leading the group in a desperate sprint. “Your gear won’t help; just run!”

Several other soldiers tried to block him, but none could match Lei’s surge of survival instinct. As they raised their weapons to find an angle to shoot that wouldn’t hit their comrades, they caught sight of the backs of the last members in the group.

The wounded who couldn’t even crawl before, the captain rigging explosives to self-destruct and stop the Doomsday Seed, and the observer still reporting over the radio all suddenly sprang up like energized, staggering forward, dropping bombs and clutching radios to keep up with the group.

Lei bolted up the slope and plunged into the glare of bright headlights.

“Help! Someone, please—” he called twice, only to find the vehicles empty, engines roaring but no one inside.

These were likely the soldiers’ transport.

Holding his arm, Lei ran past the fleet and suddenly realized he had arrived at an incredibly vast open space.

He hadn’t seen the surface in a long time and stood dazed, gazing at this expansive world.

Had the sky always been this vast? Was the moon always surrounded by a handful of lonely stars like now?

Snapping back to reality, he noticed the silhouettes of the monster horde breaking through the ground’s walls, rushing toward a faintly visible distant city. Lei dared not follow; he prayed for the people in the city while continuing to run toward the wasteland away from the facility. Guard towers and checkpoint gates stood open along the way, their entrances faintly stained with blood, but no living souls were visible.

He avoided them and ran on, despite the pain.

Looking back, several massive pillar-like vines pierced the surface, stretching their limbs under the indigo dusk. One by one, cheek sacs appeared on the plants’ surfaces, swelling and developing into new organs beyond Lei’s comprehension.

This was the “second growth stage”?

The people still sheltering inside the facility...

A low, howling roar came from afar. A squadron of bombers arranged in a “V” formation appeared like ghosts, diving from the high sky.

Seeing the bombs drop, Lei held his bleeding head and ran even faster.

Strangely, there were no flames behind him, nor many explosions.

Summoning courage, he glanced back at the facility and saw the planes weren’t dropping bombs.

Instead, a dark mist rose from the impact zones, enveloping the ground.

The Doomsday Seed withered rapidly upon contact with the toxic fog, flattening like unfortunate prey struck by poison. The cheek sacs shriveled and changed color; the plant structures reaching skyward struggled briefly before drooping in reluctant defeat.

As the mist settled through the passage, a harsh, corrosive sound rang out. The ground near the facility began to collapse.

The support structures, which had been replaced by vines, finally failed. The collapse spread swiftly; the ground cracked open, forming a sinkhole.

The acrid smell of the air made Lei cough uncontrollably. He was grateful to have run far enough.

“The ‘Gardener’ team two is unresponsive; cameras show no images... It must be a signal issue caused by the collapse,” someone on the team’s radio amplifier reported. “They have independent oxygen supplies — hurry and urge the rescue team to dig them out of the rubble before the enhanced herbicide loses efficacy and recontain that damn thing!”

“Commander, the authorities in sector three have protested through the alliance, accusing us of polluting the groundwater...”

“Tell them to get lost, as far away as possible!”

“Team two, respond! Respond!”

Another voice called out.

Lei circled with the team, waving at the miniature cameras on his comrades’ shoulders, then took the radio, though he couldn’t figure out which button was for speaking. He only knew the last caller was labeled “Gardener Mobile Unit Commander.” He glanced at the owner of the radio, whose helmet was fully covered, and sighed, realizing he couldn’t expect a hand-holding tutorial.

Why was the Bureau’s equipment so complicated?

If the plants hadn’t occupied all the underground space, the people in the shelter should be safe, right?

He had heard the refuge was designed to withstand immense pressure and provide autonomous oxygen, but he wondered if it could survive a fall.

As for the monsters... he hoped the city’s people were alright.

The sky gradually darkened. The facility’s direction returned to calm as if it were just another ordinary night.

Lei didn’t know if this ending was good or bad. Robin’s tablet had been lost when she rushed at him; it was probably crushed now. He couldn’t report to her superiors or call for support. This was trouble. Robin would remain unconscious for a long time — who would testify for him?

If no one vouched for him, what would happen next? Would he be detained and restricted? Subjected to stricter containment measures, or worse...

What was that superior’s name again? It sounded like a somewhat ridiculous codename...

A few helicopters flew in from afar, their searchlights sweeping across the wasteland. One hovered above the group, the beam encircling Lei.

He raised both hands high in the pale column of light.

Soldiers rappelling from above quickly surrounded him. Lei extended his hands, allowing them to bind him.

“There’s a monster pack running into...”

“We don’t need your intel, CVA.”

Lei had no choice but to keep silent.

If he had known he’d mess everything up, he might have been better off barricading himself with Robin and the zombie horde in the shelter — that slightly ajar door might have helped.

Fortunately, the Bureau had some humanity; before handcuffing him, they disinfected and bandaged his wounds.

The soldiers dragged the mobile unit members out one by one, tying them to stretchers to prevent them from returning to the line. They processed them individually, and soon Robin was taken away. Various cleanup vehicles quickly filled the clearing, their headlights turning the area bright as day. Nearby open ground gradually filled with bulging body bags.

“CVA-D-9013, you’re in deep trouble.”

A soldier, apparently the leader, approached. Upon learning that the entire Gardener team two had survived, their tone softened slightly.

“You’d better not have a direct connection to the containment failure.”

“I was conscripted!” Lei argued stubbornly. “I acted under orders from your Bureau’s leadership. That leader told me to try to save people!”

Nearby soldiers laughed derisively.

“That’s the most ridiculous excuse I’ve ever heard.”

“Which leader gave you direct orders? The facility chief? Their deputy?”

“You’d better say it was the commander who ordered you!”

“Silence!” The leader scolded the others and turned back. “Lying won’t help you, 9013. The investigation will reveal the truth...”

“It was ‘Dump Truck’ who gave me the order!” Lei raised his voice, hoping to sound more believable. “You can ask Robin — the temporary worker — she was directly commanded and can testify for me!”

“Dump Truck? What kind of name is that?”

“Sounds vaguely familiar...”

“Now’s not the time to chat. Take the wounded to isolation!” The leader said, pressing his earpiece and stepping aside.

The codename “Dump Truck” was indeed very familiar, but the leader was uncertain and passed the question up the chain — to his superior.

Coincidentally, the superior on the other end pondered for a long while before doing the same.

Within five minutes, the nickname “Dump Truck” had traveled up to the emergency command center’s staff.

People exchanged looks, voicing the same question the technical director had asked two days ago:

“Who is Dump Truck?”