Chapter 610: The Future
Chapter 610: The Future
The people trapped in the tunnels—and those who couldn’t escape in time—became food for the snow wolves.
The creatures were massive, crashing through the icy caves and tearing people apart with a single swipe of their claws.
But because of their enormous size, most of the tunnels beneath the ice—except for a few deliberately widened ones—were far too narrow. At best, two people could squeeze through side by side. Many passages were so tight that only one person could fit at a time.
Instinct drove the survivors to flee. After the wolves devoured those who couldn’t escape in the larger tunnels, they turned back to hunt the rest, only to find that the humans had already vanished into the smaller, twisting passages.
The death toll wasn’t massive—but it didn’t have to happen at all. If not for the artillery shells raining from the sky and shattering the ice, the wolves would never have broken through.
Some of the horse-sized snow wolves, undaunted, shoved their heads into the narrow tunnels, stretching their tongues inside to reach the terrified people. Screams echoed in the darkness as those inside stumbled backward, retreating deeper into the ice.
A wood-fired boiler was knocked over in the chaos, and the single bulb overhead went out. The only light left came from the faint, flickering glow of burning embers.
Those who didn’t know where to run simply followed the crowd. Some dashed toward the residential complex exit, heading east, while others fled toward An Ran’s villa.
Several wolves managed to charge through the wider tunnels, rushing from the northwest corner straight toward the exit—ready to feast on the fleeing survivors. But there they met Zhan Lian, who was fighting his way into the complex, desperately searching the southeast corner for his wife and daughter.
His hands were soaked in blood, his eyes blazing with savage fury. He looked more like a beast than a man. Anyone who blocked his path was cut down without mercy.
With two bloodstained blades, Zhan Lian slashed through the tunnels like a storm, and even the snow wolves howled as they met him head-on.
He was forcing his way in; they were trying to break out. Their paths collided—only one side could live.
The wolves wedged into the narrow tunnels wouldn’t be trapped for long. Their strength was terrifying. Given time, they could easily smash through the fragile ice and dig out their prey.
Inside the villa, An Ran stood cradling Doll, the floor trembling beneath her feet. The white plant-like tails at her feet grew and spread wildly, rippling across the ground like waves.
Fatty burst through the doorway, his face smeared with blood.
He fell to his knees, crying out hoarsely, “An Ran! An Ran, save us! Please—save us!”
An Ran didn’t answer. She stood tall, clutching Doll close, her jaw clenched, her expression tight with fury.
The entire villa quaked, and from the floor, the white tails surged upward, spreading around her like a tide.
Liang Ziyu rushed in behind Fatty, dragging him to his feet. “Gather everyone here!” he shouted. “An Ran’s plants can’t reach that far! Save the children first—bring them all to her yard!”
In moments like this—when life and death hung by a thread—choices had to be made. The elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, the pregnant—they all needed help. But if there wasn’t enough time?
Then there was only one priority: save the children.
Because the children were their future.
“Okay! I’ll go—I’ll go!” Fatty shouted, stumbling as he turned to run out again.
Behind him, An Ran’s white vines surged outward in thick, rolling waves—spreading like a living sea of thorns.