Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 166, Dark Era

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silavin

“What’s going on? Can someone tell me what on bloody Earth is going on? Why have the Mutant Sea Creatures launched a large-scale attack all of a sudden?”

One after another, shrill shouts filled the conference room, causing the upper echelons of Japan to flinch, and their faces to turn pale. In just one night, Japan had lost nearly 20% of their territory to Mutant Sea Creatures.

A total of seven cities had been lost. Not to mention the near decimation of forty percent of the self-defense forces.

If it were not for the early evacuation of coastal cities, the casualties among the populace alone would likely be over a million.

The implications were clear; there was no need for any further explanations. Looking out the window, the cities looked as if doomsday had arrived. Everyone’s face was filled with the air, even the very air over the entire city was oozing desolation.

“Sir, it’s not just us,” a voice tinged with sorrow resonated within the conference room as a middle-aged man stood up, surveyed the assembly, and continued to explain, “Reports indicate that coastal nations around the world are under attack. However, none have suffered losses as catastrophic as ours.”

*Crack, Crack…* The Japanese Prime Minister clenched his fist as his face turned livid.

[Indeed, based on the information we’ve received from all over the world, it’s not only Japan, even USA, and neighboring China are under the Sea Creatures’ attack. It’s an unprecedented natural disaster, one that the Human Race had not anticipated. There are countless coastal cities all around the world, and yet, all these cities have all been attacked. How is this even possible?]

Even now, he has been having a hard time accepting it. However, as the Japanese Prime Minister looked at the lost territory, he had no choice but to come to terms with reality.

Just then, a weak voice suddenly emerged in the office, “May I ask a question?”

A young man stood up, his voice trembling slightly as he inquired, “Since coastal cities all around the world are under Sea Creatures’ attack, why has our nation suffered the most severe losses? We’ve been preparing for various minor Sea Creatures’ attacks for the past six months. Moreover, most coastal cities have been evacuated, leaving them nearly empty. Why is that?”

A murmur spread through the room. The middle-aged man who had spoken before, the head of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office explained in a bitter tone, “All the major nuclear superpowers launched nuclear weapons at the very beginning of the attack, causing blinding flashes of light to illuminate the shallow seas, turning them as bright as daylight. Not to mention, these superpowers possess military forces many times stronger than ours. And, do you know? We are an island nation with a coastline spanning 33,889 kilometers. Virtually every part of our coastline has witnessed Sea Creatures’ attack. Yet, our military strength is far from being able to bridge the gap…”

The more he spoke, the more bitterness colored his words.

His narrative struck a chord with every higher-up present, causing the eyes of many to glisten with moisture.

Basically, their military was weaker than other nations, yet they had to face Sea Creatures’ attacks that were several times or even dozens of times worse than what other nations were facing.

More importantly, even if they anticipated the coastal anomalies in advance, they lacked nuclear weapons to suppress them.

“Okay,” accepting in a somewhat bitter voice, the young man slumped onto his chair in despair.

Meanwhile…

At the highest office of China, a group of powerful individuals gathered around were sitting around a circular conference table with a grave expression on their faces.

“This time, we have General Li to thank. If it were not for his resolute decision to deploy nuclear weapons, we would not have been able to weather the beginning of this Dark Era so smoothly.” As he spoke, the President of China stood up and extended a hand in acknowledgment toward a silver-haired middle-aged man seated beside him.

General Li was the Generalissimo of China. He was also one of the few hawks within China, known for his strong and assertive stance. 

General Li had been maintaining a low profile before the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, and had remained relatively unknown. However, after the resurgence, he climbed to a position of power, wielding considerable authority single-handedly. He was in-charge of the coastal region, and effectively suppressed most of the Sea Creatures’ rampage.

When the Spiritual Energy Research Institute detected unusual fluctuations by the coasts, he pondered for a while before decisively exercising the privilege to deploy nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons were the most terrifying tools of Humanity. They could not be used lightly.

China, in particular, had always advocated for peace and kept their nuclear weapons hidden away.

However, because of General Li, their nuclear weapons were finally awakened from their slumber.

Rising up in the shallow sea. The resulting heat and light from the explosion was like the sun, illuminating everything.

And because of General Li’s swift action, China had been spared from an unprecedented catastrophe.

Unlike powerful countries like Russia, who too possessed nuclear weapons, but because of their indecisiveness, two cities had fallen, and hundreds of thousands of citizens had lost their lives. Not to mention smaller countries like Japan, that did not even have genuine nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, China had received credible intelligence that this was a dreadful attack that had swept through major coastal cities worldwide. No coastal city could escape its reach.

Due to the unprecedented nature of the disaster, its suddenness, and global scale, this night was referred to by China as the ‘Dawn of the Dark Era.’

A true era of darkness and desolation had arrived.

…

The silver-haired General Li, who was seated in the last, gazed at the President of China and nodded slightly.

It had to be said that the President of China was quite good. At least, when General Li had requested to deploy nuclear weapons, he had not hesitated and had instead provided full support. Such determination was not something ordinary individuals possessed.

However, it was precisely because of this that General Li firmly believed that China would inevitably rise again in the impending great era, perhaps even standing atop the world’s nations.

Thinking this, a fervent gleam appeared in General Li’s eyes.

However, after a moment, as if struck by a thought, General Li stated, “The Spiritual Energy Research Institute seems to have reached a conclusion regarding this global Sea Creatures tide. Let’s hear what they have to say.”

“Agreed.” 

Nodding in agreement, the collective gaze of the group shifted toward an elderly man dressed in a white robe, seated in the assistant position.

The elderly man adjusted his glasses before standing up. There was not an ounce of nervousness on his face, rather his expression looked pretty grave as stated, “Up until now, based on our investigations, we have discovered significant anomalies in the depths of the ocean, with a remarkable increase in Spiritual Energy concentration.

“As you all know, Spiritual Energy is like oxygen. Pure oxygen is highly toxic, and similarly, if organisms can’t tolerate dense Spiritual Energy, it becomes equally toxic. Therefore, countless creatures lurking in the deep sea have no choice but to approach shallow waters.

“In the face of these Deep-Sea Monsters, the Mutant Sea Creatures of the shallow waters naturally fear them like tigers. Thus, under their pressure, they have been relentlessly advancing toward the land. In this manner, we are now seeing an onslaught of Sea Creatures worldwide.”

Silence, a complete pin drop silence.

Listening to the account of the elderly man, the hearts of everyone was bogged down with worries.

Certain things did not need to be explicitly stated; everyone understood. Just like the significant increase in Spiritual Energy concentration. What does that signify?

Thinking this, General Li let out a deep breath and inquired about a confirmation he already had in his mind, “If I’m not mistaken, the true catastrophe has only just begun, has it not?”

“Yes.” Nodding, the Director of the Spiritual Energy Research Institute added with a note of concern on his face, “Setting aside the reasons for the remarkable increase in Spiritual Energy concentration, even the current situation is something we can’t ignore.

“The ocean has always been one step away from the mainland. And now, with the sudden spike in Spiritual Energy concentration in the oceans, I believe the mainland won’t be far behind. At that time, due to the significant increase in Spiritual Energy concentration, Mutant Beasts deep in the mountains and wild forests will swarm toward cities just like the Sea Creatures. What’s awaiting us is undoubtedly a disaster even more dreadful, tens or even hundreds of times worse than now. While Sea Creatures can be suppressed with nuclear weapons, those Mutant Beasts approaching cities…”

“Due to the significant increase in Spiritual Energy concentration, these Mutant Beasts will evolve into even more terrifying monsters. Dense Spiritual Energy is a deadly poison for Mutant Beasts that can’t withstand it, but if they can, their evolution will accelerate by thousands or even hundreds of times.”

As he reached this point, the elderly man glanced at the group and concluded with one final statement, “So, everyone, we have limited time left.”

Ashish: Hawks–a person who advocates an aggressive or warlike policy, especially in foreign affairs: Compare with dove. This is the first time I learned this, so forgive me if I add a note for others, assuming they might be like me.

Silavin: In general, hawk vs dove is just aggressive vs docile. Doesn’t need to be used in foreign affairs, or the likes.