Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1723: Arrival of Hell: Part-2

Jonathan Vale’s POV

BOOM!

PSSSSS!

BOOOMMMM!!

Thud!

“Cough… Cough…”

I coughed violently as thick gunpowder smoke filled the air, burning my throat while the entire building trembled under the relentless bombardment. Dust drifted from the cracked ceiling with every deafening explosion, sprinkling the cold concrete floor like grey snow.

The bitter smoke invaded my lungs, leaving the foul taste of gunpowder coating my tongue as if I had just swallowed the blasted thing itself.

Licking my dried lips, I turned toward my parents, who were huddled together in the corner. My mother buried her trembling face against my father’s shoulder while he held her tightly, though his own shaking hands betrayed the fear he desperately tried to hide.

“Mother… Father… are you both alright?” I asked softly, forcing a calm smile that even I couldn’t believe.

Neither of them answered immediately. They simply nodded after a few moments, their pale faces and frightened eyes telling me everything I needed to know.

They were alive, but they were far from alright.

After reassuring them and making sure they had enough water and blankets, I quietly stepped out of the cramped room assigned to us inside the shelter.

The narrow corridor was filled with people whose expressions mirrored my own family’s. Children cried quietly in their mothers’ arms while exhausted soldiers carried crates of supplies between rooms.

Although we were protected inside a temporary shelter built by our National Military Force, no one truly felt safe.

Fear clung to every face because none of the military’s weapons had managed to destroy those monstrous roots that had invaded our world.

“Mr. Jonathan… could you please give us a hand?”

A very young woman called out with a weary smile, trying her best to remain optimistic despite the exhaustion in her eyes.

“Of course,” I replied with a small nod before walking over to help her organise the limited food supplies that had to be distributed among the thousands of refugees packed inside the shelter.

As I sorted the boxes and counted the remaining rations, my thoughts drifted back over everything that had happened during the past month.

After narrowly escaping from the enormous roots that had erupted from the sky and pierced deep into Earth’s core, the entire world had begun to change in ways no one could have imagined.

The radio, now the only reliable form of communication still functioning, repeatedly broadcast the same horrifying report.

Scientists had confirmed that the Earth’s core had been critically damaged by the unknown roots that had appeared without warning. Even worse, they claimed that our entire solar system had somehow collapsed, though no one could fully explain how such an impossible catastrophe had occurred.

It was beyond terrifying. Those enormous roots remained firmly attached to our planet, yet humanity still had no answers. No one knew why they had appeared, where they had come from, or what purpose they served.

Every explanation sounded just as impossible as the last.

Some believed they were the work of Gods descending upon humanity, while others insisted they were the creations of an alien civilisation that had finally reached Earth and begun taking control of our planet.

Whatever it was… we were totally fucked up!

“Thank you. We couldn’t have finished this without your help.”

The young woman smiled gratefully, though the exhaustion beneath her expression never disappeared.

“It wasn’t much,” I replied quietly before turning to leave.

Just as I reached the doorway, her hesitant voice stopped me.

“Mr. Jonathan… did you hear the latest report?”

I looked back. “No. What happened?”

She lowered her voice as though speaking the words aloud would somehow make them more real.

“The scientists… they think these roots aren’t just attached to Earth anymore. They believe… they’re dragging our entire planet through space.”

“…”

I stared at her for a long moment before giving a silent nod. There wasn’t anything I could say. My thoughts had already become a tangled mess as I quietly walked away down the dim corridor.

What the hell was happening with those roots?

Why had they begun destroying our world?

What… did they want from humanity?

In just a single month, millions of people had already lost their lives as the colossal roots tore through continents, shattered cities, and reshaped the Earth’s geography beyond recognition.

Humanity had survived… but only barely.

Whatever it might be… from now on, surviving was going to be the hardest part.

“Jonathan, let’s go!”

One of my teammates shouted after spotting me standing there.

After everyone had arrived at the shelter, all the young men were assigned to work alongside the military. We were ordered to help them however we could, whether it was searching for food, collecting clean water, gathering useful supplies, or retrieving any information that might help humanity survive.

Even though none of the military’s weapons had managed to leave even a single scratch on those monstrous roots, people still refused to give up.

“At this point… everything feels so pointless.”

I muttered under my breath, unable to hide the disappointment weighing on my face.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I joined my team and left the shelter. We walked through the abandoned streets where damaged vehicles sat motionless, many crushed beneath chunks of collapsed buildings, while others were reduced to twisted heaps of metal.

Dust drifted through the silent roads as a cold wind carried scraps of paper between the wreckage.

The skyscrapers that once dominated the skyline now leaned at impossible angles. Their glass windows had long since shattered, leaving jagged frames that reflected the dull grey sky.

Rubble covered the streets, and the once-bustling city had become eerily silent.

Everything looked as though we were living in the middle of a post-apocalypse.

“Haha… who would’ve thought we’d live long enough to see something like this?”

One of my teammates let out a bitter laugh, though there wasn’t the slightest hint of amusement behind it.

I silently nodded in agreement.

Everything still felt like a dream. Just a month ago, we had been competing for jobs, chasing promotions, worrying about salaries, and complaining about everyday life.

Back then, we fought to build a better future.

Now… we fought simply to find enough food to survive another day.

When we finally arrived at our usual cultivation site, everyone’s expressions immediately darkened.

“Not this again! Arrgh!”

One of my teammates groaned in frustration as we stared at the crops we had planted only a few days ago. Every single sprout had withered into blackened husks, leaving behind nothing but ash scattered across the cracked soil.

This had become our greatest problem. No matter what seeds we planted, they would sprout normally at first, only to wither or crumble into ash within days, as though the land itself rejected all life.

It was as if something invisible was draining every ounce of vitality from the soil.

The scientists still hadn’t discovered the cause, and solving this mystery had become one of humanity’s highest priorities.

“What are we supposed to do now? If we return empty-handed again, that military officer will yell at us as though we’re responsible for all of this.”

Everyone nodded in silent agreement.

Every person inside the shelter had a purpose, or rather, a duty they were expected to fulfil in order to contribute to everyone’s survival. Our team’s assignment was to search for edible crops or discover a way to cultivate food again before the remaining supplies completely ran out.

At first, the government had managed to distribute enough rations to every nearby shelter, allowing everyone to eat at least once or twice a day. However, as time passed and every attempt at farming continued to fail, food reserves steadily dwindled.

The government had no choice but to reduce each shelter’s share, and that was how we had ended up in our current situation.

If we couldn’t find a way to grow crops again… or at least discover another reliable food source… then it wouldn’t be long before the world truly descended into hell.

“What should we do now?” someone finally asked.

“What else can we do?” I answered in a calm but cold voice. “We’ll search the destroyed malls and supermarkets. Whatever supplies are still left… We’ll bring them back before someone else does.”

No one objected. They simply nodded and tightened their grips on their bags before we silently changed direction and began making our way toward the nearest abandoned shopping mall, hoping that fate had left something behind for those who were still struggling to survive.

****

Another month later…

The military had already accepted defeat against those strange roots. Even though nothing catastrophic had happened after the initial destruction, governments around the world continued launching attacks in the hope of stopping them.

Every missile, artillery shell, and experimental weapon had failed.

Even when every nation on Earth launched its nuclear arsenal, not a single explosion managed to leave even the faintest scratch on those monstrous roots.

Was this really how we were going to live from now on?

“Son, you need to eat more… You’ve been working day and night.”

My mother gently pushed her portion of food toward me with a tired smile. I glanced at her plate, which barely held a handful of food. Looking at her frail figure and the dark circles beneath her eyes… I knew it was only a matter of time before famine consumed every one of us.

“It’s alright, Mom.”

I quietly pushed the food back onto her plate.

Before I could say anything else, my father calmly placed part of his own meal onto mine.

“I already ate plenty. Here, take it, son,” he said with a warm smile before turning toward my mother.

“And you, young lady… just look at yourself. You’re so thin you look like your own mother climbed out of the grave. Eat your food before worrying about everyone else.”

My mother’s lips twitched as she shot him an unamused look.

“Listen to the man who’s even skinnier than I am,” she muttered with a small pout.

She knew exactly what he was trying to do.

Even after losing both of his legs while saving her, my father never once complained. He refused to become a burden to anyone and always wore that same reassuring smile, as though everything would somehow work out in the end.

“What?” My father grinned before flexing his arm proudly. “I’m still awesome… aren’t I, son?”

His once-proud biceps had withered into little more than skin stretched over bone, but the confidence in his voice hadn’t changed at all.

I smiled softly and nodded.

“Yup… you’re still awesome, Dad.”

“Haha…”

My mother couldn’t hold it in anymore and let out a quiet snort, shaking her head as though she couldn’t believe I had actually taken his side.

Moments like these were precious.

For just a few minutes, we could laugh together and pretend the world outside hadn’t already fallen apart.

As usual, after finishing our meal, I reported for work. The routine never changed, and neither did the results.

When we reached the fields, everyone’s hearts sank.

Every crop had withered once again.

The young green sprouts that had shown so much promise only days earlier had turned into brittle black stalks, collapsing into ash the moment the wind brushed against them.

“We only have a few seeds left… and if we lose those too…”

One of my teammates whispered with fear.

No one answered.

Everyone simply swallowed hard, their dry throats tightening with dread.

Because we all knew what would happen once those last seeds were gone.

That would be it.

Humanity would truly have nothing left.

****

Six months after the incident happened…

“Mother, Father… it’ll be alright,” I said in a pained voice as I looked at my parents lying weakly on the floor.

Almost all the fat and muscle had disappeared from their bodies, leaving their skin tightly wrapped around fragile bones until they barely resembled the healthy people I once knew. Every breath they took seemed laboured, and even smiling had become difficult for them.

“I… I heard on the radio that the scientists have finally found a way to grow crops,” I continued, forcing as much hope into my voice as I possibly could, while silently swallowing the rest of the sentence that I couldn’t bear to say aloud.

The crops were still only in the testing phase, and nobody knew whether they would actually survive long enough to feed the millions who were starving.

I… I didn’t want them to lose hope, because hope was the only thing keeping many people alive now. Even if the chance was incredibly small, believing tomorrow might be better was sometimes enough to survive one more day, right?

My parents exchanged exhausted smiles before looking back at me. Their lips trembled slightly as they struggled to speak, and after several painful seconds, they whispered together,

“P-Please… take care of yourself…”

Hearing those words made my chest tighten so painfully that I could barely breathe, because they sounded less like encouragement and more like parents saying goodbye to their child for the very last time.

I clenched my trembling fists until my fingernails dug into my palms, desperately trying to stop myself from breaking down in front of them.

Unable to stay inside any longer, I quietly stepped out of our small cabin and walked into the dim corridor with a heavy heart. Every room I passed looked almost identical, filled with families slowly wasting away while waiting for a miracle that refused to arrive.

How much longer would it take before those experimental crops could actually be harvested?

Why was everything taking so long when humanity was running out of time with every passing day?

Those questions echoed endlessly inside my mind, but no matter how many times I asked them, there was never anyone who could answer.

The radio broadcasts explained that the gigantic roots were constantly releasing unknown substances into the atmosphere.

According to the scientists, those substances disrupted nitrogen and several other essential elements needed for plants to survive, while two completely unidentified substances leaking from the roots appeared to be responsible for destroying almost every form of natural vegetation on Earth.

I didn’t fully understand the scientific explanation, but I understood one thing very clearly.

The world itself was slowly dying.

“What the fuck do you want, bitch?”

“I don’t care! Get the fuck out of my room!”

“Oh? Keep talking like that and I’ll kill you!”

Angry voices echoed throughout the shelter from every direction as arguments broke out almost hourly now.

Starvation… had stripped away people’s patience, kindness, and reason, replacing them with desperation that grew more dangerous every single day.

Hunger no longer merely weakened the body. It slowly eroded the mind until survival became the only thing people could think about.

“Mr. Jonathan… could you help me… please?”

A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts as a very young woman stepped out from her cabin wearing revealing clothes that left little to the imagination. She looked at me with nervous yet determined eyes, and there was no need for either of us to explain what she was asking.

She was the same woman who had once approached me with nothing more than a grateful smile while we distributed food together. Back then, she rarely spoke to anyone besides me and spent most of her time quietly helping others. Six months of endless fear and starvation had changed her just as they had changed everyone else living inside this shelter.

I looked at her for several moments without saying a word. She had clearly washed herself despite the limited water available, and the faint scent of soap lingered around her, making it obvious that she had prepared herself before coming to find me.

This wasn’t the first time someone had approached me like this.

Over the past several weeks, similar invitations had become increasingly common throughout the shelter. Nobody officially acknowledged them, yet nobody condemned them either.

In a world where death felt inevitable, people desperately searched for anything that could briefly make them forget reality, even if only for a few fleeting moments.

Without another word, I quietly followed her into the room, and she gently closed the door behind us.

Outside, frightened voices, crying children, and distant arguments continued to fill the shelter without pause.

Before I knew it, she slowly slipped out of her clothes. I cupped her cheeks in both hands and captured her lips in a desperate kiss, pouring every ounce of fear, frustration, and longing into it. My hands found her waist before settling on her hips as she moved closer, rubbing my crotch, and we embraced one another as though the warmth between us was the only thing keeping the darkness outside at bay.

Neither of us knew whether this was simply humanity’s instinct to leave something behind before death… or merely a desperate way of coping with the unbearable reality surrounding us.

Whatever the reason might have been, neither of us hesitated, because in a world where tomorrow was never promised, even a fleeting moment of comfort felt precious.

“Ahh~ Ye~ Faster~”

“Arrgh~ Fuck~ You’re gripping me so tightly! Arrgh!!~”

We fucked so hard that everything outside those four walls disappeared from our minds, leaving behind nothing except the overwhelming pleasure that consumed us.

I filled her again and again as our bodies moved with desperate hunger, as though some primal instinct buried deep within us demanded that we leave behind a new life before the world finally came to an end.

‘Am I going to be a dad?’

I let out a quiet, bitter laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Who cares!

She’s the one who wanted this, not me!

Besides, I’m pretty sure neither of us is going to live long enough to see that child anyway… so who the hell cares? We simply kept fucking until there was nothing left to give, choosing a few fleeting moments of pleasure over the crushing reality waiting outside.