Chapter 53: Not Enemies, but a Hostile Army!

Growing for more than three months!

Hearing just these words alone, Shen Yu completely understood why everyone in the conference room wore such solemn expressions.

A thick haze of cigarette smoke even hung heavily in the air.

Up to this point, all the monsters originating from meteorites shared a single common characteristic: as time passed, they would continuously and rapidly grow stronger.

They either self-replicated or, much like the worm-like entity, expanded autonomously.

The longer the time, the greater the danger.

Exceeding three months meant that this meteorite monster had arrived on the mother planet even earlier than the worm, only remaining undetected and growing quietly in the shadows until now.

Clearly, this was an exceptionally dire situation.

The monster was likely already terrifyingly powerful.

"Just how many undiscovered meteorites are still out there?" Shen Yu furrowed his brows slightly.

"After we discovered the worm monster, we initiated an investigation into its origins, focusing particularly on all recorded meteorite impacts on the mother planet within the past year," another person took over the question. "Counting this one, we now have two confirmed and three suspected cases. All five landed in uninhabited regions, and two even plunged into the ocean."

The ocean.

Shen Yu fell into a momentary silence.

Humanity's current technology might seem all-powerful, capable of reaching the heavens and delving into the earth, but in reality, it still appeared utterly helpless before many of nature's domains.

The deep sea was chief among them.

For meteorites that sank into the depths of the ocean, there was indeed no feasible way to investigate; they could only strengthen their defenses.

No one could predict when a catastrophe might suddenly erupt.

"Let's first look at the situation with this one." Shen Yu pushed aside his distractions.

He sat directly before the seat prepared for him, focusing his gaze intently on the turtle shell in front of him.

He saw a vast expanse of green.

Yes, green!

Endless, dense masses of vegetation were rapidly spreading through the city at a horrifying speed. Their roots could easily pierce reinforced concrete, covering every single inch of space—to say nothing of human beings. Wherever they passed, countless terrified citizens were directly impaled and wrapped by the proliferating roots, before blood-red flowers bloomed upon their corpses.

The scene was saturated with horror and absurdity.

The vision ended.

This sequence of events was set to take place nine days later.

"..." After silently reviewing the footage a few times, Shen Yu said with some uncertainty, "It looks like some sort of vine-like plant?"

"We also had botanists analyze it. From a botanical standpoint, it is indeed a vine, except..." Qi Shichang shook his head.

Zombie bacteria were still bacteria, yet they couldn't be dealt with using conventional bactericidal methods.

This vine was no different.

Counting on potions or chemicals to work was probably a long shot.

The crucial problem lay in the sheer quantity!

That was what induced utter despair in everyone who witnessed the scene.

The sheer density of that vegetation and its terrifying rate of expansion were enough to strike profound fear into anyone at a single glance. By comparison, both human beings and human architecture appeared infinitely insignificant, as if nature itself had resolved to eradicate them.

However, terrifying and despair-inducing though the situation was, human civilization was ultimately not without hope.

Shen Yu, seated right before them, was their greatest hope.

Therefore, these individuals did not remain entirely submerged in despair.

"We have already pinpointed the location of this meteorite. It is in the National First Forest Park, and Hualong City, which the vision indicates will be the first to suffer the disaster, is the city closest to the park." A senior official handed Shen Yu a file.

Naturally, they had not been sitting idly while waiting for Shen Yu to arrive.

Everything that could be confirmed had already been verified.

"The National First Forest Park." Shen Yu examined the documents.

Although named a park, it was actually a massive region spanning over three thousand square kilometers—a pristine primeval forest boasting a complete ecosystem. The Eastern Country merely managed, protected, and researched the land, with areas designated for development occupying only a tiny fraction.

After their suspicions were aroused earlier, they had dispatched personnel to investigate the suspected meteorite impact site, but had found nothing unusual.

Yet at this moment, the nature of this meteorite had been confirmed.

The fact that previous investigations yielded no anomalies suggested they could even surmise that this particular monster possessed a certain "stealth" characteristic.

"If that's the case," Shen Yu lowered the documents, his expression grave, "then Hualong City won't be the only place targeted in the initial strike. The scenes we saw might merely represent the monster's vanguard forces. There could be an even more massive 'legion' lurking beyond what was shown."

Shen Yu used terms like "forces" and "legion."

Yet, that was precisely the reality.

That boundless vegetation was, at this very moment, the hostile force that human civilization had to confront.

They were not merely enemies, but an organized, massive "hostile army"!

"We have also considered that possibility." A military-uniformed general at the conference nodded resolutely, sweeping a hand in a circle across the table. "Without a doubt, this is a war. We cannot simply sit back and wait for the enemy to invade; we must rapidly establish multiple lines of defense, encircle the entire forest, and restrict the theater of operations to the utmost."

Enclosing this entire forest was obviously not something that could be accomplished with a few casual words. The number of legions, the manpower, and the material resources required would be astronomical.

Yet no one voiced doubt, let alone opposition.

Just as he had said, this was a war!

A war that could potentially lead to the annihilation of the nation and civilization. No matter how massive the mobilization or how great the sacrifice, there was no room for hesitation, and their resolve was unquestionable.

If necessary,

they could even obliterate the entire forest completely!

Compared to the destruction of civilization, this was insignificant. As long as people survived, there would eventually come an opportunity to recover.

"I will handle the preliminary investigation," Shen Yu spoke up at this point. "Meteorite monsters all possess unique traits. Regardless of what lies ahead, we still know nothing about the enemy—their current numbers, their specific attributes, whether they have rooted deep underground, and the possibility of them bypassing our defenses from beneath the earth. All of this must be figured out as quickly as possible. If they possess unique value as well, we can trade for greater support from our allies."

"Good." The individuals present brightened visibly.

They did not fear formidable difficulties; what they feared was being helpless and not knowing what to do.

As long as there was a direction and a hope, no matter how great the obstacle, they would simply throw themselves into the task.

This was precisely one of the reasons they had insisted on calling Shen Yu back.

The greatest hope lay with Shen Yu!

The previous worm and the subsequent eye-monster had likewise left them helpless and on the verge of despair, yet had they not all witnessed the hope of victory in the end?

In fact, they were already marching toward victory!