From Apocalypse To Entertainment Circle (BL) Chapter 155: When Horror Went Live

It was their sworn duty.

However, trepidation filled their hearts.

Should Sian perish in this engagement, this invaluable footage—

"Record every single second," the captain commanded. "Capture all details. Erect the communication tower immediately and establish contact with the main army headquarters. We will initiate a live broadcast, ensuring others comprehend the future threats we might confront."

Initially, the order left everyone in a state of bewilderment.

Then, their voices resonated as one.

"Yes, Captain!"

As Lan's unit diligently prepared the drones and essential equipment, Sian, too, was bracing himself for his inaugural true battle on this alien soil.

Indeed.

His very first genuine combat.

Those prior fleeting encounters—marked by flight and evasion—could scarcely be termed battles.

Sian's actual fights had invariably been savage, life-or-death struggles against monstrous beasts and formidable supernaturally gifted individuals.

"Boss... I truly wish the rest of our squad were here. We wouldn't have found ourselves in this predicament," Kira lamented, a touch of regret in her voice.

She wasn't experiencing fear.

Not truly.

With their leader present, even a quintet of those colossal abominations would pose no significant challenge.

Nevertheless, a pang of longing for her comrades struck her.

"Boss, do you believe the others—"

"Cease overthinking," Sian interjected firmly. "Concentrate your focus on the immediate threat."

Kira abruptly halted her fruitless musings and redirected her complete attention to the serpentine monsters writhing before them.

...

Concurrently, a telephone chirped within the army headquarters.

"Hello? What? Yes—yes, I comprehend. I shall see to it. Yes."

The man concluded the call and hurried towards the conference hall, where a critical, classified meeting was already in progress.

He burst through the doors, panting, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

"What is it? Can you not perceive we are engaged in a meeting? Who are you? You are dismissed!"

"Sir—sir! It is Colonel Lan. He is requesting authorization to transmit their ongoing battle live to the base."

"What?" the man bellowed. "Lan has called? Quickly—connect the main display now!"

The speaker was General Lan—the grandfather of Lan Qishing.

Having entrusted the mission to his grandson, he had been ensnared by administrative duties and public relations, receiving no updates for hours, and his apprehension had steadily intensified.

"Yes, sir."

With a crisp salute, the man moved with haste to fulfill the order.

The colossal screen descended into the conference hall.

Technicians and soldiers worked in seamless coordination.

Within a mere three minutes, visuals and audio flooded the screen.

They had girded themselves for what they might witness.

Braced for the sight of bloodshed.

Prepared to behold a spectacle that would sicken the strongest stomach.

Yet, no amount of preparation could have truly readied them for the horrifying tableau that unfolded before their eyes.

"What in the blazes is that?"

"Oh heavens... compassionate us."

"Is this... actual reality?"

The entire hall fell into a state of frozen shock.

Maws hung agape in astonished silence, and a few individuals with weaker constitutions could not contain themselves—vomiting where they stood.

Upon the immense screen dominating the room's center, the image of a desert landscape under the cloak of night filled the expansive display.

Nevertheless, it was not completely shrouded in darkness.

The moon cast a pale, eerie luminescence upon the land, and the faint lights emanating from the distant camp in the background rendered every horrifying detail with stark clarity.

At the screen's focal point stood a grotesque entity, its colossal form contorting violently as it emitted a deafening roar, smashing its limbs into the sandy terrain with a force potent enough to convulse the very earth.

Smaller beings, equally hideous and terrifying, moved in its vicinity, gradually fanning out across the combat zone.

Some were still emerging from the depths of the earth, their misshapen bodies arduously dragging themselves into existence.

Utter bewilderment gripped everyone; comprehension of their sight eluded them.

"Is this the culmination of the world?" an elderly man inquired, his voice quivering.

"Have the abyssal gates been flung open, unleashing these abominations to bring ruin upon the Earth?"

It was evident he was a proponent of doomsday prophecies, a believer in a final judgment and the ultimate extinction of humankind.

"What ludicrous pronouncements are you uttering?" someone retorted sharply. "If you possess no valuable contribution, then maintain your silence."

A cacophony of heated murmurs erupted within the chamber, voices intertwining as individuals debated, conjectured, and desperately attempted to rationalize the inexplicable phenomenon they were witnessing.

"Enough!"

From his position at the head of the table, General Lan rose, radiating an imposing presence.

No one perceived the tremor in his hand resting upon the polished tabletop.

"This is not an opportune moment for idle prattle," he stated with stern authority. "Our priority is to comprehend the situation before us. Maintain silence—and heed the events unfolding at their location."

His forceful declaration instantly quelled the room's uproar.

Once the hall had regained its composure, General Lan resumed his seat, brought the microphone closer to his lips, and spoke with a barely suppressed undercurrent of fury.

"Lan. Lan—Lan Qishing. Respond, confound it. What precisely is transpiring at your position?"

In that critical juncture, General Lan dispensed with any pretense of military protocol. He addressed his grandson directly by name, openly admonishing him for his lack of response.

"Grandfather, I am here," Lan responded. "We are transmitting live from the very base we intended to infiltrate. We arrived disconcertingly late and discovered this behemoth already present. Sian stated—"

Lan halted his speech mid-sentence. He suddenly remembered amidst the attentive audience, not wanting to draw any undue attention to Sian.

Abruptly shifting the topic, he continued, "The colossal beast possesses the ability to generate smaller versions of itself by consuming the remains of its victims. With every carcass it devours, it strengthens, progressively advancing in power."

"There's not much more I can elaborate on presently. My sole intention was for you to witness the unfolding events. Our world has drastically transformed, turned completely upside down, and we must adapt to survive amidst this calamity."

General Lan had long accepted that there was no possibility of a return to normalcy.

Following the incident on the island, even the general populace had become cognizant of the devastating disaster that had befallen humanity. This grim reality could no longer be denied or escaped.

His gaze remained fixed on the screen, his profound blue eyes mirroring the unfathomable depths of the ocean.

Then, as the drone camera zoomed in, he discerned two diminutive figures in proximity to the monstrous entity—moving towards it.

"Who—"

The screen’s clarity improved, bringing the visages of Sian and Kira into sharp focus.

General Lan froze, a wave of astonishment coursing through him.

"Why is Sian confronting it with only that girl?" he questioned, his voice laced with incredulity. "Dispatch reinforcements without delay and eradicate that monster at all costs. Such a perilous entity must not be permitted to roam freely."

A moment of silence ensued.

Lan’s voice resumed, burdened by a heavy sigh and evident concern.

"Sian mentioned that the lesser creatures harbor a potent toxin capable of transforming anyone they injure into beings like themselves. We are ill-equipped to contend with them. Consequently, he ordered a complete withdrawal and assumed command of the operation himself, accompanied by Kira. All soldiers and members of the special covert forces have evacuated the vicinity."