The massive shockwave from the explosion caused a captain, who was half-kneeling nearby, to suddenly lose his balance. His body swayed, and he involuntarily fell forward onto the pregnant woman's protruding belly. The sudden collision and pressure tore at her nerves; the pale-faced woman abruptly opened her eyes wide and let out a terrifying scream that nearly pierced the eardrums. This violent movement seemed to drain all the energy stored in her body, and her shrill cry was cut off abruptly as the ground shook violently. When the captain pushed himself up with both hands and stood again, the woman was no longer breathing from her mouth or nose. Meanwhile, from between her legs, a mass wrapped in blood, amniotic fluid, and mucus, still connected by the umbilical cord, slid out of her body and suddenly burst into the first cry of a newborn entering this strange world.

……

The battle ended in gloom, without a clear victor. Neither the attacking Pan-Union Army nor the defending Earth Federation achieved the expected results.

The former lost over seventy thousand soldiers and more than a hundred thousand square kilometers of land on the eastern front, which had been used as bait. The latter, though suffering fewer casualties, could no longer use Fortress S12. The intense nuclear explosion destroyed all surface structures, and all the vacant outer tunnels deep underground were contaminated— even automatic tunneling machines could not enter. The strong radiation directly interfered with radio signals sent from inside the base, and with all middle and outer facilities destroyed, the distress signal sent before the great explosion became the last record in the Earth Federation military archives regarding the fortress defenders.

After the battle, the Earth Federation Military Joint Council severely punished a series of ineffective commanders and related personnel. Especially for the unit commanders who failed to provide timely rescue, some were even directly sent to the gallows. The delay caused immeasurable losses— the researchers on the S12 fortress inspection mission were all top authorities from the National Academy of Sciences in astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and warp dynamics. Their collective deaths directly set back the Earth Federation’s technological advantage in certain fields by at least ten years, if not more.

No one believed there were any survivors inside S12.

The Pan-Union Army’s nuclear device directly destroyed the entire mountain. Even the well-protected underground sections, even if they could withstand the blast, could not possibly allow anyone to walk out alive. Besides, the outside world was still filled with terrifying radiation invisible to the naked eye.

Section Two: Predicament

In the year 2263 AD, Earth had not changed much compared to eighteen years before.

The sky was still shrouded in thin clouds, which, under the constant push of high-altitude air currents, kept shifting into all sorts of complex and strange shapes. Gradually, the broken clouds were disturbed and revealed a patch of clear, deep blue sky. Sunlight, like flames, shot down, scorching the dry, cracked earth and madly evaporating every trace of moisture that heat could capture.

William Grant was half-squatting between two rocks, gripping a tactical binoculars tightly in his left hand. While carefully observing the hills to the north of the rocky outcrop, he would occasionally turn his head to glance at the radiation meter in his right hand. Each time the red needle in the center of the fan-shaped screen—representing the actual radiation level—quivered, his heart would tense and twitch in response.

Four soldiers lay low in sequence, keeping watch nearby. Like William Grant, they all wore combat exoskeleton armor—standard protective gear for the Earth Federation Army. Ceramic plates hung on the surface of the high-elasticity combat suits, effectively reducing the damage from bullets and energy weapons. As for their weapons, they carried universal assault rifles and large-caliber grenade launchers.

The needle on the radiation meter continued to tremble, but finally stabilized between twenty and twenty-five units. William Grant’s long-held anxiety finally eased. Gazing at the horizon in the distance, where layers of heat shimmered under the blazing sun, he gave a bitter smile, put away his binoculars, and from the backpack beside him, fished out two powerful thermal plasma grenades.

His rank was Warrant Officer. Together with the four soldiers, they made up a reconnaissance squad.

The war between the Earth Federation and the Pan-Union Army was still ongoing.

According to the map, about sixty kilometers to the north lay the S12 mining area, once hailed as the “Iron Fortress,” and now a nuclear radiation zone that struck fear into everyone on both sides.

Eighteen years ago, a massive nuclear explosion destroyed the entire mining area.

Yet, resilient plants, insects, and rats continued to thrive and reproduce on this desolate, lifeless land.

Due to the severe contamination, even the most advanced protective suits could not withstand the intense radiation. Researchers could only collect samples on the outskirts of the mining area, using radiation meters to slowly mark out the passable edge with a red line. As for the core area… on the maps of both the Earth Federation and the Pan-Union Army, it was invariably marked with a black skull symbol.