Chapter 767: The Scene of Dismay, The Longer Journey Back to New Infanta Settlement (1/2)

Day 162 - 9:03 AM - Harvek Nature Preserve, General Nakar, Province of Quezon

From Mount Malabito, a gigantic ball of black mist flew eastward and turned northeast. Of course, it was no other than Mark's group, riding Chaflar towards the direction of New Infanta Settlement.

Through the gap that Mark kept open in front, Spera, Karlene, and Major Bautista stared at the sceneries of the New Earth.

It was no surprise to see how shock they were as they saw it for the first time.

What they were seeing was no longer the Earth they knew.

The numbers of mountains in the vicinity had doubled, covered with lush forests filled with vitality. Even if Karlene and Major Bautista were not magically sensitive, they could feel the mysterious aura that these mountains exuded.

They were even more surprised to see that the new appearance of the Agos River.

The river that flowed from the southwest mountains of the Barangay San Marcelino to the coasts at the border of General Nakar and Infanta only had about a hundred and fifty meters distance in its broadest areas. Now, however, with more than two hundred to even half a kilometer distance from both riverbanks, it was more or less a moving sea to anyone's eyes from the ground.

What devastated the father and daughter was the sight of the only remaining traces of civilization of the past.

The well-known Marikina-Infanta Highway that even had two other names, Marcos Highway and Marilaque Highway, was now nothing but extremely long fragmented ruins of civilization.

As Earth changed, the ground shifted, causing the entire highway to separate, moving in different directions. Many parts of the road got scattered separately. Some even made large clumps of rocks as its pieces collided with each other.

It was like the entire highway was a broken jigsaw puzzle, never to be pieced whole again.

Far from being just broken, many parts of the highway were missing. There were places on the road entirely swallowed by the new mountains. They even saw a large part of the highway half sunk in the middle of the Agos River, more than a hundred meters away from where the rest of the road was.

The structures by the side of the highway? Barely any could be seen. And none of them were intact. It was already lucky if they even saw a part of a wall standing.

A familiar place took Karlene's attention near the riverside of the Agos River. If she was correct, that area should be where she met Mark for the first time. That was an unpleasant experience because of the situation but also a memorable one. Now, she and Alana were proud parts of Mark's group. She was also separated from Karla, giving them both a new life.

Sometimes, it just needed an uncanny twist of fate to turn everything around.

As they continued to look at the surroundings, the more uneasy Major Bautista became.

Just with all the things they had seen so far, the change was horribly drastic. And this happened to the entire Earth? He could not help but worry about how the New Infanta Settlement could hold up in this situation.

Not to mention that earthquake with a strength that had never been felt before. There was also the space debris that fell onto Earth. And the new threat called [Mechids].

Just how could the New Infanta Settlement brave against such dangers in succession?

”Worried?”

While Major Bautista was in deep thought, Mark's voice entered his ears.

The Major turned to Mark, who glanced at him above his shoulders with Karla sitting right in front. The girl requested to sit there, curiously looking at the sceneries they were passing by.

”How can I not be? With how much Earth changed and the sceneries of destruction in front of my eyes, there was no way that I will not worry.” Major Bautista sighed. ”I know you're not the one to blame, and I'm thankful that you brought us to your base to ensure our safety. However, can't you even just give a subtle warning to the General that this would happen?”

”Hmm...” Mark tilted his head, patting the head of Karla that was leaning on his chest. ”Maybe I could. The person that told us all this did not really say that we can't spread rumors or give subtle hints.”

”Then why?” Major Bautista asked. ”If you did, the General could have listened even to a nonchalant warning.”

”Really?” Mark was a bit unconvinced. ”Will he really listen to an outsider like me? You should know that just a word from an outsider will never be enough to move the entire military.”

”You might be an outsider, but you're not just anybody.” Major Bautista sighed. ”With how much we owe you, General Faustino won't be able to ignore your words. You think that he agreeing for you to borrow Professor Sandoval is just a fluke?”

”It might not be a fluke,” Mark replied. ”But he's not entirely willing either.”

Of course, Mark noticed that. It was as exactly as Major Bautista said. They owe Mark a lot and could not just burn the bridges.

And then Mark added.

”Then, let's say that General Faustino will listen. But you think that those crocodiles would?”

At Mark's words, Major Bautista paused a little. Mark had a point, after all.

Currently, the military might have the ruling of the settlements. However, the power inside was not entirely theirs. The crocodiles Mark mentioned were those politicians that prioritized themselves over the masses.

Not all politicians were crocodiles, of course. Nonetheless, it was those useless ones who dabble and interfere more with the things inside the settlement.

It could have been reasonable to ignore them. But as politicians, they share power within the settlement. They had private armed groups, and many people look up to these men in position without even knowing what was going on.

The worst part, unlike the military, politicians were experts in coercing the population. They would not need weapons. Just their words could turn an entire settlement upside down.

Even if Mark did try to warn them and General Faustino took measures to prepare, there was no guarantee that those crocodiles would not interfere.

One thing these crocodiles were good at was making assumptions. If General Faustino began to take measures and they learned that the reason for this was Mark's subtle warnings, they would not believe it. Instead, they would assume that the General was planning something behind their backs, causing them to make their own moves in the dark.

Then, it would cause an annoying conflict within the settlement, causing more chaos than it should.

And if the catastrophe happened while the settlement was in conflict...

Major Bautista sighed. He could imagine a far worse situation.

Mark had a concrete point. There was no need to refute.

”Have you've taken all these into consideration?”

Major Bautista asked Mark, sensing that he had the same thought.