Chapter 163: Sora Town
The unevenness of the road due to the ejecta soon calmed, with the main obstacles being some random cars or logs. Fortunately, their car was designed well, and these obstacles were either pushed back or ran over.
By this time, survivors would have already left the highway and went on foot, allowing the road to be less congested than the urban roads.
Kael stared at the car’s ceiling, wide awake, while he supported Naia’s body, making sure she was comfortable as she slept. When her breathing evened out, his lips twitched.
Can you be more conscious of your man, please?
He took a deep breath as he felt her warmth and her softness, heart was warm, but painful down below. He knew he put himself in this position, so who did he have to blame?
He pulled his eyes away from the ceiling and then to the beautiful figure in his arms.
How long has it been since he was able to hold her like this?
When was the last time?
It should be more than five years since their transfer to this time and place. Back then, they were on a mission to gather a few materials, and they were trapped somewhere together.
In the dying world, every night was winter. They got trapped in a tunnel with low ceilings and they were tired from the days-long fight they had to endure to get there.
He wanted to take advantage and convinced her to use each other’s body heat. He felt her softness and gentleness, and it was one of his core memories, especially when he realized he couldn’t do it again.
He inadvertently caused destruction nearby due to his emotions and lack of control over his abilities. It had actually injured a lot of their teammates who got separated from them.
He was already aware of his feelings for her back then, but who told his power to be unstable?
Those damned scientists tried to manipulate him and his power—which was unique and extremely powerful—but ended up being an uncontrollable mess that could hurt his loved ones and even the base itself.
He flinched when she moved, unconsciously rubbing her cute face on his chest. He smiled, gently rubbing the curve of her back, itching to do more.
He wondered what to do to escape probation.
...
Several hours later
SCREEEECHHH!
Kael’s eyes shot open, and his arms reflexively supported his and Naia’s bodies, stopping them from falling to the vehicle’s floor. Linlin at the back—who had been snoring—wasn’t so lucky, however.
BAM!
"DAD! What are you doing?!"
Uncle was apologetic, but he did not have the eloquence to explain.
"L-Look!" was all he said. By this time, Kael had already sat up and was staring at the same sight. Naia was also pretty alert and had woken up when he did, though he reacted faster.
At this point, they were only about an hour or two drive away from the villa and the borders of the national capital region. The path happened to be heading uphill as well, giving them a wider vista of the surroundings.
It was already dawn by this time, and the sky was already illuminating the surroundings, though definitely not as colorful as it was the previous dawn.
What were they staring at? Utter Destruction.
In the midst of it was a piece of space rock, a portion of which is buried in the earth at an angle. Its surface was black and wrinkled, parts of it were dull, parts of it were shiny, and they could see tiny metal specks glinting.
The rock was technically not big (in the grand scheme of things), but it was still about the size of a small building. The impact was massive and a few kilometers around it were scorched.
A few kilometers of direct damage was already the size of a town.
An entire town got obliterated, just like this.
If it weren’t for the few buildings at the edges still standing, albeit without windows and roofs anymore, they might not have surmised that this was once a town at all.
"This is Sora Town. It is—was—a tourist town," Uncle said at the time. "It’s been known for its nature reserves and good mountainous views. A popular hiking spot for friends and lovers."
Marcus pursed his lips. This was where he and his ex-wife went on their first out-of-town trip as boyfriend and girlfriend, and was also the place he lost his virginity and very likely where the twins were conceived. It was quite a memorable place.
Though he had no feelings for his ex anymore, those were indeed happy times, and seeing the place like this was particularly heart wrenching.
They observed the meteor a bit more. It had been almost a full day since the impact and, by now, the immediate surroundings had cooled down a bit, and the forest that could be burned had already burned.
The few hundred meters immediately around the meteor should still be warm, and one could still see some heat shimmer on some parts of it, but they should still be able to approach it.
This one was very small compared to the main meteorites. They wondered how dangerous it was.
The main meteorites’ main functions were to transfer the hibernating monsters as well as to trigger the upcoming natural disasters. They were also to absorb energy to wake up at the same time.
Inside those three big ones were kind of the aliens’ spaceship, though it was difficult to classify it since it was a biological thing. It was more like a living shell of sorts, and it was covered with space rock to protect them from the heat of the atmosphere.
The meteors, like rockets, shed weight as it fought against the atmosphere’s natural resistence, and this ’little’ rock was a part of that. They spread all over the world, causing damage, and even adding damage by virtue of the ejecta, forest fires, and the like that they triggered.
Even if the main meteorite were only three in number, the ’shed skin’ like these were in the thousands, destroying entire towns and communities.
Everyone felt somber. Obviously, they already had an idea what was going to happen, but seeing the scale of destruction was something that would probably be difficult to accept forever.
Naia stared at it, a shining space stone which was probably ultra old.
Her space liked ultra-old metals and minerals.
She turned to look at Kael, eyes sparkling in interest. "Do you think I can absorb it in my space?"