Humanity possesses a profound understanding of war, having ascended to the apex of the food chain. With the threats from other animals diminished, they eventually turned their adversaries into their own kind, leading to countless brethren falling by their own hands. This is the terrifying aspect of humanity, especially considering their invention of stratagems and the like.
While humanity's mutual slaughter was already excessive and brutal, with tribal warfare involving the consumption of captured enemies and the burial of many alive as sacrifices, the advent of military strategy only amplified their killing efficiency. The mass execution of hundreds of thousands of soldiers or the obliteration of numerous cities became commonplace.
Thus, at any time, when humans turn cruel, no other animal can compare. They are not only cruel to other species but even more so to their own kind, as if devoid of any compassion during combat.
Currently, numerous bases are launching a barrage of missiles to prevent the sea beasts from advancing south into the ocean. These sea beasts are already unstoppable in the water, and if they were to escape the narrow straits into wider waters, they would be even harder to capture, and the meteorites would be unattainable. Therefore, these sea beasts must be driven away, preferably into the Arctic Ocean to the north.
Ordinary missiles are insufficient to kill these resilient sea beasts. In the end, humanity decided to go all out and directly employ radioactive weapons, though not nuclear bombs directly, as the use of nuclear bombs would incur immense costs and attract widespread criticism.
Many years ago, humanity used nuclear weapons to attack numerous insects with remarkable success. A single nuclear bomb could turn a radius of tens of kilometers into ruins, while larger areas would be filled with vast amounts of nuclear radiation, causing biological mutations. Humans could not survive in these areas for extended periods.
They believed that as long as they avoided the areas affected by nuclear explosions, the radioactive elements would not impact human survival. Unfortunately, many overlooked one crucial fact: nuclear explosions generate massive amounts of radioactive dust. These radioactive byproducts, forming mushroom clouds, were carried by atmospheric circulation worldwide, ultimately leading humanity to suffer the consequences of its own actions.
Because humanity had reached the top of the food chain, there are various accumulation effects within the food chain. Under normal circumstances, heavy metals accumulate, and radioactive elements also accumulate, being even more difficult to remove than heavy metals. Ultimately, they all end up in the human body.
Humans must eat to survive, whether it be meat or carbohydrates. Ultimately, all elements in this world are mobile, especially radioactive elements that constantly drift across the globe with atmospheric circulation. They eventually enter plants, becoming fixed within them. Herbivorous animals consume these plants, and layer by layer, they are absorbed. In the end, the human body becomes filled with radioactive elements.
At this point, people were horrified to discover that at a certain age, their bodies would begin to fail, all organs would degenerate, and they would die tragically. Their unborn children would die before birth, and even the occasional surviving child would inevitably be a deformed fetus.
When people discovered this, they were utterly shocked, as they had never anticipated the dire consequences of using nuclear bombs. Had they foreseen this, they would have done anything to prevent the launch of nuclear bombs.
However, later generations could only condemn those who launched the nuclear bombs, but they could not change anything. Yet, they were determined to prevent further use of nuclear weapons.
The military was aware of the public's fear of nuclear weapons but had its own countermeasures. Although the use of nuclear bombs would be met with widespread opposition, they could still use dirty bombs for attacks, and as long as they did not report it, others would naturally be unaware.
Thus, countless missiles were launched from various military bases. In the Northern Hemisphere, there was a massive military organization called NATO. After the apocalypse, some of these military bases fell into disrepair, but a portion remained operational. At this time, a large number of missiles were launched from military bases in Europe and America.
Sea beasts thrived in the ocean. Of course, most of these sea beasts were essentially fish, and the ocean was their domain. Traveling anywhere in the water was effortless for them. However, when humans dumped dirty bombs in vast areas of the sea, the radioactive elements in the water instantly increased. Thus, their path was blocked, and the intense radioactive elements in the seawater made the sea beasts feel a strong sense of unease.
Under duress, the sea beasts had only one option: to find a way to swim towards the Arctic Ocean. If they were lucky, they might still be able to leave through the Bering Strait.
In seawater with intense radioactive elements, it would only take a few days to kill the sea beasts. Even with their incredibly tenacious vitality, they could not withstand the damage from radioactive elements. Within a few days, their bodies would undergo pathological changes, leading to them rotting and dying.
Upon hearing this, Tom quickly instructed his subordinates, "Since these sea beasts have been driven into the Arctic Ocean, we must pursue our advantage and seize the meteorites!"
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean in the world, surrounded by continents and located within the Arctic Circle, making it perpetually covered in ice and snow. During summer, some of the water surface is exposed, but in winter, it becomes a vast expanse of deep ice.
Yet, even as the smallest ocean, it remains a vast and desolate region. Humans cannot survive in such places due to a lack of vitamins and energy, making survival difficult. Humans cannot obtain sufficient nutrition by consuming only fish.
Even though these people managed to drive the sea beasts into an ocean, a relatively enclosed area, it was not easy for them to achieve victory directly. To find the sea beasts, they needed the ability to pursue and intercept them.
Therefore, these superhumans from North America boarded warships and headed towards the Arctic Ocean. Their fleet also included many icebreakers, capable of directly breaking through ice to advance. Without icebreakers, even if they entered the Arctic Ocean, they would only be able to search through thick ice and numerous icebergs, unable to locate the sea beasts in the sea.
Concurrently, many superhumans from Europe also acted in small groups. While these European superhumans, dispersed, did not constitute a formidable force, they were not to be underestimated if they united.
In addition to Europe, fleets were also dispatched from Siberia and other regions. Even with only a few remaining warships, they had to strive for a brighter future. If they did not secure these meteorites, they would undoubtedly be controlled by others in the future, a fate they were unwilling to accept.
Upon finding the meteorites, not only did the outer layers contain abundant extraterrestrial elements for creating superhumans, but it was also rumored that the interior of the meteorites held precious alien technological achievements. If obtained, these could lead to a leap in enemy technology.
By conservative estimates, nearly five hundred superhumans had arrived in the Arctic Ocean within a mere month. Such a large number of superhumans represented an invincible force wherever they appeared, as even the most powerful nations could not withstand the assault of such a large contingent. Unfortunately, these superhumans did not appear as a unified entity but were dispersed into many small groups. Some groups had more superhumans, numbering seventy to eighty, while smaller factions had only three or four, posing no threat and likely hoping to pick up scraps.
When the meteorites truly appeared before everyone, a massive war would undoubtedly erupt, leading to a period of chaos. These individuals clearly harbored the intention of quietly snatching a fragment of a meteorite when others were not paying attention and then leaving, which would be enough to establish a significant faction.
Andorf also appeared here as a leader of European superhumans, accompanied by a beautiful wife. However, he himself appeared quite unsightly, as he was completely bald, his head bare and shiny, unable to conceal his gleaming scalp even with a hat. Many wrinkles were etched onto his face. If people hadn't known his identity beforehand, they would have assumed he was an old man. In reality, he was only in his early thirties, not yet forty.
The reason for his premature aging was his excessive use of his abilities. Overuse of superpowers could accelerate the aging process of the body.
Although his body was greatly aged, no one dared to underestimate him, for his ability was to trigger earthquakes. A mere tremor could make the earth tremble, potentially causing massive gas eruptions. Such damage was not something ordinary people could withstand. Furthermore, in close combat, he could kill a sea beast with a single punch, a level of power that far surpassed that of most individuals.
Andorf now harbored a doubt, contemplating: "Why have forces from other regions already departed, yet there is no movement from the Chinese side? What does this mean? Do they not want the meteorites?"
He reviewed the intelligence gathered in the past few days. A large number of superhumans had gathered in Yuzhou from various parts of China, but soon, some of them departed. No one knew where these superhumans went afterward.
"Shen Feng is now the leader of China, so others must act according to his wishes. But he shouldn't be doing nothing at this moment!" Andorf said to his wife.
Natalie replied, "I have been observing the underwater situation for days and can track the movements of sea beasts hundreds of kilometers away. Therefore, I can confirm that there are no Chinese superhumans in the vicinity. They don't seem to have appeared on the water at all!"
"I despise those who like to reap the rewards later; they are the most insidious! Therefore, in the future, even if we need to fight sea beasts, we must protect our own strength! The battle with the sea beasts is merely an appetizer; the real main course is yet to come!" Andorf declared.
Many instances had revealed this situation: Shen Feng seemed to have disappeared. There had been no news of Shen Feng from the Chinese side for a long time. However, if he were to appear on the battlefield, he should not be unfound.
No one noticed one thing: in the sky of the Arctic Ocean, there were many white clouds drifting with the strong winds, aimlessly wandering. Ordinary people would not look up at the sky. In reality, Shen Feng had brought his people to the Arctic Ocean a long time ago, but they had been residing in the sky all along.