Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 231 The Vanished Manhattan Island

"Is it something special? Or some kind of dangerous explosive?"

Before takeoff, the aircraft was temporarily ordered to carry a radiation tester, and for some unknown reason, it was repeatedly emphasized that special attention should be paid to changes in the radiation readings.

At the same time Joseph saw the dot of light on the radar, the value displayed on the small radiation tester in front of him was rapidly increasing, from about 100 nSv per hour to 800 nSv in just a few breaths, and it was still climbing.

John's expression changed slightly.

Before joining the army, he studied physics, so he knew exactly what this value meant. Normally, the Earth is filled with various types of radiation, but it is usually very weak, only about 7 to 80 nSv per hour. However, due to the solar storm images from twenty minutes ago, the radiation level across the Earth has abnormally increased, with some places reportedly reaching as high as 300 nSv.

However, this is only temporary, and even if the human body ingests 100000 nSv at once, it is still within an acceptable range and will not have any major consequences. At most, it is equivalent to dozens of X-rays. But this abnormal surge in value is different, which means that there may be some kind of radiation source ahead.

"Could it be a nuclear accident?"

John's heart began to pound. He vaguely guessed why his superior's expression was so serious. If it really was a nuclear accident, this would somewhat explain why his superior was so cautious and ordered them to only conduct reconnaissance and evacuate immediately if there was any danger.

“FUCK…”

"John, I think we've become a suicide squad."

John took a deep breath. The noise around him grew louder and louder. David, who was not far away, seemed to have realized this as well. His muffled voice was already spouting genitalia and insulting the female relatives of his superiors.

Despite their complaints, the mission had to continue. However, realizing the mission was not easy, the group decided to climb to a higher altitude to minimize the impact of radiation.

The roaring fighter jets, spewing long plumes of flame, didn't head forward but instead climbed into the sky, as if in fear of something ahead...

However, as they went deeper, the radiation inevitably increased, with the unit of measurement rising from nSv to mSv, a thousand-fold increase, but the actual value still fluctuated between several hundred.

Sweat inevitably seeps from the forehead. This level of radiation is close to the lethal dose. It's okay for a short time, but prolonged exposure will inevitably lead to various radiation problems.

But in the Manhattan district below, the streets were deserted, except for a few cars still crashing haphazardly; everything was so quiet, deathly quiet…

There wasn't a single person, not even a dog or a cat, but on the radar, that spot of light became increasingly conspicuous.

John knew the five were approaching the suspected target, but for some reason, he couldn't see it.

"...Is it inside the building?"

Amidst the noise, a voice broke the silence. Bernano, an acquaintance of many years, suggested, "Which fighter jet is it? Although equipped with thermal imaging, in this situation, the thermal imaging seems to be affected by unknown radiation, making the image very blurry."

In this situation, without thermal imaging, the only option is to go down and search directly, but judging from the radiation levels, it is far too dangerous.

Want to retreat?
John hesitated, but finally took a deep breath, preparing to order a retreat, but just then...

"Target detected...suspected target detected...suspected target detected at 7 o'clock!"

David's astonished voice rang out.

In the direction David pointed, John saw a sight he would never forget…

A beautiful but naked young girl walks casually forward through a large hole in the solid wall behind her, revealing the fractured concrete and steel structure. She ignores everything in front of her—cars, railings, trees—without giving way, simply walking straight past them.

Then the car was broken into two pieces, the railings appeared to have gaps as if they had been gnawed by a wild beast, and the trees tilted down... everywhere she went seemed to be swallowed up by an invisible force.

The roads meticulously designed by humans are no different from grass and trees to her; how grass and trees grow has nothing to do with her, and how can they hinder her progress?

Eventually, she encountered a building ahead. When the solid wall hit her, it created a large hole, allowing her to continue forward. Then, her figure disappeared into the building.

John felt his lips were dry, and finally managed to speak.

"What...is that?"

No one could answer him; after a moment of silence, David's trembling voice rang in his ears.

"Right when that... girl appeared, the radiation levels went very high. I think that must be our target."

It wasn't some nuclear weapon or anything like that, but rather a girl of unknown identity emitting strong radiation?
John knew nothing about the underworld, which was far beyond his imagination, and he felt a deep unease and danger.

"I think we should retreat."

No one objected. All five felt uneasy. No one could describe how they felt when they saw the girl—a deep fear, purely instinctive.

They started flying back, but for some reason...

"Why... can't it fly out?"

John's face turned pale as he stared at the scene before him. He gritted his teeth, and the fighter jet continued to move forward with all its might, the exhaust flames turning the tail of the jet red-hot. But for some reason, the fighter jet could no longer move forward and was instead slowly moving backward.

……

"This is impossible...this is impossible..."

Looking at the disappearing Manhattan Island in the distance, Professor Dazelio shook his head, his face full of disbelief.

Manhattan Island has disappeared, not that it has become ruins. Even if Manhattan had become ruins, it would still exist in essence. But now it is truly gone.

No one can see what Manhattan Island used to be like, just as if Manhattan Island no longer exists in this world.

The river beside Manhattan Island also disappeared. It's as if some force cut Manhattan Island and its surrounding areas off together and then stitched the surrounding areas back together. New York City hasn't changed; only Manhattan Island and the space itself have vanished.

"Teacher, what exactly is going on...?"

The student beside him stared in disbelief and said uneasily that the strange things that had happened today were too much for him to express his thoughts.

Professor Dazelio remained silent, for he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

"Fran, do you still remember the definition of a black hole?"

He muttered to himself, and the student paused, not understanding why the professor was asking that question, but still answered instinctively.

"A supermassive celestial body, so large that even light cannot escape its gravitational pull."

"Yes, even light cannot escape its gravity..."

Professor Dazelio stared in disbelief at the vanished Manhattan Island.

“I think Manhattan Island is still there, but we can no longer see it. The light we see only travels halfway around there before entering our retina.”

"What we are standing in front of is the event horizon of a black hole."

"You mean... there's a black hole there? How could you think that? Besides, if there really was such a black hole, how could we still be alive?"

The students exclaimed in surprise, "If it really is a black hole, its immense gravity would be enough to tear the entire Earth apart, or even the solar system!" But Professor Dazelio didn't offer much explanation, simply gazing at the hole with a complex expression.

In his vampire senses, he could feel a deep and dark power in that seemingly empty place, a power like an abyss that would devour any force that tried to explore it, including light.

The way that force was described was similar to that of a black hole in physics, but it was not a real black hole.

He is a very ancient vampire, far older than any other vampire... He once met the progenitor of vampires—Cain.

In the imaginations of many vampires, the Progenitor should be as profound and powerful as the night, because most vampires are indeed like that—cold and elegant, living in seclusion. As the oldest vampire in the world, the Progenitor should naturally be as powerful and mysterious as the night.

But he knew that wasn't the case.

He had felt the intense and powerful force of the Progenitor. The Progenitor was not the kind of dark emperor commonly understood, but rather more like the sun in the sky, a god walking among mortals. That power was as dazzling and brilliant as a star, making it impossible to look directly at it.

Even though a thousand years have passed and time has blurred many of his memories, he can still clearly recall the look in the eyes of the progenitor.

Calm, indifferent.

When he saw that look in his eyes, he, who had been desperately chasing after the footsteps of the progenitor in an attempt to lead the vampire clan to regain its glory, immediately understood why the progenitor had abandoned the vampire clan in the distant past.

In his view, the so-called vampires were probably just trivial matters, and the glory of the vampires was even more meaningless.

What followed was a thousand years of decline, living among humans. Only that gaze and that power remained deeply etched in his heart.

The power of the progenitor was immense in his heart. But at this moment, the abyss he sensed seemed even more powerful and terrifying than the progenitor's power, as if even the blazing star would be swallowed by this abyss…

Gazing at the vanished Manhattan Island, he felt a sense of oppression and unease, like a fish sensing the approaching storm, anxiously wanting to escape but not knowing how.

What exactly is that...?

……

The five had no idea what was going on. They only realized that they seemed to be gradually moving towards a certain place behind them under some invisible force, and they were unable to fly away from Manhattan.

The outside world seems within reach, yet impossible to truly get close to.

(End of this chapter)