A convoy of armored vehicles sped down the road. They had departed before sunrise, and strangely, there wasn't a single doom to be found, whether in groups or wandering alone.
After a long journey, the Karj city walls appeared before them. This was their destination.
"No signs of doom detected."
"Enter the city."
"Understood."
The commander gave the order over the radio. Behind the commander's vehicle were six fully-armored first-generation modified humans. One was lost in thought with his head bowed, one was silent, and another was reading a book. Among the six modified humans was Sasha.
Unlike the others who were quiet or tense, she yawned naturally. Not drinking Noid's coffee early in the morning made her feel a little out of sorts.
Originally, the dooms should have turned Karj into their backyard. But the team had reached the city walls and still hadn't seen a single doom.
Although they had been informed that the dooms had retreated, Sasha still found it hard to believe. There had never been a case where they had withdrawn before.
"Clear the obstacles. Begin setting up the base."
Upon entering the city, the team quickly sprang into action. Elite teams, fully equipped with armored suits, fanned out at a very fast pace to survey the area.
Even though this was only a preliminary reconnaissance mission, the army was fully prepared and not taking any chances.
Sasha became serious again, and along with the other modified humans, they split up to climb to the top of tall buildings to observe their surroundings. With the power of the modified humans and their first-generation armored suits, they could act freely in normal situations.
Using her eyesight and binoculars, Sasha saw that besides being deserted, the architecture and terrain were not heavily damaged. This was a good thing, as it would save a lot of work when they began to rebuild the city.
Sasha began to explore on her own, her figure swiftly moving through buildings, structures, and streets. Without exception, she couldn't find a single doom.
"It looks like the satellite images were real."
Sometime ago, the army had received information with accompanying satellite photos that the dooms had withdrawn from Karj city and retreated in the direction of the hive mother. This had attracted the attention of not only the army but also the supreme council, because the dooms' actions were too suspicious.
Humanity had been on high alert since the attack on Karj city two years ago. But in all other attacks by the dooms, they had acted the same as before.
Humanity didn't relax their guard because of this; they raised their alert level to maximum. Everyone felt they had been tricked by the dooms, and it was only a stroke of luck that the Karj city battle had exposed their only weakness, making them realize the truth.
This reconnaissance mission was decided upon after much deliberation. This was because the location of Karj city was too important, even if it turned out to be a trap set by the dooms.
Fortunately, the dooms had really left; otherwise, they would have had to endure a fierce battle.
Karj city was only about the size of a single city district in Rorgh, but it would still take the current army at least three days to fully explore it. This work was mainly assigned to regular soldiers, while modified humans like her were relatively idle. They could either return to the temporary base or explore on their own.
However, the peace only lasted for the first day. Early the next morning, Sasha received an urgent report from one of her teammates. This team was composed of modified humans, so if it was an urgent message, it meant something very serious had happened.
The command post had also received the report, and the modified humans were authorized to investigate first, as long as it wasn't too dangerous.
The six modified humans gathered in front of a large building. All the other members of the team were focused on the person who had made the report.
"So, what's the big deal?"
"This place looks normal, doesn't it?"
"I don't see any signs of a doom."
The person shook his head, the grave expression on his face deepening.
"There's no danger. But this is far more serious than a legion of dooms. Follow me."
All six of them walked into the building. The interior was completely normal until they were led to a massive hole. It had nearly swallowed up a room, and a similarly large hole went straight up through the roof.
"This thing..."
The bottom of the pit was littered with fragments of carapace and slime. They wouldn't believe it wasn't related to a doom.
"Could it be that the dooms were digging? What's with the hole in the ceiling?"
"No, something... it's likely a new species of doom, and it burrowed out of the ground. It's highly probable that it has the ability to fly; after it broke through the ground, it flew straight up."
"This hole must be at least 15 meters deep, with a radius of approximately 10 meters, and you're telling me that's a new species of doom?"
"That's why I gathered everyone here. The power of this new doom species definitely surpasses us modified humans, even you, Sasha. Furthermore, its massive size and flying ability... The danger posed by this thing surpasses that of a large army of dooms."
Sasha also fell silent. After she completed the rigorous test of a supreme council member and was equipped with her armored suit, she could generate a comparable amount of destructive power. But creating a hole of this scale was impossible for her.
"Based on the ground disturbance, this doom species must be about 7 meters in size. Other dimensions have yet to be determined."
The news was quickly transmitted back to the temporary base. The six of them took turns collecting samples of the slime and carapace before leaving. The change in their plans forced them to return.
On the way back, Sasha suddenly looked at the distant mountain range, her expression grim. The person next to her noticed her unusual behavior and asked.
"Sasha, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just feel a little uneasy."
She retracted her gaze. A bad premonition settled in her heart.
...
Although Rorgh city has a population of 30 million, its area is also vast. Therefore, there are many desolate and even uninhabited places. Don't ask why these areas haven't been developed for living, because a city sprawling over 700 square kilometers contains all sorts of terrains and areas. Of course, some places are not suitable for living.
In one of these places, a small, isolated building was shielded by trees. Don't look down on this small building, because it is always protected 24/7, and it's difficult for even a fly to get in.
"Mr. Garfeild, half of the modified humans, including Sasha Camberial, have gone to Karj city."
Garfeild did not reply, still lost in thought. The follower also did not dare to look up and remained standing still.
"We can begin."
He left with that cryptic sentence and walked away. The follower felt as if he had been granted a great pardon and let out a sigh of relief.
Garfeild went to another room and used a phone. From the phone came the voice of a bishop.
"Garfeild, are you well?"
"Thank you for asking, Bishop. Everything is going very well."
In contrast to his attitude toward his followers, Garfeild's attitude toward the bishop could be described as utterly respectful.
"Really? I heard you've run into some difficulties."
"It's nothing, sir. I will handle it properly."
"Then I'll await your news."
The call ended, and Garfeild no longer looked as confident as before. Having to cut nearly half of the cards in his hand had a huge impact on his original plan. Fortunately, he had succeeded in achieving his goal.
"Soon, very soon..."
Garfeild went downstairs. To avoid detection, the Doom Cult often developed underground structures. Because of this, humanity often compared the Doom Cult to rats, troublesome creatures that only dared to hide in dark places.