Apocalypse: I Can See the HP Bar, Killing Monsters Drops Loot
Chapter 1580 - 663: Evacuation_2

Chapter 1580: Chapter 663: Evacuation_2

Wang Tao had been on guard against other mutated creatures, but perhaps due to the magma and raging forest fires, he hadn’t seen a single one appear. Since that was the case, Wang Tao decided to join the evacuation efforts.

Still, after some consideration, Wang Tao chose not to act personally. Instead, he pulled out a treasure chest and took out a Crystal Energy Cannon!

Given the presence of that destruction-level monster, Wang Tao couldn’t risk exhausting himself too much. He needed to ensure he remained in full status at all times so he could escape quickly if real danger arose. While he was here to save lives, he wasn’t stubborn. If that Seventh Rank Destruction-level Creature truly showed up, he wouldn’t hesitate—he’d grab everyone and run, even if it meant abandoning the survivors at Hongfeng Base. After all, that monster was not something they could defeat; staying behind would only be a pointless death...

For now, though, the immediate area was safe. If he just stood around doing nothing, he’d feel anxious. So Wang Tao decided he might as well do his part—in situations like this, the Crystal Energy Cannon might come in handy.

As he contemplated his options, Wang Tao had already set up the Crystal Energy Cannon. After confirming everything was in order, he inserted a Crystal Core into the cannon and pressed the activation button, aiming at the forest ahead.

Boom——

A flash of white light erupted, and in an instant, a small mushroom cloud appeared before the crowd, illuminating the entire area as though it were daytime.

As the brightness gradually dissipated and the mushroom cloud faded away, the crowd saw that the lush forest ahead, along with the nearby mountain slopes, had completely disappeared. All that remained was charred, barren land.

"Not bad, not bad!"

Wang Tao was quite pleased with the result.

The power of the Crystal Energy Cannon wasn’t as high as his own damage output, but the explosion covered a wider area—comparable to his use of [Blaze]. Clearing away obstacles like rocks and trees didn’t require high damage; all that mattered was destroying them. So, for clearing roadblocks, using the Crystal Energy Cannon was far more convenient than having him do it himself.

The only downside was that the cannon consumed a lot of crystal energy. But considering the lives of tens of thousands of people, the cost was definitely worth it.

Wang Tao pulled out more Crystal Energy Cannons and had others join in the effort. He had brought all the cannons stored at the base for this mission.

Boom——

Boom——

Boom——

Under the relentless bombardment of the cannons, a wide, albeit uneven, road appeared before the people from Hongfeng Base.

Originally, evacuating from the forest would have required taking a detour. Now, they could simply take a shortcut.

Watching the leaf cars swiftly transport survivors away from Hongfeng Base, Wang Tao and his team couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly, the smile on Wang Tao’s face vanished, replaced by a stern expression.

Ding Yuqin and the others noticed immediately and were startled.

"Wang Tao, is it coming?!"

They had been hearing about how terrifying the Seventh Rank Destruction-level magma monster was, and now, were they about to face it directly?! Wang Tao had warned them that they stood no chance against it—perhaps they wouldn’t even see the monster before dying...

The group grew incredibly tense, their palms beginning to sweat.

"No, don’t worry! If it really came, I’d be the first to get everyone out of here."

Seeing their misunderstanding, Wang Tao quickly shook his head and explained:

"I just thought of something... I remember Han Youlin telling me that the mutated plants they control couldn’t leave Hongfeng Base—once they left, they’d lose ’signal.’ But now... aren’t these mutated plants working just fine even after leaving the base’s boundary? Did they figure out a method of control?"

Wang Tao hadn’t noticed this earlier, but upon closer observation, he realized that the mutated entities like the leaf cars were functioning perfectly fine outside Hongfeng Base. Even the lantern trees being transported out remained intact without any issues.

This was clearly inconsistent with what Han Youlin had claimed before. However, it had been a while since then, so it wasn’t unreasonable to assume they had made progress in their research.

The group felt relieved after hearing Wang Tao’s explanation—as long as the Seventh Rank Destruction-level Creature wasn’t approaching, everything was fine. Why the mutated plants could leave the base was a minor curiosity they weren’t interested in at the moment.

Except for Wang Tao and Qu Shilin.

Wang Tao was curious, while Qu Shilin wanted to know if Hongfeng Base’s military had developed new technology. The Hope Research Institute would gladly trade other technologies or resources for such advancements.

But this wasn’t the time for such discussions—the priority was helping Hongfeng Base’s survivors evacuate.

...

Time flew by, and dawn arrived.

The forest fires continued to rage, spreading further and closer to Hongfeng Base. Although the magma hadn’t reached them yet, the high temperatures in the air were becoming unbearable—even for Wang Tao.

The evacuation of Hongfeng Base wasn’t complete yet. Despite their fast pace and the help provided by Wang Tao and his team, there were over 800,000 people, and evacuating them couldn’t happen instantly.

Fortunately, after a night of effort from countless Awakeners, more than ten wide paths leading out of the forest had been opened!

At the current rate, they estimated the evacuation would be completed within an hour.

Watching the final batch of survivors, organized by the military at Hongfeng Base, begin their orderly retreat, Wang Tao and his team finally let out a sigh of relief.

This evacuation had seemed fraught with peril but was going much smoother than Wang Tao had anticipated. One reason was that the destruction-level monster hadn’t appeared, and another was the absence of other mutated creatures.

This forest wasn’t home to zombies but contained numerous mutated monsters, including Sixth Rank Lords and various disasters. If these creatures had showed up at Hongfeng Base, it would’ve greatly hindered the evacuation. Wang Tao had remained on alert against them, but by this point, the evacuation was almost complete, and not a single mutated creature had appeared.

Wang Tao suddenly recalled the scene in the depths of the cave—when he’d been instantly slain by a destruction-level monster, the other mutated creatures inside the cave had all instantly perished as well, turning to ash!

He reasoned that the sudden magma eruption within the cave might have killed many of the creatures. Those that survived likely fled, preoccupied with escaping rather than targeting Hongfeng Base.

"Destruction-level... It destroys everything!"

Such a powerful monster—how could it ever be defeated? And even if it were killed, its death would inevitably trigger a more catastrophic drought. Killing it might not even be an option.

Wang Tao rubbed his temples, then turned his eyes back to the evacuating civilians.

"With this wave, the evacuation should finally be complete... You all stay here and keep things under control. I’ll go check the cave!"

Wang Tao suddenly addressed the group.

"Huh? Isn’t that too risky?!"

The group looked worried.

"It’s fine, I won’t get close. I just want to see if that thing has come out yet..."

Wang Tao still wasn’t fully reassured. Although the evacuation from Hongfeng Base was nearly finished, they still had a long way to travel before reaching the new base. If a Seventh Rank Destruction-level Creature pursued them, their plans would surely need revision...

"Just be careful..."

"Mm."

Wang Tao rode the Golden Eagle, temporarily departing from the group to head toward the depths of the forest.

The Golden Eagle flew at great heights; without holding a telescope, Wang Tao could barely discern the forest below. With the monster being so formidable, caution was paramount.

Soon, Wang Tao spotted the small mountain where the cave was located.

At this point, the entire area, except for the small mountain itself, had turned into flowing magma—a hellish scene. The cave had long since disappeared.

The small mountain was slowly sinking, and it likely wouldn’t take long before it completely merged into the magma.

Wang Tao had the Golden Eagle circle the area, but neither any "HP bar" appeared in his field of vision nor did he sense that terrifying aura.

"Looks like it hasn’t emerged yet... But probably soon... Let’s head back, Xiao Jin."

Wang Tao didn’t dare venture further. He quickly ordered the Golden Eagle to return.

Back at Hongfeng Base, the last group of survivors had just departed, leaving behind only Ding Yuqin and a few others waiting for Wang Tao.

"You’re finally back! Everyone has safely left the forest, but it’s going to take at least three more days to reach the new base..."

"Mm. We’ll escort them along the way. I just checked—there’s no sign of that monster yet, so we’re still safe for now."

"Alright!"