Read Novel Full Chapter 1702: Where am I? Part-1
Chapter 1702: Where am I? Part-1
A huge red whirlpool-like portal shimmered violently in the middle of the road.
Crimson energy spiralled endlessly within its depths while countless golden particles drifted through the vortex like glowing embers caught inside a storm. Waves of distorted light spread from its surface, causing the surrounding air to ripple unnaturally.
Sssh~
Under the dark night sky, the portal illuminated the entire stretch of highway with an eerie crimson glow, revealing a landscape of destruction.
Dozens of vehicles were scattered across the highway as though they had desperately attempted to stop before reaching the portal.
Some had overturned multiple times, their metallic frames twisted beyond recognition. Others had smashed directly into reinforced highway barriers, leaving deep cracks and scorched marks across the walls. Several autonomous transport vehicles sat motionless with shattered sensor arrays and blinking emergency beacons, while debris littered the road like fragments from a battlefield.
“Yes, sir. We have completely sealed off Delta Highway-23. Rescue teams are still recovering survivors from the crash zone,” a man wearing a dark office suit said through the communicator attached to his ear.
The red glow from the portal reflected across his eyes as he stood behind a line of emergency vehicles equipped with energy shields and automated rescue drones.
“Yes, sir… I understand.”
He listened for several seconds before continuing.
“We’ve deployed every available unit near DH-23 and established containment checkpoints across all surrounding routes. If a breach occurs, we’ll be able to respond immediately. However, it’s already been half an hour since the appearance of Hell’s Gate, and Delta Squadron still hasn’t arriv—”
The voice on the other end apparently interrupted him.
“Yes, sir. My apologies. We’ll continue holding the perimeter until they arrive.”
His expression darkened as he ended the call.
Letting out a long sigh, he turned toward the rescue operation. Hovering stretchers drifted through the air while medical drones scanned survivors with blue holographic projections.
Emergency personnel rushed between wrecked vehicles as robotic arms cut through crushed metal to reach trapped passengers.
One of his subordinates approached him.
“Sir, it’s already been 40 minutes. Do you really think anyone could still be alive inside that portal? At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before those creatures come pouring out.”
The suited man clicked his tongue in frustration.
“Tsk, DH-23 is one of the busiest VIP routes in the division. Officials, corporate executives, military personnel… if even one important passenger dies because we failed to act, every person standing here will be blamed for it.”
His eyes drifted toward the glowing vortex.
“Damn it… where the hell is Delta Squadron? They should’ve been here long ago.”
The subordinate hesitated before speaking again.
“Should we enter and attempt a rescue ourselves? We could bring back whoever is still alive.”
The suited man stared at him as though he had just proposed suicide.
“If you’ve suddenly developed a death wish… be my guest.”
He pointed directly toward the portal.
The subordinate immediately took a step back.
“No thanks.”
Going inside alone?
Absolutely not.
Everyone knew what Hell’s Gates were.
People entered.
Very few ever came back.
Those who did often returned missing limbs, covered in scars, or mentally broken beyond repair.
The man silently prayed that Delta Squadron would arrive soon.
***
Meanwhile…
“Argh…”
Young Aether groaned as pain shot through the back of his head.
His vision swam for several seconds before gradually stabilising. He rubbed the sore spot and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was that he appeared to be trapped inside some kind of transparent sphere.
The material surrounding him looked similar to an inflated balloon, except its surface shimmered with countless microscopic energy circuits.
A small red beacon blinked above him.
Aether blinked.
Then blinked again.
“Just when I thought life was finally starting to behave itself…. Fuck, Doesn’t matter whether it’s my old Earth or new Earth… Somehow, really fuckes me to the core”
Looking around, he quickly realised he wasn’t alone.
Hundreds of similar transparent capsules were scattered throughout the area. Each contained a passenger and glowed with emergency warning lights. Tiny holographic symbols floated across their surfaces, displaying various safety notifications and life-support readings.
“What exactly happened here?”
He stared at the surrounding scene in confusion.
Before he could investigate further, a loud hiss echoed from inside his capsule.
Compressed air rapidly escaped from the structure.
The transparent shell immediately began shrinking inward.
Within seconds, the sphere collapsed around him like a withered flower. Segments folded outward and settled onto the ground while the red beacon continued blinking above the withered emergency pod.
Aether stepped out and surveyed his surroundings.
One after another, identical capsules were opening like a withered flower as other survivors emerged from their protective containers.
His gaze soon drifted toward the distant wreckage.
The sight made him pause.
The vehicles had not simply crashed.
They looked as though they had fallen from the sky.
Several transport cars were embedded vertically into the ground with only their rear sections visible. Others had pierced through neighbouring vehicles, creating grotesque piles of twisted metal. Autonomous cargo trucks weighing dozens of tons were stacked on top of one another like children’s toys.
The ground beneath them had shattered into massive craters.
Sparks occasionally flickered from damaged engines while broken holographic displays flashed distorted advertisements into the air.
“Looks like the vehicles activated some kind of emergency survival system before impact.”
He glanced toward the collapsed capsule at his feet.
“Advanced cushioning effect… Shock absorption layers… Automated deployment. Not bad.”
For a moment, he found himself genuinely impressed.
This civilisation had created these systems, clearly possessed technology far beyond anything he remembered from his previous life.
Twitch!
Then his expression suddenly changed.
His nose twitched.
A thick metallic stench drifted through the air.
Blood?
“The air itself is filled with the stench of blood,” he muttered as his gaze drifted upward toward the sky.
Above him stretched an endless expanse of brilliant blue that seemed almost unreal.
There were no clouds drifting through the heavens, no distant aircraft crossing the horizon, and none of the structures that had become common in the advanced civilisation he had witnessed during the past few days.
Young Aether lowered his gaze and lightly rubbed his foot against the ground beneath him.
The soil felt soft and natural beneath the layer of thick grass.
He was definitely somewhere else.
But where?
As he surveyed his surroundings, he found himself staring at vast grasslands that stretched toward distant forests, winding rivers that reflected sky light like silver ribbons, and towering mountain ranges standing proudly against the horizon.
Everything looked beautiful.
Everything looked natural.
Everything looked completely out of place!
There was not a single sign of advanced civilisation anywhere within sight.
No aerial traffic crossed overhead.
No automated facilities or massive cities occupied the landscape.
“Where the hell am I?” he muttered while narrowing his eyes.
Before he could think further, a woman’s scream suddenly shattered the uneasy silence.
“OH, MY GOD!”
The panic in her voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Dozens of heads turned toward the source of the scream, and the moment their eyes found what she was staring at, the atmosphere changed completely.
A creature stood several meters away from the nearest survivors.
Its body crawled on four twisted limbs that bent at unnatural angles, making it resemble some grotesque combination of predator and insect. Black skin stretched tightly across its frame while strange spasms occasionally distorted its face, causing muscles beneath the surface to twitch without any apparent pattern. Embedded within the centre of its chest rested a rainbow-colored crystal that emitted faint pulses of light.
The creature slowly tilted its head while staring directly at the terrified woman.
“SHIT!”
“RUN!”
“EVERYONE GET TO THE FOREST!”
The survivors instantly erupted into chaos.
People began sprinting in every direction as fear overwhelmed reason. Some abandoned injured companions without a second thought, while others shoved strangers aside in desperate attempts to increase their own chances of survival. Nobody wanted to remain standing near that thing for even another second.
Young Aether watched the trembling woman for several moments while judging the distance between her and the creature.
‘Not my responsibility.’
Without any dramatic heroics or hesitation, he turned around and immediately ran toward the nearest cluster of trees.
A fraction of a second later, a horrifying sound echoed behind him.
Chucckk!
The monster bit off her head instantly before turning its attention toward the remaining survivors. Its gaze swept across the crowd while it slowly licked its lips with an unsettling hunger.
Then it opened its mouth.
“GRRRRRRGRRRRGRRRLLLLLLL!”
The resulting screech exploded across the landscape like an alarm signal.
The sound rolled through the grasslands, echoed through the forests, and bounced against distant mountains. Every survivor instinctively felt their stomachs drop as a chilling realisation spread through their minds.
That creature was not alone.
Additional screeches answered from every direction.
One.
Then three.
Then dozens.
Shapes suddenly emerged throughout the landscape.
Monsters crawled from tall grass and appeared from behind rocky outcroppings that moments earlier had seemed completely empty.
Every one of them possessed the same black skin, the same twisted body, and the same rainbow-colored crystal embedded within their chest.
The creatures moved with terrifying speed.
Their four limbs carried them across the terrain in rapid bursts that barely seemed natural, causing many survivors to freeze simply from witnessing their unnatural movements.
“HELP ME!”
“PLEASE!”
“SOMEONE SAVE US!”
Several survivors managed to draw compact energy pistols from concealed holsters before opening fire. Brilliant blue beams streaked through the air and struck the charging monsters, producing flashes of light across their bodies.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One woman continued firing while desperately retreating backwards.
“Stay away from me! Stay away from me!”
An energy beam struck the crystal embedded within one monster’s chest.
To her horror, the attack accomplished almost nothing.
The creature barely slowed.
“Stay awa—Chukkk!”
Before she could finish her sentence, the monster chewed her head.
Meanwhile, far away from the chaos, Young Aether had already climbed onto a massive tree branch overlooking the battlefield below.
From his elevated position, the entire disaster unfolded before him.
The once peaceful grasslands had transformed into a nightmare filled with panic, desperate screams, and relentless predators. Survivors scattered throughout the field while the monsters hunted them with frightening efficiency, showing no signs of exhaustion or mercy.
Yet despite the horrifying scene, Aether’s expression remained calm.
He did not rush forward.
He did not panic.
He simply watched.
His attention was not focused on the dying survivors.
Instead, his eyes remained locked on the monsters themselves.
A strange feeling slowly emerged within his mind as he studied their appearance, movements, and the rainbow-colored crystals embedded in their chests.
‘These creatures look familiar.’
His brows gradually furrowed.
The sensation became stronger with every passing second.
‘I’ve definitely seen something like them before.’
While screams continued echoing across the field below, Young Aether searched through his memories, trying to remember where he had encountered such creatures.
“For an advanced civilisation, these people sure seem completely unprepared for situations like this. You would think they would at least carry some kind of personal defensive equipment,” Aether muttered while watching the chaos unfold with a tired expression.
Of course, the situation was not entirely their fault.
Most civilians within an advanced society possessed various forms of defensive technology, ranging from compact energy pistols to emergency protection devices. Unfortunately, nearly all of those items had remained inside the vehicles that were now scattered across the field as twisted piles of metal.
Nobody had expected their journey to end with being thrown into an unknown world filled with monsters, and nobody had anticipated needing military-grade equipment merely to survive a routine trip.
Had their vehicles remained operational, many of them would have possessed a significantly greater chance of surviving the attack.
Fortunately~
As the minutes passed, the situation deteriorated beyond recovery. The majority of the survivors had already been hunted down, while only a small number successfully reached the nearby forest. Those fortunate enough to escape immediately hid among the dense woods, desperately suppressing their breathing while praying the monsters would overlook their presence.
Among the survivors was a teenage girl hiding behind a thick tree trunk.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably as she pressed both hands over her mouth, terrified that even the slightest sound might reveal her location.
Tears streamed continuously down her cheeks while fear and regret twisted together inside her chest. Her legs shook so violently that remaining upright required every ounce of determination she possessed.
‘Sorry, Mother… Sorry, Father… I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have taken your car without permission. If I had stayed home today, none of this would have happened.’
Her face had turned red from the effort of suppressing her sobs. Every instinct screamed at her to cry, yet she knew that making noise would likely result in death.
Grrlllll!
Then a low growling sound emerged somewhere nearby.
The girl’s body immediately stiffened.
A dark shadow slowly stretched across the branches above her as something moved closer to the forest. Her breathing became increasingly shallow while cold fear spread throughout her body. Although she could not see the creature directly, she could hear its movements clearly enough to understand that it was searching the area.
Grrll….
The growling gradually drew closer.
Each passing second felt unbearably long as the creature moved closer to the wood.
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her heartbeat pounded violently inside her chest.
The pressure became so overwhelming that she nearly screa—
!!!
The monster suddenly flinched, its blank dark eyes widening for the first time since the hunt began. As though frightened by something unseen, it immediately backed away before rapidly crawling away from the forest without looking back.
The girl remained completely motionless for several more seconds because she feared the monster might be attempting to lure her out.
Only after the forest remained silent did she finally release the breath she had been holding before quietly glancing back over her shoulder.
Slll~
Not noticing the subtle movement hidden within the deeper woods behind her… she saw the monsters crawling away into the distance. Relief immediately washed over her face, and a smile gradually returned as she stepped out from behind the tree and onto the grassy field.
Several frightened individuals slowly stepped out from behind trees and dense bushes. Confused expressions gradually transformed into hopeful smiles as they realised the monsters had vanished. Some collapsed onto the ground while others laughed nervously, unable to believe they had survived.
The teenage girl wipes tears from her face.
“T-They left… They actually left us alone. Thank Arcane… Thank Arcane for protecting us.”
Her voice trembled with overwhelming relief.
However, Young Aether remained seated upon a thick tree branch while quietly observing the situation.
His expression showed no relief.
In fact, his frown deepened.
“The monsters weren’t abandoning the hunt,” he muttered while directing his gaze toward the deeper regions of the forest.
“They were fleeing from something.”
A strange feeling settled inside his chest.
Predators rarely abandoned easy prey without reason.
Meanwhile, the teenage girl clenched her fists and smiled through her lingering tears.
“Mom… Dad… your daughter is still alive. I ma—chukk!”
The sentence never finished.
Something exploded from the darkness behind her with terrifying speed.
A fleshy appendage resembling a living spear shot forward and pierced through her torso before anyone could react. The sudden attack happened so quickly that most survivors could not even comprehend what they had witnessed.
The girl’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at her chest… something fish-like was squirming with her blood.
“KYAAAAAA!”
A scream escaped her lips as the writhing appendage immediately wrapped around her body and dragged her backwards with overwhelming force.
Branches snapped violently as she disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Not just her… instantly everyone gets caught by it and dragged into the deeper forest… Even Young Aether!