Mutagen

Through the gap that Mark kept open in front, Spera, Karlene, and Major Bautista stared at the sceneries of the New Earth.

It was no surprise to see how shock they were as they saw it for the first time.

What they were seeing was no longer the Earth they knew.

The numbers of mountains in the vicinity had doubled, covered with lush forests filled with vitality. Even if Karlene and Major Bautista were not magically sensitive, they could feel the mysterious aura that these mountains exuded.

They were even more surprised to see that the new appearance of the Agos River.

The river that flowed from the southwest mountains of the Barangay San Marcelino to the coasts at the border of General Nakar and Infanta only had about a hundred and fifty meters distance in its broadest areas. Now, however, with more than two hundred to even half a kilometer distance from both riverbanks, it was more or less a moving sea to anyone\'s eyes from the ground.

What devastated the father and daughter was the sight of the only remaining traces of civilization of the past.

The well-known Marikina-Infanta Highway that even had two other names, Marcos Highway and Marilaque Highway, was now nothing but extremely long fragmented ruins of civilization.

As Earth changed, the ground shifted, causing the entire highway to separate, moving in different directions. Many parts of the road got scattered separately. Some even made large clumps of rocks as its pieces collided with each other.

It was like the entire highway was a broken jigsaw puzzle, never to be pieced whole again.

Far from being just broken, many parts of the highway were missing. There were places on the road entirely swallowed by the new mountains. They even saw a large part of the highway half sunk in the middle of the Agos River, more than a hundred meters away from where the rest of the road was.

The structures by the side of the highway? Barely any could be seen. And none of them were intact. It was already lucky if they even saw a part of a wall standing.

A familiar place took Karlene\'s attention near the riverside of the Agos River. If she was correct, that area should be where she met Mark for the first time. That was an unpleasant experience because of the situation but also a memorable one. Now, she and Alana were proud parts of Mark\'s group. She was also separated from Karla, giving them both a new life.

Sometimes, it just needed an uncanny twist of fate to turn everything around.

As they continued to look at the surroundings, the more uneasy Major Bautista became.

Just with all the things they had seen so far, the change was horribly drastic. And this happened to the entire Earth? He could not help but worry about how the New Infanta Settlement could hold up in this situation.

Not to mention that earthquake with a strength that had never been felt before. There was also the space debris that fell onto Earth. And the new threat called [Mechids].

Just how could the New Infanta Settlement brave against such dangers in succession?

"Worried?"

While Major Bautista was in deep thought, Mark\'s voice entered his ears.

The Major turned to Mark, who glanced at him above his shoulders with Karla sitting right in front. The girl requested to sit there, curiously looking at the sceneries they were passing by.

"How can I not be? With how much Earth changed and the sceneries of destruction in front of my eyes, there was no way that I will not worry." Major Bautista sighed. "I know you\'re not the one to blame, and I\'m thankful that you brought us to your base to ensure our safety. However, can\'t you even just give a subtle warning to the General that this would happen?"

"Hmm..." Mark tilted his head, patting the head of Karla that was leaning on his chest. "Maybe I could. The person that told us all this did not really say that we can\'t spread rumors or give subtle hints."

"Then why?" Major Bautista asked. "If you did, the General could have listened even to a nonchalant warning."

"Really?" Mark was a bit unconvinced. "Will he really listen to an outsider like me? You should know that just a word from an outsider will never be enough to move the entire military."

"You might be an outsider, but you\'re not just anybody." Major Bautista sighed. "With how much we owe you, General Faustino won\'t be able to ignore your words. You think that he agreeing for you to borrow Professor Sandoval is just a fluke?"

"It might not be a fluke," Mark replied. "But he\'s not entirely willing either."

Of course, Mark noticed that. It was as exactly as Major Bautista said. They owe Mark a lot and could not just burn the bridges.

And then Mark added.

"Then, let\'s say that General Faustino will listen. But you think that those crocodiles would?"

At Mark\'s words, Major Bautista paused a little. Mark had a point, after all.

Currently, the military might have the ruling of the settlements. However, the power inside was not entirely theirs. The crocodiles Mark mentioned were those politicians that prioritized themselves over the masses.

Not all politicians were crocodiles, of course. Nonetheless, it was those useless ones who dabble and interfere more with the things inside the settlement.

It could have been reasonable to ignore them. But as politicians, they share power within the settlement. They had private armed groups, and many people look up to these men in position without even knowing what was going on.

The worst part, unlike the military, politicians were experts in coercing the population. They would not need weapons. Just their words could turn an entire settlement upside down.

Even if Mark did try to warn them and General Faustino took measures to prepare, there was no guarantee that those crocodiles would not interfere.

One thing these crocodiles were good at was making assumptions. If General Faustino began to take measures and they learned that the reason for this was Mark\'s subtle warnings, they would not believe it. Instead, they would assume that the General was planning something behind their backs, causing them to make their own moves in the dark.

Then, it would cause an annoying conflict within the settlement, causing more chaos than it should.

And if the catastrophe happened while the settlement was in conflict...

Major Bautista sighed. He could imagine a far worse situation.

Mark had a concrete point. There was no need to refute.

"Have you\'ve taken all these into consideration?"

Major Bautista asked Mark, sensing that he had the same thought.

"Not really." Mark shrugged. "But it\'s not hard to assume the worst, considering how those crocodiles tightly cling to their position even if the government barely exists anymore."

"Not to mention." Mark continued. "I worked with the military several times, and those crocodiles likely knew about my strength. Yet, I never really entertained or tried to meet any of them and never had any intention to. Thus, they might take my actions in a hostile manner if I tried to interfere deeper into the settlement\'s business."

Major Bautista shook his head. Mark was on point with that.

In fact, there were several inquiries about Mark and his group already from those crocodiles he mentioned. However, the military never entertained those either, as General Faustino knew their intentions to rope Mark in. It was not likely that Mark would fall for their ploys. But he would definitely find it annoying, considering his personality. That annoyance could put a bit of crack between the military and Mark\'s group if things got out of hand.

"I guess you\'re right." Major Bautista conceded. "For now, we already got the best-case scenario. I just wish that everyone could pull it through."

Mark shrugged. Major Bautista sure was a man loyal to his duties as a soldier. Well, he was also quite doting to his daughter, turning her into quite a troublesome person.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Karlene complained, seeing Mark glance at her.

"Nothing."

Mark turned his head back to the front.

"Hey! I know it\'s not just nothing!"

Karlene grabbed his shoulder shook Mark in a childish fit. Yep, she was a troublesome one at times.

As Major Bautista made his daughter behave, Mark turned to Spera that was keeping silent.

"You feeling okay?"

Mark asked.

"I\'m good," Spera replied. "Please don\'t mind me. I\'m focusing on etching the surroundings into my mind."

"Okay then."

Mark shrugged. This girl sure had a fear of being deemed useless. Probably because in her whole life, she was treated as nothing but a tool. If she was not needed, her existence would be in vain. It was her trauma and mentality. Mark and Mei just wanted her to drop that kind of thinking now, but it would not be easy.

***

Before, the distance between the Mountain Base and the New Infanta Settlement was about fifteen kilometers. If they were not in a hurry, it would take them about an hour of leisurely travel. At a faster pace, it would take them about thirty minutes. And about fifteen if they were in a hurry.

As there was no extreme emergency at hand, Mark just let Chaflar fly at his regular speed.  It was also because Spera was doing her thing, etching places into her memory.

Still, they were already flying for thirty minutes. And they could barely see the silhouette of civilization far in the distance. New mountains also hampered their view, making things harder to see.

And after about an hour of flying, they finally found traces of civilization.

Well, the previous civilization, that is.

The things they saw were the traces of the towns and villages on the side of the Agos River that were within the territorial borders of General Nakar.

And sure enough, everything was turned upside down.

Houses and buildings were demolished. The entire farmland was engulfed by the river.

There was also the beautiful scene of a Catholic Church broken in half with a gigantic tree growing out of the cracks.

And from here, there was the New Infanta Settlement far on the other side of the Agos River.

Sure enough, Major Bautista was enveloped in dismay.

It was within the barrier, and the area around the settlement was mostly the same.

However, the new walls everyone painstakingly built already collapsed. Almost the entirety of the settlement was laid bare to any incoming threat.

The bridge on the northwest of the settlement connecting Infanta and General Nakar was gone. The only thing left was the base of the bridge on the riverside. And a large hanging piece of concrete from what was left of its pathway.

In the settlement, the flimsy structures all collapsed. Even the school that the military took as their headquarters were toppled to the ground. It was not surprising, considering none of these structures were built to withstand an earthquake more powerful than the mythical magnitude ten.

And at the center of the settlement, there were makeshift houses built with everything they could salvage from the ruins. A whole lot of tents were also installed, making the entire place a tent city.

The worst part, the crops they were expecting to harvest in a few months. All of the farm fields turned into a wasteland with nothing but dust. Before the earthquake, the shockwave from the impact of space debris already devastated the place.

And as they focused on the devastating scene, Mark\'s group noticed something.

People seemed to be gathered near the barrier on the riverside, entangled with something threatening on the river.

And as Mark watched, they saw a beam of laser shot from the water towards the soldiers.

The soldiers hurriedly took cover, but one was hit, obliterating his entire arm.

With the soldier\'s cries, the enemy jumped out of the water.

It was a mechanical shark, with its jaws wide open. It could not enter the barrier, but its laser beams seemed to be able to.

With the enemy mid-air, the soldiers fired their guns. However, aside from a few scratches, no fatal damage was done.

The shark was still there, pointing its throat towards the soldiers. And a ball of light it gathered inside its jaws.