Chapter Sixty-One: The Mysterious Doomsday Weapon

Upon the sudden appearance of the devil frog, Zhang Desen was startled, but he immediately signaled everyone to remain still. The frog before them seemed to harbor no ill intent; it had simply happened to cross their path. Zhang Desen did not wish to alarm it, fearing it might make a loud noise and attract unwanted trouble. Soon enough, the devil frog hopped away to hunt other insects.

Zhang Desen was quite familiar with this creature, known both as the devil frog and the devil toad. According to his previous studies, the devil frog lived around seventy million years ago, during the later part of the Cretaceous period. In the early 21st century, European scientists unearthed a fossil measuring 40.6 centimeters in length; it was estimated that, in life, the frog’s snout-to-vent length was 43 to 45 centimeters, and fully stretched, it surpassed one meter. The creature weighed roughly nine or ten jin, perhaps even more. This giant frog possessed teeth, and the ridges on its bones suggested it might have borne a bony “armor.” It was distributed across East Africa and Eurasia during the late Cretaceous.

Scientists theorized that the devil toad’s habits resembled those of today’s cane toad, preying on insects and small reptiles or amphibians. Some researchers even speculated that these giant frogs could swallow newly hatched giant dinosaurs, such as tyrannosaurs or sauropods, and that smaller dinosaurs like Microraptor or Nodosaur might also become their prey.

Yet, what puzzled Zhang Desen was that scientists believed the “devil frog” did not inhabit aquatic environments, nor did it leap about on lily pads like its modern relatives. Instead, it lived in semi-arid regions, camouflaged itself, and ambushed prey. Why, then, was it among these dense plants? Looking around, Zhang Desen quickly found the answer.

The area they stood in was indeed drier, with the nearest pond some distance away. On closer inspection, Zhang Desen realized they had entered the zoo of the terror men. The environment was meticulously arranged, each area clearly delineated.

Zhang Desen admired the park’s design, but wondered why no terror men were present. Examining the entrance through which they had come, he noticed a sign and a slogan. Though he could not read the terror men’s script, the imagery suggested a warning—perhaps “No Entry” or something similar.

Not only this entrance, but many others bore similar signs. After observing this, Zhang Desen immediately ordered a retainer named Zhu Dongming to lead thirty men to hide in the forest beside the entryway to provide backup.

No sooner had he assigned the tasks than Zhang Desen noticed a nearby computer, apparently a public terminal used by the terror men, though it differed from those he had seen before. On reflection, he realized it was natural for a terror man’s computer to look different. Zhang Desen quickly took out his own portable computer—not the one on his left arm—and tried to link it to the terror men’s machine to see if he could extract any information.

…

Meanwhile, in the command center of the terror men’s mountain base, Chief of Staff Dadu Kul was reporting to his superior, Goba Xiaofu. Dadu Kul stood at attention and said, “Chief of Staff Dadu Kul reporting as ordered!”

Goba Xiaofu greeted him warmly. “Ah, dear Chief Kul, please, have a seat!”

After sitting down, Dadu Kul asked, “Sir, why did you summon me back in such haste?”

Goba Xiaofu replied excitedly, “No need to worry. This is excellent news—our doomsday weapon is almost complete! Ha ha!”

Dadu Kul was equally thrilled. “The doomsday weapon? You’ve found the lava chamber? Wonderful! Now we need fear no one.”

Goba Xiaofu cautioned, “However, the nuclear warheads in the lava chamber are not fully installed. Even when they are, we must not use them lightly. Once deployed, they will trigger an unprecedented supervolcanic eruption, far more powerful than any natural volcano, and will surely cause a far more dreadful nuclear winter.”

“This is a measure for our most desperate hour. In fact, I believe our location is superior—rich in resources, ideal for concealment and expanding our underground base. We may not even need the doomsday weapon,” Dadu Kul responded.

Goba Xiaofu said, “For now, our priority is to finish installing the doomsday weapon. If anyone drives us to the brink, we’ll show them the true meaning of the end of the world. Otherwise, we’ll continue extracting geothermal energy, and resources will recover. I want to see just how long that Yuri Gotney can last!”

Dadu Kul asked, “So what do we do now?”

“Don’t overthink it. As planned, put the unfinished specimens to work at once—push them to their limits. We have plenty of labor to replace them later. It would be best to produce clones and make full use of them. As for the rest, we’ll decide in half a month,” Goba Xiaofu replied.

Dadu Kul hesitated. “Yes, sir! But…”

“But what?” Goba Xiaofu asked, noticing his chief of staff’s unease.

Dadu Kul queried, “Should I first go and catch those few rats?”

Goba Xiaofu dismissed the idea. “Those? Ignore them. A few little rats can’t make waves. Once the plan is done, we’ll have as many as we want, and we can clone them too. Let them be! Have the brothers guarding the entrance go home.”

“Yes, sir!”

…

Of course, Zhang Desen and his group remained unaware of this conversation. They continued scouring for information, using a translation program to render the terror men’s language into human speech. As the intelligence gradually accumulated, Zhang Desen’s initial delight gave way to a deepening gravity. Suddenly, he exclaimed, “Doomsday plan? But there are no volcanoes in this area…”

No sooner had he spoken than he slapped his forehead. “Of course there are! The Tengchong volcanic group lies just west of Gaofeng Mountain in the Hengduan range!”

Seeing Zhang Desen’s reaction, Li Longfang asked, “Desen, what does this place have to do with volcanoes? Aren’t volcanoes said to spew fire from hell?”

“Indeed. Wait, you know about volcanoes?” Zhang Desen was surprised.

Li Longfang replied, “I’ve heard that when a volcano erupts, even heavy rain can’t extinguish the flames. They say it’s the undying divine fire from hell itself!”

At this, Zhang Desen understood. He said to Li Longfang, “There’s no need for superstition. Volcanoes are fearsome, but not insurmountable. What worries me more is this mysterious doomsday weapon. That is what troubles me most.”

Li Longfang gasped, “Doomsday weapon? What kind of thing is that?”

“I don’t know. There are many types, but the data here is insufficient. It seems the information was left here by accident. We must act quickly. Let me share all I’ve learned so far…”

Zhang Desen had managed to gather some intelligence and piece together part of the situation. The area they were in was an ancient reserve for the terror men, originally intended as a zoo. Later, disputes arose when some wanted to convert it into a new resource zone, so the plan was shelved. There was no management or visitors now, but power and other supplies continued as before—they had not abandoned the site entirely. Everything functioned as usual; only the terror men were absent. The sunlight, curiously, was produced by “sun moss,” just as depicted in cartoons.

This revelation delighted Zhang Desen, who had always dreamed of developing such a marvel in his youth. Now, encountering it in reality, he resolved to collect samples and attempt to cultivate it, hoping it could serve his own purposes.

He also discovered that the terror men’s mountain base was expanding westward. For reasons unknown, there was another base called “Gekur” in the Sichuan Basin of this universe, mainly used to house the doomsday weapon. Apparently, the mountain base’s terror men had established it in secret, a fact that filled Zhang Desen with cold dread.

The existence of a doomsday weapon was a constant, looming threat. From the documents, Zhang Desen could only ascertain that this weapon was linked to a volcanic eruption of unprecedented scale, but he could not fathom how it would be triggered.

Thus, the only course was to destroy the terror men’s current base as swiftly as possible, gather more intelligence for analysis, and seize advanced technology for their own use.

Once he had shared all he knew, the group’s mood grew heavy. Yet, the immediate advantage was that no terror men would disturb them for now. They decided to leave thirty men to hold their position, while the rest advanced with Zhang Desen as planned.

He cautioned those staying behind to remain vigilant, as the terror men’s park likely had more than one or two entrances and they must be prepared for any eventuality.

What Zhang Desen did not know was that the terror men’s army, which he had encountered upon first arriving in this universe, was already advancing swiftly with primitive weapons. The vanguard of this ancient army was now drawing dangerously close to humanity’s stronghold at Chamdo. Unaware of these developments, Zhang Desen and his companions pressed onward toward their objective, making no pause on their journey.