Chapter 302: The Tower Pillar and the Egg Sheath

Inside the collapse zone.

Above the vortex, on both sides, lie broken and now idle subway tunnels, and a group of technicians are on the edges, using their carried equipment and instruments to investigate the vortex.

Four more squads, over twenty "soldiers", are also on the sides keeping watch to ensure the technicians' safety.

In fact, this group are "employees" belonging to Umbrella's Intelligence Department, which uses a variety of external designations, such as…

"Alien Response Section"

or "Biochemical Leak Handling Team"

and the sunglasses‑clad man, who refers to the "Emergency Response Department for Incidents" as spoken by the Marshal Sergeant.

As for those "soldiers" equipped with fine gear, they are the local Intelligence Department's emergency team.

At this moment, one technician uses an A4‑size, repeatedly foldable "chip" tablet to control a wired spider‑type reconnaissance drone, which climbs over the broken tunnel and walls.

When the soccer‑ball‑sized drone passes through the vortex, the tablet also displays the scene on the other side of the vortex.

It is a dim, almost entirely without natural light space, and the drone, after passing through the vortex, appears to step into void and swiftly falls downward.

The image keeps flipping.

Soon, the drone crashes to the bottom.

The technician switches observation mode, activates night‑vision, and discovers that this space appears to be a city's underground system, but far more spacious and open.

Meanwhile, during the drone's descent, the other technicians have already used the collected data to complete a brief analysis of the other side of the vortex.

They conclude that the atmospheric composition, gravity and other data on the other side are similar to those of humanity's home planet, and some figures match Earth exactly.

"Ah… help me…"

"Where is this, Tangmu? Zack… are you all okay…"

"My leg…! Leg!"

At the same time, the drone also captures the sounds of people shouting for help, asking questions, and wailing in pain.

The impact point is directly above a pile of building ruins.

The drone climbs to the nearest sound source and sees the short‑statured boy who earlier said, "If only I had an elf wife," his lower half crushed beneath a metal plate, repeatedly shouting his classmate's name.

Seeing this situation.

The Second Lieutenant in charge of the on‑site emergency team asks the nearby technician, "Any Spiritual Energy fluctuations?"

"None at all," the technician shakes his head and replies, "We also haven't detected any signs of an alternate dimension, and based on the current data, the vortex appears to be… some kind of portal leading to another planet, perhaps even another universe."

"Another universe?" Upon receiving that answer, the Second Lieutenant shows no surprise.

After all, a phenomenon like a "portal" is not enough to astonish or bewilder Umbrella employees.

It's truly a commonplace occurrence.

After a brief thought, the Second Lieutenant immediately opens communications to report to superiors, requesting additional personnel and equipment, preparing to conduct a detailed investigation of the other side of the vortex and rescue the survivors of the collapse.

Report completed.

The Second Lieutenant orders, "Alpha Squad remains on standby, Charlie, Delta, and Lama squads follow me through the vortex for on‑site reconnaissance."

"Yes."

"Let's go."

As he speaks, the Second Lieutenant walks to the edge of the broken tunnel, without any hesitation, strides forward, and heads toward the vortex below.

More than ten emergency team members follow behind.

They pass through the vortex, first in free fall, then activate the small thrusters on the back and waist of their powered armor to cushion and adjust angle, finally landing smoothly at the edge of the ruins, avoiding secondary injury to the survivors.

Immediately after,

The three squads quickly disperse, weapons in hand, securing the surroundings while scanning with their helmet displays.

The area they occupy, or rather the underground passage, has a diameter equal to that of the vortex, also about thirty meters wide.

Sewage, less than half knee‑high, flows slowly, indicating that both sides of the collapse zone are dark, damp sewage channels, structurally similar to those in a colonial metropolis.

Having confirmed no immediate threat nearby, Delta and Lama squads continue advancing on both sides, continuing their reconnaissance.

The Second Lieutenant, together with Charlie squad, uses the power amplification of the powered armor to temporarily assume a firefighting role, attempting to rescue those suddenly trapped by the collapse.

The Second Lieutenant walks toward the short boy.

The boy, aided by the weak light, vaguely sees the Second Lieutenant drawing near, almost unable to restrain his excitement, wanting to call out loudly for rescue.

However, the Second Lieutenant, now near the boy, while assessing the situation and considering how to rescue, activates the helmet's external speaker, mimicking typical firefighter phrases to reassure all survivors:

"Everyone, stay calm. We will commence rescue operations, and additional aid is already on the way. Rest assured, we will get you all out of here."

He says.

The helmet display highlights the stress point of the metal plate, so the Second Lieutenant, using that information, attaches his laser rifle to his back, bends his knees, and with both hands grips the edge of the plate to lift it forcefully.

Looking inside, he sees the boy has no obvious external injuries, and fully lifts the metal plate.

"Thank you!" the boy, whose legs are now free, quickly expresses gratitude.

The Second Lieutenant merely nods in response, then advises the boy, "Stay where you are, don't move around, next…"

"Second Lieutenant, we've discovered some… unusual conditions here," however at that moment, over the comms, the Sergeant leading Lama squad interrupts the Second Lieutenant.

Moreover, the right side of the Second Lieutenant's helmet display shows the live feed the Sergeant is sharing.

!

Seeing the live footage, the Second Lieutenant immediately leaves the ruins, sprints toward the passage marked "North" on his helmet display, and reaches the far end of the tunnel that Lama squad is scouting.

That end is a T‑shaped intersection where sewage from other areas converges and flows toward the lower, slanted eastward passage.

Three Lama squad members stay at the T‑corner on guard, while the other two crouch not far down the roughly hundred‑meter east tunnel, where the Sergeant sharing the live feed is located.

The reason the two Sergeants cannot proceed further is that the east passage has already collapsed, turning the rushing sewage into a murky waterfall that continuously pours outward.

Outside…

is the planet's surface.

A land surface shrouded in thick black clouds, filled with lightning and thunder, barren and desolate.

But it cannot be said to be completely 'desolate', for here stand countless, neatly arranged giant 'spire-pillars'.

And on the 'spire-pillars', there are also dense clusters that emit red light outward, resembling the egg membranes of 'insect eggs'.

(End of chapter)