By July, the Northern Hemisphere had entered its hottest season. The steadily rising temperatures opened a box called "life," unleashing countless species in a swarm. The Wilderness grew noisier and more dangerous by the day.
During the daytime, all this could still be concealed beneath lush, vibrant greenery. But once night fell, that pleasant green turned into gloomy black. Behind those tangled patches of shadow, creatures large and small carried out their complicated yet simple activities.
Resting, foraging, mating—the goal was to survive, or to ensure their offspring survived.
Though the creatures carrying out all these activities tried every possible way to hide themselves, even the faintest sounds merged into an irritating clamor. Mixed with the damp air blowing in from the sea, it washed over all five senses. Too much information crowded together, making it all too easy to lose one's bearings.
Faced with such circumstances, some chose to hide themselves as best they could, like wild beasts, blending into that noisy, oppressive backdrop.
But others did the opposite, making no effort to conceal their presence and displaying an order of behavior utterly at odds with the Wilderness.
On the southwestern side of the Central Mountain Area of the peninsula, within the corridor formed together with the coastal uplands, this was already the southernmost edge of the mountains. Further south lay alluvial plains laced with waterways, and they would soon be leaving Xia City's territory.
On a relatively level stretch of ground, nearly ten military vehicles were linked nose to tail, forming a circular defensive encampment.
The central area was illuminated, with the light reaching several hundred meters outward. The brazen sources of light and heat drew in swarms of mosquitoes and insects from the surrounding area.
But whenever those tiny creatures, driven by instinct, flew or crawled past