Retreat

It was getting late, and Feng Ling decided to stay the night at this abandoned farm.

For one thing, the helicopter needed somewhere to refuel. For another, resting for the night would give Kite, Cat Spider, and Big Worm time to catch up.

Space in the cabin was limited, so Feng Ling only brought Third Child and the recently hatched Wreath Fairy. She had Kite carry the rest of the Contaminants on its back as it flew along slowly.

She did not plan to hatch any new Mother Nest Creations anytime soon. Unless she found somewhere stable to settle down, taking them everywhere would be too troublesome, yet leaving them behind unattended would worry her. If she let these little things act alone for too long, without the Hive's restraint, they might hurt humans—especially the dim-witted ones.

Feng Ling stepped out of the tent and admired the fruits of her and Ye Zheng's labor.

The burning granary was like a massive fireball on the horizon. Billowing black smoke rose endlessly, and the air was thick with the stench of charred food. Thinking the fire was not hot enough, the Human-faced Crows eagerly gathered corn stalks and tossed them into the flames.

The two pilots left the helicopter cabin and awkwardly walked over.

"Sister Ling, the captain said we can only take you as far as Port Boltz, then we have to head back."

"The captain received orders from above. The entire International Security Team has to return for reinforcements."

"The Research Institute has detected several areas suspected to be Mazes. There is a severe shortage of manpower back home, so the international aid operation has no choice but to suspend."

"The eastern and southern sides have maritime defenses. The pollution in the north is being contained by Lorias Country. The