Chapter 20
336words
Cyan-blue flowers illuminated the entire town, their fragrance neutralizing the jasmine-scented spores. Survivors stood in the shower of petals, moss markings on their chests transforming into glowing fruit.
Lila entered new coordinates on the console. "Should we head to the North American survivor base?"
Kay shook his head. He pulled up a global map where hundreds of light points pulsed—ice moss plains spreading across Siberia, glowing cactus groves in the Sahara, even bioluminescent plankton bands stretching through the Pacific...
"The symbiosis is spreading worldwide," Lila whispered in awe.
Amy slept in the back seat, clutching a newly formed moss teddy bear. The golden threads on her fingertips had faded to silver lines that pulsed with her breathing.
Suddenly, tapping sounded on the roof. The self-purifying fox had returned, a plump field mouse dangling from its jaws. It placed the offering on the hood and sat alert like a sentinel.
"It wants to join our journey," Lila smiled.
Kay opened the rear hatch. The fox bounded inside, curling up beside the tank housing the mutated tilapia. Blue light from the fish scales danced across its fur like captured stars.
A communication request flashed on the dashboard. The North American base commander appeared on screen, a steel fortress looming behind him.
"Engineer Thorne! We need the Deep Freeze Protocol to eliminate the fungal threat!"
Kay glanced in the rearview mirror. The valley's giant tree swayed on the horizon, its flower shower rising like an aurora against the night sky.
"There's nothing left to eliminate," he said quietly, cutting the transmission.
The "Ark" rolled across the glowing tundra, leaving twin tracks in the snow. Within these paths, tiny blue shoots pushed through the ice.
Lila opened the seed bank interface. Beneath the [DEEP FREEZE PROTOCOL] icon, a new option had appeared: [SYMBIOTIC SEEDING MODE].
She selected it.
Luminous mist sprayed from the vehicle's rear. Wherever the glowing particles settled, the barren ice transformed into patches of glowing life.
