PL1109 landed slowly and human officers visited the white building where Polly Joan was located. They didn’t seem to be bothered by the differences between humans and heterogeneous at the research institute. They just eagerly asked what happened. They regarded the Highland Research Institute as compatriots. After explaining about the stable frequency, Polly Joan thanked the Northern Base for its selfless support.

“How is the base?” he finally asked.

However, only silence was the answer. In the suffocating silence, a sudden sound came from the emergency communication channel.

“This is the Northern Base.” Dr Ji’s voice quivered slightly. “Hello, I would like to ask about the situation.”

“This is the Highland Research Institute. Greetings.” Polly responded. “The monsters have retreated. The number of survivors is 37.”

“The Northern Base… the monsters are ebbing.” Dr Ji’s voice was hoarse in the midst of the electrical current sounds. “The base personnel have retreated to the core laboratory of the magnetic field centre. The number of survivors… 342, with 136 seriously injured.”

“Air strikes are ineffective, thermonuclear weapons are unavailable , the light weapons are in danger and the soldiers are in distress.” He gasped heavily as if suppressing something. “Monsters are no longer attacking humans frantically but they still haven’t given up on eating existing humans. I… we’re still defending the core laboratory…”

Polly gazed silently at the blank screen.

“Are you hurt?” he finally said.

Dr Ji’s voice finally had a tremor of emotion in the formulaic tone. “I’m injured. Mr Polly, we’ve never met but…”

He didn’t continue. After a short breath, he changed the subject. “I have served the base for 20 years. I am very smart but I haven’t helped the base obtain any breakthrough, Mr Polly.”

“In the past, I heard people from the Northern Base say you presided over the development of genetic testing equipment. Now they say that you have extracted a stable solution, which might be the reason why the artificial magnetic poles haven’t gone wrong in today’s distortion storm.”

“Thank… thank you.” The opposite Dr Ji said. “We will defend the magnetic pole to the last moment but please also… be prepared for the magnetic field to disappear. Please… take care.”

Then there were chaotic breathing sounds. There was an intermittent current sound then murmurs, voices giving out orders, gunfire, screams, items falling and walls collapsing. Inside the Highland Research Institute, there was silence.

Finally, someone asked, “That… are we going to die?”

If the Northern Base was unable to hold on then the global magnetic field couldn’t escape the fate of disappearing. The PL1109 formation can bring support fire but it was limited. How many days could they hold on with the magnetic field gone? Despite the endless sacrifices and stable frequency, there was still no hope of life.