Chapter 48
Dafa's POV: The Invasive Vine
The war room of the Ministry of Defense smelled of ozone, stale coffee, and that particular strain of tension that settles when men prepare for violence they pray will never be needed. I stood before the holographic table, the ghostly topography of the northern border glowing between myself and the Minister. The blue light carved sharp shadows beneath his eyes.
The report was done.
Two weeks of my life, carved down into ten pages of bad news.
When he dismissed the team, I followed him into his private office. He was standing before the wall sized screen, watching the live feed of the riverfront zone. But it no longer resembled any part of our city. What had once been streets was now a wild, snarling jungle of green.
The Invasive vine.
Genetically engineered decades ago to solve erosion.
Now it was a monster devouring concrete, bridges, entire blocks.
A vine that grew a foot an hour.
