Outside the building, a black bus could be seen. The bus was quite large and seemed to be commonly used to transport a number of soldiers.
"Please get in," one of the staff members shouted.
I, along with Julia and Silvia, then walked into the bus. We were group number five, so we were the last group in line. We lined up, waiting for our turn to enter the bus after the groups in front of us had boarded.
Once the groups in front of us had boarded, we finally stepped inside the bus. We got seats at the very back.
I then placed my bag in front of my seat and sat down. Silvia and Julia did the same. They brought slightly more items than I did.
In addition to the equipment bag provided by the government, I also brought a bag that I had prepared long ago. There wasn't much difference in the items inside the bag, but it was a good backup in case something happened to the other bag.
After all the participants boarded the bus, it departed towards the door that would lead us to the surface of the earth.
During the journey, as usual, the traffic in the underground city of Terminus was bustling. Vehicles, be they motorcycles or cars, filled the streets. Some were even using jet.
The bus sounded its siren, prompting other drivers to give way so the bus could pass through the streets without hindrance. I always enjoyed seeing the scenery outside, even if it was just busy traffic or tall buildings.
Not long after, our bus entered the outskirts of the city. The scenery on both sides after leaving the city was filled with greenhouses, and chicken and cattle farms could be seen. This was where food production for humans in the underground city of Terminus took place.
However, with the increasing population, farms and agriculture were no longer able to meet the quota, causing food prices to skyrocket. People who didn't have money lived on whatever food they could find.
This year, there were many demonstrations for the government to provide a solution to this issue. Perhaps due to the pressure, the government finally decided to try returning to the surface of the earth once again.
After the bus passed through the farming and ranching area, we entered the outskirts of the underground city. In the distance, a large building could be seen, resembling a factory, with a lift on top connecting to the city's ceiling.
"We've arrived; please exit in an orderly manner," instructed the staff at the front of the bus.
We walked in an orderly fashion according to our groups. I was at the back of the line, allowing Julia and Silvia to go ahead of me.
When everyone had exited, I was the last one and immediately walked out of the bus. I looked at the sight of the large building resembling a factory.
From a distance, the building didn't seem particularly impressive. But when seen up close, it was a towering structure that reached into the sky, giving off an extraordinary impression.
We then lined up to enter the building. Inside the building, it looked like a typical office. However, it was more spacious, and there were only a few large lifts visible. There were three lifts in total.
"Line up according to your groups," instructed one of the staff.
"Today you will go to the surface of the earth. At the door above, there will be officers guarding the door. We hope you all succeed and can find a place for humans to live on the surface of the earth. Good luck to all of you," said the staff.
We were then directed to enter the lift. The first three groups entered the lift first, while the last two groups had to wait for their turn.
As usual, my group was the last to go. After ten minutes of waiting, it was finally our turn to enter the lift.
When the next turn arrived, my group and I walked towards the lift. "Ding.." The lift doors closed. The lift vibrated, and we soon departed.
"Eric, what do you think about the surface of the earth?" Julia asked.
"From the explanations that have been given, it should be filled with trees, right?" I replied.
"I think so too. But they say that there used to be a lot of skyscrapers on the surface," Silvia added.
"I guess we'll see soon," Julia said.
"What do you think caused the dangerous radiation for humans back then?" this time Silvia asked.
"I'm curious about that too. Why did such a disaster happen suddenly?" I answered.
"You're right, I'm curious too," Julia continued.
We continued to discuss why humans had to live underground and why the radiation disaster occurred, causing human deaths.
"Ding.." The lift doors opened. After a few minutes of traveling, we finally arrived at our destination. My group and I then stepped out of the lift.
Outside the lift, we saw a door on the ceiling, and there were stairs to climb up.
"You, come here quickly," called the staff there.
My group and I walked towards the stairs, where the staff was.
"Here, each of you gets one." The staff handed us small box the size of a palm.
"Go up quickly," instructed the staff.
We nodded and climbed the stairs leading to the door on the ceiling. The staff followed behind.
It only took us a short time to climb the stairs to reach the door.
"Open the door by turning the handle and go," instructed the staff.
I, who was at the front, immediately turned the door handle and began to exit through the door. Julia and Silvia followed me from behind.
"Good luck to you all," the staff's voice could be heard.
The staff then closed the door. We were now in a tunnel, leading upwards. Seeing this, we knew that the surface of the earth was at the end of the tunnel.
"I think we have to pass through this tunnel first," I said to Julia and Silvia.
"Yes, it seems so," Julia and Silvia replied.
"In that case, let's go," I invited.
Then the three of us walked through the tunnel. The tunnel wasn't dark. There were small lights entering, illuminating it, so we didn't need illumination.
After walking for a few minutes, the light became brighter. We finally reached the end of the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, a bright beam of light could be seen.
"Let's go," I said.
We walked toward the end of the tunnel. I opened my eyes wide to see what the surface of the earth looked like. But as we walked out of the tunnel, a strong beam of light entered our eyes.
I, who was born and lived until the age of twenty-one underground, had never experienced such a bright light.
I closed my eyes wide, and my hands automatically protected my eyes. The light was so dazzling and painful to my eyes, like seeing flames from very close.
My eyes blink rapidly, as if they were adapting to this new environment. My hands still automatically protected my eye area.
After a few moments, my eyes signaled that they had adapted, and I slowly opened them.
At first sight of the surface of the earth, I saw incredibly large trees. The trees were about twenty-five meters tall on average. Some were even taller.
The tree leaves were as big as a human body or even larger, and the trunks were incredibly large. Seeing this, I stared wide-eyed. It was the first time I had seen such large trees, and not just one, but almost all of them were large trees.
I also saw some ruins of collapsed buildings that had been overgrown with trees and shrubs. I also saw a sky that was so blue with white clouds moving in it. I finally got to see the sky that I had only heard about in stories.
The sky stretched out so vastly, as if it had no boundaries. I wondered what was up there. Was there still room up there or not?
I saw Julia and Silvia opening their mouths wide. They were amazed at what they saw. I then calmed myself down. After all, we were here on a mission and with a purpose, not just to marvel at what was on the surface of the earth.