004.
Precisely at 8:00 AM.
Qiao Luan woke up from his slumber. Lazily letting out a yawn, he moved at a leisurely pace into the bathroom to wash up. On his way, passing by the television, he picked up the remote control lying on the sofa and clicked to power it on.
The moment the screen flickered to life, the female anchor’s heavy, solemn voice diffused into every corner of the room:
“At 6:02 AM this morning, the Yuping District of the First Continent captured the abyss monster D023. The creature resembles a butterfly, boasting a massive physique comparable to a hill. The transparent scale powder on its wings drifts with the wind into human nasal cavities and enters the body, causing humans to fall into a deep slumber, and those who fall asleep will quietly pass away on the third day of their unconsciousness.”
Qiao Luan’s footsteps paused slightly as he turned his head to look at the television.
Accompanied by the female anchor’s narration, a video featuring the abyss monster D023 was broadcast beside her. The colossal creature bearing giant butterfly wings stood indifferently among the hills, its featureless, pale face turned toward the lens, as if silently communicating something.
Qiao Luan switched channels. This time, the broadcast did not display information about the abyss monster, but rather a repetitive, detailed content associated with the game “Old Gods”.
Thoughtfully, Qiao Luan opened his phone. The screen displayed a broadcast message sent to all citizens from the Fifth Continent’s government. The message was quite lengthy, but consisted almost entirely of critical intelligence:
Dear citizens of the Fifth Continent, though we are reluctant to believe it, humanity’s apocalypse may truly have arrived. Please carefully review the information compiled by all “Old Gods” players across the Five Continents. This information is exceptionally vital and may save your life at a critical juncture.
Regarding the five types of entities in “Old Gods,” they are: Deities, Monsters, Cultists, Espers, and Ordinary Humans.
① Deities are out of reach, mostly born from distant galaxies. Pinning hopes on deities is unreliable.
② Monsters originate from the abyss, exist in vast numbers, and are divided into seven tiers: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Capabilities weaken progressively from first to last, but regardless of how weak they are, they remain beyond the handling of ordinary humans.
③ Cultists worship demons and monsters. They possess no special abilities, but their loyalty causes demons and monsters to bestow numerous minions upon them for protection.
④ Espers, possessors of special abilities, are similarly divided into seven tiers: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F.
How to become an esper
① Become an Emissary of a Deity, who will bestow powerful abilities upon you [Note: Gaining a god’s approval is extremely difficult; according to two hundred thousand players across the Five Continents, the probability of becoming a divine emissary is less than 0.01%].
② Fuse with a monster. Consuming the blood of an abyss monster may cause bodily mutations, thereby granting abilities akin to those of monsters [Note: Consuming monster blood may likewise cause ordinary humans to explode and die from the pressure].
③ Natural awakening. The fog spreading and diffusing from the ends of the world on November 6th will serve as the measuring standard. A portion of people will die within the mist, a portion will remain completely unaffected, and a portion will undergo genetic mutations.
Please consider your choices carefully.
Regardless of whatever choice you make, we sincerely hope you manage to survive.
…
Aside from these contents, the information box also contained a file pending download. Tapping to download it, Qiao Luan opened it to find a far more detailed supplemental guide regarding “Old Gods”.
This included an introduction to the abilities of espers.
An emissary’s abilities originated from the exact same source as that deity’s powers, though they remained considerably weaker compared to the deity itself.
The potency of abilities acquired by fusing with monsters matched the monster’s capabilities and lacked room for upward progression. However, espers who successfully fused with monsters could also choose to ingest the blood of other-tier monsters once again; provided their physical constitution could endure it, they would acquire special abilities numbering more than one.
In contrast, natural awakening was relatively special. The special abilities gained through natural awakening could be upgraded by accumulating experience. According to descriptions from numerous “Old Gods” players, the majority chose natural awakening when selecting their player identities. Similarly, ordinary humans who underwent natural awakening could also choose to ingest monster blood if they weren’t afraid of death or wished to take a gamble.
Beyond this, another point caught Qiao Luan’s attention.
The file noted that the damage inflicted on humans by various abyss monsters comprised two aspects: physical and psychological which could likewise be described by the term mental pollution.
It seemed that surviving in this chaotic world was no easy task.
Thinking this, Qiao Luan picked up a box of rib-flavored instant noodles from his shelf to serve as today’s breakfast. Midway through his meal, he heard a commotion outside his door. Listening quietly for a moment, he realized it came from the young couple living directly across the hall.
Qiao Luan didn’t have a stellar relationship with them; conflicts stemmed from the couple constantly bickering over trivial disagreements, and the sounds of smashing pots and pans frequently startled Qiao Luan awake from his sleep.
And right now, a brand-new conflict was brewing and erupting.
“I told you long ago to rush to the supermarket and hoard supplies, but you refused to believe it! Look at you now, you can’t even squeeze inside!” The angry female voice rose and fell, “Do you still want to live or not?”
“What are you yelling about? Didn’t you refuse to go too? Now you’re shifting the blame onto me? Besides, what’s the rush?” The male voice sneered, “Didn’t you read what the broadcast said? Tomorrow’s fog is what truly matters. If there’s a chance to become an esper, are you still going to worry about not grabbing food?”
“Then what if you die in that fog?”
“Then I die, are you ever going to stop nagging?”
The dialogue gradually ceased, followed immediately by the sound of bang, bang, bang as objects were hurled. Qiao Luan massaged his sore and aching brow, feeling somewhat helpless. However, speaking of tomorrow’s fog…
Qiao Luan narrowed his eyes and flipped through a few more pages of the document. Sure enough, he spotted various named abilities listed by the authorities, even thoughtfully marking the specific manifestations of those powers.
Illusions, mind control, symbiosis with other living creatures, and other high-tier abilities emerged endlessly.
Qiao Luan: “…”
Looking at them, they clearly surpassed the abilities he could draw from his pitiful system by more than a fold.
The moment that thought arose, something seemed to flicker before Qiao Luan’s eyes, followed instantly by the appearance of a smiling stick-figure emoji.
Qiao Luan: “?”
Could it even perceive his thoughts?
Complying with his inner thoughts, Qiao Luan spoke bluntly: “Take a look at those prizes of yours yourself. Can they compare?”
【If the host has the ability, you can unlock the Grade-S Lucky Wheel. By then, even slaying gods will be a walk in the park.】
Qiao Luan’s expression remained unchanged: “Do you see any gods outside? Who couldn’t talk big like that.”
【…】
Ignoring that exceptionally conspicuous string of ellipses, Qiao Luan genuinely contemplated whether he should take a gamble within that fog. Yet very quickly, he broke into a smile—the fog would spread across the entire globe, seeping like air even into narrow passages and crevices. Therefore, there was no need to overthink it; every single person would experience a life-or-death trial of selection.
It was merely a matter of whether that selection arrived sooner or later.
Pounding knocks rang out against Qiao Luan’s door, capturing his attention. Tilting his head toward the entryway, he could safely deduce that the target was the front door of the young couple across the hall. Sure enough, mere seconds later, the male’s curses echoed loudly: “Fuck, who is it, knocking so damn loud, trying to get me killed “
With a belly full of rage, the man twisted the doorknob, yet froze abruptly upon witnessing the scene before him.
The corridor of the old residential complex was narrow and cramped; coupled with the poor lighting here, it always felt gloomy. And now, this gloomy dimness was overlaid with a shade of green so vibrant it was almost blinding to the eye. Vine tendrils as thick as an adult man’s arm extended silently from the elevator and emergency exit doors, pulling their bodies taut as they ‘stood’ before the man in a human-like posture.
At that exact moment, the tips of the vines suddenly parted. Within the mouth-like aperture, a curled, slowly writhing, crimson-red long tongue darted out abruptly.
The man’s pupils constricted violently. With reaction speed defying common limits, he raised his hand to slam the door shut, yet the speed of that long tongue surpassed his. The moment an afterimage flashed, it pierced straight into his throat.
The man opened his mouth, blood bubbles welling up from his windpipe.
Seconds later, the vine’s long tongue retracted from the man’s throat. The man who ought to have been dead opened his eyes once more. Raising his hand, he splayed his five fingers, a tiny trace of green sprouting from his fingertips. Following that, he quietly observed himself through the full-length mirror positioned by the doorway.
“What are you looking at?” His girlfriend walked over, casting a suspicious glance at the open doorway as she asked, “Who knocked on the door just now?”
Gazing at the girl in the mirror, the man replied in a calm tone: “Property management.”
“What did they want?”
“Come over here and I’ll tell you.”
The girlfriend: “…” Why are you acting all mysterious?
Though feeling a sense of weirdness in her heart, she walked to her boyfriend’s side anyway. Just as she prepared to speak, her gaze brushed against her boyfriend’s reflection in the mirror. All color instantly vanished from her face as she stepped back abruptly: “You—”
Splat.
Fresh blood spurting from his windpipe splattered across the white wall, leaving a dense, heavy streak behind.
When the knocking sounded at Qiao Luan’s door, he was in the midst of drawing prizes.
Following a night of fermentation, Qiao Luan had accumulated hundreds more drawing chances. Tapping the fifty-consecutive-draw button multiple times and inspecting his personal information dashboard afterward caused the corners of his eyes to twitch even more severely.
His previous three hundred-plus draws had exponentially increased his defense, and now, his speed stat had directly increased by 378.
Qiao Luan dared not imagine how fast his physical self could move as a man right now.
Aside from that, however, his other three hundred draws had been distributed quite evenly.
Overall, it was still pretty decent.
Rising from his spot, the [Disguise as a Deity System] interface vanished from his sight shortly after. Standing by the door, Qiao Luan peered through the peephole to check the visitor. Upon catching sight of the face belonging to the man from across the hall, he raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, then opened the door with complete composure.
Leaning against the cabinet at the entryway, Qiao Luan looked over and asked: “Need something?”
The man’s gaze slid stealthily across Qiao Luan’s neck, calculating the possibility of a fatal single strike. Speaking while maneuvering into an advantageous angle, he said: “Got a bit of an issue. My girlfriend and I failed to grab any food from the supermarket, and we heard you had some. Wanted to ask if you’d be willing to sell some to me…”
The moment his final syllable dropped, the man shifted from directly in front of the doorway to the side. His face abruptly transformed into a gaping aperture, and instantly, a green vine lunged viciously toward Qiao Luan’s throat.
Bang!
The vine struck something exceptionally hard. One end pressed flat against the skin of Qiao Luan’s throat, utterly incapable of piercing inward, lingering awkwardly right before Qiao Luan’s eyes.
With a completely calm expression, Qiao Luan pinched the vine between two fingers and handed it back to the man, asking: “Are you alright?”
The man: “…”