Chen Xiao stood cloaked in the alley's shadows, arms crossed, a silent spectator to the carnage unfolding on the street.
BZZZZZT—
A piercing hum, sharper and more invasive than before, ripped through the air. Then, icy text scrolled behind everyone's eyes:
[UNDER THE BLOOD MOON]
[INFINITE EVOLUTION]
[LOOK AROUND YOU]
[OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVOLUTION ARE EVERYWHERE]
[TONIGHT'S RULE]
[NIGHT HAS FALLEN]
[CLOSE YOUR EYES]
The true apocalypse had officially begun.
"Close your eyes when it's dark?"
"What do you mean? How can we even think about closing our eyes now?"
"Closing our eyes is basically a death sentence! Holy shit! Help!"
"No, these monsters attack people with open eyes first. Close your eyes—now!"
In the chaotic crowd: some clamped their eyes shut, some stared in terror, some sprinted wildly, others paralyzed with fear.
Those with eyes open were like lambs tossed into a wolf pack—swallowed up in seconds.
Those who obeyed, eyes squeezed tight, found no mercy either.
This was no riddle—it was a cruel, inescapable trap.
"It's over, it's all over! We're all gonna die!"
"There's no way out! None!"
"Lord! What did I do to deserve this?!"
"No one escapes this hell..."
Fear.
Powerlessness.
Despair.
The coppery stench of blood clung to the air.
This game was rigged from the start.
Wails echoed, tangled with the sickening sounds of gnawing and maniacal laughter.
The street had become a charnel house.
Chen Xiao slowly closed his eyes and said, his voice cold:
"Young Master Wang. Herald the dawn."
Wang Qi, eyes clamped shut, let out a piercing, unnatural crow—Caw! Caw! Caw!
The moment Wang Qi's cry rang out, the pressure near Chen Xiao vanished.
The rule had shattered.
[DAWN] could break the restriction of [Close Your Eyes When It's Dark].
Its range: roughly a one-meter radius.
In his past life, everyone knew this trick—but now, the apocalypse had just begun.
Few dared try.
At this stage, barely anyone grasped how vital talents were.
Most died blindly, never knowing they could've survived.
Seconds later.
Chen Xiao opened his eyes. The street, a carpet of blood, made even the depths of hell seem tame.
As a veteran of this apocalypse, he knew: this game would wipe out 70% of humanity.
A true dead end.
Only those who cheated death could claw through the next "evolution game."
Some barricaded doors and windows.
Some used talents to dodge rules and new humans.
A lucky few, eyes squeezed shut, were ignored.
Chen Xiao had dozens of ways to survive tonight.
But he chose the laziest: making Wang Qi crow every minute.
Easy for him—torture for Wang Qi.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Six hours till dawn.
As Animal World declared: the apocalypse wasn't just tragedy.
It was also "evolutionary boons."
Every blood moon brought these boons—that was law.
Chen Xiao remembered: in his past life, on day two of the disaster, a second-tier new human emerged at Jiangbei University of the Arts.
A three-meter giant, fast as a Lamborghini, bulletproof.
Countless died by his hand.
Rumor said the campus playground became a mountain of corpses.
The police needed heavy artillery to take him down.
Chen Xiao was certain: Jiangbei University of the Arts held an "evolutionary boon."
That second-tier monster proved it.
So now, he had to find that boon before the new humans did.
He slung a sack over his shoulder and sprinted.
Along the way, several foolhardy new humans charged at him.
[Evolution Value +1]
[Evolution Value +1]
Chen Xiao crushed them with an iron cone. Grey matter and viscera sprayed out—he jumped back to avoid the mess.
Disgusting.
He didn't want gore on his hospital gown.
Don't be fooled by his ease—early new humans were stronger than oxen, their skin like iron plates.
Humanoid threshers, walking meat grinders.
A normal person with a knife stood no chance in a 1v1.
He raced back to the villa, grabbed his motorcycle, and gunned north.
Jiangbei University of the Arts, School of Dance.
Inside, chaos reigned: mangled bodies littered the floor, blood streaked the walls.
A war zone.
"We held out this time."
"Rest up, Zhang Ming."
"Sigh... when will this end?"
In a cafeteria nook—three walls, a tiny shelter—three people huddled.
One guy, two girls.
Zhang Ming: crew-cut, tall and lanky, frail-looking—yet he stood front and center.
His secret? A bull's hoof for a palm.
[Bull's Hoof: B-Rank Strength Talent]
With it, he'd repelled new humans, protecting the girls behind him.
He'd kept his pride as a man intact.
The girls behind him looked grim, no trace of relief.
"Can we get out, Shiyang?"
Li Li spoke softly—plain-looking, easy to miss in a crowd. But her dancer's figure stood out.
Tang Shiyang sighed, then said firmly:
"We will. I'm not dying here."
She wore a red bodycon skirt, curves on full display.
Blood and dust stained her toned thighs—making her look feral and sexy.
Tang Shiyang: once voted Jiangbei University of the Arts' "campus belle" for her perfect proportions and smoldering eyes.
"I'll protect you, Shiyang."
Zhang Ming turned, nodded fiercely at her.
Tang Shiyang smiled faintly: "Thank you, Zhang Ming."
To Li Li, he said: "Li Li—time to crow."
Li Li: "...Huh?"
Helpless, but she had no choice.
Crowing was their lifeline.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
After crowing, Li Li cleared her throat, glancing at Zhang Ming—who stared at Tang Shiyang, spellbound. She rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall.
Suddenly—hurried footsteps.
"Wait! Footsteps! And they're fast!"
"Zhang Ming—prepare to fight!"
All three locked onto the only exit, ready to strike.
But the newcomer wasn't a monster.
A young man in a hospital gown.
Yet he felt just as terrifying.
Bodies were piled high like mountains outside... and yet this one walked among them, untouched.
And worst of all: he wore the same psychotic rictus as the monsters.