Jiang Yuan felt that today was the unluckiest day of his life.
After graduating from university, he had struggled in this concrete jungle for a year, scrimping and saving to rent a tiny apartment that barely provided shelter. But then his landlord called, doubling the rent overnight.
It was the final straw.
To earn a little extra money, he worked a full-time job during the day and delivered takeout at night, braving wind and rain, yet still barely making ends meet.
By evening, the sky began to change.
The once clear blue sky was smothered by a thick, gray fog, the light so oppressive it stole his breath.
Jiang Yuan didn't think much of it, assuming it was just an approaching storm. He twisted the throttle, eager to finish this last delivery and collapse at home.
As he turned into a quiet alley, a shrill scream suddenly exploded.
Jiang Yuan's head snapped up, his pupils constricting.
Not far away, another delivery rider on an e-bike had inexplicably lifted off the ground!
The man's face was contorted with terror, his limbs flailing uselessly, like a puppet with its strings cut, twisting in the air for a few seconds before—
Thud!
He slammed into the concrete, motionless.
Jiang Yuan froze, his blood turning to ice.
Anti-gravity? Flying? This was impossible in the real world!
As he reeled from the shock, a faint but piercing light flared at his feet.
He looked down to see a tattered black phone lying on the ground, its screen glowing with an eerie blue hue.
Without thinking, he bent to pick it up.
The moment his fingers touched the casing—
Buzz!
A blinding light erupted, swallowing his vision.
A shrill electronic alarm blared in his mind:
[Global Apocalypse Mutation initiated…]
[Binding in progress… 10%… 50%… 100%]
[Host: Jiang Yuan]
[Status: Alive]
[Ability: Danger Prediction (Basic) — Detects fatal threats within a 10-meter radius.]
The countdown froze at: 00:00:00.
The next second, the earth split open.
Violent tremors erupted from beneath the ground, skyscrapers in the distance swayed violently, glass facades shattered in sheets, and the streets erupted into a symphony of screams, cries, and car horns—the soundtrack of the end times.
The sky turned completely dark.
Bizarre events unfolded one after another.
A man burst into eerie blue flames that vanished in an instant, leaving him a lifeless husk on the pavement;
Street trees twisted and grew wildly, their branches like grasping claws, instantly blocking half the street.
Jiang Yuan's scalp crawled. There was only one thought in his mind—
Get home!
He raced back to his apartment on his bike, passing panicking crowds and scenes of chaos.
When he finally reached his building, he stumbled into the hallway and found his neighbor, Old Man Zhang, scrambling down the stairs, his face ashen, muttering over and over:
"It's over… the end of the world… monsters are everywhere…"
Jiang Yuan grabbed him. "Old Man Zhang! What's happening?!"
But the old man was beyond reason, shaking his head frantically, breaking free and scrambling out the door.
Jiang Yuan didn't hesitate. He sprinted up the stairs, burst into his tiny apartment, and slammed the door shut.
The world went quiet.
Only the thunder of his own heart, threatening to burst from his chest.
He looked down at the mysterious phone, still glowing with a cold light.
On the screen, pale blue text appeared:
[Fatal threat detected. Distance to host: 12 meters. Direction: outside the door, hallway.]
Jiang Yuan's blood ran cold.
—And then.
From beyond the door came a low, slimy sound.
It was like someone crying, or a beast growling deep in its throat.
Dragging footsteps drew closer.
Thud.
Thud.
Each step felt like it was crushing his nerves.
He held his breath, creeping to the door, trembling as he peered through the peephole.
The hallway was pitch-black.
A hunched figure was walking slowly toward him.
With every step, it left a trail of thick, black liquid, reeking of rot.
The figure suddenly stopped.
Slowly, it lifted its head.
Stared directly into the peephole.
A face twisted beyond recognition stared back at Jiang Yuan.
Its eyes were two burning, scarlet orbs.
It was smiling.
And it was… looking at him.
The phone screen flared again:
[WARNING: Fatal threat has entered 10-meter range!]
Jiang Yuan stumbled back, pressing against the wall, clutching the mysterious phone so hard his knuckles whitened.
The apocalypse had truly arrived.
And he was already being hunted.