Chapter 1, The Apocalypse Arrives
The sky was as black as ink, and the moon hung high in the sky as always.
People were just like any other day: children running and playing wildly, adults yelling and cursing behind them, and office workers complaining about their busy lives...
Suddenly, without warning, a cold and piercing voice rang in everyone's minds.
[Ding-dong! Location: Earth. Explosion countdown: 30 days. Passengers arriving at the destination, please find your tickets and board the train as soon as possible. Latecomers will not be waited for.]
[Friendly reminder: Single tickets for one person, double tickets for two people, and multiple tickets for multiple people. Entry is by ticket only. Once a ticket is linked, it cannot be lost except in the event of death.]
All resources on the train must be purchased with points, including health points. Once health points reach zero, the passenger will die instantly.
[This site's theme: An omnipresent monster—do you still think the people around you are the same people you know?]
"Click, click~"
[Warning! Warning! Faceless clay figures have invaded. Please be vigilant and on guard.]
"Cousin, did you hear that sound?"
Zhong Bingxuan and her cousin were teaming up to kill monsters. It was a rare holiday, and the two college students were relaxing and playing games.
"Yeah, that sound was so loud, it would be strange if we couldn't hear it."
"No, I was referring to the crunching sound that came from next door, like something chewing something hard."
There was also a piercing alarm sound, and she felt like her eardrums were about to be deafened.
As soon as Zhong Bingxuan finished speaking, the lights above their heads flickered on and off.
"Sizzle~"
The light bulb suddenly went out, and the moon outside the window mysteriously hid away, leaving the surroundings pitch black.
"Ah! Waaah~"
Zhong Linlin was so frightened that she stopped playing the game and screamed. Then she realized that her behavior was wrong and could easily attract threats, so she immediately covered her mouth and started trembling all over.
"It's okay, it's probably just the sound of mice stealing food. Linlin, don't be scared, I'll go take a look."
Zhong Bingxuan was surprised by the coincidence. She had just mentioned that something was strange when unusual things happened at home and outside, which made her start to feel uneasy.
"Cousin, wait for me, I'll go with you."
Zhong Linlin mustered her courage and wanted to go over and help her cousin.
Zhong Bingxuan waved her hand to refuse her cousin's request to follow, took out her phone from her pocket, turned on the flashlight, and gave her a word of advice.
"Wait for me here. If I don't come out soon, go find someone to rescue me."
If two people go together, and something strange happens there, they'll be two delicious snacks, not even enough to fill the gaps between the monster's teeth.
"Okay, cousin, be careful. If you haven't come out in half an hour, I'll go out and call someone to rescue you."
"Hmm, I'll be careful."
Zhong Bingxuan gently opened the door, carefully approached the room with the strange noises by pressing herself against the corner of the wall, and slowly opened the door to check the situation inside.
When she inadvertently discovered a strange figure in the corner, Zhong Bingxuan wanted to retreat the way she came.
"Is Ah-Xuan unable to sleep and has come to find her father?"
Hidden in the darkness, "Father Zhong" moved slowly toward Zhong Bingxuan with a strangely benevolent gaze.
"Dad, why are you back? Didn't you say you were out on business?"
Zhong Bingxuan felt no joy at seeing her family. She noticed suspicious mud marks on her father's lips, and her mind was on edge, ready to run out the door at the slightest sign of trouble.
"Yes, the work was done very well, and the manager told me to leave early."
"Father Zhong" spoke with reason and evidence, which made people believe him, but Zhong Bingxuan felt a chill down her spine for no reason and couldn't help but back away.
"Ah Xuan, what are you standing there for? Come over here and see what gift Mom brought you. Do you like it?"
Zhong Bingxuan looked at her mother, who was also walking out of the shadows, with disbelief and a smile on her face.
In her mind, Zhong's father might have met with misfortune, and the person in front of her was a strange imposter. But her mother's sudden appearance disrupted her thoughts.
This tone sounds like something my mother would say. Could it be that she misunderstood?
Something's not right, something's really not right. Her parents, who had just gone on a business trip, suddenly appeared at home in the dead of night, greeting their daughter gently. This strong sense of déjà vu, like the opening scene of a horror movie, sent chills down Zhong Bingxuan's spine.
The piercing notification sound rang in Zhong Bingxuan's mind at the same time, and without saying a word, Zhong Bingxuan turned around and ran away.
If it's truly something eerie, an ordinary person like her can't handle it at all. She should quickly make her escape and find a master to exorcise the demon.
"Ah Xuan, why are you running away? Don't you want your presents anymore?"
Zhong Bingxuan ignored "Mother Zhong's" words. She wasn't stupid. If it was really strange, this gift might be a free travel voucher to the underworld. Her cousin was still at home. The only way to save their lives was to go out and seek help from a master.
"My child has entered adolescence and is becoming somewhat disobedient."
"There's still an obedient child at home, so let's switch to that child who's healthier."
"Then we need to resolve this unsuitable sample, otherwise we can't replace the doll."
Seeing that the target had noticed something amiss and was trying to escape their control, "Mother Zhong" behind her made no attempt to conceal her true identity and attacked Zhong Bingxuan, snapping her neck in two.
[Rewind one second, and the pain of death is doubled.]
As the mechanical sound rang out, Zhong Bingxuan returned to the moment when her neck was being choked by her mother. Suppressing the urge to curse, she grabbed her mother's hand and gave her an over-the-shoulder throw.
"She really is a child with bad genes. She even hit her own mother. We need to deal with her quickly. We can't let this girl's bad genes affect the baby."
The violent voice of "Father Zhong" rang out not far away. Before Zhong Bingxuan could react, she was bitten to death by Father Zhong.
[Rewinding ten seconds, the pain of death is amplified tenfold.]
"Cough, cough."
When Zhong Bingxuan woke up, she couldn't help but cough twice, which drew the same strangely kind gazes from "Mother Zhong" and "Father Zhong".
"What's wrong, girl? You kicked off the covers again last night. I told you not to take advantage of your youth and do reckless things. Look, you've caught a cold. Here, Mom remembers there's some cold medicine here. Take it quickly."
Zhong Bingxuan returned to the moment when she was about to escape. At that moment, the two monsters had not yet revealed their true colors and were pretending to be kind father and mother.
"Okay, Mom, go get it, I'll be right there."
Zhong Bingxuan pretended to deal with "Mother Zhong" and took advantage of the fact that "Mother Zhong" and "Father Zhong" were distracted by her. Relying on her innate superhuman strength, she removed the wooden planks of the wardrobe and delivered a painful blow to the back of "Mother Zhong's" head, which was caught off guard and caused "Mother Zhong's" brains to splatter.
"Ah! You wretched humans, how dare you bully my wife."
Zhong Bingxuan's sudden attack angered the seemingly kind "father," who revealed his true nature and rushed towards Zhong Bingxuan, intending to kill her.
Compared to "Mother Zhong's" petite figure, "Father Zhong's" tall and imposing appearance is more intimidating, and his fighting ability is also stronger.
Even though Zhong Bingxuan was very strong, she lacked skill. The wooden board was broken by "Zhong's father". Unable to kill "Zhong's father" with her bare hands, she was anxious and noticed the mirror on her mother's dressing table not far away. She forcibly removed it, preparing to give "Zhong's father" a painful blow.
"Heh heh~ How dare you beat up your own mother? You've learned no manners or upbringing at all. Old man, step aside and let me teach this girl a lesson on how to be a good daughter."
Just as the mirror in Zhong Bingxuan's hand was about to smash "Zhong's father's" face, "Zhong's mother" came to life in a bizarre way, her head covered in scum, and lunged at Zhong Bingxuan.
That's it, his head was blown apart, how could he survive? How can we fight like this?
Zhong Bingxuan instinctively held up a mirror to shield herself from disfigurement and becoming a grotesque and ugly figure, quietly awaiting the excruciating pain of death.
"Ah, no, take it away! Don't point this at me! I don't want to go back to how I used to be."
Instead of the excruciating pain, Zhong Bingxuan heard the agonizing screams of the arrogant "Mother Zhong" from before. She squinted and opened her eyes, only to find that "Mother Zhong's" body was slowly melting into a thin, cicada-wing-like card, floating in front of Zhong Bingxuan, waiting for her to pick it up.
[Ding! Congratulations to player Zhong Bingxuan for achieving the first kill of the one-star Faceless Mudman! You have obtained a Faceless Mudman disguise card. For 24 hours, you can transform into whoever you want, just be careful not to get reflected in the mirror.]
[Congratulations to the player for unlocking their personal panel.]
Name: Zhong Bingxuan
Life expectancy: 30 days
Points: None
Occupation: None
[Skills: Dangerous Prediction, Death Reload]
Guild: None
[Team: None]
——Property Panel
[Strength: ??? (Born with superhuman strength, grows stronger when facing stronger opponents.)]
[Agility: 8 (An outstanding member of the old humans, but a complete novice among the new humans.)]
[Charm: 999 (A peerless beauty, with features as exquisite as a painting.)]
[Spirit: 6 (General level of old humans, mediocre level of new humans.)]
[Luck: 5 (Neither good nor bad among the old humans, but unlucky and strange among the new humans.)]
[Physical Fitness: 10 (An outstanding member of the old humans, but a weakling among the new humans.)]
[Endurance: 8+2 (Death's pain will make you stronger, young man, bravely face death!)]
[Stamina: 43/100 (Your stamina is quite depleted. Resting in place will help you recover.)]
[Mana: 90/100 (A dangerous prophecy deducts 10 points each time; death requires reloading the save, so your patience is key.)]
[Fullness: 33/100 (You might need a warm breakfast to fill your stomach.)]
The system announcements kept ringing in Zhong Bingxuan's mind. Zhong Bingxuan had no time to pay attention to anything else, as there was still a monster on the field.
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