Day 27.
Early morning.
The constant humming sound unique to the depths of the air-raid shelter served as a hypnotic background noise. At this moment, most of the survivors were curled up on makeshift beds, fast asleep.
Even the soldiers on duty, after a long and peaceful night watch, found their eyelids starting to droop uncontrollably.
In this moment of utter silence, when people are most relaxed—
"Bang—!!!"
"Crackling and popping..."
A sudden commotion, like a thunderclap in the dark night, abruptly jolted Xiao Jin awake from her light sleep. She had a premonition, so her eyelids opened almost instinctively, her eyes flashing with a formidable alertness.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Jin gripped the long sword in his hand, and with a light leap, he pushed open the door and stood in the corridor.
Almost simultaneously, the doors around the room were pushed open one by one by an invisible force, and other players emerged one after another, their faces full of vigilance.
All eyes met.
"What's going on? Another fog ghost has come?" the mage asked.
The fox woman beside her shook her head: "My tools did not detect any trace of the Mist Ghost."
"What could that be?"
Just then, at the end of the corridor, a thin, staggering figure ran past.
"Whoosh!"
White bandages bound the person, and then a bewildered young soldier was dragged in.
"Hey kid, what's all this arguing about?" the burly man asked, his voice like muffled thunder.
The young soldier was startled. His gaze swept over the row of players radiating a terrifying aura at the entrance, finally settling on the fox girl closest to him.
"They've...they've retreated!" The young soldier's voice trembled with excitement, filled with immense joy: "The fog! The fog outside has gone away!"
Just now, our comrades on guard duty confirmed with high-powered binoculars! The toxic fog has truly receded! We can see very far away!
The fog... has it cleared up?
This news was like a thunderbolt, exploding in the players' ears!
"Huh? How is that possible?"
This is a common thought in everyone's mind.
But then, as if they had suddenly realized something, everyone's expressions froze.
The fox-woman's alluring face instantly drained of color! The wariness and solemnity in her captivating eyes were instantly replaced by a deeper, colder horror!
Her fingers tightened around the weapon, and her knuckles made a slight "click" sound.
The scarred-faced burly man's facial muscles twitched violently, and the ferocity in his eyes was instantly replaced by a solemn expression of impending doom. His massive body tensed up instinctively.
Not only them, but the other players also became nervous.
Xiao Jin's hand, gripping the long sword, remained motionless. But the moment she heard the words "the mist has dissipated," her pupils contracted to their absolute limit!
My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by a cold, iron hand! A chilling sensation, more terrifying than facing a thousand troops, surged up my spine and spread throughout my body!
Something unusual must be going on!
This is not a glimmer of hope! This is the ultimate killing game, the final and bloodiest curtain has been drawn!
The players' hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank heavily.
It's here! It's finally here! The final test has arrived in the most unexpected way!
Xiao Jin's lips pressed into a cold, straight line. Without the slightest hesitation, she strode out of the corridor. Her cold, long sword drew a resolute arc in the dim emergency lights, pointing directly at the elevator platform leading to the ground.
The others were awakened by her movements.
"Let's go!" the fox woman immediately chimed in.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a blade chilled by ice, cutting through the euphoria and chaos that filled the corridor: "Let's go out and see!"
The other players exchanged glances instantly, and without the slightest hesitation, they followed suit and left the area.
………………
Let's rewind a few minutes.
"Look over there! The fog is dissipating!" The patrolman responsible for monitoring the surrounding area hurriedly nudged his teammate.
"What? Let me see."
"It's true! It's getting light in the distance! Look! It looks like it's getting light outside!" he shouted excitedly.
"Quickly, report to the base commander immediately."
Immediately afterwards, news of the dissipation of the poisonous fog spread throughout the entire base, as if the lifeless base had been injected with a powerful stimulant.
The numb survivors were jolted awake by this sudden news. The despair that had been frozen on their faces for days peeled away like cracked clay, revealing an unbelievable, almost fanatical hope beneath.
Someone stumbled and lunged toward the heavy bulletproof observation window, pressing their hands firmly against the cold glass, staring wide-eyed outwards.
In the passage, the exhausted soldiers also stopped, their faces beneath their helmets filled with surprise and a hint of barely suppressed excitement.
Suppressed murmurs, choked prayers, and excited shouts... like a boiling tide, quickly engulfed every corner of the base.
The damn poisonous fog is finally gone, so does that mean they can soon return to their old lives?
Before long, the players who had received the news stood on the elevator platform on the top floor of the base.
A considerable number of people have already gathered here.
There were ordinary people on the periphery with hopeful expressions and eager anticipation, followed closely by the guards responsible for protecting the base commander on the inner side. The base commander had also arrived.
The door opened, and the players stared wide-eyed.
Outside, the thick, toxic fog that was so dense that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face was gone.
The light of daylight, a hazy, sickly pale light, actually shone through!
Although the surroundings were still dark and oppressive, the visibility suddenly expanded from less than a meter to more than ten meters!
Furthermore, the fog is dissipating at an increasingly rapid pace.
In just a few minutes, the distorted outlines of distant buildings, the wreckage of overturned vehicles, and the charred, dead trees... like a faded painting of hell, were presented to all players with such clarity for the first time!
They really did cancel!
"Waaaaah~ Thank God!"
"We're saved! The world has been restored!"
A wave of ecstasy instantly swept over the base soldiers and some of the bolder survivors gathered at the platform entrance.
Some people were so excited that they wanted to rush out of their bunkers to embrace the long-awaited "light," but they were firmly stopped by the soldiers.
Soon, several technicians, dressed in bulky protective suits and carrying heavy testing equipment, carefully stepped out of the heavy alloy gate under the command of the base commander and the protection of soldiers.
The screens of the instruments in their hands lit up and emitted a faint hum, as probes were carefully extended into the seemingly "clear" air.
Countless eyes were fixed on the instrument screens, filled with fervent anticipation.
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