Transcription
Everyone got transported into an apocalyptic survival game. People went crazy fighting over superpowers. I was the only one who picked unlimited money. Everyone laughed and said I was an idiot. Said cash would be worthless in the apocalypse, but they had no clue. Zombies weren't the real threat. Living people with superpowers were way more dangerous.
Then the system announcement rang out. 300 of us players got dropped straight into the game. The system explained that we'd all actually died in the real world. To earn a second chance at life, we had to survive until the end in this apocalyptic game.
Then came the next phase. Time to pick our starting items. I skimmed through what was on the shelf. Mostly a random mix of superpowers. Other players fought like mad to grab them. I flipped straight to the last page of the list. At the very bottom, I spotted a coin labeled endless wealth. Didn't think twice. I grabbed it immediately.
My class monitor, Wang Tang, who came in with me, chose mind control. Seeing me take the coin, he couldn't resist mocking me. "Mark, you're really that desperate for money. The world's about to end. What good is cash going to do you?"
Before I could even respond, he turned to the class beauty, Lu Ruian. She'd picked something called the power of love. "I can make every human fall for me. Even zombies will be charmed by me. With true love protecting me, I'll definitely survive."
Once all the items were claimed, the system chimed in again, giving everyone one year to train their abilities and get ready for the coming war. Apocalypse mode would officially begin in 12 months. Only one winner would make it out of this game. Only the last survivor could claim the grand prize.
Hearing this rule, everyone's expression changed instantly. Those who'd planned to team up now looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes. In this survival game, there were no friends. Everyone was the enemy.
I didn't waste a single second. I got out of there immediately. Kicked off my apocalypse survival plan. I scanned the world map and set my sights on an isolated island in the Pacific. Not on any fault line, outside major storm belts. Had a natural flat area perfect for building an air strip, surrounded by mountains that could serve as natural cover. I dropped a billion and bought the island outright. I casually named it Future Island and claimed I was developing it for tourism.
I bought 10 massive cruise ships in one go. Signed construction contracts with those NPCs and shipped all the heavy machinery and building materials to the island. I had the NPC executives sign strict NDAs. Even they don't know where Future Island actually is.
Once the cruise ships reached Future Island, the workers started building a makeshift air strip. Then I chartered 100 planes to fly in construction workers from all over. Those workers busted their asses day and night. To keep Future Island off the grid, I bought signal jammers in advance and confiscated all the workers' phones.
I built 10 ultra-reinforced fortresses on the island. All materials were top grade, highest standard, built to withstand magnitude 12 earthquakes. The exterior of each fortress was camouflaged. Satellites can't pick up anything from above. But all of this is just a smoke screen. The real doomsday bunker is underground. The underground bunker can survive nuclear strikes and biochemical attacks. Even those tunneling zombies won't break through 5m of solid steel.
The surface fortresses have secret passages leading underground. But the passages were built extremely narrow. Only one person can squeeze through at a time. Inside it is like a maze. Even if you're lucky enough to find the right path, getting through the main door doesn't mean you'll avoid the traps along the way. If one passage gets blown up, I can still use other passages to get back to the surface.
In the apocalypse, energy is everything. To solve the power supply problem, I installed wind turbines on the island, plus tidal and nuclear power generators. Water was easy to handle, too. I set up rainwater collectors and seawater desalination systems, even dug up groundwater purification equipment that can process contaminated apocalypse water into drinkable quality. Plus, instant high-temperature sterilization, instant low-temperature sterilization, ultraviolet sterilization, and chemical sterilization equipment. A wastewater treatment system specifically handles the bunker sewage, considering potential flooding. All walls were waterproofed. The blast doors seal airtight when closed. The underground drainage system is seriously robust. I installed multiple air purification systems, ensuring the underground shelter always has clean, abundant air. I also stockpiled 100,000 oxygen canisters just in case I need to seal myself in the underground shelter. I built 12 separate compartments. If one or two fail, the others can take over. Each compartment has its own dedicated function. Three of them use the latest automated farming technology, capable of growing vegetables, raising fish, and keeping chickens. I stockpiled enough supplies in two warehouses to last me 10 years. Medicine, food, and water. Whenever the NPCs got suspicious about my construction, I just threw money at them in tips to keep their mouths shut.
Then I went to Eagleland and bought heavy weaponry, including mobile combat robots and reconnaissance drones. And since I was paying so much, I even went through black market channels to acquire two nuclear warheads. In a bay somewhere, I stashed my nuclear submarine and a jet. The underground bunker has a tunnel leading straight to the submarine dock to prevent ability-wielding players from reaching the island. I had artificial reefs installed at the original island site. Any large vessel coming through would run aground and sink closer to shore. I set up electric fencing encircling the entire coastline and in the surrounding waters. I planted explosives everywhere. I even installed radar systems to detect anything approaching the island so I could take it down in time. I erected a massive electric grid in the sky to keep infected birds from landing on the island.
In just one year, the island's defenses were fully operational. Of course, to throw off my enemies, I also made a big show of developing tourism sites around the world so those players wouldn't catch on. Those resorts were actually backup locations. I could fly there without refueling.
After sending off the last batch of NPCs, I was the only one left on the island. I bought out a space exploration company and took control of over 6,000 satellites in orbit just to keep my internet connection alive. During that year, I acquired airlines and shipping companies worldwide. Then, in the final week, I ordered all planes and ships destroyed. The whole world knew the richest man had destroyed long-distance transportation. The NPCs all thought he'd lost his mind. Only the players understood. This global tycoon was also their competition.
A notification popped up in the player's chat interface. Wang Tang asked me, "Mark, that global tycoon is you, right?" He was the only one who saw me pick infinite wealth, but I ignored him completely.
One week later, the apocalypse arrived. The players who'd maxed out their abilities were ready for action. 300 player names and IDs appeared on the public screen. I was number 99. Wang Tang was number 100. Lu Yan was number 101. "Attention, the apocalypse has begun. This game will keep running until only one player is left."
Nobody expected the apocalypse to kick off with a worldwide downpour. Days of non-stop rain triggered massive flooding. Future Island got hit, too. But the island was so small. The clouds moved on after 2 days. I didn't even have time to haul up in my underground bunker.
Those ability users were all caught off guard. They'd arrived in this world broke, too. All year, they'd been training their powers while hustling to make money. The struggle goes without saying. The supplies they'd stockpiled were pathetic. Only a few players who'd used their powers for crime managed to land a villa. They built a shelter in the basement. The flood hit the basement first. All their supplies were ruined. The entire villa was swallowed by the flood. Some players had built shelters in underground garages. Those flooded out completely, too. High floor shelters were safe for now, but the rain wouldn't let up. The underground players' already meager supplies slowly ran dry. Everyone started freaking out.
Meanwhile, I was munching on snacks and watching a live stream. The streamer was hiding behind the curtains, secretly filming the building across the street. A player was using fire powers to raid for supplies. "Bro, this isn't special effects, not cosplay either. This is a real ability user. He used to be a security guard in our complex. Now he is burning through doors. This is his 10th robbery."
The chat was blowing up. "So ability users are actually real. Does that mean the apocalypse is here? Streamer, watch out. Once he is done with that building, he'll hit yours next. Is firepower reliable? Firepower."
The player tipped off the NPCs. A swarm of SWAT officers rolled into the complex and rescue boats. They surrounded the building with guns drawn. The streamer's hands were shaking with excitement. "Guys, this is my first time seeing a gunfight. This guard's fire is insane. He melted the steel gate in seconds."
The SWAT team stormed the building. The gunfire was intense. Suddenly, a figure flew out from the rooftop and plunged straight into the flood. Not long after, I saw that player's name go gray on the global chat. That meant the player was dead.
Right then, in the chat window, Wang Tang hit me up again. "Mark, let's team up. Look, we're old classmates. Our numbers are right next to each other. If we team up, we'll definitely make it to the end." He shamelessly kept sending me video requests, but I kept ignoring him. If I teamed up with him and we were the last two left, he'd use mind control to kill me and win alone. Did he underestimate my intelligence or overestimate his own?
Water and power were cut. Food was running out. 3 months of floods crushed the NPC's hope. Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore. They started taking desperate risks, looting and burning everywhere. Players mixed in with the crowd searching for a way to survive, but abilities couldn't stay hidden. It caught the attention of the higher-ups. They issued a direct order to capture ability users. Anyone caught was sent to research facilities. Within a month, 30 players were posted on the public screen. Suddenly, players were like startled birds, everyone on edge.
Meanwhile, I was living in a completely different world. Checking on my vegetables now and then, gaming in my mansion, swimming in my pool. Future Island was basically paradise. I was living the good life. But good times don't last. I finally got sold out. Someone anonymously posted on the world chat, "Player 99 is the world's richest person. They definitely built plenty of shelters before the apocalypse. Find player 99 and everyone survives."
The long silent world chat instantly exploded. "Player 99, show yourself. You're living it up alone while hundreds of us suffer. So cruel and vicious. Yeah, eliminate players like that. Find 99 and we live. Everyone charge." All the players went crazy. They couldn't wait to skin me alive. I just wanted to lay low in peace, but you had to call me out.
I sent a message in the world chat. "Everyone, calm down. I am player 99. You want shelters? I can provide them. But I only built shelters in four countries. Dragon, Eagle, Hans, and Kangaroo. And each shelter holds 20 people max. I marked four spots on the world map. You have over 200 people. There is no way you'll all fit. However, I'll give you the shelter passwords. First come, first served. Don't come after me."
The moment I entered the password, every player went wild. If they reached the shelter first, they'd survive the flood. Overnight, some players had already arrived. Most had speed-based abilities. The shelter was built on high ground, safe from the flood waters. When they opened the doors and went inside, it was like stepping into paradise. After all, I'd built these four shelters to be absolutely lavish. They had every amenity you could want. Freezers packed with frozen feasts.
Player 58 proudly started live streaming on World Chat. "Never expected the shelter. Never expected it to be this nice. Money really does buy happiness." Inside, they were eating steak and lamb, drinking red wine. The table was covered in delicacies. Player 58 said 12 people were already inside. They'd voted to lock down the Dragon Kingdom shelter. Resources were limited. No one else was getting in.
Other players were still on the road. Seeing the stream, they lost it. Outside the shelter, players kept arriving in waves. Rather than drown in the flood or starve, their survival instinct drove them to desperation. They begged those inside to open up to let them in. But the players inside had already deadbolted everything. No matter how they pounded on doors and walls or unleashed their abilities, they couldn't budge that sealed entrance.
Just as the insiders were celebrating, I suddenly popped up and said, "Wasn't it supposed to hold 20? Can't eight more still get in? I have another override code. Even with the doors locked, I can still access the interior. The hidden door is in the southeast. That decorative brick at the base of the wall. Turn it and the hidden door reveals itself."
The players outside rushed the hidden door like madmen. They turned the decorative brick, the ancient decorative brick. An actual hidden door appeared in the old wall. Players scrambled to get inside, fighting for those last eight spots. One frail looking girl was too slow, trailing behind. Then vines burst from her arms, lashing wildly at the crowd ahead, instantly tripping a mass of players. The player with the blade ability quickly cut the vines beneath his feet, then spun around and fired a wind blade, slitting the vine player's throat. The blade player reached the door first, punched in the override code, and the gate swung open. He rushed inside, thrilled. Right after, another player used lightning strike to drop a whole crowd. The second player charged through the gate. But as the third player neared the entrance, a player on the ground latched onto his leg. The fallen player flashed a creepy grin, driving venom-coated nails into his thigh. The venom player had barely gotten [clears throat] up to flee through the gate when a steel-hardened arm punched through his chest from behind. One by one, players dropped dead at the sanctuary entrance. The will to survive stripped away their last bit of decency. So, the abilities the system gave weren't for fighting zombies after all. They were meant to make them kill each other.
The players inside the sanctuary couldn't sit still anymore. They all had rapid movement abilities, but clearly lacked any real fighting power. If they didn't seal the gate and let in players with higher combat stats, wouldn't they be sitting ducks? The Blade and Lightning players who had just burst inside realized this. They quickly teamed up and started going after the players outside. Right then, the numbers on the public screen shot up. Player deaths kept piling up. Human nature is the same everywhere. Brutal death matches broke out at the other three sanctuaries, too.
Across all the surveillance feeds, I couldn't spot Wang Tang anywhere. Then again, why would he ever go to a sanctuary? As luck would have it, Wang Tang messaged me right then. "Mark, look at us. We never even allied, yet we worked together so smoothly. We were born to be allies."
"Have you no shame? Exposing my identity, putting me in the hot seat. That was all you."
"Don't be so mad. If I hadn't cooked up that plan, how would we have sent those players to their deaths? You should thank me for clearing out your competition."
As we were chatting, the sanctuary hit full capacity. The gate sealed shut automatically. Outside, blood ran like rivers. Those who hadn't made it in were still struggling in vain. The players inside were celebrating. They had no idea what was coming for them.
I smiled. What could it be? I smiled and said to Wang Tang, "It is a shame you're not in the sanctuary." With that, I hit a button. In an instant, the thousand tons of explosives buried inside detonated. The shock wave even shattered the surviving players outside the shelter. After the explosion, the player count dropped by 116. Only 91 players remained.
After a long moment, Wang Tang finally sent me a message. "I underestimated you. Thanks for the assist. Otherwise, gathering that many players in the shelter would have been nearly impossible. The players most likely to reach Future Island without planes or ships are now gone."
I'd been planning for a year. How to take them all out at once? Those shelters became their graves. The shelter explosions couldn't make the news this quickly. The other surviving players had no idea what happened, but Wang Tang knew immediately, which meant he was watching everything from a distance.
Then the system sent me a message. "Congratulations on becoming the player with the most kills. You receive an extra reward." I couldn't help but smile. See, in this apocalypse, it is always survival of the fittest.
Four months later, the floodwaters slowly receded, revealing the submerged land. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the disaster was over. But they didn't expect that the flood had brought a plague. Many dead NPCs turned into zombies. "Congratulations to the 101 players who cleared the first stage. Apocalyptic flood. Next is the second stage. Apocalyptic zombies. Finally, it is time for abilities to shine. That so-called number 99 is as good as dead."
At that moment, Lu Ruan sent me a private message. "Mark, you don't have an ability. You won't survive the zombie apocalypse. If you share some supplies with me and tell me your location, I can come protect you."
I slowly typed a question mark. "Don't underestimate my ability. I survived the flood entirely because of it." Of course, I knew how she survived. She used her ability to inspire love, the scam supplies from her neighbors. When rescue arrived, she was the first one saved. Thinking of this, I replied, "Sorry, I'm not interested. Besides, Luan knowing I'm the richest man, was clearly no coincidence."
The zombie virus erupted across every continent because I destroyed the planes and ships in advance, cutting off transmission routes to Pacific island nations and Antarctica. The transmission routes were severed. Basic zombies weren't hard to deal with, but the virus spread way too fast. After spreading repeatedly, mutations started showing up, exactly as I predicted. Smart zombies and ones with powers started appearing quietly. As long as a zombie ate an ability user's flesh, it could get their powers. Players realized they'd die without alliances. So, they started banding together and building bases to hold off zombie attacks. But the bases didn't just fight zombies. They fought each other, too. Battling over supplies and lives.
Facing the zombie virus, I had to put up steel nets in the ocean. To keep infected fish from reaching Future Island, electric grids went up overhead, too, stopping birds from landing. The sunlight seemed kind of dim. On rainy days, I'd haul up in my underground bunker. Only after machine testing confirmed the rain was clean would I risk coming out. That was the biggest way the zombie virus affected me.
Land-based networks had crashed long ago. NPCs could only use radio to send messages. But I didn't mess with that old junk. Thousands of satellites overhead let me watch Earth in real time, just like I figured. Birds would carry the virus. When the virus hit vulnerable island nations, the whole island instantly turned into a living hell. Player numbers kept dropping one by one. This time down to 30.
But right then, a mutated bird zombie had just flown over Future Island's waters when it hit the electric grid, instantly fried to a crisp by the high voltage. But one feather slipped through, drifting down through a gap in the grid. Before it hit the ground, a robotic dog blasted it with a fire jet, burning it to ash. That bird must have flown from other Pacific islands. From that day on, huge flocks of birds passed over Future Island every day. The electric grid was covered in bird carcasses. Robots were swamped patrolling the whole island, torching bird bodies and clearing the grid. If even Future Island was this bad, you can imagine how rough things were elsewhere. I quit taking daily beach walks and moved into the underground bunker for good.
Today's New Year's, but nobody in the world feels like celebrating except me. I was eating my New Year's dinner while watching the last spring festival gala before the apocalypse hit. I thought about my family from before, but now I was the only one left. It was hard not to feel empty inside. I had to go back. I had to be the last one standing.
I snapped a photo of my New Year's Eve dinner and sent it to Wang Tang. A minute later, Wang Tang posted my photo on the world chat. I could just picture the players losing their minds. Angry comments came flooding in. "Player 99's living pretty well. Damn it. We can't even get a hot meal. And he has got a full spread. Don't get too cocky. If I find you, I'll kill you."
I couldn't care less. "I'll be waiting. If you can find me."
I opened my computer and pulled up the profiles of 30 players I'd gathered. They had no idea that before the apocalypse, I'd already had eyes everywhere. My mercenaries had tracked down players scattered across the globe and kept them under long-term surveillance. I knew every player's abilities and weaknesses. After the apocalypse hit, my mercenaries survived on the supplies I'd stockpiled. They kept working for me, and I unlocked new supplies for them. Money makes the world go round. In the apocalypse, supplies were the most valuable currency.
Three major powers had emerged. First was the military. They had a formidable arsenal and an impregnable base. Wang Tang had seized command through mind control. Second were the zombies. A zombie king had risen among them. He gained powers by killing ability users, zombies, and players. Lu Yan was by the zombie king's side, having become his beloved companion. Third were the gangs. Even before the outbreak, player 128 had entered the world's most dangerous and chaotic nation. Using his abilities, he subdued the gangs. Under player 128's leadership, the gangs grew stronger by looting civilians. The remaining 26 players had all joined one of these three factions. Player 128 could manipulate gravity, an extremely powerful ability. In one-on-one combat, no player could take him down. Yet, the gangs were actually the weakest force.
I tapped on player 128's avatar with my stylus. "You'll be the first to go."
Just then, the system alert sounded again. "30 players remain alive. Difficulty increasing. Entering level three. The frozen continent." Someone immediately broke down. "The apocalypse has lasted a year and 5 months. Everyone's out of supplies. Another ice age hits. And everyone on this planet dies."
Lu Ruan quietly messaged me. "Mark, check your messages, Mark. Soon only the zombies will survive this planet, and I'll survive, too. You'll regret rejecting me for the rest of your life." Then she sent a photo of herself with the zombie king. Seeing this, I sneered. "In that case, I'll send you love birds to the afterlife together."
The ice age swept across the entire planet. Even my tropical island was affected. A massive blizzard struck Future Island. The aerial power grid was the first casualty. Wind and tidal power plants took heavy damage, too. Fortunately, the underground fortress's backup nuclear plant was still running.
The gangs cracked first. They looted most of the civilians' resources. Internal tensions escalated. Conflicts erupted constantly. Awakened players died one after another. I privately messaged player 128 through the world channel. "How about we team up? I've buried supplies all over your territory. Get your hands on them and you'll survive."
Player 128 replied shortly after, "What do you want? Why should I trust you?"
"I want you to take down the zombie king. My scientist team developed a zombie cure. Just spray it on them." And they vanish. "But as you know, my combat stat is zero. But as you know, my combat stat is zero. After thinking it through of 30 awakened, you're the strongest. Only you can pull this off. We humans fear the cold. Zombies don't. The longer this drags on, the better their odds. No matter how many supplies I have, they'll run out eventually. Then player 101 beside the zombie king becomes the final winner. The zombie king's too powerful. Without the cure, no awakened player can kill him. I have the cure. You have powers. Let's team up and take out the zombies to earn 128's trust."
I sent mercenaries to deliver a zombie cure along with a batch of supplies. The gang used that cure on a zombie. The zombie dissolved into a pool of blood, screaming in agony. The virus they carried was purified as well. 128 was tempted. If only he and I remained in this world. Killing me would be effortless for him. To him, I was the weakest player. Allying with me was undoubtedly his best option.
One night, hundreds of drones carrying the cure flew toward the horde. The zombie king was asleep with Lu Ruian in his arms. His keen hearing immediately detected something wrong, he got out of bed at once. Not forgetting to tuck Lu Ruian in. Massive amounts of cure mixed with snow fell from the sky. Mixed with snow, it poured down everywhere. The zombies exposed to the cure screamed in pain. One after another, they dissolved into blood. The zombie king flew into a rage. He leaped down. Beams of light shot from his palms, shattering the drones. 128 led the players charging in. He activated his gravity power, pinning the zombie king firmly to the ground. The powerful zombie king couldn't even lift his wrist. Several players rushed at him. A roar erupted from the zombie king's throat. Zombies hiding in the shadows pounced on the players like monkeys. 128 unleashed his power again. Tall buildings were torn apart by gravity and collapsed. Boulders crashed down on those zombies. The zombie king was buried along with them. 128 broke into a victorious grin. These boulders were enough to crush the zombie king to pieces.
Lu Ru Yan stood on the balcony. Covering her face, she let out a scream. 128 flicked his finger. The terrace beneath Lu Ruy<unk>s feet collapsed. She fell from the height. A fall from that height meant certain death. At the critical moment, the zombie king burst from the rubble, catching Lu Ruan. At the same time, one of his hands. At the same time, countless threads sprayed from one hand, binding 128. 128s s face turned pale with shock. He never knew the zombie king had this move. The zombie king gave a gentle pull. 128s s body instantly shattered, but the zombie king didn't anticipate. That 128s s body was loaded with cure. The packets released and engulfed him. Lu Ruion screamed, watching helplessly as the zombie king melted into pools of blood. She was scared out of her wits. This place was literally hell. She ran for her life, but soon fell through the ice. This time, no one would save her. A power dependent on someone else's love was ultimately too weak to cut it.
12 more players went gray on the world chat. I crossed their numbers off one by one in my notebook. When I got to number 128, his weakness was written next to it. "Universal gravitation can't control objects with extremely low mass, like the zombie king's silk threads. I like to use information gaps to fight battles I can't lose."
At this point, I only had one opponent left. Wang Tang, who controlled the military. He couldn't wait to end this game. He called me out on the world chat. "This game has always been for smart people. Mark, you've done well to get this far, but every game has a loser. Kill yourself now, and I'll spare you the torture. I've always known you had mercenaries, but they're no match for the military. You've just got some dirty money. But I've got missiles, aircraft, carriers, military aircraft. Hide wherever you want. I'll find you."
And I flipped him off in the chat. Wang Tang's mind control was powerful, but had one fatal flaw. He had to use his power face to face. As long as I stayed in my underground bunker, he couldn't touch me with his power. But I didn't see this coming. He fired missiles straight at Future Island. Multiple missiles rained down on Future Island. A long while later, I still hadn't gone offline. Wang Tang couldn't believe it. "Mark, you've got yourself a pretty solid hideout. Then I'll come drag you out myself."
He sailed his aircraft carrier over for an aircraft carrier. The reefs I put up were nothing. When he landed on Future Island, the whole island was covered in smoke. Mountains were flattened. The ground was cratered. All the defenses were wiped out. He looked at the exposed entrance to the underground bunker and smiled like he already had me. He ordered his men to blast the entrance with heavy weapons. After several rounds of heavy shelling, the door was blown off, revealing a passage inside.
I immediately sent him a video call request. He answered, looking all smug, and said, staring down the pitch-black tunnel. "It is too late to beg for mercy now, Mark." He jerked his chin, signaling his men to go in, planning to drag me out of there. In the video, I calmly pointed at the endless cosmos behind me. "Who told you I was on Future Island? Open your damn eyes and see where I really am."
The second I finished speaking, a nuke detonated on Future Island. Player 100's name finally turned gray. The system blared a sharp victory tune. "Congratulations to player 99. The sole winner. You've cleared the game."
Wang Tang had a special ability player working for him who could pinpoint the exact coordinates from any photo. It was a completely useless ability, but Wang Tang saw exactly how he could use it. He'd sent me countless video requests, trying to screenshot and track my location, but I never picked up. Later, I sent him a photo on New Year's Eve. He secretly called me an idiot, happily tracked my location, and waited for both the gangs and the zombie king to be wiped out so he could swoop in and take everything and decided to blow me up. But how could I not know what players he had? That photo was deliberately leaked to him to lure him to Future Island. After sending the photo, I got off Future Island. The reward the system gave me was one chance to teleport anywhere instantly with all my supplies. Just like that, I got teleported to a space station, but the system didn't give me a way back to Earth. I couldn't use this reward until the very end.