Apocalypse Forecast

Huai Shi heard the sound of the door being pushed open.

As the host, he still had a bit of privilege—by tapping into the perception of the zombies, he could see what the first wave of challengers storming in looked like.

Once he had a clear view of the leader, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Wasn't this an acquaintance!

Right there in the gloomy grand hall of the ancient castle, a few wary Sublimators surveyed their surroundings. The person at the forefront was none other than the Seven Star Group's Director Cui, who had wanted to 'make friends' with Huai Shi back in Ginza.

By his side were the same three teammates who had also been eliminated later for not returning by nightfall, looking timid and eroded by the dark atmosphere of the castle.

At the very back, a Sublimator with a somewhat panicked expression asked in a low voice, "Director Cui, isn't our sudden attempt at the challenge a bit…"

"Idiot, what do you know?"

Before Director Cui could respond, the Sublimator walking behind him glanced over and rebuked, "Is Director Cui's decision something you can question? An YongShun, is this how you talk to your seniors?"

Director Cui smiled and waved his hand gracefully. "Chief Park, don't be so angry. Director An is just concerned about everyone's safety. A little bit of hesitance doesn't mean he doubts his loyalty to the group."

"You're right," Chief Park nodded in agreement. He was about to say more when he saw Director Cui wave his hand. "Alright, now that we're here, let's not refer to each other by our company ranks. We are all teammates who entrust each other with our lives.

There is no Director Cui here, only a big brother to everyone, Cui JaeSung. Please trust me, I will lead us through this difficulty!"

His impromptu speech did quite a bit to boost morale.

At least, on the surface, the three subordinates seemed fired up.

"Cui... Big Brother."

Park Jiseong was about to say 'Director' but, catching Cui JaeSung's glance, understood the cue and changed his address. He asked, "I just don't quite understand your intentions, Big Brother. Why, out of so many projects, did the four of us have to spend all our precious Yellow Tickets to snatch the opportunity for this one?"

It's worth noting that according to the risk assessment in the brochure, all projects could be divided into three levels. Among them, the Ancient Evil Spirit Castle was neither the highest nor the lowest—utterly mediocre and unremarkable, not standing out at all. Yet Director Cui had chosen this project when everyone else was scrambling for the top or bottom-tier ones.

"It's simple. Is our goal just to clear the level?"

Cui JaeSung surveyed his teammates with a stern face and said, "Even if we clear the level and qualify for the competition, we'll already be far behind others. Putting in all that effort just to end up as also-rans? Why can't we seek a way to get further ahead?"

Park Jiseong was immediately impressed and said with admiration, "Big Brother, are you planning to replace the host?"

"Exactly."

Cui JaeSung, with his hands behind his back, said proudly, "Among all projects, this is the purest Evil Spirit-themed one, and it's also the Domain that our Stigmas are best equipped to handle. If we collaborate closely, we can neutralize the host's home-field advantage to the greatest extent and create an opportunity to eliminate him..."

He didn't lower his voice as he spoke, letting his words echo through the dark castle, intending to create psychological pressure on the host, making them hesitant to attack rashly.

Even if the opponent didn't show themselves, they could seize the initiative, clear the level with ease, gain valuable experience, and then calmly seek another target...

Ah... I really misjudged this. Huai Shi, sitting beside the generator, was dumbfounded. I didn't expect these not-so-good-looking guys to be so ambitious. I was originally planning to observe the situation with the first wave and experiment a bit. Who would've thought these 'good brothers,' practically here to gift me points, would be so gutsy? Oh well, I'll have to take this a bit more seriously...

Mischievous thoughts started to churn in my mind.

This time, I'll show these country bumpkins the prowess of Deer's Sing Hall!

He made a light, practice swing with his axe, dragged the heavy weapon, and slowly walked into the darkness.

Perhaps realizing Director Cui's painstaking efforts and lofty ambitions, or simply out of sheer flattery, the remaining three began to praise him in unison, and the flattery flew fast and thick.

Park Jiseong was pondering how to praise Director Cui without being too obvious when, to his irritation, that sycophant An YongShun started brown-nosing first. This made Park Jiseong so agitated that his throat felt dry and hot, prompting a cough.

Cui JaeSung then offered a few words of warm concern, reaping another round of grateful looks from his subordinates. In the chill of the ancient castle, the camaraderie among them shone with a warm glow, creating a harmonious scene. Yet, between the flattery and heartfelt words, who knew how many droplets of insincere spit fell to the ground.

Invisible viruses spread in the chilling wind, growing gradually like plants.

TAP!

A chill landed on Li YoonJung's neck, making him freeze for a moment as coldness spread through his body. However, when he touched his neck, all he felt was a wet spot. Looking up, he saw two sections of withered branches and moss growing from the castle ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Park Jiseong asked, turning around.

Although the men were busy professing loyalty, as Sublimators, how could they lose their basic vigilance? Their hands and minds were secretly on guard against the surrounding shadows, moving cautiously with every step.

"It's nothing, just a drop of water."

Li YoonJung shook his head nonchalantly. Feeling his breathing obstructed, he gave a dry cough and spat on the ground. Must be some internal heat.

DRIP. DRIP... Water droplets fell from the withered branches and fallen leaves, splashing onto the disheveled floor of the hall. An YongShun, not paying enough attention, nearly triggered a trap, managing to awkwardly skirt between hidden arrows.

In a moment of inattention, the floor suddenly flipped open. A zombie leaped out, grabbing Park Jiseong's calf and opening its mouth to bite.

With a cry of pain, Park Jiseong kicked out with all his might, sending the zombie flying against the wall. His strength was so immense that the zombie, upon impact, dissipated into a wisp of smoke and vanished.

"Everyone, be careful! These cursed things are probably spawned by this ancient castle, and there might be even stranger things inside," Cui JaeSung warned aloud.

They were all Sublimators, marked with the Stigma, their constitutions long fortified; naturally, they weren't afraid that a zombie bite would cause transformation.

Park Jiseong, however, was repeatedly unlucky. He coughed with increasing severity—who knew what that zombie had been gnawing on daily in there? Its mouth was full of grass seeds, turning his wound into a messy, bleeding disaster.

After being brought here, everyone had been stripped of their Border Relics, let alone any Silver Blood Potion. They could only tear off a few leaves to bandage the wound.

Noticing the mocking expressions of his companions, Park Jiseong was momentarily enraged, coughing and choking again.

"Alright, Jiseong, don't panic."

Cui JaeSung surveyed the surroundings. Beyond the corridor that followed the main hall, the entire layout of the ancient castle suddenly became bizarre, with numerous intersecting paths leading to unknown destinations.

The guidebook stated that as long as they could find and fix three generators within the castle, they would be able to open the main door and pass through without issue.

But having seen the superficially impressive zombies, his confidence had surged. Far from being content to leave this treasure mountain empty-handed, he was now determined to take down the host of this place.

After all, this rookie competition is a rare opportunity for advancement. One of the three giants of the group, King Jinshoulu of the Shinra pedigree who wields the Heaven Fu Seal, seems to have heard something. He's even sent all of his elite underlings into this hellish place, promising great rewards upon their successful return. If I can outdo Executive Li here and prove my Ability within the group, it's not impossible for me, long stuck at the Third Stage, to cross the Sky Gorge and advance to the Fourth Stage…

While observing, a sudden insight struck him. He noticed a faint movement in the shadows above, revealing a hint of something amiss, and he couldn't help but silently chuckle.

The host has finally made a slip.

Pretending not to notice, he conveyed a message to his subordinates through Source Fluctuation. Taking two steps forward to expose his back, he didn't expect a sudden loud shout to erupt.

"—Happy New Year to the big brother and sister-in-law!"

Suddenly, the darkness shattered. A chubby zombie covered in grass descended from above, ignoring the wide-open Cui JaeSung and instead lunging straight for Park Jiseong at the rear.

At the back, Park Jiseong looked up only to see a dark green, chubby figure charging at him. His face turned pale, anger intermingled with a hint of grievance. Why the hell is it always me…

Though panicked, he was still a Third Stage Sublimator and remained composed in the face of danger. He kicked out powerfully, executing the essence of Hwarangdo complemented by his Soul Ability. In an instant, lightning sparked; a ferocious dragon, along with some other insignificant things, flew out, striking the zombie in mid-air.

The chubby zombie was instantly blown apart.

Like a water-filled balloon, blood sprayed everywhere. Caught off guard, several of them were splattered in the face, dodging awkwardly.

An YongShun wiped the blood from his face. As he did, he realized the zombie's Plasma was mixed with something else… Yellow, sticky, like curry.

A horrible realization dawning, he looked up in horror to see Park Jiseong's face drain of color, then flush, then go utterly pale. Below his trousers, a glob of curry silently slid down, a foul stench spreading everywhere…

"Park Jiseong!!!"

An YongShun, understanding all too well, furiously wiped the curry from his face, his complexion ashen as he bellowed, "Have you gone mad?!"

"I… I…"

Park Jiseong opened his mouth to explain, but his face grew even paler. Unable to utter a word, he vomited a heap of foul-smelling blood clots mixed with several pieces of diseased organs...

Then, from his rear, a series of muffled, disgusting sounds that no one wanted to hear erupted, and with the splashing of liquid, the smell of curry intensified.

Vomiting and diarrhea.

In an instant, not just An YongShun, but Li YoonJung beside him screamed in terror.

In the darkness of the ancient castle, Huai Shi was silently counting on his fingers. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine… Wow, to think they've managed to contract nine kinds of Abyss Virus strains! Forget Third Stage Sublimators; even an ironclad behemoth would be in dire straits from these nine Abyss Virus strains. The first to spread must have been the Hell flu, followed by the onset of scurvy, parasitic thorns taking root and sprouting... and the final symptoms look like Abyss dysentery… Yikes!

The scene was so horrific that even Huai Shi himself couldn't bear to watch. He instinctively recoiled, feeling even more pity for Yuan Zhao, who he imagined was struggling somewhere as if trapped in a mountain of used cat litter.

Why do these poor kids have such a penchant for wrestling with shit…