Apocalypse Forecast

It was like a nightmare.

Cui JaeSung dreamt he had opened a dark gold treasure chest, from which suddenly shone four dazzling torchlights, followed by four figures leaping out. One held a large shield and had fiery red hair, another with purple hair wielded a sword, one with silver hair pouted, and the last, holding a crossbow, shouted at him, "Here we are!..."

The four blinding torchlights shook towards him, back and forth. They dazzled him so much that he felt he was about to have a seizure. Groggily unaware of his whereabouts, he blubbered, "Why don't I have a single high-value asset!"

He didn't know how long the nightmare lasted, until finally a dark golden light emerged from the chest. A blurry figure rose within the light, holding an Axe, and grinned at him, "Sword Wielder Tower, you can't rest just yet."

He screamed and finally woke up from the nightmare. But when he opened his eyes, he found himself hanging upside down in the grand hall of the castle, with seventeen or eighteen zombies plus his three subordinates standing neatly in front of him, as if they were family.

As the zombies looked at him, they bore a strange smile, as if they were all reluctant about the situation and ready to eat him next.

"Yo, you awake?"

Huai Shi's smiling face slowly rose in front of him. Picking up a mirror, he said, "The sex reassignment surgery was a success... Starting today, you can also draw two neat eyeliners and compete with the Little Green Pools for men!"

The person in the mirror had a face lightly dusted with powder, with features as fine as a painting, except for the unshaved beard that made him look fiendish, hardly something good.

Cui JaeSung was stunned for a while. He instinctively looked up... and then he sighed with relief, finally realizing, and glared at Huai Shi, "You... you're that mutt from Deer's Sing Hall!"

"Such harsh words, Old Cui... and after I even planned on giving you a warm welcome," Huai Shi pouted and pointed behind himself. "What do you think of my lineup? Want to join the ranks? It's nice to have the family together."

He did quite fancy turning Cui JaeSung into a zombie, even if he would exit the scene immediately after becoming one, even if the remaining shell would lose the Stigma and lack a Soul—but the physical quality of Third Stage Sublimators was still something to be coveted. Underlings showing up on the doorstep, why not take them in?

However, Cui JaeSung's Stigma was of the Shinra pedigree's Fire Dog, which naturally restrained Huai Shi's dark and negative Source Substance types. If Cui JaeSung didn't cooperate voluntarily, Huai Shi could easily kill him, but he wouldn't be able to obtain his body...

Once Cui JaeSung understood Huai Shi's intentions, he snarled in rage, "Dream on, you human scum, worse than a dog! No matter what you try, I won't surrender!"

Knowing the dire straits he was in at the hands of this Yingzhou pervert, Cui JaeSung's mouth filled with unceasing curses. He hurled insults ranging from "despicable creatures selling themselves to male pimps," to "shameless rats," and "treacherous, demonic madmen"—all delivered with the exact flavor of Shinra TV.

Seeing this brave man refuse to give in even in death, Huai Shi was out of options.

"Fine, I didn't really want to use this trick anyway..."

With that, Huai Shi raised his hand, stuffed a handful of Apocalypse into Cui JaeSung's mouth, and then, with a flick, snapped his fingers.

SNAP!

Immediately after, came the simultaneous ripping sound of fabric, as the twenty-some zombies instantly tore off their clothes, transforming into a troop of scantily clad, hulking zombie brutes.

In the corner, an old man reading a newspaper pulled down the main switch. The lights dimmed. The laser ball hanging in the center of the castle started spinning, bathed in colorful light, as clouds of pale white Apocalypse rose. In no time, the entire Ancient Evil Spirit Castle looked like a disco hall.

"Music!"

Huai Shi got up and stood among the zombies, moving his body with an unsettling smile, "Today, you'll witness the traditional specialty of our Orchard Gym!"

In the next moment, with the youth's gesture, resounding and inspiring music filled the air.

Scores of zombies raised their hands in unison, pressing them to their faces as they began to twist their bodies and sing in chorus.

Director Cui's eyes went wide.

A chill rushed over him.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, on the screen at the venue, the fierce war had come to a close.

The confrontation could be dubbed a high-tech battle. The clash between Scholars and armies on both sides unleashed a torrent of modern steel, with a barrage from all sorts of firearms and cannons turning everything into ruins.

As the commander of the weaker side saw the opportunity to retreat, the war came to an abrupt end.

In the livestream, Di Ting gave a slight smile, "It seems that the conflict at Asakusa Temple has come to a temporary conclusion. A real pity for Renxia Hall's Tengu squadron. With just one wrong move, they have lost a crucial Thunder Gate Contract to the Sodom Group... At the same time, congratulations to the Sodom Group for becoming the second organization to obtain a Legion Contract after the Social Security Bureau…"

In the current second stage of the competition, there are fourteen critical locations for participants to conquer, each representing a key artifact.

Unlike the various airdropped items that can only be established within the Joyful Framework, these fourteen key Border Relics are treasures contained within, produced by, or forged in Xiematai Hell. Once acquired, as long as one survives until the end of the match, not even the organizing committee will question it; the Relics become the property of the holder.

Aside from the three insanely coveted Legion Contracts, the remaining eleven Border Relics also have wondrous effects according to the difficulty of their conquest, among them no shortage of S-level or above Border Relics.

And according to the intelligence broadcast in the livestream, among the most secretive are three Stigmata Relics, indeed the essence nurtured by this slice of Hell after soaking for many years.

Once a Border Relic, under the nurturing and influence of Hell, breaks through a certain barrier, its internal power will form a permanent marvel such as Stigmata, depending on its attributes and nature. Border Relics that reach this level can be said to be no different from ordinary Sublimators, except that they lack a Soul.

Simply irrigate it with Source Substance, and it's akin to gaining a Stigmata out of thin air. Its value goes without saying, as Sublimators often fight tooth and nail for such an item in their struggles.

This is why, despite knowing the dangers of venturing into Hell, countless Sublimators have still bravely continued to forge ahead for so many years.

The more perilous the location, the more precious the treasures buried within, not to mention the various materials needed for advancement and the plethora of opportunities hidden within Hell.

Now, under the coverage of the Joyful Framework, the originally perilous Hell has been imbued with rules from the Creator, and its inherent dangers have been reduced by over forty percent. With system panels guiding everything, all becomes traceable. Moreover, with the false life granted by the Joyful Framework, death is nothing more than an exit from the game.

Any contestant with a bit of sense wouldn't miss such a rare opportunity.

Even if they've guessed that they're working for the Social Security Bureau, with the temptation of significant profits, they've taken off like mules, galloping away frantically.

It's all or nothing; turn your bicycle into a motorcycle!

Whether you end up feasting on meat or slurping broth depends on how hard you fight this time; nothing else matters.

Within just a single day, countless bloody battles erupted in Xiematai, captivating the audience to the point their eyes turned red—the most enthralling sight many hadn't seen in years.

The atmosphere of the competition became more intense with each passing moment. Except for the unlucky ones from the Yingzhou Phylogeny, who were literally swallowing their own teeth and blood, everyone else was quite joyous.

In the VIP seats, the old Court Official from Deer's Sing Hall had already stopped looking at the screen, his face an ashen gray as he closed his eyes to rest his mind. After such a protracted standoff, it wasn't as if everyone was clueless about each other's capabilities. He wanted to see where the Social Security Bureau got the appetite to swallow Xiematai whole...

The directing team, as if fearing the drama wasn't chaotic enough, even gave the old man two close-up shots. The camera captured the scene vividly, conveying an image of impotent rage to the viewers. Instantly, the entire arena filled with a joyous atmosphere.

"Now, in the second stage of the competition, of the fourteen key artifacts, only three are Legion Contracts, and two of those have already been acquired by contestants. Let's see what kind of spectacular performance the 'Little Cat Paradise' contestants have for us..."

Back in the livestream, Di Ting watched the old man's expression with a smile and waved to switch the camera angle. Suddenly, dozens of split screens filled the view, showcasing the blood-and-scream-covered amusement park.

In the midst of the pleasant children's songs blaring from the loudspeakers in the park, contestants intent on reclaiming their qualifications bravely charged into the attractions one after another. Sadly, while many entered, barely one in ten emerged.

And those who managed to slay the host and inherit the progress of conquest were even fewer.

The once cheerful-looking park had now become a meat grinder, devouring blood and death, ceaselessly delivering more joy to the audience and hosts.

On the big screen within the park, the five projects leading in completion progress were now displayed.

At the forefront was Delavia, a Third Stage Sublimator from the Gurkha Genealogy and host of the 'Death Roller Coaster.' Klee, a Sublimator from Siam, was hot on his heels, refusing to give up. Both already had eighty to ninety failed challengers bolstering their progress, which was surging astonishingly...

Unexpectedly, these several projects turned out to be of medium or slightly below-medium difficulty according to initial assessments. The highest difficulty projects, due to the scarcity of challengers, struggled to accumulate significant completion rates, much to the regret of the safety-seeking hosts.

Meanwhile, as Di Ting continued his introduction, the images on the big screen suddenly changed.

The Death Roller Coaster project, initially in the lead, suddenly shook, and the host's name instantly changed.

It switched from Delavia to someone from India. The close-up on the big screen broadcast the image of the host being instantly slain by a challenger. Beside the corpse stood a man who glanced back indifferently. He wore a crimson headband, had long black whiskers, and held a Curved Knife—indeed, a Sikh warrior.

Before the audience could even exclaim in surprise, the big screen shifted yet again. A project previously outside the rankings surged forward in completion. It entered the top three, then surpassed both second and first place to claim the lead.

—「Giant World—Host: Li Jian Amber」!