Apocalypse Forecast

"Damn it, this is a total disaster."

In the abandoned subway hall, corpses lay scattered everywhere. The Purified People, who had once conducted a fervent ritual here, were now thoroughly chilled, scattered among the multitude of Border Variants on the ground.

And right in the middle of that massive sacrificial ritual, the man in the suit donning a Poly Mask let out an irritated sigh.

After scrutinizing the specifications of the offerings and the symbols on the altar, he finally arrived at an unpleasant conclusion. Are you kidding me? It's Nine Phoenix?

The Nine Phoenix, according to the records of the Astronomical Society, belonged to the Fourth Stage of the Dongxia Genealogy. However, this did not mean it was only slightly superior to Stigmas of the likes of Gui and Ely.

On the contrary, the difference between the Fourth and Third Stage was a veritable Sky Gorge.

Once Sublimators reached the Third Stage·Ether Level, their fragile internal organs would also begin to metamorphose, transforming into the legendary creatures represented by their Stigma—akin to the heroes of lore endowed with Dragon Blood, the children of ghosts, or the human projections deemed angels.

But the Fourth Stage, Star Antimony, represents thorough completion.

That is to say, one could completely transcend their fragile human shell and incarnate as the divine entity represented by their Stigma. Some of the most outstanding among them had even attained Divine Nature, regarded as demigods with divine blood flowing in their veins.

The appearance of the Nine Phoenix's symbol in the rituals of The Purified People meant only one thing—behind the chaos in Xinhai, there lurked a Sublimator who had reached the Fourth Stage.

A bona fide monster.

Although the advancement paths known to the Social Security Bureau did not include the Nine Phoenix branch—and even that path was incomplete, only going as far as the Third Stage Gu Huo Bird.

Known as the ferocious beast Ghost Car, the Nine Phoenix had ancient legends of devouring human souls, so its favor with the Ranch Owner was unsurprising.

In fact, Liu DongLi's own advancement path also included this branch; after all, Zhong Ming was a Stigma with rather extensive applicability, so he naturally had some understanding of this.

So, what did the Nine Phoenix intend to do by appearing here?

Or rather, what could it do?

There was no doubt that it could cause destruction if it wanted to; it would be all too easy for a Fourth Stage Sublimator to stir up trouble in the Current Circumstances.

But was there any point in doing so?

Even if it intended to distract the Social Security Bureau, a single Fourth Stage Nine Phoenix wouldn't be enough. Acting alone made no sense and wasn't cost-effective; it would be better to gather forces and create a major incident.

But obviously, after operating in Xinhai for so long under the guise of the Savior Association, The Purified People surely hadn't gone through all this just to hunt for prey.

It's too much trouble.

For such a task, finding a small country amidst civil war would be ridiculously easy. Why bother coming to Dongxia?

Thus, its target became clear—or rather, it had always been clear.

—Magic City.

After the last Border disaster, The Purified People's obsession with Magic City had been growing daily; clearly, there was something of great importance to them in Magic City.

Therefore, the entrance had to be opened.

But how?

In such major events, the key players were at least Fifth Stage Sublimators. Things were prone to be complicated by the meddling of Natural Enemies and the interplay of various Elements of Destruction.

Even with the strength of a Fourth Stage Sublimator, one would only be capable of waving flags and cheering from the sidelines in the face of such events.

You, a Nine Phoenix, what virtues and capabilities do you possess?

Unless…

Advancement?

Liu DongLi finally realized. He scrutinized the bizarre ritual site before him, conjecturing about the vast Mystic Ritual currently enshrouding Xinhai. Once he grasped the main axis, the previously intricate fog seemed to dissipate instantly.

Everything fell into place.

Liu DongLi frantically rummaged through the subway station's work office for the original subway blueprints, studying the perfect circular route marked on them.

Then, his hands stained with blood from the floor, he continued to mark the blueprint.

Until at last, blood crisscrossed over the entire circle, perfectly forming two overlapping emblems.

One was the symbol of the Nine Phoenix.

And the other, the mark of gestation and transformation.

As expected, he's advancing!

The purpose of this ceremony then became very clear.

By leveraging the proliferation of the Mirror World, the entire Xinhai subway network was covered. This cleverly circumvented the suppression of the Great Secret: Chalatustra by using the correspondence between the reflection and the original.

Interfering with the reflection required far less Source Substance than meddling with the physical reality. By deepening the reflection's abyss in this manner, a hellified zone was created and then superimposed onto the original.

The Current Circumstances remained ostensibly the same, yet this setup was sufficient to perform an advancement ritual that would normally only be possible in Deep Hell.

Truly a stroke of genius!

Then, by advancing in sync, upon completion, it would resonate with the Source. This would create a direct passage for the Ranch Owner, thereby achieving the goal of opening a pathway to Magic City.

An outcome that killed two birds with one stone.

To become a legend, one must first create a legend, just as one aspiring to godhood must first perform a Miracle.

To accomplish two great abyssal feats with a single effort—using one to advance and the other as personal nourishment—the future achievements would surely be boundless, right?

As Liu DongLi pondered this, he suddenly heard the sharp sound of glass shattering.

When he looked up in shock, he saw that the name of the station platform began to distort and transform behind the broken glass, eventually morphing into an unrecognizable subway station name.

—Pudong Avenue?

Soon, he had a realization. Could it be a location within Magic City? In other words, the current Mirror World has adopted a Triple-fold reflection correspondence?

This final task was visibly becoming more complicated by the second.

He tugged at his wig, a headache brewing. He looked down at his watch, which remained unchanged—the signal bar on the side was clearly full, meaning all of this was under the Astronomical Society's surveillance.

But the upper echelons still hadn't responded.

There are several possibilities. First, the people above might already know but can't offer any help; you've been abandoned, my friend, so just wait for death. The other, more hopeful possibility is that this matter isn't a big deal in the eyes of the upper echelons; Xinhai's current preparations can resolve it. So, go ahead and do it with confidence. Whichever the case, he probably couldn't get any help from Shangfeng now.

"A bunch of bastards, absolutely useless when it really matters!"

He cursed twice, frustrated. He wandered through the corpse-littered subway station, pondering for a long time before stopping abruptly. He pulled out his phone and dialed the detective's number.

"Who's this?" the detective on the other end asked, sounding listless. "The Astronomical Society? Has the person coming to evacuate me finally arrived?"

"In your dreams! I haven't even run yet, and you're thinking of running off alone?!" Liu DongLi roared furiously.

"You're still alive?" The detective sounded astonished. "I thought by now you would have died gallantly..."

"Just shut your raven beak!" Liu DongLi became even more annoyed. "All right, cut the crap. You're the local operator for Yesterday's Delivery, aren't you?"

The detective didn't speak, seemingly considering how to shirk responsibility. Liu DongLi snorted coldly and, holding onto a slim hope, asked, "I heard that the highest-level service from Yesterday's Delivery can even get your stuff to you before you buy it. Is that true?"

"..."

The detective on the other end of the phone remained silent for a long time, then said in a dry voice, "Five minutes ago, I received notification from Jinling's chief in charge of Yesterday's Delivery... He said a customer's order had just been delivered to the vicinity of the local destination and asked me to remind the customer to check for it. The service fee for this delivery would be calculated at twice the highest rate and would be fully paid by the Jinling Social Security Bureau..."

Liu DongLi was stunned. What the hell?

Before he could finish, his phone DINGED. A text message popped up: "The delivery service provided to you has ended. Please reply to this message later to rate our service. If satisfied, please..."

The phone call was no longer necessary.

Liu DongLi hung up the phone in disbelief. He slowly turned around, looking for any place that might have storage lockers. Finally, his gaze settled on the huge, solid wood altar standing in the center of the piled corpses.

Incredulous.

After a long moment, he picked up a steel rod from the ground and circled the intricately carved altar. He could see no visible seams. When he mustered his strength, pierced the outer wooden layer, and forcefully pried open the altar, he found an enormous, dust-coated iron chest inside.

Since when?

That altar had been there for who knows how long. How did they open it, place something inside, and then close it up again, exactly as before?

Or had Yesterday's Delivery stuffed this thing inside from the very beginning, when the altar was built?

Couldn't make heads or tails of it.

But the Yesterday's Delivery logo on it undeniably proved the package's origin.

I take back what I said. Those bastards upstairs are occasionally useful, at least they can foot the bill.

He smashed the outer lock with all his might and lifted the heavy lid of the enormous iron chest.

Gazing at the densely packed Alchemy Explosives inside, a pleased smile spread across his face.

This operation is secure.

.

.

"Help! Somebody help!"

Amidst the continuous gunfire, Shen Yue screamed, huddled in a corner. Eyes closed, he kept pulling the trigger, completely missing his targets.

"Shut up, you useless thing! It's so annoying!" Ai Qing scolded irritably, deftly changing the magazine of her submachine gun. She then fired at the group of approaching Corruptions. "Aren't you a Third Stage Sublimator?! Why am I, a cripple, the one fighting? Get up there and do something!"

"But I really can't fight at all!" Shen Yue replied timidly, shrinking back. "I only know how to play support... Jin Mu always did the fighting! I just had to heal..."

"Useless!"

Ai Qing gave up any hope for this hopelessly cowardly guy. Gritting her teeth, she took the last grenade from his vest and tossed it into the swarm of Corruptions. With a BOOM, a viscous black blood spread out, its stench sharp and foul.

But the dozen or so remaining dog-like Alien Species seemed enraged by this, growing even more agitated. This time, they became cautious, maintaining their distance and carefully circling, looking for an opportunity.

They were like cunning Hyenas preparing to hunt.

The flashlight Shen Yue held began to flicker.

It struggled to function in the increasing concentration of Abyss sediment...

It wasn't just the flashlight that was being eroded.

Ai Qing's face grew pale, and she panted heavily. Yet, her expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as she watched the hungry monsters, her fingers slowly tapping her gun.

Until that moment when the light completely died out.

In the darkness, those dozen pairs of roaming crimson eyes suddenly blazed with excited light. With snarls, they closed in!

Ai Qing pulled the trigger.

Then, amidst the cacophony, a roar suddenly echoed.

"Ai Qing, don't be afraid! I'm here to save you LA LA LA LA LA!"

The next instant, as the flashlight beam flared back to life, a burning Huai Shi burst through the wall.

And then stood there, stunned.

What happened?