The apocalypse begins with a dungeon game.

My body was a little stiff from sitting on the ground for so long.

The indoor light gradually dimmed at some point, and he looked up at the window.

Although it was noon in this illusion, the sun was setting, and the distant horizon was tinged with a light gold tinged with red.

The color was changing, from a light shade to a deep crimson, all in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted below the quiet 23rd floor. First came a few gasps, then more and more screams and wails echoed throughout the building.

Not knowing what was happening outside, Li Can followed the sound and saw people running from the lobby on the first floor toward the hospital's main entrance.

They were then blocked at the entrance by burly guards.

Even if they wanted to leave, they couldn't, but as the number of people increased, the guards began to be overwhelmed.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Help!"

"What are all these things? Has anyone called the police?!"

"Damn it, I can't make any calls. Why did the signal suddenly drop?"

"Help me! Don't run away! Wait for me!"

Screams and curses rose and fell, and apart from people running outside, Li Can sensed increasingly chaotic footsteps approaching his floor.

What happened? Li Can didn't open the locked door, but peered into the corridor through the glass window above the door.

The doctors, nurses, and patients who were once well-dressed in the hospital were now all disheveled and looked tense.

There were also a few people dressed in ordinary clothes, who appeared to be family members of the patients.

Some of them took the elevator up to this floor, while others climbed the stairs to continue running upwards.

The echoes were even stronger in the corridors on both sides of the hospital.

"Can anyone tell me what happened?"

"What should we do...?"

Most of them had bite marks on their bodies, and the wounds looked very much like human teeth marks.

Fresh blood gushed out, gradually staining his clothes red.

Li Can didn't need to guess what was causing the mischief; the next second, as the elevator doors opened again, the horrific scene inside was revealed.

Four or five humanoid monsters, as if their limbs had been removed and then reattached, twisted their bodies in various poses and gnawed, tore, and abused the people inside the elevator.

Their appearance looked exactly like the unfinished versions of the humanoid spider monsters that Li Can had encountered in the open field before.

"So, those experimental subjects in the underground laboratory were resurrected in this way?" Li Can stroked the [Resurrection] potion briefcase in his right hand, and thought that was probably the case.

After a moment's hesitation, he realized this was his perfect opportunity. He tightened the drawstring of his wolf-skin cloak and tied it in a tight knot to ensure he was absolutely safe. He then hid his briefcase in a corner of the office and squatted down, trying to compose himself.

"Awoo awoo awoo..." he muttered the incantation, thinking that he should play the same role as the monsters.

The fur on the wolf-skin cloak trembled slightly as if a breeze had passed by, and then nothing else happened.

"Is that all?"

Li Can wasn't sure if it had worked, but judging from her current appearance, she looked exactly the same as before.

The difference might just be the twitching of a few hairs?

"Squeak."

He opened the door from the inside, and the noisy riot was still going on. Patients were still fleeing to the rooftop above the corridor, led by medical staff.

"Sigh, running up there will only lead to certain death." He was a little worried for them.

However, given the current situation, they probably have no chance to escape from the hospital. They can only try to survive as long as possible.

Many people thought that things might turn around later.

Li Can blended into the crowd silently and without anyone noticing.

I just bumped into the first nurse who passed by, and she was immediately terrified.

"Aaaaaah!" she screamed, as if she had seen a ghost. Facing Li Can, she almost collapsed to the ground with her legs giving way.

Li Can looked at the familiar face in front of him and couldn't help but be surprised.

I never expected to see her at this time.

Isn't this the guy who just woke up in the hospital room and was being chased around and forced to take his medicine?

"Don't come any closer!" She trembled and ran away, hiding behind them.

Seeing her reaction, Li Can immediately knew that he had the upper hand.

Even other mutated monsters from the laboratory completely ignored him when they saw him.

"It works quite well."

So, in the darkest hour when everyone was running around frantically or being bitten and killed, a person went against the tide.

To be precise, it should be called a "monster" that moves in reverse.

Li Can moved downstairs, encountering many creatures along the way that were no longer recognizable.

When no one was looking, he would secretly take away a few that looked to be of good quality and combat strength to fill the puppet eggs.

He stopped in his tracks as soon as he reached the 16th floor.

This is my birthplace.

Previously, the hospital maintained an eerie peaceful atmosphere, so Li Can allowed Wang Qing, who had not yet woken up, to sleep in the same ward.

After all, the environment at the time was actually quite safe.

Aside from the fact that nurses always chase after people to give them medicine, there's nothing wrong with that.

Moreover, at that time he was in a hurry to complete his mission and investigate clues.

Now that everything has settled down, he certainly wouldn't want to leave him there to die.

He opened the half-closed door to the ward, revealing an interior that was much the same as when he first arrived.

In the four-person ward, four beds were neatly arranged vertically. The bald young man sleeping on the bed closest to the door had a perpetually furrowed brow.

It's like being trapped in a deep nightmare, unable to wake up.

A disheveled, mutilated monster was perched on his body, and the two faced each other in a strange balance.

"Collect." Li Can aimed the empty puppet egg at the monster, and in an instant, the thing was absorbed into the eggshell.

"It seems it's just curious about Wang Qing and doesn't actually intend to kill him..."

At this moment, Li Canxin had collected fifteen puppets, leaving him with twenty-five slots. He planned to choose some that were easier to upgrade.

After closing the door behind him, Li Can walked to Wang Qing's side and stood there.

"Just how captivating is this guy's dream? I just can't seem to break free from it...?"

I had no clue what to do for the time being.

After all, the interference from "Sister Li Lan" in the dream was quite strong. If one's mind is not clear and the memory lines between reality and dreams are confused, then one will indeed be trapped forever.

If we apply this to other people's dreams, its power would probably be considerable.

As for whether he would really die inside, Li Can couldn't say for sure. It seemed he would have to think of a way to interfere with it from the outside.

Although Wang Qing had no special abilities and was just an ordinary person, Li Can wouldn't think of letting him die just because of his righteousness and his selfless act of rushing to save her.

Besides, to be fair, didn't he, Chen Qixiang, and I have a secret oath of brotherhood called the Peach Garden Oath?

At the time, I only saw it as a respite from my precarious journey of salvation. Looking back now, I realize that the meaning was all given by people. The exchange of hearts is never a one-way street.

"Let's try the physical wake-up service first," Li Can said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

Amidst the commotion outside the corridor, the next second, the ward door was suddenly kicked open, and a familiar figure burst in.

Just then, Li Can's slap landed squarely on Wang Qing's forehead.

"Snap." A crisp sound rang out in the ward.