The apocalypse begins with a dungeon game.

"The time you were missing was terrible. We almost died. There were so many zombies, nowhere to hide, and hardly any food at home."

Li Lan didn't linger in sadness for long before returning to normal.

Her eyes remained fixed on her brother, carefully checking him for any injuries.

After confirming that there were no problems, he continued, "Fortunately, I awakened my superpowers at the beginning of the apocalypse, and I also managed to establish the country's first survivor base in Upper Moon City."

"I successfully moved in with my parents, thanks to my status as a superhuman."

"Although Mom and Dad are still ordinary people, and you are no longer here, I am still here at home, and I can manage."

Li Can nodded, and the brother and sister sat on the sofa, chatting about their recent life experiences.

The situation on both sides was formally communicated, and the whole picture was finally understood.

It also calmed my mind.

"So, you only have a little over ten days left, and you must get out of the dungeon before then. If you don't get the quantity orbs, then..."

Li Lan said this with a hint of heartache.

Li Can nodded, but his tone was full of comfort, "This time is much more lenient than the last dungeon. There's just too much time. Back then, your brother didn't even need 24 hours. It's more than enough."

"This is different again, this time it should be an SSS-rank dungeon..."

The two remained silent for a moment.

"It's okay. I'm not working alone. I have you, Wang Defa, and so many other Blue Star players. Many hands make light work."

Li Can had never spoken so optimistically; he described the current situation in his best possible light.

"I understand." The younger sister covered her face with her hands, seemingly thinking about something, then stood up and pushed Li Can towards the door.

"Time is running out, brother, you should go back quickly. Old Wang and I are here in the city center, so you can rest assured."

"Even if you don't acknowledge me, I will still do my best in the missions of the base. Well, I might hold back a little, but in the current situation, I will be 120% focused."

"Let's go, the first day of darkness is almost over, don't let your sister-in-law find out."

The sister-in-law she was referring to was actually Huang Xiaoqi.

These were all things Li Can told her.

But to Li Can, it was like a blackout.

"Okay, okay, but that's really not your sister-in-law. It's just an NPC role-playing. I'm a handsome young man, don't spread rumors."

"Just kidding. Doesn't the nominal value in the dungeon count? I was wondering why you bought so much foundation before, haha. When your nephew gets out of school and you take him to the amusement park, remember to call me. I'll come and watch."

"That's not your nephew either..." Li Can lost the strength to struggle; her sister's grip was indeed strong.

After putting on the [Impersonator's Skin] and [Lamb in Wolf's Clothing] again, Li Can unlocked the door.

Li Lan leaned against the door with his arms crossed, finally becoming serious, and let out a deep breath, "Brother, take care."

"Yes, you must be careful. I will keep the vulture with you. Tell me immediately if anything happens. I can see the whole picture and give timely feedback."

As it spoke, the vulture shrunk to the size of a mosquito and perched on Li Lan's head.

Sensing the disturbance, she looked up and chuckled softly, "Okay."

……

The cold wind of the night in the eerie, labyrinthine city was exceptionally sinister, making one's hair stand on end.

Li Can wrapped her coat tighter around herself and drifted back to the Baijie Hotel like a ghost.

Passing through the lobby, the entire backyard was quiet.

Huang Xiaoqi and Shen Yuan were sleeping soundly in separate rooms.

The walls inside the restaurant had already been knocked down by Qian Shi and his staff.

Although the walls, which have undergone simple renovations, still look somewhat sloppy, they are at least able to connect the two restaurants and are now in use.

It's a restaurant in the suburbs, so it's not a big deal if it's simple.

Because the zombie crystal core could replenish her strength in time, Li Can was not sleepy at all and just sat in the courtyard between the hotel and the back house.

Looking at the pitch-black night sky, I pondered the events that had occurred since entering this instance.

I went through everything in my mind and just waited quietly for the next day's nighttime opening.

A short while later, the sound of footsteps came from behind.

"Brother Xing, didn't you go to rest? Why are you out here all alone? Aren't you cold?"

It was Shen Yuan, wearing Huang Xiaoqi's pale yellow dress. She walked to his side and covered him with a blanket.

Feeling the weight on his shoulders, Li Can shook his head.

"I can't sleep."

"Are you worried about my communication with the people of the upper city? Me too, my dreams are full of bloody scenes, and the fear of being punished and killed by the city lord always comes back."

"What kind of person is the city lord?" Li Can asked, slightly curious.

I didn't have a chance to ask before.

Everything in this seemingly eerie and labyrinthine city is in the hands of this one person.

The Upper City is the highest and final city that controls everything.

And this city lord was shrouded in mystery.

"He was a very kind and gentle old man..." Shen Yuan said, wearing a coat and stroking the wound on her chest with her fingers.

Although she was killed and punished, she still couldn't say anything bad about the city lord.

Because in her heart, the city lord was indeed a good person who had no flaws or mistakes.

"Do you know the origins of the Lower City and the Mysterious City?" Li Can shifted his posture, facing Shen Yuan.

"If the old city lord is so good, why would he condone everyone doing this? It doesn't make logical sense."

Shen Yuan looked slightly embarrassed. "When we were in school, we were all taught that the people in the lower city were all sinners who were here to be punished."

"As for the eerie city, it's not actually a city, but a void, a chaos? You could describe it that way. The people in the lower city think they've entered a paradise when they leave the city, but it's all an illusion. The environment they see from the outside is nothing more than something generated by code..."

Li Can nodded. He had seen the scene outside the barrier and at the time he only felt that something was wrong, but now, based on Shen Yuan's description, it was confirmed.

It was all a trick to deceive people.

However, the fact that it can be made like this shows that the technology in the upper city is quite advanced.

As for the guilty person Shen Yuan mentioned, he wasn't very clear about that.

What crime have the people in the lower city committed to deserve such torment and being toyed with like puppets?

"So, what heinous crimes have the people of the Lower City committed? If that's the case, why do you still want to save them and liberate this place... Wouldn't it be better to let it fend for itself until the last human being is completely extinct?"

"Brother Xing, I know you don't understand." Shen Yuan gently brushed a stray hair from beside her ear with one hand.

He sighed. "Actually, we don't really understand either. The Upper City people are born with hatred and resentment towards the Lower City people in their genes. We are born to enjoy the pleasure of tormenting the Lower City people."