The apocalypse begins with a dungeon game.

"Power? Does this count?" Li Lan pretended to gather his strength, then gently pried the round tabletop closer to him with one hand.

In an instant, she broke off a piece from the originally one-piece desktop, leaving it uneven and bumpy.

She waved the broken pieces of the table she was holding in her hand for everyone to see.

"Since you've already investigated me privately, you should know something about me, right?"

Feng Tian recalled the description of the strange creature she witnessed killing within the organization, which said that the creature possessed immense strength and tore its body apart, leaving it spewing fluids everywhere.

The scene was exceptionally horrific.

【Yes, but if we want to achieve cooperation, it's better to get to know each other better.】 Feng Tian's comment had just appeared not long ago.

Yang Mo then added, "So, roughly when did you all begin to awaken? How many other people in the lower city are in a similar situation?"

"I don't know about that. It's been a short time, and I can't remember exactly when. It was just recently," Li Lan said evasively, looking at Li Can.

Li Can understood that they wanted to gather this group of people together, since they were the only people in the lower city they could find to help them.

They were the first to notice the anomaly among the Upper City residents, and fortunately, they were able to sit down and have a proper discussion without any conflict.

If the city lord's people find out, the outcome will probably not be good.

However, this is indeed difficult to accomplish. Currently, they are falsely claiming to be "awakened city dwellers," but in reality, they are no match for players who enter the instance game from the outside world.

Aside from the superhumans from the base, the other survivors randomly teleported together from Earth are the most unpredictable.

Just like that teacher who suddenly "went crazy" at Xing Tiantian School, at this critical juncture, it's hard to say whether the incident, which caused such a big commotion back then, has already attracted the attention of the city lord's forces.

The situation is not as good as it seems right now; the unexpected developments happening behind the scenes are simply beyond Li Can and his team's control.

"I think our most urgent task is to find all the awakened people in the lower city, just in case..." Li Can left his sentence unfinished.

Li Lan, the younger sister, quickly chimed in, "If it gets leaked, it won't be good for anyone."

"We know that's why we came to you. If this matter can be resolved, I will agree to Boss Xing's request to go to Shangcheng." The dark green slime on Yang Mo's body melted sparsely on the floor.

The room was quiet.

[I remember you said you already had a list of several awakened people from the lower cities, right...] Feng Tian was referring to what Li Lan had said during their first encounter.

"Yes, but not many, and I can't be sure about the others."

"In the end, as residents here, you are more suited than us to take action or win over others." Feng Tian said, placing her tentacles on Yang Mo.

After receiving the instruction, he pulled out a large bag of gold ingots from his strange body.

He ripped open the drawstring of the bag and dumped it onto the table with a clatter.

Li Can calmly counted the amount; it was more than ten times what he had received after saving Shen Yuan.

We're offering this with great sincerity. Please take a share of these as a stepping stone to find other people in the lower city. Cooperation might not impress them, but with this money to buy exit permits, they'll definitely be able to.

After all, for so many years, everyone's deep-rooted desire has always been to get out of that ridiculous city gate, hasn't it?

Yang Mo's actions surprised Li Can and Li Lan. The two nodded and divided the gold ingots into a 3:7 ratio.

Li Can received a relatively small portion.

The younger sister took the lion's share because it was arranged beforehand in their hotel room; the different people were responsible for different aspects of the trip.

If it weren't for the fact that she was acting for Feng Tian and Yang Mo, Li Can would have given all the money to her younger sister without taking a single penny.

Normally, finding people wouldn't require the involvement of the city dwellers; they would be looking for other scattered players.

With the help of monetary incentives, things will be easier to handle.

why not.

Li Can calculated the gold ingots he had hidden in his consciousness space, plus the ones he had just acquired, and now he had enough to leave the city and enter the strange lair several times over.

Leaving the city was useless; it was actually a trap...

But it's better than nothing.

This item is useful not only for players entering dungeons with them, but also for the original inhabitants of the lower city.

They've worked hard for hundreds of years, and they can only support one person from their entire family to leave the city. If someone gave them money, they could leave the city immediately. Wouldn't everyone have to seriously consider their life choices?

"When do you plan to take Shen Yuan back to Shangcheng?" Li Can asked Shen Yuan after putting the things away.

"I need to leave the city with her."

"What? Worried we'll break the contract? As long as you keep providing us with what we want, we won't keep you here indefinitely." Yang Mo's enormous, eerie head swayed slightly.

"Is that so? You don't need to lie to me about this. I know a bit about it. Jumping from the lower city into the upper city is not an easy thing. It is full of dangers and there are many things to be wary of. Once the city lord finds out, no one can escape unscathed."

Li Can paused for a moment, then said, "Therefore, the request I made is a necessary condition. I must be among the first to leave with Shen Yuan. No matter how much you try to promise me a happy ending, I will stick to my opinion."

【…】

"Is that so? Then I'll go too." Li Lan immediately realized what Li Can meant and continued speaking.

The brother and sister pretended not to know each other, and their acting was quite convincing, with each pair singing in unison.

Yang Mo originally planned to include Li Can, but if Li Lan also wanted to go, things would become more complicated.

The plan needs to be revised.

After the passage to the upper city is opened, the number of people that can enter at one time is limited, and the corpse also needs to be taken back for dissection and research.

The woman with great awakened strength in front of them would be of no use to them even if they took her to the upper city. The best option would be to keep her in the lower city as a pawn for internal support.

As for Xing Dazhuang, the owner of Baijie Hotel, he initially planned to take him and Shen Yuan away for research as well. However, after figuring out that the secret to restoring one's body came from that small green stone, he realized that...

It seems unnecessary.

Leaving only the stones for trading is perfectly sufficient.

Even Shen Yuan could be abandoned along with them.

They've already played all their cards, and he himself is the dealer who controls the whole game.

Arrange it however you want.

Now that he's been pushed to such a critical point, Yang Mo believes there's no need to go to great lengths and risk opening a passage between the upper and lower cities.

He remained silent while deep in thought.

Everyone was waiting for him to continue.

Feng Tian's expression in Shangcheng was also solemn.

Okay, I agree.

However, I will only give you one day. Before the three-day darkness ends, you must find all the awakened people of the lower city, even if it means digging three feet into the ground.

Shen Yuan will stay here for now. I'll take you away before the daytime period arrives.

Meanwhile, Mr. Xing, every day after those stones are produced, you have to hand them over to our people. A strange guest will be there to handle the exchange.