Beijing. The third night of the two-week survival mission.
Vast expanses of rubble streets, numerous otherworldly titans lurked about, and the city was surrounded by overarching disastrous portals. The darkness made it difficult for the remaining survivors to see anything from within their strongholds. In a fenced-off sturdy hotel, there were two pretty teenagers around the age of eighteen hiding on the second floor inside a medium-sized room.
The two girls were whispering to each other while hiding inside a large clothing closet. In the morning, their parents had informed them about going out to look for supplies and that they'll return as soon as possible.
Initially, the two girls were comfortable with this as their parents had done this lots of times, but something was different this time around. Generally, their parents would have returned by now; the sky was dark already.
Quietly whispering, the older sister surnamed 'Li' murmured, "Tungmi, should we go out to take a look? Mom and Dad are normally back by now. I'm worried."
Li Tungmi, a pretty girl with bright hazel eyes, softly replied, "But Dad said to never leave without their signal. Supposedly, this home is a special spot that can evade the detection of those impossible missions."
"Dad helped us to level up our stats. We are at the same strength as him—how could we keep hiding? I know Dad and Mom love us, but we can't hide behind them forever." Taking a deep breath, Li Lungyi forced herself to be brave. When she was about to exit the closet, she heard a bunch of loud footsteps racing across the hallway.
Instantly, Lungyi's confidence plummeted. From these fast, noisy steps alone, she did not believe that it was their parents. Pulling back her foot, she sunk her body into the corner while whispering, "Shh, Tungmi."
"Is it Mom and Dad?" Confused, Tungmi responded with some unease, and she was doubtful. The hotel was crammed with traps strong enough to murder even the orcs. Normally, a monster could not even successfully pass through the hotel entrance. Without the memorization of the location of the traps, it was impossible to successfully avoid them.
"No… Mom's steps don't sound like that. It's too loud and rapid." Lungyi was about to keep whispering, but she heard the steps come to a sudden halt near the doorway of their home; her pretty face paled.
This would have been the time for Lungyi to demonstrate her previous confidence, but she could not push herself to come out of the closet. In the end, she did not have enough experience. It was simple to dream and think about fighting, but it was a completely different beast to follow through with it.
"Lungyi…" Tungmi was terrified. It was nearing three months into the apocalypse; however, the two pretty girls were still inexperienced and naïve. This could be attributed to their overprotective mother and father. Sometimes, it was a death sentence for their children if a family was too controlling.
"It'll be okay, Tungmi." Holding her breath, Lungyi heard the door to their home being knocked down by a violent force. Peeking through the thin middle gap, she saw the tall figures of two ghastly vampires talking with each other in an unknown language.
"What are they?" Horrified at the murderous faces, Lungyi had never heard of such monsters before. The danger these vampires emitted was far greater than even the strong orcs.
Closing her eyes, Lungyi did not dare to look anymore in fear of being discovered. Crouching in the corner, she started praying for their safety. While the two sisters were praying, the casual sound of the footsteps began to reach their clothing closet.
"Mom, Dad…" Glistening tears began to leak out of the pretty eyes of both sisters. To have survived this far was a grand achievement in itself. The human race was nearing extinction day by day.
While Lungyi was dreading the next moment, she heard the fierce stampeding of more footsteps outside their home. To her surprise, the sound of these footsteps was very similar to her parents.
"Be careful, Dad! There are two monsters in here!" With a loud shriek, Lungyi took the chance; she could not allow her parents to walk in unguarded. Knocking down the closet door, she ran outside to meet face to face with the female and male vampire.
"Lungyi?!" In front of the home's door, there was a powerful-looking couple. The large middle-aged man roared when he saw the two vampires, and he angrily discharged two deadly bolts of golden lightning.
"Boom!" The two sharp lightning bolts flew toward the vampires who were seemingly husband and wife. Seeing this attack, the ghastly faces of the vampires darkened. Trying to dodge the bolts of lightning, the male vampire managed to get away unscathed, but the female vampire was pierced through the head by the lightning dagger.
Flowing blood gushed out of the female vampire's head. Seeing his partner cry in agony, the male vampire screamed as he agilely rushed with his sharp nails at the middle-aged man, "Die!"
This large middle-aged man had a unique ability with mysterious qualities. Harrumphing, he coldly laughed, "Get out of my home."
Blades of golden lightning began ripping through the thin fabric of the atmosphere. Sprinting through the unrelenting chaos, Father Li's mightiness was emphasized by the sparks of lightning around his body.
With his golden lightning saber, Father Li appeared before the male vampire while using his lightning ability to amplify his speed by many times.
"How…?" The male vampire was confused seeing such amazing power in a mere human. Throughout his time on Earth, he had massacred every human he came across with ease alongside his pure-blooded wife.
This thought was still in the male vampire's mind even after being pierced through the head. Somehow, his regenerative abilities weren't working. Furthermore, the mind of this middle-aged man was too firm to influence.
Father Li coldly watched the male vampire flop to the carpet floor. Standing on top of the monster's head with his spiked boots, he squashed this disgusting creature like a bug. Once again, overwhelming power flowed through his veins as he evolved his abilities.
From the start of the apocalypse, this powerful couple had conquered every monster with ease. Coupled with their military training and arms, it was a walk in the park. The two were ruthless in every mission.
While Father Li was ensuring the vampire corpse was as dead as possible, his two pretty daughters ran up to him with soaked faces. Wiping their tears, he cajoled them, "It was Dad's fault. I should have come back faster."
Setting his two daughters to stand with his beautiful wife, Father Li examined the agonized female vampire. The female vampire was struggling to regenerate, but it was still not dead. Feeling no sympathy, he stabbed the vampire's body with a blade of golden lightning that extended over ten meters to reach its target, but he was careful to not stab a vital point.
Having murdered those six powerful cultivators to complete his two-week mission, Father Li's strength was soaring to even greater heights, but these six Foundation Establishment cultivators were far weaker than the First Legion which Feng Hui had faced. The First Legion was a special troop of Tian Changming.
Loosening his toned muscles, Father Li signaled with his hand for his family to come over. Looking at his weeping daughters, he sighed, "I've realized my mistakes now. The world is changing far too quickly. Protect your little sister, Lungyi. Kill this vampire and increase your strength. You'll need to become brave."
"Daddy…" Lungyi was shocked by her mighty father's sudden declaration of his wrongs, and she gathered her courage to summon her purple lightning sword. Trying to demonstrate her courage, she cruelly stabbed the heart of this crawling female vampire without mercy.
"That's my good girl." Praising his daughter, Father Li smiled. Having seen the unbelievable chaos outside, this was necessary; he was not stubborn to a fault.
While Father Li was smiling, his beautiful wife asked him a sudden question, "Hubby, what do you think about that famous rumor?"
"Hm? The one about that masked silver-cloaked man?" Contemplating her question, Father Li casually responded with a hint of admiration.
"Yeah. The survivors who have seen his shadow all worship him like a deity. Supposedly, he will be the one to finally bring about the end to this accursed apocalypse." Mother Li fervently nodded while tightly hugging her two daughters.
"Mom, mom! Tell us more!" Lungyi became excited listening to her parent's hopeful voices. Jumping up and down, the two sisters bugged their mother, eager to hear more about this exciting story.
"Okay, listen closely, my daughters. If this silver-cloaked man even spares a single glance in the direction of the monsters, their souls would willingly dissipate from fear. With each step, he leaves behind a massive trail of enlightened, hopeful survivors. With one hand, he can effortlessly support the entire sky." Losing herself in her own story, Mother Li was starstruck, and she started to believe in the possible end of the apocalypse.
Continuing, Mother Li joyfully added, "In the blink of an eye, he can traverse the entire world, appearing anywhere he wants. Supposedly, his celestial figure has been seen on every continent. Following his shadow, the monstrous portals swiftly cease to exist, and an entire city is saved."
"Wow, he's that godly?! Is the rumor real?" Heeding the legendary story with a pair of worshipping eyes, Lungyi's mouth widened from shock.
However, Tungmi was a bit doubtful, "Mom, if that's the case, why are there still so many portals outside our home?"
"I have faith in this mysterious man. I believe that everything takes time. Word has traveled to Beijing that Shanghai has been wholly cleared of portals! Furthermore, the government there is beginning to communicate with other nations again!" Mother Li's proud voice reverberated. The advanced technology of 2057 allowed for efficient communication. For the nations of the world, this mysterious man was their sole light; everyone had to believe! Without hope, the human race would be doomed.