It was 9 o'clock at night. The classroom was brightly lit, while outside it was pitch black. This time marked the late-night study session for the senior high school students, with only forty minutes left until it was over.
Inside the classroom, Chen Mu suddenly opened his eyes wide, looking around in confusion. After a moment of daze, he finally regained his senses, murmuring incredulously to himself:
"I... I've actually been reborn..."
Chen Mu vividly remembered that he had lived through the fifth year of the bizarre apocalypse. In this world of anomalies, Earth had turned into a hellish landscape. In each deadly scenario, any slight violation of the rules would attract anomalous attacks. Those with better luck might lose limbs, while those less fortunate would become food for the anomalies.
In this bizarre apocalypse, survival required either forming contracts with anomalies, possessing special items, extraordinary intelligence, or... having underworld credits!
Of course, obtaining strength, intelligence, or underworld credits was no easy task!
Especially underworld credits. Regular underworld credits were useless; what truly intrigued anomalies were the underworld credits minted after the apocalypse.
Rumors had it that the Underworld Bank held trillions of underworld credits. With trillions of underworld credits, the apocalypse would be a paradise! Even the most formidable anomalies would kneel before you.
In his previous life, Chen Mu had managed to survive for five years. Through a stroke of luck, he had stumbled upon the Underworld Bank.
During the apocalypse, there was a rumor that the Underworld Bank held trillions of underworld credits. With trillions of underworld credits, the apocalypse would be a paradise!
Outside on the playground, it was also a scene of tranquility. Chen Mu wasn't surprised by this. The bizarre apocalypse had arrived a month ago, but its impact was still relatively minor; most people hadn't been affected yet, and normal order was being maintained.
Chen Mu knew that the influence of the bizarre apocalypse was gradually expanding. Initially, only a few people worldwide might be affected, forced to participate in bizarre scenes and struggle to survive within their rules. Those receiving bizarre tasks had to arrive at the specified scene on time.
Bizarre scenes varied in size; some were solo tasks, while others involved multiple participants. Eventually, two years after the bizarre apocalypse, an entire city's population might find themselves in a collective bizarre scene—a living hell on Earth.
Completing tasks within these bizarre scenes yielded rewards, but such lucky individuals were few. Even if one managed to survive, more bizarre scenes awaited in the future.
As time passed, more and more people were drawn into these bizarre scenes, societal order collapsed, and everyone was in jeopardy—an apocalyptic scenario.
If Chen Mu remembered correctly, the current tranquility was like the calm before the storm. In another month at most, chaos would reign, and people would witness the terror of the bizarre apocalypse.
"Bizarre scenes can be purchased, and anomalies can be hired. In the next month, I need to buy as many bizarre scenes as possible, hire more anomalies, and acquire more items."
Chen Mu understood deeply that despite having plenty of underworld credits, he needed strength to survive. Otherwise, with all his wealth before the rebirth, he had still perished in the raging inferno.
Glancing around the classroom, if one observed carefully, they would notice that the bizarre apocalypse had already begun altering everyone within this month.
Although books were laid out on desks, few students were actually reading. Most were whispering anxiously, their faces showing fear and unease.
It was evident that they had heard rumors about bizarre scenes and had begun to grasp some of the rules of the bizarre apocalypse within the past month.
For instance:
- Receiving a bizarre task required participation; failure to comply meant death.
- Bizarre tasks appeared randomly; whether one received them, when they received them, and how many times—all depended on luck.
Yet, no one had realized that the bizarre apocalypse had already arrived. They still hoped for stable order, wishing that everything would pass.
Suddenly, a scream echoed in the classroom. A girl who had been chatting happily with her deskmate a moment ago now looked terrified, pointing at her desk with trembling fingers.
On her desk lay a blood-red note with the words:
\[Bizarre Task: Midnight Cafeteria\]
Simultaneously, two other students' desks also displayed identical notes. Such a note meant unfortunate selection for a bizarre task, requiring them to complete it within the bizarre scene.
Looking at his own desk, Chen Mu saw the same note [Bizarre Task: Midnight Cafeteria]. Unlike the frightened reactions of the others, Chen Mu showed not fear but a hint of excitement in his eyes.