On the seventh floor of the Tianmei Building in Magic City, inside a restroom, Liu Ruyan clung tightly to Ji Boda, trembling with fear.
Just moments earlier, she had witnessed a colleague being torn in half by a monster right before her eyes. That horrific scene was something she knew she would never forget.
"Ruyan, it's alright. As long as we stay hidden here, we'll survive," Ji Boda reassured her.
"Boda, I'm so scared…" Liu Ruyan whimpered, "Do you really think someone will come to save us?"
"Don't worry, I just called, and soldiers are on their way. We just need to hold on a bit longer, and we'll be rescued," Ji Boda said, holding her close.
Liu Ruyan nodded but then remembered Xu Que, speaking bitterly, "It's all because of that damned Xu Que! If he hadn't failed to hand in the plan today, we wouldn't be hiding here like this!"
To her, Xu Que was nothing more than a pathetic sycophant, her backup ATM. No matter how much he did for her, she never saw him as worthy.
Little did she know that in a previous life, this "pathetic sycophant" had saved her and her family multiple times. Regardless of the danger ahead, Xu Que had always shielded her, willing to risk everything.
"Alright, Ruyan, there's no need to waste your energy getting angry over that useless guy. Our priority now is to find a way to escape safely," Ji Boda replied.
As the two exchanged whispers, a series of guttural growls sounded just outside the restroom, followed by loud banging against the restroom door.
"Boda!" Liu Ruyan cried out, clinging tighter to him.
Ji Boda remained silent, covering her mouth tightly, secretly regretting bringing this foolish woman with him. Couldn't she act more like Director Tang and the others?
To Ji Boda, although Liu Ruyan looked good, her charm was nothing compared to Director Tang's; besides, Tang and her peers were far more intelligent than her.
While they each pondered their own thoughts, the restroom door finally gave in to the force, splintering with a loud crash.
"Bam!"
The deafening noise made Liu Ruyan so terrified she lost control, urine seeping down her legs. She clung to Ji Boda even tighter, recalling the gruesome scene of her colleague's death.
Ji Boda wanted nothing more than to shove her away, feeling suffocated in her grip.
As the otherworldly creature entered the restroom, it began to search for its prey. Listening to the creature's raspy breaths, Ji Boda quickly covered Liu Ruyan's mouth and held his own breath.
It seemed the restroom's unpleasant smell—or perhaps Liu Ruyan's "contribution"—made the monster disinterested. After a quick scan, it turned and left.
Hearing it move away, Ji Boda finally exhaled and released his grip on her.
"Huff… huff…" Liu Ruyan gasped, suspecting Ji Boda had almost let her suffocate on purpose.
Just then, gunshots echoed outside, sparking hope in both Liu Ruyan and Ji Boda. They remained silent, fearing the creature hadn't fully left yet.
Meanwhile, fully armed soldiers were sweeping the building, prompting many of the monsters to charge downstairs.
Although the monsters were numerous, there were thankfully no heavily armored beasts among them.
"Teams B, C, and D, do you read?" a commander called through his earpiece.
"C team here, we read you!"
"D team here!"
"B team here!"
"Team C, search floors one through five. Team B, floors six to ten. Team D, floors ten to eighteen. Don't skip any rooms, and ensure any survivors are safely escorted out," the commander ordered.
"Yes, sir!" the teams responded in unison, moving swiftly to cover their assigned floors.
The commander wasn't sure why such a detailed order had been issued, but he understood that following orders was a soldier's duty.
If Xu Que were here, he'd have respected whoever gave the order; the more people who survived, the more potential strong warriors there would be later on. But how many could survive the massive dimensional rift outbreak in just over a month?
…
Twelve hours after the Abyss had descended, the global battles against the creatures continued unabated. Initially, ordinary firearms were effective, but as night fell, the monsters seemed to strengthen, rendering basic weapons less effective.
With no other option, some countries resorted to RPGs and other heavy weapons. Nations with lower populations even began using scorched-earth tactics, with E-country being the primary example.
In the dark, artillery fire lit up the skies. Some fighter jets barely took off before needing to return for more missiles.
As nations fought desperately against the invasion, an emergency broadcast interrupted the live footage:
"Emergency Alert: If you observe any food items decomposing or turning into sand, do not panic. Scientists worldwide are investigating this issue urgently."
The announcement ignited anger among citizens worldwide.
Some refused to believe it until they opened their fridges to find their morning groceries reduced to mush or sand.
"What the hell? I just bought these veggies this morning—why are they all rotten?"
"My meat and eggs turned to dust! What are we supposed to eat now?"
"We're doomed, completely doomed! This apocalypse is clearly targeting humanity!"
"I'm an M-country soldier. We're roasting monster meat over here. Those things may be strong, but the meat is surprisingly good. Just a small piece refuels me for the whole day."
That single comment left viewers stunned.
Not long after, another emergency notice appeared on-screen:
"Emergency Notice: Based on scientific analysis, the meat of certain otherworldly creatures is indeed suitable for human consumption, and some types can even enhance cultivation!"
People across the globe were astonished, wondering if the announcement had been made by someone new.
However, some began to believe the M-country soldier's words, reasoning that the government wouldn't lie.
Meanwhile, in the dimensional rift, Xu Que had also ended his cultivation session and was gnawing on a green-skinned hunting hound's hind leg. Though the taste wasn't great, it restored his energy and helped him adapt to his new life.
"Nothing beats a fried egg from this morning… Pity it'll be another month before I can have one again," Xu Que muttered to himself.
Just as he pondered his next steps for exploring the forest, a blue-skinned goblin riding a strange bird appeared in his line of sight.
The goblin spotted Xu Que at the same time.
"Graaah…"
As the goblin let out a shrill cry, Xu Que gripped his sword and charged forward.
Seeing its target advancing, the blue goblin hurled a spear directly at Xu Que.
Hearing the spear whistling through the air, Xu Que sidestepped swiftly, evading it.
The goblin, irritated at the miss, let out a shriek and charged at him with a second spear in hand.
Xu Que had dealt with plenty of these short riders before and knew exactly how to handle them.
Just as the goblin's spear was about to pierce his body, Xu Que jumped, swinging his sword down onto the goblin.
"Splat!"
Thick, brown blood spurted from the goblin's skull as it fell. The bird it rode dashed forward, seemingly unaware its rider was dead.
Ignoring the bird, Xu Que picked up the two spears and dashed into the bushes.
He suspected the goblin had called for reinforcements. Since he now had throwing weapons and an advantageous hiding spot, he prepared himself to ambush them.