June 14th, 4 PM
Only eight hours remain until the full eruption of doomsday.
At this moment, Chat Group No. 001 was more active than ever.
Yesterday, in the early hours, Ruby and six other administrators—everyone except Novak—posted an almost obvious message in the forum.
Due to the outbreak of the zombie virus, countless people had been isolated. Among them, many were evolutionaries who had awakened early, and they had already seen the post.
And so they joined.
In just two days, the number of people who had joined the 001 Chat Group Novak had created soared beyond what it had been for many days.
Now, with only eight hours left before the doomsday began, the so-called proving ground for gods and demons was about to officially commence.
The Cosmic Will was preparing to descend for real.
Inside the chat group, the atmosphere was undeniably electric with excitement.
---
[King of Thunder]: "Eight-hour countdown!"
[Crow]: "I'm getting nervous!"
[Overlord]: "What's there to be nervous about? This is our big opportunity!"
[King of Thunder]: "Of course, you're calm, Boss Overlord. If I had your strength, I'd be unstoppable!"
[Overlord]: "No, no, it's all about teamwork, you know..."
[Your King— Bart]: "Haha! Looks like Boss Overlord got spooked after going up against White Emperor!"
[Zezelia]: "White Emperor is just too strong! Those two videos in the group? Totally blew my mind!"
[Lightning Five-Whip Successor]: "Speaking of which, why hasn't brother White chimed in? I'm still hoping to meet my idol in person!"
[I'm Really Not a Sword Fairy]: "By the way, what exactly is White Emperor's talent? What level is it? Could it really be that legendary SSS-tier?"
[Zezelia]: "Oh yeah, are there any SSS-tier bosses in the group? I don't need specifics, just tell me—are they strong or not?"
---
As soon as this topic came up, the entire group went silent.
Even for those who had awakened early, SSS-level talents were rare—almost mythical.
In this group, despite having over 20 members, including Novak and the six other admins, nobody said a word.
Perhaps there were SSS-level talents among them, but no one was willing to admit it.
Ten minutes passed in awkward silence, until someone finally broke the tension.
[Lotte]: "We don't know about SSS-tier talents, but there's definitely an A-tier among us!"
[Zezelia]: "Hahaha! 'The Only Trash in the Group' gets roasted again!"
[The Only Trash in the Group]: "Sister Lotte, if you keep this up, I—I might really cry!"
[Your King— Bart]: "It's alright, bro! Sure, your talent might be a bit weaker compared to the big shots here, but I still love how bold you were when you first joined as [King of God]!"
[I'm Really Not a Sword Fairy]: "Why did you change your name? [King of God] was so epic! Group 001 could've been proud to have you!"
[Crow]: "Seriously, when you entered as [King of God], I was shocked. I thought maybe an SS-tier was weaker than an A-tier for a moment..."
[The Only Trash in the Group]: "Boss Crow, I was so wrong. So, so wrong!"
[Overlord]: "They're just teasing. Didn't White Emperor say in the Doomsday Rules that talent is only the beginning? So many factors determine true strength. I believe there will come a day when our [King of God] regains his confidence!"
---
The group soon burst back into laughter.
The user known as "The Only Trash in the Group" hadn't always been like this when he first joined. In fact, he had entered confidently, boasting about his A-tier talent.
An A-tier talent—certainly a powerful force in the apocalypse to come.
But in the 001 Chat Group? Were any of these early awakeners weak?
When this new A-tier talent, calling himself the [King of God], had first joined, his confidence had made the whole group numb.
Then, when the others shared their own talent levels—most of them S-tier, with even a few SS-tier—[King of God] had quickly gone silent.
It was as if a clueless puppy had wandered into a den of wolves. Worse, it had wandered into a den of wolf kings and wagged its tail in greeting!
He had revealed his talent far too quickly.
What a disaster!
But surprisingly, [King of God], despite being the target of jokes, didn't storm out of the group in frustration.
Why would he?
It was obvious that anyone in this group could become a powerhouse once doomsday hit. Even if he couldn't reach their level, the connections he'd made here were valuable. Better to be teased a little now and gain some powerful allies later.
He didn't mind the ridicule—it only made the group remember him more fondly, and that could pay off in the future.
[King of God] was more than content.
Thanks to this unexpectedly beloved figure, the group's mood had lightened considerably.
However, the cheerful banter didn't last long. Out of nowhere, an ID that had hardly ever spoken up suddenly appeared in the chat.
What they said silenced the group once more:
[Meimei]: "Honestly, having SSS-level talent doesn't feel that impressive. I can't even imagine White Emperor's strength..."
Three minutes of stunned silence followed.
Then, the group exploded.
[Your King— Bart]: "!!!"
[Vince]: "An actual SSS-tier talent has appeared?!"
[The Only Trash in the Group]: "I'm on my knees! Hugging Sister Mei's legs for dear life! Hiss, hiss!"
Unfortunately, perhaps [Meimei] was spooked by [King of God]'s over-the-top reaction, because she didn't say another word after that.
But whether or not [Meimei] truly had SSS-level talent, this topic wasn't going away anytime soon.
And it circled back to one question: Was the creator of this chat group, White Emperor, truly an SSS-tier legend?
Meanwhile, the White Emperor they were all discussing lay motionless on his bed, where he had been for two straight days. The dark red light and black-red mycelium that had covered him finally faded away.
After two days of complete stillness, his fingers twitched ever so slightly for the first time.