"But, Brother Mu told us to find you and then head straight to the mayor's place."
Wang Zichen spoke with some hesitation.
"Are you sure this so-called Brother Mu of yours is really a prophecy-type player?"
Old Zhao's eyes were filled with skepticism.
Prophecy-type players were already extremely rare, yet Wang Fatty was blabbering on like he was telling a grand tale—going on and on about how some 'prophecy-type player' had approached him, saved him, and even arranged for them to meet at the mayor's office later…
He made this prophecy-type player sound almost godlike!
Who could believe such a thing?
But with Chen Wan'er backing up the story, he had no choice but to reluctantly believe it.
"I'll contact the Anran Squad and check if they've gotten hold of the weapon…"
As soon as the thought occurred to him, the one-armed man turned around to make the call.
However, halfway through dialing, his expression darkened, and he returned with a grim look.
"That bastard Ye Buqing isn't answering the phone." He spoke coldly. "My guess? The Anran Squad probably thinks they've already found a way to break the game, so they've decided to unilaterally terminate our agreement."
"They found a way to break through?" Wang Zichen was shocked.
"I can't be sure, but something about this doesn't feel right. If the real mastermind behind this disaster is indeed the mayor and his son, then how could they possibly let Anran Squad succeed so easily?" The one-armed man shook his head.
Hearing this, Chen Wan'er also nodded thoughtfully.
Yes, she thought. There was no way she could let them succeed that easily!
"So what do we do now?" Wang Zichen couldn't help but ask.
"Right now, our only hope is to bet on that so-called Mu Chenyi you're talking about," the one-armed man sighed as he rubbed his forehead with his remaining hand. "Worst case, we waste a revival coin. If it works, though, we'll be walking away with some high-level skill rewards."
In Apocalypse Descent, powerful skills were far more tempting than revival coins.
At that very moment, somewhere near the city center,
A ragged-looking "beggar" sneaked a glance at an empty men's clothing store on the street.
Perhaps due to the fact that all the "green-furred monsters" had been drawn away, the streets were eerily quiet, with barely a soul in sight.
That "beggar" was none other than Mu Chenyi, who had just spent an extended period soaking in the lake.
He snuck into the men's clothing store, swapped his tattered outfit for a clean set, then washed himself up a bit using the sink in the bathroom before finally taking out the "sad-faced" small box.
Previously, the "smiling" small box had contained the Devourer's Dagger. He wondered what was inside this "sad-faced" box.
He tried to pry open the lock, but unlike the "smiling" box, this one wouldn't budge no matter how hard he pulled.
His eyes widened.
If he couldn't open the box, how was he supposed to get the weapon inside?
Just as he was puzzling over the "sad-faced" box, completely at a loss—
Ding!
"Detected special instance item: Pandora's Box! (One-time use item)"
The long-silent system suddenly chimed in!
Pandora's Box?
Mu Chenyi was intrigued. He had heard of Pandora's Box before—the infamous cursed gift from mythology. According to legend, once Pandora's Box was opened, it would release countless evil spirits, bringing calamity. Yet, at the same time, it would also release a glimmer of hope.
In short, objects like these always had a double-edged nature!
"Detecting Pandora's Box..."
"You have obtained the qualification to open Pandora's Box..."
"Curse: If you choose to open Pandora's Box, you will lose the ability to use revival coins in this instance. One thought for life, one thought for death!"
"Condition: The one-time-use item inside Pandora's Box can only be used by the player who opens it. Other players will be unable to use it!"
Seeing the system prompt, Mu Chenyi hesitated for only a brief moment before expressionlessly choosing to open it.
Lose the ability to revive?
A curse from Pandora's Box?
Laughable. He didn't even have a revival coin in the first place!
There was nothing to think about—he simply opened Pandora's Box.
The moment it was opened, he noticed a small, pure-white dagger lying silently inside the box.
This dagger looked extremely ordinary, completely different from the Devourer's Dagger he had obtained earlier.
Compared to the Devourer's Dagger, this one was much smaller. Judging by its size, it would probably struggle to even kill a chicken, let alone a green-furred monster...
He picked it up with his thumb and index finger, as if handling a trinket from a jewelry store.
"Ding! Detected: Dagger of the End!"
Luckily, the system notification popped up in time; otherwise, Mu Chenyi would have really thought this thing was just some cheap accessory.
"Dagger of the End (One-time-use item): In this apocalypse instance, it can unconditionally terminate a single living being. After terminating the target, the dagger will disappear and cannot be used again."
"Item grade: A."
An A-grade item!
It was undoubtedly an excellent item, though it was a pity that it could only be used in this instance—and worse, only once.
Unlike the Devourer's Dagger, which could be used indefinitely to slaughter green-furred monsters, the Dagger of the End could only kill one target.
That target could be a player, a monster, or even—Mu Chenyi's prime suspect for the final boss—Chen Wan'er!
He wrapped the dagger's handle with the red string from his wrist and tied it around his neck like a pendant.
Suddenly—
"Notice: The critical item of Jiangcheng (this instance), 'Dagger of the End,' has been acquired by a player. This instance will now enter Phase Two: 'Uprising.' Phase Two will begin in two minutes. All players, please proceed with caution!"
"Notice: The critical item of Jiangcheng (this instance), 'Dagger of the End,' has been acquired by a player."
"Notice: The critical item..."
The system repeated the announcement three times before finally stopping.
Mu Chenyi: ???
He glanced at the small pendant around his neck, then back at the system notification.
Good grief, just how overpowered is this item?
But more importantly—what the hell does Phase Two: 'Uprising' mean?
As he was still pondering this, a sudden roar erupted nearby!
Startled, Mu Chenyi instinctively turned towards the source of the sound.
What he saw made his pupils contract rapidly.
One after another, piercing roars filled the air as the sparse "humans" on the streets began mutating—their bodies undergoing a slow transformation into green-furred monsters!
So this is Phase Two: "Uprising"?!
All the disguised "humans" have stopped acting and are now revealing their true forms?
But unlike the earlier instant transformations he had seen before, these creatures were changing gradually this time.
Based on the system notification, their transformation process seemed to take two minutes.
He couldn't stay here any longer—if he did, he might not be able to escape!
His eyes darted around, searching for a way out.
Suddenly, he spotted an electric scooter parked nearby—with the key still in the ignition!
Without hesitation, he sprinted over, hopped onto the scooter, and in a loud electric whir, sped off toward the city center!