True Apocalypse Game

Although the message on the screen consisted of only a few short, placid words, Yoshikawa Hiroshi trembled. The hand holding his phone shook, unsteady.

As a member of the Salvation Army, he naturally understood the immense power the Commander’s organization now wielded.

Its members were elites from every corner of the globe, each a top influencer in their respective field—movers and shakers, one and all.

The Salvation Army, composed of such individuals, was already powerful enough to alter the global landscape.

Most critically, aside from the doctors who had intentionally revealed their identities during the Evil Spirit Virus pandemic and Yoshikawa Hiroshi himself, the identities of all other members remained secret!

No one knew who their fellow members were, except for the Commander.

This secrecy alone amplified the Salvation Army’s potential influence and deterrent power several times over.

After all, a powerful force hidden in the shadows also holds the immense advantage of an information gap.

As the acting Prime Minister of Japan, having lived through the Evil Spirit Virus pandemic and everything that followed, Yoshikawa Hiroshi now understood more clearly than ever that if the Commander so wished, he could use the Salvation Army to destroy the world, casually topple the government of any nation, or even dominate the entire planet.

This was a testament to just how powerful the Salvation Army was.

And now the Salvation Army was expanding its ranks again. Perhaps global control truly wasn’t far off.

At this thought, Yoshikawa Hiroshi’s expression instead grew solemn.

Given the Commander’s strength and the power the Salvation Army currently held, the fact that he still felt the need to expand could only mean one thing:

The enemy the Commander faced—or rather, the enemy human civilization faced—was so extraordinarily powerful that even he needed to gather more warriors and amass greater strength to stand against it!

As the former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and now the acting Prime Minister, Yoshikawa Hiroshi quickly deduced the crux of the matter. Only then did he cautiously tap the blood-red eyeball icon on his phone.

Immediately, an explanation for the Salvation Army’s expansion appeared before him:

"Dear players, as the complexity of this game continues to increase, and in preparation for more difficult game tasks, we are now concluding the initial closed beta and moving into the mid-phase closed beta.

During the mid-phase closed beta, each player will receive between 1 and 9 invitation slots, based on their contributions to previous game tasks and their personal game score.

After receiving your invitation slots, you may, at your own discretion, invite new players to join the game until your slots are used up.

Additionally, please use your invitation slots with caution. If an invited new player is found to have anti-humanitarian tendencies or is unable to contribute to game tasks, their eligibility will be immediately revoked. The inviter will also be punished, up to and including termination.

☺"

At the end of the announcement was a simple smiley face.

The message read just like a typical closed beta invitation for an ordinary game.

But since this message came from the Commander, every player knew it held a deeper meaning. Every single word was worth scrutinizing.

Yoshikawa Hiroshi immediately began his analysis.

The line, "as the complexity of this game continues to increase, and in preparation for more difficult game tasks," largely confirmed his earlier suspicion: the challenges facing human civilization were about to become even more severe.

That was why the Commander needed ordinary people like them to contribute more of their strength to face these challenges together.

As for distributing invitation slots based on contributions to previous tasks and potential game scores, Yoshikawa Hiroshi didn’t have a strong reaction.

After all, the Commander had already created the True Apocalypse Game; tracking each of their individual performances and scoring them would be trivially simple, and only right.

The scoring system was also absolutely fair. There was no doubt about that.

The final warning about using the invitation slots cautiously was a clear message to all Salvation Army Warriors: do not abuse this power for personal gain.

Becoming a player in the True Apocalypse Game, a Salvation Army Warrior, came with immense responsibility, but also great advantages. The right to know the direction of human civilization and the truth of the world alone was something money couldn’t buy.

At the same time, as a Salvation Army Warrior, one would surely receive the Commander’s protection from the shadows.

Moreover, every player wielded enormous influence in the real world. If that influence were to be combined, the resulting convenience and power would be immeasurable.

Should the existence of the True Apocalypse Game and the Salvation Army ever be made public, these players would become the definitive leaders of human civilization. Each invitation slot could represent immense secular power!

Therefore, in a sense, the rights of a player could be called a special privilege.

As the current Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshikawa Hiroshi’s understanding of politics was completely different from before. The perspective and elevation from which he viewed matters had naturally far surpassed his former self.

Privately, he had his own selfish motives—not just for Japan, but for himself as well.

’After all, people aren’t saints. Faced with an opportunity of such infinite potential, who wouldn’t be tempted?’

Besides, the Commander’s warning had left some leeway. The Commander didn’t care about the relationship between the invitee and the veteran player, only about the abilities of the invitee—the new player.

The message was delivered in a tone similar to a game’s beta announcement and ended with a smiley face, which also indicated that the global situation was relatively calm, with no immediate danger.

It also suggested that the Commander was in a good mood.

Having figured this all out, Yoshikawa Hiroshi sat back down at his desk and gently tapped open his personal game page. He immediately saw a newly added icon: Invitation Slots.

After the words "Invitation Slots" was the Arabic numeral 9.

In other words, he could invite nine new players, placing him among those judged to have made the highest contributions.

’I’m unworthy, truly unworthy...’ Yoshikawa Hiroshi wiped the reddened corners of his eyes, a mix of gratitude, shame, relief, and sorrow washing over him.

He knew, of course, that this privilege had been bought at the cost of tens of millions of Japanese lives and the near-annihilation of his entire country.

He didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.

’Who should I invite to join the True Apocalypse Game, to join the Salvation Army and take up this responsibility?’

A few dozen names flashed through Yoshikawa Hiroshi’s mind.

Many of them were members of his current cabinet, while others were generals in Japan’s Self-Defense Force, high-ranking police officials, and members of parliament from powerful local families in places like Kyushu and Hokkaido.

The destruction of the entire Tokyo Metropolitan Area during the Evil Spirit Virus outbreak, though utterly tragic, had, in a way, also shattered the class shackles that had once bound the people of Japan.

The former cabinet and the various zaibatsu and political families had been basically wiped out, creating a massive power vacuum and giving many ordinary people a fast track for advancement.

Yoshikawa Hiroshi, the former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, had become Prime Minister. The cabinet he appointed was similarly selected from former mid-level cadres and local parliamentarians. By extension, many of the current heads of various other systems were also his recent appointees.

These people were all his confidants.

Of course, each person’s ability was unquestionable. In this catastrophe, whether for epidemic prevention or reconstruction, one had to be capable of holding their own. Competence was the first priority, loyalty second.

They were also the key pillars of support that allowed Yoshikawa Hiroshi to firmly control the situation in Japan in such a short time.

Yoshikawa Hiroshi also understood that once he chose them to be new players in the "True Apocalypse Game" and members of the Salvation Army, their loyalty would inevitably shift toward the Commander.

One could even say that through these people, the Commander would be able to control the direction of all of Japan to a certain extent.

’But I’ll still be able to influence them to some degree, and it will be helpful for the future of Japan.’

’After all, everyone has their own self-interests.’

’That’s enough.’

Soon, Yoshikawa Hiroshi made up his mind. He picked up the phone on his desk and first called Kobayashi Kai, the Commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

"Kobayashi, please come to my office at once. Yes, it’s a matter of great importance."

After hanging up, Yoshikawa Hiroshi leaned back and let out a long sigh of relief.

’I hope I made the right choice. Kobayashi should be able to become a competent warrior...’

’Commander, if I’ve done anything improper, I ask for your forbearance. After all, we are merely ordinary humans. In the face of that supernatural, mysterious, and great power, all we can do is tremble in trepidation, like children startled from a nightmare, huddled around you...’

...

「Eagle Country, New York, CIA Headquarters.」

When the message from the True Apocalypse Game arrived, Nick was listening to a subordinate’s report on the situation in the Middle East.

He pretended to casually scroll through his phone and immediately saw the message from the True Apocalypse Game, along with the number 9 after his name.

He nodded with a blank expression, put his phone away, and calmly continued listening to his new assistant’s report.

"...According to intelligence from our insider in the provisional government of Japan... Turkish forces have completely routed the Kurdish People’s Protection Units. The Kurds have briefly allied with Syrian government forces, but there are severe schisms between different Kurdish tribes. Meanwhile, according to our peripheral agents, one Kurdish armed group disappeared in northern Turkey a week ago, their whereabouts unknown..."

Once the assistant finished his report, Nick nodded slightly. With a solemn look, he waved his hand dismissively, feigning deep thought, and gestured for his subordinates to leave him for a moment. He needed to think over this information and devise a counter-strategy.

But the instant his men had left and closed the door, the previously calm and composed Nick shot up from his seat. His eyes were wide as he stared at the message on his phone, and he quickly tapped the "True Apocalypse Game" icon.

An excited grin spread across Nick’s face. "An expansion... This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Compared to the Salvation Army, the CIA is like a Boy Scout summer camp..."

When he saw the rules for inviting new players and the 9 slots he’d been given, Nick couldn’t help but laugh out loud, unable to contain his excitement.

He had been personally directing the hunt for the infected in New York this whole time, and it seemed the Commander had taken notice.

And he had earned the Commander’s approval!

Just then, the "True Apocalypse Game" icon twitched again, and a new message appeared:

"Ride the tide and exterminate the remnants of the Purification Society."