True Apocalypse Game

In *Detective Conan*, a masterpiece from Shen Feng’s childhood, the main character—a "grim reaper" elementary schooler who spent twenty-five years in the first grade before finally moving on to the second semester—had his own arch-nemesis: a shadowy organization whose members all used liquor-based codenames, earning them the nickname the "Brewery."

Judging by the characters introduced so far, aside from good old Gin, every other major member of this villainous organization to appear has been an undercover agent.

This was a plot point Shen Feng had always loved. Every time he thought of Gin, that one diligent, hardworking employee of the Brewery, Shen Feng could almost cry for him.

From laughing, of course.

’If I were in Gin’s shoes,’ he thought, ’surrounded by nothing but traitors, I’d probably have died from sheer rage by now.’

The Purification Society was a pest that was impossible to shake off, like a hydra; cut off a few of its limbs, and new ones would grow back in a matter of days.

Since discovering the Purification Society’s existence, Shen Feng had personally eliminated a fair number of Purifiers. Adding in those hunted down by the Salvation Army, the total number taken out was in the thousands.

But it was still useless.

These cockroaches, hidden in the shadows, were constantly multiplying in secret, just like a virus or a fungus.

And the thought of Cthulhu, hiding somewhere unknown, was even more chilling.

With the recent discovery of sleeper Purifiers—hypnotized and planted among the populace to act as normal people—the Purification Society’s influence was even greater than Shen Feng had originally estimated.

To eradicate weeds, burning away the stalks is useless. You have to rip out all the roots buried in the soil and let them wither and die completely.

Perhaps the most efficient method wasn’t to pull the weeds out by the roots, but to inject poison directly into them...

As this thought crossed his mind, Shen Feng’s gaze toward Ivanovic softened considerably.

’He’s a real treasure!’

’I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. I just went and killed thousands of Purifiers. What a waste. I really shouldn’t have done that...’

Then again, without the in-depth brain research conducted during the Evil Spirit Virus outbreak, Shen Feng wouldn’t have been confident in his ability to control the Purifiers through Hypnosis alone.

After all, they were worshippers of the Whisperer; Hypnosis was supposed to be their specialty.

’This Ivanovic will make an excellent research subject...’

With this in mind, Shen Feng’s Ash Tide Incarnation stroked Ivanovic’s head again. A sheet of the Nanomechanical Cluster detached and swiftly enveloped the man’s face.

In the blink of an eye, a new face covered Ivanovic’s own, making him look like a completely different person. His dislocated jaw was also reset in the process.

Shen Feng said to Kavan,

"Keep him under guard, and keep him alive. He has his uses. Go now. I’ll find you when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Kavan immediately saluted Shen Feng.

"Yes, Commander!"

Without further hesitation, he turned and dragged Ivanovic out of the cave.

He passed through the cave’s narrow passage and stepped out of the entrance. The sunlight outside was blinding, and a dry mountain wind swept by. The environment outside remained exceedingly harsh and desolate.

But in Kavan’s eyes, everything was different now.

Even the bare, grotesque rocky hills in the distance seemed particularly charming.

His connection to the world felt stronger, more intimate.

Everything had meaning now. His very existence would be elevated.

He glanced back at Ivanovic’s completely transformed appearance. The metal mask was flush against his face, yet it perfectly mimicked human skin. Without reaching out to touch it, it was impossible to tell the difference. Kavan couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

He faintly understood that this was likely some form of nanomechanical or Liquid Metal technology, not Magic.

But technology so far beyond the current era was more than enough to demonstrate the Commander’s immense power.

"Let’s move. To Baghdad."

The group immediately mounted their horses, heading south along the rugged mountain paths to cross into Iraq.

A short distance ahead lay a village controlled by the Assassin Sect. Once they rested and changed their attire there, they would be completely free from pursuit. From then on, they would be like fish disappearing into the sea.

Kavan’s plan was to cut across all of Iraq and make for Kuwait.

Its economy was developed, it had advanced medical facilities, and its transportation infrastructure was excellent, all of which would make it much easier for the Commander to implement his plans.

Watching the small village draw nearer, Kavan felt an itch of anticipation he could barely contain.

He had lost his phone’s network connection after leaving the area around the cave.

Besides dealing with their prisoner, Ivanovic, the one thing he couldn’t wait to do was fire up the *True Apocalypse Game* and play for a while!

The very names—Stone Statue Apocalypse, Nuclear Wasteland Apocalypse, Gray Tide Apocalypse—were enough to make him desperate to jump right in.

He’d also heard there was a virtual reality version of the game where you could meet all sorts of like-minded people. He could hardly wait!

Finally, half an hour later, they arrived at the distant village.

They had their own network here!

Kavan found an empty room, shut the door, and forbid anyone from entering. Then, with a reverent expression, he held his phone with both hands, tapped the icon for the *True Apocalypse Game*, selected "Stone Statue Apocalypse," and began his journey into the end of the world...

Meanwhile, in a secret room within a lavish Kuwaiti hotel, a dozen men in Arabian robes and headscarves sat nervously, their eyes fixed on an auction block before them.

This was an exceptionally exclusive auction. Everyone present was either a powerful figure from a Middle Eastern oil-producing nation or a mega-tycoon. Each one was a person of immense wealth and status, capable of influencing international oil prices.

Phrases like "born with a silver spoon" and "wealth to rival a nation" were coined for people like them.

Yet now, all of them were acting with extreme caution, gazing at the auction block like a class of schoolchildren. Not one of them dared to step out of line.

Standing at the block, gavel in hand, was a member of the royal family whom they all held in awe—a person of exalted status.

An item was about to be auctioned here, with the esteemed royal presiding over it personally.

The screen behind him was blank, showing no description of the lot, not even a glimpse of the item itself.

There wasn’t even a catalog for the auction.

And yet, every person in the room looked impatient, as if they wished the auction would begin at once.

Clearly, they had all received some prior information and understood exactly what was at stake in this auction.

The royal scanned the faces of everyone present before speaking slowly.

"My dear friends, you all know what is being auctioned today and what it is worth. Let me be clear: I only have one of these. As for the proceeds, I will donate them all. The rest is up to you... I will now announce the starting bid: one billion US dollars."

He stated the price matter-of-factly. Below, the attendees’ expressions remained unchanged as they nodded slightly, clearly finding the price reasonable.

After all, for an item this precious, one billion US dollars was truly nothing.

"Bidding increments will be one hundred million US dollars. After the price exceeds two billion, increments will be two hundred million," the royal auctioneer continued. "The auction starts now."

The moment he finished speaking, someone immediately raised a hand.

"One point one billion US dollars."

Before the auctioneer had even finished acknowledging the bid, another hand shot up.

This time, a third and fourth person raised their hands almost simultaneously, followed by a fifth.

"One point five billion... One point six... One point eight... Two billion US dollars!"

The bidding was white-hot, reaching the two-billion-dollar threshold in the blink of an eye.

Now, even these oil magnates were starting to feel the sting. Three of them immediately dropped out of the bidding.

"Two point five billion!" The auctioneer himself seemed a little surprised.

"Three billion!" Just then, a bidder shot his hand up and shouted, glancing around at the others.

The others were stunned. One of them exclaimed,

"Ah Ming, are you insane!? That’s more than half your fortune!"

Ah Ming smiled faintly and said,

"Alimu, this may be the only chance in my life to approach a god. What is money compared to that? Even if I go bankrupt with only a hundred million left to my name, I will secure this opportunity! Besides, it is my honor to offer my wealth to such a being!"

Just then, another calm voice drifted through the room.

"Ten billion dollars! If that being is willing, I would serve by his side, become his personal Attendant, and dedicate my all to him!"

Everyone turned in astonishment toward the corner where the voice had come from, only to see a masked man slowly removing his face covering.

Ah Ming’s voice trembled as he spoke.

"M-Mr. Abdullah!"