True Apocalypse Game

When the man with the beard removed his mask, all the oil tycoons present were stunned.

Abdullah held a respected position within the royal family, and the wealth he commanded was beyond most people’s imagination.

His shares in Aramco alone were comparable to the GDP of some small nations.

Moreover, his age and seniority were enough to influence the entire royal family, and by extension, the Gulf Region.

This was supposed to be a secret gathering for the younger generation. No one expected Mr. Abdullah to be here.

Ten billion dollars was more than the net worth of many people in the room.

The few who had just been bidding instantly looked dejected, frustrated by their own relative poverty.

They understood, of course, that they were now completely out of the running for today’s auction.

"Mr. Abdullah, you... how did you learn of this game’s existence?" Alimu asked curiously.

In his experience, Mr. Abdullah had always been a stern, serious man. How could he be interested in something like this?

Abdullah’s expression was grave as he said:

"The way I heard about this is different from yours... but that’s precisely what worries me... What happened here today must not be spoken of to anyone."

"Yes! We understand!"

"Please rest assured!"

"Goodbye, Mr. Abdullah!"

The others present understood they were out of the running. Recalling Abdullah’s long-standing air of authority, they quickly nodded, offered their farewells, and left immediately.

They didn’t want to be lectured by him.

Once everyone had left, Abdullah motioned for the bodyguards outside to close the door. Only then did he turn to the auctioneer before him.

"Hadi, how were you chosen... as one of them?"

Hadi replied to Abdullah with the utmost respect:

"Your Excellency, it happened when I was the project manager for the Aramco IPO. It was one afternoon..."

He then quickly recounted the entire story to Abdullah: how he came to possess the True Apocalypse Game, how he entered it to experience various apocalypses, and how the game’s developer, the Commander, had saved the world time and time again.

Because of his specific position and skills, Hadi’s contributions to the True Apocalypse Game had been minimal from the start, so he had only received a single invitation slot.

"Why use an auction? Are you short on money?" Abdullah asked Hadi, sitting cross-legged on the carpet.

Hadi quickly denied, "Of course not."

Then, his expression turning serious, he said to Abdullah, "I chose this method for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted more of our kinsmen to know about the True Apocalypse Game and the existence of the Savior, to let them know the truth of this world. There are far too few of our people in the Salvation Army..."

Perhaps due to his own skillset or other factors, Hadi had rarely encountered anyone from the Middle East within the True Apocalypse Game.

From the perspective of his entire clan, he naturally wanted more young, promising members to understand the world’s true nature so they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage during the great upheavals to come.

Hadi then continued:

"Mr. Abdullah, you understand the current state of our people. Our only true strength is the financial power that comes from oil! After the destruction of Tokyo during the Evil Spirit Virus pandemic, the Commander must want to control more power in the secular world. That naturally requires capital, which is our strong suit. Therefore, selecting from among our most outstanding kinsmen based on their financial means is a sound strategy."

Abdullah’s expression softened a little, and he nodded slightly.

Hadi quickly asked,

"Mr. Abdullah, did I do something wrong? And how did you find out about the True Apocalypse Game’s existence?"

He remembered that he had never notified Abdullah; the man had burst in suddenly just before the auction began.

Abdullah pondered for a moment, then said:

"I learned of it through the Danish Royal Family... The news is spreading... Invite me into the game at once. I must see the Commander!"

Hadi nodded, took an "Other Shore" Virtual Reality Helmet, and helped him put it on. Then he said to Abdullah, "Mr. Abdullah, welcome to the True Apocalypse Game."

As soon as the words were spoken, a huge, blood-red eyeball immediately appeared before Abdullah’s eyes.

He was shocked for a moment, then quickly selected the Stone Statue Apocalypse mission.

His vision went black. A brief wave of dizziness washed over him, and he found himself standing on a street.

A bracelet had appeared on his wrist.

The bracelet suddenly vibrated, projecting a small holographic screen that flashed a few lines of text:

"You have now entered the Stone Statue Apocalypse. The Petrification Disease virus is infecting your body. You need to complete the mission within one week:

1. Find the cause of the large-scale Petrification Disease outbreak.

2. Find the Petrification Disease Virus Zero and the final vaccine.

3. Survive."

As far as the eye could see, the street was filled with silent, raggedly-dressed stone statues—clearly the victims of the Petrification Disease.

Everything felt just like the real world, making him feel as if he had truly been transported to an apocalypse.

But Abdullah paid no mind to the game’s mission. He had no time to soak in the mystery and novelty of it all. Instead, he shouted toward the sky:

"Commander! Your Excellency Developer! Savior! Abdullah requests an audience! I have something very important to discuss with you!"

The sky gave no response. Instead, it began to rain, as if in an impatient reply to his shouts.

Abdullah was not discouraged, and continued to shout at the sky:

"Your Excellency, Savior! This matter concerns your safety, and the safety of the entire world! You must see me!"

This time, he didn’t have to wait long. His vision blurred, the scenery shifted abruptly, and he found himself in a room.

In this room stood many statues wearing white lab coats.

Abdullah was no longer anxious. He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the floor, and closed his eyes to wait quietly.

...

「London, Reuters Headquarters Building.」

Andrei stared at the newspaper proofs and website drafts on his computer, his brow deeply furrowed.

The front-page headlines for tomorrow’s editions of The Times and the Guardian were the same, a single, eye-catching line:

"The True Apocalypse Game That Saved the World! Long Live the Savior Behind the Curtain!"

This was followed by a massive, multi-page spread detailing the existence of the True Apocalypse Game and the Salvation Army, and the roles they had played in past crises.

Although there was no mention of the Whisperers or the Purification Society, and much of the content was clearly exaggerated, the gist of it was largely accurate.

It essentially described what the True Apocalypse Game was and detailed the great accomplishments of the Savior.

At first glance, it hardly seemed like an article from Reuters, let alone a major newspaper. It read more like a gossip piece from a roadside tabloid.

The adoration for the True Apocalypse Game and the Savior was palpable, and could only be described as fanatical.

As a major shareholder and the editor-in-chief of the Reuters Group, Andrei was overcome by a profound and unsettling feeling.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone and dialed his editor’s number:

"Mac, what the hell is going on? What is this damn ’True Apocalypse Game’? With this kind of irresponsible reporting, are you trying to ruin your journalism career!?"

Mac’s excited voice came through:

"Boss, it’s all true! The information I got is absolutely reliable. They cited a lot of evidence, and it’s said that the thirteen doctors who defeated the Petrification Disease epidemic and won the Lasker Medical Award are all Disciples of that mysterious Savior! Besides, even if we don’t report it, other papers and websites have already covered it. Haven’t you seen Twitter?"

Andrei gritted his teeth and said slowly:

"What others do has nothing to do with us. Reuters will absolutely not report this kind of delusional news!"

"Hey, Boss..."

Before Mac could finish, Andrei had already hung up.

He then quickly browsed various news portals and social media and immediately discovered that news about the True Apocalypse Game and the Savior was spreading like a virus.

The reports even cited numerous inexplicable events from the two major pandemics as proof of the existence of the Salvation Army and the Savior.

"He is a god of human civilization! He deserves everyone’s gratitude!"

"Maybe he’s a messenger from God, secretly protecting frail humanity from the torments of Devils..."

"So cool! I want to join the Salvation Army too!"

"I wonder if this Savior is handsome?"

"..."

The voices were a chaotic mix. Andrei’s brow furrowed, his expression turning grim.

After smoking a cigarette until it almost burned his fingers, Andrei stubbed it out in an ashtray, got up to close the door, then took a Virtual Reality Helmet from a cabinet, put it on, and lay down on the sofa.

He selected the blood-red eye icon and the post-nuclear apocalypse scenario. An instant later, Andrei found himself inside the Cheyenne Mountain Base.

He ignored everything else, found a can of paint and a large brush, and ran outside the base. On an open patch of ground, he began to write:

"Commander, I want to see you!"

...

In a residential building in Hua Country’s Hai City, Li Tongchen watched the reports about the True Apocalypse Game and the Savior on the internet and television, his expression equally grave as he took in the overwhelming flood of online praise.

In front of him was a new player he had just invited: his old classmate, Wang Aihua, a senior executive at the Hua Country Central Bank.

"Old Li, the whole world knows about the Savior now, and here you are still being all mysterious... When can we get into the game?" Wang Aihua marveled.

Before, when Li Tongchen told him the story of the banknote and about the True Apocalypse Game and the Salvation Army, he had been skeptical. He never imagined it would now be making headlines around the world.

What’s more, many of the online stories about the Savior saving the world were epic and moving enough to bring one to tears.

The Savior was portrayed as a flawless saint.

"Wrong... wrong... it shouldn’t be like this..." Li Tongchen frowned at the news, muttering, "We’re going into the game now. I have to see the Commander!"

"What’s wrong?" Wang Aihua asked quickly, lying back on the sofa and putting on his helmet.

"It’s very wrong, so wrong..." Li Tongchen muttered, quickly selecting a scenario and entering the top level of the megastructure in the Gray Tide apocalypse.

He had already completed this apocalypse mission. With a wave of his hand, the surrounding Gray Tide coalesced, forming thousand-meter-high words: "Commander, I request an audience!"

The words had barely formed when Li Tongchen saw a flash of light. The scene changed, and he found himself in a laboratory filled with stone statues.

He immediately recognized this place as the virus research lab of the Capital CDC from the Stone Statue Apocalypse mission.

Besides himself, there were two other people in the room. One, dressed in a white robe, sat cross-legged on the floor. The other, clad in a suit, sat bolt upright on a sofa.

Seeing Li Tongchen appear, the other two nodded to him with friendly smiles.

Li Tongchen himself had already revealed his identity in the game, so he appeared here as his real self.

Abdullah instantly understood that the famous Mr. Li Tongchen, one of the thirteen great doctors, was a member of the Salvation Army.

As for the other person, their face was blurry and couldn’t be seen clearly.

"Are you... all here to see the Commander?" Li Tongchen asked.

Abdullah nodded. "I just arrived myself. I joined the True Apocalypse Game five minutes ago. I have urgent business with the Commander."

Andrei, on the other side, also nodded slightly. "That’s right. The Commander’s current situation... is very dangerous!"

As soon as his voice fell, one of the surrounding stone statues slowly turned and spoke to him:

"Go on."