True Apocalypse Game

Fumbling for the syringes under his clothes, Shen Feng picked one out. Without betraying any emotion, he plunged it directly through his pants into his own thigh and pushed in half the virus. A faint smile still on his face, he said:

"So, how should we do this? Talk here in the hospital? Find a coffee shop or a diner to sit down? Or maybe your tastes are different from mine—do you prefer tea?"

The Destructive waved its hand. Tentacles shot out from the Transfer Tower, weaving together into the shape of a path that extended right to Shen Feng’s feet.

Shen Feng stepped onto this "road" of blood vessels, muscle, and bone, walking toward his corrupted self.

"Mr. Shen..." Reyes and Colin cried out, reaching for Shen Feng.

They were utterly terrified by the bizarre scene, clinging to Shen Feng as their last hope. Seeing him leave, they were about to sink into despair.

Shen Feng smiled faintly and waved to them.

"It’s fine. Don’t worry."

He then turned his head to The Destructive and said:

"Those two are... my friends. Can you let them go?"

The Destructive gave Shen Feng a long, hard look and said:

"You are me, and I am you. You know full well I couldn’t care less about these two minor characters."

As it spoke, the zombies that had been about to flood the laboratory receded like a tide, though the entire hospital remained enveloped by the Transfer Tower.

Shen Feng nodded.

"Thanks. But while we might have been similar once, that’s not so certain anymore."

As he spoke, he reached the center of the Transfer Tower, stepping onto a protruding platform.

The face within the Transfer Tower—identical to his own, the face of The Destructive—began to writhe.

Then, a fissure split open in the Transfer Tower, and a new Shen Feng walked out from within.

This was The Destructive’s avatar.

Shen Feng found it a little awkward looking at this stark-naked version of himself. He wanted to suggest it put some clothes on, but he opened his mouth and then said nothing.

Just then, The Destructive beckoned. Tentacles shot up from the ground, swiftly holding up several outfits they had retrieved from Mexico City and presenting them to the avatar.

The Destructive casually picked out a pair of black pants and a white shirt and put them on. Barefoot, it sat cross-legged in front of Shen Feng and said:

"Sit down."

’He really is me,’ Shen Feng thought, nodding to himself. ’Even corrupted, he still cares about his dignity. And he’s got good taste in clothes.’

As he thought this, he also sat cross-legged opposite The Destructive. He took off his backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out various snacks and drinks, placing them between them.

"Here’s some food I brought with me. I didn’t know how long I’d be here, so I couldn’t bring myself to finish it all. I nearly starved to death back in the Gray Tide Apocalypse, so now I always keep a little extra. It’s all stuff we like. Go on, try some..."

He rambled on, carefully observing his counterpart’s condition, when The Destructive spoke, its voice devoid of emotion:

"Using irrelevant distractions to disrupt an enemy’s emotions and waiting for an opportunity to strike has always been my preferred combat style. Everything you’re doing is futile. After all, I understand your behavioral patterns perfectly."

As it spoke, more tentacles, each as thick as an arm, slithered up like pythons. They wrapped around Shen Feng’s body and tore off his jacket.

A tentacle dangled the jacket in mid-air. A few smaller, finger-thick tendrils shot out and plucked all the virus syringes from its pockets.

The Destructive looked at the syringes.

"So this is your trump card? The reason you desperately returned to this hospital? These things... they give me a very dangerous feeling."

With that, the tentacles whipped around again, snatching all the syringes and flinging them far into the distance. They quickly vanished from sight, hidden who knows where.

Shen Feng slumped back, defeated, and let out a dry laugh.

"Guess it’s true what they say: no one knows you better than yourself. It’s damn hard to fool yourself..."

Although The Destructive had anticipated this, seeing the "other me" look so dejected finally brought a faint smile to its face.

"Now," it said, "we can have a proper talk. About where you come from, why you’re here, and... your story."

Shen Feng, however, now seemed decidedly blunt. "I can talk," he said. "But you have to satisfy my curiosity, too. How about this: we each share one piece of information, taking turns. A conversation can’t just be one person talking, after all."

The Destructive nodded. "Fine. Where are you from?"

Shen Feng sat up straight, his expression serious.

"I come from a world just as fraught with peril. That world also suffered an Evil Spirit Virus outbreak, also from the Master of the Void. But in my world, I stopped the spread of the Evil Spirit Virus and saved everyone. As for the Master of the Void’s Apostle, it wasn’t me. It was a man named Yamaguchi Sora."

Then he continued, "My turn. Why did the Master of the Void release the Evil Spirit Virus in the first place? What’s the purpose of the system it builds?"

The Destructive glanced at Shen Feng. Although he had asked two questions, they were essentially the same. It answered slowly:

"The Evil Spirit Virus is, you could say, a programmed biogenetic procedure. It modifies the biological traits of humans, then uses the mutated humans as material to construct a trans-spatial signal transmission system. The purpose of this system is to spy on information within this Cosmos and other Parallel Cosmoses, while simultaneously sending coordinates to specific targets."

Having said this, The Destructive fell silent.

’Damn, I really am a cunning bastard,’ Shen Feng lamented internally. He had already figured most of this out. His counterpart’s explanation was basically useless—it only served to confirm one of his previous suspicions.

The Destructive asked its next question:

"How were you able to come to this world? Even with all the power I command, I still can’t break through the barriers between Parallel Worlds. I can only peer at scraps of information."

Shen Feng thought for a moment before replying.

"Let’s stop beating around the bush. I’ll tell you what you want to know, and I hope you’ll tell me everything I want to know. You’re going to kill me in the end anyway, so you might as well let me die with some answers... The reason I can be here is all because of a system called the ’True Apocalypse Game’."

He proceeded to give his counterpart a summary of how he obtained the "True Apocalypse Game," and how he had subsequently entered various Doomsday Worlds, experienced countless trials, and saved the world multiple times.

This included the founding of the Salvation Army and the current state of his own world.

However, he was vague about the events of the Stone Statue Apocalypse, giving only a brief overview.

He also mentioned his Silicon-Based Brain in passing but didn’t elaborate.

As for the existence of the bracelet, he omitted it entirely, describing the "True Apocalypse Game" as something bound to his consciousness that existed in a dimensional space.

When Shen Feng finished explaining the "True Apocalypse Game," The Destructive’s expression was one of shock and excitement, but its eyes also held a glint of jealous hatred.

"Something so powerful actually exists!? It can travel freely between different Parallel Worlds? Why... Why didn’t it choose me? Why did it choose *you*!?"

Shen Feng shook his head, his expression earnest.

"I don’t know the specifics, either. To this day, I still don’t know who is behind the system or what their purpose is. Since you’ve seen information from countless Parallel Cosmoses, have you ever come across any mention of the ’True Apocalypse Game’? Can you help me analyze it?"

The Destructive heard this and slowly shook its head.

"There are far too many Parallel Cosmoses, and the information is too vast and complex. All the information concerning Earth is but a single drop in the ocean, and information about us is merely a molecule within that drop. It’s an amount of data that’s impossible to fully process. That’s why even I have rarely been able to find versions of myself in other Parallel Worlds. Besides, the Master of the Void never granted me much access..."

The implication was clear: it had no idea what the "True Apocalypse Game" was.

However, after hearing about the system’s existence, its attitude toward Shen Feng softened considerably, and much of its killing intent dissipated.

Shen Feng felt a sliver of relief, unsure whether he should be disappointed or grateful that his counterpart knew nothing about the "True Apocalypse Game."

Shen Feng asked his next question.

"Did the Master of the Void really leave this place? Why did it leave? And what are your plans now?"

He had just shown his sincerity, and the questions were no longer restricted in number. The Destructive didn’t seem to mind and answered patiently:

"The Master of the Void is a higher-dimensional lifeform from a dead, nearly-destroyed cosmos. When it fully descended upon this world, I became a part of it. I was under its control for a time, and I almost lost myself completely. But I fought to preserve a seed of my consciousness. After it left, I gradually reawakened and even mastered a consciousness similar to its own... To be honest, it’s actually far weaker than it appears..."

’So even in this world, I’m looking down on that Master of the Void,’ Shen Feng thought, a smirk touching his lips.

The Destructive continued:

"According to the memories preserved in my seed of consciousness, the Master of the Void’s departure was very sudden. It seems to have suffered some kind of devastating blow on a higher-dimensional plane and was forced to flee. But I have a feeling it will return one day. Of course, by then, I will be the master of this Cosmos. It will only be humiliating itself."

As it spoke, a divine light ignited in The Destructive’s eyes.

"I will obtain even greater power! Using Earth as my foundation, I will control this entire Cosmos! I will shatter the shackles of the spatial barrier and bring one Parallel Cosmos after another under my control!"

Stars seemed to twinkle in its eyes as it unleashed a powerful aura, one filled with world-ending madness.

Shen Feng was unfazed. He gave a perfunctory nod and continued:

"Next question. Why are you doing all this? Why... do you want to destroy the world?"

This was, perhaps, the most crucial question of all.