Feeling a sense of dread creeping up his spine, Duan Lang returned to his rented apartment. He opened the terror interface and said, "Open the data panel."
The system displayed all the data.
Human: Duan LangStrength: 21Agility: 18Stamina: 24Charm: 2Luck: 0Spell Power LV0: 0/50 [Requires LV1 to use Spell Power]Other LV0: 0/50 [Fill this attribute to unlock random hidden stats]Skills: [Trickster LV1, Super Reflexes]Terror Points: 3000Attribute Points: 8
The events of today had shaken him to his core. Liu Jian's terrifying strength far exceeded that of any normal human.
After a moment of thought, Duan Lang allocated all his attribute points to Strength.
Agility and Stamina were already at peak athlete levels, but his Strength was still at an average person's standard.
Strength: 29
Terror System Alert:Your Strength attribute has increased, reaching the level of a world-class boxer with exceptional endurance and muscle fiber elasticity.
Duan Lang was about 178 cm tall. The long nights of gaming had left his skin pale and unkempt, and his beard was a mess.
This was also the reason he did live-streaming without showing his face.
In reality, Duan Lang could pass as a bright, sunny guy if he bothered to clean up. But who has the energy to look good when you're up all night gaming? Not like he's doing a beauty stream, after all.
Now, with his Strength, Agility, and Stamina all at the level of top athletes, his muscle definition had transformed, like a sculpted Greek statue.
Of course, his looks didn't improve much. He still had those careless dead-fish eyes, and unless he stripped down, no one would call him a heartthrob.
"Now, with this body, I'm like a nuclear bomb to a rich woman."
He tried swinging his arm, and the air around him cracked. If he landed a full punch on someone, they'd either die or be seriously injured.
With these physical upgrades, Duan Lang felt a lot more confident about his survival chances.
He grabbed his phone, opened the most popular short-video app, and hoped to catch a glimpse of the world outside.
But to his surprise, the network was down.
The network's been attacked?
What if phone calls also stopped working?
A cold wave of panic hit him—his phone was the only way to stay in touch with his family right now.
He didn't know what the world was turning into, but all he could do now was adapt to the environment.
Scrolling through his phone, he mostly found network novels.
Then, he remembered that he had downloaded a book titled "How to Socialize with People."
After talking with the corridor ghost, Duan Lang was puzzled. Despite his attempts to befriend the ghost, its favorability had decreased. He couldn't figure out why.
He decided to read the book and learn something.
After all, seeing his favorability with Liu Jian and his daughter rise had proven the value of making friends in this world of horror.
"Knock knock!"
A dull thud came from next door.
Duan Lang pretended not to hear, but the pounding continued, more incessant by the minute. He stood up in annoyance and banged on the wall.
"Stop banging, what are you, a teenager whose girlfriend got stolen?"
He knew that eventually, the guy in Room 606 would break through the wall anyway. Duan Lang wasn't going to be nice about it.
Triggering Trickster Skill:The occupant of 606 has been sufficiently angered. You receive an "Anime Girl Body Pillow."
Item: Anime Girl Body PillowDescription: Hugging it will help you fall asleep faster.Hint: A must-have item for any homebody. Easily torn, but incredibly effective at inducing sleep.
The moment Duan Lang saw the item, he understood. The person in Room 606 was probably a die-hard anime fan and a complete introvert.
He suddenly understood the Trickster skill a bit better. The items he received were tied to the person's identity and preferences.
"Maybe if I send him the pillow, he'll settle down a bit. Who knows, I might even make a new friend?"
But as soon as he took the pillow out, that thought quickly faded.
"This... smells too good."
No wonder the system said it was easily damaged—the quality was solid, but the visual? Not something anyone could handle.
"Bang! Bang!"
The pounding from the other side was growing louder.
Duan Lang put on his headphones, blasting music while reading How to Socialize with People. The book had surprisingly helped him a lot; he felt he was now ready to make friends in this bizarre world.
Most people probably get that feeling—"I could do that too."
Time passed. He took off his headphones and opened the curtains to look outside.
"It's dark."
His mood sank.
If the day had been this horrifying, how terrifying would the night be?
At the same time, he was relieved that he was inside, because if he'd been out during the lunar eclipse, things would have been a lot worse.
He silently thanked the unlucky soul who was killed by the fart bomb.
Through his window, the street behind him was empty. Faint laughter and blood-curdling screams echoed from a distance. From the darkness, there were occasional flashes of firelight and the acrid smell of gunpowder.
The outside world was a disaster.
What the hell was this world becoming?
Should he wait for rescue at home?
But Duan Lang had a feeling he'd never see rescue.
The terror invasion had only just begun, and already his neighbors were turning abnormal. Liu Jian's dead daughter was alive in some inexplicable form.
Why was this happening?
Duan Lang didn't know. But he believed that someone, somewhere, was probably trying to figure it out.
Of course, as an ordinary civilian, all he could do was try to survive.
His phone pinged with a new message.
Official Announcement:Humanity is facing an unprecedented challenge. Stay alive! Fight against nature with your wits. Life has not ended, it has only just begun.
No mention of rescue.
Just some motivational nonsense.
Duan Lang's mood darkened.
Another message appeared:
Official Announcement:People of Anshi, if there are any survivors, please head to the Bailong Expressway. We have food, bedding, and soldiers!
A safe base?
Duan Lang's eyes lit up.
But he quickly calmed himself down. His super reflexes made him think through many possibilities.
A base didn't guarantee safety.
First of all, could humans even detect the weirdness? For example, Liu Jian, who seemed like a normal person. Who knew if there were ghosts like Liu Xin hiding among the crowd, invisible to the naked eye?
If no one could detect them, any ghost could slip in, and that would be disastrous.
Moreover, from the events of the day, he knew that the more people there were, the less safe it was. It was very possible that a ghost could be hiding in plain sight, playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek with you.
The unknown was always the scariest, and Duan Lang didn't want to find himself in that kind of situation.
The more people, the more dangerous it became.
He called his family.
The phone picked up.
His father's voice was barely audible, whispering, "Son, is everything okay?"
"I'm fine. I made a friend today," Duan Lang replied, telling them about his day's events. It was a way to prepare them.
After hearing about his experiences, his father asked, "You've always been this brave, huh?"
"To survive, you have to complete the tasks."
His father fell silent.
His mother was quietly sobbing, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
"Don't worry. Playing games is my specialty. I'll be home soon, and I'll bring my sister back with me," Duan Lang reassured them.
"Be careful," his mother whispered.
The world was changing too quickly. Hiding at home wasn't a long-term solution.
There might come a day when the streets were filled with monsters and ghosts—how long could they hide?
Duan Lang told his parents that the most important thing right now was to gather intelligence. The more you knew, the more control you had over the situation.
He also told them that if they got any task alerts, they should inform him first and maintain contact.
"We'll just hide at home for seven days and call it the beginner task. After that, we'll do the daily tasks."
"What if that's not safe?" his mother sobbed.
Duan Lang said, "Actually, you can avoid the daily tasks. For example, if the guy next door breaks through the wall in seven days, I'll go to another apartment to hide."
Avoiding the tasks was possible.
Duan Lang didn't want his parents to do anything too dangerous.
After talking for a while, his father suddenly hung up, leaving Duan Lang confused.
Probably because someone was knocking on the door again.