True Apocalypse Game

In a study in a small courtyard on the outskirts of Hua Country’s Tai City, Shen Feng stood up from the sofa and withdrew most of his Consciousness Antennae from the network.

After being relayed through several satellite groups, they returned to his Silicon-Based Brain.

He hadn’t thought much of this thing that had suddenly appeared on the seabed. It was only after using his Silicon-Based Brain to browse information on the network, especially the hydrological data of the Arctic Region, that he felt something was off.

Therefore, when the Qianlong No. 9 deep-sea submersible was carrying out its mission, he immediately split off a Consciousness Antenna to follow and observe, which led to the scene that had just occurred.

Sea Beast...

The name was rather plain. However, the Cthulhu that Joe mentioned was clearly not the same person Shen Feng had killed...

’Are there many Cthulhus, or... has the Whisperer chosen a new one?’

It seemed that "Cthulhu" was just a title within the Purification Society, not a person’s name.

That made sense.

When Shen Feng used a tactical nuclear weapon to turn Cthulhu into glass slag in Colombia, he had already understood that the root of the Purification Society’s existence wasn’t some Cthulhu, but the Whisperer.

One Cthulhu falls, and tens of thousands will rise to take his place.

Attacking the Purification Society would, at best, only delay their actions; it wouldn’t be fundamentally effective.

Based on Joe’s few words and Shen Feng’s own understanding of the Purification Society, he could already make a basic guess as to what their plan was.

Use the opened Space Wormhole to lure some powerful monster and destroy the entire world.

A new Cthulhu, a new plan. This method was far simpler and more brutal than the original Cthulhu’s.

’I just wonder who this new Cthulhu is...’

At this moment, a part of Shen Feng’s Consciousness Antennae was still inside the deep-sea submersible. Through the network’s information stream, he "saw" the Qianlong No. 9 deep-sea submersible return to the research vessel base.

Seeing the bound Joe, a huge commotion erupted at the base headquarters.

No one expected that Joe, the heroic deep-sea diver, would be subdued by the other three. For a moment, they didn’t know what had happened on the seabed.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Jiang Bing and the other two temporarily announced that Joe had suffered a mental breakdown due to deep-sea psychosis, which was why they had tied him up.

The matter concerned the Purification Society’s "Sea Beast" plan, and everything was too important. They prepared to report directly to the higher-ups of their country.

After all, with their current positions and identities, they were able to speak directly with the top brass.

The existence of the Purification Society might have to be fully disclosed. Of course, their identities as members of the Salvation Army would remain hidden.

As the three of them discussed these matters in the cabin, they knew that the Commander was likely watching them. Therefore, this "discussion" was more like a report.

If the Commander thought it was inappropriate, he would definitely have raised an objection.

Fortunately, no objection from the Commander came, even at the very end. He had clearly approved of their course of action.

The three immediately escorted Joe onto a helicopter and flew to the nearest airport, preparing to transfer to a flight bound for the Hua Country Ocean Bureau to deliver him.

They had expected to encounter some resistance, but the journey was surprisingly smooth. No one came out to stop them; on the contrary, they were given the green light everywhere.

Apparently, some of their Salvation Army comrades in high places had taken care of everything for them...

Shen Feng didn’t stop Jiang Bing’s group from revealing the existence of the Purification Society to the higher-ups; in fact, he was quite appreciative of the decision.

After all, things were different now. The Purification Society, a dark organization that once lurked in the shadows, was now halfway exposed to the light, its threat greatly diminished.

After the initial period of extreme caution, it was now time to reveal a few things.

"Jingwei, based on the data we have now, calculate the Wormhole’s energy intensity and design all possible scenarios for closing it," Shen Feng said, walking to the window.

Jingwei, who was busy in the kitchen, came out, placed the hot food on the table, took off her apron, and said:

"Alright. I’ll have the two little ones help out later."

Outside, on the small path, the two stand-ins had just returned from school. Carrying their backpacks, they were chatting as they prepared to enter the house.

The thought of these two running over and calling him "Dad" at any moment gave Shen Feng a headache. He immediately prepared to retreat to his study to hide.

Just then, his "True Apocalypse Game" bracelet suddenly vibrated!

Shen Feng immediately lifted his bracelet and saw a line of text materializing on its holographic screen:

The next phase of the game mission is about to begin. Player has unlocked a new world: Water World.

Looking at the words "Water World Apocalypse Mission" on the bracelet, Shen Feng couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

He had thought he’d have to wait a while for the next apocalypse mission, but it had arrived so quickly.

’A Water World mission this time.’

’Has a natural disaster-related apocalypse finally appeared...?’

Until now, the apocalypse missions Shen Feng had experienced were fundamentally similar, all related to runaway technology. Though some involved biological Science and others mechanical technology or artificial intelligence, none had strayed from the domain of human tech.

While Shen Feng took these types of Doomsday Worlds seriously, he wasn’t overly worried about them.

After all, since they were related to human civilization and technology, they were controllable. At worst, they would just require a bit more effort.

As a veteran doomsday expert, he understood deeply that the truly terrifying apocalypses were the ones caused by natural disasters!

Global volcanic eruptions, massive asteroids hitting Earth, a worldwide deep freeze, and so on—these natural disaster-related apocalypses were often unsolvable. In the face of such catastrophes, human civilization often seemed utterly defenseless, as fragile as an egg before a boulder.

And now, the type of apocalypse he had always worried about had finally appeared.

Water World. As the name implied, it should be the type of apocalypse where global sea levels rise and the entire world is submerged.

But that made no sense.

Even if all the ice and snow in the world melted, it wouldn’t be enough to submerge all the land, merely swallow up some coastal and inland plains.

For the true inland plateaus, it was far from enough to completely submerge them.

After all, compared to the current volume of the world’s oceans, the amount of fresh water in land glaciers and the sea ice at the North and South Poles was negligible.

Therefore, the theory of melting glaciers submerging the entire globe was nonsense. At most, it would only submerge low-lying coastal cities.

It wouldn’t cause a true apocalypse at all.

It might deal a heavy blow to the global economy, but it was a far cry from destroying human civilization.

’So how exactly will this upcoming apocalypse mission use water to destroy human civilization...’

Shen Feng couldn’t help but turn his head again, looking at the television, which was still playing the news.

The news report was about the current number one hot topic: the Undersea Space Wormhole in the Arctic Circle.

’Maybe it’s related to that thing...’

Shen Feng casually opened the mission description for the Water World Apocalypse, only to find a few short sentences:

"Global sea levels have risen, submerging most of the world’s land. The remnants of humanity eke out a living on floating cities built on the sea. Only a few lucky ones survive on the remaining plateaus and mountain islands. With only a flicker of its former flame remaining, human civilization must also face periodic global tsunamis at any time. Humanity is on the brink of total extinction..."

Shen Feng raised his eyebrows.

’Interesting.’

The blood-red giant eye icon of the "True Apocalypse Game" was still clear, exuding an irresistible strangeness. The bracelet vibrated again, revealing another line of text:

"Player may choose to enter within one week. After one week, entry will be mandatory."

Shen Feng had grown somewhat weary of the apocalypse missions, but now, with the Undersea Space Wormhole appearing in the real world, he felt a sense of relief upon seeing this new mission.

Whatever that Space Wormhole and the so-called Sea Beast were, he should be able to get a good understanding of them through this apocalypse mission. He wouldn’t be going in blind anymore.

This thing was now his reassurance.

’I just need to do some serious shopping before I go.’

’It’s a pity the "True Apocalypse Game" still doesn’t allow electronic devices. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be great to take a warship in for a spin?’

’Looks like I can only bring a small, ordinary boat...’

’But an Internal Combustion Engine isn’t an electronic device. Would a normal motorboat be okay?’

’Or maybe I can get a submarine?’

’Those drug-peddling guys in Colombia can build their own submarines. Maybe I can build one too?’

Just as Shen Feng was thinking, the two AI-controlled stand-ins pushed the door open. Upon seeing Shen Feng, they immediately called out sweetly:

"Dad~~~"

At this point, Shen Feng couldn’t be bothered to care anymore. He let them be, waving a hand and saying:

"Go eat."

"Okay!" the two stand-ins replied sweetly, dropping their schoolbags and running to the dining room.

The dining table was already laden with dishes and all sorts of food.

Jingwei shouted:

"Shen Xiaofeng! Wei Xiaoqing! Go wash your hands! If you don’t, I swear I’ll sic a snake on you! Also, leave one percent of your memory for bodily functions. The rest of you, get on the cloud network with me and calculate the energy model for the Space Wormhole!"

Jingwei held absolute authority over the two AI stand-ins. The two seemingly well-behaved and cute teenagers immediately scrambled to the bathroom to wash their hands. Then, retaining only the minimum level of physical control, they returned to the dining table and started eating.

’That’s more like it.’ Jingwei nodded in satisfaction. She also lowered her own physical control efficiency, sitting down at the table and beginning to eat like a machine.

Shen Feng was speechless. He also sat down.

But watching the three of them—Jingwei and the two stand-ins—eating mechanically like puppets in front of the colorful, fragrant, and delicious dishes, his appetite suddenly vanished.

’What is this...? A family of robots...?’

’Forget it... I might as well join the research...’

He used his biological brain to control his body while his Silicon-Based Brain also performed a Consciousness Upload, entering the network.

’Your dad is here.’