In a large building in the southern half of the Sea City Ruins, over a thousand human survivors were living.
The building itself was a former supermarket called "Joy City." Inside, there were still plenty of leftover tools and even some canned goods from centuries ago. Some of them, surprisingly, wouldn’t kill you if you ate them, making it an excellent Shelter.
What was even more comforting was that there were several bookstores here. To the human survivors in the darkness, the books inside held extraordinary significance, whether as fuel or as Sacred Artifacts for passing down knowledge.
However, for the human survivors in this dark world, no matter how tempting these surface ruins were, or how many desperately needed supplies they held, they were not places they dared to tread.
Terrifying Evil Ghosts patrolled and roamed everywhere. Massive structures in city ruins like this could be considered their favorite haunts.
Countless human survivors who had snuck out of their hiding places to scavenge for supplies had been mercilessly hunted by those Evil Ghosts, ultimately becoming a part of them.
But now, this building had become the safest place in the entire Sea City Ruins, the territory of the Lin Clan, who had once held out in the library.
The Lin Clan, originally numbering only a few dozen people, had now received the allegiance of dozens of other families, becoming a massive tribal organization with over a thousand survivors.
All of this had been made possible for a single reason: the Lin Clan’s new matriarch, Xiaocao, had obtained a legendary Exorcism Staff capable of repelling the attacks of the Evil Ghosts!
This was a weapon that could kill Evil Ghosts outright. For these survivors, who had lived their entire lives in the Dark Apocalypse, it was the first time they had ever heard of such a powerful weapon’s existence.
And the mysterious person who left this weapon behind was just like the Immortals described in books.
Many people tacitly believed that the mysterious person who had suddenly appeared, killed a large number of Evil Ghosts, and then vanished was the legendary Divine Spirit of humanity.
As for Xiaocao, the one who received the Exorcism Staff, she was seen as an emissary approved by the Divine Spirit, naturally worthy of being followed and joined.
Because of this, nearly a fifth of all survivors in the Sea City Ruins had come to pledge their allegiance to the Lin Clan.
As for the other survivors, many were still watching from the sidelines. Even more, some of the larger, more populous clans began to wonder if they could seize that powerful Exorcism Staff for themselves.
After all, the mysterious person never said who the Exorcism Staff had to be given to. Whoever snatched it would own it.
It was the only tool capable of harming the Evil Ghosts. For human survivors living in this Dark Apocalypse, the temptation was simply too great.
And so, an undercurrent of turmoil surged throughout the Sea City Ruins.
Inside Joy City, Xiaocao, dressed in the most magnificent clothes her clansmen could find, sat on the supermarket’s old semi-circular service counter. She held a metal rod inlaid with a Quantum Force Field Core. Around her stood several members of the Lin Clan, armed with kitchen knives, steel pitchforks, and even a Crossbow, guarding her.
The leaders of the other clans who had come to seek refuge with the Lin Clan were now seated on a circle of chairs placed around them, all vying to get a good look at the legendary "Exorcism Staff" from a distance.
A rare bonfire burned in the middle of the hall, illuminating the shadowy faces around it.
The bold act of lighting a fire in an open ruin was enough to fill everyone with exhilaration.
Many people kept glancing back at the empty streets, worried that new Evil Ghosts might appear.
Everyone felt a mix of fear and excitement, filled with anticipation for the legendary "Exorcism Staff."
Xiaocao’s father stood in front of the service counter, his face alight with excitement as he addressed the crowd:
"...From now on, our future will be bright! The Lin Clan will lead all of Hai City... No, all the cities beyond! We will no longer have to fear that firelight will attract the Evil Ghosts! No longer will we have to eke out a miserable existence in the dark! We will lead all survivors..."
His eyes were filled with a craving for power and the future, his tone growing more and more impassioned.
Xiaocao sat dazedly on the makeshift high platform, her eyes filled with confusion. It was as if she didn’t quite understand why she was sitting here.
She had never imagined that simply being drawn by that strange fragrance one time would lead to this.
’Who was that person?’
’Where did he go?’
’Why did he give this powerful Exorcism Staff to me?’
Sitting on this high platform, looking at her father’s face, slightly distorted in the firelight, at the menacing-looking clansmen brandishing their weapons, and at the shadowy figures flickering in the distance, Xiaocao was suddenly overcome with a sense of alienation, as if she were in a dream.
’None of this feels real.’
An inexplicable fear gripped her. Right now, she wished she had never met that mysterious stranger, wished she were back home in the library basement...
Suddenly, someone ran into the building and whispered something in the ears of a few onlookers. Their faces immediately showed shock, and they turned and ran out of the building.
Soon, a few more people ran in and said something to the other onlookers. After a flurry of hushed conversations, they too turned and ran out.
In no time, more than half of the people who had wanted to align with the Lin Clan had fled, leaving the space half-empty.
A look of anger appeared on Xiaocao’s father’s face. He was clearly displeased with those who had suddenly left and was about to say something when a clansman ran in from the street outside, shouting as he ran:
"A tower! Look! A tower has appeared outside! It’s covered in those... those treasures that can kill Evil Ghosts!"
At that, everyone’s faces filled with shock. At the same time, many suddenly realized that through the shattered windows, they could see a tall tower rising from the ruins not far away. Hanging around the tower were blue orbs, emitting a soft, blue light.
They were identical to the blue treasure on Xiaocao’s "Exorcism Staff"!
And at the top of the tower, a brilliant light shone, illuminating a vast area.
This light was enough to make everyone ecstatic, to drive them mad with joy!
This was the light of legend, a light that had only existed in dreams in this Dark Apocalypse!
Immediately, everyone present, including Xiaocao’s father, let out a cry and rushed out of the building, sprinting towards the newly appeared tower.
Once on the street, they discovered that many people were already running wildly towards the tower. They had never seen so many people at once; it seemed as if every hidden survivor in Hai City had emerged.
After the shocking encounter a few days ago, everyone understood that the blue "Treasure Pearls" could annihilate Evil Ghosts. They had to get one at any cost!
In the blink of an eye, everyone around Xiaocao was gone, including the few clansmen who had been her guards.
She climbed down from the high platform, holding the "Exorcism Staff," and walked out of the building in a daze.
In the distance, on a cleared patch of ground, a tower now stood. It was over a hundred meters tall with a diameter of several dozen meters, its body glittering with shimmering blue spheres of light.
Just like the one in her hand.
And at the very top of the tower was a giant sphere of light radiating a blinding glow that made one dizzy just to look at it.
Xiaocao couldn’t help but tremble. ’Could it be that the mysterious person has returned?’
’Could this be... the legendary sun!?’
At this thought, she too broke into a sprint, running towards the tower.
She wanted to ask him in person: what exactly were these blue metal spheres? And... why did he choose her?
...
Inside the tower Shelter built by the Gray Tide, Shen Feng watched the crowd of people sprinting toward him from the darkness and nodded slightly.
It was just as he had thought. These survivors were absolutely incapable of resisting the temptation of light and the Quantum Force Field Cores. He didn’t need to waste energy searching for them; as long as he created light, the surviving humans would naturally come.
It was a yearning for light etched into their very bones.
The darkness here was so thick, like ink that would never dilute. Because of this, the light could be seen from hundreds of kilometers away, driving countless survivors wandering in the night to madness.
The nearest survivors had already reached the base of the Tower of Radiance. After a brief hesitation, they charged through an entrance at the bottom, only to find themselves trapped in a room flooded with white light.
Then the second person, the third...
More and more survivors arrived at the Tower of Radiance, entered it, and were subsequently imprisoned individually.
Time passed, second by second. Soon, more than five thousand people had been confined within the Tower of Radiance, and more were still coming from the distance.
Shen Feng quickly observed the number of people arriving from afar. Meanwhile, the Gray Tide had already spread out, continuing to devour the city ruins, preparing to send the more distant refugees directly into the tower when necessary.
"Xiaofeng, your mindset has changed a bit. It’s like... you’re treating these people as unenlightened primitives, lost lambs, or game pieces, not as living, breathing human beings." Jingwei’s voice, tinged with worry, sounded in Shen Feng’s mind.
Shen Feng was taken aback. From the top of the tower, enveloped by the Gray Tide, he looked down at the survivors, who were now confused, enraged, and terrified, and quickly replied:
"This is an emergency, just a temporary, expedient measure. Don’t worry, I’m not the protagonist of some story about endless suffering. Why are you acting like some melodramatic artsy type? There’s no time for this now. Is the Gray Tide interception cluster in position? Prepare to intercept!"
The meteorite from outer space was about to make contact with the Reverse Dyson Sphere device in low-earth orbit!