Chapter 2: Chapter 1 Beginning of a Nightmare (1)
Just like that, the World was thrown upside down. The Media was flooded with news that the end of the World was coming near, the apocalypse of humanity, etc.
There were reports that a barrier of some sources had appeared in some cities preventing people from coming in and out.
Due to this, outrage about supplies being raised within the town, Supermarkets. Mall was under rampage, though my city was still under control due to the police force deployed with weapons to control the situation.
The situation had yet to turn nasty, but I know it will be so, thanks to someone I do not know.
[Like I tell you, right?
Do you believe me now?]
The text was sent with a smirking face on it. I don't know who this is, but they predicted what was coming and informed me beforehand.
Thank it, I could buy supplies like food and water earlier on. I didn't believe it at first, but somehow I bought two weeks' worth of food with various snacks in advance, even when I thought it was half-heartedly due to my dad always telling me to secure food in advance in case of anything. Before the market skyrocketed, their supplies were due to the high demand.
[A few days ago]
[Hi, Tilus, you can call me X. A catastrophe is coming. You have three options:
A: Run away from the city
B: Locked yourself in the house
C: Secure food and water supplies in advance for two weeks.]
What joke is this? I murmured to myself.
"Hey, who are you? What are you talking about."
[It doesn't matter who I am. You only need to know I'm on your side and can help you survive.]
"What bullshit are you spouting?"
There were no texts after that.
[Back to current time]
This person helped me. What is their motive? If they can predict the future isn't it better to inform the government? Then I was taken aback because it was probably more tiresome.
"Why me? Why did you help me?
[Because I need your help.]
"What is it that you need help?"
[You will know as time progress. Focus on your survival first.]
"How do I know you are not trying to manipulate me ?"
[You are free to think whatever. Know that only I can help you survive.]
Before I could retort to that, a knock was heard on my door.
"Tilus, it's dinner time," William's voice came from the other side.
Let's think about it again. I better fill my stomach before wrecking my brain to deal with the matters.
As I was about to walk out, another text came. It was a pdf file. I open it, and it is a journal.
"This is…"
[ A while later]
I went down and had dinner with them. All my housemates stay in the house.
"Look who finally decided to show up." Leon is mocking at me
"Sorry, I was sleeping. what do we have for dinner ?" I quickly make it as I apologize and sit down
They were almost finished eating. I didn't wait for a reply and then sat down and ate the food.
They were discussing something I should have paid more attention to, or instead, I couldn't shake off what I had read until someone called my name.
"Tilus, what do you think ?" Leon said
"About what exactly?" I asked back
"Are you even listening ?, The Corrosion Virus, of course. Do you even read the news? The whole World is discussing it. They predicted the apocalypse. Today was the last date of the pills we received. Like those zombie apocalypse movies."
Leon keeps on saying.
Then another voice broke out. It came from a very slender man, a handsome person. Some say he looks like a nerd, some say he is just knowledgeable, and he tends to act like a leader when things happen. His name was William.
"We should gather all the information we had first. As far as we know, there were barriers around the cities, so the Army could not go in or out of the cities. So we won't be receiving any help from the outside, also."
"How do you know that? Isn't there a military in the city? Another voice spoke up. Right, then we had Ben, who would challenge everything anyone else. His ego is so high that he doesn't tend to listen to what others say and likes to talk alot.
"Yes, there are, but we had to prepare if things go South, and we had to flee the city, and as I was saying," William groaned annoyingly. He hated when someone cut him off.
"It's going to get worse. Did you know that a pack of noodles was 100000 Vnd (about 4.5 dollars) Things can skyrocket. I heard red-eye disease happened to those who didn't digest the pill. They become violent and attack others, then die."
This voice belong to Jasmine. She is a senior at my college, an art major, and someone outgoing. She cared for others and acted like our big sister sometimes.
They keep talking as I scroll through my phone, rereading the text sent to me. I need to be prepared. If things roll out as X said they would, then...
A voice suddenly heard a monotone voice coming out of a translation machine voice.
[Stage 0 had concluded. Stage 1 is being prepared.]
An image popped on everyone every phone. It was Chaos
"Hello, Human, I see quite a lot of you have survived and listened to my advice of using the pills, but now you are on your own, as you have experienced a few days of the Corrosion Virus, but well, hell gonna break loose now."
With those words and an ominous smile on that thing's face.
Something felt like an Earthquake happened, then the figure on our phone showed us an image we never thought would happen.
The earth below was ripped apart, a Monster was crawling out from below, and Our capital, Ha Noi, was now burning like a nightmare; Tokyo, Seoul, New York, Bangkok, Paris, London, Beijing, and Dubai were all but ruined.
Hanoi was burning like never before. I wonder if this is what it felt like when we were bombarded by bombs by the US Army, like how my grandfather used to tell me other was no better. Cities were being burned, collapsing, and turning into a wasteland.
Among them was a city pierced by thousands, if not millions, of swords like a white light, monsters crawling from everywhere and attacking humans. The World was truly reaching its end.
"As you can see, the World is in chaos right now. However, there is a way to save the World, which is passing through the Stage we had been preparing for you. You may find the power to save our dying World at the end of that journey. A few of you had been selected as apostles to proceed with the Stage. You will now be teleported to the destined areas."
With that, a light wrapped around my friends and me. We moved away before I could think of anything.
The moment I opened my eyes, the fire surrounded me, I could see my friends one by one next to me, but there weren't just my friends. There were also 40 or so more people. We are in a forest, no be exact, a park, but I can't tell where we are precisely.
"Welcome everyone to the first stage. I'm A1. I will be observing your stage trial this time".
A figure floating in the air, it was like a puppet. It was wearing a black suit as a cooperating worker. It was speaking Vietnamese fluently.
"What is this?
"Is that an AI ?'
"Are we inside a virtual reality ?"
Shouter was heard everywhere. A man stepped forward to ask the creature.
"Hey you, do you know who I am ?" A man in his 50s wearing a tank top and shorts, talking back at the creature in the air
"A human ?" It said mockingly.
"I'm part of the Two head Dragon residing in the Big Market, the biggest gang in Vietnam. Who are you to do this to me?" the man seems to be a gangster, with both of his hands drawing dragons.
Stop it. What are you doing to provoke it? Before I can open my mouth
Shouter began to roar again,
"Yeah, why are you bringing us here."
"Send us back."
"Somebody call the Police."
Then a loud voice was heard.
"STOP IT, EVERYONE" A tall man seems to be in his 30s, wearing the green uniform you usually see in the Army.
All eyes now looking at that person, then he began to speak,
"I'm Captain Tyler Nguyen of the Division 13th of the Special Police Force. We are in chaos right now, so I order everyone not to provoke that creature. We don't know what it is capable of, so..."
"Oh my, at least someone knows the situation before I snap every one of you guys' heads like a balloon. " the creature said while laying it back, floating in the air.
"Who are you to… ?"
The guy didn't get to finish his sentence as his head exploded, with his body lying flat on the ground.
"You were trying to test my patience," the creature called A1 grinned as it looked down at the dead body.
Scream was roaring out from everywhere.
"Now then, everyone, shut up before I pop every one of your heads as I did to that guy over there" Then it snapped a few more people's heads.
Everyone becomes silent. I can still hear a sniffing sound from nearby,
"Good now, get back to the topic. Since Stage 0 has concluded, Stage 1 has been prepared for you. Get ready and prepare for your survival, human." The cold voice rang out.
Then a small window appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"Shit, it happening."
[Stage 1: Test of Survival
The World had been thrown upside down. However, there is still hope for humanity to clear the Stage and get the rewards to become stronger.
Type: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear conditions: Kill one living being
Time limits: 1 hour
Compensation: 300 coins
Failure: Death ]
Then the creature called A1 disappeared with a grin
"I wish you all luck, and please show me something exciting to prove your worth, human."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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