Chapter 1: Hurricane

What a fierce wind—

Su Xiao had just stepped out the door and hopped onto a shared electric scooter to head to work when she was struck by the absurdly strong wind.

But the weather forecast last night had clearly predicted a sunny day.

Riding toward the company, the biting wind sliced against her face like tiny blades.

Just a bit more.

Only five minutes left to reach Niuma Assembly Corp.

“Clang—”

The sharp sound of metal sheets being blown loose rang out from above. The wind was so intense that Su Xiao could barely keep control of the scooter. As she turned a corner, the vehicle veered uncontrollably and slammed to the ground.

Pain flared across her arm, cheek, and thigh from the scrapes. Just as she was about to get up—

A pair of red underwear smacked her square in the face.

Her expression darkened as she hurriedly flung it away.

With this year’s extreme heat, the neighboring city of Yu had resorted to launching artificial rain bombs to cool things down, causing underwear to rain from the sky. But this place was supposed to be a summer retreat—why were there flying underpants here now too?

As she bent down to pick up the scooter, a sudden gust of wind from behind knocked Su Xiao forward uncontrollably. She nearly dove headfirst into a flowerbed, faceplant-style, but managed to steady herself just in time.

What the hell is this cursed wind?!

Just as she was about to curse out loud, she saw a skinny girl nearby get blown several meters away. The impact as the girl hit the ground was so harsh that Su Xiao could practically hear bones cracking. Her heart clenched at the sight.

Maybe having a bit of body fat wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Normally useless, but in times like these—it could actually save your life.

【Global launch of Apocalypse Game. Category 20 Typhoon arriving in one hour. 30 million safehouses with various attributes have now appeared worldwide for public access.】
【Survivors who locate and enter a safehouse may bind to it and earn the right to survive in the apocalypse.】

An electronic voice suddenly rang in her ears, sounding like a cross between a news broadcast and an audiobook narration.

Su Xiao’s immediate reaction was—what kind of nonsense is this?!

A Category 20 typhoon? That kind of storm could level buildings. There was no such thing as a “safe” house in that kind of disaster. How was this any different from doomsday?

Wait—
That voice had mentioned the end of the world.

She looked up.
The sky was a dense haze, with dust and debris swirling in the air.

Could it be that all those annual doomsday prophecies were actually coming true this year?

Gotta stay alive!

Su Xiao braced herself against the wind and struggled to her feet, step by step making her way toward the shelter of a nearby eave. Outside, the wind howled and slammed against the windows with loud bangs.

The announcement had come out of nowhere and lasted only a few seconds. Everyone around looked confused, unsure whether it was real or just some elaborate hoax.

But Su Xiao noticed a few people, like her, were warily scanning their surroundings, clearly trying to spot this so-called “safehouse.”

There was only one shopping mall near the office building—everything else nearby was just corporate offices. No one knew what a safehouse was supposed to look like or how it would even appear.

Just then, the woman standing in front of Su Xiao, who had been rubbing her hands for warmth, suddenly lit up with excitement. With determination, she stepped directly into the wind and made her way toward a building across the street.

The wind howling through the corridor was dangerously strong, and leaving shelter now was clearly risky. But the woman relied on her sturdy build, using her extra body fat as an unexpected advantage, and pushed through.

Su Xiao kept her eyes locked on the woman, watching as she walked up to the glass facade of the office building across the way.

A golden doorknob suddenly appeared, embedded incongruously in the glass. The gilded surface shimmered with an eerie, otherworldly sheen.

The moment the woman placed her hand on the doorknob, a look of ecstatic joy spread across her face—then she vanished without a trace.

Damn.

Su Xiao’s heart jolted—so the safehouses were real!

This was bad.

If this was truly a global catastrophe, with ten billion people on Blue Star and only thirty million safehouses available, then it wasn’t nearly enough.

The competition would be brutal.

She had to find one—fast—before others realized that the so-called “safehouses” were actually marked by doorknobs!

With that thought, Su Xiao quickly scanned her surroundings and spotted what seemed to be another faintly reflective doorknob on a tree across the way. This one was silver. Without hesitation, she dashed toward it.

But just as she moved, a man nearby suddenly used his weight to shove her forcefully aside.

Her back slammed painfully against the ground. Before she could even groan, she saw the man reach the tree, touch the doorknob—and vanish right in front of her eyes.

Su Xiao seethed with frustration.

But cursing wouldn’t help. In crowded areas, the competition was fierce. She wasn’t the only one who had noticed the abnormal wind and strange broadcast. She had to find a pattern, get ahead of the others, or she wouldn’t survive.

First: both safehouses had doorknobs. That meant the doorknob was likely the identifying marker.

Second: the doorknobs differed in color and sheen—one was gold, the other silver—so there might be other types as well.

Lastly: the safehouses appeared to be randomly located. If that was the case, then less crowded areas might offer a better chance.

Most people were either hiding in their cars or tucked away inside buildings. The streets were nearly deserted—any lone stragglers could barely fend for themselves.

But the most dangerous place was often the safest.

Su Xiao scanned her surroundings. Her gaze settled on the center of the road, on the ground—embedded in the manhole cover of a storm drain. It was a dull blue-green and didn’t reflect any light.

Could that be a safehouse?

The wind on the street was growing fiercer by the second. People were on the verge of being blown away, and even the large public bus was creaking and swaying. The trees on either side looked ready to topple. No one dared venture into the middle of the road.

Su Xiao clenched her teeth.

To hell with it—she was going to gamble on this!

Who the hell installs a doorknob on a manhole cover anyway?! What was this, some kind of underground homecoming?

But the wind was picking up fast. Just taking a single step forward, she could feel it trying to push her backward.

Charging against the wind would be exhausting. She’d likely be blown away before even reaching the handle—not to mention the risk of being spotted by others. The only viable tactic was to take advantage of her position: gauge the wind direction, stand ahead of the doorknob, and let the wind carry her toward it step by step. That way, she’d use half the effort for twice the result.

After making up her mind, Su Xiao stepped out to face the wind head-on. Her fearless stance naturally drew the attention of those nearby.

“She— that girl definitely found a safehouse! Let’s follow her!” someone exclaimed.

Immediately, several people trailed after Su Xiao, eyes scanning everywhere, searching in the direction she was headed.

Su Xiao pressed forward against the wind for fifty meters, catching a glimpse of a doorknob not far behind her in her peripheral vision.

Suddenly, a strong hand landed on her shoulder. “Miss, did you see the safehouse? My eyesight isn’t great. If you spot it, let me know—we can head there together.”

The man was a towering 1.92 meters, tall and bulky, making Su Xiao feel like a tiny chick beside him.

“Brother, I’m not sure either,” Su Xiao smiled, her gaze steady as she looked ahead. “Maybe I’m just mistaken.”

But the man didn’t believe her. Using his physical advantage, he took the lead, closely watching Su Xiao’s movements, convinced he’d find the safehouse before her.

Then suddenly, the wind surged fiercely, forcing everyone to stumble back several steps.

At that moment—

Su Xiao flipped her body, pretending to be accidentally pushed off course by the wind, drifting onto the roadway. She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground, rolling along.

The crowd gasped, eager to rush after her, but she had rolled into the middle of the road, which looked terrifying.

Not far away, a swaying bus was heading straight toward Su Xiao. The onlookers’ eyes widened in fear. Only one voice broke through the panic.

“Su Xiao—”

The bus driver slammed on the brakes in terror.

The next moment, the girl vanished from the ground in a mess of chaos.