The apocalypse begins with a dungeon game.

Chapter 187 I've reached a dead end

Li Can stood at the entrance of the coffee shop, on the side of the street, as Wang Defa and Li Lan's figures gradually disappeared from beneath their feet after activating their access cards.

Until they completely disappeared, leaving nothing behind, it was empty, as if they had never existed.

A gust of autumn wind blew by, and the golden dragonflies that had flown far away in the sky flew back in droves.

They flitted through the low-lying air above the streets, and Li Can could catch a few dragonflies in mid-air with just a tiptoe and a raised hand.

But he didn't move; he just quietly watched their circling figures.

After a long while, he sighed deeply, and the feeling of tightness in his heart slowly dissipated.

He felt that his time in this game hadn't been in vain. After seeing his family, he became even more determined to live and fight against the rules of this world.

No matter what, he has come this far, and there is no turning back.

……

In the golden fields, a clearing has been artificially created in the very center.

Three young men were sitting on the ground, their hands and feet tied behind their backs.

The long period of confinement did not make them despair; instead, each of them kept their own thoughts active.

"I'm sure you all understand quite clearly from our conversation just now what changes have occurred in this world..." Li Can's voice suddenly came from behind them.

He stepped out of the portal, and the red [coordinates] moved freely within him.

In an instant, there was nothing behind him, as if he had appeared out of thin air.

The young men who were tied to the ground all lit up when they heard his voice.

"Is that you, Uncle?"

Li Can loosened the ropes binding them, walked around them, and stood in front of them.

He suppressed a laugh, "Now that the dungeon is over, you don't need to pretend to call me 'Uncle' anymore. I'm just taking advantage of you for no reason."

"To be honest, we're all about the same age, not much different."

"I don't know if you saw my posts on the Survivor Forum when you were on Earth. Anyway, you can call me Peach Blossom."

"We were all very busy in the dungeon, and we didn't have a chance to specifically ask you all your names?"

The young man who was originally called Xing Dong wiped the dust off his face, his big, round eyes sparkling as he stared intently at Li Can.

"Uncle, we didn't know your identity at first. We just thought you were the most powerful superhuman player in this dungeon. We saw that the other superhumans listened to you, so we followed suit and joined you."

"Later, you tied us up here beforehand. We were a little scared at first, but after watching the live chat broadcast you specially prepared for us, we realized that you were the famous Peach Blossom from the forum!"

"We are all ordinary people, and none of us have awakened any special abilities. It's truly amazing that we've met you."

Li Can corrected him somewhat helplessly about the way he addressed her, "Just call me Peach Blossom."

"Okay, Uncle Peach Blossom... hehe, it's a little hard to change my address now, I'm just used to calling you that." Xing Dong chuckled, his slightly tanned face revealing a striking set of white teeth.

It added a touch of simplicity to his appearance.

"Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Daishan." Xing Dong finally said his name.

"The character '代' (dai) in '代笔' (daibi) combined with the character '山' (shan) in '大山' (dashan) forms the character '岱' (Dai).

"Speaking of which... after the apocalyptic zombie virus outbreak, I was stuck in my school dormitory. None of my roommates came back at that time."

"Fortunately, we had a lot of supplies in our dorm room, enough for me to survive, but then someone leaked the news and a group of people broke down the door and stole all my things."

"They even tried to push me off the building to let the zombies silence me, but nobody expected that a new dungeon vortex would appear downstairs, and I fell right in..."

"Actually, after spending some time in this dungeon, I've come to terms with things. The extra time I can live here is something I've gained."

"Even if I leave the dungeon, I'll still be dead... I'm already at my wit's end. It's actually my good fortune to die peacefully in this now-ending dungeon space."

Li Can was somewhat surprised by Dai Shan's experience; this was the first time he had heard about the living conditions of an ordinary person in the apocalypse.

He didn't intend to ask them too many personal questions, but the man didn't hold back and started talking like a chatterbox giving his last words, revealing everything on his mind.

It was as if Li Can was the last person he would ever see.

Then Xing west, who was next to him, seemed to be infected by him and also quickly introduced himself.

"My name is Shen Dachuan. My home is also in Shangxian City, not far from the First Base."

"But I was studying in another city when the apocalypse happened, and I couldn't go back."

"But I was studying in another city when the apocalypse happened, and I couldn't go back."

"After being trapped by zombies, I had no choice but to enter the nearest dungeon, Vortex, hoping to find a way out... Sigh... Anyway, it's a long story."

"I wasn't as badly bullied as Daishan; I was just completely desperate. It's tough being a survivor. These zombies are nothing like the ones in TV dramas. Their speed and attack power are terrifying."

"The official response wasn't as swift as we imagined, and they weren't able to stabilize all the cities and villages. Most people died very quickly."

Li Can looked at Shen Dachuan, who was also Xing west before.

With thick eyebrows, strong facial features, and a determined gaze, he certainly fits the physical characteristics of people from Upper Moon City.

What he said was probably true, after all, the First Base is now accepting ordinary people as well. A young man like him, who is good-natured and capable, would not have ended up like this in Upper Moon City after the apocalypse.

Even those with superpowers aren't confident about entering the dungeon; for ordinary people like them, going in would be pure suicide.

If they weren't driven to the brink, who would come here to try their luck? Most people are just trying to escape something in front of them and get a moment's respite.

If the dungeon doesn't end, you'll be stuck here forever; if the dungeon ends and you haven't become the winner, you're just waiting to die.

No matter which path you take, it's a dead end; trying to find a glimmer of hope is harder than climbing to heaven.

The official situation he mentioned is even more chaotic, deeply infiltrated by swindlers and lackeys.

It's no wonder that no one stepped in in time to stabilize the spread of the zombie virus in various cities.

Those hypocrites would love for humans to react as slowly as possible and for as many people to die as possible.

Xing Nan sighed and took over the conversation last.

"My name is Zheng He, not Zheng He as in Zheng He's voyages to the West, but He as in river."

"I just did some calculations and realized that we're quite destined to be together. When we were pretending to be actors, we hastily named ourselves 'East, West, South, North,' and now it just so happens to form the first half of 'Mountains, Rivers, and Seas'..."

"But that's not important, haha, I've gone off-topic."

"My life experience is pretty much the same as everyone else's."