Time pushed forward slightly. The sky was still covered in a light haze, sunlight unseen, yet it wasn't particularly dim.
It felt rather oppressive, like the calm before a storm.
"This is the third stage of erosion, a harbinger of the Grey Fog Tide's imminent arrival. Most of the time, it'll be overcast," Meidisha said knowledgeably.
She was currently in the base's foreign guest training ground, holding a long sword, her movements like a graceful dance.
Training was secondary; her mind was filled with thoughts of food and clothing.
Good food, beautiful clothes, and a comfortable environment made her life truly pleasant. However, seeing the increasingly gloomy sky and knowing the Grey Fog Tide was about to descend, she couldn't help but worry.
"Your Blue Star's specialties, you must preserve them well! Preserve a lot more!"
Shi Yunxi touched her forehead. "You worry too much, though your concerns are a bit misplaced."
Her gaze drifted out the window. The oppressive sky had been like this for days.
Lost in thought, she remained silent.
Meidisha also stopped her sword dance and walked over. "According to the observations in our Sword Blossom City, if things go quickly, the Grey Fog Tide might descend in less than half a month..."
Rumble—!
Before she could finish speaking, thunder suddenly boomed in the oppressive sky. The already gloomy heavens plunged into complete darkness.
Dark clouds gathered, and thick, lead-grey clouds pressed down on the sky, as if they might collapse at any moment.
The wind began to howl, tearing at the land and trees. Wisps of grey mist began to form, drifting beneath the lead-grey thunderclouds.
"This is..."
"This is..."
Meidisha's eyes widened. The scene before her gradually overlapped with the knowledge she had learned and the sights she had witnessed in Sword Blossom City.
"This is it, the Grey Fog Tide has arrived! But how... wasn't there still half a month left!"
A long alarm siren sounded within the training base.
Newly trained cadets paused, their mouths slightly agape, but they quickly calmed down under the organization of the veteran trainees or instructors and rushed to their posts.
Shi Yunxi, also gazing at the scene, showed no surprise in her eyes. Yet, this grey, overcast sky remained oppressively heavy, making it hard to breathe.
"Disaster has fully descended. Will we ever see the dawn again?"
"We will!"
...
The White Eagle Federation.
Area 51 Headquarters Base.
Rumble—
As the muffled thunder boomed and the sky instantly plunged into darkness, the staff here, after a moment of shock and bewilderment, quickly entered work mode.
"This kind of special phenomenon isn't just happening here."
"The entire Federation, Europe, even the distant Eastward over the ocean, the sky has turned dark!"
"This is a worldwide change, a global disaster!"
"Signal transmission is experiencing interference, switch lines!"
"Major disaster reported in Lensti State, Federation's northern territory."
"Quick, go get the Leader's decision!"
The leader of Area 51, still wearing what seemed to be his year-round black leather attire, hurried to the living quarters of the blue-robed individual.
He pushed the door open with a bang.
But he found the blue-robed individual equally astonished.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! According to our observations in Wavecrest City-State, it should have come in several months at the latest, or ten days to half a month if fast. How could it arrive so fiercely!"
The black leather-clad leader's face darkened. "Now, tell me, what will happen during the Grey Fog Tide phase!"
Seizing this opportunity, he pressed for information forcefully.
As expected, without much effort, he obtained secret information from the blue-robed individual.
The arrival of the Grey Fog Tide was the beginning of the world's decline, and at the same time, mystery would engulf the entire world. The number of naturally born awakened individuals would far exceed previous times.
For the black leather-clad leader, this was one of the few pieces of good news amidst a pile of bad news.
"The disaster has come too quickly, and many of our preparations in Area 51 are not complete. I need the help of your Wavecrest City-State."
"If Area 51 can establish a foothold, you will receive generous rewards."
His gaze was fixed on the blue-robed individual, his expression still dark, his mind already weighing all the pros and cons.
The disaster had come early, catching them off guard.
However, it wasn't entirely bad.
Compared to their White Eagle Federation's "Ark of Doom" strategy, Eastward, which aimed to build base cities to resist the disaster, was likely even more unprepared.
It remained to be seen how much benefit their White Eagle Federation could gain from such a disaster.
He returned to the base, glanced at the Federation states suffering major disasters, and said in a deep voice, "Implement B2 propaganda strategy."
The world would eventually fall.
Then, let the world shine and burn brightly at its end.
...
Eastward,
At this very moment, Yan Xiao, the envoy from the Scorching Flame Oasis, was also greatly surprised.
Gazing at the changing winds and clouds outside, he was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he looked at Hong Yan beside him and asked, "Where is your director? I'd like to talk to him."
"The director has already gone out. I presume Mr. Yan Xiao understands the current situation better than we do."
"Heh!"
He had intended to say that at this time, they needed to rely on the strength of their Great Scorching Flame Oasis even more.
But on second thought, he closed his mouth.
Since the Grey Fog Tide had already arrived, it wouldn't be long before these Blue Star people would have to bow their heads in despair and beg for his help.
So, he would wait.
It was only two or three days, after all.
...
Sunset Country, White Bear Country.
Envoys from the Great Oasis White Tower and Storm City were equally astonished.
In contrast, You Er and other high-ranking officials of Sunset Country, and Giant King and other high-ranking officials of White Bear Country, were calmer. However, they were also very busy, having already set aside these envoys, their eyes fixed on the projection screen linked to the Heavenly Eye system.
On it,
The once rare, evil spirits in various cities began to appear one after another like bamboo shoots after rain, marked by glaring red labels.
Like drops of blood staining a white scroll.
Shocking and disheartening.
The Night Watcher team/Secret Security Bureau squad was dispatched swiftly.
At the same time, high-ranking officials from various countries couldn't help but turn their attention to Eastward.
"Under such terrible conditions, can the base city plan truly guarantee safety?"
...
...
Eastward, the alarms at various investigation bureaus had long since sounded.
The buildings were almost empty. Long before the Grey Fog Tide descended, investigators in black trench coats had already set out fully equipped.
The sky was very dark, but beneath the gloomy heavens, figures with burning hearts rushed in all directions.
Baijiang City,
The place where dreams began... Cough, on a street just a few hundred meters from a certain Tutor Fang's residence, a pedestrian tightened his collar, looking at the suddenly much darker sky and muttering.
"What's going on, is a heavy rain coming?"
"It seems to have been overcast and rainy these days, something's not right."
"I suddenly feel a bit cold, strange..."
Among the pedestrians, a young man with twisted, dark markings on the back of his hand knitted his brows.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition grew.
"This is not right!"
The young man, Yi Yiying, stopped in his tracks, looking around with surprise and solemnity—he trusted his intuition implicitly, because he was an Awakener!
A civilian Awakener!
But at this moment, his power gave him no sense of security. He only felt a chill. As Yi Yiying observed his surroundings, his gaze quickly swept around, and in a place tens of meters away where wisps of grey mist drifted...
The drifting grey mist suddenly swelled and contracted.
Beneath the floating grey mist, a grasping, clawing grey shadow appeared! It was no longer invisible to the naked eye. Under the influence of the grey mist, a sinister outline appeared in the eyes of the pedestrians.
At the same time, piercing, grinding roars echoed.
"Monster! There's a monster!"
"It's an evil spirit! Run, run!"
"Ughhhhhhh—"
The monster's roars were like steel needles piercing directly into people's brains.
Pedestrians who were a little farther away could still stagger away, but those who were closer, the mere roars almost shattered their consciousness. They curled up on the ground, spitting blood, their eyes streaming with tears.
Even Yi Yiying, an Awakener, had to grit his teeth to resist the tidal waves of mental assault.
"This evil spirit is so terrifying!"
He had seen evil spirits before, but this was the first time he had seen one so enormous.
Its body was over two meters tall, with four legs on the ground. Just standing there, it was larger than the nearby sedan. With a swipe of its claw, it easily tore through the car's metal, sweeping it aside as if it were garbage.
Then, it turned slightly and fixed its gaze on a convulsing middle-aged man lying on the ground, who was closest to it.
It had spotted its prey.
Even though he only saw a silhouette, Yi Yiying was certain!
The evil spirit crawled forward.
Bang, bang, bang!
The ground trembled, and it felt like it was pounding on Yi Yiying's heart.
He was not part of the Investigation Bureau, nor was he registered with the Hunter Association. After awakening, he had always hidden himself. He disliked being exposed to the sun; only in the shadows could he find a sense of security.
Just like his awakened ability.
"Damn it!"
Yi Yiying ran forward. After more than ten steps, he suddenly squatted down, spread his five fingers wide, and slammed them onto the asphalt road.
The few dark stripes on the back of his hand seemed to come alive, spreading out in an instant, like two extending shadow ropes!
Extending and gripping the monster's hind legs.
The black shadows, like ropes, tightened around it, coiling around and around.
The evil spirit roared and struggled violently, making these two shadow ropes seem like they would break at any moment.
Yi Yiying gritted his teeth.
"Why the hell..."
"Where are the reinforcements!"
The thought had barely crossed his mind when,
A half-smoked cigarette spun through the air from a distance and landed precisely on the large evil spirit.
It was as if it had landed on a fuel barrel, and a blinding burst of flame erupted, engulfing the large evil spirit.
A man in a steady black trench coat walked over from a distance.
He flicked his lighter, lit a second cigarette, and flicked it out, delivering the final blow to the evil spirit engulfed in flames.
Boom—!
The flames burned out the evil spirit and gradually extinguished.
Yi Yiying let out a long sigh and looked at the man in the black trench coat.
He recognized him; in fact, he had seen him on television—the Director of the Baijiang City Branch, the recipient of numerous honor medals for repeatedly resisting the disaster of the Gate of the Corrupted Realm—veteran special-class investigator, Director Wei Nian!
Behind Wei Nian were more than a dozen investigators who had just gotten out of their cars.
"Squads three and four, rescue the injured and give purified potions to those affected."
"Squads one and two, follow me to the next location."
He walked past Yi Yiying and nodded approvingly. "Young man, you did well."
However, he did not, as Yi Yiying had feared, forcibly recruit him into the Investigation Bureau after his awakened identity was exposed.
He breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As soon as he exhaled, another anomaly occurred. The grey mist became slightly thicker, and more piercing roars reached their ears.
Wei Nian suddenly turned around, his expression as deep as the ocean.
"Level One Incident!"
"Sound the alarm for this block and quickly organize an evacuation!"
"Young man, I need your strength."
He quickly organized the team, issuing orders one by one.
Even though he had been in office for less than two months, he had the demeanor of a veteran general.
After all, he had met the Chief Instructor of the Black Blade, Miss An, the Daughter of the Underworld, and the Mentor of the Flame of Hope!
The disaster of evil spirits was nothing to panic about.
Wei Nian flicked his black trench coat and threw out an explosive cigarette, but the grey mist in front of him was still churning, like a miniature Gate of the Corrupted Realm, spitting out three, six, seventeen or eighteen evil spirits in a short period.
Among them were two three-star evil spirits, Flesh and Blood Giants.
As soon as these terrifying monsters, tens of meters tall, appeared, the mental impact spread like a tsunami. Even though the alarm had been sounded and pedestrians and residents in this block were rapidly evacuating, the disaster had occurred too suddenly, and the residents had not yet evacuated far.
They were still within the range of the mental impact.
Worse still,
"What are these monsters! I-I-I don't think we're a match for them!"
Yi Yiying's teeth chattered.
This was instinct. The mental impact was like a violent storm; even if his legs were rooted to the ground, the trunk would break in the wind.
"Yes, we are not a match."
"But this is an evil spirit disaster happening in a busy urban area. If it spreads, the consequences..."
The man in the black trench coat, with a cigarette in his mouth, seemed to have little fear in his eyes. "I've experienced even more terrifying enemies several times before. Besides, I believe we will have reinforcements."
Reinforcements?
Even if there were strong reinforcements from the province, they wouldn't arrive anytime soon!
"Believe me, charge!"
Wei Nian engaged in a back-and-forth with the Flesh and Blood Giants.
However, when his peripheral vision caught sight of the figures lying on the ground in the distance, a look of worry was uncontrollably revealed on his face.
Already a difficult opponent, a moment's distraction made the situation extremely perilous.
But he still firmly believed.
Reinforcements would come.
If the provincial bureau couldn't make it in time, there were the warriors of the Flame of Hope! Many of them had already rushed to various places, and Baijiang City was the hometown of many strong warriors of the Flame of Hope!
The wind suddenly froze.
The surrounding streets and buildings seemed to sink, colors faded, leaving only the most basic black and white. The fallen pedestrians and ordinary investigators, as the black and white hues passed over them, also disappeared.
Only the evil spirits and Wei Nian, along with a few other Awakeners, remained.
And a youth speeding from a distance, holding a black and white scroll that emanated a faint glow.
The Black and White Scroll!
This was a high-grade corrupted artifact, one of the 'ordinary items' drawn from the advanced card pool, and not many of them existed. Xu Tian, as one of the strongest individuals next to the Apostle of Destiny, was fortunate enough to carry one of them.
In the black and white space, the youth's heart blazed with fire, and his right hand erupted with raging flames.
He leaped into the air as if walking on empty ground, striking fiercely at a Flesh and Blood Giant.
Illusionary Step!
Cannon Fist! Flame Fist!
The former young man of Baijiang City was now a top-tier Awakener, a world-class strong individual!
In just a moment, the storm and flames in the black and white space subsided.
...
Around the same time,
In a large city in Lensti State, White Eagle Federation.
Here, the core area of the city had also erupted with a major evil spirit disaster. A terrifying, exceptionally large evil spirit, the Bone Giant, was rampaging on the road.
The giant bone warhorse trampled on sedan cars.
The terrifying mental impact felt like a thousand decibels of noise, constantly piercing into people's minds.
Scenes of panic, wailing, and mental breakdown unfolded here.
"Heroes, where are our heroes!"
"Who will save us?!"
"Shit! I knew these heroes were unreliable at crucial moments!"
Heroes were the overt mysterious power of the White Eagle Federation.
Area 51 put forward heroes one by one, including members of the secret combat teams and civilian Awakeners. By creating momentum for these heroes, they not only made the public gradually overlook the disaster itself but also gathered and controlled these civilian experts.
It was a move that killed two birds with one stone.
And at this moment, a hero finally appeared.
"It's the Bicycle Knight!"
"Is it Bicycle Knight, one of the Twelve Great Heroes!"
"Bicycle Knight is here, there is hope!"
People farther from the center of the disaster stopped to watch, many taking out their phones and other tools to record.
An Awakener riding a bicycle, with a cape fluttering, charged forward like a knight.
One minute later,
Bicycle Knight fell.
There was an insurmountable chasm between a dual-Awakener and a three-star evil spirit.
The youth was covered in blood, and the mental impact poured into his mind. He fell to the ground, his skin slowly wriggling like worms.
Suddenly,
Crack—
His spine split open, and dark hands emerged from within, constantly crawling out. In a short period, a 'giant long worm,' tens of meters long with dozens of arms, appeared on the street.
It raised its head and roared.
The arriving secret combat team's eyes widened.
"He's out of control."
"His flesh and blood, his body, have transformed into soil, birthing an exceptionally large evil spirit."
"...Retreat!"
－－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－－
Two in one, the word count is a bit less. My brain is particularly sluggish today, commonly known as being out of state, ahhhh or2~!