Startled from a daze, Zhuo Ran was awakened by a ground-shaking tremor. As she sat up, the bed seemed to still be swaying.
"What's going on?"
007 quickly came online: [Host, another post-apocalyptic setting. About two minutes ago, three nuclear bombs with a yield of 200,000 tons each exploded in a city thirty-six kilometers away from you. If you want to continue in this world, put on thick clothes, cover yourself thoroughly, and hide in the underground parking garage's shelter. Otherwise, we'll have to go to the next world.]
"Where is he?"
Zhuo Ran asked as she got up, looking around the room. It appeared to be a rental, simply laid out with nothing of apparent value.
The air-raid sirens outside blared deafeningly, accompanied by panicked shouts, creating chaos.
She retrieved a spiritual artifact from her spatial storage that could resist various physical damages and asked with some hesitation, "Is this useful?"
007, still searching for the person, replied: [Theoretically, it's useful, but you should still buy a radiation-proof suit from the mall. That's safer. I'll grant you access.]
After all, she was flesh and blood, and the host had just arrived, in a fusion phase. If something went wrong, it would be embarrassing.
The few minutes after the nuclear explosion were prime time for escape. Hiding now was the best option, but if "he" wasn't safe, the host would definitely go looking for him.
Heeding the advice, Zhuo Ran bought a full-body radiation-proof suit from the spatial mall. She packed the few valuable items in the house into her spatial storage and set off.
Outside, the air-raid sirens wailed incessantly, and everyone was fleeing in panic, some going up, some down, in utter disarray.
As Zhuo Ran descended the stairs, she asked, "Is it ready?"
[Host, A is in this city, in the underground parking garage of an office building about twenty kilometers away from you. His location is relatively close to the blast epicenter. The parking garage ceiling collapsed, and he's trapped in his car.]
Zhuo Ran's steps faltered.
[He's not injured, just trapped. He can't get to a deeper underground shelter now, and radioactive materials will slowly permeate. You still need to find him quickly.]
They were further away, and the radiation was still in the sky over another city. Within two weeks, a large amount of radioactive dust would settle on the ground. With three nuclear bombs of 200,000 tons each, the survival rate of people within ten kilometers was less than fifty percent. Those who miraculously survived would likely suffer from various cancers and other diseases, meeting a tragic end.
Zhong Yan was currently less than twenty kilometers from the nuclear blast epicenter. If he didn't escape or hide quickly, he would likely be exposed to radiation within two weeks. Even if he survived, he would suffer from illness later.
"Navigate."
[Host, go to the underground parking garage first. I'll get you a motorcycle. Some buildings in the city have collapsed, and cars can't get through.]
"Okay."
She was on about the tenth floor. Rushing downstairs only took a little over a minute. 007 coordinated to produce a motorcycle. Zhuo Ran, wearing the slightly cumbersome protective suit, rode it, following the navigation southeast.
The streets were still a mess. Many people had taken shelter inside buildings, while others were still running. The roadside broadcasts continuously warned residents to seek cover in shelters, underground parking garages, subway stations, basements, and the like. Su Dan Novel Network.
There weren't many vehicles coming and going, but due to everyone's extreme panic, Zhuo Ran hadn't gone far before nearly being hit three times.
Nearly half an hour had passed since the first air-raid siren sounded. This should have been enough time for everyone to take shelter, but some people were still worried about their loved ones, rushing back from outside, picking up children, or hurrying home.
The nuclear explosions had caused most communication software to malfunction, and it was worsening. Facing the unknown and a disaster like a nuclear blast, fear was an unavoidable emotion for most people.
Zhuo Ran cautiously avoided the panicked crowds. Since she was heading towards a more irradiated area, the people she encountered were all running away from it. The lanes meant for oncoming traffic had become escape routes for many. She had to drive her vehicle onto the sidewalk.
Fortunately, 007, an artificial intelligence from a world millennia in the future, was powerful enough. By connecting to the city's network and the satellites overhead, it obtained a complete map of the city, constantly rerouting her, allowing her passage without obstruction.
She sped along for nearly twenty minutes, finally reaching the commercial district. This area was only about a dozen kilometers from the blast epicenter and had no mountains or other obstructions. Several office buildings had suffered some damage from the nuclear explosion, with cracks appearing, and some were on the verge of collapse.
[Left, the tallest one, Shen's Group.]
Zhuo Ran, still speeding, chuckled, "Is he still playing the CEO drama role?"
Speaking of which, the place she lived in looked like an urban village, a rental. There was no elevator. The original host's social status must not have been high.
The little fellow had really grown up.
The system replied earnestly: [It's a post-apocalyptic survival script. This nuclear explosion is just the beginning of the apocalypse. Host, I really think something has gone wrong.]
"What do you mean?"
She had already reached the entrance of the underground parking garage of that building. The damage inside was not severe, except for a piece of building structure that had fallen and crushed several cars.
The little green dot in the system screen was among them.
[This world was supposed to be a metropolitan business war background. Midway through, the apocalypse suddenly descended, with nuclear explosions and aliens. According to data simulations, without effective means, all life in this world will cease to exist within ten years.]
[Except for the aliens.]
Zhuo Ran paused her stone-moving action: "How much background information do you have?"
[More than half of the storyline has progressed. The plot has been modified according to the overall environment. The previous storyline is obsolete and has no reference value.]
The original plot was a typical urban romance story, a cliché of wealthy family feuds, where a prince and a Cinderella finally achieve happiness after various "hardships."
Now, everything was in chaos.
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Ran immediately understood the system's meaning.
From the previous world, she had a suspicion. Neither the previous world nor this one was experiencing a singular world's disaster, but rather a series of butterfly effects caused by problems in the Three Thousand Worlds.
"Find the main system. Have it notify Luan Yu to come and see me."
[Okay.]
Zhuo Ran moved aside a few concrete slabs and finally saw the Ferrari designated by the system. This kind of supercar was no match for an SUV; the car was almost crushed flat.
As Zhuo Ran moved the debris outside, the person inside the car had already realized someone was outside and was desperately calling for help.
A reinforced concrete slab, more than ten square meters, had collapsed more than halfway onto his car roof. The car doors and windows were severely deformed and couldn't be opened. The person inside was forced to lie prone, and the other half was still connected to the floor above, shaking precariously with the car's movement.
"Don't move!"