The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

The buzz-cut boy was stunned for a moment, not expecting to be rejected so decisively. He scratched his head and retreated somewhat awkwardly.

But another tall, thin boy was more intrigued.

He didn't approach, but instead circled the rock bone, examining it closely.

The more I look at it, the brighter my eyes become.

"Wow, buddy, you're dressed pretty well!"

Pan Gu felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze.

It feels so uncomfortable, like ants are crawling all over my body.

He pulled his black robe tighter around himself and shouted angrily.

"What exactly do you want?!"

This angry rebuke carried a hint of barely perceptible panic.

The tall, thin boy just chuckled.

"Brother, don't misunderstand!"

"I just think your outfit is so cool, and it even shoots blue flames! It's absolutely awesome!"

"Is this an item? Can you tell me where it came from? Was it a quest reward or dropped by a boss?"

Pan Gu: "..."

Being watched made Pangu uneasy.

Even though his attitude softened a bit, he still couldn't hold back with his words.

Even if you praise me, I still won't like you!

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to completely freeze, Zhang Heng quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, with a gentle smile on his face.

He pointed to his head, glanced at Pan Gu, and shook his head: "Brother, I'm sorry, my brother is just a little shy and not used to communicating with people."

The boy suddenly realized why it was covered so tightly; that's what it was all about.

He nodded to Zhang Heng, giving him a sympathetic and understanding smile.

These days, life isn't easy for anyone.

Then, calling to their companions, they walked towards the distant ruins, playfully bickering.

Only after the group of boys had completely disappeared from sight did Pan Gu's tense body slowly relax.

Zhang Heng looked at him and couldn't help but laugh.

"How are you feeling?"

The massive head of the giant bone beast tilted slightly, the soul fire beneath its black robe flickering erratically, and it let out a displeased snort.

"Hmph! I don't like them!"

"Never!"

That being said, his slightly relaxed posture betrayed his true feelings.

......

Lin Mo has been busy since he woke up this morning.

They didn't finally send those people away until it was completely dark.

He slumped into the chair.

He was slumped into the chair, looking completely drained.

For Lin Mo, today was definitely a busy day.

As more and more players flocked to Wasteland Era, his small shop also saw an unprecedented influx of customers.

However, aside from the initial group of eccentric lunatics, the players who joined later were much more serious.

They rushed into the game and, guided by the system's mahjong, quickly signed contracts to become shop assistants.

Then, without looking back, he rushed out of the safe zone and threw himself into the great cause of land reclamation.

The whole process went smoothly, requiring almost no effort from Lin Mo.

Even so, it still kept him busy until the evening.

Lin Mo let out a long sigh of relief, and his whole body went limp.

"I'm exhausted..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sparrow fluttered its wings and hovered in front of him.

【? ? ? 】

The system's beady eyes were filled with big question marks.

Excuse me, were you speaking human language just now?

【What did you do? I was the one responsible for signing the contract and guiding the process from beginning to end, okay?】

Supervisor Lin—Mo—glanced at it with an air of self-righteousness: "Fine, fine, you've worked hard too."

That's more like it.

The system nodded in satisfaction, but then immediately felt something was amiss.

[…No, why did you add the word 'also'?]

Lin Mo waved his hand lazily.

Don't worry about the details.

He turned his head, his gaze passing through the window to the newly built rune tower not far away.

A full day has passed since the Rune Tower was erected.

At the very beginning, a small group of players went over to watch out of curiosity.

Later, the place became deserted, and you couldn't even see a ghost.

Nobody uses it at all.

They must really be out of Source Crystals.

The system pinpointed the problem perfectly.

Lin Mo nodded in agreement, a slight smile unconsciously curving his lips.

"I can tell."

In order to force the general store's level up from 4 to 5, these guys really squeezed every last bit of source crystal out of their pockets.

They are now truly penniless.

It's unlikely that we'll be able to use rune towers anytime soon.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo smiled.

I still have to thank Mr. Chi for his help.

His gaze shifted from the rune tower to a more distant view, towards the edge of the safe zone.

As night deepened, the outline of the ruins appeared even more grotesque in the darkness.

At the boundary between that darkness and the light curtain of the safe zone, enormous shadows were wandering back and forth, their numbers unusually large.

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Have you noticed how lively it is outside today?"

The sparrow followed his gaze and flapped its wings nonchalantly.

[After all, with so many people arriving at once, the increased human presence naturally attracts the attention of monsters, isn't that normal?]

The system's explanation is reasonable and there is indeed no fault in it.

But Lin Mo felt that something was wrong.

He stood up, walked to the window, placed his hands on the windowsill, and carefully observed the situation outside.

There are several times more monsters outside the safe zone than at the beginning.

The area that had been cleared out is now bustling with activity.

Corrupted dogs, zombies, desert scorpions, rock spiders... all sorts of servant-level monsters are mixed together, seemingly wandering aimlessly.

Moreover, the number is increasing over time.

Because there were too many monsters, the surviving players had no choice but to retreat to the safe zone.

Fortunately, the monsters couldn't enter the safe zone, which prevented a fight from breaking out.

Lin Mo's brows slowly furrowed.

Something's not right.

Something's really wrong.

Although these monsters appear chaotic, they seem to follow some unseen order.

The weaker, corrupted dogs were squeezed to the outer perimeter, while the larger, more ferocious monsters occupied positions closer to the safe zone.

This doesn't seem like a disordered gathering attracted by a breath.

It was more like a... premeditated encirclement.

Just then, a particularly striking creature came into his view.

It was a gigantic wolf-like monster, covered in grayish fur, with bulging muscles and eyes that gleamed with a bloodthirsty red light in the darkness.

Elite-level monster, the Wild Wolf.

And there was more than one.

Three heads, five heads, ten heads...

Until a complete pack of wild wolves appeared at the edge of the safe zone.

Unlike other monsters that roared wildly, they lurked quietly in the shadows, their movements perfectly synchronized, exuding a chilling aura of disciplined training.

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat.

An ominous premonition welled up in my heart.

"Normal? You call this normal?"

He suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the store.

The system was somewhat bewildered by his question.

[That should be normal... right...]

Lin Mo didn't turn around, but simply raised his finger and pointed out the window.

"Look again."

His voice carried an undeniable solemnity.

The system, bewildered, flew to the window and looked out again.

In that very instant.

A sudden change occurred.

The sea of ​​monsters, which had been wandering and roaring in chaos, suddenly fell silent.

All sound came to an abrupt halt.

Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

Tens of thousands of monsters, regardless of size or type, seemed to have received a silent command.

They slowly turned their heads.

The next second, countless pairs of scarlet eyes lit up simultaneously, piercing through the thick darkness and locking onto the only building in the safe zone.