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

A trace of indescribable sorrow appeared on Chi Zhengyang's face.

He sighed softly.

"Because we failed."

"Five years from now, countless monsters from other dimensions will descend upon Earth."

"Everything we know, the civilization we are so proud of, will be completely destroyed by those monsters in a very short time."

"Humanity is coming to an end."

Every word Chi Zhengyang uttered was like a cold knife, piercing the hearts of the ten soldiers present.

Five years later.

The end of the world has come.

Human civilization...destroyed.

This news is more despairing than everything that had just happened combined.

Zhou Jian swayed slightly; the usually resolute man's face was now filled with unbearable pain.

His fists were clenched tightly.

"If...if human civilization is destined to perish..."

His voice trembled slightly.

"Then what's the point of everything we're doing now?"

"Our daily training, the beliefs we uphold, everything we're prepared to give our lives for... if the ending was already predetermined, then wouldn't it all become a joke?"

Zhou Jian's words silenced all the team members.

Yes.

If the future is destined to be ruins, then what are they fighting so desperately for now?

A profound sense of powerlessness and absurdity enveloped everyone.

They felt like a group of clowns, putting on a one-man show on a collapsing stage, but no one applauded.

No, the ending is not yet decided.

Chi Zhengyang shook his head, his gaze becoming sharper than ever before.

"I cannot disclose the specific reasons at this time."

"But you only need to know one thing."

"Lin Mo's appearance brought a turning point."

"That game you think it is, that real wasteland world fifty-five years from now, is our only hope."

Chi Zhengyang stood up, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly. A powerful sense of oppression instantly enveloped the entire conference room.

His gaze swept across Chen Feng, then Zhou Jian, and finally down to the face of each team member.

"We want to change that doomed future, and we want to protect the land behind us and our hundreds of millions of compatriots."

"All we can rely on is Wasteland Era."

Silence fell over the office once again.

A deathly silence.

Every word Chi Zhengyang spoke was like a heavy lead weight, filling every inch of the room and making it hard to breathe.

hope?

The phrase seemed so pale and powerless, even somewhat laughable, after hearing that humanity was destined for destruction.

Chen Feng and his nine teammates stood frozen in place, like ten weathered statues.

Their minds were still a mess, unable to effectively connect the words "game," "future," and "apocalypse."

This is ridiculous.

This is more absurd than any science fiction movie.

"Wasteland Era has the ability to make us stronger."

Chi Zhengyang's voice broke the silence once again. His speech was slow, but it carried an undeniable power, forcefully drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"The levels, combat power, skills, and even equipment you acquire in the game may be synchronized to the real world in some way that we do not yet fully understand."

"Lin Mo, the grocery store owner you met, is the key to all of this."

"The higher the level of his general store, the greater the authority he has, the more we can obtain from it, and the more people can become stronger."

"Only in this way can we have enough power to fight against those world-destroying monsters five years from now."

"This is our only hope."

His words finally cleared away some of the confusion for everyone.

It turned out to be the case.

That game, that realistic post-apocalyptic future, is a training ground, an opportunity for humanity to gain extraordinary powers.

Amidst Chen Feng's chaotic thoughts, he finally grasped a clear thread.

It turns out that all of this originated from that "Wasteland Era".

An idea gradually took shape in his mind, becoming clearer and clearer.

They are not playing a game.

They were conducting the most brutal and realistic rehearsal for the war five years from now.

And they were the first soldiers to step onto the battlefield of the future.

"I understand."

Chen Feng spoke slowly, his voice a little hoarse, but every word was crystal clear.

"Therefore, we are the pioneers of all humankind."

Chi Zhengyang stared at him and nodded solemnly.

"That's right, pioneers."

"Every exploration, every battle, every step you take to grow stronger is paving a way for the survival of human civilization as a whole."

Chi Zhengyang's gaze swept over everyone present, and an unprecedented solemnity appeared on his usually composed face.

"Our future is still uncertain, and there is still a chance for everything to change."

"Humanity needs you."

boom!

If the previous news was a devastating blow, then this sentence was a thunderclap that pierced the dark night of despair.

forerunner.

To pave a way for humanity to survive.

Humanity needs you.

These few simple words instantly rekindled the long-dormant belief in the hearts of the ten soldiers.

The immense sense of powerlessness and absurdity was replaced at this moment by an even greater emotion.

That's a responsibility.

It is a mission.

It is a mission that carries the future of billions of people, a mission so heavy it is unimaginable!

"yes!"

With a crisp snap of attention, Chen Feng jerked his feet together, his body standing as straight as a pine tree.

He raised his arm and gave a perfectly standard and forceful military salute to Chi Zhengyang, as well as to the four elderly men present.

Whoosh!

The nine teammates behind him made the exact same move at the same time.

Lei Yue, Zhou Jian, Han Bing...

Ten men, ten military salutes.

At this moment, they seemed like an impregnable city wall.

The shock and bewilderment on their faces had faded, replaced by an unprecedented determination and resolve.

"Mission accomplished!"

Ten voices converged into a mighty torrent of steel, reverberating throughout the conference room.

Looking at the ten young and resolute faces before him, Chi Zhengyang was filled with mixed emotions.

He knew that from this moment on, these best soldiers would bear the heaviest cross of this era.

He solemnly returned the salute.

"Remember this." Chi Zhengyang lowered his arm, his expression extremely serious: "Every word I say to you here today is top secret."

"Absolutely not to tell your parents, your lover, your comrades... or anyone else, absolutely not."

"You can imagine the scale of social panic and unrest that would be triggered if the truth about the apocalypse were to be revealed five years from now."

"Until we find a definitive solution and until we have sufficient power, this secret can only be borne by people like us."

"This is our mission!"