Oh no! I'm surrounded by female ghosts!

The four words fell like a heavy iron weight, striking everyone's chests.

Zhou Zhengyang gripped his phone, his face pale, his voice trembling: "What...what will happen after dark?"

No one could answer that question.

Because everyone understands that this is not an ordinary alternation of day and night.

Rather, it is an ominous sign that the world is about to be extinguished.

Chen Zhiwei bit the end of her pen, frowned and pondered for a long time before picking up the pen and writing in her notebook.

"On May 14, 2003, the Wenqi world line officially began."

"The sun has changed, and eternal night has descended."

"Apocalyptic version..."

She paused, looked up at the increasingly dim world, and then decisively wrote four large characters at the end: "The world is extinguished."

Wen Qi looked at Chen Zhiwei's notes and nodded.

The phrase "the world is extinguished" is extremely accurate.

Because this is not simply the disappearance of the sun and the arrival of eternal night.

So far, apart from the occasional piercing scream from afar, the whole world has fallen into an eerie silence.

Previously, I rode a flying boat and looked down from the air.

The pedestrians on the roadside seemed to be frozen in place, stuck in their final poses of walking, running, or stopping to rest.

But what they all had in common was that they all looked up, staring directly at the gradually disappearing sun.

It's not just people.

Birds and beasts also maintained the posture of looking up directly at the sun.

I passed by a lake earlier, and all the fish were floating on the surface, staring up at the sun with dead fish eyes.

Perhaps, like them, some people have noticed the problem and deliberately avoided looking directly at the sun.

But this is only a very small minority.

After all, the more intelligent a life form is, the stronger its curiosity will be.

One person looking up will attract countless others to follow suit and gaze.

Chen Zhiwei made a rough estimate that at least 90% of life worldwide had been lost.

What did they see?

To live or to die?

It cannot be inferred.

However, this is in contrast to the abnormal students at Heng An Middle School.

The moment they looked up at the sun, they were already dead.

"Let's go back to the room first."

Wen Qi made a quick decision and led everyone back to room 1201.

After returning to her room, she drew all the curtains.

Instead of turning on the headlights directly, they turned on a small table lamp to ensure adequate visibility.

Su Ming stood by the window, where he was responsible for observation, primarily focusing on the changes in the sun.

Wen Qi, Shen Wanyu, Chen Zhiwei, and Yu Mengnian sat around the dining table.

After a series of frights, Tangtang had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Zhou Zhengyang sat on a small stool, holding his phone and continuing to make calls.

Occasionally, a call would be answered, but it would be filled with extremely jarring static, like countless shards of glass violently rubbing together.

"The signal is being jammed."

He looked up and said.

Technology in 2003 was not as advanced as it is in 2026.

Now that the signal is being jammed again, it can be basically concluded that even if there are survivors, they will not be able to contact them.

"Zhiwei, show me what you've recorded."

Wen Qi took the notebook, and Shen Wanyu also leaned closer to look through it.

After the two finished reading...

Shen Wanyu frowned, muttering, "Where is Earth's self-protection mechanism?"

"Logically speaking, there shouldn't be no reaction at all."

She looked at Wen Qi: "You previously speculated that Yu Mengnian's doomsday scenario was the descent of the gods."

"Before the gods descended, Earth underwent an upgrade, raising the world's upper limit."

Why wasn't the protection mechanism triggered this time?

Before Wen Qi could answer, Chen Zhiwei explained, "Actually, you can understand it this way."

"The upper limit of the world is like the atmosphere that protects Earth, filtering out many harmful substances and preventing the extinction of large numbers of life on Earth."

"But when a life form completes its metamorphosis and evolution, it becomes immune to some harmful substances."

"According to the standards of Earth, this is the most correct evolutionary path."

"That's why it proactively opened up the world's upper limit, intending to leave room for life forms like us to grow and evolve."

To put it simply...

Chen Zhiwei bit the tip of her pen and said, "Before the upper limit was set, it was for protection."

"Lifting the cap is for growth."

"The reason why Wenqi's world extinguished apocalypse version did not trigger Blue Star's self-protection mechanism."

"The reason is most likely that it came on too fiercely."

"The level of danger far exceeds the Earth's defense threshold. Even if we forcibly activate self-protection, we are simply powerless to resist it."

"There's one more thing." She pointed to Yu Mengnian beside her.

"The abyss descending in 2026 was originally a harbinger of the gods' coming to earth."

"The reason why it has not been completely detonated for so long is mostly because the dream itself is still resisting with consciousness and has not completely succumbed."

Wen Qi nodded.

She was just thinking about this question too.

Chen Zhiwei's explanation is the one that best reflects the truth at present.

After a moment, Chen Zhiwei looked at Wen Qi with a complicated expression: "I finally understand why your priority is higher than Yu Mengnian's."

Even the most terrifying version of "Avatar" isn't entirely unsolvable.

"The increase in the world's upper limit and the postponement of the Descent of the Gods version undoubtedly give Earth a valuable buffer period."

"Even if the gods do descend to earth in the future, the world will not be completely without the power to resist."

"There is even a certain hope of ending the descent of the gods."

"But your doomsday line."

Chen Zhiwei pointed to the window, her tone heavy with helplessness: "There's no solution."

"Can anyone tell me how to handle this? How to resist?"

"Are we supposed to send someone to fly up to the sun and punch it to pieces?"

This apocalyptic scenario truly left everyone present feeling powerless and bewildered.

There is no solution, no solution.

However, Chen Zhiwei's words gave Shen Wanyu, who was listening nearby, an idea.

She looked at Su Ming standing by the window and said, "If 2003 is Wen Qi's timeline, 2012 is my timeline, then 2019 is Tang Tang's timeline."

"So, could 2026 be Su Ming's own unique timeline?"

"According to Wen Qi's previous statement, Su Ming received the knowledge of the deformed humanoid fish statue in 2026 and the knowledge of the mermaid statue in 2003."

"Thus, these two pieces of knowledge disappeared forever from everyone's timeline, thus affecting both the future and the past."

The more she spoke, the clearer her thoughts became, and Wen Qi, Yu Mengnian, and Chen Zhiwei beside her also understood her unspoken meaning.

"It is known that Su Ming will not be affected in any way."

"So, if Su Ming becomes a Sixth Awakener before 2026, he can raise the world's upper limit ahead of schedule."

"2003, 2012, 2019," Shen Wanyu counted on her fingers, "and the unchosen cursed doll, the girl in the mirror."

"Their timelines must fall between 1996 and 2026."

Five times.

"As long as Su Ming becomes a sixth-awareness awakener in any timeline, the chain reaction of time and space changes he triggers when he returns to 2026 will inevitably be revolutionary."

"First of all," she looked up at Yu Mengnian and Chen Zhiwei, "you two probably won't die."

"Yu Mengnian can safely attempt to become a sixth-level awakener without suffering any backlash."

"Even the version featuring the descent of the gods will be significantly delayed, or even disappear."

Su Ming listened to Shen Wanyu's words, frowned and pondered for a long time, and felt that they made a lot of sense.

One is inherently immune to any form of knowledge contamination.

Even if one attempts to reach the sixth level of awakening, there is no need to worry about backlash.

So, the problem now lies with Su Ming.

How far is he from becoming a sixth-awareness awakener?

Judging from the fact that the "Raising Ghosts" system was only updated once, he is only considered a second-stage awakener.

However, his own strength is no weaker than any of the four awakened beings.

If you add the ghosts you raise yourself.

Once Wen Qi reaches the Destruction level in 2026, he will be comparable to a true Sixth Awakened.

Fortunately, Yu Mengnian spoke up at this moment.

"It's very simple. Once you sense the world barrier, you will have reached the peak of the Five Awakened Ones."

"The terms 'first awakening,' 'second awakening,' and 'third awakening' are merely classifications of strength."

"Not all those who awaken the five senses can become those who awaken the six senses."

After hearing this, Su Ming suddenly understood.

Makes sense.

In 2026, there were only three awakened beings in China, while globally there were probably around ten.

However, only Yu Mengnian has touched the upper limit of the world and is expected to become a sixth-awareness awakener.

Therefore, Su Ming doesn't need to worry about the number of times he feels awake.

As long as he senses the barrier of the world, it means that he has already stepped onto the path of a fifth-awareness awakener, and has the ability to challenge the sixth awareness and break the upper limit of the world.

His strength comes from the character he cultivated.

The higher the favorability rating, the better the feedback.

If Wen Qi's favorability reaches its maximum and the favorability feedback reaches 100%, Su Ming can directly possess terrifying strength comparable to a sixth-level awakened being, without even needing to break through.

Not to mention, Su Ming's character development isn't limited to Wen Qi.

When all the characters you've nurtured reach their maximum affinity, all feedback will reach 100%.

This is not as simple as one plus one.

All power is concentrated in one person.

Su Ming may even directly reach the realm of a seventh-level awakener, breaking the world's upper limit twice in a row.

It's unclear whether those who have reached the seventh level of awakening can withstand a level three pollution source.

While Su Ming was pondering...

The sun went out completely, and darkness descended like a tide.

It was a darkness that was almost tangible, a darkness that was unsettling and terrifying.

The scariest thing is...

In this substantial darkness, there was utter silence; even the chirping of insects and the sound of the wind had vanished.

It was as if... the whole world had fallen into utter silence at that moment.