Chapter 380: Episode Twelve (Part 2)
This episode of the drama was released simultaneously in both the game and the forum. Because she needed to update the game first, Jinse was a few minutes late. By the time she opened the drama, the screen was already buried under a flood of bullet comments.
"Incoming barrage: 517,394 comments…"
The screen cut to a pitch-black room. On an open book, lines of text appeared one after another. Then it switched to Charles VII seated solemnly on the throne of Darkland Fortress. A majestic symphony began to play, and two large words appeared in the background: Conspiracy!
The scene changed again—to Wayne Sturwell, Sherlock, and the other Sunwatchers busily investigating the giant incident, finally peeling back layer after layer to uncover the truth. The background words read: Wisdom!
Another cut—to the Turing couple. The camera flashed through scenes of their seventy years together, supporting each other through thick and thin. The background words appeared once more: Love!
Then, the screen changed again—Zhou Ning's palm shone with rainbow light as he slammed it against the ground. A massive blue beast materialized before him. Subtitles appeared: Courage and Strength!
As the music reached its most stirring peak, the screen darkened completely. Fiery letters blazed across it:
Welcome to "Apocalypse" Version 2.0 — The Descent of Ten Calamities!
Silence followed. The scene returned to the same dark room as before. The camera slowly panned down and froze on the open book.
Four-Part Opera: Final Act, Scene III — The Death of the Puppet
Starring: Wayne Sturwell, Sherlock Moriarty, Leandro Pessa, Charles VI, and others.
...
Through tireless machine translation by the neural brain, players finally understood: from beginning to end, everything had been orchestrated by Charles VII. The Cursed Church, in order to achieve its goal of resurrecting the Evil God Nyastora, had chosen to cooperate with him. Together, they carried out a sinister ritual called the Ascendant Ceremony—just as players had seen—instantly sacrificing the life force of everyone in the city to turn them into undead or black wraiths.
Next, through a series of montage shots, players watched the book continuously weave coincidences together—from the very first sacrifice to the familiar Holvig Incident, the Alchemy Bomb Incident, and the assassination of Charles VI. The camera's perspective shifted rapidly—from these past events to the recent scene where Hawkins was invited to Vick University by pure chance. When the protagonist happened to pass by, Hawkins accidentally hit an out-of-bounds ball, forcing him to stop for two minutes… then the Retreat Society directed a prostitute to cosplay as the Earth Goddess to attract the attention of the Circle of Earth—delaying the protagonist by several more hours.
By this point, chills ran down every player's spine as realization dawned.
From the very start of the game, every so-called "coincidence" the protagonist had encountered had all been orchestrated by that mysterious book-shaped artifact. Each coincidence linked seamlessly together, forming a perfect, closed loop.
Accompanied by a suddenly swelling orchestral score, the audience was completely drawn in—it felt like watching an eerie yet magnificent opera unfold.
As the book's plan continued, Zhou Ning walked straight into its trap, stepping into Darkland Fortress precisely at 5:50. The players held their breath, completely immersed.
The screen flickered rapidly—on one side, Zhou Ning infiltrated Darkland Fortress, overhearing the villains' conversation just as the book had planned; on the other, a bird's-eye view cycled through the twelve almshouses' locations. As Karl Robbins' voice rang out—"Let the plan begin"—the music suddenly shifted to something grand and heroic: the symphony titled "Fate."
The screen split in two. On the left, Zhou Ning moved swiftly out of Darkland Fortress. On the right, twelve smaller windows appeared, showing the domes of each almshouse being fitted with blue gemstones. Then, all twelve windows merged into one—the domes burst with black lightning that spread across the entire city of Darkland.
The music grew more frantic. The players watched as the citizens of Darkland had their life force drained away in an instant—some turned to ash, others into undead, and still others into shapeless black wraiths wandering aimlessly.
They saw Mrs. Turing transformed into an undead, yet still pushing her husband's wheelchair out of their home, clinging to her old habit. They saw Wayne's friend John turned into a black wraith, drifting inside Darkland Fortress. They saw the mother and daughter the protagonist had once helped—whose lives had finally improved—lose their lives as well, standing in place, turning in confused circles.
The suffocating despair and sudden tragedy wrought by that damned book left the players crushed. Jinse, who was quick to tears, was already reaching for tissues.
After several montage cuts, the camera returned to the protagonist and stayed there. The bullet comments exploded once again.
"The main story begins!"
"Watched it all—so damn good. Replay it a billion times."
"I can only say this: No one can defeat me when my BGM's playing."
Jinse blew her nose, blocked a few spoilers, and focused intently on the screen.
In the video, Zhou Ning dashed out of Darkland Fortress, using flawless textbook-level hive shooting to mow down a group of cultists. Near the trade district, he spotted the undead Mrs. Turing—still pushing her husband's wheelchair.
What followed made countless players break down in tears. At Mr. Turing's repeated request, Wayne Sturwell used Ripple Shot to let Mrs. Turing rest in peace. Then, Mr. Turing ended his own life with a single bullet.
Players, who had already learned of the Turings' story in Episode 11, could no longer hold back their grief and frustration. Comment after comment filled the screen, repeating the same line:
"If you don't know what love is, warriors—this is love."
Then, the neural brain gave Zhou Ning a close-up. Everyone could see it clearly—his eyes burned with unprecedented fury as he suddenly raised his head to glare at the rampaging spider shadow in the distance.
Between his fingers, a golden-edged UR card appeared, and he began to chant. The neural brain thoughtfully displayed subtitles:
"When it descends, the scorching tempest shall scour the earth, and the living shall turn to corpses!
Come forth—Obelisk the Tormentor!"
The players watched, hearts pounding, as the card in Zhou Ning's palm flared with radiant, rainbow light. He raised his hand high, then slammed it down onto the ground.
A stirring BGM burst forth—not Wayne Sturwell's familiar execution theme, but a brand-new, thunderous track filled with divine oppression—as if a god himself was descending. Perhaps only Zhou Ning knew: this was "Wrath of the Gods."
For an instant, the entire screen froze—then the players went wild. Bullet comments poured in like snow, an overwhelming tide of exclamations.
"Holy crap, that's so cool! Absolutely epic!"
"Man wearing his trench coat like a cape—@Sunken Star Beneath the Water, reflect on yourself!"
"This is the enemy's death knell BGM!"
"Got chills all over!"
"I'm crying—Game of the Year, guaranteed!"
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