Night of the Apocalypse

Shen Qiu opened the door, carried his items inside, and began organizing. Some of the things went into the fridge, while others were placed on the shelves.

After finishing that, Shen Qiu washed an apple and headed to his bedroom.

Sitting down in front of his computer, which had been on the entire time, he took a bite of the apple and started browsing the forums.

The forum was even more lively than the night before, with all kinds of chaotic posts flying around.

Shen Qiu even came across a very popular post and clicked on it to take a look.

The post read: “The ancient doomsday prophecy is about to come true. Hurry up and spend all your savings, enjoy life to the fullest! Otherwise, if you die and the money’s still there, wouldn’t that be tragic?”

Comment 2: “If we spend all our money following your advice and the apocalypse doesn’t happen, what then?”

Comment 3: “If that happens, it would really be the end of the world! And it’ll be our personal doomsday! Haha!”

Comment 4: “Confirmed, the original poster is definitely a swindler trying to trick us into spending money.”

Shen Qiu quietly browsed through the comments, his frown deepening. He noticed that after last night’s announcement, there hadn’t been any new official updates.

The countdown now showed only 10 hours and 32 minutes remaining.

Staring at the timer, Shen Qiu became increasingly curious. What major event would occur when the countdown reached zero?

He sat at his computer, resting his face on one hand, silently waiting.

Tick-tock, tick-tock~

The clock’s hands kept moving.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Qiu started to feel drowsy. Without forcing himself to stay awake, he gradually closed his eyes for a short nap.

He was awakened by the sound of noisy street vendors outside. His head nodded slightly as he slowly regained consciousness. The countdown on his computer screen, displaying the crimson skull, now had only 3 hours and 53 minutes left.

At this moment, Shen Qiu realized he had slept for quite a while. The light in the room had dimmed, illuminated only by the purple ambient lights of the computer case.

He slowly stood up and moved his hands and feet a bit. Having sat for too long, his limbs felt somewhat numb.

Buzz buzz~

Suddenly, the phone on the desk in front of him vibrated, indicating an incoming call.

Shen Qiu glanced at the screen, which showed the caller ID labeled “Swindler.”

Seeing this label, Shen Qiu sat back down without hesitation and pressed the button to reject the call.

However, less than three seconds later, the phone vibrated again.

The caller ID still displayed “Swindler.” With a blank expression, Shen Qiu reached out and rejected the call again, then proceeded to move the mouse to refresh the Haoyin platform.

Unfortunately, it seemed Shen Qiu had underestimated the caller’s persistence, as the phone vibrated once more—the swindler was calling again.

Shen Qiu frowned slightly and then picked up the phone, answering in a cold tone.

“What do you want? If you have something to say, say it quickly. If not, I’ll hang up.”

“Haha, don’t! I have something important to discuss with you.”

A greasy, flattering voice came through the phone.

“I’m not interested. I don’t want to listen.”

“It’s really important. Why don’t we meet in person?”

“I’m busy. Not meeting.”

After saying this, Shen Qiu hung up the phone and placed it back on the table.

Buzz~

The phone vibrated again, and the screen lit up. This time, it wasn’t a call from the swindler but a text message.

“Dear Mr. Shen, your electricity bill is overdue. An automatic prepayment of 200 Alliance Coins has been made. Your account ending in 444 has a remaining balance of 3,241 Alliance Coins.”

Seeing this message, Shen Qiu’s expression shifted slightly as he picked up the phone again.

He opened the call log and looked at the swindler’s number he had rejected, revealing a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He really didn’t want to deal with this person, but unfortunately, his wallet wouldn’t allow him to be so resolute.

In the end, Shen Qiu didn’t dial the number. Instead, he sighed and muttered to himself, “Fine, I’ll just let him call back later.”

Sure enough, within half a minute, the swindler called again.
Shen Qiu answered the call, and before he could say anything, the person on the other end started chattering non-stop, afraid of being hung up again.

“My good brother, my ancestor, please don’t hang up on me. I really have something important to discuss with you, and I promise it’s a good thing.”

“Alright~ Fine, let’s meet up.”

“Really! That’s great! What do you want to eat? You can choose the restaurant; it’s on me!”

The swindler said excitedly.

“No need to make it so complicated. Just come to the Absolute Flavor Night Market near my place.”

Shen Qiu turned his gaming chair around and glanced out the window before calmly replying.

“Okay, no problem! I’ll be there right away!”

The swindler happily agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Qiu stood up and changed into a black tracksuit, then walked outside.

A few minutes later, Shen Qiu exited the community gate and headed toward the nearby night market street.

Before he had even walked far, Shen Qiu caught the mouthwatering aromas of barbecue and stir-fried dishes in the air.

Although it was already past nine in the evening, he could see from a distance that the night market was incredibly lively.

Soon, Shen Qiu arrived at the night market, walking along the street where the cement pavement was stained with unremovable black grease, almost becoming shiny with age.

On both sides of the street, outdoor stalls were set up on the steps, with folding wooden tables arranged everywhere. Some street-side restaurant owners had even moved their kitchens outside, stir-frying dishes in the open air to attract passing customers.

Since this area was a university town and it happened to be Saturday, most of the stalls were occupied by young men and women. They were laughing, eating, chatting, and drinking, having a great time.

They seemed completely unaffected by the recent red skull incident.

As Shen Qiu looked at the bustling night market filled with life, his mood brightened considerably.

“Hey, brother, want to grab something to eat? We have all kinds of hot dishes, cold dishes, and barbecues.”

At that moment, a stall owner wearing a greasy apron noticed Shen Qiu walking by and greeted him enthusiastically.

Shen Qiu stopped and glanced at the stall, noticing that there was a nice empty table left. He nodded and walked over to pull up a small stool to sit down.

The stall owner enthusiastically approached him, holding a simple menu.

“What would you like to eat?”

Without looking at the menu, Shen Qiu replied directly, “Since the person hasn’t arrived yet, I’ll start with a plate of boiled peanuts and smashed cucumbers.”

“Alright, no problem!”

The stall owner picked up a blank notebook and wrote down the appetizers Shen Qiu ordered.

Before long, a young waiter who looked quite decent brought the appetizers over.

“Sir, here are your dishes.”

“Hmm.”

Shen Qiu opened a pair of disposable chopsticks, cracking the peanuts as he pondered what the swindler wanted to discuss with him.

Of course, “swindler” wasn’t his real name; it was a nickname Shen Qiu had given him. His real name was Huang Lang.

Huang Lang was one of the core management members of the Tianji Club’s Red Alliance branch, specifically responsible for sponsorships, advertising, and marketing.