World Destruction Countdown, Day 24.
"...Second Round?"
After staring at the man before him for a while, Bai Zhi suddenly spoke up.
With no source of information available under the current circumstances, the only possibility Bai Zhi could think of was a Player who had restarted in the Second Round—someone suddenly appearing and claiming to possess a great deal of information he wanted.
"That's right. So, are you interested in cooperating?"
As if unsurprised that Bai Zhi had guessed it, the man pulled a stiff smile onto his face.
"I already have some idea of why this world is dying, but I'm still short a few helpers. Are you interested?"
"We can discuss that later. Would you mind telling me how you failed previously?"
Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the man.
"The prerequisite for cooperation is honesty. Surely you wouldn't keep this kind of information secret?"
"...Of course not."
After watching him for a moment, the man began to speak.
"The disaster began when there were still 21 days left before World Destruction. On the twenty-first day, beings similar to Players began appearing in this world. That was the first sign of collapse. And unfortunately, most of those who first gained Supernatural Power were children."
"Children?"
Bai Zhi frowned slightly.
"That's right. Their average age was under five, including Babies who had only just been born. The younger they were, the less mature their minds, and the stronger their power became. Especially the newborn Babies—their abilities had reached an almost reality-warping level."
The man's tone was utterly flat.
"The initial disaster was caused by those children. They were basically incapable of controlling their powers. A casual wave of an arm could tear off an adult's arm, and countless bloody incidents resulted. The five- and six-year-olds