Omens Before the Revival: Darkness Falls

Jiang Qiao prepared to solidify the "Fate Dice" first.

Although this life-risking talent could lead to a swift demise if mishandled, it could serve as a trump card for a comeback in desperate situations.

Dying at the hands of the Braided Girl this time was purely due to the vast difference in their strength.

Even so, he still managed to heavily injure her. For Jiang Qiao, this was already a milestone.

[Solidify "Fate Dice" (SSR)?]

"Solidify!"

[Solidifying--]

[Solidification successful!]

Jiang Qiao closed his eyes, carefully sensing the changes in his body, but found nothing different.

It seemed that luck, such an ethereal concept, was indeed elusive and wouldn't directly cause physical changes.

Only when it was used could he judge from the surrounding environmental information whether it had taken effect.

He had now solidified five different talents.

Among them, "Lightning Thunder Fist" (S), "Invincible Body" (A), and "Dual Pupils" (SSR) were talents directly used in combat, offering offense, defense, and vision.

While "Mad Scientist" (SSR) and "Fate Dice" (SSR) were auxiliary talents, helping him accelerate growth, acquire items, and master knowledge.

"Chef Talent is also quite good, but there are still a few hours left today, I'll wait a bit longer."

Jiang Qiao let out a long sigh. This simulation had basically accomplished the goals he had set earlier.

First, he confirmed that among the Evolvers, there were indeed beings capable of influencing the actions of Malevolent Ghosts.

This made Jiang Qiao feel threatened.

Evolvers preyed on humans, not only standing in opposition to ordinary humans but also being on different paths from the Awakeners.

And these Evolvers who could control Malevolent Ghosts were especially dangerous!

They could easily lead Malevolent Ghosts to attack town after town, snowballing from weak to strong.

Who knew what they would develop into eventually.

Jiang Qiao couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't come into conflict with Evolvers in the future.

Therefore, the best approach was to gather as much information about them as possible, and ideally, eliminate some of the potential threats early on.

This was a direction that needed special attention in future simulations.

Aside from the Evolvers, he had also cooperated with the military's Shelter Camp this time.

The results were good.

Through cooperation with the military, he could combine modern weaponry with the abilities of Awakeners.

These weapons weren't very useful for lone wolves.

But if one intended to build a force, they would be indispensable.

Jiang Qiao hadn't decided on his future path for now, but he still needed to make the necessary preparations.

Besides all that, the biggest gain this time should be discovering the Braided Girl's true strength!

Under the boost of his Rank 4 "Mad Scientist" and six points of luck, he had successfully modified a Tactical Nuclear Weapon, heavily injuring the Braided Girl.

The yield of the tactical nuclear bomb was around one thousand tons.

"If I could modify a ten-thousand-ton nuclear bomb, could I just finish off the Braided Girl directly?"

Jiang Qiao pondered.

All fear stemmed from insufficient firepower!

This saying might still hold true after the Supernatural Revival.

However, modifying a nuclear bomb with a Rank 4 "Mad Scientist" was too much of a stretch.

To advance further, one would need at least Rank 5 to start.

This was the direction Jiang Qiao needed to strive for next.

But then again, Jiang Qiao had always been puzzled.

Why were there so many terrifying Malevolent Ghosts in a small city like Bin City?

Not only the Braided Girl, but the source of the smog in the northern district remained a mystery.

And that Malevolent Ghost in the ancient well, Jiang Qiao felt it was probably no weaker than the Braided Girl.

"Small temple, big gust of wind; shallow water, many turtles."

Jiang Qiao sighed, unable to find an answer to this question for the time being.

"I need to become even stronger!"

Roadside.

Jiang Qiao was waiting for a taxi.

The appointment with the agent to view the apartment was almost here.

As he was pondering things, his vision suddenly darkened.

Then, he heard the exclamations of passersby around him.

"What's going on?"

Jiang Qiao cautiously looked up, then froze.

The sky, which had been bright and sunny moments ago, had suddenly turned pitch black. In the blink of an eye, it had gone from day to night.

"Holy crap, where did the sun go?"

Jiang Qiao instinctively checked his phone's time.

12:30 PM.

"Where's the sun? It was so big, how could it just disappear?"

"Oh no, the sun was licked away by a simp!"

"Damn it, I just got home from my night shift. Now my boss is saying I wasn't at work because it's dark and he's going to mark me as absent."

"Based on my thirty years of life experience, I can't make sense of this."

"..."

Whether online or in reality, everyone was in an uproar, chattering and speculating.

A sense of panic spread.

Many worried it was the end of the world.

Otherwise, why would the sun just leave?

Quite a few people rushed to supermarkets to stock up on rice, oil, and salt.

However, experts soon came out to debunk the rumors, saying it was just a normal astronomical phenomenon and there was no need to worry.

Everyone should continue their work, go to their jobs, and do their labor without delaying the tasks assigned by their bosses.

After the experts' debunking, even more people rushed to the supermarkets.

"Five more days."

Jiang Qiao muttered, looking at the dark sky.

If this had nothing to do with the Supernatural Revival, he'd eat his own shit!

Before long, a taxi pulled up beside Jiang Qiao.

Jiang Qiao opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

"I don't know what's going on, but the sun just vanished. Everyone's on edge right now. After I drop you off, I'm planning to call it a day."

The driver, a man in his forties with a slicked-back hairstyle, had a kind and friendly face.

"Uncle, since you're planning to finish for the day, why don't you wait for me at the destination? You can drive me back, and I'll pay you extra. That way, you won't have to worry about an empty trip."

Jiang Qiao rolled down the window, and a faint warm current flowed into the car.

"Alright, but I can't wait too long."

"It's not about the fare, it's just that the western suburbs are quite eerie. I wouldn't normally drive there when it's dark."

"But now, I don't even know if it's considered day or night."

The driver, stroking his hair with one hand while gripping the steering wheel with the other, looked rather dapper.

"No way, what's so eerie about it? Uncle, you're quite superstitious," Jiang Qiao said with a chuckle.

"It's better to be safe than sorry." The driver showed off a string of Buddhist beads on his hand.

"Everyone who's lived in Bin City knows the western suburbs are very superstitious. I've been there a few times at night, and I've seen incense, candles, and rice at intersections in the middle of the night. It's creepy."

"And on the roadside trees over there, many have dolls hanging on them with birthdates written on them, supposedly for good luck for the children."

"If you're driving alone at night, you need to be especially careful. Some roads that are familiar during the day will make you get lost at night, and you won't find the intersection for ages."

"In short, it's okay during the day, but I generally don't like going there at night."