The wave of evolution

Jin Chuanfu's speech went on and on. Aside from Xiao Hao, who found it boring, the other classmates listened with excitement.

As long as they found a player and referred them to Jin Chuanfu, they would never have to worry about food or clothing again!

Faced with rewards that would make countless people green with envy, some who had remained neutral, or even thought well of Xiao Hao, flocked to Jin Chuanfu's side.

Du Shijie was among them.

They could all tell that Jin Chuanfu was hostile toward Xiao Hao.

Watching his former middle school classmates switch sides one after another, Xiao Hao sneered inwardly.

If you can't act as a go-between, the Jin family won't bother with you even if you switch sides. You won't get a cent.

If you can act as a go-between, you don't need to switch sides. The Jin family will come offering money themselves!

Having seen how fickle people could be, Xiao Hao wasn't surprised.

As he ate snacks and watched the scrolling comments, a message suddenly appeared on his game panel.

[System notification: A temporary Evolution Tide has arrived in the real world. Players who have yet to experience the "game enters reality" mode, please enjoy the real-world version of authentic gameplay!]

Xiao Hao's pupils contracted as soon as he finished reading the notification!

What did that mean?

Evolution Tide?!

Why would there be an Evolution Tide?!

Xiao Hao examined the notification carefully and immediately figured out the reason.

It was a Survival Game!

Since it was a game, the players were naturally the protagonists!

But almost all the mutated creatures in the real world had been dealt with by ordinary people!

If ordinary people took care of the monsters, how were the players supposed to experience "authentic gameplay"?

Within minutes, emergency broadcasts appeared online, on television, and over the radio, ordering people to return home immediately and lock their doors and windows!

Jin Chuanfu, who was delivering his speech on the stage, was interrupted by the sudden broadcast and stood there looking utterly bewildered.

Once they heard the news clearly, everyone's expression changed drastically.

How was this any different from the apocalypse arriving?!

The classmates no longer had time for flattery. No reward, however great, mattered more than their lives!

The formal outfits they had worn to flaunt their status now only got in their way. Some people even tore theirs because they moved too wildly while fleeing...

Tore them...

The crisp sound of ripping trousers was too mortifying to witness.

Come on, buddy. You know what kind of quality your formalwear is. Could you take smaller strides?

The Evolution Tide hasn't even arrived, and you've already died of embarrassment...

Meanwhile, Xiao Hao, dressed in casual clothes, was far more agile than the others. In a few quick strides, he ran off and vanished without a trace.

The classmates who had yet to escape the hotel looked bewildered.

One girl complained, "Isn't Xiao Hao being way too selfish? Shouldn't he escort the girls home first?"

None of the usually boisterous boys dared respond to that.

Normally, they wouldn't mind escorting girls home to show what gentlemen they were.

Now that danger was approaching, they were lucky the boys weren't using them as bait while escaping!

The streets were filled with roaring engines, and the subway was packed. Some classmates who lived far away felt like crying. They couldn't even get a taxi, since the drivers were busy fleeing for their lives too.

Xiao Hao could have gone straight home, but he stayed to protect Lin Nanyao in secret.

He had his own way of weighing things, keeping gratitude and grudges separate.

He could protect Lin Nanyao again and again until the gratitude in his heart was exhausted.

His first repayment would begin with escorting her home.

He didn't want his identity exposed, so he had to leave first, then use Shadow Transformation in a deserted corner to return.

Crowds surged through the streets, and traffic was gridlocked. At this rate, no one would make it home.

Soon, the Dragon Kingdom issued another set of instructions online.

"Please enter the nearest building immediately, lock the doors and windows, and barricade the exits!"

"Please enter the nearest building immediately, lock the doors and windows, and barricade the exits!"

"Please enter the nearest building immediately, lock the doors and windows, and barricade the exits!"

The warnings pounded like drums heralding death. Official instructions echoed all around, and Xiao Hao frowned as he received the message.

No monsters had been spotted here yet, but the authorities had changed their warnings so quickly that the Evolution Tide must have already erupted elsewhere!

The classmates who had just run out of the hotel had no choice but to return. Many passing pedestrians ran inside as well.

At the subway station nearby, people who had been squeezing their way in were now fleeing in panic, their faces filled with terror.

Xiao Hao saw limbs and organs flung out of the subway entrance with his own eyes.

There had still been scattered screams coming from inside the station, but within seconds, all that remained was the sound of flesh being chewed.

Before long, a giant ant crawled out of the subway entrance. It was about two meters long, with hideous mouthparts and disgusting slime covering its body.

More giant ants emerged one after another. Xiao Hao was about to kill them when he heard aircraft overhead.

He looked up. Fighter jets!

By now, people had entered the buildings, leaving the streets almost deserted.

Gunfire rained down from the fighter jets, quickly riddling the giant ants with holes. Blood spattered the streets and nearby buildings, and disgusting slime was everywhere.

To reassure the public, footage of the monsters being killed was livestreamed online.

The Dragon Kingdom wanted people to know that even if the apocalypse arrived, it could still protect its citizens!

The military entered the city, and squads of special forces systematically spread into every corner!

Monsters kept appearing, and players around the world stood ready to act.

Since the game had issued a notification like that, it meant the players had to take action!

If the players didn't act, the Evolution Tide wouldn't end!

The government's players took action.

Through the livestream, Xiao Hao finally saw what made the players from each game so formidable.

Players from the space game mostly bonded with genetically modified creatures. They had a science-fiction feel, with tentacles that were often giant steel blades, iron spears, and the like.

Players from the underground cavern game bonded with insects, whose formidable abilities needed no explanation.

The desert game mostly featured fire monsters, while the glacier game had ice monsters. The mist game had all sorts of terrifying plants, and the deep-sea game naturally featured water monsters.

The floating island game had flying creatures, while the Cretaceous game had mutated dinosaurs. Nightmare and Eternal Night were similar, with ghosts and other eerie monsters making up the majority.

Although most of these players were only level two or three, with a few at higher levels, they were more than capable of handling animals that had merely grown larger.

Since this was the apocalypse, things wouldn't be that simple.

These oversized creatures would probably soon level up into genuine monsters.

People hid in their homes, staring blankly at a world that had suddenly changed beyond recognition, their understanding of reality shattered.

Fish floated through the city's air, plants lashed their vines, half-mechanical creatures swung steel blades, and monstrous insects over two meters long hunted. There were even ghosts flickering in and out of sight. All manner of monsters had emerged at once.

Some of them were the players' guardians.

But far more were savage monsters.

Just as the players began losing ground, the camera turned toward an aircraft carrier flying through the sky!

The Dragon Kingdom was even revealing its trump cards!

It rarely displayed technology this far beyond the cutting edge!

Compared with foreign players, the Dragon Kingdom's players were generally weaker. At a time like this, it had to bring out a deterrent weapon to keep would-be troublemakers in check!

At the forefront of the aircraft carrier stood three imposing figures, two men and one woman.

The livestream displayed information about all three.

They were about to become the Dragon Kingdom's publicly known defenders!

Wu Ting, a participant in the Cretaceous Survival Game and one of the Dragon Kingdom's top soldiers!

On the livestream, he was unmistakably a hulking, muscular man with a resolute face.

Mu Saying, a participant in the Floating Island Survival Game and one of the Dragon Kingdom's top soldiers!

She was an elite soldier with the air of a domineering female CEO, an ultimate powerhouse far beyond the average strong career woman.

The last was none other than Qing Feng! A Nightmare Game player and one of the Dragon Kingdom's top soldiers!

Had he not been standing beside the other two, he would have seemed the least noticeable of them all. He had an unremarkable face, a lean build, and even looked somewhat gloomy and withdrawn.

But since he could stand alongside the other two, everyone knew not to judge him by his appearance.

If you're enjoying this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time.