Chapter One: The Rift Appears

“Emergency announcement! Emergency announcement! All residents must gather at Central Square before eight o'clock! All residents must gather at Central Square before eight o'clock! The soldiers from the military district will retreat to the rear safety zone at ten o'clock. No latecomers will be accommodated! No latecomers will be accommodated!”

Shen Lie listened to the blaring patrol car loudspeaker outside, glanced around his humble shelter, and his eyes were filled with panic and anxiety. This small haven had shielded him from wind and rain, but now he was forced to abandon it. Reluctant as he was, there was no choice.

Ever since the first Void Rift appeared in America, the whole world seemed to have changed overnight. Rift after rift opened across the globe, and terrifying, alien creatures crawled out of them. Countless humans were slaughtered and devoured by these monsters, plunging humanity into a state of panic.

No one knew how these rifts had suddenly appeared. The experts who once loved to pontificate as if they knew everything were now collectively silent; not one could explain their origins. All that was known was that the rifts seemed to connect to another world, and the dreadful creatures were species from that other realm.

In the beginning, these horrors still felt distant to Shen Lie. Though the monsters emerged from the rifts, their numbers were limited. After slaughtering the nearby villagers, they were usually destroyed by the military. Governments everywhere issued statements, claiming urgent research was underway and dismissing rumors of the apocalypse.

But reality proved otherwise. The crisis grew ever more severe. Abroad aside, in the Huaxia region alone, eight rifts had appeared in just three months—these were only the discovered ones; who knew how many more went undetected.

The eighth rift had appeared precisely in the northern mountainous area of Qingshan Province, where Shen Lie lived. Three or four alien creatures crawled out, and a whole village was wiped out before the military arrived and killed them. Immediately, Qingshan Province was designated a dangerous area, and all residents began evacuating toward Liaoning Province.

Now, the Huaxia government had designated seven safety zones nationwide, each centered on a major city housing a military district, covering the surrounding areas, and urging all citizens to relocate to the nearest safety zone.

Despite the various government relocation policies, many people clung to their homeland, unwilling to flee out of a faint hope. And who could say if the safety zones were truly safe? Even with the military's presence, could they really handle those terrifying creatures? If large numbers of monsters appeared, would the evacuees be forced to fight as cannon fodder?

Everyone was gripped by apocalyptic fear. Crime rates soared daily, and supplies were hoarded in a frenzy. It was clear to all that the world was changing.

The loudspeaker outside kept blaring, part of the fifth day of evacuation mobilization. Most people had already followed the troops to Liaoning, leaving only the 'stubborn ones' behind—those who remained for one reason or another.

But the military escort would not stay indefinitely. Today was the final deadline. No matter how many remained, the troops would leave by this morning. Anyone not joining the evacuation would be left to their fate.

Shen Lie sat beside his computer, staring blankly at the screen, which displayed a set of photographs—creatures the size of black bears, but shaped like spiders. These were the monsters emerging from the rifts. They did not appear enormous, but it was said ordinary bullets could not injure them; only special high-energy explosives in sufficient quantity could suppress them.

Of course, all this was mere rumor online; official media had not mentioned it, likely to prevent panic. The state media said nothing about how these creatures were killed. Not only in Huaxia, but in other countries as well, it was as if slaying these monsters was no trouble at all.

“Ring, ring…”

A sudden phone call snapped Shen Lie out of his reverie. He answered, and a gentle, urgent female voice came through.

“Lie, why aren’t you here yet? The third batch of evacuees from your area has already arrived, but I couldn't find your name on the list.”

“Cousin, I haven’t made it over yet. It might take some more time.” The caller was Shen Lie’s cousin, Wen Wan, his uncle’s daughter. True to her name, she was graceful and beautiful, and cared for him deeply—one of his closest relations in the world.

“What? You haven’t come? Is something wrong over there?” Her voice became anxious.

“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s still fine here; we’re a fair distance from the new rift. Don’t worry, evacuation is ongoing… Hello? Zzt, zzt… Hello? Hello?”

Before Shen Lie could finish, static began to crackle in the receiver, as if something was interfering with the signal, making conversation impossible.

He hung up and saw the signal bar had dropped to zero. Not only was there no phone signal, but the Wi-Fi was gone as well, though the computer still had internet. Shen Lie quickly realized: it was said that areas surrounding a rift suffered interference from a special energy, disrupting all wireless signals. He’d assumed the range wasn’t large, but now it seemed the whole Qingshan Province was affected—even though his location was on the opposite side of the province from the rift!

Fortunately, the interference only affected wireless signals, so the wired network was still usable. Chen Zhou opened QQ to update his cousin and ease her worries.

But as Chen Zhou reached for the mouse, the pendant hanging from his neck suddenly glowed with a faint white light. His expression changed instantly; he released the mouse, took off the pendant, held it in his hand, and stood up, extending his arm and pacing around the room.

As he walked, the pendant’s glow fluctuated, growing brighter the closer he came to the door, and dimmer as he moved away.

A hint of surprise flickered in Shen Lie’s eyes. This was the only keepsake his parents had left him, and it had started behaving oddly a few days ago, growing warm and emitting white light. Yet the phenomenon wasn’t constant—it appeared and vanished suddenly—and only occurred inside his home; the moment he left, the anomaly ceased.

Shen Lie suspected the pendant’s abnormality was connected to the Void Rift. Its strange behavior began precisely when the rift in Qingshan Province was discovered, prompting his suspicions.

It was this mystery that kept Shen Lie from evacuating with the military. He was a staunch believer in the apocalypse, convinced that the current situation made its arrival nearly certain. Someone like him, a commoner at the bottom rung, would only eke out a few more days in the safety zone, and might even face discrimination and exclusion. The fact that the locals in the safety zones referred to evacuees as ‘refugees’ online was telling.

Thus, Shen Lie believed that to survive longer and better in this new world, one needed power, influence, exceptional combat ability, or a unique skill. Otherwise, survival would be difficult, and even if one lived, it would be a life of groveling.

Unfortunately, he possessed none of these advantages. He had planned to follow the tide to Liaoning and take refuge with his uncle’s family. Though his uncle and aunt weren’t fond of him, Wen Wan was kind, and at least he’d have somewhere to stay. But the pendant’s sudden glow had changed his mind; he felt his life might be altered by this small trinket.

Even if it was just the influence of too many fantasy novels, Shen Lie decided to wait. Even if he missed the evacuation, he wanted to uncover the reason for the pendant’s glow; otherwise, he’d never be able to let it go.

This pendant was his parents’ keepsake, said to have been recovered by his father during a tomb raid. Yes, his father had been a tomb robber, but he died during one such expedition many years ago.

Originally, the pendant was utterly ordinary—an ancient artifact, but not valuable. Shen Lie wore it for sentimental reasons. But since the Void Rift appeared in Qingshan, the pendant exhibited anomalies, sometimes emitting a faint glow. Previously, it had always flickered without any clear pattern, but today a new phenomenon had emerged: the closer he moved toward the door, the brighter it became!

This was a heart-pounding change. Shen Lie took a deep breath and walked toward his bedroom door, stepping into the small living room. He circled the room, and found that when he approached the bathroom door, the pendant’s glow became especially intense—almost blinding.

“So, it’s here!” Shen Lie had waited so long, and today the pendant finally revealed a new clue. Without further hesitation, he reached out, opened the bathroom door, and stepped inside!