Global Fog Survival

This time…

They didn’t revive.

However, as Colin stared at the void before him, a long-standing question in his mind suddenly became clear: how exactly did that witch die?

The gap between mortals and the extraordinary was vast, as evident from his own recent encounter with a lord-level mutant. It wasn’t something a few ordinary knights could defeat.

When he first received the mission, he thought it was just a group of elite monsters. But now, he realized things weren’t so simple.

“A ‘Frost Witch’ with abilities in frost, mirror traversal—no, more accurately, the ability to move through smooth surfaces—couldn’t possibly be taken down by some regular knights.”

Clearly, in facing such a powerful witch, the Church of Suffering had sent their true “elite”:

A brigade of undead knights blessed by the “Great Miracle.”

Moreover, they carried an extremely important “mysterious artifact,” which was how they killed her.

And that mysterious artifact…

【You suspect that the ‘Shield of the Justice Knight’ played a significant role in the witch hunt.】

“They used the ‘Shield of the Justice Knight’ to drag the witch out of the mirror world, preventing her escape, which allowed them to kill her.”

“Even if they lost the battle, it wouldn’t matter. The ‘Shield of the Justice Knight’ cannot be used against the victor, or else they would face increasingly severe punishments like ‘whipping,’ ‘dismemberment,’ or ‘execution.’”

“But… What if they weren’t afraid of death in the first place? As long as the shield was in their hands, they could grind down their opponent little by little, even if they couldn’t win.”

Colin deeply realized just how terrifying it was to arm these “undead” with such an item.

As for the “duelist madness” that tainted their minds, for a group of lunatics like them, venting their lust for dueling through slaughtering ordinary villagers wasn’t all that strange.

Their quick decision to kill the villagers must have served that purpose.

If a new miracle emerged during this process, it would only be considered a pleasant surprise.

“In the end, they completed the witch hunt, collected her miracle-imbued head, and discarded her body. After the cataclysm, her headless corpse turned into an elite mutant.”

“The reason the shield wasn’t found on them is probably because they lost it in a fit of madness. Who knows how many years later, Li Chou happened to pick it up.”

Colin shook his head, realizing he had overthought it. He transformed into a streak of light and moved toward the last destination.

Soon, as Colin’s figure appeared near a barren wasteland, a strange expression formed on his face.

It was a desolate wilderness.

Two lord-level mutants were here… at the same spot.

And suddenly…

They vanished.

【You realize you’ve experienced a similar situation not long ago.】

It was exactly the same as with “Terbidard” that day. Colin frowned. Back then, the mutant had also disappeared inexplicably, without a trace.

Looking around the deserted surroundings, Colin suddenly had a realization: “These two mutants were dragged here! Almost all lord-level mutants have been affected and are attacking people, so why would these two just… meet here like they were on a date?”

“This means that whatever unknown entity is responsible has at least the power of concealment, teleportation, and some unknown ability to subdue severely injured lord-level mutants.”

“Terbidard” was ambushed while severely wounded.

The same happened with these two lord-level mutants.

Both had been heavily injured and were about to die when something unknown suddenly intervened.

“What’s certain is that this thing is intelligent and currently targets lord-level mutants, not us.”

Colin silently made a mental note.

Now, all the lord-level mutants on the island had been dealt with. With plenty of supplies and a chance to rest…

Colin grabbed his lantern and quickly returned to his territory, planning to wait for the “withered” state to arrive.

Since he had long abandoned his territory, it hadn’t been attacked by the mutants and was completely unharmed.

Locking the doors and windows tightly, he lay down on a large bed, not worrying about the screams that might escape him soon.

Colin closed his eyes, lying still, waiting for “death.”

Two minutes remained.

But just then, a message appeared in his mind, as if condensed from blood.

It wasn’t just him—almost everyone had blood-red text appear in their minds.

System text!

【Current progress of all survivors detected… The existing regional barrier will disappear in three days. A broader area will soon be opened.】

A regional barrier…

Seeing the message, Colin closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath.

Is the gate of the beginner’s village about to open?

But soon, a sudden realization wiped the idea of “lying still to die” from his mind.

Colin thought of something serious.

Russell had mentioned that most regions weren’t directly connected…

There was usually a distance between them, filled with various dangers.

Beings like the “Fallen Nobles” were not uncommon.

Had the “Fallen Nobles” Colin encountered not been crippled by the priest, a few cannons wouldn’t have been enough to take them down.

These creatures probably hadn’t appeared earlier due to the gaze of “The Night.”

But as this countdown neared its end…

The influence of “The Night” would completely vanish for a time.

With the retreat of “The Night,” would these remaining beings continue to hide in the shadows?

Fear of “great beings” was an instinct for every “ant.” But what if that fear disappeared one day?

The answer was almost self-evident. With human civilization reduced to fragmented “cakes” incapable of self-defense…

They would surely seize this moment to strike and plunder.

Colin had a growing feeling that a more chaotic era was approaching.

The collapse of chat and related functions has effectively fragmented human civilization into isolated “islands.” Can those scrambling to survive before the countdown ends handle the insane remnants of the past? Looking at the overall environment… more known and unknown events are either about to happen or are already unfolding… the future remains difficult.

Also… those living in the “Era of Suffering” undoubtedly knew that a certain apocalypse would eventually occur. Not to mention the insane individuals who gained power through madness and survived in disgusting ways. And as for the “Church of Suffering,” which once nearly ruled the entire world, did they not know this too? Would they not have made preparations? Furthermore, were the later insane actions of the church… really just simple madness?

Colin now realizes they seemed to be indulging, creating, and collecting “miracles” in extreme ways. After all, “miracles” are born from extreme emotions, and “despair,” “pain,” and “hatred” are far more memorable than true beauty or love…

So, how many “miracles” have they collected? What did they collect them for? Did they ultimately succeed? Are the subsequent “Great Miracles” the results of their efforts? Colin has already experienced firsthand the horror of the “Great Miracles,” and the thought that there are at least thirteen of these monsters triggers his firepower inadequacy syndrome.

But one thing Colin cannot figure out is… what is the purpose behind the forced arrival of the “Night” this time? As the countdown progresses, the “Night’s” influence on the world grows, as seen from the suddenly quiet nights of the fourth and fifth days. The strengthening of its influence may have allowed it to suppress “abnormalities,” and the earlier door-knocking incidents might have been unintentional side effects… possibly unrelated to the “Night” itself.

It’s like someone accidentally kicking a stone while walking, which crushes a bug, whose juices then drown some bacteria… So, as time passes, by the seventh day, the “Night” might fully descend in its true form, not this current “small-scale disturbance.” Once the true form descends… they will have no chance—instant death, with no hope of survival.

The gap between them is too vast. From this, Colin is sure that the “Night’s” goal isn’t to kill, because by the seventh day, when it can fully unleash its power, everyone will be dead. However, the most puzzling point is why it risked paying a price to forcibly descend a day earlier. What “forced” it to do so? What exactly is its purpose? Could it be that it’s trying to stop Colin from advancing, thinking of him as some “rat” that needs to be exterminated? Colin doesn’t think he’s that important… Even after advancing, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the “Night” or save everyone—perhaps not even one person.

But right now, on the surface, it seems like the “Night” is indeed trying to stop him… Moreover, in the end, its power was completely cut off, removed from this time and space. It’s utterly perplexing, like a master playing a micro-game of strategy…

So, did it achieve its hidden goal with this forced descent? Was it trying to stop his advancement because of some unknown, underlying consequence he triggered? Not being able to figure this out leaves Colin uneasy. These great beings, even a single breath from them, could wipe them out if they’re not prepared…

Understanding these high-level beings’ purposes and finding ways to avoid them will become one of Colin’s main objectives moving forward… and one of the most dangerous things he will face. “To sum up, there are roughly three points: First, preparing to defend against opportunistic ‘aberrations’ is the short-term priority, as they are most likely to appear in the coming three days…”

“Second, uncovering the mystery behind the church’s ‘miracles’ is a mid-term goal. Aberrations generally lack intelligence, and as long as they aren’t provoked, there’s no immediate outbreak, so this can be postponed slightly…”

“Finally, understanding the purpose of those great beings is a ‘long-term’ goal, especially what isolated the ‘Night.’ Can this isolation be replicated? These are things we need to figure out…”

“Hm, I also have a feeling that this ‘long-term’ might not be that long at all. This withdrawal seems temporary—six months, a year, two years—it could happen at any time…”

“And this retreat will make the environment even worse. For all living beings, survival comes through growing stronger…”

“If my guess is correct, there may still be many mutant beings like the ‘Fallen Nobles.’ When they see us survivors, brimming with resources but without enough time to establish a solid foothold, how could they not be tempted?”

“Plus, with the collapse of the chat channels, I don’t even know if my ‘red name’ privilege is still intact or if there’s a way to immediately send out warnings…”

Colin knows that if he can think of it, so can everyone else, but it will all take time. Every second counts in preventing tragedies. Once those remnants of the old world, like cockroaches, come crawling out, there won’t be much time to prepare.

“We can only mobilize everyone to try leaving ‘notes’ through the gift system, informing whoever we can…” Colin shook his head helplessly as a whirlwind of thoughts surged in his mind. His remaining high attributes allowed him to think through many things in just a few seconds.

The current situation is like a massive undersea earthquake. While they’ve narrowly avoided the initial shock, countless undercurrents and waves are about to hit. At any moment, they could be torn apart by the currents or capsized by the waves. The future is only going to get harder…

But just then, the system’s message reappeared.

[All survivors have passed through the ‘Nightmare of Night’…]

[Rewards will be issued to all survivors: ‘Recovery Card x1,’ ‘Random Skill Draw x1,’ ‘999 Sour and Stale Black Bread’…]

[Rewards have been placed in your inventory. Please check…]

[Note: For those with severe injuries, the system will automatically consume the ‘Recovery Card.’]

“A Recovery Card and Random Skill Draw… The system is finally showing some mercy.” Colin couldn’t help but exhale. Many survivors, even if they had made it through, were left missing limbs and covered in severe wounds. In such conditions, talking about rebuilding their territories was almost impossible, let alone preparing for the region’s reopening in a few days.

But with the ‘Recovery Card,’ they now had a safeguard for their physical condition. They couldn’t endure any more destruction.

As for the ‘Random Skill Draw,’ it was an overall boost. The bizarre combinations of skills would significantly enhance all survivors’ resilience.

As for the ‘999 HardenedBlack Bread’… Colin felt drained just looking at it.

Something seemed to come to mind as he quickly took out the scroll and checked the function options…

“The chat function still hasn’t been restored…” Colin frowned. Of the parchment scroll’s three initial functions, only [Quest List] remained operational. The other two—[Personnel Recruitment] had grayed out, and [Chat Channel] had outright disappeared.

These were crucial functions, and who knew when they’d be restored?

“We already had less than the previous group, and now even the basic functions aren’t guaranteed…” Colin rubbed his forehead, unsure of how to proceed.

Just then, the system’s message changed again. New functions had appeared on the interface.