"End-of-Days Round Three rewards have been delivered to your shelter's storage."
The rewards had arrived!
Mike paused for a second, but didn't rush to open them.Sure, he was excited about his first-ever SSS-tier achievement reward, but there were more pressing concerns—his people.
Switching his perspective through the Talent Hub, Mike began assessing how the Four Cities were holding up during the early phase of the Fourth Apocalypse.
To put it lightly—the situation wasn't great.
Each of the Four Cities was overrun with undead. Just like in the previous round, the dead had flooded nearly every uninhabited area.
Fortunately, the security and military forces had been well-organized. Immediate countermeasures were taken, and retaliation efforts were already underway. Though the cleansing efforts were far from smooth, no civilian casualties had been reported yet—a small miracle in these times.
"The sheer number of undead is definitely a huge headache," Mike muttered.
Though they posed no immediate danger, prolonged skirmishes would drain resources. A month of constant battle would consume enormous quantities of supplies—forcing the cities to divert a majority of their early-stage industrial output into military goods, delaying the broader industrial recovery process.
Mike frowned.
He noticed something disturbing: aside from human-controlled shelters, undead were endlessly respawning in almost every corner of the cities.
It was practically an Undead Tide.
There was no end to them. They had completely tied up the cities' attention and manpower. If even the Four Cities—with their relatively stable and healthy development—were struggling, what about the smaller survivor factions out there?
They might not survive the opening stage of this apocalypse.
"We need to wipe out the undead within our own cities first before we can even think about helping others," Mike thought grimly.
His perspective had changed. He was no longer a commander who needed reminders to look beyond his own borders.
Now, Mike was determined. He wanted to assist other cities, to protect more survivors. Of course, that expansion would inevitably bring him into conflict with other local commanders.
But Mike didn't care anymore.
In the face of the apocalypse—who else but me?Solving this crisis came first. Everything else could wait.
"No point in just sitting here stressing out. Let's deal with the reward first."
Taking a deep breath, Mike shifted his attention back to the shelter's storage and opened the newly delivered items.
There they were.
The rewards sat quietly in his inventory. Mike first chose to redeem his Survival Points and 19 regional first-place bonuses, distributing all but the Talent Units into the communal contribution pool.
After assigning guards to escort the newly recruited talents, Mike finally turned his attention to the real prize.
[Would you like to use the SSS-Tier Random Reward? You will receive one item from any category at SSS-grade quality.]
"Confirm!" Mike didn't hesitate.
Lin Yue was already waiting outside. He'd just taken a dose of Elder Xu's special potion.
All individuals with luck-related talents from Dantu City had been relocated to Nanjing, temporarily stationed just outside Mike's residential zone to ensure their abilities affected him.
In terms of maximizing luck-based effects, Mike had done everything possible. There was no reason to hesitate now.
Let fate decide.
Mike's gaze remained calm. He already had Wang Chen, an SSS-tier talent, as a fallback. Even if this roll didn't grant another top-tier person, any SSS-grade reward would still be incredible.
But oddly enough... the moment Mike activated the reward, the system stalled.
It froze—for several minutes.
"Did the mechanism... crash?"That thought flashed through Mike's mind.
It was absurd.
This was the universal end-of-days mechanism, something so advanced and mysterious that even Wang Shi's ultra-futuristic era couldn't fully comprehend it.
And yet, here it was... glitching?
Even when he recruited Wang Chen, there'd been no such delay. Was something even more powerful about to appear?
Just as suspicion crept in, a new system notification finally appeared:
[Congratulations! You have successfully recruited SSS-Tier (???) Talent Unit: "Shadow of Reincarnation – Wang Peibo"!]
A soft golden glow appeared in the center of the room.
Another talent!
Another SSS-tier top-tier talent!
Mike was thrilled—but also... puzzled.
"Wait... why are there question marks in the tier field?"
"Don't tell me... even the system doesn't know how to categorize this guy?"
"Am I pulling in some kind of bug?!"
Confused and curious, Mike quickly opened the talent's information panel.
And what he saw... left him utterly speechless.
Name: Wang PeiboAge: ??? (Current Earth Era)Type: Error. Data unreadable.Talent Tier: ??? (SSS)Physical Strength: 20Reflexes: 20Endurance: 20Mental Fortitude: 20Regeneration/Immunity: 20
Unique Trait:[Reincarnation - Eye of Shadows]: Upon reaching true annihilation, this being will re-enter the timeline at a chosen space-time node, fully retaining all memories and abilities.
Talent Ability:[Reincarnation - Chrono Corrector]: Even if multiple versions of himself exist within the same time stream, they do not cause paradoxes. The universe temporarily bypasses its own space-time restrictions for him.
Talent Value Score: 1
Special Note: Unable to retrieve further information. This entity is classified as an independent anomaly within the universal mechanism. Identity, abilities, and origin remain unidentifiable.
"What... the hell?"Mike blinked, stunned.
An SSS-tier talent with only one trait and one ability?
No extended info? No bonus skills?
And those base stats? They were lower than some D-tier units!
Then he saw the final remark. The "independent anomaly" part.
"Wait... did I just pull a bug?""Like, an actual mechanism-breaking error?""Is this guy even human?"
Before he could wrap his head around it, the golden glow intensified, slowly forming a humanoid shape.
Within moments, a young man appeared—wearing simple modern clothes: a white shirt, jeans, white sneakers, and black-rimmed glasses. His features were ordinary, skin pale, and his aura... serene.
"You're... Wang Peibo?" Mike asked cautiously.
The man looked up, gave a polite nod, and bowed slightly. "Yes. It's good to see you again, my partner."
His tone was calm and respectful, yet oddly intimate—like he'd known Mike for a long time.
"Good to see you too... wait, hold up."
Mike narrowed his eyes.
"Did you just say... 'again'? Have we met before?"
Wang Peibo replied evenly, "According to the recruitment protocol embedded within the mechanism, you've likely seen my data profile before integration."
"Even if not, you still have time to review it. I never appear during urgent or time-critical phases."
"I see..."
Mike nodded slowly, his mind racing.
Wang Peibo's response hinted at far more than it said. There were layers in that casual reply—clues hidden in plain sight.
Peibo didn't press him. Instead, he quietly walked to the fridge, opened the third drawer, and pulled out a cold beer.
From the fifth shelf of the cabinet, he grabbed Mike's favorite glass—without hesitation.
Then, he sat down across from Mike, silently pouring his drink.
No words. No sound. Just... comfort. Familiarity.
To Mike, it suddenly felt like this man was the real owner of the house—and he was the guest.
This guy... knew too much about this place.
"You're a time traveler, aren't you?"Mike asked bluntly. "Not in the traditional sense, maybe... but have you seen another version of me?"
He was putting the pieces together—Peibo's "Reincarnation" powers, his familiarity, and the system's inability to define him.
Peibo looked up and nodded.
"Yes. And this time..." he glanced at the wall clock,"You asked that question 49 seconds earlier than last time. You're improving."