What's going on? Could the Apocalyptic Mirage suddenly disappear as well?
The night market was bustling with the sound of bargaining, street vendors enthusiastically calling out to passersby, and children laughing and chasing each other. Everything felt so familiar, so real—there was nothing unusual at all.
Xu Mo stared in disbelief at the increasingly clear scenery before him. Had that purple mist just now been a hallucination?
No... Something wasn't right! He must have overlooked something!
Even though he was standing in front of a brightly lit plaza park, surrounded by a dense crowd, an inexplicable sense of panic was growing stronger within him. He had the distinct feeling that something enormous and dangerous was lurking in the shadows.
What had he ignored?
Sound!
Xu Mo suddenly realized it and immediately focused all his attention on listening—not to the chaotic noise of the plaza park, but to the entire city.
After multiple enhancements, his hearing was at least twice as sharp as an average person's. Yet, even with such heightened senses, he couldn't hear any sounds beyond the plaza park—not even the usual honking of car horns.
The entire city was eerily silent, as if it were a ghost town.
This was definitely abnormal!
Xu Mo immediately pushed through the crowd, leaving the plaza park. He sprinted along the outer roads, covering every corner within a 500-meter radius in just a short time. Soon, he made a terrifying discovery—not only was there not a single car in sight, but there were also no pedestrians on the streets!
A completely empty city!
No… perhaps it wasn't an empty city after all.
A faint rustling sound suddenly came from a nearby alley. Under the dim glow of the streetlights, he vaguely saw two or three figures swaying sluggishly like drunken people. They occasionally let out hoarse, guttural growls—sounds that were less human and more beast-like.
"Damn it! Zombies! I should have guessed—this is an Apocalyptic Mirage!"
With the night vision and zoom functions of his silver mask, Xu Mo instantly recognized the creatures ahead—beings that existed in the limbo between the living and the dead. Considering that this Apocalyptic Mirage was centered around a movie theater, along with the recent popularity of Resident Evil 5, the full picture of this apocalyptic scenario became clear.
It wasn't entirely Xu Mo's fault that he took so long to realize it. The Mass Grave Mirage he had experienced before had a completely different environment from the real world, making its spatial shift obvious at first glance. However, this Apocalyptic Mirage seemed to have copied the entire Shang Shan City in perfect detail. Perhaps the formation of this mirage had been too influenced by real-world memories. If it weren't for the appearance of zombies—creatures that simply didn't exist in reality—he might not have been able to distinguish this mirage from the real city, even after living here for over a decade.
The scattered zombies tens of meters away posed no real threat to Xu Mo, but he suddenly realized a far more serious problem.
Since there were no other living beings in this version of Shang Shan City besides the zombies, then the crowd at the plaza… were they real residents of the city who had been unknowingly pulled into the mirage when it activated?
Damn it! The worst-case scenario had happened! Why did this Apocalyptic Mirage have to open now of all times?!
Realizing that thousands of unsuspecting citizens were still enjoying their time in the plaza park, Xu Mo no longer wasted time dealing with the slowly approaching zombies. He immediately turned around and sprinted back toward the plaza.
He knew that without seeing the zombies firsthand, the citizens would never believe him. But whether they trusted him or not, at the very least, if he could get them to be somewhat prepared, it might help reduce casualties.
Still, preventing all deaths was impossible.
At full speed, Xu Mo covered the 500-meter distance in just over half a minute. When he returned to the plaza park, the thousands of people at the night market remained blissfully unaware of the terrifying reality—that this city was no longer the one they knew. The looming crisis crept closer with each passing second.
Time was too tight for Xu Mo to follow conventional methods of alerting the citizens. He forcefully shoved past the security guards, stormed into Liangyuan Movie Theater, rushed up to the second floor, and kicked open the broadcasting room door.
Pointing his USP pistol at the trembling broadcaster, he ordered them to adjust the audio system. Then, he grabbed the microphone and shouted into the speakers, his voice booming across the plaza:
"Attention, everyone in the plaza! This is an emergency announcement! An emergency announcement! For the sake of your lives, please believe every word I say!
Due to certain reasons, the place you are in right now is no longer the real Shang Shan City. Even though it looks the same, apart from those of you present here, there are no other living people in this city! This is not an empty city either—there are countless zombies roaming all over!
That's right—just like the ones in the movies! But unlike those movie zombies, these ones have no weaknesses! Even if you crush them into pulp, they will regenerate. If you encounter these zombies, do not engage in combat! Instead, find a safe place to hide!
Do not panic! As long as you can survive for twelve hours—until eight o'clock tomorrow morning—you will return to the real Shang Shan City. So, please help each other and endure this nightmare together!
And I repeat—this is NOT a prank! For your own safety, remember every word I just said!"
Xu Mo had no idea how much of an impact his message would have, but he had done everything he could. In a sudden disaster like this, even a superhero wouldn't be able to save everyone. Who would survive in the end was up to fate.
Tossing aside the microphone and holstering his pistol, Xu Mo glanced sympathetically at the terrified female broadcaster huddled in the corner. He crouched beside her and asked, "You heard what I just said, right?"
The young woman, who looked barely over twenty, nodded shakily in response.
"Then find a safe place to hide." Xu Mo saw the disbelief in her eyes but didn't try to convince her. Instead, he picked up the cellphone she had dropped, placed it in front of her, and said, "Call a psychiatric hospital or the police if you want. But I doubt you'll get through…"
After leaving the broadcasting room, Xu Mo didn't go downstairs immediately. Instead, he climbed onto the theater's rooftop to get a clear view of the plaza park below.
Unsurprisingly, his announcement had little effect. Almost everyone dismissed it as some elaborate prank, similar to those reality TV shows. Some even looked around, searching for hidden cameras that didn't exist.
This outcome was entirely within Xu Mo's expectations. If his words alone could convince these ordinary citizens of the existence of zombies, that would be even more absurd than suddenly being transported into an Apocalyptic Mirage.
Still, his warning wasn't completely useless. A growing number of people were making phone calls to their families, only to notice something strange—their phones had no signal.
Even if China Mobile's service was terrible, its coverage was guaranteed. The fact that the entire urban area had no signal was enough for even the most skeptical individuals to realize that something was very, very wrong.
Fear is contagious.
As the first person hurried away, the massive crowd in the plaza park began dispersing rapidly. In just a short time, more than half of them had left. But clearly, they still didn't believe Xu Mo's claims about the city—many opted to drive, ride bikes, or walk home to check for themselves.
Watching the tide of people gradually retreat, Xu Mo slowly closed his eyes, unable to bear looking any longer. Right now, he was the only person here who could see the future—a future filled with corpses and despair.
Those who drove might all make it back, and maybe half of those on bikes. But for those walking… few, if any, would return.
Even for those who did make it back, against a zombie horde that couldn't be killed, how many would survive until the morning light?