Chapter 8: Doomsday Hot Search, Live Streaming Flight

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Doomsday Hot Search, Live Streaming Flight

Seraphina Sullivan returned home, carrying two large bags of hot pot ingredients. Just as she stuffed the sliced beef and tripe into the fridge, her phone started vibrating like crazy.

She frowned and pulled it out to see—

"Weibo, TikTok, my feed, all the major forums... everything’s blowing up!"

Number one trending: #TheApocalypseBegins!#

’It blew up this fast?’ Seraphina clicked on the topic and found it flooded with videos and posts published by Players.

She clicked on the top post.

The user, SkywardPig, had posted a video.

In the video, he wore a mask and excitedly brandished a short metal dagger. "Listen up, everyone! You might not believe this, but I was just pulled into an apocalypse instance and had to survive in there for seven days! And because of this mysterious system, our world is now entering an age of apocalypse. The system said so itself! I don’t know what kind of apocalypse it’ll be, but it’s really happening! And this dagger? I got it in the instance!"

The comments section instantly exploded:

JustHereForTheTea: [This is so fake. I can buy a knife just like that at the corner store. An apocalypse? Are you writing a novel or something?]

BabyIsReallyCute: [@JustHereForTheTea I can back him up, I just got back too! But the problem is... my awakened Talent is ’Makeup’! What the hell is the use of that in an apocalypse?! What am I supposed to do?!]

SkywardPig: [Don’t panic, sis. I suggest you start stockpiling supplies right away. You can also hoard stuff in the instances since we can basically ’shop’ for free. Grab as much as you can! Practice your looting speed before the next one!]

SpicyBoi: [Are you all having a collective eighth-grader syndrome attack? Apocalypse instances, lmao, you’ve played so many games you’ve gone crazy.]

JustHereForTheTea: [Exactly! If you’re going to hire shills, at least get better actors. This is so over the top! A Makeup Talent? What’s next, are you gonna tell us you can fly?]

SkywardPig: [But I really can fly!]

JustHereForTheTea: [?? I don’t believe you. Pics or it didn’t happen!]

...

Seraphina watched the discussion continue. Many users didn’t believe SkywardPig, assuming it was just a stunt to build an account and farm for traffic.

However, the key factor that made the topic explode was a video from overseas of a person who could control flames.

This person also claimed to have been chosen to participate in the Disaster Game.

Seraphina swished a piece of tripe in her hot pot while scrolling through her phone, watching the online debate grow more and more heated.

Most users still believed the video of someone controlling flames from overseas was just a clickbait stunt by some influencer, with many mocking it as simple special effects.

"See? People overseas do it differently. SkywardPig just runs his mouth, but this other guy is already using advanced special effects and video editing."

However, just as the debate reached its peak—

[SkywardPig has suddenly gone live!]

The title read: [Player Demonstrating Talent Ability Live. Doubters Welcome!]

Seraphina raised an eyebrow and immediately clicked to watch.

The livestream feed was shaky, seemingly filmed from the rooftop of a tall building. The camera pointed at the night sky as the wind howled.

SkywardPig still didn’t show his face, but his voice came through clearly:

"I know you all don’t believe me, so—I’m just going to show you the proof!"

The next second, the camera whipped around and panned down to the street below.

It was a drop of more than twenty stories!

The comments instantly flooded the screen:

"Holy crap! If he falls from there, they can start planning the wake!"

"Streamer, don’t do anything crazy! Don’t get carried away just because of some online argument. I still don’t believe you’ll jump, but you don’t have to risk your life to get famous."

However, SkywardPig just let out a soft chuckle, and then—

He leaped off the edge!

"AHHHH—!" Screams from onlookers on the street erupted through the stream.

But the expected thud of impact never came.

After a moment of violent shaking, the camera feed stabilized—

SkywardPig was hovering in mid-air!

Faint currents of air swirled around his body, and he floated gently as if held aloft by an invisible Power.

"Everyone, this is the Talent I acquired in the instance—Flight!" His voice was filled with excitement. "Thanks to this, I was able to escape from countless monsters chasing me in the apocalypse instance!"

The comments section went absolutely wild—

JustHereForTheTea: "Wait... you’re actually flying?! Are you really a pig that can fly, just like your username implies?!"

SpicyBoi: "These special effects are way too realistic! Is the streamer on wires?"

BabyIsReallyCute: "AHHH, I BELIEVE YOU! I BELIEVE YOU! CARRY ME! LITERALLY, TAKE ME FLYING!!"

SkywardPig maneuvered his body, spinning nimbly in the air. He even did a backflip while holding his phone and laughed arrogantly.

"Wires? Special effects? This is a live broadcast, everyone! If you don’t believe me, come see for yourselves at the bottom of this building!"

Horrified screams echoed from the street below.

Soon, the number of concurrent viewers on the stream surpassed one million.

#SkywardPigFliesOnStream shot straight to the number one trending spot!

Watching the stream, Seraphina’s expression turned grim.

Seraphina had recognized SkywardPig’s voice the moment he spoke. It was Franklin Ross, the guy who was terrified of heights.

’He’s not afraid of heights anymore?’

’But... for him to be this high-profile?’

She felt that something was off.

With the apocalypse imminent, was it really wise to show off one’s Ability so brazenly?

Sure enough, before the stream could end, the video suddenly froze, and then—

[This stream has been suspended for violating community guidelines.]

But it was too late.

Screen recordings were already going viral all over the internet. Countless people were beginning to believe—

that the apocalypse might actually be coming!

The entire internet was in an uproar. The real chaos had only just begun.

Watching the firestorm of public opinion raging online, Seraphina calmly turned off her phone, her mind racing.

’The authorities must have noticed these anomalies by now. They’re bound to make a big move soon... A Player like me, with no connections, will just become a target if I rashly expose my Ability.’

Seraphina’s parents had divorced when she was in elementary school and had both started new families.

Her mother had another child in her new marriage, and her father had a son with his new wife. She, on the other hand, had become the odd one out.

After graduating from college, she had worked herself to the bone, enduring an exploitative boss and ostracism from her colleagues, all to save enough money to buy this small apartment.

She walked to the window, gazing out at the nocturnal cityscape.

The neon lights flashed and traffic flowed as usual, but an undercurrent had begun to stir beneath the calm facade.

’But now... everything has changed.’

The apocalypse was coming. She had to turn this apartment into a true "safe house"!

’Seven days... I have to fortify this place within that time!’

’In most apocalypse novels, the first step is always to stockpile supplies. I have the space in my Scavenging Backpack, and I need to make the most of it.’

’And solar panels... but wouldn’t installing them be too conspicuous?’

Seraphina opened her computer and quickly began to draw up a list.