Chapter 96: National Conscription! The Downpour Intensifies

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: National Conscription! The Downpour Intensifies

Meanwhile, the old woman had also gone over and started rummaging through their "new home," as if searching an empty house for anything useful.

Only Samuel Webb walked to the living room window. He stared at the murky floodwaters outside, his heart starting to race—not because the rain was flooding his home, but out of excitement.

He recognized that man!

It was Sean Chandler, the man with the ice-cold gaze from the woman’s apartment next door!

During his first instance in the Doomsday Game, Samuel Webb had met him.

The image of Sean Chandler was seared into his memory: silent but overwhelmingly powerful in combat, especially his terrifying transformation into a Werewolf at the critical moment!

However...

’I remember the woman who was with him back then, the one who seemed to be able to command him... Her last name wasn’t Sullivan, was it?’

Samuel Webb tried hard to recall.

’I think her last name was Jiang. A pretty woman, but she had a very arrogant look in her eyes... Tsk tsk, who would’ve thought? This guy seems so quiet, but he’s actually two-timing them?’

Having a powerful Player living right next door made Samuel Webb feel a faint sense of security, despite his wariness.

Seraphina Sullivan returned to her apartment, unfazed by the chaos outside.

Instead, she got ready to exercise.

She began her daily training routine.

Push-ups, squats, core exercises—her movements were precise and focused.

Only by diligently improving herself could she increase her chances of survival in the Doomsday Game.

Sean Chandler sat quietly to the side, cleaning the weapons Seraphina Sullivan had given him like the most loyal of Guards.

Seraphina Sullivan had given Sean Chandler the firearms she’d traded for with Nicholas Jensen.

But not long into Seraphina’s workout, a faint CRACKLE from outside and the abrupt stop of humming appliances were followed by the lights in the apartment suddenly going out.

The power was out.

The entire building, and even the whole district, had lost power.

Shouts of alarm and complaint rose and fell from the other buildings outside.

Seraphina Sullivan had expected this.

She had a small, silent generator and enough fuel in her Storage Space, but she had no intention of taking it out now.

With the situation still unclear and the neighbors on high alert, being the only apartment with electricity would be too conspicuous.

She picked up her phone, which still had plenty of battery left.

The network signal was intermittent, but she could still manage to receive some information.

Various news apps and group chats were pushing updates on the latest rescue progress.

Which areas of the city had the highest water levels, where rescue teams had begun evacuating residents in kayaks or assault boats.

The military had urgently set up large temporary Shelters on higher ground in the suburbs... The information was a chaotic flood, but it was clear the government was trying its best to maintain order.

Seraphina Sullivan scrolled through her phone with one hand while holding a plank.

Suddenly, an announcement labeled "Official," which had been pushed to the top of the trending list, grabbed her attention!

The moment she saw the headline, she was so surprised she almost lost her core engagement!

"No way! They’re making an official announcement already?!" she couldn’t help but exclaim under her breath.

The announcement’s headline was simple and direct, yet utterly earth-shattering—

[National Department of Anomaly Response: Announcement Regarding the Recruitment of Special Ability Users known as "Players"]

The announcement’s content roughly explained the recent frequent and abnormal natural disasters occurring worldwide, with the government officially acknowledging the existence of the "Disaster Game" and "Players."

The announcement frankly stated that, in the face of an increasingly grim situation, the nation needed to gather all forces that could be united.

The announcement did not hold much back.

This was because many Players abroad who had gained Abilities had already spiraled out of control, using their wondrous Power to commit crimes and cause immense chaos.

Although the situation domestically was relatively stable, the government was issuing a public recruitment of Players to take precautions, prevent similar incidents, and effectively respond to the disasters.

The announcement promised that for Players willing to register and accept deployment, the nation would provide generous compensation, necessary resource support, and legal recognition of their status to jointly protect the homeland and maintain order.

At the same time, it issued a stern warning that any use of an Ability to endanger public safety would be met with severe repercussions.

This announcement was like a drop of cold water in a vat of boiling oil, instantly causing the entire online world to explode!

[OH MY GOD!!! The government is getting involved! It’s confirmed! Players! The Doomsday Game! It’s all real?! So the apocalyptic era of Azure Star has really begun?!]

[Waaah, I’m so scared! What do we do! In the novels I’ve read, you’re supposed to hoard supplies for the apocalypse, but now there’s water everywhere, and it’s like the government saw this coming and centralized all the resource distribution. I feel so uneasy without enough supplies of my own!]

[Recruiting Players? Generous compensation? Damn it, why am I not a Player!!]

[Heh, this is gonna be a good show. For all those guys who thought they could do whatever they want just because they got a superpower, let’s see how the state apparatus deals with them!]

[Don’t be naive, person above me. Some Abilities are impossible to defend against! Why else would the government try a soft approach first?]

[Can any big shots come out and explain what this whole Player thing is about? How do you become a Player?]

[Same question! Is it too late to become a Player now?]

The internet was in an absolute uproar. Panic, curiosity, envy, worry... all sorts of emotions intertwined and spread like wildfire.

Seraphina Sullivan put down her phone and slowly finished her last sit-up, her feelings complicated.

’This Disaster Game is no walk in the park, and being a Player isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.’

People really die in the instances.

In response to the government’s public recruitment, the internet was a mix of joy and sorrow.

Some Players who had gained Abilities but lacked resources and guidance saw this as a golden opportunity. They could not only gain official recognition but also receive support and resources, so they eagerly prepared to register.

Other Players, who were used to hiding, were free-spirited, or had ulterior motives, scoffed at the idea. They saw it as a Binding and were determined to remain hidden.

Seraphina Sullivan looked at the announcement and was lost in thought for a moment.

Relying on a great tree like the nation would indeed provide many conveniences and a lot of information, and it seemed safer, too.

But on second thought, the system’s existence was so bizarre, the instance rules were unpredictable, and she possessed a Storage Space—something that would easily attract covetous eyes.

Once she joined, she would inevitably be constrained by numerous rules and regulations. Her freedom of movement would be severely limited, and whether she could keep her secrets was another question entirely.

"Forget it,"

Seraphina Sullivan quickly made her decision. "The announcement said it isn’t mandatory, anyway. I’ll just maintain the status quo for now and keep being a little hoarder hamster. I’ll wait and see how things develop."

However, just as she made this decision...

"BOOM!!!!!!"

An unprecedented clap of thunder exploded in the sky outside!

The sound was so violent it seemed the very firmament would be torn asunder!

Immediately after, an incredibly thick, ghastly white bolt of lightning snaked down like a giant dragon, instantly illuminating the perpetually dim sky as if it were day, only to vanish in the next moment!

The massive shockwave even made the windowpanes hum and vibrate.

Seraphina Sullivan rushed to the window, a strong sense of unease rising in her heart.

Then, she saw a heart-stopping sight.

The already immense downpour was as if someone had hit an "enhance" button. The raindrops grew larger and denser, pouring down from the sky like a frantic waterfall!

Visibility instantly dropped to near zero. The world outside the window had become a world of water.

"This rain...!" Seraphina Sullivan’s expression grew grim.

This was already beyond the scope of a normal storm. It was more like a... Catastrophe Level baptism!

...

「Meanwhile, in a low-lying rural area on the other side of the city」

The floodwaters had already submerged the first floors of most houses, making rescue efforts exceptionally difficult.