Chapter 1: Rainstorm World

From the gray hair and the sweater, Han Ning recognized that this was the old man who lived alone. Obviously, he had been killed by the monsters a long time ago.

"URGH..." Han Ning covered his mouth, suppressing the stomach acid rising in his throat.

Forcing himself to look away, he swept his flashlight toward the kitchen. The refrigerator door was wide open, completely bare inside. Han Ning tiptoed around the corpse, trying his best not to look at the dried blood, and opened the first cabinet.

Inside were a few packets of noodles and two cans of beans.

Han Ning's expression shifted. He hastily grabbed a packet of noodles, almost tearing it open to eat them raw.

"This isn't a safe place..."

Reason eventually triumphed over instinct. He stuffed the food into his prepared backpack and continued his search. The second cabinet held half a bag of rice and a few packets of seasoning.

As he rummaged through the third cabinet, his hand suddenly stopped. Deep inside sat a metal box. Han Ning took it out and opened it. It contained a standard first-aid kit; alongside the usual medical supplies, there were several packs of compressed biscuits and a bottle of water purification tablets.

"Not bad luck," Han Ning muttered softly, quickly pocketing the precious supplies.

He then thoroughly searched the rest of the kitchen and the other rooms. After confirming no food had been left behind, he prepared to leave.

Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed outside the window, illuminating the entire living room. In that brief burst of light, Han Ning saw a sight that made his blood run cold—on the floor beside the old man's corpse was a trail of wet footprints, stretching from the body all the way to the balcony...

And pressed against the glass door leading to the balcony was a pale, scale-covered face! It was staring quietly at Han Ning, as if it had been watching him for quite some time.

Han Ning's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. With no time to think, he instinctively bolted for the door.

HISS!

From behind came the sound of shattering glass and a bloodcurdling hiss unlike anything he had ever heard. He hurriedly pushed the door open and stumbled into the hallway.

A loud crash echoed from Room 704 behind him as furniture was violently overturned. Han Ning didn't dare look back, running desperately toward his own apartment.

But when he was only a few steps away from safety, the fire door to the stairwell burst open. Two dripping wet, medium-sized Crocodile Lizards charged out. In the darkness, two pairs of vertical yellow pupils bobbed up and down like small lanterns, blocking his path.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Crap..." Han Ning's heart sank.

"Stay back!" His Adam's apple bobbed as he brandished the kitchen knife in a threatening gesture. His eyes darted around, desperately searching for an escape route. The elevators had long since stopped working due to the power outage, and the emergency stairwell door was blocked.

In his despair, he noticed a small door next to the elevator with the words "Equipment Room" written on it.

There was no time to think. One of the Crocodile Lizards had already kicked off its hind legs, lunging at him with a vicious expression.

Han Ning slammed into the small door with all his might. To his surprise, it swung open. He tumbled into the cramped, pitch-black space and slammed the door shut behind him. Outside, the Crocodile Lizard's claws scratched against the metal door, producing a teeth-setting screech.

Han Ning collapsed onto the floor, bracing his back against the equipment room's wall and pressing his legs fiercely against the metal door.

"What do I do? What do I do?" Bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down his forehead. Han Ning was tense, his heart pounding wildly as adrenaline surged through his body.

It was the first time in his life he had smelled the stench of death.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The deafening crashes against the door rang out rhythmically, like the death knell of the Death God.

Suddenly, an emerald green light exploded before his eyes. Han Ning instinctively squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, a translucent green interface had appeared:

[Druid Class Interface Activated]

[You have Awakened the following three Skills: Vine Technique, Rapid Growth, Rejuvenation Technique]

[Vine Technique]: Summon a Tough Vine to entangle the enemy.

[Rapid Growth]: Shorten the growth cycle of plants.

[Rejuvenation Technique]: Heal minor wounds.

A sudden surge of warmth rushed from his spine to every fiber of his being.

"Is this... a cheat system?!" His eyes went wide.

BANG!

A terrifying dent suddenly caved the metal door inward, the sound of twisting metal piercing his eardrums. This was clearly no dream! There was no time to hesitate.

"The other two Skills don't look like they can be used for combat, so it has to be the Vine Technique..."

BANG! The relatively thin iron door was violently smashed open. A sharp claw thrust inside, followed immediately by the Crocodile Lizard's hideous head. Corrosive saliva dripped from between its fangs, raising wisps of white smoke as it sizzled on the floor.

With no time to overthink, Han Ning instinctively reached out his hand.

In an instant, a faint green light burst from his palm. Several thin, weak vines sprouted from the void, barely managing to entangle the Crocodile Lizard's forelimbs.

HISS!

The monster let out a bizarre, almost contemptuous screech and effortlessly snapped most of the vines. Only a single one stubbornly remained wrapped around its claw.

Gritting his teeth, Han Ning cast the Vine Technique once more. This time, even more vines shot out from the gaps, snaking around the Crocodile Lizard's neck and hind legs. The monster stumbled, but instantly whipped its tail to sever the vines around its waist.

Lips pressed tight, Han Ning frantically channeled the Vine Technique. The vines that grew this time were thicker, temporarily pinning the Crocodile Lizard in place.

"Get out!" Han Ning snarled. His hands mimed a throwing motion, and following his will, the vines violently whipped outward. The Crocodile Lizard was hurled against the hallway wall, shattering the glass of a fire extinguisher cabinet, but it immediately scrambled back to its feet.

The second Crocodile Lizard had already squeezed through the door. Seemingly smarter than its companion, it lunged directly at Han Ning's knife-wielding right hand. Han Ning barely managed to dodge sideways, but the monster's tail swipe was incredibly fast. Despite his best efforts to evade, the very tip of its tail still struck his waist.

Han Ning's face instantly went deathly pale. The monster possessed such immense strength that even a mere graze from its tail sent a searing, fiery agony shooting through his upper waist. The pain nearly suffocated him.

He hurriedly spun around, hunching his body as he thrust both palms forward. Three or four vines the thickness of chopsticks erupted from the floor and dropped from the ceiling. Acting as though they had a life of their own, they entangled the charging Crocodile Lizard.

"Get away!" Han Ning roared, the veins on his forehead bulging as he swung his arms with all his might.

The monster, roughly the size of a human teenager, was hurled into its companion. The two Crocodile Lizards collided and tumbled out of the equipment room. Han Ning seized the opportunity to lunge for his own apartment door. Using the last ounce of his strength, he slammed the door shut and braced his body firmly against it.

Angry hisses and scratching sounds came from outside, but after a few moments, the noises gradually faded away.

"Thank god... the apartment's security door is built tough." Han Ning slumped onto the floor, panting heavily. The sweat on his forehead mixed with the blood from his scrapes and dripped down.

The food he had scavenged from his neighbor's house was scattered all over the floor. Yet at this moment, he had absolutely no desire to eat. The spot on his waist where the Crocodile Lizard's tail had struck him was dyed red with blood. Every breath felt like a knife twisting in his lungs.

He summoned the interface once again.

[Current Spiritual Power: 4/10]

It seemed this wasn't an illusion; he really had obtained supernatural abilities. But facing those incredibly strong monsters, it still wasn't enough. Just driving them away had exhausted all his strength.

As he continued to gasp for air, Han Ning sensed a sudden influx of inexplicable information in his brain.

"What is this?" He closed his eyes, investigating the contents of the information.

[Warning to all Awakened: The planet we are on is being devoured by an eroding tide. This endless rainstorm will eventually submerge the entire world. Awakened who have not yet evacuated, please do so as soon as possible. We have left the method of departure at the center of the planet.]

A moment later, Han Ning opened his eyes, his expression extremely complicated.

The message that had just entered his mind must have been left behind by the planet's natives through some miraculous method, intended to inform all Awakened. These so-called Awakened were likely beings who, like him, had just awakened Extraordinary Power.

The eroding tide mentioned by the natives was known simply as the Black Tide. Only by becoming an Extraordinary Being could one receive this message.

The gist of the message was this: the universe inhabited by the natives had been affected by a terrifying eroding tide. Anyone swept up by the tide would be driven mad and lose all sense of reason.