Chapter 2 -2-The Descent of Red Mist!

Chapter 2: Chapter2-The Descent of Red Mist!

Sitting in his room, Harrison was engulfed in memories.

He was reminiscing about the events when the world first mutated. n)(O/-v)(e)/l).b).I.-n

Even though it had been two decades, that day was so extraordinary that it remained vivid in his mind.

Tonight, the Red Mist descends.

Following its descent, there will be a seven-day "newbie protection period."

During these seven days, monsters from the apocalypse won't appear, providing a semblance of safety for humans.

Simultaneously, the Red Mist will covertly transform every human's physique.

By then, every individual will possess an attribute panel, and they will automatically advance to level 10, resulting in a significant enhancement in their physical prowess.

The physical strength of humans will exceed more than ten times that of an average person from before the Red Mist's advent!

The transformation isn't limited to just physical changes.

Every human will also automatically unlock their first talent roll.

The very first talent one rolls could directly determine one's survival prospects and future potential!

Beyond talents, the descent of the Red Mist will also introduce something called the "Chest" to this world.

Chests are classified into five levels: Bronze Chest, Silver Chest, Gold Chest, Dark Gold Chest, and Diamond Chest.

They contain a myriad of items, including equipment, skill books, class change scrolls, alchemical potions, special treasures, and so on.

Seven days after the Red Mist's descent, the newbie protection period will conclude.

At the same time, the first batch of chests spawned worldwide, whether opened by individuals or not, will vanish immediately upon the end of the protection period, never to reappear.

Harrison knows he cannot simply stay at home, waiting passively for fate to take its course.

Given the wealth of intelligence he possesses in advance, he must make full use of it.

He resides in a city called Nixon.

According to Harrison's recollection, during the newbie protection period, Nixon once spawned a Diamond Chest.

This chest was also the only Diamond Chest in Nixon.

Even though Harrison didn't know what was inside that Diamond Chest, the lucky individual who had unlocked the Nixon Diamond Chest went silent after posting about it on the forum.

Harrison surmised that this person must have met a tragic end.

In the apocalypse, human nature was the most fickle, especially when someone possessed something as coveted as the top-tier Diamond Chest.

Anything retrieved from a Diamond Chest was bound to be incomparably precious, an item that could grant one significant advancements in the apocalyptic world.

Moreover, items from a Diamond Chest were unique.

By unique, it meant that no one, through any means, could obtain it again.

Once these chests vanished, they were gone forever.

Across the entire world, only a little over a hundred Diamond Chests had appeared.

Roughly thirty were on land, while over seventy were submerged in the oceans.

"There's only seven days..."

Harrison was acutely aware of the time constraints.

He knew he had to devote every moment to unlocking a Diamond Chest.

By his estimates, even if he exhaustively scoured the land for the next seven days, he might only secure two Diamond Chests.

As for the lesser Dark Gold Chests, Harrison didn't give them much thought.

After all, even a hundred Dark Gold Chests combined couldn't match the value of a single Diamond Chest.

With these thoughts, Harrison realized he could no longer idle away at home.

He hastily packed a few personal belongings, slung his backpack over his shoulder, took his keys, and headed straight for the garage.

The car his parents left him wasn't anything luxurious, but it was notably sturdy and durable.

Harrison first drove to a gas station, filling up the tank to the brim and then stowing away four full jerry cans of fuel in the trunk.

This amount of gasoline should suffice for his needs.

After stocking up on ample water and food from a convenience store, Harrison pressed down hard on the accelerator, directing the car straight towards the location where the Diamond Chest had appeared.

On the road, he cast aside all regard for traffic rules, pushing the pedal to the metal, racing as swiftly as possible towards his destination.

The reputed "Beta Testers" still roamed this world, and he had to ensure he reached the Diamond Chest before they did.

...

North Snow Mountain.

A popular tourist spot to the north of Nixon.

On ordinary days, it would be teeming with visitors, but being a Monday night, it was virtually deserted.

Drawing from memories of his past life, Harrison arrived at the coordinates mentioned in that forum post, parking his car beside a scarcely-used trail.

If his memory served him right, the Diamond Chest should spawn nearby.

Harrison glanced at the time: 21:42.

He had approximately two hours until the Red Mist would descend.

Sitting in his car, he took a deep breath, trying to soothe the anxiety threatening to consume him, willing his racing heart to settle.

Even with the knowledge of impending events, he felt incredibly tense.

What if all of this was just a dream?

What if there was no Red Mist, no rewards, no impending apocalypse?

What would he do when dawn broke?

And even if the Red Mist did indeed descend, would everything truly unfold as he remembered?

Though reborn, the uncertainties coupled with the relentless passage of time left Harrison's heart in his throat.