Chapter Three: The Terrifying Broadcast of the Apocalypse

Another day passed in the blink of an eye, yet the black mist showed no sign of dissipating.

Mu Chen finished breakfast and idly scrolled through his phone.

He just wanted to see if there was any new information about the haunted house or updates on other survivors in the area.

As his finger swiped across the screen, a notification popped up from a live streaming platform.

“Banban the Great Demon King is live! Come and watch quickly!”

Mu Chen raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued.

He had seen this streamer before—she was quite likable, skilled at teasing her audience, and occasionally played borderline provocative games.

But with the world ending, streaming seemed rather frivolous. Or perhaps she was desperate for fame.

Still, that didn’t stop him from clicking in.

The live feed was dimly lit. Banban the Great Demon King appeared with heavy dark circles under her eyes, her hair a tangled mess, looking utterly exhausted.

“Guys, I feel so awful…” she said to the camera, her voice trembling with tears.

“I accidentally drank some of the black water outside. Now my stomach hurts so much, and my head’s spinning.”

Suddenly, the chat exploded.

“Streamer 666, streaming with her life on the line!”

“Black water? Like from the fog? This streamer’s a real warrior!”

“Poor streamer, is it food poisoning?”

“I bet she’s just trying to scam gifts. That trick’s so overused.”

“Guys, watch your words. What if it’s real?”

Mu Chen watched the flurry of concern and mockery with a hint of irony.

At a time like this, people still played these games.

Just as he was about to close the stream, something moved in the shadow behind the streamer.

Banban continued sobbing into the camera.

“Can someone save me? I think I’m dying…”

She seemed unaware of whatever lurked behind her.

But some viewers noticed in the chat.

“Is there something behind the streamer?”

“Looks like a cat, but it’s weird.”

“Special effects? Don’t scare us, streamer!”

Banban sniffled and glanced at the chat, startled.

“What? Don’t joke about that. I’m all alone here.”

She spoke hesitantly, slowly turning her head.

“Ah——!!!”

A piercing, distorted scream shattered the phone’s speaker, ringing painfully in Mu Chen’s ears.

The screen shook violently.

The streamer’s face drained of color, as if she’d seen something terrifying.

“My cat—it turned into a monster! Help me!!”

The camera caught a twisted black shadow flashing past, accompanied by the cracking sound of breaking bones.

Then, the livestream cut out.

Only a cold message remained on the screen:

“Streamer has left. Live broadcast ended.”

Mu Chen frowned.

Could this be a mutated pet?

It seemed the black mist was indeed something sinister.

Judging by this, staying home wasn’t necessarily safe.

He tossed his phone aside, his mind racing with what to do next.

---

At Building 11, Apartment 3001, Chen Jiahe sat slumped on the floor, clutching several pieces of T-shirt fabric, soaked and wrung dry with effort.

On the floor, a makeshift filtration device lay toppled, the water collected in a basin still murky and faintly fishy.

Another failure.

She had tried to turn the fabric into a filter, hoping to purify the water tainted by black mist sediment.

But the fine black particles were too dense for such thin layers to block.

Without water, how could she and her sister survive?

A buzzing interrupted her thoughts.

Her phone vibrated on the floor.

She picked it up numbly.

A text message from her sister, Lin Qingxue:

“Sis, save me. I’m so hungry, I think I have a fever. They won’t give me food. I’m scared.”

The message was fragmented, as if sent with the last of her strength.

Lin Qingxue, her only family.

Chen Jiahe’s heart clenched painfully, as if gripped by an invisible hand, almost suffocating her.

No. She couldn’t give up.

Her sister was still waiting.

She had to survive. She had to save her sister.

Her mind involuntarily flashed to Mu Chen’s teasing face and his unyielding condition.

“Use yourself to trade for water.”

Humiliation surged, but her will to live and worry for her sister quickly overwhelmed everything else.

She took a deep breath, fingers trembling as she opened Mu Chen’s chat.

At that moment, Mu Chen had just posted a recruitment ad again in the survivors’ group chat.

“Mu Chen (Group Owner): End of the world survival, beauties preferred. Fair-skinned, pretty, long legs, 18-25 years old, looks at least a 7 out of 10, under 100 pounds. Spots filling fast, act quickly! PS: Safe shelter and ample supplies provided. Serious inquiries only.”

He was confident that with such conditions, some sensible ones would respond.

“Building 11 #904 Windlike Man: Bro Chen, that ad is killer!”

“Building 8 #1104 Shen Linlin: Scum! Scoundrel! You’ll get your comeuppance!”

Shen Linlin still made her daily rounds of curses, but Mu Chen had already muted her.

---

Then, a stranger named “Si Wuxie” sent a friend request.

Her avatar was a delicate rose, quite tasteful.

Mu Chen accepted.

“Si Wuxie: Hello, Mr. Mu Chen. I’m Chen Si from Building 8. I saw your message in the group.”

Building 8, 17th floor.

“Chen Si: Do you really have that many supplies? How long can your water and food last?”

“Mu Chen (Group Owner): Plenty. Depends if you’re worth it.”

“Chen Si: Okay, I’ll think it over.”

After that, no more messages.

Mu Chen, that jerk, didn’t bother replying further.

Chen Si wondered if he was truly confident or just bluffing.

“Si Si, what’s the hold-up?” said a woman beside her, filing her nails. She was Chen Si’s roommate, Chen Xiaoxiao.

Chen Xiaoxiao smirked. “Isn’t Mu Chen the high-end handsome guy of the apocalypse? Loaded! These days, food and drink are the real currency. Who at work can compare? If you lock him down, we’ll drink bottled water to our hearts’ content!”

Chen Si frowned slightly. “But his attitude’s too arrogant, so indifferent, acting like everyone’s begging him.”

“Oh, my silly sister,” Chen Xiaoxiao put down her nail file and leaned in. “That’s style, get it? End-of-days limited edition CEO! If he were polite, would you believe he’s got the goods? He’s gotta act like this to show he’s loaded and doesn’t need anyone!”

Chen Xiaoxiao nudged Chen Si’s arm. “Trust me, ignore him! Let’s see who’s more anxious! His ad’s loud—he must have lots of girls chasing him. But you’re a top-tier catch. Make him feel what it’s like when the emperor doesn’t hurry but the eunuch does.”

Chen Si thought about it. Chen Xiaoxiao had a point. Mu Chen really thought too highly of himself.

She hummed and deleted the chat with Mu Chen.

“I’ll wait and see. What if the army arrives soon?” she still held a glimmer of hope.

Chen Xiaoxiao snorted without answering, already planning. The army? By the time they come, they’ll be dead and gone. Mu Chen, with his supplies and local power, was the real deal.

---

Mu Chen had just finished chatting with “Si Wuxie” when his phone buzzed again. It was “Hehe.”

Just two words, concise and clear.

“I agree.”

An address followed: Building 11, Apartment 3001.

Mu Chen’s smile stretched uncontrollably.

Done!

The first top-tier catch had come knocking.

He moved to the window. Outside, the black fog still pressed in, thick and suffocating.

Soon, footsteps echoed lightly in the hallway—hesitant at first, then clearer.

They stopped at the 26th floor stairwell, two floors below his.

Mu Chen peered through the peephole.

The hallway light had long since gone out, pitch dark.

He didn’t move, simply waited.

After two or three minutes, trembling voice came from outside.

“Mu… Mr. Mu Chen? I’m here… at the 26th floor stairwell.”

Only then did Mu Chen open the door, leaning casually against the frame, watching the faint, fragile shadow below the stairs.