"Ugh..."
In his dazed state, Han Ning was jolted awake by an intense pang of hunger.
He opened his eyes to darkness.
Outside the window, fierce winds lashed rain against the tightly shut glass panes, the relentless pounding echoing ominously.
A stormy day, a pitch-black room—it should have been the perfect environment for sleep.
Yet Han Ning felt nothing but irritation.
The endless downpour had lasted three full days and nights.
Three days ago, he had been just an ordinary office worker.
Just as he had gotten out of bed and was about to head to the bathroom to freshen up, the building he was in suddenly shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
By the time he regained his senses, the familiar paved road outside the window had inexplicably transformed into a muddy, flooded wilderness.
Vast urban structures seemed to have abruptly descended upon the land, their massive forms twisted and embedded haphazardly into the muddy earth, appearing jarringly out of place.
In the early days of this inexplicable shift, many had been curious about the wilderness outside.
A few bold individuals had ventured out of the buildings to explore.
But then, creatures resembling a grotesque mix of crocodiles and lizards had lunged from the curtain of rain, dragging those curious souls into the murky depths.
Similar scenes had played out countless times over the past three days—and were still unfolding.
Those hideous monsters didn't just roam the wilderness; they also infiltrated buildings, hunting prey by scent.
The good news? They hadn't found his home yet.
The bad news? His food had run out.
"Growl—"
"So hungry… so hungry…"
His stomach convulsed violently, as if a fire were raging inside.
He grabbed the half-empty bottle of mineral water from the nightstand and gulped down a few mouthfuls, temporarily tricking his stomach with liquid.
"I can't just hide in here anymore!"
Han Ning wiped his mouth, steeling his resolve.
If he waited until his strength was completely depleted, death would be the only certainty.
Just then, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, briefly illuminating the entire room.
Seizing the fleeting light, he peered out the window.
From the seventh floor, he had a clear view of the unfamiliar wilderness below.
Between the buildings, the undulating yellow earth had been carved into deep gullies by the relentless rain.
"Roooar—!"
A low, guttural growl suddenly rose from below.
Han Ning's body tensed instantly. He inched toward the window and cautiously lifted a corner of the curtain.
Down on the street, three crocodile-like creatures—standing upright on their hind legs—prowled through the rain.
Their yellowish-brown hides glistened sickeningly under the downpour.
Jagged dorsal spines sliced through the rain, their long tails leaving serpentine trails of blood in the flooded streets.
One of them abruptly halted, lifting its grotesque head to sniff aggressively at the nearby buildings.
Han Ning held his breath, not daring to make a sound.
Carefully lowering the curtain, he dragged his weakened body to the kitchen.
He opened the fridge.
Empty.
"Damn it…"
He wasn't the type to stockpile supplies, and three days had been enough to deplete everything in the house.
With no other choice, he walked to the cupboard and pulled open a drawer.
Inside lay a kitchen knife, a flashlight, and half a roll of duct tape.
Rather than starving to death in this room, he might as well take his chances outside—maybe other units on his floor still had food.
But first, he needed to check if the hallway was safe.
Han Ning tiptoed to the door and pressed his ear against the cold wooden panel.
All he could hear was the sound of rain.
His hand gripped the doorknob, hesitating to turn it. Once again, fear crept in before he could step out.
What if those things were outside? What if they caught his scent? What if...
Grrr...
The growling of his stomach interrupted his spiraling dread.
Desperation was the only thing that could push a man to gather his courage.
Hunger forced his hand to slowly turn the knob.
A faint click sounded as the lock disengaged, and the door cracked open.
A musty, damp stench mixed with something metallic assaulted his senses.
The hallway of the serviced apartment was dim and empty, the emergency lights long extinguished.
No people. No reptilian monsters.
Only suspicious dark stains scattered across the floor, stretching from the opposite door all the way to the stairwell.
Han Ning tightened his grip on the kitchen knife and took his first cautious step, then the second...
Creak~
A faint noise came from the right.
!?
His heart nearly stopped as he whipped around.
At the end of the hallway, a security door swayed slightly, as if nudged open by the wind.
"Hello?" Han Ning called softly, his voice instantly swallowed by the howling storm.
No response.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to check the ajar door first.
If there were survivors inside, maybe they could search for food together.
If the room was empty, perhaps there were supplies to scavenge.
Han Ning approached cautiously.
The hallway felt unnaturally long, every closed door a potential hiding spot for danger.
Finally, he reached the partially open door.
"704..."
He glanced at the number plate, recalling that an elderly man lived here alone.
Han Ning leaned against the doorframe and listened carefully.
Hearing nothing, he gently tapped the door with the tip of his knife.
Screech~
The hinges groaned as the door swung wider, revealing the darkness within.
The room was pitch black, curtains tightly drawn.
Han Ning turned on his flashlight, the beam illuminating the outline of the living room.
An overturned coffee table, scattered books, and...
"This is..."
His gaze swept across the scene before freezing in place.
The flashlight trembled violently in his hand.
Beside the sofa lay a mutilated corpse, sprawled on its back, abdomen completely hollowed out, organs missing.
The face was unrecognizable.
From the gray hair and the sweater, Han Ning confirmed it was the old man who had lived here.
Clearly, the monsters had gotten to him long ago.
Gag...
Han Ning covered his mouth, forcing down the bile rising in his throat.
He tore his eyes away and directed the flashlight toward the kitchen.
The fridge door hung open, completely empty.
Stepping carefully around the corpse, he avoided looking at the dried bloodstains.
He opened the first cupboard.
Inside were a few packs of noodles and two cans of beans.
Han Ning's expression flickered with relief as he snatched up a pack of noodles, nearly tearing it open to eat raw.
"This isn't a safe place..."
Reason eventually overcame instinct.
He stuffed the food into his backpack and kept searching.
The second cupboard held half a bag of rice and some seasoning packets.
When he reached the third cupboard, his hand suddenly stilled.
At the very back sat a small metal box.
Han Ning pulled it out and opened it.
Inside was an everyday first aid kit, containing not only standard medical supplies but also several packs of compressed biscuits and a bottle of water purification tablets.
"Lucky," Han Ning muttered under his breath, quickly pocketing these precious resources.
He continued searching the kitchen and other rooms meticulously, confirming there was no overlooked food before preparing to leave.
Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed outside the window, illuminating the entire living room.
In that brief moment of light, Han Ning saw a sight that froze his blood—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 ghastly, scaly face!
It stared silently at Han Ning, as if it had been watching him for some time.
His heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
Without thinking, he instinctively bolted for the door.
The next second.
"Hiss!"
The sound of shattering glass and an eerie, unfamiliar screech echoed behind him.
"!!"
He frantically pushed open the door and stumbled into the hallway.
From behind, the loud crash of overturned furniture came from Room 704.
Han Ning didn't dare look back, sprinting desperately toward his own room.
Just when safety was only a few steps away, the fire door in the stairwell burst open.
Two small, dripping reptilian creatures—crocodile lizards—charged out.
In the darkness, their yellow slit pupils swayed like tiny lanterns, blocking his path.
Trapped between a rock and a hard place.
"This is bad..." 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, searching for a way out.
The emergency exit had long been locked due to the power outage.
In desperation, he noticed a small door beside the elevator labeled "Equipment Room."
There was no time to think.
One of the crocodile lizards in front of him crouched low, then lunged at him with a vicious snarl.
Han Ning threw his full weight against the small door.
To his surprise, it swung open.
He tumbled into a cramped, dark space and slammed the door shut behind him.
Outside, the creatures' claws scraped against the metal door, producing a grating, nails-on-chalkboard sound.
Han Ning collapsed onto the floor, his back pressed against the equipment room wall, his legs braced firmly against the metal door.
"What do I do? What do I do?"
Beads of sweat rolled down his temples.
His expression was tense, his heart pounding wildly as adrenaline surged through his veins.
For the first time in his life, he smelled the stench of death.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The deafening impacts against the door sounded like the tolling of a death knell.
Then—
A burst of emerald light exploded before his eyes.
Han Ning instinctively shut them, and when he reopened them, a translucent green panel hovered in front of him:
[Druid Profession Panel Activated]
[You have awakened the following three skills: Vine Manipulation, Rapid Growth, Rejuvenation]
[Vine Manipulation]: Summon resilient vines to entangle enemies.
[Rapid Growth]: Shorten the growth cycle of plants.
[Rejuvenation]: Heal minor wounds.
A warm current surged from his spine, flooding his limbs.
"This is… a cheat?!"
His eyes widened.
BANG!
The door suddenly dented inward with a terrifying bulge, the screech of twisting metal piercing his eardrums.
This was clearly no dream!
There was no time to hesitate.
"The other two skills don't seem combat-oriented, so Vine Manipulation is my only option..."
BANG! The relatively thin metal door was smashed open.
A razor-sharp claw reached in first, followed by the grotesque head of a crocodile lizard, its fangs dripping with corrosive saliva that sizzled against the floor, sending up wisps of white smoke.
Han Ning didn't have time to think. Acting on instinct, he stretched out his hand.
A faint green light burst from his palm.
Several thin vines emerged from the void, barely managing to entangle the lizard's forelimbs.
"Hiss!"
The monster let out a strange, almost contemptuous hiss as it easily snapped most vines—only one stubbornly remained wrapped around its claw.
Gritting his teeth, Han Ning activated Vine Manipulation again.
This time, more vines sprouted from the cracks, coiling around the lizard's neck and hind legs.
The monster staggered but immediately whipped its tail, severing the vines around its waist.
Pursing his lips, Han Ning frantically channeled Vine Manipulation once more.
The vines that grew this time were slightly thicker, temporarily pinning the lizard in place.
"Get out!" Han Ning snarled, making a throwing motion with both hands. The vines obeyed his will, violently flinging the creature.
The lizard crashed into the hallway wall, shattering the glass of a fire hydrant, but immediately stood back up.
A second crocodile lizard had already squeezed through the doorway. Smarter than its companion, it lunged straight for Han Ning's knife-wielding right hand.
Han Ning barely managed to dodge sideways, but the monster's tail lashed out with terrifying speed.
Even as he tried to evade, the very tip of its tail still grazed his waist.
Han Ning's face instantly turned deathly pale.
The sheer force behind these creatures was staggering—just a glancing blow from its tail sent searing pain flaring across his upper waist.
It hurt so much he could barely breathe.
He hastily turned, hunched over, and flung both palms forward.
Three or four vine tendrils, each as thick as chopsticks, sprouted from the floor and dangled from the ceiling, wrapping around the charging lizard as if alive.
"Back off!"
Han Ning roared, veins bulging on his forehead as he swung his arms with all his might.
The monster, roughly the size of a teenage human, was hurled into its companion. The two lizards collided and tumbled out of the equipment room.
Seizing the chance, Han Ning lunged for his apartment door, slamming it shut with his last ounce of strength and bracing his body against it.
Furious hisses and scratching sounds came from outside, but after a moment, the noises gradually faded.
"Thank goodness... the security door's sturdy enough."
Han Ning collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, sweat and blood from his wounds dripping down his forehead.
The food scavenged from his neighbor's apartment lay scattered everywhere.
But right now, he had no appetite at all.
The spot where the lizard's tail had struck was already soaked in blood, and every breath felt like knives twisting in his lungs.
He summoned his status panel again.
[Current Spirit Energy: 4/10]
So it wasn't an illusion—he had truly gained supernatural abilities.
But against those monstrously strong creatures, it still wasn't enough. Just driving them away had drained him completely.
As he panted heavily, another inexplicable stream of information surfaced in his mind.
"What's this?"
He closed his eyes, examining the content.
[Warning to all Awakened: Our planet is being consumed by the Erosion Tide. The unending rain will eventually drown the entire world. Those who have not yet evacuated, leave immediately. We have left the method of departure at the planet's core.]
A moment later, Han Ning opened his eyes, his expression turning extremely complex.
The information that had just flooded his mind was likely left behind by the natives of this planet through some miraculous means, intended to inform all Awakened.
The so-called Awakened were probably beings like him who had just awakened supernatural powers.
The Erosion Tide mentioned by the natives was abbreviated as the Black Tide.
Only those who had become superhumans could receive this message.
The content of the message roughly stated: The universe inhabited by the natives was being affected by a terrifying Erosion Tide. Anyone swept by this tide would become deranged and lose their sanity.