CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: GREAT CATASTROPHE INSTANCE

The night passed peacefully.

The next morning, Wang Zhifan woke up on the bed in his rented room, a hint of excitement visible in his eyes.

"Although last night’s cultivation didn’t allow me to immediately grasp the Great Dream Saber Scripture, I feel I’m not far from mastering it. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll succeed."

Just one night’s dream cultivation gave Wang Zhifan a definite feeling, faster than he expected, making him feel a bit elated.

"Let’s tackle today’s mission first."

After confirming the fruits of last night’s practice, Wang Zhifan followed his daily routine. He got up, freshened up, had breakfast outside, then returned to the rented room, closed the doors and windows, and started the day’s mission.

The familiar feeling of mental dizziness descended quickly, and when he came to his senses, he found himself in a place similar to an underground parking lot.

He was standing on the dimly lit cement floor of the parking lot. Besides a few parked cars scattered around, there were eleven other people visible. This was a twelve-person mission!

[Mission Objective: Survive 3 days in the city currently struck by the zombie Great Catastrophe.]

[Hint: The types of zombies in this mission are varied, with danger levels ranging from high to low, so please be cautious.]

"It’s the Great Catastrophe mission?! This is bad!"

As soon as the mission prompt flashed before everyone’s eyes, a middle-aged man with a scraggly beard, holding a rifle, exclaimed in panic, unable to conceal his fear and anxiety.

"Could this Great Catastrophe mission be the one often mentioned on the forum?"

Then another player, who looked rather young, seemed to connect the dots.

"It must be. There are exactly twelve players here, just as described on the forum. Other missions rarely have this many people... now let’s see everyone’s level. I’ll start; I’m Lv11."

A spectacled young player spoke next.

"I’m Lv11 too."

Quickly, another player responded.

"I’m Lv12."

"Lv13."

"Lv10."

...

The other players promptly reported their levels. Within seconds, only Wang Zhifan hadn’t spoken yet.

"I’m Lv10."

Noticing many eyes focusing on him, Wang Zhifan, feeling the mission might trick him again, calmly uttered a false level.

He was embarrassed to admit his true level since he was only Lv3 at the moment. Being amidst players mostly above Lv10 made him stand out too much. Revealing his real level would attract unwanted attention.

Fortunately, although his actual level was low, his equipment looked quite impressive, exuding a touch of opulence. So when he claimed to be Lv10, none of the surrounding gazes showed any suspicion.

"Since everyone’s level is between Lv10 and Lv13, we can confirm this is the Great Catastrophe mission mentioned on the forum. The mission’s difficulty is estimated to be around Lv15, on the lower end of the Great Catastrophe missions, yet still highly dangerous."

The spectacled young player continued speaking; his tone marked by seriousness.

Once he finished, a female player in the group expressed her confusion:

"Sorry, everyone. I rarely read the forum. Can someone briefly explain why this Great Catastrophe mission is difficult?"

After she asked, the other eleven players fell silent, until the spectacled young man finally answered:

"Survival-type missions like this are relatively challenging; otherwise, the mission objective wouldn’t simply be to survive. The Great Catastrophe mission is known for its high mortality rate among survival missions, according to the forum, because there are too many zombies, many possessing strange abilities that are hard to predict. Even the sneak-skilled Assassin players struggle since there are zombies that can break stealth."

The spectacled young man explained briefly, but his main point was clear: this mission easily leads to player deaths.

"If this mission is so hard, why are we still chatting here? Shouldn’t we quickly find a place to hide?"

A muscular player, eager after hearing the young man’s explanation, responded anxiously, likely aware of the Assassin class’s exceptional survival skills. Since even Assassins struggled in this mission, it must be truly dangerous.

"There’s a few minutes of safe time when entering the mission, so no need to rush. But based on forum experiences, I suggest we quickly form teams and then scatter for survival."

The spectacled young man advised again.

"Scatter for survival? Are you sure that’s not suicidal? Isn’t gathering together stronger and more conducive to survival?"

The muscular player immediately questioned the young man’s suggestion.

"He’s correct."

At this point, the scraggly-bearded middle-aged man who had first expressed concern, spoke after a brief silence.

"Every forum post about the Great Catastrophe mentions the necessity of splitting teams. On the mission’s final day, players will be exposed regardless of hiding spots, then multiple powerful corpse kings will hunt them down. If players are together, these kings will attack collectively, making defense very difficult. Team division increases escape chances, maybe even avoiding being targeted by any king."

The scraggly-bearded middle-aged man explained some of the reasoning.

"How many teams should we ideally form? Don’t tell me every person needs to go solo."

A player inquired upon hearing this.

"At least four teams, ideally six."

The spectacled young man contemplated briefly before answering.

"Six teams mean pairs. I’m a Lv12 gunman, armed with a rifle and a shotgun. Who wants to team up with me? Gunman, Mage, whatever works."

The player who had asked about team division promptly made a verbal team-up request.

"I’m a Lv12 gunman, specializing in sniper rifles. Shall we team up?"

"Deal."

"I’m a Lv11 Assassin. Anyone want to team up?"

"Assassins should go solo; you can hide and run fast. Who needs teammates?"

"Who said I can’t find teammates?"

...

While twelve players began actively forming teams in the dimly lit underground parking lot, Wang Zhifan had no interest in joining because he felt he had many secrets, his strength was decent, and solo seemed fitting.

Yet, as he was about to leave, a player holding a white magic staff approached him.