It was unmistakable.

    The voice, the tone—this was Baek Seung-hyun, my senior, who had disappeared into China.

    But how was he still alive?

    Most of China had long fallen to the monsters, leaving only a few isolated regions untouched. Especially the ruins shown in the live broadcast—they were nothing short of an alien landscape.

    Yet, there he was.

    coral8108: "What the hell is that?"

    XDs_Grrrrr: "That’s Shanghai! Shanghai for sure!"

    Anonymous 13: "I thought all of China was completely overrun?"

    L-V-R-M: "It is. This streamer is broadcasting from within an erosion zone!"

    Anonymous 100: "I applied for a live stream and got banned. Now I think I know why."

    Rupert Gauser: "Unbelievable."

    gijayangban: "?"

    Suddenly, a new feature appeared at the top of the screen: real-time chat from Viva! Apocalypse! users watching the broadcast.

    And, of course, our world’s creator, Melon Musk, chimed in with a larger, more colorful font than anyone else’s.

    MELON_MASK: "The current streamer is a Korean account holder with the nickname Dongtanmom! Hello, Dongtanmom!"

    Instead of responding verbally, Dongtanmom—or perhaps his wife—held up a sketchbook to the camera. Scrawled across it in large, childlike crayon letters was one word:

    "YES."

    The reaction from the viewers was explosive.

    Anonymous 13: "Haha! This person is hilarious!"

    L-V-R-M: "To keep a sense of humor in such dire circumstances—impressive."

    demolition''86: "How are they even alive?"

    yamasakiem: "How did they get to China?"

    I_HATE_NY: "Show me your face, my love."

    unicorn18: "Hee hee."

    Ohio9: "Hey! Who’s that woman next to you?"

    mmmmmmmmm: "Cheers to the house! Pour me a drink!"@@@@

    Meanwhile, Melon Musk naturally took the lead in hosting the broadcast.

    MELON_MASK: "Hey, Dongtanmom! Your footage of Shanghai is impressive, but is that all? There are others waiting to stream, so should I cut the connection soon?"

    In response, the screen suddenly swayed left and right. Clearly, Dongtanmom was shaking their head.

    A sketchbook appeared again, with hastily scrawled letters:

    "SHOW TIME."

    Showtime? What could that mean?

    As everyone pondered the mystery, a deep, resonant foghorn sound rumbled through the speakers.

    Bwooooooooom—

    Dongtanmom’s "showtime" had begun.

    Suddenly, the camera view lifted into the air, as though they were flying like Superman.

    But the truth was far less mystical—a crane.

    The close-up showed a bearded man atop a towering crane, giving a thumbs-up as he operated it. The camera panned downward to reveal a massive container ship below.

    This wasn’t just any ship—it was likely the Hope, the flagship of a refugee fleet.

    Once teeming with desperate survivors, its deck now lay eerily empty, as though everyone had been swept away by waves.

    Dongtanmom’s view moved past the desolate deck and toward the gray ruins of the city. As the camera descended sharply, the sound of a heavy thud echoed, followed by the chaotic moans of zombies rising in the background.

    Dongtanmom’s sprint began.

    Their destination: a half-destroyed warehouse beyond the docks.

    Inside, red eyes gleamed in the darkness, filling the screen as the zombies awakened.

    Dongtanmom held a grenade up to the camera, pulled the pin, and hurled it at the horde.

    Boom!

    The explosion momentarily obscured the screen with dust and debris. When the smoke cleared, stacks of what appeared to be Chinese military combat rations were revealed.

    Dongtanmom hoisted the boxes high and declared triumphantly:

    "Nom!"

    The screen then shifted upward, showing hundreds of zombies and unidentified grayish creatures chasing after them. As Dongtanmom ascended, leaving the chaos behind, the camera turned toward the ship''s deck.

    A few people stood on the deck, waving at the approaching figure.

    Dongtanmom landed with a dramatic flourish, covering the camera with their hand before delivering the final line:

    "Nom nom."

    It was... honestly, impressive.

    A man living in a hot air balloon.A survivalist thriving primitively in the Canadian wilderness.A radiation-poisoned individual documenting their solitary life in a dead city.A resilient animator presenting a self-made short film.

    MELON_MASK: "...Though I don’t think I’ll last another week."

    The chat erupted with questions.

    X’De_Grrrrr: "Why?"

    Jekyll: "Why?"

    Hashire V4: "Why?"

    Defender: "Why?"

    siao_Xin: "Why?"

    Anonymous 101: "Why?"

    Rupert_Gauser: "Why?"

    gijayangban: "Why?"

    Thisaki: "Why?"

    SKELTON: "Whaaa?"

    I contributed my own reaction, but moments later, a warning window popped up:

    Administrator account "VIVA BOT014" has suspended your chat privileges for 24 hours due to ‘malicious trolling.’

    - For early reinstatement, please contact the help center.

    "What?!"

    What had I done wrong?

    Did I somehow end up on their radar? By VIVABOT014 of all people—a mere underling?

    Still, there wasn’t much time to dwell on my frustration. Before I could submit an appeal, Melon Musk shared a grim update on his condition.

    MELON_MASK: "Sorry to say, but I don’t think I’ll make it another week. I’m out of food and water. To survive, I’d need to reclaim the other modules, but in my current state, restoring Plus Ultra is impossible."

    His death seemed imminent.

    The image he had shown earlier—a man wasted away from prolonged malnutrition—was a haunting reflection of his reality.

    MELON_MASK: "But even if I’m gone, Live! Apocalypse! will continue. Dongtanmom, as a token of appreciation, our HQ will send you a solar-powered long-range drone with a small gift. Now, let’s hear Dongtanmom’s message."

    Melon Musk granted Dongtanmom special chat privileges.

    Unlike the standard chat displayed at the top of the screen, Dongtanmom’s golden-highlighted message appeared prominently in the center.

    What would they say?

    I half-expected their usual catchphrase, “Nom nom.”

    But the actual message shattered my expectations.

    dongtanmom: "Why are you giving up?"

    "...?"

    dongtanmom: "Why give up? My family was abandoned in China, yet we’re still alive. And you still have the strength to send us these messages. If you have doubts, ask for our help. Isn’t that what Viva! Apocalypse! is for?"

    Coming from someone who scavenged equipment from the dead without paying a dime to Melon Musk, the words carried a surprising weight.

    Even after their stunning broadcast, Dongtanmom’s message struck a deeper chord, resonating with everyone watching.

    MELON_MASK: "Dongtanmom... ?????"

    dongtanmom: "Tell us exactly what you’re facing. There are hunters among us who might be able to help."

    The moment I saw that message, I rushed to change my username.

    [Change SKELTON to professor?]

    Click.

    [Sorry! This username already exists!]

    "Damn it..."

    While I momentarily veered off course, Live! Apocalypse! transitioned into its next chapter.

    The screen revealed the dark, weightless void of space.

    Droplets of blood, now blackened, floated in the zero-gravity environment.

    Melon Musk, guided by advice from Dongtanmom and other users, began devising survival strategies with the limited resources at his disposal.

    MELON_MASK: "I don’t have firearms. There’s a blunt weapon, but I don’t have the strength to use it. I’ve got a few drones, but they’re useless in zero gravity and can’t even kill a zombie with their current 16V power supply."

    MELON_MASK: "Some assembly is possible, though."

    MELON_MASK: "Compressed air? I think I had something like that lying around."

    MELON_MASK: "I’ll give it a try."

    The cosmic-scale drama unfolding before us could only be titled:

    "Saving Melon Musk."