Apocalypse: System of lotteries



At 2 in the morning, Hawkins swallowed half of the vitality flower he produced from under his arm, bellowing in fury as he grappled with an incoming Lord-level zombie. Because of his severe exhaustion, where once a single petal sufficed to rejuvenate his strength, now he needed half a flower. He kept the other half for later use.

Mike charged forward, raising his heavy blade to strike. But due to sheer fatigue, the blade veered off course, crashing into the ground.

Elsewhere, having discharged her laser beams, Digennaro leaned against the door, drinking half a vial of spirit elixir. Her eyes gradually brightened, yet her face remained etched with weariness.

Ming darted toward a King-level zombie, its head dangling from its neck. Simultaneously, Alan, bleeding from the corner of his mouth, mustered all his strength to hurl a spear, shouting, "Boss, catch!"

"Got it!" Ming leaped, catching the spear in mid-air and driving it into the zombie's head. But he was blasted away by the dying zombie's punch. Rolling with the momentum, he scrambled behind the Lord-level creature cornering Hawkins. With both arms, he gripped its moving legs, causing it to topple.

"Mike!"

"On it!"

"Make sure you aim right this time, don't hit the boss!"

Whoosh!

The heavy blade descended, narrowly missing Ming's head and slicing the zombie in half.

The group gasped in unison. he had narrowly escaped death from the zombie, only to almost meet it from a comrade's blade. Ming quickly rose, driving an electric probe into the zombie's brain to finish it off. He then rolled away, lying on the ground catching his breath. Both his energy and strength were sustained solely by elixirs and flowers; he was running on fumes.

"Boss, how much longer can we hold out?"

Mike lifted his helmet's face shield, exhaling deeply. Fatigue was evident on his face and in his eyes.

Hawkins tossed the remaining half-flower to Mike. "Eat this, we can last another 30 minutes. As for what happens after that, we'll be at the mercy of fate."

"This damned setup is designed to torment us slowly. Even the hidden missions are this tough? With Ming completing so many solos, he's practically a freak!" 

Mike chewed on the flower and continued, "I wonder where that freak is playing alone now."

Ming just smirked, choosing not to retort this time. Instead, he checked his special coin balance, totaling 3,192.

David's option was only a mystery box, Alan had the warehouse, Hawkins had talents and skills, and Mike had been continuously upgrading his mech. So, after some discussion, the only choice was to gamble on Ming's path.

"Boss, a new store has appeared, 300 meters away, southwest," Alan reported, pointing in that direction.

"Alright."

Ming turned and vanished into the night. Shortly after his departure, several columns of light struck the ground, appearing before everyone present. The group exchanged puzzled glances. After all, in the past, the special store had landed randomly. This time, it was clearly intentional.

Alan checked his options:

[You can now leave. Cost: 1 coin.]

Alan turned to the others upon seeing the option. Mike, facing the store, laughed heartily, swinging his heavy blade at it. "What do you take me for? I owe more than one life to the boss! Get lost!"

Special Store: All your coins are confiscated.

"What the hell!"

Mike, fuming with rage, swung his blade repeatedly, "I'll destroy you!"

Special Store: You have no money. Deducting 500 coins from your teammates, divided evenly.

"..."

Alan immediately looked at Hawkins. "Hold back that fool!"

Hawkins closed the store interface and quickly jumped onto his mech, blocking Mike who was still intent on hitting the store.

Digennaro  looked at her options:

[1. Choose one person to stay with you; everyone else can leave for 10 coins.]

[2. You stay; everyone else leaves for free.]

[Helpful Hint: Think carefully, you only have one chance.]

Digennaro silently glanced at the others, then gazed in the direction her brother had vanished into. She thought, if sacrificing herself meant her brothers could escape, wouldn't it be worth it? After all, her brother, risked everything to save her... Why couldn't she do the same for him?

She only had one shot!

"I hope you keep your word, shop!"

As Digennaro raised her hand...

Whoosh!

A shadow dashed over and pulled her aside. Alan stared at her. "Do you think us men need you to sacrifice for us? If anyone's dying, you'll be the last."

...

Special Store: Deducting an additional 100 coins.

"!!"

Walking on the street, searching for the special store, Ming was dumbfounded. What in the world? An additional charge for just walking around? Who was the genius who did something so brilliant?

Ming turned a corner, "It must be Mike."

Moments later, he arrived in front of the store to check his exchange options:

[1. You stay behind, and your teammates can finish the mission and leave safely, for free.]

[2. Choose to take one person with you to finish the mission, at a cost of 2000 coins.]

[3. You can leave with three teammates, at a cost of 3000 coins.]

[Helpful Hint: You only have one chance to make a choice. Please think carefully.]

"..."

Ming chuckled softly, realizing this was a clear trap. Given the established settings, they couldn't afford to lose even one team member. No matter the choice, everyone would be doomed. Hence, the answer was simple: choose none.

With a resounding crash, Alan, wielding a spear, leaped off a giant eagle, landing on the special store. He looked at Ming and remarked, "Just like your sister, doesn't save us any trouble.."

Ming watched as the store's options vanished, hearing a voice announcing: "Damage to public property, a fine of 100 coins."

Frustrated, Ming glared at Alan, "Why, when you wreck the store, is it my money that gets deducted?"

With an indifferent expression, Alan replied, "Mike already got us fined once. So why can't you bear it for me once? What, do you prefer Mike over me?"

"Why did you destroy it?"

"To stop you from doing something reckless."

"Do you think I'm that foolish?"

...

David stared at the shop's options:

[1. You can leave and receive 100 million Apocalypse coins.]

[2. You can choose one person to leave with and receive 50 million Apocalypse coins.]

[3. You can leave with three teammates and get 30 million Apocalypse coins.]

[Hint: Choose wisely, you only get one shot.]

Stunned, David exclaimed, "Such a fortune?"

With a scoff, he disdainfully responded, "Do you truly believe I've never seen such wealth? I've managed millions before. Do you think you can bribe me with this? You're insulting me. No matter the choice, it'll lead to mission failure. I can't speak for the others, but I, David, am no fool."

Special Store: Ever heard of getting struck by lightning for showing off?

"..."

"..."

David paused, looking up at the vast starry sky, calmly stating, "You have to understand, in this age, there aren't many who speak the truth."

Suddenly, a deafening bolt of lightning cracked the sky.

David was dumbfounded. "Damn it, of all the ways I imagined meeting my end, I never thought it'd be by lightning. Alright, bring it on!"

A brilliant arc of blue-purple electricity struck, hitting right on top of a bank building.

Moments later, David burst into laughter, "Hahaha! Did you really think I'd get hit? Tall buildings have lightning rods, you fool! Haha!"

Special Store: Disturbing the peace, 100 coins were deducted.

"I'm broke, so what are you going to take?"

Laughing, David turned to gaze at a nearby gazelle. He saw its corresponding store screen display:

[1. Baa baa baa baa baa, baa baa.]

[2. Baa baa baa baa baa, baa baa.]

"..."

David blinked, taken aback, "Damn, a surprise attack."

In an instant, as the gazelle tilted its head back to cry out, David swiftly grabbed its horns, pushing its head to the ground. His other hand clasped over its mouth, "Hush now, hush. We're buddies, right? You can't just abandon us. Be a good fellow."

The gazelle: ...