Chapter 52: The Gaze from the Unknown

The Arc Light attack had already left the people of Central State City restless, and the Doomsday Premonition completely ignited panic.

Some believed the end of the world was approaching, wanting to go wild before death, venting the emotions within their hearts.

And among these rioters, there were not only Transcendents, but also quite a few ordinary people.

That night, Central State City plunged into unprecedented chaos.

It was not until the latter half of the night that the rioting Transcendents were all arrested, while ordinary people were easily suppressed. The city only barely managed to restore order.

When dawn rose, the city was silent, with only damaged streets and shops bearing witness to the previous night’s turmoil.

Central State City Fire Department, Seventh Squad Resting Room.

Several firefighters lay sprawled across chairs, not even having changed their clothes.

Some even lay slumped over the tables, their faces stuck to the surface.

He Xue coiled her ponytail around her neck and leaned back with her face up: “So tired…”

“Last night’s missions were more than the entire past month combined. Are those people all insane?” Chen Zhengyi sat with his head drooping, utterly exhausted.

“Actually, this might be a good thing.” Zhang Zhiyong’s voice rang out.

Everyone turned to look and saw him holding a thermos in one hand and a phone in the other, leaning against the wall in rather good spirits.

Not only him, but Du Lingwei was also seated in the corner with her eyes closed in meditation, not appearing very fatigued.

One had to know, as captain and vice-captain, their workload last night had been the heaviest.

This was the endurance of C-rank Transcendents.

At this moment, Zhang Zhiyong raised his phone slightly and said: “Last night’s ‘Doomsday Premonition,’ the higher the rank of the Transcendent, the clearer the feeling… most ordinary people only felt their hearts skip, without any real perception.”

“They only learned through online discussions what this palpitating sensation might actually mean.”

“So, many of them were half-believing, half-doubting.”

Chen Zhengyi asked in confusion: “Then the chaos last night…”

“Just an excuse. Other cities weren’t nearly this messy.” Zhang Zhiyong put his phone down and said: “After the Arc Light Organization’s attack, the city was already unsettled, incidents breaking out one after another.”

“This ‘Doomsday Premonition’ gave certain people a reason to riot, exposing them in the process.”

“Last night, the Bureau of Public Security arrested a batch of them. From now on, Central State City’s law and order should gradually recover.”

The firefighters looked enlightened and nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the rioting Transcendents last night were unstable elements themselves.

Even without the Doomsday Premonition, with the Arc Light Organization lurking, they might not have stayed peaceful anyway.

Wiping them out in one sweep was essentially eliminating hidden dangers—perhaps even a good thing.

Chen Zhengyi’s expression shifted: “So that means we can rest now?”

Zhang Zhiyong nodded: “You’re all truly exhausted. Take a few days off. I’ll stay at the bureau for duty… if anything happens, I’ll notify you.”

Firefighting work was heavy, with very little leisure time.

Being granted a few days off was absolutely something worth celebrating for Chen Zhengyi and the others.

But…

At this moment, hearing Zhang Zhiyong’s words, Chen Zhengyi and He Xue did not feel the excitement they had imagined.

Ever since last night’s “Doomsday Premonition,” a strange urgency had risen within them, anxiety lingering constantly, never fading away.

The thought of going out for karaoke or bar-hopping now filled them with guilt, as though thorns pricked their backs and needles lined their seats.

Were they really going to play around?

What if the Doomsday Premonition was true? Wouldn’t indulging like this lower their survival chances when the apocalypse came? Wasn’t that no different from seeking death?

This was different from before—

Before, they slacked off, neglecting training and spending their leisure time indulging, simply because in a peaceful society, they saw little room for advancement.

After all, they were not S-rank geniuses like Jiang He, who might one day become an A-rank, even an S-rank powerhouse, perhaps even a council member.

They were just ordinary Transcendents. Even with hard cultivation, reaching Zhang Zhiyong’s level was about their limit…

At the end of the day, just captains of a firefighting squad, nothing too important.

But now things were different.

If the end truly came, if the future really meant chaos and wastelands…

Then every bit of strength they had would decide their life or death!

Once such thoughts took root, they found it impossible to simply slack off.

Chen Zhengyi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

“No, Captain. I’ll keep training at the station.”

“Me too.” He Xue wiped the sweat from her face and sat up straight: “I still have over fifty grams of Spiritual Blood quota left this month. If I don’t use it, it’ll go to waste.”

“You only have fifty grams left? I’ve still got seventy!” Long Tao got up from the table and gritted his teeth: “I’ll start training today!”

He looked toward Jiang He beside him, his eyes full of hope: “Jiang He, I’m really exhausted right now. Could you help me recover like you did before…?”

「Deep Sleep」

The Transcendent Voice resounded. Before Long Tao could finish his sentence, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed onto the table, drifting into blissful slumber.

While they had been talking, Jiang He had been off to the side writing reports.

As a bonus, he glanced at He Xue and Chen Zhengyi and spoke again.

「Deep Sleep」

「Deep Sleep」

After two more words, both of them slumped into their chairs.

The resting room soon filled with snores.

“…This is?” Zhang Zhiyong’s eyelids twitched.

He Xue and the others were at least D-rank Transcendents. Even if exhausted, to be knocked out by three words like that was too exaggerated.

Indeed, Jiang He had already become a qualified D-rank combatant.

“Restoration-type Word-Spirit. Wake them up in two hours, and their stamina and spirit should be fully recovered.” Jiang He said, handing a report over to Zhang Zhiyong.

It was the written report on the Bat Demon. Last night, Jiang He had been busy assisting the fire department, helping to handle the chaos in Central State City, only now finding the chance to write it.

Zhang Zhiyong glanced at the report and casually tucked it into his coat.

“Alright, I’ll deliver it. You all rest first.”

He turned, sweeping his eyes over Long Tao and the others, nodding slightly.

These ones used to be lazy, but now they were volunteering to train. It was a good sign—hopefully not just a fleeting enthusiasm.

As for the “Doomsday Premonition”…

Zhang Zhiyong also felt lingering fear.

Even now, he felt as though thorns pricked his back—as if some terrifying existence that had proclaimed the world’s end was staring at him from behind, gaze chilling to the bone.

Time to organize supplies and train together with the squad.

Thinking this, Zhang Zhiyong walked out of the resting room.

Behind him, the World Destroyer withdrew His gaze.

“I can’t keep going either…”

Jiang He rubbed his temples, his brain throbbing with pain.

Since Thursday, he had been frantically inscribing Spell Words, draining his mental strength again and again, until finally stopping late Friday evening.

And afterward, he had not even rested. He immediately drew for a profession, summoned a Heroic Spirit… and then rushed around the entire night until now.

Truthfully, he had been at his limit last night, even fainting at one point—Old Jiang had stepped in to cover for him.

Lasting until now was purely by willpower.

At this moment, he looked toward Du Lingwei: “Do you need recovery?”

Seeing her shake her head, he stopped being polite and spoke to himself.

「Deep Sleep」

…

He did not know how long had passed before someone shook him awake.

He opened his eyes and saw a blaze of fiery red.

“Du… Teacher Zhong?”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.