Apocalypse Forecast

Two days later, at the bottom level of the Iron Crystal Throne, in the outer experimental area connected to the ruins.

Above the junction point of the Iron Crystal Throne and Hell.

Through layers of thick walls, all the observers had donned heavy protective suits. After undergoing multiple stages of disinfection and inspection, they stood at their designated positions, following the lead teacher’s instructions.

As the iron wall before them slowly rose, they glimpsed the blazing, dazzling sunlight through the thick transparent alloy.

Noon.

The temperature was a pleasant 27 degrees—somewhat hot, but bearable.

Scorching sunlight poured down from the Sky Dome, casting tranquility over the wilderness and ruins of Hell. It was as if everything had fallen asleep during this languid time, with scarcely a sound to be heard.

If this were not the experimental area, many students, feeling a bit stiff after two days on the ship, would have loved to go out and bask in the sun.

Soon, the experimenter in the protective suit entered the students’ field of vision.

He stood in the shadows where the sunlight could not reach, holding a folded umbrella. With a flick of his wrist, he opened it, its canopy shockingly enormous, large enough to completely envelop him.

Then, he threw the experimental rat in his hand out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

The rat squealed sharply, struggling in terror, but it could not resist the experimenter’s action. It fell into the sunlight and immediately went into severe convulsions.

Astonishing transformations occurred in an instant.

Right under the sun, the small white rat rapidly shriveled. Its white fur erupted in wisps of cyan flame, turning to ash. Moments later, its desiccated flesh swiftly dehydrated and carbonized.

Finally, the experimenter picked up a stick and poked the remains, which collapsed into a pile of dust carried away by the wind.

Simply by being tossed into the sunlight, it had vanished as if thrown into molten steel, leaving not even bones behind.

On the infrared display to the right, the footage, slowed down dozens of times, allowed them to witness with their own eyes the horrifying nightmare the rat endured in that instant.

The moment it touched the sunlight, its body temperature began to surge, like ignited gasoline, instantly skyrocketing tens of thousands of times.

Then, the moisture within its body evaporated completely. Its limbs, bathed in fire, met a destructive end in the sun’s gentle embrace.

Thus, another facet of the Town of Dusk, abrupt and horrifying, was laid bare before all the students.

”This is spontaneous combustion,” came the voice of the scholar from outside, through the loudspeaker.

Through his heavy protective suit, he stated dispassionately, ”Please do not hold onto any illusions of luck. In this Hell, any creature exposed to the sunlight will have their body temperature surge and be incinerated completely.

”Unless specific High Stage Stigmata or unique bloodlines can enhance one’s endurance, there is no chance of survival. This is a warning brought to you by the lives of two members from the First-term Exploration Team. I hope that everyone will treat this with the utmost seriousness.

”According to calculations by the Central Host of the Iron Crystal Throne, if completely unprotected, even a Fifth Stage Sublimator would not last long under such sunlight—although at that level, one might always find a way to escape. However, from my observations, none of you seem to possess such capabilities.

”Therefore, please commit to memory the ship’s safety regulations and emergency survival guidelines. Unless it is Dusk, do not, under any circumstances, attempt any activity outside the Iron Crystal Throne.

”The survival umbrellas issued to you can only provide temporary relief. If you take this lightly and consequently invite disaster, you will have only yourselves to blame.”

With that, the scholar holding the black umbrella stepped forward, walking into the sunlight.

Under the umbrella’s canopy, the scholar in the shadows remained unharmed.

But the black alchemical coating on the outermost layer of the umbrella made a fine crackling sound, as if a fuse were burning—the coating was rapidly deteriorating and decaying.

Its color subtly changed.

From black to crimson, from crimson to light red, all the way to pure white in the end.

A total of fifteen minutes and forty-one seconds.

Once the umbrella surface turned pure white, it no longer had any sun-blocking effect. But being able to last fifteen minutes under these cursed rays was already remarkably valuable.

”Now, let’s proceed to the second half of the practical instruction.”

Heavy gates fell, creating a sealed space in the outer laboratory. Soon after, a huge iron cage was transported in on a conveyor belt.

Inside the cage, a bizarre creature covered in grotesque growths struggled and roared angrily. But soon, after a shot of tranquilizer, it closed its eyes.

The scholar put away the umbrella and turned to walk into the isolation room.

Quickly, a small box appeared from the conveyor belt. The countdown on it decreased rapidly, and when it reached zero, the box quietly opened a sliver.

The night sealed within escaped as fog. The viscous darkness filled every inch of the lab’s air like a living creature, clawing wildly, even eroding the outermost transparent alloy.

The students retreated somewhat in the chaos.

Then, someone saw it: in the infrared observation, the Giant Beast’s body temperature rapidly faded and then vanished—like a candle extinguished in the darkness, leaving no trace.

When the isolation gate reopened, sunlight shone in, and that wisp of night instantly evaporated completely.

Only the remains of the Giant Beast in the cage were left, still in what appeared to be a deep sleep.

It seemed to have awakened at the very last moment, its ferocious face filled with panic and despair. But it was already powerless to resist and was thus petrified in the utter darkness.

When the scholar’s Iron Hammer struck it, the fractured surface of Iron Stone was revealed; from the inside out, not a single inch had been spared.

”As you can see now,” the scholar stated, pausing, ”under the sunlight, all creatures will combust spontaneously. And once night falls here, in the utter darkness, their body temperature will rapidly drain away. Until no heat remains, they will petrify from the inside out, irreversibly—

”Once petrification is complete, they are truly dead, with no Source Substance left behind. Please remember this well, students.

”In the survival umbrellas provided to you, besides the umbrella canopy itself, the handle is equipped with a Dawn Candle that can burn for thirty minutes. I will not demonstrate its use here.

”That concludes the introduction to the Town of Dusk. If you have any questions, you can ask your lead teachers after the subsequent training. Now, please step forward as I call your group numbers and proceed to your respective internship posts.

”Don’t be nervous. The tasks assigned to you are trivial, meant only to provide some experience and, incidentally, to prevent you from becoming too idle.

”Next, group number 001, step forward—”

.

On the staircase to the second floor of the experimental area, Huai Shi retracted his gaze after watching this. Taking his two students, he turned and headed towards the bridge.

Along the way, many staff members recognized the newly appointed person-in-charge and greeted him with due courtesy.

Huai Shi responded to each with a smile, sometimes even stopping to chat for a bit, but his thoughts had long since gone with the wind.

One doesn’t realize the burden of being in charge until they actually take on the role.

Only today did I truly understand how difficult the vice-principal’s job is.

His responsibilities encompassed the Iron Crystal Throne itself, one branch base, sixteen unmanned outposts, and numerous scattered detectors and drones. He also had to manage daily emergencies and address accumulated problems from the past. This extended to the food and water for everyone; the daily consumption of the core furnace; the maintenance and regulation of the internal framework; the requirements lists from the six laboratories; research materials that needed replenishing; consumable instruments due for replacement; the hundreds of local sample applications submitted daily from below; and communications and support for the external exploration teams...

The lives of everyone on the ship—students, staff, and members of the exploration teams, totaling nine hundred forty-one people—were now entirely in Huai Shi’s hands.

Even if only nominally.

.

An organization, by its very nature, possesses inertia.

From its inception until now, the Iron Crystal Throne has been managed and operated in an extremely efficient and streamlined manner. Beyond essential procedures, there was no internal sluggishness or wasted time.

Everyone held multiple responsibilities and functioned well under the immense pressure of Hell.

The eight department heads could perfectly resolve over ninety percent of the issues and events within their domains. Huai Shi didn’t need to intervene; in fact, there was no room for him to do so.

He had no room to intervene anyway. A little self-awareness was in order.

Leave professional matters to the professionals; don’t think too highly of yourself.

When Huai Shi was appointed as the person-in-charge, no one raised any objections because... there was simply no need. Even when the Great Grandmaster was neglecting his duties, the Iron Crystal Throne had already formed a complete, self-managing, and self-correcting positive cycle.

Otherwise, given the Great Grandmaster’s tendency to be frequently ’indisposed,’ things would have collapsed into a complete mess long ago.

It could only be said that the inherent idealism of the Sublimators resisted any drift towards bureaucratization. While such things could become quite complex in Current Circumstances, in Hell, matters were refreshingly straightforward and simple.

Upon Huai Shi’s arrival, all department heads very cooperatively reported their duties and all work content, and transferred their authority authentications.

This was broadcast immediately, notifying everyone.

All confidential information and data were made transparent to Huai Shi. As long as he wished to see it, nothing would be hidden from him. This included the sixteen research breakthroughs from the labs, the progress of four long-term projects, and over twenty recently discovered alchemy formulas.

As the Principal’s representative, wasn’t it the same whether he was at the Iron Crystal Throne or even in the Research Institute? If he wanted to see something, he could just see it. If he wanted to take something, he could just take it, right?

No one was foolish enough to try and trip Huai Shi up. No one wanted to give him a show of force to put him in his place. And certainly, no one stepped forward with cutting sarcasm to make Huai Shi back down in exasperation.

This actually left Huai Shi rather unfulfilled.

He had planned to make an example of the two most defiant individuals by executing them. Then, he would intimidate the rest, using a combination of threats and inducements to seize power for himself. He’d imagined suppressing conflicts, exploiting divisions, identifying allies and enemies, and ultimately, successfully consolidating his authority.

What a classic power-fantasy plot!

So why didn’t it happen?

”Do you ever get the feeling you’ve missed out on several hundred thousand words of plot?” Huai Shi suddenly asked out of the blue in his office.

???

His assistant, Little Nineteen, looked up, bewildered, not understanding what on earth his teacher was rambling on about.