A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

Ke Mingqing used the Disguiser talent to alter the Theater Puppet’s appearance.

Right now, the Theater Puppet looked no different from an Italian youth. He had a pair of blue eyes, a straight nose, thin lips, and soft facial contours.

But he couldn’t just walk out naked like this, so the item he obtained in the train station dungeon last night came in handy.

[The ”Theater Puppet” has equipped the ”Full Attendant Uniform Set” from the inventory.]

As the prompt faded, the Theater Puppet changed into the attendant uniform and walked out of the alley.

Pushing open the door, he walked into the McDonald’s, silently approached the vampire girl, and sat down beside her.

After being upgraded by the Intermediate Skill Modification Card, the Theater Puppet no longer had a time limit on its existence and was no different from a real human. The only distinction was that the puppet wouldn’t get hungry and didn’t need to sleep.

Therefore, Ke Mingqing could leave the Theater Puppet to quietly accompany this girl without worrying about how much time passed.

At this moment, the white-haired girl was perched on the chair with her knees drawn up to her chest. She tilted her head, staring blankly out at the rain.

After a long while, she turned her head back and raised her red eyes to look at the puppet.

The puppet took off the attendant’s hat from his head and placed it on hers.

The white-haired girl froze.

”Are you lost?” the puppet asked.

The girl shook her head, her snow-white hair swaying gently.

”Can you eat human food?” the puppet asked in a low voice.

The girl paused again, then nodded. This time, her nod was much slighter, as if she were confused about how this person knew she wasn’t human.

”You’re lying, aren’t you?” the puppet pressed.

The girl stayed silent for a moment. She neither nodded nor shook her head.

Reaching beside her, she pulled out a sketchbook and a pencil, scribbled on the paper, and turned the book toward the puppet. A few crooked words were written on it:

”Orange juice. I can drink that.”

Ke Mingqing was slightly taken aback and asked through the puppet, ”Can’t you speak?”

”I don’t like talking,” the girl wrote, stroke by stroke.

”What’s your name?” the puppet continued.

”Bai Ziling.”

”How old are you?”

”Ten.”

”Are you hungry?” the puppet asked.

Bai Ziling looked at the puppet and gave a quiet nod.

”If you need blood,” the puppet said, offering his wrist and rolling up his sleeve, ”you can use mine.”

Bai Ziling stared up at him, her red eyes seemingly clouded in a layer of mist.

He tilted his head.

Bai Ziling hesitated for a moment before burying her face in the crook of his arm. Exposing two tiny fangs, she bit into his flesh.

After a while, she lifted her head and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Her complexion looked much better.

”Where is your family?” The puppet covered his wrist, hiding the small row of teeth marks.

”They don’t want me anymore,” Bai Ziling wrote.

”Do they really not want you?”

Bai Ziling lowered her red eyes and stayed quiet for a bit before shaking her head. She wrote in her little notebook:

”I don’t know, but I ran away.”

”I see. Then I can stay with you until they come looking for you.” The puppet thought for a moment. ”Whenever you need blood, I’ll be right here.”

Bai Ziling fell silent.

She suddenly stopped responding to him, setting aside her sketchbook and hugging her knees as she stared back out at the rain.

The attendant’s hat still rested on the girl’s head. Looking out at the world from beneath its brim, she found it strangely comforting.

...

...

Meanwhile, Ke Mingqing opened his eyes on the school bus.

The bus had already arrived at Lijing Third Middle School, and the surrounding students were getting off one after another.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder, stood up, and stepped off the bus. Suddenly, a series of text panels popped up before his eyes.

[This week’s ”Weekly Quests” have refreshed:

Weekly Quest 1 — Do 100 sit-ups (Reward: 1 Attribute Point);

Weekly Quest 2 — Subdue or kill a super-human species criminal (Reward: 1 chance to use the Item Roulette).]

”Sit-ups, huh?”

Ke Mingqing thought it over and decided to keep a low profile. So, after finishing his final written exam for the morning, he headed to the abandoned, deserted school building. Finding a clean spot, he lay down and started doing sit-ups.

He had to do a hundred in total, which he split into two sets.

During the process, Ke Mingqing released dark blue lightning to slightly stimulate his body’s cellular activity, speeding up his efficiency. But even though using the lightning was a form of cheating, it actually proved to be more exhausting.

Not long after, drenched in sweat, he sat up straight and looked at the text on the panel.

[Weekly Quest 1 Completed: 100 sit-ups.]

[Obtained 1 freely distributable Attribute Point. Distribute immediately?]

”Distribute,” Ke Mingqing said.

[Congratulations. Your Agility attribute has officially been upgraded from D+ Rank to D++ Rank.]

[Player ”Ke Mingqing” current attributes: Strength: D; Agility: D++; Spirit: E]

He stepped out of the abandoned building. The chirping of cicadas enveloped his ears, and the sunlight stretched evenly across the ground.

The final exams finished quickly. At dusk, while the other students were still discussing the test questions, Ke Mingqing had already grabbed his bag and left.

He bumped into Jiang Qingzi on his way home from school.

Sure enough, Jiang Qingzi looked fraught with worry. Seeing his expression, Ke Mingqing could practically confirm that the vampire girl had indeed run away from home.

”What’s wrong?” Ke Mingqing walked over, asking despite already knowing the answer. ”You look like you’re constipated.”

”Nothing. I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

Jiang Qingzi shrugged in response.

The two didn’t say much along the way. Ke Mingqing boarded the school bus and glanced out the window.

Jiang Qingzi had one hand stuffed in his pocket and waved at him with the other, watching him leave.

Ke Mingqing pulled his gaze away from the window and put on his earphones.

He listened to the recording of ”Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” that Kuroki Hitomi had played herself. She had transferred this piano piece to his MP3 player a few days ago at school.

The carriage bumped along. Drowsiness washed over him, and he slowly closed his eyes.

A short while later, the bus pulled to a stop at Old Jingmai Station.

Ke Mingqing got off, made his way to the restricted zone, and slipped inside the abandoned train station.

On Platform 7, he changed into the Blue Pigeon Battle Suit hidden in Locker 7. Then, transforming into a streak of lightning, he sprinted through the streets, left the Old Jingmai District, and caught a public bus in the neighboring district.

What kind of superhero rode the public bus? The surrounding passengers gasped in surprise, holding up their phones and snapping frantic pictures right in his face.

Blue Pigeon just sat with his arms crossed, looking down at his screen. Every so often, he would look up at the scenery outside the window or give the passengers a little wave.

After hopping off the bus, he headed straight for the pitch-black skyscraper in the city center bearing the letters ”S.H.C.” This giant, imposing tower was the Lijing branch of the Super Hero Company.

However, just as he approached the Super Hero Company, Blue Pigeon suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He saw a glass tank placed right at the company’s entrance. Inside the tank was a fluorescent green liquid, and suspended in that fluid were two blood-red eyeballs and a pulsating, quivering brain.

Staring at the sight inside the tank, Blue Pigeon was stunned:

’During that phone call between Big Brother and Second Sister earlier, Second Sister mentioned she asked Dr. Toy from the Roundtable to make a device for detecting players. Is this that very thing?’

The next moment, a teenage girl in a black skinsuit caught his eye. With a lollipop in her mouth, she leaned against the wall at the entrance of the Super Hero Company, looking down at her phone.

Blue Pigeon looked up and saw her super-human species status panel.

[Superhuman Codename: ”Enforcer Zero”]

[Type: Esper (?)]

[Danger Rating: S Rank]

[Superhuman Profile: S-Rank Enforcer of the Hero Supervision Bureau. Ability: Ice Manipulation.]

Zero lifted her eyes, and her gaze met Blue Pigeon’s.