A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

”Damn, is this guy a dragon tamer too?” Lan Feng froze.

The giant dragon bursting from its shell spread wings massive enough to blot out the sky. It cast a shadow over the ground like a heavy black curtain, swallowing the figures of Lan Feng and Genkawa Tsuguo.

Meanwhile, Ke Mingqing gathered the unconscious Bai Ziling into his arms.

Bending his knees, he dragged his battered body upward, pouring his last ounce of strength into a leap from the ground to land squarely on the dragon’s back.

The moment he hit the dragon’s back, he let out a long breath. He practically collapsed, letting his entire body go limp against the scales, and patted a wing that felt coarse and gritty to the touch.

”I’m counting on you, buddy.”

Ke Mingqing pressed his chin against its hard spine, resting the side of his head on the dragon’s scales. A moment later, he looked up at the trembling casino ceiling and its flickering glass chandeliers.

”This casino domain should be collapsing soon. A dragon with B Rank combat power... I can’t guarantee a win, but it just needs to buy enough time for Bai to get back and save us.”

”Roar—!!!” With a deafening bellow, the blue dragon spread its wings and launched itself forward.

”Run!”Lan Feng and Genkawa Tsuguo turned their heads and exchanged a stunned glance. Reaching a consensus in an instant, they spun around and sprinted frantically in the opposite direction.

Amidst a deafening boom, the massive creature banked and dive-bombed the casino floor, its claws plowing deep, canyon-like trenches through the ground!

”Piss off, you beast!” Lan Feng shouted. Sprinting, he twisted back, raised his pool cue, and launched a coin projectile, blasting it fiercely at the pursuing dragon.

Genkawa Tsuguo whipped around and hurled two heavy, bloodstained vibranium spinning tops.

The giant dragon did not even flinch. It folded its wings over its chest to form a massive, curtain-like shield, blocking the coin projectile and the twin tops.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The three impacts tore several layers of scales from the blue dragon’s wings, leaving them crisscrossed with bloody gashes. Yet it plunged forward without hesitation, descending from above to pin Genkawa Tsuguo to the ground with a massive claw.

”Save... save me—!” A massive gouge had been torn through Genkawa Tsuguo’s shoulder, and the dragon’s talons were piercing straight into his abdomen. In that moment, the apathy on his face vanished entirely, leaving behind nothing but trembling terror.

”Urghhh, aaaaahhh!!!”

Trapped in the dragon’s shadow, the youth squirmed desperately. He wailed with a twisted expression, his trembling gaze locked onto Lan Feng in the distance. He shrieked hysterically, ”U-Uncle, save me! Uncle!”

Lan Feng kept sprinting without looking back.

The next instant, the blue dragon brought its foot down on Genkawa Tsuguo’s head, crushing his skull into a pulpy red slurry resembling a rotten tomato. Blood squelched out from the flattened, ruined sack of skin.

Just then, Lan Feng suddenly turned around. A wide grin split his face as he clenched his fist, raised his pool cue high, and cheered triumphantly:

”Woohoo—! He’s finally dead! Great job, you stinking reptile! I was just worrying about how I’d tie up these loose ends!”

Ke Mingqing stared blankly for a second. Raising his eyes from the dragon’s back, he turned his head and looked curiously at the visibly overjoyed Lan Feng in the distance.

”You actually got him killed on purpose?” he asked.

”What else?” Lan Feng shrugged. ”There’s something you don’t know, kid. A vampire only has one heart. There’s only one in the entire world. So, honestly, I never planned on letting those five survive from the start.”

At this, a sinister grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. Then, his tone suddenly shifted:

”All that crap about players sharing a common destiny? As long as I can get my hands on this heart, I couldn’t care less if the rest of you live or die. It’s enough if I survive alone.”

Ke Mingqing lowered his eyes to Bai Ziling in his arms. ”It doesn’t matter. You’re going to die soon anyway. It’s all the same.”

”Isn’t it a little early to be saying that?”

Lan Feng pulled out a black coin, one that Ke Mingqing had never seen before.

No, wait. Ke Mingqing suddenly paused. He had seen this coin.

In his memory, when he had been talking to Lan Feng two minutes ago, the man had picked up a black coin from next to a slot machine’s lever.

”I have two of these coins in total. It’s a hidden mechanism of this skill. Within the casino domain, it’s called a ’Lucky Coin.’”

With those words, he flicked his thumb and index finger, tossing the pitch-black coin into the air. It spun, tracing a dark lunar crescent, and right at that moment, he sharply raised his pool cue.

”You have to run through the entire casino just to find one or two of these. While you were dueling Yumiya Shida, I was already scrounging them up.” Finishing his sentence, the middle-aged man lowered his head. A sly glint flashed in his eyes as he gently tapped the coin with the tip of his cue.

Bang—With a sharp crack, the black coin shot forward like a meteor. It tore through the devastated casino and slammed squarely into the blue dragon’s abdomen.

Ke Mingqing wanted to move. But his body was completely paralyzed.

Boom—!!!

A deafening explosion shook the casino. Pitch-black flames rocketed into the air, incinerating every scale on the blue dragon and blasting a ruined, bloody crater into its belly.

The giant dragon let out a hoarse howl. A moment later, it slowly collapsed into the sea of black fire. Right before it died, it violently convulsed, sweeping up its one intact wing to throw Ke Mingqing more than thirty meters away.

Ke Mingqing’s body tumbled through the air and smashed into the ground, his back carving bloody streaks across the floor. He fiercely shielded Bai Ziling in his arms, only gradually skidding to a halt.

”Still struggling?” Lan Feng raised an eyebrow. Watching the giant dragon attempt to crawl back up, he pulled out another black coin. ”You shouldn’t underestimate players. Did you really think a broken-down dragon could kill me?”

With that, he tossed the black coin upward and blasted it forward with his pool cue.

The blue dragon staggered forward with a roar, opening its massive, bloody maw to swallow the pitch-black coin whole. The next instant, its pupils were suddenly illuminated by flames. The coin detonated inside its body.

With a massive boom, the beast was blown into mangled pieces of flesh and blood. Scales and chunks of meat rained down across the casino, pattering heavily against the floor.

”It’s over.” Lan Feng shook his head. ”You’re strong, but in the end, you’re falling one move short.”

As he spoke, he looked down at Ke Mingqing in the distance and slowly walked toward him, step by step.

Ke Mingqing didn’t say a word. He just lowered his head slightly, quietly watching the man approach out of the corner of his eye.

”What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Lan Feng sneered. ”Where’s all that arrogance from earlier?”

”You’re just a dancing clown. Calling you a frog in a well would be an insult to the frog,” Ke Mingqing suddenly said, shifting his gaze away.

Lan Feng didn’t care in the slightest. He chuckled lightly. ”Say whatever you want. It’s just the barking of a loser.”

”Do you know something?”

”Know what?”

”The one that slaughtered all of you here was just one of my puppets. It only has half of my true strength.”

”Uh, a puppet? Are you White Jack? I’ve heard the name. Looks like you’re having quite a fun time playing around in Leijing.” Lan Feng spread his hands. ”Alright, alright, I’ll admit you’re strong. But it’s exactly because you’re strong that you’re useful.”

His grin widened until it nearly split to his ears. ”I was actually still trying to figure out how to bump them off once I got my hands on the prize, but then you went and killed all five of them for me! You really did me a massive favor—!”

”To be honest, I can have Rain Crow hunt you down day and night.”

Ke Mingqing hugged Bai Ziling tighter, speaking coldly. ”It’s still not too late for you to screw off. I already know how to find you.”

”Doesn’t matter! As long as I get this heart, I’ll be immortal and indestructible!” Lan Feng threw his arms wide, puckering his lips as if trying to kiss the air. ”When that happens, I wouldn’t even be scared if someone dropped a nuke on my head!”

Ke Mingqing rolled over. His mangled back pressed against the ground, sending waves of scalding, fiery agony radiating through his body.

After a long moment, he slowly turned his head, silently watching Lan Feng step closer and closer.

”I’ll give you a quick end.”

Lan Feng tossed up a coin and feigned striking it with his cue, only to catch it on the back of his hand with a teasing laugh, flashing a mouth full of gold teeth.

”A quick end, right by my own hands.”

Step...

Step, step...

Step, step, step...

Dead silence hung over the casino, making Lan Feng’s footsteps exceptionally clear. He gently tapped the pool cue against his other palm, producing a rhythmic clack-clack sound.

Staring at that gleaming gold tooth, Ke Mingqing knew in his heart that he was out of options. He only had two moves left to play.

The first was the D-Rank skill—”Erupt in Silence or Perish in Silence.” The second was that single-use magical girl transformation card that had been gathering dust in his inventory for ages.

Kuroki Hitomi had warned him. Once he used the ”magical girl transformation card,” there was a very high chance he would instantly lose his sanity and transform into a witch.

Everyone knew what a witch was.

If he turned into a witch, nothing that happened next would surprise him. Never mind those two players—even his own ally, Bai Ziling, would be in mortal danger.

Therefore, Ke Mingqing was absolutely certain: unless he was forced into an absolute corner, this was a trump card he could not use.

He couldn’t gamble with Bai Ziling’s life.

He still needed her heart.

He needed her to survive and stay safe.

’Should I use Erupt in Silence or Perish in Silence?’ Ke Mingqing wondered. ’But the people from Death Crow will be arriving any second. If I self-destruct now, the identity of Giovanni will likely be erased for good.’

He cast his eyes down at Bai Ziling’s sleeping face. ’And just like the magical girl transformation card, using this skill might accidentally hurt Bai Ziling.’

The next second, the casino suddenly transformed. The magnificent chandeliers dimmed, row upon row of slot machines vanished into thin air, and the entire world began to spin dizzily.

”Oh my. Looks like the casino domain has hit its maximum duration.”

Lan Feng looked up, watching as the massive casino crumbled around them. Within moments, they were back inside that abandoned building.

Ke Mingqing weakly opened his eyes. A clear beam of moonlight spilled in through the window, washing over his blood-mangled face.

Lan Feng crouched in front of him, shaking his head with a smirk. ”It doesn’t matter. I got what I came for, even if it cost me quite a bit.” He reached out and patted the Theater Puppet’s cheek, mocking, ”What a pity. In the end, this heart still fell into my hands.”

”What makes you so sure that this heart will save your life?” Ke Mingqing asked calmly.

”I wasn’t entirely sure at first, but then you showed up.” Lan Feng’s lips curled up. ”Since a Red Name Player like you values this heart so much, there’s a very good chance it really can save our lives.”

Saying this, Lan Feng grabbed Ke Mingqing by the hair and yanked his head up, forcing them to lock eyes. ”Thank you. You’re the one who confirmed it for me.”

”Oh, I can tell you one more thing.”

”What is it?”

”You’ve got exactly five seconds left to live.”

At that, Ke Mingqing just silently stared into his eyes. There was no expression on his bloodstained face; his gaze was as eerily calm as if he were staring at a long-buried corpse.

”Five seconds.”

”That’s right.”

”Oh? Five seconds? Let me count down for you, then.” Lan Feng smirked, tilting his head as he dragged out his words in a taunting drawl. ”I’m starting the count now. Five... four... three... two...”

He paused there, suddenly glaring down at Ke Mingqing with a dark look. ”You say the last number. Otherwise, I’ll smash your mouth in with this cue.”

Ke Mingqing shifted his gaze away, too lazy to even look at him.

Just then, a teasing, elegant woman’s voice echoed through the building, reading out the final number in his stead:

”One.”

Lan Feng froze. Slowly, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder.

A woman wearing a dark veil and a white skirt suit descended from the sky. Stitched seams lined the corners of her mouth and eyes. A cascade of platinum-blonde hair swayed gently in the moonlight, as gorgeous as falling silk rain.

The instant she landed, thousands of invisible strings hidden in the darkness suddenly shimmered in the moonlight. They completely ensnared the red-haired man in the floral shirt, hoisting his body high into the air.

Lan Feng’s eyes bulged wide, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat. He made muffled mmph, mmph noises, but no one could understand him—even his gums had been bound shut by the puppet strings.

The only person present who could let him speak was her.

Ke Mingqing couldn’t be bothered to act anymore. He rolled his stiff shoulders, sat up from the floor, and turned his head to look at the platinum-blonde woman.

—She was the No. 10 member of Death Crow: ”Puppeteer; Bai.”

Ke Mingqing glanced down at Bai Ziling in his arms; the wound on the girl’s abdomen had already healed. So, switching back to Giovanni’s tepid tone, he spoke:

”Could you have been any slower?”

”What?” Bai found a slab of stone in the moonlight and sat down. ”Are you that worried someone will steal your precious Ling’s heart?”

Ke Mingqing scratched his ear. ”Can you just deal with him first? The buzzing is seriously annoying.”

He tilted his chin, gesturing up at Lan Feng, who was still dangling from the ceiling and making muffled noises.

”I suppose I could, if you called me ’Big Sister,’” Bai said mildly.

”Old woman,” Ke Mingqing shot back without hesitating.

”Now the old woman is angry.”

With that, Bai lightly lifted her right index finger, pulling a thin string hooked around the tip. Countless filaments instantly snapped into view beneath the moonlight, slicing through Lan Feng’s body like a barrage of guillotines and dicing him into pieces.

”I forgot to ask. Did you want to torture him a bit?” she suddenly asked.

”I don’t have that kind of sick fetish. Is it fun watching a circus monkey scream?”

”Fair enough. Why were you going so hard today, anyway?” Bai remarked lightly. ”It’s rare to see you cover yourself in injuries like this.”

”Because I don’t want to die,” Ke Mingqing said. ”Is it that hard to tell?”

He held out his severely gashed left hand, speaking with a deadpan face. ”Sew up my left hand and shoulder for me. Otherwise, I’m going to bleed out and die right here.”

A moment later, Bai suddenly said, ”You won’t die. You know that better than anyone.”

Ke Mingqing instantly fell silent.

He didn’t know if Bai’s words were a deliberate probe. If they were, she had completely hit the nail on the head by pure chance.

Giovanni was merely one of his Theater Puppets. Even if it died, it would simply dissipate into a wisp of smoke, completely ready to make a comeback after a twelve-hour cooldown.

Bai tugged on a silken thread, drawing a drop of blood from Bai Ziling’s arm. Then, she stitched Ke Mingqing’s two wounds shut, using the thread to channel Bai Ziling’s blood directly into his body.

Ke Mingqing looked down at his palm. The mangled hole in his hand rapidly healed over, and Bai pulled back the string that had been sewing his palm together.

”There’s no need to play dumb. You know exactly what I mean,” Bai said softly.

”I do have the power of a philosopher that lets me survive being hunted down, but Ling doesn’t. That’s why I’m blaming you for not getting here sooner.”

Speaking softly, Ke Mingqing reached out and stroked the white-haired girl’s hair. She was sleeping soundly, nestled against his chest. He gently wiped a smear of blood off her cheek.

Bai was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. ”I think we’re past the point of playing dumb.”

Cupping her cheek with one hand, she turned her head. Her lazy crimson eyes locked onto Giovanni as she enunciated, almost syllable by syllable:

”Ke... Ming... qing.”

Ke Mingqing froze. His gaze remained locked onto Bai Ziling’s cheek, refusing to shift away for a very long time.

Silence shrouded the abandoned building. For a long while, neither of them spoke.

Only after a long moment did Ke Mingqing control Giovanni’s body to slowly raise his head and look into the platinum-blonde woman’s face.