Chapter 247

But...

The situation did not improve.

A thick, abnormal fog shrouded everything, and even the most ostentatious searchlights lost their ability in front of it, no different from candles.

Robert knew everything from the O5s. The Foundation's effort to prevent the apocalypse this time failed; anomalies were constantly breaking through containment measures, sites were losing contact one after another, and the Mobile Task Forces were no exception.

All Foundation personnel, whether combat personnel or researchers, were carrying their respective weapons, fighting at this final moment to preserve some humans who had not been replicated.

At this moment.

Information control means had already failed, and even the Foundation could not spare the energy and manpower to stop those videos from spreading.

Even if some videos contained memetic hazards, the Foundation no longer managed them.

They had held on for too long for the past humans; now, they had to fight for the rebirth of humanity.

"The world is out of control..."

Robert looked at the videos still updating on the website and exhaled a smoke ring.

In fact, Robert had quit smoking long ago and was proud of his strong willpower.

But after the apocalypse began, he picked up tobacco again in just a few days and quickly degenerated into an old smoker.

From the videos, Robert learned the specific details of this end of the world and watched the content inside one by one with the mentality of watching a horror movie.

In the north, some people said they saw zombies.

They said those dead people didn't really die, but were infected by a mysterious virus, turning into monsters that had no thoughts and only knew how to eat meat.

The man in the video shouted:

"That is God's punishment for humanity, the precursor to the apocalypse!"

Robert had no expression, just shook his head:

"'SCP-008' leaked? Another site was breached?"

He clicked on the next video.

In the east, crazy killing was going on.

The thugs were uniformly dressed in black, holding weapons, carrying out indiscriminate slaughter, regardless of race or age.

Screams, gunshots, and explosions mixed together, and the firelight did not go out for a long time in the heavy rain.

Robert glanced at the pistol on the table—black, small, very cute, but had no deterrent power.

"When I leave in a while, I must bring a rifle."

Social order had collapsed, and the rule of the jungle had returned to this land.

He clicked on the next video.

A man was holding a mobile phone, sticking it close to his big pancake face.

"The land is suddenly alive, it's starting to eat people."

He was panting, telling the thrilling scene he had just seen.

Even the land that raised humans was no longer safe; it was soft and greedy, and would open its huge mouth to swallow any creature that stepped on it.

"My brother's family was swallowed by the land!"

In an unknown place, someone was preaching that the Son of God was about to be resurrected.

"... He will descend again and kill people to sacrifice to God!"

"Use the blood of the innocent to purify this sinful world and prepare for the return of the Son of God!"

"We have already found the time and place for the return of the Son of God, just waiting for the angel's horn to sound!"

Some were true, some were rumors.

They spread constantly among the crowd, causing panic and chaos.

Some people chose to run, some chose to resist, some chose to join, some chose to commit suicide.

No one knew if there was a bigger conspiracy behind these rumors, but one thing was certain: this world had already headed toward a dead end.

The atmosphere of the apocalypse shrouded the entire world, and people's psychology collapsed.

They no longer believed in any official news, no longer believed in any scientific explanation, no longer believed in any rational judgment.

They only believed in the bizarre rumors they heard, saw, and imagined.

They were all crazy words, really, but they took them as truth, as a guide for survival.

"Very consistent with my imagination of the end of the world. Before the real disaster arrives, rumors are already flying everywhere and social order is collapsing."

"I can feel that many people are really crazy."

"How ironic, what drives most people crazy is not the real disaster, but the excessive imagination."

"Very normal. A person who is suddenly unemployed at home will feel at a loss, let alone suddenly learning one day that the entire world is about to end. The difference between people is just dying early or dying late. Those who didn't commit suicide immediately are warriors who love life."

"Sociology +8."

In the internet era, all information can be spread, and during the apocalypse, even unverified content can be published at will.

Joel began to deliberately alienate the crowd, just for a moment of peace.

Through the internet, he saw all the anomalies around the world, sighing that the curtain call of human civilization was already in the countdown.

As evidence, many bloggers who posted frequently had not updated for days.

Joel thanked his foresight.

He had stored enough food, ammunition, and fresh water at home, and supplies in barrels and boxes were everywhere, bringing extreme security.

In addition, he took advantage of the few days when business had not collapsed to replace the metal anti-theft door, and incidentally reinforced the basement and house with steel plates.

He didn't lose his family, but he went bankrupt, and also carried a debt he couldn't pay off for a lifetime.

The only good news was that the creditors' phones couldn't be reached.

Joel felt pretty good about this.

The joy of getting something for nothing didn't last long.

"The situation is worse."

Internet service had not yet been terminated, but the days before returning to the pre-internet era were not far away.

Internet lag, loss of connection, and network disconnection emerged one after another, becoming a part of daily life.

Having adapted to an increasingly stable internet and constantly increasing download speeds, these terrible experiences made people anxious.

Joel, however, was used to it.

He had been learning how to use a computer since he was born. For a moment, he found it hard to imagine what people would become if they were separated from the internet.

Would they be like the wilderness survival experts in "Man vs. Wild" and "Alone," returning to a primitive life of starving nine times in three days?

"Click, click, click—"

Joel pressed F5 impatiently, as if constantly pressing the refresh key was equivalent to constantly waving a whip. His ancestors drove farm tools on this land like this, and today he was urging the servers in the distance.

"Damn!"

He clenched his fist with one hand and smashed it on the keyboard.

The "Unable to get any response" on the screen announced that another social platform had gone offline.

"Ah—"

Joel finally couldn't take it anymore. He threw himself on the sofa, his whole body feeling like it was covered in insects, itching unbearably but not knowing how to vent.

A moment later, he went to the bathroom.

After more than ten minutes, Joel came out of the bathroom. The irritability was still there, but under the lack of interest, he could stabilize some emotions. Except for the scent of flowers and the large loss of physical strength that made him a bit tired, everything was fine.

He was very confused.

The lights in the room were off, and only the computer host and screen were still glowing.

"Lord, tell me why these things are happening."

"Lord, tell your lost lamb the truth behind these things."

"Lord, please give me revelation and light up the road ahead."

Joel had lost trust and understanding in this world, and had lost direction and goals for himself.

He wandered in confusion, not knowing who to believe or who to follow.

Sleepiness struck.

Joel dragged his body, crawled into the shelter located underground, locked the heavy special protective door, hugged his firearms, and fell into a deep sleep on the narrow single bed.