At that moment, every player in the Nightmare Space froze.
Before they could even react, the system’s cold voice rang out:
[Attention all players.]
[Nightmare Space has officially entered the final phase of closed beta.]
[Pollution levels are rising sharply.]
[Nightmare creatures have become significantly more aggressive, with greatly increased attack power.]
[All non-player support functions have ceased.]
[Mo City] is now under complete lockdown, designated as the stage for the birth celebration of the [Moon Demon Emperor].]
The broadcast paused briefly, then continued.
[Ding!]
[Final closed beta mission activated.]
[Rejoice! The one who inherits the power of the Demon God and rules the Nightmare Space with absolute evil and corruption has descended—her name is the [Moon Demon Emperor]. This is the moment she ascends the throne!]
[Mission Description: Today marks the birthday of the most wicked and evil being—the [Moon Demon Emperor].
[As the stage for this celebration, Mo City will now host the [Moonlight Feast].
[All players, struggle with all you have during the darkest hour. The player who survives and earns the highest score will receive a mysterious reward.]
[Mission Objective: Survive until the end of the closed beta and accumulate the highest score.]
[Mission Reward: Unknown]
[Failure Penalty: None.]
***
After hearing the announcement, Ye Lian nearly blacked out.
She screamed internally: There’s no way I’m taking the fall for this!
She never imagined that the final phase of the closed beta would be connected to the [Moon Demon Emperor].
Her reputation had already been dragged through the mud the moment she was born.
‘And now they were throwing a [Moonlight Feast] as a celebration?’
‘Was the system trying to make her public enemy number one?’
This move cranked her aggro level through the roof!
“Master…” Bai Xue’s face was as pale as a sheet, her body trembling slightly.
The terrifying memory of the Moon Demon Emperor’s birth resurfaced in her mind, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of despair.
“It’s fine. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up,” Ye Lian said calmly, trying to soothe her.
As the final mission of the closed beta, the difficulty would certainly spike—but not to the point of guaranteed annihilation.
There had to be a sliver of hope.
Otherwise, the closed beta would be completely meaningless.
‘If things really spiral into something irreversible… then I might as well ascend the throne for real.’
Ye Lian had already braced herself for the worst.
Whether she wanted to or not, this scapegoat role was now hers to carry.
***
In the underground sewers—
Mu Ling stood trembling in place, clutching her horizontal blade, Silence.
Her face was ashen, her eyes flickering with fear.
The blood-drenched feast was playing out once more in her mind.
“I… I can’t do anything…” she muttered, her voice heavy with despair.
But moments later, she pulled herself together.
“No… I’m not the same as I was back then!”
Mu Ling lifted her head, as if trying to purge every last trace of fear from her heart.
She screamed at the top of her lungs:
“Moon—I’m going to kill you!”
Her voice echoed endlessly through the sewers.
***
Outer district, plaza.
Michael and Sitou Jiange exchanged glances, both seeing the fear in each other’s eyes.
The Moon Demon Emperor.
Since its birth, it had always been like a sword hanging over their heads, a constant threat looming above them.
Now, to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday, Mo City had become the most dangerous place imaginable.
“Damn that Demon Emperor!” Michael clenched his fists and cursed.
But his voice carried a trace of fear.
“Are we being made into sacrifices?” Sitou Jiange grabbed his collar, his face slightly pale.
“That so-called [Moonlit Banquet]—no matter how you tried to interpret it—it didn’t sound like anything good.”
Panic began spreading among the crowd.
“No way, right? There’s no way we’re the sacrifices!”
“Yeah, no way! I refuse to be some damn sacrifice!”
“This quest is basically a death sentence!”
“We need to get out of this cursed city right now!”
“Let’s go!”
***
At that moment, the newly formed team was already falling apart.
Everyone rushed toward the city gate in a frenzy.
Only Michael and Sitou Jiange remained.
Because they had already realized the worst-case scenario.
Anyone who had listened closely to the announcement would know—
“Sh*t, the city gate is shut!”
“They really are going to sacrifice us to the Demon Emperor!”
“This quest is so damn cruel!”
“That so-called Savior Organization must be full of traitors!”
“I don’t want to die…”
“I’m logging off and going home!”
“Ahhhhh! Why did we even come into this city?! I told you Mo City was sketchy!”
The area near the city gate descended into chaos.
***
“What now?” Inside an empty house, Boyang looked like he had aged several years in an instant.
His once straight back had begun to bend.
If even the team leader was like this, the other members wouldn’t be in much better shape.
Everyone was in a state of fear and panic.
Clap!
Suddenly, Dancing Elephant clapped his hands together loudly.
“Everyone, calm down. We’re not at the point of despair yet.”
At his words, everyone turned to look at him, a flicker of hope flashing in their eyes.
In a situation like this, the calmer someone acted, the more reassuring they became.
Right now, Dancing Elephant was clearly the most reliable person in the room.
“Look closely at the quest description. It only says we’re celebrating the Moon Demon Emperor’s birthday. It doesn’t say the Demon Emperor himself is arriving in Mo City.”
“So this isn’t the worst-case scenario yet.”
“As long as we survive until the very end, we can leave this game alive.”
He spoke slowly and clearly, emphasizing every word.
His words hit the group like a hammer, snapping them out of their panic.
The Demon Emperor wasn’t personally coming to kill them—’so what were they afraid of?’
There was still a chance they could survive.
Seeing the fear gradually fade from everyone’s faces, Dancing Elephant continued:
“Right now, more than ever, we need to stick together and face the crisis as one.”
“Exactly. From this moment on, we fight to survive—together!” Boyang stood tall once more, his expression solemn.
He recovered quickly, the gleam in his eyes returning.
As long as there was even the slightest hope of survival, he wouldn’t give up.
Encouraged by the two of them, the players inside the house finally began to pull themselves together.
No one noticed that Ayu had already slipped out unnoticed.
***
At that moment, in the outer district’s watchtower, a figure looked down from above, a cold smile curling on his face.
It was none other than Zhao Gang, who had been silent for quite some time.
“Ah! Great Moon Demon Emperor!”
“Beloved Majesty!”
“I will personally prepare the grandest, most magnificent birthday celebration for Your Majesty!”
“Please—watch closely and enjoy!”
He suddenly raised his head to the gray sky and spoke with fervent passion.
As if declaring to the world—
The Moonlit Banquet had officially begun.
***
At the Silver Alchemy Workshop—
Ye Lian and Bai Xue stood outside the shop.
The patrolling mechanical puppets that usually moved about were now completely still—like broken dolls that had lost all power.
“Looks like these golems have been hijacked,” Ye Lian said, placing a hand on one of the unmoving puppets.
Sure enough, it couldn’t be controlled.
She could faintly sense a powerful force suppressing its freedom.
“This is going to be trouble…”
She glanced toward the tightly shut city gate and muttered under her breath.