A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

[Good morning, unforgivable Red Name Player—”Jin Chengwu”.]

[The current time is 07:00 on Tuesday, September 11. The time remaining for the ”Exterminate Superhumans” task is—108 days, 17 hours, and 0 minutes.]

[Obituary: At ten o’clock last night in a remote corner of Leijing, China, players ”Lan Feng,” ”Amemiya Shida,” ”Zi Duoduo,” ”Huang Haolong,” ”Genkawa Tsuguo,” and ”Wang Jingjing” died in a premeditated murder orchestrated jointly by the Red Name Player ”Jin Chengwu” and the A Rank super-human species ”Puppeteer; Bai”...]

[As of today, the number of surviving players worldwide is: 83 (↓6)]

This was the first line of text Ke Mingqing saw when he opened his eyes this morning. It was no less chilling than the Grim Reaper sharpening a scythe right by his bed.

But years of torment had forged his mind into something indestructible. He wouldn’t suffer a spike in blood pressure over such a trivial matter anymore.

”What a constant stream of good news. How did we lose another six players? This Jin Chengwu is truly wicked. Born of the same root, why fry each other so urgently...”

Ke Mingqing murmured to himself. Sporting a messy bedhead that looked like a bird’s nest, he got out of bed as if nothing had happened.

The youth lifted his T-shirt and scratched his waist, walking out of the bedroom into the morning light. ”Speed it up, hurry up and speed it up. With insects like this turning on their own kind, how are we supposed to complete the great cause to Exterminate Superhumans...”

A short while later, Ke Mingqing went downstairs. He had just sat on the sofa when Ke Linye took off his shoes and walked in through the entryway.His eldest brother had gone for an early run to reduce his facial swelling before work, and happened to bring breakfast back for him—tea eggs and soy milk. Ke Mingqing couldn’t even be bothered to check if truth serum had been added to the soy milk.

Right at that moment, a bright red notification box suddenly popped up in front of his eyes.

[In response to the recent bottomless and rampant behavior of the Red Name Player ”Jin Chengwu”, the system has devised the following countermeasures.]

He jammed a straw into the soy milk bag and drank expressionlessly, scrutinizing what the system was throwing at him this time.

[Warning 1: The bounty level on the Red Name Player ”Jin Chengwu” has been fully upgraded. In the short term, upon approaching this player, the system will automatically trigger a death Alarm. The Alarm will not stop until the Red Name Player leaves the immediate vicinity.]

[Warning 2: This Red Name Player is suspected to possess the ability to disguise their ”physical appearance” and ”player” status. All players are urged to remain vigilant of suspicious individuals around them.]

”Looks like the plan to meet the other players in Leijing is ruined...” Ke Mingqing said. ”The moment they get close to me, their heads will start buzzing. In that situation, who would still believe I’m a good guy? I’d be lucky if they didn’t just pull out their weapons and attack me on the spot.”

”The problem is, Li Chunchun and I go to the same school.”

”If I go to school now, I’ll see Li Chunchun. If he figures out my identity in broad daylight through the system Alarm and walks over to ask why I’m a Red Name Player, what am I supposed to do?”

Thinking this over, Ke Mingqing sighed and lamented, ”Jin Chengwu, who in this world doesn’t know you?”

Right then, a player Chat Panel suddenly popped up before his eyes.

[Kuroki Hitomi: You killed them?]

[Ke Mingqing: Forced to in self-defense.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: Why did you have to do that? They didn’t trust us, but does that mean they aren’t players? ...This just lowers our chances of achieving the goal even more.]

:

[Ke Mingqing: I originally wanted to say that I’d tell you why later... but this time is different. I might never tell you. Just pretend it never happened, and keep doing what you need to do.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: Six players died, and you want me to pretend it never happened?]

[Kuroki Hitomi: I really don’t understand what you’re doing... If I could make excuses for you before, I can’t anymore.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: Under these circumstances, there’s no way the other players in Leijing will ever trust you now.]

[Ke Mingqing: What about you? Do you trust me?]

[Kuroki Hitomi: I trust you.]

[Ke Mingqing: That’s enough.]

”Sigh...” Ke Mingqing sighed. ”I don’t know when I’ll be able to break out of this situation.”

”But I’ve killed so many players now, seven in total. Why doesn’t the system just be direct and execute me using its own power? Why go through such a huge detour...”

He tilted his head, his eyes lighting up as he pondered, ”Could it be that there are actually two factions within the system? For example, one faction wants to exterminate the super-human species of this world, while another is secretly trying to stop it?”

A moment later, Ke Mingqing squeezed the straw in his soy milk bag, dismissing these baseless thoughts.

”Forget it, there’s no point in thinking about this.”

Just then, he heard footsteps coming from the stairwell. Turning his head, he saw a girl in a school uniform with a high ponytail slowly walking down the stairs.

Xia Zili met his gaze. Both of their expressions were lukewarm; even though they lived under the same roof, they looked at each other like strangers.

Neither of them spoke. They simply looked away and went about their own business.

Just as Xia Zili walked into the kitchen, a girl with see-through bangs came down from upstairs.

An Youlu was clutching a backpack plastered with a meme sticker—”Magical Girl Blue Pigeon”—to her chest. Her head drooped, her chin resting on the bag. Utterly drowsy, she clung to the handrail and crept down the stairs like a zombie.

”You don’t have to do any chores around here, yet you’re still this tired?” Ke Mingqing asked casually.

”A boy who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth like Mr. Blue Pigeon wouldn’t understand. This is called fatigue rebound. When I was working before, I didn’t feel tired. But the moment I rest, the exhaustion accumulated over the years instantly crushes me,” An Youlu said faintly.

Saying that, An Youlu sat on the sofa, picked up the remote, switched the TV to the children’s channel, and watched Peppa Pig for a while.

Ke Mingqing thought to himself that once he exterminated the super-human species and returned to Earth, he would probably find a rundown apartment and lie in bed for half a year without getting up.

”I’m leaving, I’m leaving... Of all the things you could watch to learn Chinese, you had to pick the children’s channel. You’ve monopolized the TV ever since you got here. Anyone who didn’t know better would think I was your maid. Are you trying to take over the house?”

As he spoke, Ke Mingqing slung his heavy backpack over his shoulder, getting ready to head out.

”I am one year younger than Mr. Blue Pigeon. You should treat me like a younger sister. It is only right to have this kind of attitude toward a long-lost little sister who grew up eating garbage,” An Youlu said plainly.

”Fun fact: my sister and I have already turned against each other. Do you really want me to treat you the way I treat her?”

:

”So why exactly are you two fighting? I haven’t seen you speak to each other since Sakura got back.”

”Who the hell knows? Pubescent girls are just baffling like that. If you want to know, go ask her yourself.”

With that said, Ke Mingqing squeezed the clear soy milk bag, downed the rest in one gulp, casually tossed it into the trash can, and stood up from the sofa.

Before he could get far, An Youlu suddenly said, ”By the way, Sakura’s recovery observation period is over. She’ll be able to leave the Magical Girl Company in a couple of days.”

”Kiyono Sakura?” Ke Mingqing asked softly. He paused in his tracks and glanced back at An Youlu on the sofa, though all he could see was the back of her head.

”Yes. You can go talk to her if you want. It seems she really wants to see you.”

”Got it. Then when is she coming back to school?”

”She’s not going back to school.” An Youlu shook her head. ”Everyone knows she’s Sakurahime now. Wouldn’t returning to school at a time like this just cause massive chaos?”

Ke Mingqing lowered his head, falling silent for a moment.

He felt quite guilty toward her. After she had her accident, he had even helped cover up the ”evidence of the crime”—though he only found out in the end that Little Grey hadn’t actually killed her.

”Forget it. I’ll see when I have time.”

Leaving those words behind, the youth shouldered his backpack, shoved his hands into his pockets, and walked away.

There was nothing particularly worth mentioning for the rest of the day. Bai Ziling finally woke up after resting for most of the afternoon, and Ke Mingqing took her to the aquarium.

The day passed in idleness, and the night was similarly wordless.

One thing worth noting was that another important figure was about to leave Leijing in the next few days. That person was Xia Lingxue. Her mission at the Control Bureau wasn’t over yet; she had only returned home temporarily for a meeting.

The reason she had stayed in Leijing for a few extra days was partly out of concern for Ke Mingqing. She worried that, with the Clock Maker incident having only just passed, her younger brother would run off wearing that ridiculous tight uniform and get caught by someone.

On the other hand, Xia Lingxue was still waiting for Ke Mingqing to give her an explanation—an explanation regarding ”Ke Mingwei’s identity.”

Ke Mingqing had been evasive these past few days, but he finally decided to lay everything out on the table with them today.

”Blow it up, blow it all up,” he thought, secretly clenching his fists. ”I’m going to drop a massive bombshell on these two idiots.”

A new day arrived.

The day went strictly by the book: go to school, come home, have Mio help him with his homework, and eat dinner. Soon enough, night fell. After the sun sank below the horizon, the sky turned completely dark. The faint chirping of cicadas still echoed across the earth as a blood-red twilight pressed down upon them, only to rapidly fade away like an ebbing tide.

After dinner, Ke Mingqing sprawled on the living room sofa and kept An Youlu company while she watched Peppa Pig for a while.

She explained that when she first started learning Chinese, she watched the Chinese-dubbed version of Peppa Pig, so she had developed an emotional attachment to the cartoon. Ke Mingqing muttered about ”simple-minded girls being easily amused,” but he still sat with her on the sofa, wasting some time.

As a result, the hour hand on the wall clock unwittingly ticked to 9:00 PM. Ke Mingqing finished washing up and sat down on his bed.

:

9:00 PM in Leijing, China corresponded to 9:00 AM in New York.

By now, Rain Crow should already be sitting in the Empire State Building in New York, waiting for the rest of the Roundtable to gather. At that thought, Ke Mingqing picked up his phone and sent a message to Ke Mingwei.

[Ke Mingqing: Old man, are you in a meeting in New York right now? I remember you mentioning you had a meeting this morning, and morning over there in America is our night over here.]

[Ke Mingwei: Yes. The meeting is about to start. I’m already in the conference room.]

[Ke Mingqing: I’m going to start a video call with you. Have your crow hold the phone in its beak as a camera for me, so I can see what the Roundtable actually looks like.]

[Ke Mingwei: No. The meeting must be kept strictly confidential from outsiders.]

[Ke Mingqing: Blocked. And you still want me to join the Roundtable with you after this.]

[Ke Mingwei: Forget it. I’ve already submitted your file to the Roundtable anyway. It won’t be long before you officially become my assistant, so this shouldn’t count as breaking the rules.]

[Ke Mingwei: However, I won’t be able to reply to your messages for the time being. I can only let you take a look at the other Roundtable Heroes, and quite a few of them are absent today anyway.]

[Ke Mingqing: Awesome. I’m calling you now.]

After sending the message, Ke Mingqing didn’t hesitate to tap the icon in the top right corner of the WeChat chat interface, initiating a video call with Ke Mingwei.

The other party quickly accepted, and the screen displayed a scene from the other side of the world.

...

...

At this very moment, out in the hallway beyond the bedroom, Xia Lingxue and Ke Linye were leaning against the wall.

They were talking back and forth about something, but neither looked particularly pleased. It didn’t seem like they were discussing a lighthearted topic.

Xia Lingxue was silent for a long moment before she crossed her arms and spoke slowly.

”Over the past few days, I pulled some strings and went through all of the old man’s files and action logs from the past few years. I found that most of the information in there is completely fabricated.”

”So it seems the old man really isn’t an ordinary person,” Ke Linye said absentmindedly, keeping his eyes lowered on his book.

Xia Lingxue paused for a second. ”Also, there are quite a few retired superheroes hiding out in the police station where he works, and most of those people have had connections with Rain Crow.”

”Wow, there are that many ’hidden masters’ in the Old Jingmai Police Station?”

Ke Linye slightly raised an eyebrow and closed his book.

”No, the old man likely just found those retired heroes a secure, iron-rice-bowl job,” Xia Lingxue sighed. ”Now that superheroes are around, police work has become very safe. They only need to handle small-scale cases. Anything slightly bigger gets tossed over to superheroes with investigative or combat abilities to solve.”

”Then the old man really has a good heart.” Ke Linye yawned.

As the two were chatting, the sound of someone bouncing on a bed came from Ke Mingqing’s bedroom, along with intermittent talking. The voice carried the kind of excitement a child might have seeing a Game Boy Advance for the first time.

”Wooohoo—! This is so sick! It’s actually the Roundtable! Old man, can you not mute it and let me say hi to them? Oh wait, no, I’m not wearing my helmet. I left the Blue Pigeon Helmet at the train station!”

Ke Linye and Xia Lingxue both froze slightly. Then, as if facing a formidable enemy, they exchanged an expressionless glance and nodded in mutual understanding.

However, before the older brother and sister could barge into Ke Mingqing’s bedroom, a thump echoed from inside as the occupant hopped from the bed onto the floor. Then, he gleefully yanked the door open and jogged out.

Xia Lingxue and Ke Linye were both stunned into silence. They exchanged another covert glance, but looking at Ke Mingqing’s face, neither of them could bring themselves to speak.

Ke Mingqing leaned against the doorframe and held up his phone toward them, saying with a look of immense pride, ”Here, didn’t I tell you guys a few days ago? I said I’d video call the old man when he had his meeting in New York, and we’re on the call right now.”

On the phone screen, a young man wearing a white lab coat and goggles suddenly shifted his gaze, shooting a look of disdain at the crow holding the phone in its beak.

...

...

At the same time, in New York, USA, inside the top-floor conference room of the Empire State Building.

All sorts of figures with transcendent auras sat around the massive conference table.

Just then, Dr. Toy propped his legs up on the round table. He turned his head, glanced at the crow perched on Rain Crow’s shoulder with the phone in its beak, and mocked, ”I didn’t expect our Mr. Rain Crow to have a habit of shooting vlogs. You even vlog while attending a Roundtable meeting? Preparing a backup plan to become an internet celebrity after you retire, I see.”

Prompted by his words, the others turned their heads one by one, looking at the crow on Rain Crow’s shoulder.

The phone in the crow’s beak still had its video call active. Those with sharp eyes could see a youth dressed in a T-shirt and baggy shorts pulling funny faces at the screen.

Rain Crow was sitting quietly in his chair, his body shrouded in a pitch-black cape.

He rested with his eyes closed. It was quite a while before he finally opened his mouth, breaking the silence.

”I am sharing the contents of this meeting with my assistant, ’Blue Pigeon.’ Once the procedures are complete, he will also be working with the Roundtable shortly.”

”Oh my. Even though there’s a rule saying Roundtable Heroes can have assistants, you’re the first one to actually do it,” Dr. Toy sneered.

”Is it strange to share the meeting contents with my assistant?”

”Nepotism is nepotism, no matter how nicely you try to phrase it.”

”Blue Pigeon will be working in the Roundtable moving forward,” Rain Crow said expressionlessly. ”Allowing him to familiarize himself with the meeting procedures early on and get acquainted with the Roundtable members isn’t a bad thing, in my opinion.”

”Yeah, isn’t this pretty fun?” the Officer Girl said, her mouth curling into a smile as she pulled her military cap down slightly, playing on her phone with one arm crossed over her chest. ”How long has it been since the Roundtable got some fresh blood? Could you old fogeys loosen up a little?”

A small black cat sitting at a corner of the round table—the No. 12 Roundtable hero, ”Cat Star”—let out a yawn, licked its paw, and said, ”I have no objections.”

:

”Yes, yes, yes. Now that the great Clock Maker is gone, our Mr. Rain Crow has suddenly developed a burning interest in raising a kid. Why weren’t you like this before?” Dr. Toy remarked evenly.

”I see no need to deeply discuss matters unrelated to this meeting.”

Rain Crow spoke in a lukewarm tone. The voice transmitting from behind his mask was hoarse and gloomy.

”Ahaha, I think Rain Crow is right. Why is everyone being so serious? Aren’t I scrolling on my phone too?” Zeus, clad in a blazing white battle suit with a red-and-blue cape draped over his shoulders, spoke up at this moment.

Right now, he was sitting in a swivel chair near the window, whistling and giggling as he scrolled through TikTok.

Whenever he saw a funny video, he would slap his thigh and flash a sunny, all-American boy smile, occasionally sharing the videos he found with the Roundtable hero ”Iris.”

Before long, Zeus looked up, rested both hands behind his head, and stared blankly out the window.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the top of the Empire State Building, one could take in an unobstructed view of Manhattan Fifth Avenue. This prosperous avenue was engulfed by a cluster of skyscrapers; if one looked up from the street, they would only be able to see a narrow sliver of sky chopped into pieces by the buildings. The flow of cars and crowds was ceaseless, and luxurious storefronts alongside giant billboards were visible everywhere.

”Iris, why aren’t you replying to my TikTok messages?” After a while, Zeus suddenly turned around and looked at one of the Roundtable Heroes sitting at the edge of the round table.

At the same time, the phone clamped in the crow’s bird beak managed to record this exact scene, transmitting it through the video call to Ke Mingqing’s eyes on the far side of the world.

Roundtable Hero No. 2—”Iris.” She was a superhero originating from Greece, and her full title was ”Trace of the Rainbow,” a nickname bestowed upon her by the Greek people.

”Iris” was a figure whose entire body was wreathed in rainbow light. Even the cape behind her emitted a faint, iridescent glow, looking like the tail of a rainbow horse.

Judging from her general body outline, she seemed to be a woman, and it was barely discernible that she wore a uniform, though that layer of rainbow light was simply too blinding.

Ke Mingqing turned down his screen’s brightness and narrowed his eyes, trying to get a clear look at the Roundtable hero Iris’s appearance and outfit, but he was wrong—it was completely useless.

Word was that during the day, her body was perpetually veiled within a hazy rainbow glow, and only at night would she reveal her true face. Some claimed Iris was a peerlessly beautiful woman, while others said she was a muscle-bound hunk.

”Alright, alright. Enough small talk. Let’s officially start the meeting, everyone.”

Zeus sat at the far end of the conference table. He casually flipped open the files on the table, steepled his fingers against his chin, and flashed a brilliant smile.

”The higher-ups have already issued the orders. The matter we are discussing in today’s meeting is: the ’one hundred players hidden around the world,’ uh... and their plan to ’Exterminate Superhumans.’”

Hearing this, Ke Mingqing on the other side of the screen froze slightly. He lifted his head and swiftly changed the subject.

”See? I told you guys the old man was Rain Crow. This is a direct WeChat video call I made to him.”

At this moment, Ke Linye and Xia Lingxue had their eyes lowered. Like statues, they stared silently at the video call footage.

A prolonged, absolute silence enveloped the long hallway. The wind blew past, lifting a snow-white bedsheet draped over the rooftop railing high into the air.

: