A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

After ditching Kuroki Hitomi on Lingmu Commercial Street, Xia Zili turned around and squeezed into the sea of people alone.

Swept along by the tidal wave of the crowd, she walked aimlessly. Before long, she found herself right back where she had started: Leijing Square.

By the time she regained her bearings, the clock tower in the city center had reached one in the afternoon. With every passing hour, the tower broadcast a series of distant, echoing chimes.

She walked to a secluded corner of the square and leaned against a directional sign, standing in its shadow to escape the scorching sunlight.

Looking up, she had a clear view of the Super Hero Company's giant LED screen.

The massive display cycled through promotional videos for the rookie heroes. From Top Hero to Diamond Man to Swamp Woman—every new hero's costume was incredibly eye-catching.

A memorable appearance was crucial, and at the very least, this batch of heroes had achieved that.

But Xia Zili had little interest in any of it, stifling a yawn as she watched.

She looked around blankly, unsure of where to go.

After what she had just said to her second sister, wouldn't it be too humiliating to go look for them inside the Super Hero Company building? Yet it was equally impossible to go back and shop with Kuroki Hitomi; she had dropped some harsh words on her as well.

Xia Zili felt like she had nowhere to go, like she didn't belong anywhere. Why had she insisted on stepping in to help that rich girl anyway? She didn't even like her.

Just then, her phone pinged with a message from Little Red Riding Hood.

[Little Red Riding Hood with Matches: The rich girl said she saw you in the square?]

[Chali the Ninth: Yeah, we went shopping.]

[Little Red Riding Hood with Matches: That's nice. If you have time, Senior, could you film a clip of Blue Pigeon's intro video for me? I think it's supposed to be on the Super Hero Company's giant screen today?]

[Chali the Ninth: Oh, got it.]

[Chali the Ninth: Why do you like Blue Pigeon so much?]

[Little Red Riding Hood with Matches: I just think he's really cool. Hmm—it's rare to see someone who truly catches my eye. Plus, he's bold. He's the first superhero in all these years who isn't afraid of Clock Maker. Right?]

Xia Zili kept a straight face as her fingers tapped across the screen, typing out a reply.

[Chali the Ninth: Once you know who's under that mask, you won't like him anymore.]

[Little Red Riding Hood with Matches: You say that like you know, Senior. What if his inside matches his outside perfectly?]

[Chali the Ninth: I just know. He's stupid, clumsy, and a total idiot.]

[Little Red Riding Hood with Matches: I knew it—for a girl like me who grew up eating garbage, even the superhero I like gets torn to shreds by other people. (Crying Penguin Sticker)]

[Little Red Riding Hood with Matches: I have to do chores now. Bye, Senior.]

"Next up is our highly anticipated rookie hero—Blue Pigeon!" Hearing the host's booming voice, Xia Zili looked up from her phone.

She looked toward the massive LED screen on the building's facade, watching as the broadcast finally cycled to the superhero Blue Pigeon's promotional video.

On screen, Blue Pigeon wore a metallic combat suit, standing with his arms crossed at the starting line of a thousand-meter track.

He waved to the camera, then leaned forward and shot off like a bolt of lightning, reaching the finish line in a single instant.

But in the promotional video, Blue Pigeon's movements were noticeably stiffer than the other heroes'. After all, this was AI-generated; he hadn't personally participated in the shoot.

Xia Zili raised her phone toward the building and opened the camera app to record the footage playing on the giant screen.

"It's so poorly made—"

A moment later, she lowered her head and quietly watched the terrible-quality recording she had just taken.

Listening to the AI-synthesized voice of Blue Pigeon delivering cheesy, comical lines in the video, Xia Zili tried desperately to hold back her laughter so people wouldn't think she was crazy. Her shoulders trembled.

So stupid—

How can he look this stupid even in an AI-generated video?

Xia Zili thought.

Unconsciously, the corners of her lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile. She was already preparing to use this video to make fun of Ke Mingqing when she got home.

But the next moment, she looked up and realized she was surrounded by a sea of people. Citizens had stopped around the perimeter of the Super Hero Company, holding up their phones to record the giant screen.

Camera flashes went off continuously. The chaotic chatter drowned out the chirping of midsummer cicadas, flooding her ears.

Xia Zili froze, raising her eyes to scan her surroundings.

Only then did it finally dawn on her that, without her realizing it, Ke Mingqing had become a celebrity.

Her idiot brother's world was growing wider and wider. Not only did he have his own girlfriend now, and not only would he get angry at her to defend that girlfriend, but he also had a massive horde of devoted fans. Tens of thousands of people on the internet were discussing him at this very moment.

Nothing was like it used to be. Back when they were both still young, the world in their eyes had been so small, so confined. They had only ever bounced back and forth between a few unremarkable places.

Like the attic at home. Or like that secret train station that only the two of them knew about—

Holding hands and darting through the empty tunnels, they had felt truly free, as if they had found their own sanctuary within a narrow world.

To them as children, the world had only been that tiny. Just by looking up, they could see each other's goofy faces.

It was as if that face belonged to her alone.

But things weren't like that anymore. That abandoned train station had received a third visitor; the most precious treasure of their childhood had been shared with someone else, and Ke Mingqing was drifting further and further away.

Time would not stop. Everything was bound to change.

Just like right now, this very moment before her eyes—

Xia Zili looked up. On the glass curtain wall of the high-rise, she saw the witch's shadow once again.

The witch's shadow blotted out the sun. The world seemed to dim in that instant; the sky warped into a thick, bloody crimson. Crosses burned in the flames, and the witch's smiling face flickered in and out of the sea of fire.

Xia Zili felt as if she had become that very witch. The agonizing pain of roaring fire scorching her skin pulsed through her; every nerve in her body seemed to tremble. Wails of agony echoed endlessly in her mind.

Her eyes snapped open. The witch's face was mere inches away, that eerie smile ripping her right back to reality.

Midsummer.

Deafening cicadas.

The girl blinked. Leaning backward, she rested blankly against the directional sign. The sunlight had baked the metal burning hot, like an iron grill plate.

Xia Zili hung her head, her face devoid of expression.

Hallucinations like this had surfaced constantly over the past few days. She was already used to them.

The only thing that had changed, perhaps, was that they were lasting longer and longer.

Sometimes, she felt like a terminally ill patient who couldn't tell a soul, terrified that if she spoke the truth, everyone would walk away from her in disgust.

She also wondered if, as the hallucinations grew longer, she might just drown in those never-ending illusions, unable to ever wake up.

Like having a dream—a dream she could never wake up from—

Ke Mingqing's words from last night echoed in Xia Zili's ears: "She only has half a year left. I just want to quietly stay by her side for this final stretch of time. How could you be so selfish?"

Xia Zili rested her hands behind her back, leaning against the sign. Her eyes lowered, staring at the mended straps of her sandals. Her face remained expressionless, but her lips moved, muttering in a deadpan whisper, "But... I clearly don't have much time left either. Couldn't you care about me a little more?"

Xia Zili lowered her head, staring blankly into space.

Blue Pigeon's promotional video had ended, and the other rookie heroes clearly didn't boast the same level of popularity.

The square was like a receding tide on a beach. The crowd quickly dispersed, gradually leaving the area empty. In the end, only Xia Zili remained, standing alone.

A chime came from her pocket, and her phone vibrated.

Taking the phone out of her tangerine hoodie pocket, she glanced at the new message.

[Ke Mingqing: Where are you?]

[Xia Zili: None of your business.]

[Ke Mingqing: We finished touring the first floor and we're about to get on the elevator. Once we go upstairs, it'll be too late. If you come back right now, I can still come down and get you.]

[Xia Zili: Not going. I'm very busy.]

Meanwhile, inside the Super Hero Company building, standing in front of the first-floor elevators...

Unsurprisingly, Ke Mingqing had used his Disguiser talent to smoothly pass through the player detection device at the company's entrance.

He glanced back.

Aside from Xia Zili, the entirety of the family had passed the scan.

Seeing that the player detection device hadn't flagged anything unusual, Ke Linye and Xia Lingxue exchanged a glance, both secretly breathing sighs of relief. Ke Mingwei clamped a cigarette between his lips and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Under the staff member's guidance, the group decided to tour the twentieth floor first.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Ke Mingqing followed the staff member into the glass-walled elevator while pulling up his chat panel.

[Ke Mingqing: How are things on your end?]

[Kuroki Hitomi: Fine. Your sister is pretty nice to me.]

.

[Ke Mingqing: Really? I was afraid she'd drag you into an alley and shoot you twice.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: Speaking of which, do you consider her family?]

Ke Mingqing hesitated before typing.

[Ke Mingqing: How could I? We both know this is just playing house. Sooner or later, I'll have to go to war with them.]

Kuroki Hitomi didn't reply, so he typed another question.

[Ke Mingqing: Why ask that all of a sudden?]

[Kuroki Hitomi: Your sister said some things to me just now. I think that if she ever finds out your true identity, she might—]

[—hate you very much.]

[Ke Mingqing: Doesn't matter. Half a year from now, either I'll be dead, she'll be dead, or we'll both be dead.]

[Ke Mingqing: Anyway, once I close my eyes, all my troubles will be gone. She can hate me all she wants.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: Don't die.]

[Ke Mingqing: You really are— Forget it, let's stop talking for now. I still have to show them around the Super Hero Company.]

The glass-walled elevator ascended. Looking out from here, one could take in the entire cityscape at a glance.

Before long, the elevator arrived at the twentieth floor of the Super Hero Company, and the doors slid open.

The sight that greeted them made Ke Mingqing's eyes widen.

This floor was dubbed the "Superhero Archives." It contained the records of every top-tier superhero from ancient times to the present, boasting an atmosphere identical to a museum.

The family of six stepped out of the elevator, walking down a corridor that seemed to have no end.

Hero profiles hung on the walls along both sides. "Gladiator God," a superhero from the Roman era. "Steam Flyer," a superhero from the Steam Age... Every superhero bore the distinct imprint of their era. Some had ancient national crests carved into them, while others had long since become literal symbols of their times.

Take the superhero "Edison" for example: he was the figure who had ushered in the Electrical Age. Edison's superhuman ability was controlling electrical currents, and his figure could still be seen in modern history textbooks; his hero emblem had become the symbol of that entire era.

The deeper the tourists walked into the corridor, the more modern the hero profiles on the walls became.

It felt as though they were walking down a time tunnel that bridged different eras.

Ke Mingqing searched for a long time before finally locating the profile of the superhero Rain Crow.

He turned around, just about to raise his phone and snap a selfie in front of Rain Crow's portrait, when Xia Lingxue threw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him over next to Ke Linye.

The three of them faced the camera as Xia Wenna held up her phone to take a picture.

Xia Lingxue leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Ke Mingqing was sandwiched in the middle, his head bowed with a look of deep reluctance. Ke Linye wore a smile, raising a hand to flash a peace sign.

With a click, the photo immortalized the moment.

Xia Wenna looked up from her phone and blinked. "Oh, so our whole family are fans of Rain Crow?"

"Yep, all three of them here are crazed Rain Crow fans," Xia Ningzhi hummed. "Fanatics are so scary. Not like me, I'm only a fan of Red Lotus."

"Red Lotus..." Ke Linye raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean that mythic vessel? I feel like she has practically zero presence. I almost forgot she even existed."

Xia Ningzhi's face darkened, grumbling inwardly: If I wasn't so busy with the college entrance exams, your little sister would be out there making sure she had a presence every single day!

Xia Lingxue leaned back against the wall with a lollipop in her mouth, remarking coldly, "Don't be a fan of a dead person. It won't lead anywhere."

Xia Ningzhi froze, her eyes going wide as she blew her top. "Second Sister, how can you say that?! She's clearly still alive and well!"

While the siblings chatted, Ke Mingqing quietly slipped away, finding a corner to stand in as he looked down and played with his phone.

He saw that Kuroki Hitomi had updated her social media feed. There was no text, only photos. Several of the pictures were of the dome over Lingmu Commercial Street, the sunlight slicing through as birds flew past the gaps.

Ke Mingwei walked over and leaned against the wall beside him.

Resting a hand on his hip, he paused before asking in a deep voice, "I heard from Ningzhi that you got into a fight with your second sister downstairs?"

"It's nothing. Just some petty bullshit." Ke Mingqing brushed it off, lifting his chin to gesture at the sisters in the distance. "Besides, aren't they fighting right now too?"

Ke Mingwei fell silent. "Don't be mad at your second sister. She's only looking out for you... Ever since she was little, she hasn't been very good at expressing herself."

"Just like you?" Ke Mingqing asked without lifting his head.

"Right... She is indeed the child who takes after me the most." Ke Mingwei nodded, not attempting to deny it.

Ke Mingqing let out a mocking sneer. "Then that makes perfect sense. She should be just like you and go missing every single day. You didn't even show up for my birthday last night, and your excuse is that you 'don't know how to express yourself.' Fine, then just don't express yourself for the rest of your life."

Ke Mingwei choked on his words, momentarily unable to speak.

He pondered in silence, then shook his head.

It was true—Ke Mingwei fully admitted that he hadn't done a good job as a father. While they were growing up, he had spent the vast majority of his time rushing to every corner of the city in his identity as a superhero.

But at the very least, Rain Crow was respected by his children.

Thinking this, Ke Mingwei turned his head and glanced over at the three figures standing beneath Rain Crow's portrait.

Ke Linye was wearing a smile, chatting with Xia Lingxue. After learning that there were no players in their household, the anxiety hanging over both of their hearts had finally faded away.

Meanwhile, Ke Mingqing stood alone in the corner, one hand tucked into his pocket. Lowering his head to the mouth of the can, he took a sip of cola, watching Xia Lingxue out of the corner of his eye.

An unfamiliar quest panel popped up in his vision.

[Main Quest 7 Acquired (Stage 1): Use your secondary identity to establish contact with Hero Control Bureau S-Rank executive "Zero".]

"I'll just have White Jack tail Second Sister tonight and give her a heads-up about Death Crow's movements. I can expose Third Sister's true colors to her while I'm at it... I'm really curious: what will Second Sister think once she finds out that the Little Nezha she beat to a pulp is actually her own younger sister?"

Ke Mingqing lowered his gaze, clamping the cola can between his lips as his thoughts raced.

"Then again, Second Sister is the strongest combatant we have outside of our alien mom. When those two inevitably clash, will she just speedrun Death Crow and chop him up like vegetables?"

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