Chapter 9、Emerging Derivative Disaster! Third Talent Reward!

The explosion was so close that it nearly sent Yi Bai's soul flying. Lin Yue immediately snapped to attention, her senses heightened.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice sharp with tension.

Yi Bai sprang to his feet and rushed to the window, his heart pounding. A red glow lit up his face as he stared in shock. Across the street, a massive fire had erupted, its flames reaching toward the sky.

The explosion they had heard had ignited a fire in the heart of the city. Under the sweltering heat, the blaze spread with terrifying speed, rapidly consuming nearby buildings. The flames surged upward like snakes, climbing the sides of the structures, devouring everything in their path.

One residential building was completely engulfed, the windows bursting open as people inside, roused from their sleep, screamed for help. Their cries of agony filled the air, blending with the roar of the flames.

Yi Bai's breath caught in his throat as he watched in horror. He saw someone leap from a high floor, desperately trying to escape the inferno, only to be swallowed by the fire mid-air. Others, unable to make the jump, were trapped in their rooms, rolling on the floor, screaming in pain as the fire consumed them.

The scene was a horrifying reminder of human fragility.

"This… this is a massive fire!" Yi Bai's body froze, his eyes wide in shock. The fire was only a street away, and it was spreading at an alarming rate.

The building they were in would not be safe for long.

With the entire city in chaos and its infrastructure paralyzed, no one would be able to contain the flames. In just a few hours, the fire could reach their shelter, and in a few days, it might consume half the city.

Jinling could be reduced to ashes by this inferno.

The fire also sparked a storm of panic in the city's chat channel, already rife with despair.

"It's over! We're done for! The fire is right next to me, and it's about to spread here!"

"Help! Somebody, please save me! I'm trapped in the fire!"

"I'm close by. It must've been a gas leak explosion. We're all dead. Who's going to put this fire out?"

"Ice Water Guy! We need Ice Water Guy to step up!"

"Don't bother. You think Ice Water has enough water to put out a fire like this? Are you still asleep?"

The chat was filled with fear and hopelessness, each message more frantic than the last.

Yi Bai's face darkened. He knew this was a nearly impossible situation to reverse.

"We need to leave here, now," Lin Yue said, her voice heavy with concern as she stood beside him. "This fire will destroy the whole city. It'll reach us in two hours, at most. We don't have much time."

"Is leaving the only option?" Yi Bai's hand clenched into a fist as he weighed his thoughts.

This was the apocalypse. Where could he run to?

If his shelter was destroyed, would his talent still function? Without it, how could he survive?

Even if he took enough supplies and Lin Yue with her combat skills, how long could they last?

After surviving one apocalypse, wouldn't there always be more?

Yi Bai had many concerns, but deep down, he knew Lin Yue was right. If they didn't prepare now, they wouldn't be able to escape later.

"Wait…" Lin Yue's voice cut through his thoughts, her tone tinged with confusion. "The fire… it looks like it's stopped spreading."

"Hm?" Yi Bai lifted his head, his eyes narrowing. He focused on the flames outside, observing closely. To his surprise, the fire had indeed stopped.

After twenty minutes, Yi Bai was sure the fire was no longer spreading. It remained contained within a small radius—about 800 meters—consuming two buildings and the area immediately surrounding them. The flames had stopped climbing, leaving the structures beyond the reach of the blaze untouched.

The air was thick with heat, the temperature near the flames ranging from 600 to 2000 degrees Celsius, but the surrounding plants and buildings remained eerily unaffected.

"That's strange," Yi Bai muttered, brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of the situation.

It wasn't just him who was puzzled. The city's chat channel buzzed with activity as others noticed the same thing and began speculating.

Some of the luckier survivors, who had been closer to the fire, shared their relief as they realized they were safe. They gave live updates about the fire, but even amid the chaos, no one could help those who had already perished in the flames.

Half an hour later, the suffering screams from the burning buildings ceased entirely. The last survivor had succumbed to the fire.

By midnight, the once-roaring inferno was reduced to a few smoldering piles of rubble. In less than ten minutes, the flames had been completely extinguished, leaving nothing but thick plumes of black smoke rising from the wreckage.

"This fire burned in a strange way…" Yi Bai murmured, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. "And now it's gone just as strangely."

Just as the last ember flickered out, a cold, mechanical announcement echoed throughout the city.

[City-wide Announcement!]

The first regional post-apocalyptic derivative disaster has occurred!

The "Derivative Disaster" module is now officially activated!

At any location, at any time, "Derivative Disasters" may strike globally, based on the type of apocalypse currently in effect.

Derivative Disasters will not affect life or objects outside the designated area. Some may show signs, and a portion will provide early warnings.

Any shelter that survives a Derivative Disaster will receive significant apocalypse survival points. If a shelter fails to survive, it will be destroyed.

The voice of the announcement sent shockwaves through the city, and realization spread like wildfire.

"It's like a game now. Random events are starting to happen," Yi Bai muttered to himself, his mind racing. He suspected the Derivative Disaster was some kind of random catastrophic event based on real-world disasters.

The downside was that these events were likely highly destructive, capable of overwhelming even the most prepared shelters.

The upside was that they wouldn't affect everything. They would only impact a limited area.

"If I run into a Derivative Disaster at this stage…" Yi Bai thought grimly, "I'm as good as dead."

As Yi Bai processed the announcement, he suddenly heard voices from upstairs.

"Big Brother, that fire… it burned weird. Do you think this is some kind of disaster? We won't have a fire here, will we?"

"Don't worry. The second-floor apartment is solid. A fire like that can't touch us!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're unbeatable together, haha!"

It was Li Ge's group. They must have returned at some point, and from the sounds of it, they were on the top floor.

Yi Bai quietly moved to the curtain, carefully closing the gap, making sure not to give away any signs of movement.

Lin Yue, who had been about to speak, stopped when Yi Bai made a gesture for silence.

"Let's sleep," Yi Bai mouthed. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Lin Yue nodded silently, her face set in a serious expression. She understood the danger was upstairs. Quietly, she went back to adjust the traps at the door.

Yi Bai took a thin blanket from the cupboard and laid it out on the sofa, making a simple bed for Lin Yue. He then moved the open cooler closer to her, its cool air a welcome relief against the sweltering heat.

The cooler didn't need electricity and continuously released cold air, so Yi Bai used it like an air conditioner, lowering the room temperature. It was the only way they could both sleep without being overwhelmed by the heat.

Once everything was set, Yi Bai lay down and closed his eyes. For the first time in days, he fell into a deep, steady sleep.

Perhaps it was because Lin Yue was there, guarding him, but Yi Bai slept more soundly than usual.

At 11 AM the next day, Lin Yue carefully woke him.

"Sir, I hear movement outside. It seems like the people upstairs have gone down to scavenge for supplies."

"In the morning, it sounds like they killed someone on the top floor. I think it was an elderly person."

Lin Yue's eyes burned with quiet fury as she spoke.

Yi Bai rubbed his groggy head and waved a dismissive hand. "Forget about them. We need to focus on protecting ourselves."

"Understood, Sir. Do you want me to go out on another exploration today?"

"Our supplies are still lacking. Since they've gone out, it might be safe for me to explore without worrying about your safety."

"Wait a little longer," Yi Bai declined.

He was waiting—for the third talent reward.

After a simple meal, they settled into a routine, and time passed quickly. By noon, the familiar chime of a notification sounded.