Chapter 3: The First Era of The Apocalypse, and Doomsday is upon us

The clock on the wall gently chimed.

The current time was 2 p.m.

There were 59 minutes left until the arrival of doomsday.

The sky outside the window had completely turned dark, with only a faint ring of light remaining from the sun.

Hanhan lay sound asleep in Li Tianran's arms.

After tucking her into bed and covering her with a blanket, Li Tianran picked up the remote control and switched channels, wanting to see how the media and the authorities were reporting on the eerie celestial phenomenon.

In the past few hours, he had explored all the items in the system and the marketplace.

The three major categories in the marketplace included the upgrade category, mainly for infrastructure to upgrade the shelter and build a more secure and sturdy fortress.

The tools category consisted of various auxiliary tools for daily life...

But don't think that the tools category only included inconspicuous pots and pans. By dragging the progress bar, you could see that it also sold weapons, firearms, various large-scale machinery, and even wall-breaking machines and vibrators weighing tens of tons.

It can be said that any tool or machinery you can imagine is available in the marketplace.

And there were even more categories for resources.

From crop seeds to livestock offspring, including water sources, fertility agents, medicines, fuel, and even high-power "artificial suns."

Li Tianran checked his own points and realized that if he invested them in the marketplace, they would be like a drop in the ocean, causing only a small ripple.

At this moment, Li Tianran finally understood the true meaning of the phrase "tycoon."

If he had enough points, he could turn his estate into a world-class military base in a short period of time. Then, no matter what challenges came from the outside world, he could remain unmoved!

"Exchange system," Li Tianran looked at the final interface.

The exchange system was the only source of points.

LV1 Edible-grade crop 1kg = 1 point!

LV2 Radiation-resistant crop 1kg = 10 points!

LV3 Ancient medicine-grade crop 1kg = 1000 points!

LV4 Divine-grade powerful crop 1kg = 10,000 points!

LV5 Super divine-grade enhancing crop 1kg = 100,000 points!

The exchange system was mainly used for the recovery of crops, livestock meat, and some minerals, with different prices based on their levels.

"So they want me to be a full-fledged farmer..." Li Tianran looked at the exchange system, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Although the system's interface was a bit rough, its facilities were comprehensive.

From supply and sales to recovery, it provided a complete one-stop service.

With such assurance, Li Tianran's mood finally stopped panicking.

At that moment, the TV happened to switch to an astronomy program.

"Hello, Dr. Li, how do you view this sudden appearance of a total solar eclipse? Why was there no advance warning of this total solar eclipse worldwide?" The well-dressed host asked the visiting astronomer in a soft voice.

"Well... a total solar eclipse is just a common and frequent astronomical phenomenon in academia. However, the celestial body that is blocking the sunlight this time is likely beyond the range of modern astronomical measurement instruments," the gray-haired old scholar said in a relaxed tone.

"Based on my experience and discussions within our research institute, we have concluded that this total solar eclipse is a rare event that occurs once every five hundred years. But its duration won't be too long, so there's no need to panic! I suggest that the audience sitting in front of their televisions can now invite their families to go outside and enjoy this spectacle together!"

"So, it means that this is just a minor astronomical event that won't bring any changes to our lives, right?" the host asked again.

"That's right!" The old scholar adjusted his glasses and said decisively.

Li Tianran watched this scene and a cold smile of mockery and anger appeared on his face. "A minor celestial event? This is a massive storm sweeping over humanity..."

An hour ago, he had posted online to alert the public, but unfortunately, his warning was not taken seriously. Instead, it attracted the attention of the internet police, who deleted his posts, banned his account, and issued a warning. They even claimed that if Li Tianran continued to post, they would suspend his IP address on the grounds of spreading rumors and causing trouble.

Seeing this, Li Tianran's heart turned cold as well.

The clock on the wall moved slowly but inexorably, and the countdown to doomsday drew closer. Yet, Li Tianran's mood became calm.

Since things couldn't be changed, he decided to protect his own little corner of the world.

He issued a command in his mind.

"The patrol guards are to be stationed in the east, south, west, and north, while the gate monitor patrols. Each patrol guard is to lead five Hummingbird Warriors. The Mastiff Warrior is to guard the residential building. If any intruders forcefully break in, there is no need to report—just eliminate them!"

Under Li Tianran's order, six eye-shaped flying patrol guards dispersed within the estate, leading the Hummingbird Warriors, resembling a swarm of bees patrolling their territory.

The Mastiff Warrior stood at the entrance of the small building like an ancient mansion's stone lion, unyielding, emitting a fearsome green light from its cold mechanical eyes.

...

The ticking of the clock, which was usually very soft, now resonated in Li Tianran's heart like a giant bell.

The crimson notification on the system interface indicated that the Destruction Era was approaching, with only 10 seconds remaining!

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

Li Tianran followed the movement of the second hand, silently reciting in his mind.

"..."

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Li Tianran suddenly stood up!

The Destruction Era had arrived!

"Boom!"

The world seemed to roar, and invisible shockwaves quickly spread across the entire world.

Time and space froze instantly, like a low-quality game experiencing a momentary lag.

Li Tianran witnessed a bird hovering in mid-air, motionless.

Then, he staggered backward two steps, and his pupils suddenly contracted to their smallest size!

The sun, which had been completely swallowed by darkness in the sky, reappeared.

However, the difference was that the sun, symbolizing the source of life, no longer radiated a warm and vibrant light. It still emitted a faint glow, but it resembled the cold and lifeless light of moonlight.

In an instant, it erupted with a brilliance a hundred times more dazzling than usual, attracting the attention of countless people worldwide!

For a moment, the entire Blue Planet was shrouded in incredibly intense light.

However, the light didn't last long, only about ten seconds, before quickly dimming.

At the same time, as if releasing all its energy, the sun gradually fell silent, losing all its radiance, becoming a black stone hanging in the sky!

After reaching its ultimate sublimation, the grand finale!

Burning for 4.6 billion years, the sun, which should have continued to burn, was extinguished.

At that moment, the global temperature dropped by more than twenty degrees in an instant!

Li Tianran was stunned.

However, in the next second, something even more difficult for Li Tianran to accept occurred.

He witnessed with his own eyes a distant green forest turning gray at a visible speed.

It wasn't just the peach wood forest.

Corn, rice, poplar trees, grass... every plant within his line of sight seemed to have had its life force drained away in an instant, and a layer of lifeless gray covered their once green leaves and fruits.

Like a realm of death!

This was too bizarre!

Inexplicably, all life on the Blue Planet that had relied on the source of light for survival lost all vitality at that moment.

Li Tianran frowned suddenly, feeling parched.

Then, his vision was once again filled with a row of blood-red numbers.

"The first Destruction Era has arrived."

"From today, all vibrant and lush plant life dies!"

"There are 30 days left until the second Destruction Era arrives."

"The second Destruction Era will take away the active and flowing marine and water source life on Earth. Lucky players, cherish the present!"