Apocalypse: System of lotteries



Claude sat in an abandoned hunter's cabin, staring at the holographic screen in front of him.

[The Apocalypse Four Horsemen have descended.]

[Please make the following choices]

[A: Submit to the Apocalypse Four Horsemen and become their servant.]

[B: Kill the Apocalypse Four Horsemen and become your own master.]

[C: Abstain, after abstaining, the system will randomly choose for you.]

[Kind reminder, all survivors in the 309 zones will participate in the vote, the option with more A and B ratio will take effect, please choose carefully.]

[Kind reminder, submission does not require death, but the reverse does.]

[Kind reminder, during the choice, the restricted area and world chat function will be disabled.]

[You have 10 seconds to consider, the countdown begins]

[9…]

"…"

Claude sat in his chair, hands clasped on his head, staring solemnly at the flickering words on the screen. He didn't know which choice was the right one because he was seriously doubting that this catastrophe was God's punishment for modern society.

Just like a long time ago when God flooded the world to punish the greedy humans of the time, this punishment is clearly more severe.

[7…]

"Huh~"

Claude steeled himself. If it was God's punishment, then he would accept it. He extended his hand towards the holographic screen, stopping above option [B], but he did not make a selection.

"If I choose to kill..."

"Will I have to go if I choose to kill?"

"Damn these rules, they won't even allow communication, fuck!"

"If I choose to submit, will I become like those people, capturing innocents for sacrifices every day?"

"Fuck!!"

Claude retracted his hand, vigorously rubbing his face, hoping to make himself more alert, or even for a split second, to receive divine guidance to provide him the most correct answer!

[2…]

"damn!!"

Claude extended his hand, moving it back and forth between options A and B. He told himself that he absolutely couldn't choose C, because that was the system's plot. No, everything that was happening now was the system's plot!!

No, all of this was God's punishment.

"A!"

Claude made a choice.

[Congratulations on making your choice, please wait...]

[Result generation:]

[Option A: 181,219 people.]

[Option B: 621,903 people.]

[Option C: 1928 people.]

[Congratulations to the survivors who chose option B, you will be safe. This catastrophe will be continued by those who chose options A and C.]

"!!!"

Facing the screen, Claude felt a mix of intense anger and confusion. He had chosen A simply because he wanted to survive, but he didn't expect that those who chose to kill would be the ones to be spared.

[Option A: 2689 people.]

[Option B: 18123 people.]

[Congratulations to the survivors who chose option B, you will be safe. This catastrophe will be continued by those who chose option A.]

"Damn it!!"

Claude rose from his chair, kicking the wooden table in front of him. He felt that this venting wasn't enough, so he grabbed an axe and began to hack around madly. At this moment, the screen continued to flash with text:

[Please make your choice...]

[Option A: Submit.]

[Option B: Kill.]

[Please note, this choice is limited to 3 seconds. Countdown begins now.]

"Fuck it!"

Claude sat down again, choosing option B this time.

This time, he decided not to stick with A!

[Congratulations on making your choice, please wait...]

[Results generation:]

"Option A was chosen by 2,991 individuals."

"Option B was selected by 17,821 individuals."

"Congratulations to those who selected Option B, you will carry out this task. May you return safely."

"..."

Claude froze, then he burst into laughter, louder and louder, until his face became grotesque.

Damn, it!!!

"Hello, are you furious in front of the screen?"

"You should remember the core values of Chapter Four, right?"

"That's right, it's faith!"

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death, those who first chose to submit, did you really believe in these?"

"The second choice, we gave you a chance, but you were of no use, still choosing A. Do you truly believe in those disgusting creatures?"

"The third choice has lost its meaning. Those who still chose A, at least you have a firm stance, and this could be considered faith. Those who ultimately chose B, couldn't even hold onto their original positions. So, go face the disaster. Living holds no meaning for you, but of course, if you manage to return alive, consider me defeated."

"You faithless, spineless people, you have 10 seconds to prepare."

"Here's a kind tip: die quickly, don't waste air."

"..."

Claude sat in his chair, his head lowered, his eyes closed. Yes, the rules were right. He seemed to be a man without a firm stance, but he believed in God. Wasn't that enough?

If given another chance...

Buzz~

A white light fell, and Claude disappeared.

...

Ming returned to Room 109, all set and ready to go. Today was the day for global randomness, and he hoped to go somewhere serene, maybe to catch a small magpie or another bird to bring back, one for Alan too. 

Might as well catch a couple of eagles too. Alan, being a leading figure of 109, didn't look quite impressive riding a chicken all day. He waited for an hour, but there were no signs of global randomness.

He wondered if the rules were too busy or something, and therefore unable to manage everything.

If that's the case, let's experiment first. He opened the portal to 1521, and dropped the frogs down for them to play with the rhino and honey badger. They hadn't seen each other for a while, and they probably missed each other. Then, he went into the 1521 mist alone.

"Your Merlin is looking at the giant snake. It must have stored a lot of venom over these days, hasn't it? Merlin cheerfully instructs the chef to collect the venom with a bucket. This much should be enough for a while~"

"Merlin, with a lion following him, perfectly fits the guardian role... Foodie happily approaches the porcupine, exchanges pleasantries, and then begins to borrow some quills, essential for barbecuing... Da Vinci jumps onto the rhino's horn, sitting on its back, he surveys all 1521."

Three hours later.

Ming emerged from the mist. All the monsters in the mist had been blessed with snail fluid. He hoped they could seize this chance for evolution. Actually, he found it quite amusing to think about it, he might be the only one in the world actively letting monsters evolve.

Hopefully, the weaknesses of the snail would be fully displayed in you all.

"I wonder if injecting some tree sap will make them evolve roots. If they become rooted underground, wouldn't they become easy targets?"

With this thought in mind, Ming took out a coconut and started drinking. The cooldown for Thunder Speed had ended, and he re-entered the mist.