Chapter 318: Cataclysmic Change, Terrifying Hail

Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Cataclysmic Change, Terrifying Hail

In the grim reality of the apocalypse, quiet, normal days were always precious and fleeting.

On this day, Seraphina Sullivan had a rare moment of leisure.

She was carefully studying the new feature unlocked by the system after she reached Level 3: the Friend Communication List.

She opened the feature’s interface, and a simple yet functional list appeared in her mind.

The list was currently empty.

Beside it was an "Add Friend" option.

The instructions stated that both parties had to be Level 3 Players or higher, and adding required mutual confirmation or physical contact.

The first person she tried it with was, naturally, Sean Chandler.

After a brief experiment, they found they could successfully add each other simply by mutual confirmation or by sending an invitation face-to-face.

Once they were friends, the other person’s "profile card" appeared on the communication list interface.

It allowed them to send text messages and even have short voice calls. The interface operated like the social media apps of the old world, but it was much simpler and more direct.

Seraphina immediately realized the immense value of the Friend Communication List!

In an age fraught with danger where communication was difficult, this feature provided a stable and convenient channel for Players to stay in touch.

It would be incredibly convenient for exchanging intel on dungeons, sharing updates on the shelter, coordinating actions, or even just letting someone know you were safe.

’I wonder if this communication feature can still cross spatial barriers if we’re in different dungeons, or even different ’worlds.’ If it can, then its strategic value would be immeasurable.’

Seraphina mused, feeling more and more that this feature had been unlocked at the perfect time.

After her initial exploration of the new feature, Seraphina was about to start on her planned power-up.

She planned to figure out how to use the Meteorite Gemstone and the Training Card, as well as how to allocate her Skill Upgrade Cards. She might even try out the Beautiful Dream Stamp...

But plans never keep up with reality.

Just as she was composing herself, ready to enter a state of deep focus—

"BANG! BANG! BANG—!!!"

A series of dull, massive impacts, like heavy hammers beating on a drum, echoed from outside without any warning!

The sounds were dense and heavy, as if countless boulders were falling from the sky, smashing violently against the Shelter’s defensive structures, the rooftops, and even the ground!

Immediately after, with a continuous series of THUDS, Seraphina felt as if the entire Shelter was shaking.

Seraphina was instantly snapped out of her thoughts. She exchanged a glance with Sean Chandler, who had also looked up in alarm, and they both shot to their feet.

At almost the same moment, a shrill, urgent alarm tore through the Shelter’s brief tranquility!

"WOO— WOO— WOO—!!!"

Amid the blaring alarm, the voice of a staff member, strained with panic, crackled from the temporary loudspeakers installed throughout the Shelter, faintly audible over the clamor of impacts:

"Alert! Level one alert!"

"Outside... it’s hailing giant hailstones! Each one is bigger than a basketball! They’re incredibly hard! The Shelter’s outer defenses are being destroyed!"

’Hailstones bigger than a basketball?!’

Outside the Vorlag City Shelter.

The once merely overcast sky had now turned black as ink, and fierce winds howled.

Through gaps in the churning dark clouds and the massive white shapes hurtling down from above, one could faintly make out ghastly white "ice balls," each with irregular edges and a diameter of over half a meter.

They rained down from the heavens with astonishing speed and force, like cannonballs. They exploded into countless ice shards upon impact with the ground, leaving shallow craters, and produced a teeth-grinding shattering sound as they struck buildings!

The people, who had just managed to endure the extreme cold and finally catch their breath, found the relief on their faces instantly replaced by terror.

Vorlag City’s Shelter Number One—no, perhaps the entire Azure Star—was suddenly plunged into a violent assault of giant hailstones.

"All Players with defensive and long-range attack Abilities, report immediately to the four main defensive nodes: east, west, south, and north! The Shelter is taking devastating damage and needs your help! I repeat, all capable Players, move out now!"

The Shelter’s emergency broadcast sounded particularly urgent and tense amid the bombardment of the hail.

Seraphina and Sean Chandler exchanged a look and set off at once, without a moment’s hesitation.

Clearly, the calamity of the extreme cold wasn’t over. It had merely evolved into a new, more destructive form.

’The extreme cold blizzard... has turned into even more powerful giant hailstones!’

Seraphina’s heart sank as she listened to the sounds of the giant ice balls, which were raining down like a meteor shower.

"BANG BANG BANG! BOOM BOOM—!"

The continuous, deafening impacts pounded like a drumbeat on everyone’s heart, and an atmosphere of panic permeated the Shelter.

The buildings trembled.

People feared that even this massive Shelter would be smashed to pieces by the giant hail.

Seraphina and Sean Chandler rushed to the nearest defensive point at the Shelter’s main gate.

However, when they arrived, the once-sturdy gate area had already been beaten beyond recognition by several giant hailstones. Twisted metal and shattered concrete were scattered everywhere.

More hailstones, the size of basketballs or even larger, rained down incessantly from the gray sky, like the fury of a God, pouring down relentlessly upon this last bastion of humanity.

"Protect the Shelter! Form a defensive line! We can’t let the Shelter be completely destroyed! Those with Abilities, split up and support the other weak points!"

Justin Brooks’s roar was still clear over the din of the hail.

He was using all his strength to activate his Wall Talent.

Thick rock walls shot up from the ground, trying to intercept the hail smashing toward vital facilities. But there were too many hailstones; the veins on his forehead bulged, a clear sign of the immense pressure he was under.

Seraphina also saw Dexter Luther. He was raising one translucent Air Shield after another, trying to deflect the hailstones’ trajectory, but his face grew a shade paler with each one he blocked.

At this moment, many Players had stepped forward.

Some were conjuring Fireballs, trying to detonate the hail in mid-air.

Others spurred vines to weave into cushioning nets.

Others, like Justin Brooks, were constructing Earth Walls and stone ramparts.

All sorts of Talents bloomed in this life-or-death moment, collectively forming a fragile defensive line.

However, the hail’s assault was too fierce, too dense!

"AH—!" A short, agonized scream rang out.

Seraphina’s eyes were sharp. She saw a Player not far away who had been attacking one of the larger hailstones. He had gotten distracted while protecting someone else, and a hailstone from an odd angle slipped past his defenses, smashing squarely into his head.

In an instant, blood splattered!

His body collapsed to the ground.

Without a shred of hesitation, Seraphina immediately rushed over!

Her Bounce Skill allowed her to move quickly across the chaotic battlefield, dodging the falling hailstones.

She rushed to the fallen Player’s side and, ignoring the pooling blood, immediately activated Flower Therapy. The phantom of a pure white flower appeared.

At the same time, the active recovery Effect of her Life Leaf Brooch also activated instantly. It was a two-pronged approach to try and stabilize the man’s rapidly fading life force.