At 11:35 p.m. on April 15, 2019, Haizaki neatly arranged the items he was carrying.
Two ultra-thin, custom-made laptops with long standby high performance that cost one million yen, solar charging equipment, firearms and ammunition brought from the "Solitary Apocalypse" world, and the rest consisted of wilderness survival gear.
Haizaki wanted a set of biochemical protective clothing, just in case. But in reality, he had no way of obtaining such equipment.
He considered that if the "Crystallization Mutation" world was one where survival without biochemical suits meant instant death, then not to mention himself, the assistants who entered with nothing would inevitably die.
Haizaki believed the system wouldn't allow such meaningless behavior. Either there was no danger or if there was danger, the system would provide basic protective gear.
Currently, Haizaki had a carrying capacity of one hundred kilograms. The remaining weight was used for food and water.
And finally…
Haizaki looked at the small white mouse inside the cage. Although he thought the atmosphere of the "Crystallization Mutation" world wouldn't be instantly lethal, he still felt it necessary to prepare.
At midnight, Haizaki contacted the system sprite: "Open the 'Crystallization Mutation' world."
"'Crystallization Mutation' world opening. Apocalypse world difficulty: two stars. System user will enter the 'Crystallization Mutation' world in ten seconds. Please prepare."
"Ten…"
…
As Pepper's cold voice sounded, dizziness struck Haizaki again. His eyes went unfocused, losing their focus.
Time passed slowly…
Finally, Haizaki regained consciousness.
Ceiling—the first thing he saw was the ceiling. Haizaki quickly stood up, alert, and began observing his surroundings.
An ordinary bedroom. Bed, computer desk, wardrobe—similar to the room he had entered in the "Solitary Apocalypse."
"12:05 a.m…"
His mechanical wristwatch told him the time.
"From the initial world to here, has it been five minutes, or twelve hours and five minutes, or…"
He wanted to know the precise time flow comparison between the two worlds. The watch was the best tool. But whether the time flow was the same across different apocalypse worlds, Haizaki didn't know.
He checked his belongings and found no problems.
Then Haizaki placed the mouse cage on the bed. The little white mouse was lively and healthy, showing no issues.
He walked to the window and looked outside. The sky was already bright, the sun shining down, bringing light to the world.
Desolate, barren—the concrete city had lost its vitality.
Just like the "Solitary Apocalypse," the city he was in had no people.
Flowerbeds on both sides of the street were overgrown with weeds, and the road surface was cracked.
A city without people inevitably fell into decline and loneliness.
Haizaki's heart sank. Another deserted apocalypse world? Humanity in this world had once again perished for unknown reasons.
He and the assistants might be the only humans left here.
"Pepper, my mission…"
After confirming the surroundings were relatively safe, Haizaki contacted the system.
"Participant has entered the 'Crystallization Mutation' world. Main Mission One: Survive for 270 days."
That's all?
"Crystallization Mutation" wasn't "Solitary Apocalypse."
But since the system hadn't issued other missions, Haizaki began asking further questions.
"Can you tell me the assistants' location?"
He tried pressing the computer's power switch, but nothing happened. The power supply had collapsed.
Contacting assistants using the same method as in the "Solitary Apocalypse" was impossible.
"C-level permission: assistants' initial location is within a five-hundred-meter radius of the participant."
Haizaki pursed his lips. Five hundred meters—the best way was to make some noise to attract their attention. But such behavior could also attract hidden dangers in the environment.
So he needed to confirm safety first.
Haizaki strapped on a backpack focused on weapons and first aid, leaving the rest of the supplies in the room.
Three minutes later, seeing the mouse still lively and unharmed, he removed his gas mask.
Dust and moldy mildew smell filled the air, unpleasant.
Haizaki walked to the door and opened it.
"Click…"
Just an ordinary door-opening sound.
The scene outside the room instantly entered Haizaki's vision. His pupils shrank, and he raised his gun, almost pulling the trigger.
"Collapse… no, not collapse…"
Collapse produced pink cherry blossom crystals, not the blue-white ones before him.
Haizaki's heart trembled. Who could have imagined that behind the door stood a statue—a human figure of blue-white crystal.
The statue vaguely resembled a middle-aged woman. The face was carved vividly, lifelike, like a masterpiece crafted by a master sculptor.
The sculpture's posture was slightly bent, right hand extended as if to grasp the doorknob, seemingly about to open the door.
The clothes on the body were tattered, with obvious insect damage, suggesting a long time had passed.
"Crystallization Mutation…"
Haizaki realized the form of this apocalypse. Likely, an unknown virus or other force had attacked, causing humans to mutate into crystalline beings.
The blue-white sculpture glittered. In his peaceful era, such a crystal statue would have been highly admired. But here, it only brought the pressure of death.
He had to find the assistants quickly and confirm the mutation problem.
As for surviving 270 days, Haizaki was sure that was only the simplest main mission.
"Mutation crystal discovered. Main Mission Two: Find the cause of the 'Crystallization Mutation' outbreak."
As expected, just as he had hypothesized.
The release of Main Mission Two confirmed that the system issued further missions only when he encountered special phenomena in the apocalypse world.
This meant he had to actively explore the world. Points and experience were tied to missions.
Haizaki looked at his gloved hands, then turned back to the room, took out a blanket, and covered the crystal statue.
Thirty seconds later, minimizing noise, Haizaki successfully moved the statue aside.
Next, Haizaki began searching the apartment. He finally obtained basic information—this was Chiba.
The electronic clock still working in the master bedroom told him the current time: April 16, 2024, 7:34 a.m.
A parallel world five years later. Another parallel world?
Perhaps this was another reminder from the "Trans-Spatiotemporal Human Civilization Salvation System." If he didn't struggle to change things, his original world would once again head toward the end of civilization.
Haizaki shook his head, casting away the melancholy in his mind, then opened the apartment door and stepped outside.
He needed to find the assistant and search for information about "Crystallization Mutation."
Hopefully, the assistant wouldn't deliberately hide. If she did, he really had no good way to find her.
…
With electricity and the internet collapsed, the only way to obtain information was through paper media—magazines, newspapers.
In Japan, even with the rapid development of internet media, dependence on newspapers was still high, even in 2019. Many bookstores and convenience stores sold daily newspapers.
Haizaki carefully walked along the street. From time to time, he saw crystalline statues by the roadside.
Their expressions varied—calm, terrified, fearful. Each statue vividly displayed the final expression of its life.
Soon, Haizaki arrived at a convenience store with its door wide open. At the cashier's counter stood another crystalline statue, probably the store clerk.
Entering, Haizaki searched around and found newspapers. In the corner, there were also piles of old newspapers and journals specifically introducing the crystallization virus.
"Crystallization virus outbreak on a large scale. Kansai region has become a dead zone…" July 19, 2021
"Ten crystallization infection cases appear at Chiba Sobu High. Chiba city government orders all schools to temporarily close…" September 19, 2021
"Tokyo Epidemic Prevention Headquarters announces successful development of a vaccine. Production will begin soon. Within days, all citizens will be vaccinated. Humanity will defeat the crystallization virus." November 21, 2021
"Crystallization symptoms spread further in Hokkaido. Has low temperature lost its ability to suppress the virus…"
"Rebellion erupts in the USA. Rebel groups accuse governments of hiding vaccines…"
…
After a long time, Haizaki finally understood the situation of this world through the limited newspapers.
According to the reports, three years earlier, in January 2021, humanity discovered unknown ruins at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Led by the United Nations, countries organized manpower to salvage them.
The public didn't know whether advanced technology had been found, but one thing was certain. After the ruins were excavated, humanity was soon attacked by an unknown virus.
At first, infected people only showed symptoms like coughing and dry throats, similar to a cold.
Ten to fifteen days later, their skin lost elasticity, bones stiffened, producing cracking sounds like calcium deficiency.
Thirty to forty-five days later, blue-white crystalline growths appeared on their limbs.
Within two months, the infected completely turned into crystalline bodies, losing their lives.
But based on Haizaki's observation of the street statues, he believed these people had died from a sudden outbreak, skipping or accelerating the incubation stage.
The virus mutated again, or the number of sources exploded, increasing its infectious power. It destroyed humanity in an instant, letting them leave the world without pain.
Haizaki didn't know if that was good or bad.
Seeing this, he instinctively moved his body, finding no bone-cracking sounds, no coughing or throat dryness, and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to be infected by the crystallization virus.
Two hundred seventy days—about nine months. Facing a virus omnipresent in the air, Haizaki felt helpless. He could only take it step by step.
"But the newspapers didn't mention whether other creatures could be infected by the crystallization virus…"
Haizaki quickly flipped through again but found no information about animals.
Perhaps they weren't infected. In other words, the virus targeted only humans. This made Haizaki consider that the virus might have been deliberately designed as a bioweapon for human extinction.
Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the street. Haizaki instinctively thought the assistant had appeared.
In such a place, who else could it be?
Haizaki stepped toward the door but immediately stopped. He realized the footsteps were too heavy to belong to a female assistant.
Cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Haizaki carefully retreated and pulled out a small mirror, extending it slightly outside the store.
Through the reflection, he finally saw what kind of creature was outside.
A bear—one that still looked juvenile.
Was this a bear that had escaped from Chiba Zoo? No, it should be a descendant of bears.
But why here… After humanity's disappearance, the city had become their home.
Avoid…
Haizaki didn't plan to do anything to the bear. From his knowledge, there were likely one or two more bears nearby.
If he attacked the young one, the adults would come. Facing one or two adult bears wasn't necessary.
Bears weren't on his menu. Avoiding conflict was the best choice.
So Haizaki chose to retreat.
"Ah…"
Not far away came a sharp scream from a girl. Then came the crashing sound of overturned objects and frantic running.
"Roarrr…"
"Thud, thud…"
The heavy running of a massive creature.
Haizaki quickly extended the mirror again.
About a hundred meters away, a huge bear was chasing a girl wearing an ill-fitting black jacket and pants.
It was the assistant. Without a doubt, the girl being chased was the assistant.
Haizaki also noticed that the juvenile bear about twenty meters away turned its direction, moving toward the girl.
"Click…"
Haizaki released the safety on his pistol and rushed out. If he kept hiding, the assistant would face mortal danger.
"Ah…"
Perhaps from running too frantically, the girl slipped and fell to the ground.
The heavy running behind her made her desperately try to get up, but after struggling several times, she still couldn't.
Get up, get up… If she didn't escape now, she would become bear food.
She still had to live.
…