"Thank you. I'll make sure to enjoy the meteor shower tonight," Eric said, expressing her gratitude before resuming her sprint.
"Why is she still running so fast? Is something urgent going on?" the girl asked in confusion. Her friend laughed, "Maybe. Come on, let's go too. I heard the garden is the
best place to watch the meteors. We should get there early and grab a spot."
But Eric, with a sharp eye, spotted a staff member and rushed over to grab his arm. "Is there a civil defense shelter on the mountain?"
Since learning about the meteor shower—which was expected that evening—and noting it was already past five, Eric had grown anxious to find shelter.
Tonight's meteor shower would not be ordinary—it would be something far more dangerous. To be safe, Eric concluded that the most secure place would be an underground defense
facility. Whatever fell from the sky, she would be safe underground.
The staff member was taken aback. "I—please wait a moment, I'll ask my manager."
After a quick phone call, he returned. "We don't have a shelter, but there is a basement."
A basement? That wouldn't suffice.
Eric thanked him and continued deeper into the resort area. She found a chance to steal a phone from a tourist.
Hiding in a restroom for ten minutes, she gathered enough information. She had made up her mind—she needed to descend the mountain.
At the base of the mountain lay a commercial district. A large shopping mall there had a civil defense facility beneath its second-level parking garage. She'd read about it
online—it had to be the designated safe house for this mission.
And so, she acted without delay. The fastest way down, according to her research, was via cable car. But when she reached the cable car station, she was told service had been
suspended.
"There are too many people. The mountaintop can't accommodate more visitors," the staff explained.
"What about going down? Isn't that still possible?"
"Both lines are shut down. The system's been overused lately, and with tomorrow being the descent peak, it's undergoing maintenance to prepare."
Without hesitation, Eric decided to walk down.
Though most tourists preferred the cable car after its construction, there were still winding trails up and down the mountain. The hike was strenuous, but Eric had confidence
in her stamina. It was said to take forty minutes to walk down; she believed she could do it in thirty.
It was now 5:30 PM. The meteor shower was predicted to begin at 7. If everything went smoothly, she'd make it to the underground parking garage before the first meteor
struck.
As she descended the trail, she sensed movement behind her. Turning her head, she spotted three other players navigating the winding path. No one spoke; time was of the
essence.
The mountain steps weren't particularly treacherous, but certain sections were steep and required sharp turns, fraying the nerves of the anxious players.
As if fate wished to toy with them, clouds thickened and rain began to fall—first a cool drizzle, then a pounding downpour that blurred vision and lashed at exposed skin.
The stairs, slickened by rain, became difficult to run on.
"Aah!"
A cry rang out behind her. Eric didn't look back but caught a glimpse of a player tumbling down the stairs at a turn. Another, unable to dodge in time, was struck by the
falling body, and the two rolled down together.
Curses echoed through the rain, but Eric didn't stop. She quickened her pace, widening the gap to avoid being entangled in the chaos.
Meanwhile, tourists on the mountain scrambled for cover. Some inexperienced or newly joined players remained, unaware of the danger looming.
"It's so dangerous to descend in this weather. Should we send someone to bring them back?"
"I know, but our employees are just ordinary people…"
Two staff members walked and talked.
A player nearby overheard and stopped them. "Someone went down the mountain? Why? Isn't the meteor shower tonight?"
"Exactly," one staff member said. "Word came from the exit station—several tourists ignored warnings and started hiking down. With the cable cars shut down and now this
rain… please, don't follow their example. These mountains are perilous in the rain."
The player's expression changed.
"Something's wrong," she whispered. She had only experienced three instances of this game—still lacking experience—but the staff member's words echoed in her mind.
Why would veteran players descend?
Was this place no longer safe?
Panic surged. She took a few steps, but where would she even go?
She looked around—surrounded by NPCs huddling from the rain. Perhaps there were players among them, but she couldn't tell who.
Was she the only one left?
That thought filled her with dread. In a rush of fear, she dashed into the downpour.
She had to descend too!
"Miss! You forgot your umbrella!"
At the foot of the mountain, Eric saw several tour buses idling by the road. Some carried visitors who had come up but were turned away due to the cable car closure.
"Five yuan."
Eric pulled out the stolen wallet and handed the driver five yuan before slipping into the back row. She was soaking wet, drawing curious glances from other passengers.
"Did you just come down from the mountain? You hiked down?" someone asked. "We can't even get up there!"
"Yes. There's an emergency at home."
"Oh, here, take a tissue—dry off before you catch cold."
"Thank you." Eric accepted the tissue and casually wiped her face.
She turned and saw the silhouettes of the three players behind her—they were almost down too.
The tour bus rolled toward the commercial district. Its speed was steady, and Eric didn't urge it faster. It gave her a brief moment to rest.
She checked the time: 6:18 PM. The rain had delayed her descent.
There were still forty minutes left, but unease gripped her. She looked up at the ominous sky, her heart thudding violently.
She could no longer rest. Turning to the driver, she pleaded, "Uncle, could you go a bit faster? I'm feeling nauseous. I want to get to the hotel quickly."
The driver glanced back, saw her soaked and shivering state, and nodded. "Hold on, I'll speed up a little!"
But how fast could a tour bus go?
The road was slick, the rain thick. Even at its hastened pace, Eric guessed it was doing only about thirty kilometers per hour.
Her heart beat faster. She pulled at her damp collar and gazed at the sky. Between the thunderous clouds, flashes of crimson flickered—then multiplied, illuminating the
heavens.
"Whoa, look up! The sky's glowing!" a passenger gasped.
Others peered out the windows in awe. "Is the meteor shower starting? Uncle, drive faster—we need to get to the rooftop!"
Eric drew a sharp breath. "Please, drive faster!"
The driver pressed down on the pedal. The silhouettes of the shopping center loomed in the distance.
"Let me off in front of the mall," Eric called out.
But just then, the sky roared—deep and furious—drawing curious gazes upward. The crowd, oblivious to what loomed, brimmed with anticipation.
Five hundred meters from the mall, the sky could hold no more. Crimson sparks began to rain down, trailing long tails and eliciting shrieks from all directions.
"Wow! The meteor shower!"
"Wait, why does it look so strange—?"
"Make a wish, quick!"
"This spot isn't good! Uncle, faster!"
The tour bus was now two hundred meters from the mall.
Back at the Garden Villa, the so-called prime viewing location, chaos erupted. Faces of awe turned to horror.
"Oh my god…" A tourist stared in disbelief as the "meteors" grew larger, nearer—too close.
Not a meteor shower.
These were **meteors**. Real, fiery, earth-shattering meteors.
"Run!"
**Boom!**
The first meteor crashed through the restaurant roof, punching a bottomless crater into the earth. Rainwater poured in, but it couldn't quell the searing heat that rose,
shrouding the area in mist.
Three seconds later, another meteor struck the road ahead of Eric's bus.
**Boom!**
The driver slammed the brakes. Eric was flung forward, caught by her seatbelt. She looked up—through the rain and steam loomed a boulder the size of a two-story building.
Screams erupted.
Hands trembling, the driver stared ahead in shock.
But Eric had no time to waste. She unbuckled, leapt from the vehicle, and ran forward without looking back.
Two hundred meters.
She could make it!
The ground trembled as meteors struck. Eric dashed past one that scorched the air around it, heat radiating, the stench unbearable.
Skirting the boulder, she broke into a final sprint.
The world around her was chaos—screams, smoke, fire.
A meteor crashed into the mall's left wing, cleaving off half the building like a giant blade. Eric veered toward the right-side entrance.
**Bang! Bang!**
More impacts. Screams and cries for help filled the air. The rain had weakened, no longer enough to douse the fires. Flames spread. Smoke billowed.
Eric sprinted the final stretch, crossing the threshold of the mall's right-side doors.
The ground floor was sparsely populated, but above, the escalators teemed with descending tourists. They ran, shoved, some fell and were trampled. The sight was eerily
reminiscent of zombies chasing the living.
Without lingering, Eric scanned quickly, found the nearest emergency exit, and plunged down the stairwell.