Level 1: Becoming an Official Player!

The moment Jexon silently made his selection, the white Slot Machine lit up, and the familiar notification echoed:

**Ding—** 

**Congratulations! You have drawn the Bloodthirsty Gu Swarm!**

!!!

He actually pulled the *Bloodthirsty Gu Swarm*—exactly what he had specified!

At that instant, Jexon's adrenaline surged wildly. He could feel the blood rushing to his head, making him dizzy with excitement. He couldn't believe it—he really had the ability to **choose** his reward!

This godlike ability…

Just thinking about it made him feel as though his future was now limitless!

While others were gambling with their lives spinning Slot Machines, he could walk into it like robbing a mall—getting exactly what he wanted!

As long as he kept spinning the machines and collecting rewards, didn't that make him practically invincible?

Jexon almost burst into laughter from the sheer joy of it all, but his experience from his previous life helped him quickly rein in his emotions. He had to stay calm!

He had only 30 days of lifespan left—barely enough to spin even one more white Slot Machine. He needed to plan carefully, take it slow, and figure out the best way to use his newfound power.

All these thoughts passed through his mind in an instant. Once calm, Jexon's gaze shifted to the *Bloodthirsty Gu Swarm* that had appeared out of thin air.

The *Bloodthirsty Gu* were considered a negative effect by most players in the early days of the apocalypse. Their nature was similar to that of ferocious beasts, but unlike beasts, *Bloodthirsty Gu* had almost no offensive power. Even the weakest Life Cacher could easily deal with them.

Without waiting for Hunter to make a move, Jexon swiftly used his jacket to capture the entire swarm in one quick motion!

Hunter blinked in surprise at Jexon's speed. But while it caught him off guard, he wasn't too shocked. He simply continued the process:

"Alright, hand over your completed prize registration forms, and you can go."

Spencer had already filled out his form and immediately handed it over. Jexon, still squatting on the ground as he filled out his form, asked Hunter, "Hey, Hunter, can I keep these *Bloodthirsty Gu* I caught?"

The *Bloodthirsty Gu* looked like oversized, blood-red maggots—disgusting to anyone who saw them.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You're not seriously thinking about eating those nasty things, are you?"

"Take them if you want. The club sure doesn't want anything to do with those disgusting things."

At this, Jexon finally felt a wave of relief. He quickly stuffed the wriggling *Bloodthirsty Gu* into empty bottles.

After turning in his form to Hunter, he followed up with the same request he made in his past life:

"Hunter, I only have a little over a month of lifespan left. Staying in the underground garage as a Life Cacher seems pretty pointless at this stage... So I was hoping you'd let me join the club's death squad. I'm not afraid of dying…"

However.

Hunter's response was identical to what he'd said in the previous life. With a mocking tone, he rolled his eyes again and retorted, "If you're really not afraid of dying or itching for it, I could send you to meet your maker right now!"

"The death squad? You think all it takes is 'not being afraid to die' to join?"

The harsh reality Hunter presented was no different from what Jexon had already experienced.

And then—

Just like in his past life, a figure appeared, walking toward the white Slot Machine area.

It was **George**!

George wasn't here to spin the Slot Machines himself. He had come to watch others spin, hoping to learn something new. After all, he was once a lowly Life Cacher and didn't know much about the apocalypse game.

As George walked closer, he recognized Spencer but paid little attention to Jexon. Spencer stood out with his tattoos, giving him an intimidating aura, and George often remembered him spouting off about "defying fate" and such in the underground garage.

George considered his current precarious position in the death squad and began to wonder— 

Maybe he could recruit Spencer into his team?

As George was deep in thought, Spencer was also reflecting on what Jexon had just said about the death squad.

The death squad… it really was a place where one had a chance to defy fate. 

But the mortality rate there was terrifyingly high! So many people joined the squad one day, only to end up dead by the next.

It was a path paved with blood and corpses, where survival meant braving life-threatening battles.

Spencer wanted to change his fate, but he didn't want to die! 

Yet, looking at Jexon now, with his life running out, Spencer saw a reflection of his own future. His own lifespan had dwindled to just 11 years. He could spin the white Slot Machine only 11 more times. But with machines of such poor quality, even if he spun it 100 or 1,000 times, there was no guarantee of a good outcome.

Jexon's present was Spencer's inevitable future!

Gritting his teeth, Spencer's wavering thoughts started to lean toward joining the death squad.

George, noticing Spencer's internal struggle, decided it was time to act. He stepped forward but didn't address Spencer directly. Instead, he turned to Jexon and asked, "You said you want to join the death squad?"

Jexon nodded emphatically. "Yes!"

George pretended to think it over for a moment before calmly responding, "It just so happens that I'm managing a death squad. Would you like to join?"

Jexon's eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted, "I do!"

His response was filled with determination, as if he weren't walking into a blood-soaked battlefield but onto a bright, easy path. His enthusiasm even seemed to inspire Spencer a bit.

It didn't take long before Spencer also made his decision. After a brief moment of hesitation, he turned to George and said, "George! Does your death squad still have room? I want to join too!"

He added quickly, "I'm stronger than this guy! I've been in fights since elementary school, was the toughest kid in middle school, and a top bully in high school!"

George couldn't help but laugh at Spencer's bravado. He nodded and allowed him to join the squad as well.

However, since Hunter held a higher rank than George, George politely sought his approval.

Hunter waved it off dismissively. "Your death squad is your responsibility. I have no say in that."

And just like that, following the same trajectory as their previous lives, Jexon and Spencer both joined George's squad.

But one key difference set this timeline apart—

In Jexon's past life, he had drawn a *Longevity Elixir* from the Slot Machine during this event.

In this life, he had drawn the *Bloodthirsty Gu Swarm* instead.

Along with the *Bloodthirsty Gu*, Jexon had also collected the phantom butterfly corpses. 

Now, all he needed was a batch of **glow bugs**, and his plan would be complete!

As he thought through his next moves, George led both Jexon and Spencer toward a villa. Along the way, George explained some details to them:

"This villa area has a total of 320 villas."

"The core members of the club occupy the top 20."

"The official members of the club live in 120 of the villas."

"And the death squad members, like us, get to live in the remaining 180 villas."

"In addition, there are a few stragglers and miscellaneous people who stay in temporary shacks."

George paused to think for a moment, then offered a comparison. "You can think of it like jobs before the apocalypse. Imagine two jobs with the same salary of 10,000 dollars a month: being in the death squad is like working on a construction site—grueling and dangerous. Being an official member is like sitting in an air-conditioned office, enjoying a relaxed life."

Jexon already knew all of this from his past life. But Spencer was hearing it for the first time and nodded attentively, soaking in the information.

Seeing Spencer's interest, George continued, "And as a death squad member, once you reach level 1, you can advance to become an official member!"

He turned to Spencer and asked, "Do you know the difference between level 0 and level 1 in the apocalypse game?"

Spencer, as a lowly Life Cacher, had little knowledge, so he shook his head. Jexon, on the other hand, knew the answer but chose to stay quiet.

George, eager to teach, explained, "I only found out after I drew the '+1 to all attributes' reward and got closer to the official members of the club."

"Once a player reaches level 1, they're given a special *Fate Disc* by the apocalypse game."

"The initial form of this Fate Disc is said to resemble an ordinary coin."

"But the disc can transform into any item the owner desires!"

"Most official players use the Fate Disc to transform it into something like a smartphone."

Spencer's eyes widened in realization. "So that's why I always see the big shots playing with their phones!"

"They're not playing with phones—they're using their Fate Discs?"

"Exactly!" George nodded. "The Fate Disc has a wide range of functions."

"For example, there's a regional chat channel where all official players in the Cedar City

 region can communicate."

"There's also a regional forum channel where players can exchange information."

"A regional trade channel allows players to buy and sell items with one another."

"And then there's the regional leaderboard channel, which tracks rankings for lifespan, combat power, and level."

"You can even add people as friends!"

"The Fate Disc is incredibly versatile."

"In fact, you could say that only those who reach level 1 and obtain their Fate Disc have truly become official players in the apocalypse game!"

George spoke passionately, and Spencer was filled with excitement, eager to level up. He couldn't wait and asked, "So, how do we go from level 0 to level 1?"

"My data panel doesn't even show an experience bar!"

George sighed, shaking his head. "This apocalypse game isn't as simple as leveling up in a regular game."

"So many death squad members are fighting to reach level 1 and become official players."

"My current goal is to level up as fast as possible, get my Fate Disc, and officially join the game."

"According to the higher-ups in the club, there are currently only two ways to reach level 1…"