Tower Master: Light

After arriving at the conference hall, everyone noticed that more than half of the seats were already occupied. The group casually found four empty seats and sat down.

Half an hour later, almost everyone had gathered in the hall. Jason glanced around, and with the guards included, the crowd was massive—several thousand people.

The fully armed guards were positioned in every corner of the hall, each holding a rifle and standing completely still.

In front of them was a giant high platform, on which stood more than ten people. Jason recognized one of them—the head of the guards, Jake.

"This setup looks like we're about to go to war," Simon whispered to Jason.

"What did you say? Speak louder!" Jason glanced at Simon's lips moving but couldn't hear him because of the loud noise in the hall, with everyone discussing and talking loudly. The noise drowned out Simon's voice.

"Quiet!" Just as Simon was about to speak louder, Jake's voice echoed through the hall via the speakers.

At that moment, Jake stepped forward with a microphone.

Seeing the person in charge stepping out, the entire hall suddenly became silent.

"I am Jake, the head of the guard department. Next, I'll introduce the department heads of the Dawn Tower," Jake announced.

"This is Sophie, head of the medical room."

"This is Adam, the commander of the troops."

"This is Zhao Yan, head of logistics."

"This is Yang Lifan, head of the research room."

"This is Li Wan, head of the resource department."

"This is Wang Yaoxing, the district leader of the industrial area."

"This is Cao Mei, the district leader of the ecological area."

"This is Alirans, the head of the biological research room."

"This is Fan Qi, the minister of the finance department."

"If you encounter any issues related to these departments, feel free to contact them."

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why we've kept you here, why we don't let you leave?"

"I know that some of you came here because you believe the apocalypse is coming, and others came out of curiosity. But now, it doesn't matter what your reasons are. What matters is what happens next! The following video will give you the answer!"

After Jake finished speaking, the large screen behind him suddenly lit up!

On the screen, people were seen in a chaotic street scene! Cars were scattered all over, blocking the roads. Fires and smoke filled the air, and the entire city looked like it had experienced a massive disaster. In the streets, there were people who seemed mad, attacking others and tearing them apart.

Then, the screen split into multiple smaller frames, and in each of these frames, the same horrifying scenes were being repeated!

They saw countless cities, scenes they had never encountered before—scenes never shown on the internet, in games, or movies. This was real surveillance footage!

The footage continued for a while, and then one of the frames zoomed in on a blurry object flying in the sky. The image became clearer— it was a missile! Just as they realized what it was, the footage cut off.

"Is this a lie?" someone in the crowd muttered.

"Yeah, this video looks like it's been edited in post-production."

"It looks real to me."

"I don't know why you're so naïve. If it were real, wouldn't everyone be doomed?"

At this point, some people still didn't believe what they were seeing.

"Survivors! I am your Tower Master, Light."

The screen flickered and then displayed a figure wearing a platinum mask and a red robe, with golden hair just like Jake's. The Tower Master was sitting at a desk, hands naturally crossed, and the eyes beneath the mask stared directly at everyone in the hall.

"First of all, I can assure you that the video you just saw is real and has already happened."

"I should congratulate you all—you are the lucky ones. Since you trusted us, Dawn Tower has kept its promise. When darkness falls, Dawn Tower will provide light, a hope for all of you here!"

"I hope you will cherish this opportunity. Dawn Tower does not allow for bystanders. Each of you must have a purpose. You can fight for Dawn Tower or farm for Dawn Tower."

"Lastly, let us welcome the new dawn together in this endless darkness. Good luck to everyone!"

After the Tower Master finished speaking, the large screen behind him shut off.

This was Jason's first time seeing the Tower Master. Though the figure was obscured by a mask, the authority and presence could not be hidden.

But is this Tower Master truly just? How did she know about the global disaster in advance? If she knew, why didn't she try to stop it, instead of building a massive underground base to hide? Was it because she couldn't stop it, or was it intentional? What kind of person is the Tower Master? Jason's mind was filled with these questions.

"Everyone! The apocalypse has arrived, and Dawn Tower will issue new missions. These missions require you to go outside and complete them."

"At the same time, each team must go on an outside mission within one month. If anyone or any team does not want to take on an outside mission, they can go to the district leaders of the ecological area or industrial area to handle the paperwork and become permanent laborers. Those brave enough to venture outside will be rewarded handsomely and granted personal freedom!"

This announcement was made by Adam, the head of the command department.

A murmur spread through the hall. Go outside? What is it like out there? They had just seen the video—it was a hellish scene. Going out there was like courting death, wasn't it?

However, Jason thought to himself, if they signed up to be permanent laborers in the ecological or industrial areas, they would essentially be signing a lifetime contract. Without a doubt, they would be stuck in the underground forever, struggling to survive.

But if they went outside, they would have personal freedom and rewards. The risk was immense, but the potential was tempting.

Becoming a laborer wasn't an option. Better to take a chance and go outside!

"I hope everyone considers carefully. Please follow the order when leaving and avoid overcrowding," Adam said, and then the people on stage exited the hall.

"We should head back too," Jason said in a low voice and stood up to leave.

On the way back, the four of them were silent, each reflecting on the events in the conference hall. Even Sakura wore a rare serious expression, abandoning her usual playful demeanor.

Back at their dorm, Jason immediately checked their remaining survival points. After eight days of training, his team had accumulated 800 survival points.

"I have an idea. Our remaining food will last for about seven more days, and we need to take on an outside mission before we run out of food," Jason explained his thoughts to the others.

"What? So soon? We could wait another month! Why do we need to go out now?" Simon exclaimed.

"Because we need survival points to replenish our equipment. After we run out of food, the survival points we earn daily from training won't be enough to feed us. At the current rate, we're earning about 40 survival points a day, but a meal costs at least 25 points, and water costs another 5 points. If we delay, we'll lose 50 points just to replenish our equipment. What do you think, Hank, Sakura?" Jason analyzed the situation and turned to them.

"I'm fine with it," Hank replied briefly, his mind wandering, perhaps thinking about his family, comrades, or the country.

"I have no objections. I've been wanting to go outside and get some fresh air," Sakura responded, reverting back to her usual carefree self. Jason couldn't help but admire her quick mental recovery.

As for Simon, he kept insisting on signing up for permanent labor, but when Jason subtly unlocked his gun, Simon quieted down.

"I plan to take on the mission in four days. We'll save three days' worth of food and use the four days to earn around 200 survival points. By then, we should have enough for 1000 survival points and can upgrade to a Level 2 team," Jason said. After seeing no objections, he continued his training.