Level Zero Mirage

Beyond the iron gate, a set of concrete stairs descended into the underground. The walls were reinforced with cement, and every so often, two white fluorescent light tubes illuminated the space. Although the passage was deep, it was not dark.

From the appearance of the cement walls, it was clear that this building had been constructed earlier than the nearby Commodity World Mall. The rugged and utilitarian arched ceiling resembled a civil defense structure built during the early years of the nation's founding.

As he reached the corner of the stairs, Xu Mo could already hear faint voices coming from below.

"This is... the headquarters of the World Fruit Trade Alliance?"

In Xu Mo's mind, he had imagined that a large organization like the World Fruit Trade Alliance, composed entirely of abilities users, would have a headquarters that exuded sci-fi charm. He expected something similar to the alien-catching headquarters in Men in Black, or at the very least, a high-tech underground research facility like Umbrella's labs in Resident Evil. Even a few automatic sensor doors would have sufficed to create an impressive atmosphere.

However, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. When he opened the rusted folding door at the end of the stairs, what greeted his eyes was an old, Russian-style subway station. The large ceiling lamps, which had probably been in use for decades, cast dim, yellowed light on the curved ceiling. The white wall paint and green wall tiles had long begun to peel off in patches, resembling the fading remnants of a forgotten memory.

The nearly hundred-meter-long, gray concrete platform had several entrances and exits irregularly spaced along the left wall. Aside from the restrooms and a few other areas, most of the entrances were unmarked, and it was impossible to tell where the stairs would lead.

Below the platform, the subway tunnel had been entirely sealed off with thick red brick cement walls. A single old-fashioned subway car, covered with reddish-brown rust, sat in the center of the tunnel. There was no front or back to the car; it resembled a large piece of discarded green trash.

Though Xu Mo had previously heard voices, there were very few people on the platform at the moment—so few, in fact, that he could count them on one hand.

These people were all wearing black cloaks with numbers printed on them. Most of them were gathered around the reception desk in the center of the platform. He occasionally saw brand-new, multi-colored membership cards being handed out by the attractive female receptionists, clearly to the new ability users, like himself, who had just arrived.

As for the "shocking scene" that Du Zhizhang had mentioned, Xu Mo hadn't spotted it yet... though if an unexpectedly empty place like this counted as shocking, then he had indeed been surprised.

Nonetheless, Xu Mo subconsciously felt that the situation here couldn't be as simple as it appeared. After all, if the place were just an empty platform with a few scattered ability users, it seemed over the top to have twelve numbered reception desks in a row. There must be something more going on here.

Soon, Xu Mo noticed something peculiar. A numbered ability user, 0233, received their membership card and turned to walk directly into the lone subway car on the platform. Just as this person stepped through the still-open doors, they vanished into thin air, as though they had been absorbed by the car!

Could it be...?

This scene was eerily familiar to Xu Mo. He quickly summoned his silver mask and peered through the lenses at the spot where the person had disappeared. Indeed, he saw a layer of purple mist hanging above the subway car, with its edge just about touching the open doors.

It was an Apocalyptic Mirage!

Xu Mo's heart skipped a beat. No wonder Du Zhizhang had mentioned things like "here but not here." It turned out that the true location of the "World Fruit Trade Alliance" was within an Apocalyptic Mirage!

This organization was incredibly bold! Even though the comings and goings were all by Apocalyptic Shard Wielders, did they not fear the endless horrors that resided within the mirage?

No, wait... If the World Fruit Trade Alliance's headquarters was inside an Apocalyptic Mirage, how could Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong, both members, not be aware of the connection between the Shards and the Mirages?

Could this Apocalyptic Mirage have some kind of secret?

Xu Mo examined the mist again through his silver mask. He quickly noticed that the purple mist above the subway car was far thinner compared to the two other more terrifying mirages he had encountered, and the area it covered was minuscule—just large enough to envelop the subway car. It was so small that it was almost unbelievable.

Could this be... a Level Zero Mirage?

Although Xu Mo didn't know if such a level of mirage existed, he couldn't compare this minuscule, almost negligible Apocalyptic Mirage with the terrifying places like the "Mass Graveyard" and "Biohazard"—they were worlds apart, like the difference between a well and a reservoir.

"How is it? Surprised?" Du Zhizhang asked with a slight smugness. "I was also shocked when I first saw how people just vanish like that. Now that I think about it, maybe this place is also an Apocalyptic Mirage?"

"Is it safe inside?" Xu Mo asked after putting his silver mask away.

"Of course! But honestly, I didn't find anything strange about it before I knew it was an Apocalyptic Mirage. Now that I do, I'm puzzled why there aren't any Mirage creatures inside," Du Zhizhang shrugged and said.

Xu Mo paused and asked, "Does anyone in the Alliance know the secret of this special Mirage?"

"There should be some who know... but some internal documents in the Alliance are only available to higher-level members. Us low-level members can't access them for now," Du Zhizhang replied. Just as a black-clad figure stepped out from another stairwell and raised a hand in a strange gesture, Du Zhizhang patted Xu Mo on the shoulder. "Your sister Chang Zitong is here. Let's go get our membership cards! Once we're inside the Alliance, you'll understand everything."

The process for obtaining a World Fruit Trade Alliance membership card was incredibly simple—it only required Xu Mo to insert the card into his Shard Space, and the registration was complete. The many beautiful receptionists were mostly there to act as guides for the newbie ability users.

"Congratulations, sir, on becoming an official member of the World Fruit Trade Alliance. Our membership cards are derived from Apocalyptic Shards and are directly linked to your life signs. If you die, the card will dissolve with you. As a storage medium for our Alliance's electronic currency, the membership card can be used to deposit and withdraw Fruit Coins from any of our trading machines," the receptionist said, smiling. "Also, if you're alone and unfamiliar with our Alliance's trading locations, I can act as your guide, but you must confirm that you'll pay a guide fee of ten Fruit Coins before leaving the Alliance."

The short-haired receptionist then listed a number of other guidelines, most of which Du Zhizhang had already mentioned, but in a more formal tone.

"Guide fee? Do you accept Huaxia currency?" Xu Mo asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Guide fees can also be paid in Huaxia currency, though I'd suggest using Fruit Coins. After all, Fruit Coins are the only currency accepted here, and many services are only available when you use Fruit Coins," the receptionist replied, emphasizing the word "services" as she leaned forward slightly. She propped herself up on the smooth marble counter, subtly revealing her cleavage and giving Xu Mo a flirtatious look.