True Apocalypse Game

The Whisperer?

This was not the first time those present had heard the name. After the Battle of Cheyenne Mountain, the name "Whisperer" had been deeply seared into their minds.

However, all they had were fragments of information about the Whisperer’s existence, with no deeper understanding.

To many, the so-called "Whisperer" was perhaps just a codename for some powerful faction, or maybe a general term for all the dark forces seeking to destroy human civilization.

Some even scoffed inwardly at this seemingly supernatural power, believing the developer was just being deliberately mysterious.

But now, hearing the developer’s words, they finally began to take it seriously.

At the same time, the developer’s words revealed something even more shocking.

The Super Cavitating Nuclear Torpedo that destroyed the stone statue ruins in the Arctic Amundsen Basin had been hijacked by the developer!

This incident, which had alarmed nations worldwide, was his handiwork!

His ability to effortlessly hijack the artificial intelligence programs from the world’s top AI laboratories was a testament to the power he wielded!

K-CRACK! A peal of thunder echoed from the sky. The dark clouds closed in again, and a mountain wind began to blow. A storm was coming.

Nick could no longer hold back.

"Excuse me, Mr. Developer, what exactly is the Whisperer? And how are we supposed to defend against it?"

Out of professional habit as an intelligence officer, he now found himself somewhat wary of the developer.

After all, he knew all too well what hijacking a nuclear warhead implied.

If this person wanted to carry out a terrorist attack, there would be virtually nothing to stop him.

As for whether this Whisperer even existed, there was currently no way to verify it.

After all, it was all too inconceivable. Even though they had witnessed the Petrification Disease outbreak and experienced the horrors of a nuclear-wasteland apocalypse in the game, completely breaking from their conventional mindsets was no easy feat.

The others felt much the same way and were all waiting for the developer’s answer.

They also vaguely suspected that the developer’s reason for gathering them into a single force was perhaps to deal with the Whisperer.

And regardless of what kind of organization the Whisperer was, or who comprised it, with the power they collectively wielded in human society, resisting—or even outright destroying—it shouldn’t be too difficult.

But unexpectedly, the young man sitting on the hillside gazed into the distance, sighed softly, and said:

"I don’t know either."

’If I already knew, why would I need to find you all?’

His words sent another wave of emotions through the players: shock, confusion, doubt, bewilderment, fear—the list went on.

Then, the young man stood up, scanned the crowd, and spoke.

"The information I have is extremely limited. For now, I only know that it appears suddenly, influencing others as a voice. It pushes the evolution of events at key junctures, driving everything toward the worst possible outcome... But I also know this: it absolutely will not stop. The Petrification Disease and the AI-driven nuclear strike system that could destroy the world are just the beginning."

’The Whisperer is an entity that even the "True Apocalypse Game" system is wary of. It certainly won’t stop here.’

"You’ve all completed the nuclear-wasteland mission, so you can end the game and leave. All I can do is offer a warning. Everything that comes after is up to you."

"Proceed with caution, and await my call... Beware the Whisperer."

With a wave of his hand, he made it clear he was about to end the game.

The players grew anxious. They hadn’t expected the developer to finally show himself, only to leave after giving them a single piece of information.

If the Whisperer was real, they would definitely need the developer’s help!

The Legion Commander quickly asked,

"Mr. Developer, if we find a clue or encounter the Whisperer, how do we contact you?"

The young man replied slowly,

"Don’t worry. When the time comes, I will find you."

"Please wait!" Sphinx, the commander of the Third Brigade, said candidly.

"Mr. Developer, please forgive our skepticism. Nothing is clear right now. The information we’ve received is fragmented, and we can’t fully trust one another yet. But... in this game, we have all become close comrades-in-arms and experienced so much..."

He then turned to the other players and said,

"I propose that we name Mr. Developer the Commander of the Salvation Army. What does everyone think?"

At his words, everyone’s eyes lit up. The Legion Commander and the others were filled with admiration for Sphinx’s quick thinking.

Even the young man nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with Sphinx’s candidness.

Trust is the most difficult thing to build, especially regarding something so unbelievable. Furthermore, they were all high-IQ social elites, which made it even harder for them to place their complete faith in such a matter.

But in their hearts, they felt it was better to believe it, just in case. If all of this was real, and they missed the chance to establish a connection with the developer because of their own skepticism, it would be an unforgivable error.

Therefore, asking the developer to become the Commander of the Salvation Army, in the name of the game, was a method everyone could accept.

Before the others could voice their agreement, the Legion Commander clicked his heels together, fixed his gaze on the developer, gave a slight nod, and said in a deep voice,

"Commander."

While others might still have harbored some doubts, the Legion Commander was the one who believed in the developer most deeply.

From the various missions in the Stone Statue Apocalypse and the nuclear-wasteland apocalypse, he could sense the developer’s goodwill toward human civilization.

That was enough.

A second person followed, nodding in acknowledgment. This time, it was Sphinx, commander of the Third Brigade.

"Commander."

"Commander!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander."

"We hope to see you again."

"..."

One by one, the players voiced their support for the young man.

The unprecedented experiences they’d had in the game over the past few days were enough to fill them with reverence for the developer.

The young man nodded, raised a hand, and said,

"Everyone, farewell. As a reward for completing the game, you will all receive a gift from me."

With that, he snapped his fingers.

SNAP.

With that soft sound, the terminal devices in front of the players all went black in an instant. A moment later, they lit up again, displaying their desktops.

The developer had forcibly kicked them out of the game.

Back in the game, on the hillside near Cheyenne Mountain, the hooded young man was still sitting where he had been. The players who were just in front of him had vanished in an instant.

Just then, a young female NPC in a straw hat walked over with a grin. She took off her hat and plopped down beside him.

"Shen Feng, I’m a pretty competent set designer, aren’t I?"

Shen Feng clicked his tongue and said,

"As a set designer, you’re very competent. The lighting and sound effects were spot on. As an actress, though, your performance was a little over the top."

If Poseidon were still alive, he probably would’ve had an aneurysm from sheer rage watching Jingwei’s performance—the whole damsel-in-distress act, the hair twirling, the girlish pouting.

Jingwei snorted. "Hmph, what do you mean, over the top? Poseidon was a complete moron to begin with. Who knows, maybe he liked to play dress-up in his spare time. If he doesn’t like it, he can come and get me."

Then, her expression turned curious as she asked,

"You just told them all about the Whisperer, just like that. Is that really okay? What if the Whisperer finds out and has them all killed?"

Shen Feng shook his head.

"It won’t happen. First, I’ve completely sealed the data stream here. Nothing will leak unless these players actively tell someone else.

"Second, based on the information we have so far, the Whisperer can’t directly influence the real world. It has to act through others, usually people with weak wills. These players, who lasted until the very end, are not weak-willed.

"Third..."

Shen Feng paused before continuing,

"...They’ve long been prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice."