Apocalyptic Charity Plan [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

After asking several more questions without receiving an answer, Jiang Fanxing realized the system was being deliberately vague and clearly hiding something suspicious. He scolded the system in anger: “Are you sick? Is your cyber-brain not fully developed? If your functions are incomplete, why did you bother binding yourself to a host?”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, even threatening to quit or destroy them both. The system’s immediate, fawning apology only irritated him further. It knew nothing and claimed everything was “unlocked”—the sheer incompetence was infuriating.

Refusing to engage further with the dim-witted system, Jiang Fanxing opened his phone. The screen was filled with colorful apps, but everything was now dominated by national news. He pursed his lips and opened the comment section; the panicked remarks there were deeply disturbing.

His heart raced uncontrollably. Desperate to know the true state of affairs, he opened a video app, where every feed was occupied by a live broadcast from CCTV. The host, a familiar face from the nightly news, was speaking:

“Currently, unexplained rifts have appeared globally, causing severe loss of life and property across air, land, and sea. In response to this crisis, our government has dispatched troops to rescue sites. Here is the live report.”

Several feeds appeared on his screen, showing scenes of plane crashes, collapsed buildings, and wrecked fishing boats. Without exception, each disaster site featured a massive, pitch-black rift. In one feed, a reporter cautiously approached a rift, and Jiang Fanxing squinted to see that the dark fissures contained swirling flickers of light.

The rifts looked like distorted, continuously spinning black holes in space. They were terrifying; one felt as if they might be sucked inside just by standing too close. Recalling the system’s precautions, Jiang Fanxing realized the other side of these rifts might be worlds currently suffering their own apocalyptic crises, just like his own fractured reality.

At this thought, Jiang Fanxing could not help but ask the system: “System, what is your true purpose?” If the goal was simply to perform good deeds, why go inside the rifts instead of doing so in reality?

The system replied: “Host, performing good deeds inside the rifts inhibits the expansion of the fissures. Saving people in those worlds is the same as saving your own.”

As he suspected.

Jiang Fanxing pursed his lips, his mood heavy. After a moment, he asked: “The worlds inside those rifts must be dangerous. Can I bring weapons for self-defense?”

The system answered: “Certainly, but only cold weapons are permitted. Firearms and other modern weapons are prohibited.”

Cold weapons would suffice; besides, he could not get his hands on firearms anyway. Jiang Fanxing did not press further. He was no savior and had no desire to become one. If he could do a little good while satisfying his own interests, that would be enough. He would leave saving the world to the state.

Suddenly, a shrill scream erupted from his phone. Jiang Fanxing was startled, but when he looked down, the screen had gone black. No, the sound of screaming continued, punctuated by voices attempting to soothe others. The black screen was like a play with sound but no visuals. It seemed the live feed had been blocked.

What had just happened?

Suspicious and unsettled, Jiang Fanxing exited the app and opened Weibo. At the top of the trending list, he found the information he dreaded: the reporter had been swallowed by the rift, and their fate was unknown.

That reporter is done for, he thought silently.

After a brief sigh, he turned his attention back to the CCTV broadcast. The feed had returned, but instead of a reporter or host, it showed an elderly man with a kind face: the Chairman.

The Chairman’s expression was heavy with grief as he expressed concern for the victims and the missing reporter, reaffirming the government’s determination to save lives. He urged citizens to remain indoors, stay away from the rifts, cherish their lives, and take precautions against further accidents. Simultaneously, Jiang Fanxing noticed rows of military vehicles waiting behind the Chairman.

Half an hour later, he learned from the comments that military personnel had appeared around every rift in the country. They were cordoning off disaster sites to prevent further accidents. Jiang Fanxing turned off his phone, furrowing his brows as he contemplated how to bypass the military and enter a rift.

Before that, he needed to make preparations to avoid being recognized.

At the Ministry of National Defense, the Minister looked at the “Apocalypse Terminator Squad,” a team of volunteers formed under emergency orders. His expression was grave: “This mission is incredibly arduous. You must proceed with caution and prioritize your own safety above all else.”

Xie Yunqing and his three companions saluted: “Understood!”

With that, they gathered their gear and boarded a military vehicle bound for the rift that had swallowed the reporter. Watching them depart, the Minister’s tired eyes were filled with worry.

Since the apocalypse began, many in the military had undergone physical changes. These were benign mutations that maximized existing strengths, pushing their abilities to the limit. While this was not immediately obvious in the general population, the effect was profound in special forces, boosting their capabilities by more than threefold.

It was a blessing, but also a burden.

The greater the talent, the heavier the responsibility. With the military spread thin by rescue efforts, the burden of exploring the rifts fell on the retired Xie Yunqing. The weight of hope—and the pressure—resting on him and his three volunteers was unimaginable.

The rifts had appeared abruptly, causing incalculable loss and casualties just by existing. No one knew if these rifts would evolve or what crises they would bring to Earth. Even just standing there, they exerted immense pressure and panic on the populace. No one wanted to see the Earth torn apart.

Xie Yunqing and his team were to explore the rifts and find a way to seal them. No one knew if this journey was a one-way trip, but the Minister could only hope it was not.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fanxing, wearing a backpack and a white fox mask, had quietly reached the building opposite his own. The rift had split the shopping mall right in half; the warping of space during its formation had destroyed half the building, causing countless casualties.

The scene was chaotic. Volunteers were comforting the uninjured, the military was evacuating people, and ambulances were wailing as they transported the wounded to hospitals. Numerous low-rate reporters and influencers were trying to take advantage of the chaos for clicks, only to be chased away by police and soldiers for obstructing official duties.

Coincidentally, this was the very rift that had swallowed the reporter.

Jiang Fanxing hid in a blind spot and noticed a distinct military vehicle arriving. Three men and one woman stepped out. One of the men was exceptionally tall, over 1.9 meters, his aura sharp and murderous—reminding Jiang Fanxing of a predatory wolf ready to strike. Jiang Fanxing only caught a glimpse of his side profile, but the sharp line of his nose and chin told him the man was undoubtedly handsome.

Jiang Fanxing appreciated beauty, so he continued to study the man with curious, appreciative eyes. Perhaps sensing his gaze, the man turned sharply toward him, his eyes like knives that made Jiang Fanxing’s face sting.

Jiang Fanxing’s heart skipped a beat. Recalling his mission, he knew he could not afford to be exposed, so he hurriedly retracted his gaze and hid deeper in the shadows. Once he regained his composure, he recalled the man’s face and sighed inwardly: He really is handsome. However, having seen too many beautiful people in his life, he quickly put the striking man out of his mind.

The rifts looked close but were actually quite far apart; there were no others within ten kilometers. Facing the risk of being discovered, Jiang Fanxing could not afford to waste time seeking another rift; he had to find a way to enter this one. After one last look at the noisy disaster scene, he turned away, searching for a gap in the military perimeter.

Because the rifts were so numerous and military resources were stretched thin by rescue efforts, they could only guard the most prominent openings. The military assumed no ordinary citizen would be bold enough to approach, which gave Jiang Fanxing his chance.

Sure enough, in a corner behind the building, he found a tiny fissure in the ground, smaller than an earthworm.

“System, is this a rift?”

The system replied cheerfully: “Of course, Host. You have sharp eyes. Just touch it to enter. Of course, using your foot would have worked, too.”

Jiang Fanxing crouched down and touched the rift with his gloved right hand. He was about to ask what the system meant by “of course,” when the world spun violently. In the dizziness, he felt the sensation of falling.

It felt like an eternity had passed, or perhaps only a second. When Jiang Fanxing’s feet finally hit solid ground, he had not yet recovered from the dizziness. His legs went soft, and he stumbled forward, barely catching his balance.

As he took a deep breath, preparing to hold the system accountable, he suddenly realized something was wrong. His nose was filled with the pungent scent of smoke and charred debris. The skin exposed to the air felt like it was being seared by a furnace, and the soles of his shoes were melting, sticking to the ground. He felt as though he were inside a massive oven.

The world before him was a hundred times more terrifying than a furnace. Everywhere he looked was scorched black. Even non-flammable structures were cracking and collapsing under the extreme heat. But what chilled Jiang Fanxing to the bone were the countless shriveled human corpses scattered everywhere, their faces twisted in agony.

There were so many corpses that they were uncountable. The silence was absolute. Jiang Fanxing was sweating from the heat, yet his heart felt like it had fallen into a frozen hell.

“System, is anyone still alive in this world?”

The system did not answer directly: “The host has been confirmed to have arrived safely in the rift world. An intelligent system will now take over the functions of this system. Does the host have any final questions? A friendly reminder: you may only ask one question.”

Jiang Fanxing: “…”

This damn system was jumping ship, was it not?