End of Days Game: I'm the Only One Who Can See the Hidden Cues

Jeremy glanced at his phone. The call was from an unknown number.

Normally, Jeremy would never answer calls from unfamiliar numbers, but since he had just arrived in the capital, he decided to pick up the phone.

As soon as the call connected, a voice came through—one that Jeremy was very familiar with. It was the Colonel, the one who had escorted Jeremy and Bonnie to the capital.

"Didn't you carry out the mission? Why didn't we see you around the Endless Abyss instance?" The Colonel questioned coldly.

Although the tone of the Colonel's voice was similar to before, Jeremy could tell that there was a hint of anger in it.

"Wasn't I supposed to carry out the mission on my own? I entered the Death Abyss instance this afternoon already. I've gathered enough information, and I've included everything in the report." Jeremy replied.

"Is that so? I recall the task requirements were quite clear. You were supposed to be at the Death Abyss instance after dark." The Colonel's voice came again, this time less angry, but still stern.

"It's fine, if you want me to go there now, I'll head over right away!" Jeremy snapped, hanging up the phone and quickly heading to the Endless Abyss instance.

When he arrived, he noticed several people gathered around the instance. One of them was the Colonel. The other two appeared to be quite young and weren't wearing military uniforms, which meant they were likely players from the Apocalypse game, possibly even unofficial ones.

"You finally showed up! We've been waiting for you for a long time!" One of the Apocalypse game players smiled at the Colonel, then turned to Jeremy with a mocking tone.

"You guys didn't have to wait for me at all. You could've just stayed away! It makes no difference whether you're here or not." Jeremy, not one to ignore a stranger's mockery, retorted sharply.

Jeremy's words immediately infuriated the two Apocalypse game players.

"Do you have any idea who we are? You have no idea what kind of consequences you're inviting by messing with us!" One of the players hissed angrily.

Jeremy tightened his grip on the Mortal Combat weapon in his hand and fixed his gaze intently on the player.

"Are you threatening me?" Jeremy asked in a calm voice, but his words carried an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Seeing the expression on Jeremy's face, both Apocalypse game players hesitated slightly. They didn't respond to his question and even took a few steps back.

"Enough!" the Colonel interjected sharply. "Stop the bickering! Our mission is to explore the Endless Abyss instance. Does your arguing help with that in any way?"

At first, the Colonel hadn't planned to stop the Apocalypse game players from mocking Jeremy. He, too, had been somewhat dissatisfied with Jeremy's previous actions. But when Jeremy displayed such a strong aura of pressure, the Colonel felt it was time to intervene and put an end to the potential conflict between the players.

The Colonel turned his gaze to Jeremy.

"Now, hand over the report. If it's up to my standards, I won't pursue this matter any further. But if it doesn't meet my expectations, don't say I didn't warn you," the Colonel said, though he didn't explicitly mention what the punishment would be.

However, to Jeremy, the unspoken threat of punishment was clear enough—it was bound to be severe.

Without hesitation, Jeremy handed over the report to the Colonel.

The Colonel stood by the riverbank, carefully reviewing the report.

After a long moment of silence, the Colonel slowly spoke.

"Excellent! You've indeed gathered enough information. I'll submit this report as soon as possible." His tone had softened considerably compared to before.

The Colonel then turned his attention to the two Apocalypse game players.

"You can go back now. Our mission has been completed."

"What do you mean? Our mission hasn't even started yet. Why are you saying it's over?" The two Apocalypse game players were clearly dissatisfied.

The reason the military headquarters had called them over was that they were essentially being used as cannon fodder.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" The Colonel's voice turned cold. "I said the mission is over, and it is over. I will make sure you receive the compensation you deserve. You can leave now."

Although the two Apocalypse game players were still clearly dissatisfied, they didn't dare to argue further with the Colonel.

Once the players left, the Colonel's tone softened even more than before.

"Many people have entered this instance, but no one has ever managed to get as deep into it as you have. The small town you mentioned— we've never found anything like that. But from the description in the first part of your report, I can confirm you really did go deep into the instance."

The Colonel said these words with a somewhat dejected expression on his face.

"So, does this mean you won't be holding me accountable for anything anymore?" Jeremy asked, his focus on the matter at hand.

Jeremy wasn't concerned about anything else. To him, different instances didn't make much of a difference. Some were harder to handle, while others were easier. His ultimate goal was to clear all instances. And to do that, he needed to eliminate the planners behind Apocalypse Game.

"Of course I won't hold you accountable! After all, you completed this mission flawlessly, and I'll be recommending you for a reward with my superiors. You can go back and rest up."

With the Colonel's permission, Jeremy quickly made his way back to his quarters.

The Colonel watched Jeremy leave, his gaze lingering until Jeremy's figure disappeared from view. Then, he reopened the report Jeremy had handed him.

"Could you really be in that small town?" the Colonel muttered to himself.

As for Jeremy, he was quite satisfied with the Colonel's response.

Though the Colonel hadn't been particularly polite, he had been fair and hadn't targeted Jeremy in any way. Jeremy felt that if everyone at the military headquarters acted as the Colonel did, the overall situation would likely be much better.

After Jeremy returned to his quarters, he went straight to rest.

However, while Jeremy was resting, the Colonel didn't take a break. He immediately took Jeremy's report and headed to the military headquarters building in the city center of the capital.

Although the Colonel's rank wasn't particularly high, the tasks he was assigned were of utmost importance. The Endless Abyss instance was one of the high-difficulty instances that the military headquarters was closely monitoring.

When the Colonel submitted Jeremy's report, everyone involved in monitoring the Endless Abyss instance was left stunned.

"Are you really sure what he wrote in the report is true?" One of the high-ranking generals asked in a tone of deep skepticism.

"I didn't accompany Jeremy on his mission, so I can't fully verify that everything he said is accurate. However, from the first part of his report, it seems he did manage to get deep into the Endless Abyss instance. Even if he didn't encounter the instance's boss, he was very close to it. We can start preparing for the final confrontation," the Colonel replied, his voice filled with excitement.

Clearly, he had long been eager to eliminate the Endless Abyss instance once and for all.

However, to the Colonel's superiors, the idea of eradicating the Endless Abyss instance was still a bit too ambitious.

"I think we can't afford to act hastily. Since Jeremy's previous actions were successful, let's have him continue exploring the Endless Abyss instance. If he can clear it out on his own, we won't have to take any unnecessary risks. That would be the most advantageous course of action for us at military headquarters."

"After all, the enemies we face aren't just the monsters within Apocalypse Game's instances. We also have internal enemies within the Federation to consider."

The higher-ups at military headquarters had many things to consider. Thus, they needed to safeguard their own power and avoid unnecessary exposure to danger.

Upon hearing this, the Colonel's face fell in disappointment. But he also knew that completely dealing with the Endless Abyss instance would take time, so he couldn't afford to be too impatient.

"I understand. I will assign Jeremy a new mission as soon as possible. His upcoming tasks will all focus on the Endless Abyss instance. I also hope he will be able to assist us…" The Colonel's voice trailed off, but his resolve was clear.

The Colonel only hoped that Jeremy could bring him more intelligence.

The reason for this was that the Colonel wanted to be the one to clear the Endless Abyss instance himself. Only by doing so could he avenge the many comrades he had lost there.

The Colonel had lost numerous companions in the Endless Abyss instance. He even suspected that some of the townspeople Jeremy had mentioned, who lived in the small town within the instance, might have once been his own comrades transformed into something else.

The higher-ups at military headquarters approved of the Colonel's plan. They, too, were eager to gauge the true extent of Jeremy's strength. If Jeremy's abilities turned out to be exceptionally powerful, they would make sure to win him over to their side.