The torrent of demands from the vampire confronting Prince Dracula ceased abruptly, feeling as if a blade had suddenly severed his throat!

Magneto, his face ashen, was signing a check with his family fortune to settle a debt. The check he extended hovered in mid-air; the fingers of the person opposite him were visibly trembling, refusing to accept it.

A man in a sharp suit, who had been preparing to spit at Professor X, suddenly froze stiff. He snapped his head down to his feet, trying to ascertain if this was a hallucination. The crowd below erupted in screams of alarm, yet Mr. Chalvis’s eyes suddenly flashed with ambitious light!!

This moment had finally arrived!

Following his previous performance as a saint, his image of accepting responsibility and working tirelessly was deeply ingrained in everyone’s mind. With the support of those present, who could possibly stand against him from becoming the presidential leader after the disaster? Professor X had long realized that without corresponding power and political status, there was no way to implement his doctrines!

As for the sharp drop in population after the disaster, Professor X had consulted a series of experts. They informed him that humanity was an incredibly fecund species, primarily demonstrated in two aspects:

First, while the vast majority of animals experience an estrus cycle, humanity’s cycle is uniquely perverse; regardless of the season, human males maintain reproductive capability from their early teens well into their eighties, allowing them to engage in reproduction anytime, anywhere, as they please.

Second, relying on their own technology, humans could effortlessly reduce infant and maternal mortality to extremely low levels.

Considering the current wave of Ark imitation trends sweeping through China and the extensive countermeasures the US government had implemented, the estimated survivor count could exceed three million. Therefore, after the catastrophe, the population could rebound to over one hundred million within thirty years.

And as for Professor X’s lifespan… in his powerful state, he could even manage to directly possess the bodies of those in a vegetative state or comatose (as introduced in the film version, a perverted ability allowing direct body-snatching, much like Tieguai Li). Time, therefore, was not an issue for him!

“The collapse of the Pacific Plate will begin in the center. Imagine a cookie breaking in half—a massive fissure, almost bisecting the central United States, will slowly form. This rift will trend from west to east, following the path of the Mississippi River, expected to create a super-enhanced version of the East African Rift Valley. In areas nearby, the seismic intensity will reach magnitude twelve or even thirteen!”

“Fortunately, cities like New York and Washington will lie on the outermost fringe of the damage during this initial wave of catastrophe, suffering the least impact. However, Los Angeles will be severely affected by the San Andreas Fault originating near San Francisco, with the degree of damage increasing linearly.”

“Overall, during the first wave of seismic disaster, people in coastal cities will have slightly better chances of survival. But the resulting tsunami will arrive two to three hours later, and the initial wave height should exceed one thousand meters. That will be the doom of all coastal cities!”

Fang Senyan’s previous words echoed in the minds of the Three Great Leaders.

At this moment, the Three Great Leaders had complete faith in him.

The continuous earthquakes began to fill everyone with dread and panic. Although the current magnitude was only oscillating between levels four and six, even this level of experience, which posed little threat to life, instantly crushed the anger that had previously gripped most people. Astonishment and humiliation were replaced by endless terror that seized their bodies!

Facing this grand natural disaster, Prince Dracula smiled his bloodthirsty smile, stood up, and first surveyed his surroundings. Seeing the skeptical gazes transform into abject, prostrate submission, he slowly extended his hand and snapped the neck of the vampire who, full of vigor only minutes ago, had stood before him demanding answers!

The stunned creature even forgot to resist!

Next, if not now, when would Prince Dracula seize this opportunity to purge his dissenters? He immediately unleashed a terrifying massacre, as if it were a storm of blood and carnage! Only when he was fully satisfied, licking his fangs, did he give the order to board his flagship.

Magneto looked coldly at the man before him—the man who had once been his friend, the man who seconds ago had been frantically yelling for him to compensate for all losses—and then stated calmly:

“Take this check. This is the compensation I secured for you after selling off my inheritance.”

The man’s face turned pale, and he managed a weak smile, waving his hands repeatedly: “This, this is just a misunderstanding, listen to me, dear Erik…”

Magneto couldn't be bothered to speak further; he shoved the check directly into the man’s mouth. Then, looking at the remaining figures in the room, pale with fright and seemingly speechless, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly before striding out.

The entire fleet of eight airship formations, totaling fifty-six vessels, stationed at this base, had long since been filled with gas during the timeframe Fang Senyan had indicated, and they were tethered, hovering just above the ground.

However, because at least half the people had wavered earlier, these airships had lowered again, floating three to four meters above the ground, with temporary giant staircases installed to facilitate the departure of those individuals. But now that the earthquake had struck, the mutants, the Blood Clan, and the confidantes of the Three Great Leaders—all of whom had been stewing in frustration aboard the airships—retracted the stairs without hesitation, taking malicious pleasure in their revenge, and ordered the airships to ascend rapidly!

“Told you to stop demanding refunds!” a currency exchange officer on the airship sneered.

“Told you not to defy orders and try to leave privately?” the airship management resented.

“Told you to block the doorway and mess with my buddies!” a flight attendant on the airship gnashed their teeth.

“Told you to litter everywhere!” the airship cleaner said with a cold laugh, waving a broom.

“Told you to treat my words like nonsense!” the captain growled fiercely.

Seeing the airships ascend and their only lifeline vanishing, those who had previously disembarked became utterly frantic. The earthquake continued, and their inner terror grew day by day. Some wailed, some shouted, some made frantic threats, and a few even pulled out firearms and started shooting at the airships…

Such behavior clearly could not be forgiven. Consequently, they were quickly riddled with holes by the weapons on board and the Legendary Plot Characters. As for repairs, those tasks could be left to the flying Blood Clan members, who could simply slap on a large, bandage-principle patch and then pump in the prepared gas using an air pump. The main envelope of each airship was divided into numerous compartments, so the breach of one small compartment wouldn't significantly affect the overall buoyancy.

At this juncture, it was Professor X who stepped forward. He slowly floated into the air, then directly demanded that those people kneel and confess their sins, sincerely beg for forgiveness by silently repeating his name in their hearts, and thereby attain salvation.

Such charlatan-like theatrics would certainly have been met with scorn under normal circumstances, but now, with life itself at stake, people would commit to even the most outrageous acts. More importantly, Professor X could genuinely perceive people’s innermost thoughts and ideas!

Soon, a faint white glow appeared over dozens of sincerely repentant individuals, and rope ladders descended from the airships like continuously revolving conveyor belts. As long as they held tight, they could be rescued onto the ships without needing to climb.

With role models and a clear path to survival established, these chosen individuals—all elites of society—found that while the shaking was violent, the earthquake didn't seem immediately fatal. Thus, the situation finally returned to some semblance of order.

The greatest casualties in this process were about ten people who fell to their deaths due to cramped hands slipping off the rope ladders. Oh, and over a hundred devout religious individuals who believed Professor X’s actions were blasphemous; thus, Professor X graciously set them free—they were forbidden from boarding the airships, but free to go anywhere else on Earth.

The luckiest among them were those personnel who remained on the airships. They watched the fools below with disdainful eyes. The names of this group of steadfast supporters were duly recorded and would certainly receive preferential treatment in all aspects later on.

However, after this upheaval, the majority of people who had previously dispersed did not return. They spent a night terrified, and upon leaving, they were convinced the apocalypse was just a massive, dismissed fart. They were surely catching up on sleep now, unlikely to rush back in time. Even if they did return, the base might not be willing to take in such fair-weather followers.

Therefore, after consultation among the Three Great Leaders, they decided to activate the emergency contingency plan: while billions of people still existed, they would urgently supplement the population from New York City first. While this blanket approach was somewhat crude, the maxim that population is the primary productive force held true—it was better to have some than none!

While matters concerning the Three Great Leaders were proceeding at full throttle, Fang Senyan and his three companions were facing the most arduous trial since entering the Nightmare World!

The area they currently occupied was several hundred kilometers closer to the epicenter! More crucially, a crustal fissure extending from the epicenter would pass right through this location, meaning the earthquake intensity here would exceed magnitude eight!

What does a magnitude eight earthquake signify? The official description states: Widespread structural damage, some roadbed collapse, and breakage of underground pipelines.

Sounds rather understated, doesn't it?

However, the Great Wenchuan Earthquake of 2008 was only 7.9 magnitude, with the most destructive initial tremor lasting only 22 seconds, occurring in a less densely populated and relatively underdeveloped region of western China (areas like Wenchuan and Yingxi were major labor-exporting regions). The final cost was 800 billion RMB, with nearly 100,000 fatalities.

Normally, earthquakes last only a few seconds, perhaps ten to fifteen seconds, rarely exceeding a minute.

In the 2012 World’s End scenario, what would be the implication of a magnitude eight earthquake expected to last nearly half an hour?? The scale of destruction would be staggering.