City of Dawn

The year 2044 AD. Human technology advances rapidly, and the age of the metaverse officially begins. Gradually, disasters strike one after another, while a black substance ruthlessly wipes out humanity. The black substance seems driven by some kind of mission, relentlessly pursuing humanity. In just half a year, the human population plummets from 8 billion to 1 billion. The darkest hour has arrived. That day, terrifying storms break out in multiple places around the globe, sweeping across the world. Under the storms' influence, the Black Tide mutates. No longer a flowing liquid, it becomes something like a gas: Gloom. Everyone who breathes in the gas turns to crystal, without exception. The Salvation Laboratory had reserve beacon lights and could have been spared, but someone destroyed them. Gloom enters the laboratory and indiscriminately kills all the researchers. Only a few people who were outside delivering beacon lights survive. Gloom soon covers the entire world. The world beyond the beacon lights becomes a forbidden zone for humanity, and the native species undergo tremendous mutations under Gloom's influence. Those who can wield the power of Gloom are called anomalies. Those who have merely mutated are called mutant species. From then on, communication between humans is severed. Even satellite signals cannot penetrate Gloom. At various human settlements, survivors develop societies and civilizations of many different kinds. With the tireless efforts of researchers everywhere, fluorite technology also gradually advances. But the world within Gloom remains unexplored. Thus begins humanity's Dark Age. Thirty years pass. The year is 2074. The story begins.