The night was unsettlingly quiet, save for the occasional distant rumble of thunder that seemed to echo through the darkened skies. The acid rain had finally ceased, leaving behind an air heavy with the scent of decay and a landscape marred by the corrosive downpour. But the sky above was anything but normal. The red clouds, now streaked with flashes of ominous purple lightning, loomed like a harbinger of doom. Lu Ningfei stood by his window, staring out at the unnatural display, his thoughts tangled in a web of confusion and suspicion.
"This is all wrong," he muttered to himself, the frown on his face deepening as he watched the lightning dance between the clouds. "This wasn't supposed to happen."
The novel he had been thrust into had its flaws, sure—it was a clichéd story with predictable tropes, filled with the usual apocalyptic elements. But for all its predictability, it had followed a certain logic, a progression of events that made sense within its own world. But now, the story was veering off course, taking a turn into unknown and dangerous territory.
Lu Ningfei had expected the acid rain. He had expected the earthquakes, the rising temperatures, and the eventual cooling when the sun turned blue. He had even prepared himself for the inevitable zombie outbreak that was set to come in July. But what was happening now—the blood-red clouds, the ghostly apparitions, the unexplained deaths in the building—none of it was part of the plot he remembered.
His mind drifted to the protagonist of this world, Xie Sheng. The boy was an orphan, someone who had grown up in the worst of circumstances, struggling to survive in a world that had never shown him any kindness. When he had met Jun Yan in high school, it must have felt like a lifeline, a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak existence. Jun Yan, with his wealth and status, had helped Xie Sheng at a critical moment in his life, and from that point on, Xie Sheng had become devoted to him, seeing him as his savior, his one true love.
Lu Ningfei couldn't help but mock Xie Sheng in his thoughts. "Because he had no one else to love, he fell head over heels for the first person who threw him a bone. How pathetic." He smirked, the disdain clear in his expression. "Xie Sheng is nothing more than Jun Yan's loyal dog, grateful for the scraps thrown his way. This protagonist has a screw loose."
And yet, despite his derision, Lu Ningfei couldn't deny that Xie Sheng was a powerful force in the story. His loyalty to Jun Yan, though misplaced in Ningfei's eyes, was absolute. It was this loyalty that drove Xie Sheng to protect not just Jun Yan, but everyone in their small group of friends, guiding them through the horrors of the apocalypse with a steadfast resolve.
The acid rain had been just the beginning. Xie Sheng, Jun Yan, and their friends had been out when it first began to fall, but Jun Yan had quickly purchased a flat in the same building where Lu Ningfei now lived.
From there, they had hunkered down, riding out the first wave of disasters. Xie Sheng had taken charge, proving himself to be a wise and capable leader. He had made sure they were prepared, gathering supplies, fortifying their shelter, and ensuring that everyone was safe.
In the original plot, Xie Sheng was portrayed as the ideal protagonist—a strong, noble figure who protected those he loved and led them through every challenge. His love for Jun Yan was depicted as pure and unwavering, a love that gave him strength in the face of unimaginable horrors. But to Lu Ningfei, it was all just a farce.
"He's not a hero," Ningfei thought bitterly. "He's an idiot. A Holy Mother who can't stop himself from trying to save everyone, even when it's clear they don't deserve it. And all for the love of a man who sees him as nothing more than a convenient tool."
As the weeks passed, the disasters had escalated, just as the plot had foretold. The second week brought earthquakes, shaking the very foundations of the city. Buildings collapsed, roads split open, and the ground itself seemed to rebel against the people who walked upon it. But Xie Sheng had kept his group safe, guiding them through the chaos with an almost unnatural sense of calm.
Then came the third week, when the temperature began to rise, climbing to unbearable levels. The sun blazed down from the sky, turning the city into an inferno. Those who had survived the earthquakes now faced the threat of dehydration, heatstroke, and madness brought on by the relentless heat. But once again, Xie Sheng had risen to the challenge, finding ways to keep his group cool, hydrated, and safe from the burning sun.
But it was in the fourth week that things had taken a turn for the surreal. The sun had suddenly turned blue, casting an eerie, cold light over the world. The temperature plummeted, dropping almost below freezing overnight. The sudden shift caught many by surprise, leaving them ill-prepared for the cold. But Xie Sheng, ever the diligent leader, had anticipated the change, ensuring that his group had the warm clothing and shelter they needed to survive.
By July, the world had become a wasteland, a shadow of its former self. And then, just as the survivors thought they had seen the worst, the zombie virus broke out. Half of the remaining population turned into mindless, flesh-eating monsters overnight, while the other half either remained normal or awakened with strange, new powers. As expected, Xie Sheng and Jun Yan were among those who gained superpowers, their abilities making them even more formidable in the fight for survival.
Together, they had gathered other survivors, forming a base and creating a semblance of order in the chaos. They had opened institutes to train those with powers, to strengthen their defenses against the zombie hordes. They had fought against the Zombie Kings, monstrous creatures that ruled over the undead, pushing them back and reclaiming territory for the living.
It was all so typical, so predictable. The brave hero, the loyal lover, the battle against overwhelming odds—it was the kind of story that people loved to read, to imagine themselves in. But Lu Ningfei found it all so tiring, so meaningless. It was a story he had read a hundred times before, a story that had no real substance or depth.
But now, as he stared out at the purple lightning flashing in the blood-red sky, Lu Ningfei couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of dread. The story was changing. The plot was veering off course, heading into unknown and dangerous territory. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the world he was in was no longer following the script.
What if this wasn't just a simple transmigration into a novel? What if something—or someone—was rewriting the story as they went along? The thought sent a chill down his spine. He had always assumed that he had the upper hand, that his knowledge of the plot would give him an advantage. But now, it seemed like he was just as much at the mercy of this world as everyone else.
And that brat Xie Sheng...He is so attached to Jun Yan...just because Jun Yan did a charity to him.
"That's why he's so devoted to Jun Yan," Ningfei mused. "He's not just in love—he's clinging to the idea of someone who gave his life meaning. It's a weakness, one that will get him killed if he's not careful."