"Hiss!"
Ouch!
A fiery sting shot through Nadine's hand, gradually bringing her back to consciousness.
She looked down to see a blood-red scratch.
Through the huge floor-to-ceiling window on the left, warm sunlight streamed in, dancing on her palm.
Sunlight?!
She remembered it had been a long time since she had seen such dazzling sunlight, after the world plunged into extreme cold.
Nadine subconsciously looked out of the window.
Blue sky, green grass, and the precious flowers carefully tended in the flower beds...
Nadine was dumbfounded.
Wasn't she supposed to be dead?
Dying in that catastrophic end of the world.
Why was she here again... in the former Xu family villa?
In an instant, Nadine's heart pounded.
She widened her eyes, greedily taking in everything before her, until her gaze fell on the young woman beside her.
At that moment, she was hanging a jade green pendant around her neck.
Nadine's pupils contracted sharply.
That was hers!
As the thought occurred, she stood up and reached out.
Then—
"A snap" sounded.
She forcibly snatched back the jade pendant that rightfully belonged to her, leaving a striking blood-red mark on the fair neck of the woman.
At the same time, a scream erupted!
"Ah!"
The woman covered her neck, her face contorted in pain.
"Oh my God, Wealthy, what's wrong? Let Mom take a look!"
"Old Wang, hurry and fetch Dr. Zhang!"
A couple sitting nearby, drinking tea and reading newspapers, rushed over upon hearing the commotion, showing concern to the young woman.
Seeing the loving family in front of her, Nadine smiled.
Wealthy! Beverly! Kerry!
Her "adorable" sister, "kindhearted" stepmother, and that "indifferent" father.
She never expected to meet them again in this way.
"Nadine, what have you done to your sister?" Kerry, without asking for reasons, scolded Nadine.
Nadine: "I just took back what belongs to me, is there a problem?"
Her voice was calm, her expression cold.
Taken aback by her retort, Kerry's anger grew, "It's just a piece of broken chain, not some precious treasure. If your sister wants it, give it to her! Look at you, acting like your dead mother, embarrassing!"
Seeing the bloodstain on Wealthy's neck, Beverly felt heartbroken, but still tried to placate the situation.
"Honey, don't be angry, I'm sure Nadine didn't mean to!"
She then looked at Nadine, with a forgiving expression, "Nadine, did you forget that you promised to give this to Wealthy as a birthday present in front of your dad? If you don't want to give it anymore, just tell Mom. Mom won't force you, right? Snatching it directly, isn't that what a robber would do? Look, you've made your sister bleed."
"Hurry up and give the thing back to Wealthy, and apologize to her!" Kerry said with disgust, "If you can't get Wealthy's forgiveness, then get out of the Xu family!"
Wealthy leaned against Beverly's embrace, gloatingly watching Nadine.
She knew that as long as Kerry spoke, no matter how unwilling Nadine was, she would comply.
That string of jade pendant she had been yearning for day and night would eventually be hers.
However, in the next moment...
Nadine lightly chuckled, then turned and walked away from their bewildered gazes.
"Stop!" Kerry shouted angrily, "If you dare to take one step out of here today, don't ever come back!"
Nadine paused for a moment, let out a sarcastic laugh, "As you wish!"
With that, she left the Xu family without looking back.
Once outside, facing the glaring sunlight, Nadine looked at the time displayed on her phone: August 25, 2040, 08:58.
Then she pinched her thigh fiercely.
Ouch!
So it's real, not a dream!
She really was reborn!
Reborn one month before the apocalypse.
2040, September 25, was when the world played a joke on humanity.
Continuous heavy rainfall almost submerged the entire earth, marking the beginning of the end.
In the apocalypse, she struggled and fought like a fierce dog, battling countless others just to grab a bit of food to survive.
In contrast, Wealthy and her mother always looked radiant, magically conjuring various supplies.
She used to envy them, thinking it was all thanks to Kerry's position in the base.
Until she saw Wealthy produce a chocolate cake out of thin air before her death, did she realize the truth.
Wealthy's affected voice kept echoing in her mind.
"Sister, thank you! Thank you for giving me such a magical pendant!"
In her hand was the jade pendant her grandmother left her before passing away.
But it was snatched away by Wealthy in the name of a birthday gift before the apocalypse.
With a flash of thought, Nadine didn't hesitate at all. She bit her finger and dripped the blood onto the pendant.
In that moment when the blood droplet touched the pendant, a white light flashed before her eyes.
After the light disappeared, the pendant was gone, replaced by a red birthmark on her palm.
Nadine's mind flickered, and she saw a space in her mind.
The space was foggy, square-shaped, and empty.
But Nadine was ecstatic.
It's real!
Everything is real!
Her rebirth is real!
Her space is real!
She grinned, then laughed.
Slowly, laughter filled with tears came out.
In her previous life, because of her compromises, she ended up with nowhere to be buried.
In this life, she would repay all the grievances!
Ignoring the strange looks from passersby, Nadine hailed a taxi and returned to the small apartment she used to live in.
Once she closed the door, she couldn't wait to open the space with her mind and began to explore.
The space was large, about the size of two football fields, surrounded by thick fog, separated by an invisible barrier.
Nadine silently entered, but she remained standing still, without moving. Only her phone disappeared silently into the space.
Suppressing her excitement, she continued to use the items in the room to test the effectiveness of the space.
Things were continuously taken in and out by her.
Until she was exhausted, she calmed down.