"Five years ago," she began hesitantly, "our world was not like this. It was a place of hope, of... normalcy."
Li Shen had been away for what felt like an eternity in the murim world, was simply five years in his homeworld! Having traveled through realms with varying concepts of time, he never could have imagined this stark contrast between his memories of a vibrant, thriving Earth and the current desolation that was jarring.
He had ventured into realms where time ebbed differently, but nothing could have prepared him for this. His heart, or whatever remained of it, was torn between longing for his lost home and fear of what else may have changed in his absence.
What about his parents!!!
His sister!!!
Were they able to survive the apocalypse without him? Were they able to safely find shelter amidst this apocalyptic chaos?
Were they still… even alive…?
Li Shen's mind raced with worry and fear for their wellbeing. He longed to see them again, to know that they were safe. But as he looked around at the destruction around him, he couldn't help but wonder if they were still alive...
The memory of the world before the apocalypse was a distant, painful recollection for Lin Mei.
"My husband, Zhang Wei, died in a car accident a few months before everything changed. It was hard enough raising Xiao Ling alone, but then those nightmarish dimensional cracks, portals began to appear."
Li Shen's interest was suddenly piqued. "Portals?"
"Yes," Lin Mei nodded, her voice breaking.
"Portals connecting to other worlds. At first, it was just curiosity, and then... then power. Some gained abilities, fortunes. Others... others were destroyed by their greed."
She paused, her eyes welling with tears. "Then came the zombies. They came through one of the portals—an endless tide of death. The nations took it lightly at first, thinking it was a localized threat. But it spread, it consumed everything. The world fell apart quickly."
Five years prior, she had lost her husband in a tragic accident—a collision that was as sudden as it was fatal. With no time to grieve properly, she had been thrust into a world that had begun to unravel with the sudden appearance of portals.
The portals had not only connected Earth to fantasy realms but also brought with them an influx of beings and powers that had quickly disrupted the balance of her once-familiar world.
As nations tried to exploit these newfound powers, greed, and ambition led to chaos.
Some individuals acquired incredible abilities, amassing fortunes and dominating the world's political and economic systems.
Others, blinded by the allure of power, faced a grim fate, becoming the playthings of monsters from other realms.
Her voice wavered as she continued.
"The zombies emerged from one of these portals. Initially, it was a localized threat, something governments believed they could contain. But the virus spread quickly, becoming a global pandemic. Nations faltered, and societies collapsed. The world... the world fell apart."
The most dire consequence of this rift was the arrival of the zombies—initially underestimated, they soon became an unstoppable plague. Governments failed to contain the outbreak, and within months, civilization crumbled.
Lin Mei's struggle for survival had been constant, her hope dwindling as each day became a battle. She had raised her daughter, Xiao Ling, in the midst of this chaos, her love and determination being the only things keeping them alive.
His heart ached as he listened to Lin Mei's story, the weight of his absence becoming painfully clear.
Her eyes darted to Xiao Ling, whose tiny frame shook in her arms.
"I did everything I could to protect her. We moved from place to place, always hiding, always running. We thought we were safe here, but... it's all gone. Everything."
As Lin Mei spoke, a fresh wave of excruciating pain surged through her, twisting her features in agony. The bite from one of the zombies had left a sinister mark on her arm—an angry, inflamed wound that stood out starkly against her pale skin.
Her eyes, wide with fear, betrayed her inner turmoil. Lin Mei's mind raced with terrifying thoughts: the grim possibility of her transformation into one of those creatures she had fought so hard to avoid.
She imagined herself succumbing to the virus, becoming a ravenous zombie that would leave her precious daughter, Xiao Ling, to face the unforgiving world alone. What's worse, the thought of biting her own daughter—of turning her into one of those monsters she so feared—was a tormenting vision that twisted her heart with dread.
The image of Xiao Ling's innocent eyes turning hollow and lifeless, her little body caught in the same horrific fate, was a nightmare that made her want to scream in despair. The weight of her impending transformation, the idea of losing herself to the virus, and the monstrous threat it posed to her child, was almost too much to bear.
The thought of her little girl struggling in this desolate wasteland, bereft of her mother's protection and love, was unbearable.
Adding to her anguish was the realization that if she turned into a zombie, the person before her very eyes would wipe her existence from the face of the Earth, turning her body into crumbling pieces of ash before the very eyes of Xiao Ling. The notion of her very essence being obliterated, her memories and humanity lost forever, was a chilling fate that compounded her distress.
Through gritted teeth, Lin Mei managed to gasp, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Xiao Ling... I'm so sorry, my sweet girl. If I turn... if I become one of those monsters... you have to be strong. You have to survive. Promise me you'll stay safe and keep fighting. I can't bear the thought of me leaving you alone."
Tears streamed down her face as she continued, her voice breaking with raw emotion. "If I turn into one of them... please... you have to make sure I'm gone. Don't let me hurt my precious daughter. Please, end me, if you have to."
Li Shen saw the terror in her eyes and understood the full weight of her fear. Without hesitation, he sprang into action. His determination to save the survivors—the few he had first encountered in this desolate world—burned brightly within him. He was not ready to surrender to fate just yet.