Chapter 1: Rebirth
"Crack—crack…"
A searing pain radiated from Ye Chen's chest. He forced his eyes open and saw only a world bathed in blood red. In his ears, the low growls of a beast, tinged with excitement, mixed with the horrific sound of bones being chewed—chilling and relentless.
Am I going to die?
A bitter thought crossed Ye Chen's mind. He had fought for survival in the post-apocalyptic world for ten long years, each day a struggle. He had been cautious, always clutching his weapon as he slept, alert to the slightest sound, knowing that the next movement might be his last. But today, a small lapse—leaving the scent from hunting three hounds—had led this blood-cornered beast to track him down.
Being slowly devoured by the monster, perhaps this was a fitting end?
As the strange thought surfaced in Ye Chen's mind, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. There was a strange sense of release in knowing that his life was beyond saving. Despite the inevitable end, there was peace in the acceptance of it.
When he was in high school, his parents had died in a car crash, leaving him alone with his younger sister. And when the apocalypse came, his sister was also taken by the deadly jaws of the zombies.
Why am I even alive?
Perhaps, like most people, he lived just to survive…
For the past decade, driven by fear of death and a longing for life, Ye Chen had wandered the line between life and death. He had struggled, like a dog, barely breathing. Sometimes, he even wondered if he was still human.
Death… maybe it was a release.
Perhaps he had finally come to terms with it. A sense of lightness enveloped his body as his consciousness began to fade, slipping into the quiet embrace of sleep.
…
"Brother, wake up!"
A bright and melodious voice rang in his ears. Immediately, Ye Chen felt a cold little hand pinch his nose. He startled awake, jumping out of bed instinctively, but mid-motion, he collided with something solid—his back slammed into a wall, sending a jolt of pain down his spine.
What's going on?
As his mind cleared, Ye Chen realized he was no longer in the clutches of the blood-cornered beast. Instead, he lay on a soft bed.
He looked up and saw a scene that seemed eternal.
Beside the bed, under the soft glow of a lamp, stood a young girl. Her long lashes framed her bright eyes, her lips curled into a gentle smile. She was beautiful. When she smiled, her eyes became crescent moons, and the delicate dimples in her cheeks deepened. The air around her seemed to pause, as if time itself had frozen at that very moment.
"Brother, why are you still in bed? Get up, it's your college graduation today! If you're late, it'll be bad!" She blinked her big eyes and pouted.
This familiar face, this familiar voice, rained down on Ye Chen's heart like soft droplets. For a moment, he felt as though he were dreaming, scarcely able to believe that his sister, who had perished in the zombie apocalypse, was now standing alive before him.
Wait.
College graduation?
Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat. If that was true, then today was July 1, 2013—the day the apocalypse began. Could it be that he had been reborn, sent back ten years?
He looked around the room. The light was dim, and the space was small. On the wall hung an antique clock, its "dong-dong" sound echoing like a death knell. Yellowing posters and old photographs adorned the walls. One photo showed a young couple smiling kindly, and in the distance, a desk piled high with books.
This was his room from his college days.
Ye Chen stood frozen for a long while, then realized it wasn't a dream—it was real. He hadn't panicked, though; he merely felt a moment of confusion before settling into calm. After a few moments of silence, he got out of bed and said to his sister, Ye Zhu, with a serious tone, "Sis, take our bank card and withdraw all the savings."
Ye Zhu hesitated, confused. "Withdraw everything? What do you need it for?"
Ye Chen gently ruffled her hair with affection in his eyes. "Don't worry, I won't do anything foolish."
Ye Zhu glanced at him skeptically but said nothing. Since their parents' death, Ye Chen had raised her, paying for her tuition and living expenses through part-time work while studying. She remembered how, when she was in the third year of middle school, she once admired a classmate's beautiful wallet. Without telling her, Ye Chen secretly worked on a construction site for a week, exhausted beyond belief, to buy her an identical one.
Because she was a girl and cared about her pride, Ye Chen always sacrificed for her, whether it was clothes or jewelry. He never let her lose face in front of her peers.
Thinking of this, Ye Zhu's nose tingled, and she nodded quietly, walking over to the bedside. She pulled out a dusty cloth from beneath a wooden board, uncovering a pristine white bank card, carefully hidden.
"I'm off." Ye Zhu tucked the card safely into her jeans pocket and smiled brightly.
Ye Chen nodded. "Be careful on the way."
Ye Zhu flashed a mischievous grin, her laughter like a bird's song in the spring, before turning and leaving.
Once she was gone, Ye Chen's smile faded, replaced by his usual cold expression. He walked to the old clock and glanced at the time—6:20 AM. If he remembered correctly, the apocalypse would hit around 7 PM tonight, giving him just about twelve hours to prepare.
His mind raced through the next steps. Since he had been reborn, he would make sure the tragedy of his past life never repeated.
In his previous life, it was because he went to attend the graduation ceremony, leaving his sister alone at home, that she fell victim to the zombies' deadly jaws.
On the desk, beneath the lamp, was a family photo in an old frame. In the photo, a young couple stood at the center, with a teenage boy and a young girl beside them.
"Mom, Dad," Ye Chen murmured, his eyes growing misty as he looked at the photo. "I will take care of Ye Zhu. I swear."
He turned and began packing useful items. After the apocalypse, 70% of the world's population had turned into zombies. A cheap rental like this wouldn't hold up against their attack. He needed to find a truly safe place.
Moments later, Ye Chen had packed everything. The two of them only had one suitcase, filled with a few changes of clothes. Most of their possessions—blankets, textbooks—were unnecessary.
Ye Chen paused at the desk, staring at the family photo for a long time before gently placing it in the suitcase. He sat on the bed, lost in thought about what to do next.
This apocalypse was different. At 7 PM tonight, a scientific lab in North America would explode, releasing a virus that would spread across the globe with the speed of fiber optics, without any warning.
Under this virus, the weak and the sick would instantly become terrifying zombies. These zombies were not like the fragile ones seen in movies. They were immensely strong—equivalent to the strength of three grown men. The steel doors of rental apartments would be torn apart in an instant.
And besides zombies, animals would mutate into savage beasts, even more horrifying than zombies.
As he pondered these thoughts, not long later, Ye Zhu returned, her jeans rolled up to reveal a hidden inner pocket now bulging with money.
"Brother, where are we going?" she asked, noticing the suitcase in the center of the room.
Ye Chen took the money from her hand without counting. There should be about 12,000 yuan—enough for him to buy some supplies.
"Come with me. Don't ask questions. I'll explain later," Ye Chen said seriously.
Ye Zhu hesitated, sensing a bad omen in her brother's solemn demeanor, but trusted him completely. Whatever he did, he was always her brother.
That was enough.
Ye Chen grabbed the suitcase and led the way out. The streets were quiet for now, with few pedestrians. He walked steadily to the bus stop, where he waited in silence.
Ye Zhu silently followed behind him, her curiosity evident, but she didn't ask any more questions.
Soon, the bus arrived. Ye Chen calculated that it would take about four hours to reach the city center from here, meaning he had roughly eight hours left to prepare.
On the bus, he paid for both tickets and found a seat by the window, staring out, lost in thought.
…
In the center of Hangzhou, the skyline rose like a forest of steel, bustling with cars and people, full of life and energy.
Ye Chen and Ye Zhu checked into a five-star hotel and took the highest-floor suite. After settling their luggage, they had lunch, and Ye Chen left his sister at the hotel before heading out to the city.
He didn't go to the grocery section for food; instead, he went straight to the snack aisle, picking up two bags full of candy and chocolate.
Candy was rich in calories and had a long shelf life—perfect for survival.
Ye Chen remembered that in the later stages of the apocalypse, a single candy could be traded for a piece of low-grade leather armor.
Along with the candy and chocolate, he also bought about 500 eggs. His purchases drew astonished looks from the shoppers around him, and even the store attendants were speechless.
…
The excitement was about to begin!