At the entrance of the community, Lin An checked his phone, tracing routes on the map.
Ding.A text popped up. The number was instantly familiar—An Jingtian.
Brother Lin, I heard you're short on money. I've still got retirement pay left. Send me your card number.Come by when you can. My sister keeps asking to see you.
Warmth surged through Lin An's chest. Jingtian wasn't just a comrade-in-arms—he was family. They'd grown up together, bled together, and even his schooling had been funded by Jingtian's parents.
Another message followed.
Weather's been strange lately. I caught a fever. Eyesight's gone bad—need glasses now. Don't laugh at me when we meet.
Lin An froze. The phone slipped from his hand and clattered on the pavement.
A scout like Jingtian—sharp eyes, peak fitness—didn't just lose vision overnight. Fever. Failing eyesight. Cold limbs.
The early symptoms of infection.
Lin An's blood ran cold.
In his past life, they had arranged to meet outside the city when the world collapsed. Jingtian never showed. Lin An thought fate had delayed him. But now he knew the truth.
Jingtian hadn't been late. He had died—devoured by the virus, turned into a monster.
Rage and grief tore through him. His eyes burned red. Not this time.
There was one chance—one brutal, dangerous chance. Infected blood could be suppressed if it was mixed early with the blood of an Awakened. That was the only way to delay the transformation.
And Jingtian had only two hours of resistance in him once the outbreak began.
Lin An clenched his fists. Three days. He had three days to prepare supplies, secure equipment, and then reach his brother before the virus consumed him.
Three days was enough.
Hongyun Credit Company.
The air smelled of leather and cheap perfume. Three men sat across the desk.
"Mr. Lin, the loan is 1.7 million. Payment due in three days. Seven percent interest. Fail to pay, and your house is ours."
Lin An only nodded. Three days later, none of it would matter. Money would be less useful than toilet paper. In the end times, only food and strength had value.
He had already drained every loan platform he could, mortgaged his car and house, even pulled back the betrothal gift. The total: 3.4 million. Enough for mountains of supplies. Enough to buy time.
He left without a word. Behind him, the loan officers whispered.
"Zhang, I looked into him. Mortgaged his wedding house. Took 7% interest. Ruthless.""Probably gambling his life away. Who cares? If he doesn't pay, the house is ours."
They laughed. They had no idea the world was three days from ending.
Pharmaceutical Company.
Lin An strode past the gate, tossing his escort badge toward the guard. The old man barely looked at it before the elevator swallowed Lin An up.
Third floor. Laboratory.
Holiday lunch break. Only one intern remained, slouched at his desk.
"Brother Lin?" The boy blinked, confused.
Click. Lin An locked the door. His voice was flat."Where are the monitor lizard extracts and snake venom extracts?"
The intern stiffened. "Those require authorization. There's no mission today. What do you—"
"There are things you don't need to know."
The edge in Lin An's eyes made the boy falter.
When hesitation lingered, Lin An dropped his backpack. Bundles of cash spilled across the floor.
"Seven hundred thousand. Take it. No paperwork, no consequences."
The intern gaped. That was the market price. He swallowed hard and said nothing as Lin An pushed past him.
Minutes later, the freezers clanged open. Lin An held two vials aloft, their dark-blue liquid glowing faintly under the light.
Monitor lizard extract—raw strength in a bottle.Purified snake venom—forced endurance and explosive stamina.
The side effects were crippling, sometimes fatal. But if he awakened, his body would be reborn, perfected, healed.
He packed them away, along with every other vial he could find—thirty potions in all. Each one priceless in the apocalypse.
He slung the backpack over his shoulder."Keep quiet for three days. After that, tell whoever you like."
The intern shrank under his stare. The Lin An he remembered—gentle, patient—was gone. What stood before him was someone else. Someone dangerous.
The elevator descended. Lin An's mind worked furiously, planning.
Food: high-calorie canned goods, chocolates, energy bars. Awakened burn through fuel like furnaces.Water: bottled, laced with glucose.Weapons: Forget bows, forget guns. Firearms would weaken under the world's new laws. Cold steel would endure. Alloy blades. Reliable. Durable.
The rules of the apocalypse favored the strong. And the strong wielded steel.
Ding.The elevator hit the ground floor. Lin An stepped out, eyes burning with purpose.
"If memory serves, there's a key piece of equipment nearby… something that can help with awakening."
He gripped the map tighter. Three days until hell. Three days to rewrite fate.