It's five in the morning.
Inside this warmly decorated and neat room, various items were placed orderly.
In the midst of summer, the room's window remained half-open. Morning breezes gently teased the linen curtains, the soft morning light illuminated the large and comfortable bed where the room's owner was sleeping.
From time to time, a bird's chirping echoed from outside the window serene atmosphere, the young girl on the bed had a worried frown on her face, beads of perspiration forming on her forehead as if she was stuck in some frightful nightmare.
"Ahhh!"
Yun Shuhuhuai abruptly awoke, springing off the bed and taking a defensive stance while cautiously observing her surroundings.
What greeted her sight was not a gloomy lab filled with bizarre organ parts of zombies and mutated flora, but a familiar and cozy bedroom.
There were no sadistic scientists, nor a snickering dog-paced couple!
Is this… my room?
Am I dreaming?
Yun Shuhuhuai didn't let her guard down. This could be another new torture method devised by Su Moxi.
After all, Su Moxi, who possesses psychic powers, could weave a beautiful dream for her, only to shatter it herself once Yun Shuhuhuai gets engrossed. Any time now, a horde of dreadful zombies might barge into the room to rip her apart, turning her dream into a horrifying nightmare. And when she would wake up, she would see Su Moxi's gloating face outside the glass chamber.
"Creak…" The door made a noise, causing Yun Shuhuhuai's nerves to tighten again.
The bedroom door remained shut, but the small door underneath meant for pets to pass in and out was the one making the noise.
A little cat head was struggling through the small door. As a Maine Coon, its large body was stuck outside the door while its hind legs were diligently scratching against the floor, trying to push its body through the opening. , trying to crawl into its owner's room.
Finally squeezing into the room, it saw its owner crouching funnily at the bed's head.
Was the owner pretending to be a monkey?
The cat didn't understand anything. After tilting its head, the cat meowed happily and pounced onto its owner as usual.
Yun Shuhuhuai, who was still confused about the situation, saw her beloved cat whom she had not seen for three years.
Even though she missed it, she did not let her guard down, her taut nerves still making her believe that this might be an illusion created by Su Moxi using her memories to deceive her.
When the cat pounced on her, she rolled over to dodge but was tripped by the clutter on the bed. With a scream, she fell onto the floor.
It hurts. Even with the carpet cushioning, it still hurt a lot.
Yun Shuhuhuai lay on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
She wasn't crying because of the pain, but out of relief and joy It wasn't a dream. She had really returned.
The Maine Coon missed its target and saw its owner crying on the ground. It jumped off the bed, walked over to its owner, and stretched out its tongue to lick away her tears.
The cat's tongue was wet and prickly. Yun Shuhuhuai would never have allowed it to touch her face in the past. But now, she was thrilled and excited, she picked up the cat, held it in her arms, and buried her head into the Maine Coon's soft and thick fur, rubbing fiercely.
"Pot Stickers, sob sob, I really missed you so much."
Potstickers (the name of the cat) seemed to feel its owner's intense longing. Even if being trapped like this was uncomfortable and its fur was tangled, it still quietly stayed in its owner's arms.
They stayed like that for a while.
"Drip, drip, drip!" The alarm clock that sounded gave Yun Shuhuhuai a start again.
Having survived in the apocalypse for so many years, she had developed the habit of being vigilant, never ignoring even the smallest sign of disturbance. Having only just returned, she still hadn't fully adjusted to this peaceful reality.
She sat up, reached for the phone on her bedside table, and glanced at the screen. The date read: July 23rd, 421 AD, according to Earth's calendar.
There were just over two months left until the apocalypse.
This year—421 AD—would later become the most famous and unforgettable year in the history of apocalypse survivors. It was eventually recognized as Year 1 of the Post-Apocalyptic era.
Opening the window, Yun Shuhuhuai looked out at the intact buildings, the neat and orderly streets, and the people hurrying to work in the early morning light.
Everything was so tranquil and harmonious that she suddenly felt a strange sense of unreality.
It had been a very long time since she last witnessed such a peaceful scene.
However, she knew this serenity wouldn't last. Once the apocalypse arrived, this place would transform into a living hell on Earth.
Having been reborn, Yun Shuhuhuai silently swore to herself: in this life, she would never again walk the same tragic path as before, where she had been manipulated, strung along, and ultimately sold off like merchandise to a deranged scientist in a secret underground laboratory—betrayed by her own boyfriend, who handed her over together with his new lover.
The mere memory of those nightmarish days in the lab sent her into a panic: her breathing turned rapid and shallow, her body shook with uncontrollable tremors.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
They might as well have just killed her outright!
Why did they have to torture her like that?
Why did they torment her so relentlessly?
Why didn't Lu Jingyu trust her?
Why did he convince himself that she would betray him?
And why—why—did he personally condemn her to that living hell?!
Back then, she had suspected it was all because of Su Moxi's influence. She tried explaining herself over and over again, but no matter what she said, Lu Jingyu only responded with cold, dismissive huffs.
In that moment, Yun Shuhuhuai felt as if she had plunged into an ice cave—his trust in her was completely gone. He no longer believed a single word she said; he had utterly given up on her.
During the days she spent trapped in that laboratory, those two—the despicable man and his woman—would even come to "visit" her from time to time.
Su Moxi, snuggled comfortably in Lu jingyu's arm ,watched her in her wretched, pitiful state and pretended to show concern. Lu Jingyu himself, however, simply stood there watching with icy detachment, never uttering a single word.
He watched until the very moment she died.
...
"Guobaorou," the pet pig, tilted its head curiously and stared at its owner, who was standing motionless in front of the window. It wanted to rub against her legs—it was feeding time, after all!
Before it could trot over, a sharp "clack" sound startled the little pig, making it jump to its feet in alarm.
When it looked up at its owner again, it noticed a chunk of cement clutched tightly in her hand. Yun Shuhuhuai was startled herself.
She had been so deeply lost in her memories—replaying the betrayal by that unfaithful couple—that rage had surged inside her without her realizing. The hand she had rested on the windowsill unconsciously gripped with such force that it actually tore a chunk of cement straight out of the wall.
Was this… a special ability?
But in her previous life, her power had never manifested like this.
After the apocalypse began, most of humanity turned into zombies. Among the few who survived, some evolved unique supernatural abilities.
The most common one was… power-type ability, which was quite popular in the early days of the apocalypse. At that stage, only low-level, first-generation zombies were common, and they were relatively easy to handle as long as a person wasn't paralyzed by fear.
Next came the speed-type ability, which granted excellent survival instincts and outstanding escape capabilities—ideal for those who prioritized staying alive over fighting head-on.
The most powerful type, however, was the elemental ability. Unfortunately, very few people awakened this kind. Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, ice—each element came with its own distinctive and powerful set of skills, which made them became increasingly powerful as their abilities evolved and leveled up. If an elemental ability holder managed to avoid dying young due to bad luck or misfortune, they would very often rise to become one of the most prominent and respected figures in any survivor base. They served as the strongest combat force when it came to gathering supplies and clearing out zombie hordes, and as a result, they always received the best share of resources and distribution within the base.
There were also a very small number of ability holders whose powers did not fit into any of the standard categories (power, speed, or elemental). These were collectively referred to as "special-type" abilities. However, most special-types were significantly weaker than the other categories and had very little practical use against zombies.
Some special-type abilities could at best serve a minor supporting role, while others were completely useless—utterly negligible in any real combat situation.
The evolution of special-type abilities progressed extremely slowly, and the number of energy cores required to upgrade them far exceeded what was needed for other ability types. As a result, holders of special-type abilities were frequently overlooked and ignored. No survivor group saw any point in investing resources to nurture what they viewed as a liability—someone who couldn't even handle basic outings, guard duty, or self-defense and constantly required protection from others.
Without access to resources and upgrades, these individuals were naturally extremely vulnerable.
Yun Shuhuhuai's ability to strengthen others and Su Moxi's psychic sense both fell into this "special-type" category.
Ability Enhancement—as the name suggests—is the power to amplify the supernatural abilities of other individuals, but only through direct physical contact. She functioned essentially as a living superpower amplifier, capable of boosting one person at a time.
Compared to many other rare or unique ability types, Yun Shuhuhuai's power actually held far greater practical value. In her previous life, her ability had successfully evolved all the way to the third stage, which meant she could amplify a superpower up to three times its original strength.
An advancement to a higher stage represented a qualitative leap in power. The mere thought of tripling someone's supernatural ability was simply too tempting to resist. Once considered a relatively unimportant "support" type, her power suddenly made her extremely desirable. Countless forces began extending olive branches, eagerly offering alliances.
However, she accepted none of them.
As Lu Jingyu's partner, the two of them had worked side by side from the very founding of the base. Within its walls, they were always regarded as the model couple—admired and envied by many.
Their official romantic relationship had not been established for very long. At the beginning, they were simply good friends who looked out for each other in the harsh post-apocalyptic world.
With Yun Shuhuhuai's ability enhancement combined with Lu Jingyu's powerful electrokinetic power, the two of them rapidly built their own sphere of influence within the base. Although they never managed to surpass the top faction—"Night Blade"—they were strong enough to seriously compete for second place.
As their influence expanded, they naturally attracted a large number of followers. Among them was none other than Su Moxi!
Su Moxi had hidden her power extremely well. To everyone else, she appeared as nothing more than a pitiful, delicate beauty—someone who instinctively drew out others' protective instincts.
If Yun Shuhuhuai hadn't been particularly sensitive to energy fluctuations, no one would ever have discovered that Su Moxi possessed supernatural abilities.
No one—except Yun Shuhuhuai—knew that Su Moxi had any powers at all.
At first, Yun Shuhuhuai pitied her. As women sharing the same gender and both possessing rare special-type abilities, they naturally grew close and bonded. Little did she know that she had taken in an ungrateful guest! Due to a lack of resources, Su Moxi's power had never advanced very far. It could only affect herself, subtly making people unconsciously like her and feel drawn to her.
This was the truth she revealed when she visited Yun Shuhuhuai alone in the laboratory during their previous life. She calmly explained to Yun Shuhuhuai how she had used her ability to manipulate emotions and hearts, gradually replacing her in Lu Jingyu's life.
After climbing to a higher position, Su Moxi used the energy nuclei she received from selling Yun Shuhuhuai to upgrade her own power by one stage. She even attempted short-term mind control over others At that time, Yun Shuhuhuai was submerged in multiple experimental tubes, completely unable to speak or move—utterly powerless as she watched Su Moxi flaunt her newfound strength right in front of her.
Lu Jingyu had been completely captivated by Su Moxi. He was so infatuated that he believed every word she said without question. He became so blinded by her that he readily accepted the fabricated story of an alleged affair between Yun Shuhuhuai and the leader of "Night Blade." Ruthlessly, he sold her out to the perverted scientist in the secret underground laboratory, condemning her to unimaginable, soul-crushing torment. Having been tortured to such an extent in her previous life, she vowed to make them pay a hundredfold in this one.
Yun Shuhuhuai's gaze turned icy cold. The chunk of cement she held in her hand was crushed into fine powder that slipped through her fingers.
Watching the remaining dust drift from her palm, a faint smile curled at the corner of her lips.
Yun Shuhuhuai realized that her current powers seemed far from simple. In addition to her original abilities from her past life there seemed to be some new additions to her abilities.
The damaged notch on the windowsill, the cement powder scattered on the ground—all of it looked like the result of brute force. But Yun Shuhuhuai knew very well that even if she had simply lost her temper for a moment, her physical strength alone would never have been enough to smash a solid wall.
As someone with an unusually keen sensitivity to energy, she could clearly sense that her own energy had just surged into the cement wall, shattering it through the sheer force of an energy blast! Yun Shuhuhuai was elated. She never thought that by living another life, her powers would gain new offensive abilities! Itlooked like they were pretty powerful too.