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As her emotions gradually settled, the stillness of the room and the empty wall before her allowed Shu Xin’s restless heart to quiet down. Yan Mo’s words from earlier echoed in her mind:
“Reflect carefully on why you’ve been making repeated mistakes in training. What is the root cause?”
With a calm mind, Shu Xin began to reassess her recent performance in training—her frequent distractions during combat practice, her lack of improvement in shooting accuracy…
When did she start slacking off?
Was it the long period of security and comfort that had made her forget the cruelty of the apocalypse?
Or was it the thrill of victory after the last group fight, making her arrogant enough to believe she was already strong enough to protect herself?
But was that really the case?
No, it wasn’t.
Those people she defeated were just ordinary humans, and even then, it wasn’t solely her achievement—it had been a team effort. Thinking back, there was nothing to be proud of.
The enemies she would face in the future wouldn’t just be weak, inexperienced survivors. They would be tireless, unfeeling zombies that never stop attacking as long as their heads remain intact. And worse, she would have to contend with hostile ability users—people with superhuman powers who harbored ill intentions.
When someone awakens an ability, their genetic structure undergoes reorganization, enhancing their physical attributes significantly. The difference lay in the strength of the ability itself—some were naturally gifted with powerful talents, while others had weaker awakenings, resulting in different levels of enhancement.
This disparity determined an ability user’s combat prowess and future potential.
In the original novel, Shu Xin was nothing more than a disposable side character, a mere cannon fodder. She had no guarantees that her new fate would be any different.
If she never awakened an ability, then heading out to fight zombies would be no different from delivering herself to death’s door.
Even if, by some stroke of luck, she did awaken one, it wouldn’t mean instant survival. The apocalypse was filled with bizarre, unpredictable abilities, and there were also mutated plants and animals—threats beyond human comprehension. Without absolute strength, she would still be powerless.
Recalling all the stupid mistakes she had made in training, Shu Xin wished she could bury herself in the ground out of shame.
Now, she fully understood why Yan Mo had punished her. She did not resist the hour-long military stance and obediently completed it. The moment it ended, she ran off excitedly to find her husband and apologize.
“Click—”
After failing to find Yan Mo in the living room or elsewhere, Shu Xin carefully pushed open the bedroom door. Peeking inside, she cautiously poked her round head in to observe.
Yan Mo, seated at his desk, had already noticed her sneaky movements. His lips curled slightly in amusement, but just as she was about to turn her head toward him, he swiftly erased all emotion from his face, lowered his gaze, and pretended to be reading.
The moment she spotted him, Shu Xin swiftly slipped into the room, shut the door behind her, and plastered a pleasing smile on her face. She casually made her way over and wrapped her arms around his arm.
“Hehehe~~~”
Yan Mo glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “So? Have you finished reflecting?”
“Mhm! Mhm! Mhm!” Shu Xin nodded enthusiastically. “After a full hour of deep reflection, I have come to a clear realization of my mistakes! I will take this lesson to heart and never make the same mistake again!”
Her tone was so sincere that she was one step away from thumping her chest in assurance.
Seeing her eager-to-please expression, Yan Mo couldn’t keep up his stern act any longer. He let out a sigh, then followed his instincts—pulling her into his lap.
“Xinbao, you understand how cruel the apocalypse is by now. I will do everything in my power to stay by your side and protect you. But that is only an ideal scenario… In reality, anything can happen.”
His arms tightened around her.
“Even if there is just a one-in-ten-thousand chance that we get separated, I want you to have the strength to survive. I want you to hold on—until I find you again.”