Chapter 1: Returning to the Year Before the Apocalypse

“Quick, retreat!”
At the rear of the squad, the member with the Eye of Appraisal shouted with the last of his strength.

“Fall back now! The one on the other side is a ninth-rank zombie!”
That hoarse, desperate voice echoed across the plain.

But it was already too late.

The hundred-strong zombie horde in front of them was charging.

Many squads had already thrown themselves into the fray, hacking and slashing wildly among the undead.

When Chu Xiao heard the cry, a sixth-rank zombie lunged at him.

But he couldn’t move. He couldn’t resist.

He was just weak trash—trash who only had spatial ability.

He shut his eyes, watching the sixth-rank zombie move so fast it left afterimages, ready to meet his death.

“This damn thing is clearly a ninth-rank zombie… I refuse to accept this!”

“Huh? What’s that?”

That untimely voice made Chu Xiao snap his eyes open.

The zombie in front of him didn’t attack. Instead, it stared with fascination at the green magatama pendant hanging on his neck.

It stretched out its claws and gently tapped the magatama.

Suddenly, the magatama erupted with countless streams of green mist, surging across the entire plain with unstoppable force.

The zombie gave him one last shove, sending him flying with all its remaining strength, before perishing in the green fog with a look of disbelief.

“What… is this thing?”
Before Chu Xiao’s eyes closed, he saw the entire plain—every living being, human included—fall to the green mist.

His gaze shifted downward, to his own body slowly dissipating bit by bit.

No pain?

……

“Mr. Chu? Mr. Chu?”

Across from him, the company representative in charge of handling the acquisition stared in alarm at Chu Xiao, who was slumped over the desk, face pale.

“I’ll call an ambulance!” The nervous agent fumbled for his phone, just about to dial when Chu Xiao’s eyes shot open.

“Mr. Chu?” The young man, fresh out of university and running his first solo business negotiation, was on edge and trembling.

“Mr. Chu? Are you alright?” He stood up and poured him a glass of water.

“Where… is this?”

Still unaccustomed to the bright daylight, Chu Xiao blinked in confusion at his surroundings.

In the apocalypse, the skies were always gray and dim. To see such dazzling light again felt unreal.

“Why is it so bright? Am I dreaming?” Chu Xiao muttered to himself.

“Mr. Chu, have some water. Maybe it was just a nightmare?” A pair of slender, fair hands respectfully offered him the glass.

“A… nightmare?” As his eyes adjusted, Chu Xiao finally looked up, taking in the youthful, beautiful face before him.

Two shallow dimples adorned her cheeks, adding a playful, adorable charm.

“Thanks.” Chu Xiao accepted the water, then picked up the phone by his side.

【August 18, 2078, 10:00 AM.】

“I’ve… been reborn?” Chu Xiao thought to himself in awe.

The representative, seeing Chu Xiao’s color return, ventured nervously, “Mr. Chu, regarding the acquisition plan, would you like to reconsider?”

He glanced at Chu Xiao, trying to sound ingratiating.

“Is he standing up to hit me?” The poor man flinched as Chu Xiao suddenly rose to his feet.

“I’m going to the restroom. Wait here.” Chu Xiao needed a moment to breathe.

Rebirth was too unreal to believe.

But looking in the mirror at the youthful face of his 22-year-old self, he pinched his thigh hard.

“Hiss—ah!” The sharp pain told him this was no dream. He truly had been reborn.

Reborn one year before the apocalypse.

Composed once more, Chu Xiao walked out of the restroom with a faint smile.

“Sorry, did I scare you?” His cool tone puzzled the young agent.

This Chu Xiao was known as one of the most promising entrepreneurs of his generation—
graduating early from university, then founding a gaming company worth over ten billion.

Naturally, the powerful Xiao Group of City A wanted to acquire the company. But no matter how many representatives they sent—at least ten so far—they had all failed.

Looking at the earnest young man before him, Chu Xiao finally realized what was happening.

In his past life, Xiao Group had tried to acquire his company. He’d been too arrogant to sell, believing he could go head-to-head with them. But before the apocalypse arrived, his company had already gone bankrupt. He was left penniless, saddled with debt, and wandered destitute through the end of the world.

“What’s your name?” Chu Xiao crossed his legs, folding his hands on the conference table.

“My name is Jiang Ning. I went to the same university as you, Mr. Chu.” Her bright, watery eyes stared straight at him.

“Jiang Ning?” He repeated, savoring the name.

“The campus beauty and academic star?” Chu Xiao took in her face and figure, nodding inwardly.

Wait—

Jiang Ning?

The first female war goddess of the apocalypse?
Said to have the face of an angel, the body of a devil, and a beauty mark by her eye…

His gaze dropped to her left cheek—yes, a teardrop mole beneath her eye.

“So it’s Senior Jiang. I’ve long admired your name.” Chu Xiao immediately dropped his playful air and addressed her with respect.

After all, the title “First Female War Goddess” wasn’t for nothing.

Any zombie below ninth-rank was nothing but cannon fodder beneath her blade, slain with ease!

“Mr. Chu, you flatter me. About this project…” Jiang Ning seized the chance to continue, “If your company is acquired by Xiao Group, it’ll rise to new heights. The Xiao family has influence everywhere…”

“How about this—call President Xiao. Ask him if he’s willing to buy for 25 billion. If so, I’ll hand it all over, including the terminal core data.”

When the apocalypse came, prices skyrocketed.

Even a cabbage could sell for a thousand.

At that time, money was worthless.

Supplies were everything.

Jiang Ning was stunned. Such a golden opportunity—had she stumbled onto it?

If this deal went through, her commission would be fifty million—enough to save her mother’s life.

“Okay, okay!” Her hands trembled as she hurried to dial, afraid Chu Xiao might change his mind.

Leaning back in his chair, Chu Xiao looked out the window at the sweltering 45°C heat.

The apocalypse hadn’t come suddenly.

This extreme temperature was the first warning.

A year before the end, the anomalies began with high heat. From August to October, temperatures soared to 55°C.

Then, overnight, winter fell.

The mercury plummeted—southern cities once warm were plunged below -10°C.

People died in waves.

By the following March, the heat returned. Torrential rains fell, drowning the land.

By May, the rains ended. The last three months before the apocalypse came, marked by alternating extreme heat and cold.

The final snowfall carried a plague of viruses.

Humanity collapsed. Eighty percent became zombies. A few rare survivors mutated instead, awakening powers.

As for him—his poverty had forced him to hide in an underground parking lot, where he narrowly escaped the first wave of infection.

But he also missed the chance to awaken a strong power. Those who survived the initial snowfall gained powers with certainty, even if only low-level ones like spatial storage or body enhancement.

But this time—he refused to let it end the same way.

This time, he would uncover the truth of the green magatama.

---

Note from Author:
This story is pure fiction, not based on reality. Just read for fun—no need to take it seriously. Themes like stockpiling supplies, zombies, and supernatural abilities are standard tropes in apocalypse novels, not unique to any one writer. Let’s keep the discussion friendly—thank you all!