The website Su You asked Amber to make was divided into three sections.

A simple countdown timer, a forum for casual posts, and a doomsday rescue board.

Su You carefully read through the system upgrade instructions.

A Level 3 base could unlock the ability to house residents.

Later, as the base level increased, the number of people who could settle in would also grow. She could completely use this website to recruit and screen some suitable residents.

The system could even help her check the loyalty of the people moving in—she would be one step ahead.

After she sent over her “request,” Amber replied with a big question mark.

“Sis You, are you kidding me? I’m a cybersecurity guy, and you want me to make a website?”

Su You’s fingers flew across the keyboard: “Multiple layers of encryption, untraceable, a doomsday website. Amber, aren’t you interested?”

On the other end, in front of his computer.

The boy in a gray baseball jacket, black headset on his head, was slouched over his desk. His face, bored just moments ago, finally showed a glimmer of interest after reading her line of text.

“Sis You, you’re not planning to stir up some big news, are you?”

Many uploaders liked pulling stunts for attention.

Amber had no doubt that Su You wanted to create a sensation, as a preheat for this closed beta of a wasteland-themed online game.

Seeing Amber was indeed thinking along those lines, Su You said, “Exactly. Right now, the only person I trust is you. Amber, you know—this kind of thing shouldn’t be entrusted to outsiders.”

Amber was also a bit of a joker; otherwise, he wouldn’t be mixed up with gaming at all.

He agreed with both hands raised:
“Hahaha, so that’s it. Sis You, I’ll learn it right away. Give me one day, I’ll make you an encrypted website that even global surveillance systems can’t find a trace of.”

Su You: “I’ll give you three days. Within seven, I want this site to be trending in the circles.”

Amber: “Yes, ma’am.”

Amber treated it completely like a real high-tech prank, never suspecting Su You’s true intentions.

If it worked, she could spread the news of the apocalypse to more people—even indirectly alert certain national agencies.

Not everyone needed to believe. As long as a portion of people did, as long as some state machinery became wary, her efforts would not be in vain.

Of course, before that, she needed to warn the special agencies of Xia Country first.

Time meant life. This time, Xia would definitely be better prepared than the rest of the world.

Afterward, Su You reassured her old fans in the group, promising to livestream in three days, finally soothing their emotions.

Then her eyes fell on the heated discussion in the group.

This closed beta game was a post-apocalyptic wasteland MMORPG, a masterpiece polished for three years by a famous overseas studio.

Exquisite modeling, complex systems, all sorts of equipment and weapons, with very high freedom of play.

Su You looked at the game’s promo page and couldn’t help but sigh.

Humanity wasn’t completely blind to doomsday crises; novels and games about the apocalypse flooded the market.

But to humanity, the end of the world was always a probability. It could come tomorrow, or fifty years later, or even five hundred. Which meant for some generations, they would never encounter it.

So humanity kept infighting, kept indulging in pleasure, kept shirking responsibility—until the day the catastrophe truly struck. Sweet dreams shattered, the world turned into wasteland.

Thirty days later, the apocalypse would truly arrive. But no one knew that torrential rains and tsunamis were just the beginning.

Thinking of the misery of the apocalypse, and contrasting it with the unreality of the game, Su You always felt a strange overlap between the future and the present.

But soon, she pulled herself together.

It didn’t matter. The future hadn’t yet arrived. This time, she would give everything, preparing as fully as possible for the coming end.

---

The next morning, Su You woke up in a soft, comfortable bed.

After a quick wash, she poured out cat food and water for Big Orange, then ordered herself some steaming hot soup dumplings.

The shop was very famous locally.

They had pork, beef, shrimp, crab roe, carrot, pumpkin, leek-and-egg fillings and more. Su You ordered ten baskets of each flavor.

She also packed ten servings of the shop’s shrimp wontons, along with fragrant seaweed-and-seafood egg drop soup.

Bathed in bright sunlight through spotless windows, she ate the delicate dumplings bursting with soup in one bite, while browsing several nearby coal factories, planning to contact their managers about buying coal.

Just then, her work phone suddenly rang.

The screen flashed with a name Su You really didn’t want to see—Qu Xiangdong.

Her wonderful morning mood was instantly ruined. Slowly, she popped the last dumpling into her mouth, sipped some soup to moisten her throat, and only then tapped “answer.”

Right away, an angry tirade blasted through the speaker:
“Su You, did you not see the messages I sent in the group? If you saw them, why didn’t you reply? Don’t think that just because you’re on leave you can escape work!”

“Why aren’t you talking? Did you read the files I sent you? Everyone else is working overtime for this project, and you’re the only one on vacation. Do you have no shame?”

“Catching a small illness and then shirking? Can’t even handle a little hardship? You think the company pays you for nothing? Look at the new colleague—working until 3 or 4 a.m. every day, progressing faster than everyone. If you want to get eliminated, just say so earlier, and give your position to someone else. Plenty of people are eager to take your spot!”

This barrage of verbal weapons—knives, guns, sticks—would have made the old Su You break out in cold sweat, tense, and apologizing nonstop.

But now, after three years in a chaotic apocalypse and dying once, she listened to the same words with complete calm.

She turned on speakerphone, pulled out a Black Forest cake from her space, and enjoyed it as dessert. She waited until Supervisor Qu’s throat went hoarse and his voice cracked, then finally said coldly: “Are you done?”

The voice on the other end snapped in anger: “Su You, after everything I’ve said, it’s still not enough? What else do you want me to say?”

Su You put down her fork. “Good. Then listen to me.”

“First, I have the right to take sick leave. Illness isn’t under human control. During sick leave, I have the right not to work, and the right to refuse assigned tasks. These rights are protected by law.”

“Second, working while sick is a favor, not working is my right. I’ve worked for three years without ever taking sick or personal leave. Even with minor colds I pushed through. Only this year, when I truly couldn’t hold on, did I take three days off—plus the weekend, that’s just five days. And now, Supervisor Qu, you have a problem with it?”

“Third—” Su You let out a cold laugh. “Supervisor Qu, if you want to fire me, stop going in circles. If the company has a layoff plan, by rights it should be based on seniority. And I’m not the least senior. I heard the new hire is your relative. Is that true?”