Chapter 1 – Apocalypse Farm System

Lin Yu furrowed her brows, large beads of sweat sliding down her cheeks to her temples before finally vanishing into her hair.

In her sleep, she tossed uneasily, her face a sickly pale, the veins at her temples bulging as though trapped in a nightmare.

Suddenly—

Lin Yu’s eyes flew open. Her body jolted upright instinctively, her breaths coming in harsh gasps. Damp strands of hair, soaked with sweat, clung to her face, and her obsidian-like eyes were filled with killing intent.

But what met her gaze was a clean, tidy bedroom: a white bed and wardrobe, warm sunlight filtering through the curtains onto the bed. This was nothing like the apocalyptic wasteland she remembered. Everything around her felt unreal.

Hadn’t she already died at Bai Yanyan’s hands?

“Steamed buns for sale! Fresh steamed buns, thin skin and plenty of filling! Soy milk, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding…”

The hawker’s cry from downstairs snapped Lin Yu back to her senses. She pinched her thigh hard, and the sharp pain proved she was truly alive.

Throwing off the blanket, she got out of bed and walked straight to the window.

The July sky stretched wide and blue, soft white clouds drifting with the breeze. Trees along the streets were lush and green, cars streamed steadily down the road, and from where she stood she could even see a sanitation worker sweeping the streets.

Gone was the endless yellow wasteland, the scorching heat, the mutated plants, and the foul, grotesque zombies.

Lin Yu shut her eyes and reopened them—nothing had changed. Her heart pounded violently.

She turned and grabbed the phone on her nightstand. The screen showed—

2040, July 1st, 7:32 a.m.

There were still six days until the apocalypse began.

So… she had been reborn to six days before doomsday?

Lin Yu slowly raised her hand to press over her heart. She could almost feel the dagger stabbing through it in her previous life, the agony of mutated vines rooting into her chest and sucking her blood, making life worse than death.

But none of it had happened yet.

This time, she would never repeat the same mistake.

“Can you come a little closer…”

Her phone rang suddenly, pulling her out of her thoughts. On the screen, the name “Bai Bao” lit up. Lin Yu’s eyes flashed with a chilling murderous glint.

“Bai Bao” was the note she had saved for her college roommate Bai Yanyan. In her past life, when the apocalypse struck, Lin Yu and Bai Yanyan had been traveling in Yun Province. They’d luckily avoided the first wave of infected and also awakened supernatural abilities.

At Bai Yanyan’s invitation, Lin Yu joined her ability-user team.

On the way, they heard that in Province A, City S, the largest base in the Dragon Nation had been built—the Dawn Base. It gathered countless ability users and had formidable armed forces. They decided to head there.

But on the road, they ran into hordes of zombies and countless mutated plants. During the escape, Bai Yanyan was caught secretly stealing food supplies collected by the team. Lin Yu caught her red-handed. Fearing she would be exposed, Bai Yanyan chose to strike first. She framed Lin Yu, dumping all the blame on her.

At the time, Lin Yu’s awakened power was water manipulation. Everyone saw it as the weakest and most useless ability. Apart from conjuring small amounts of drinking water, it posed little threat and was useless against zombies. Several others in the team also had water powers. And with the horde pressing from behind, even a slight delay meant the entire team would be torn apart.

So when Bai Yanyan suggested throwing Lin Yu into the zombie tide as a sacrifice to block their path, not a single teammate objected.

Lin Yu didn’t even get the chance to defend herself before Bai Yanyan stabbed her heart with a knife and kicked her off the vehicle like trash. In an instant, she was torn apart by zombies and mutated plants.

When she next opened her eyes, it was six days before the end.

The phone rang relentlessly. On the ninth ring, Lin Yu’s lips curved into a mocking smile. She answered.

“Hello?”

“Xiao Yu, I’ve called you so many times, why didn’t you pick up?”

“I was washing up just now, didn’t hear it.”

For some reason, Bai Yanyan sensed Lin Yu’s tone was cold—none of the warmth from before. Dissatisfied, she noticed it instantly, but she still held her temper, remembering her purpose.

“Xiao Yu, you didn’t forget we agreed to go travel in Yun Province together, right?”

Lin Yu sneered inwardly. How could she forget?

It was because she had agreed to that trip in her past life that Bai Yanyan had pushed her into the zombie horde to be ripped to pieces.

But this time…

Things would be different. If Bai Yanyan wanted to go, she could go by herself. Lin Yu would not be accompanying her.

Her eyes darkened. Hopefully, Bai Yanyan would stay in Yun Province forever—otherwise, Lin Yu wouldn’t mind finishing what should have been finished long ago.

“Xiao Yu, are you listening?”

“I’m listening. It’s just that something came up at home. I might not be able to set out with you. Once I’m done here, I’ll head to Yun Province and meet you there. How about that?”

Suspicious, Bai Yanyan asked, “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Lin Yu’s lips curled faintly. “How could I?”

Bai Yanyan thought for a moment, then decided it was fine to go ahead first, so she didn’t press the matter.

On the phone, Bai Yanyan prattled on about the sights in Yun Province, but Lin Yu grew more and more impatient. She muttered a few perfunctory replies and hung up.

Just as Lin Yu was about to head out and prepare for the apocalypse, a cold voice suddenly echoed in her mind:

【Beep—】
【Apocalypse Farm loading… Load complete.】
【Scan complete. Host Lin Yu, do you agree to bind with the Apocalypse Farm System? Yes/No.】

Lin Yu: ???

What the hell? An illusion?

【Host Lin Yu, do you agree to bind with the Apocalypse Farm System? Once bound, the host will receive a Safe Zone and a Beginner’s Gift Pack.】

The voice rang again, proving she wasn’t hallucinating. She froze, her mind catching only three words—Safe Zone.

Safe Zone!

Lin Yu had read plenty of apocalyptic novels. Safe zones were absolute—without the protagonist’s consent, not even a fly could get inside.

If the system gave her a safe zone, then maybe she’d never have to worry about zombies again. And with a farm, food would never be a problem.

Her eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she agreed.

【Beep— Binding successful! Please designate a location for the farm.】

Lin Yu thought for a moment, and the image of her parents’ three-story villa on Qingquan Mountain, in the suburbs of Linchuan City, appeared in her mind.

【Location confirmed. Host, please head to the farm immediately to accept the Beginner’s Mission.】

In front of her eyes, a transparent glowing panel appeared, displaying the farm’s address.

Lin Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

So it wasn’t an illusion after all.

But thinking carefully—if rebirth could happen to her, then a system appearing wasn’t strange at all.