Chapter 1: , Long Review 1: Six-Point Analysis—Reading in Leisure

“What did you say? Mutant beasts besieging the city?!” Bian Changxi shot to her feet, the bright ceiling lights blurring before her eyes. A wave of intense dizziness hit her—she could hardly believe what she’d just heard.

“Yes, sister-in-law!” The man who’d burst into her office shouted in panic, “Countless mutant beasts and zombies have surrounded the outer city. We can’t hold them back anymore! But Brother Zhu is still out trying to persuade the nearby bases and hasn’t returned. What should we do?”

“Why didn’t you notify me sooner?” Bian Changxi grabbed the black walkie-talkie on her desk, only to find it completely dead—no signal at all. She strode to the floor-to-ceiling window and yanked open the curtains. Instantly, the city outside was awash in flashing red warning lights.

She saw chaos engulfing the base in the night. Distant flames raged atop the city walls, dazzling powers and the fire of hot weapons flaring and fading, as if to burn through the heavens and earth. Yet for every wave of mutant beasts that fell, more clambered up behind them—endless, inexhaustible.

Those grotesque, hulking bodies, those razor-sharp claws and gaping maws—even those monsters could unleash powerful abilities, hurling themselves at humans in a frenzy.

Even though the office was soundproofed to the extreme, Bian Changxi could almost hear the earth-shaking roars and the screams of people tumbling from the walls.

Her face turned ashen.

She’d survived seven years in the apocalypse, witnessed countless zombie and beast tides attacking cities, and could tell at a glance—this attack was orchestrated by human hands.

There was something very strange about the state of those mutant beasts!

Besides, the base’s gates were thirty-one meters high, the outer city was smooth and bare, and there was heavy firepower suppressing the area. How on earth had those creatures managed to climb up?

Bian Changxi felt as if she’d plunged into an icy abyss. Forcing down the rasp in her trembling voice, she spoke rapidly: “There are two electronic surveillance lines outside the base, three manned checkpoints, and we’ve sent out three reconnaissance drones. For mutant beasts to reach our doorstep without a sound—there must be a traitor! Someone wants to destroy Yunhua Base! Xu Hong, go find Yunhua now, tell him to—”

She turned as she spoke, only to see Xu Hong—who’d been panicked a moment ago—now wearing a twisted, ferocious expression. She froze. A rocket pierced her chest, bursting out her back, shattering the window with a bang and vanishing into the night.

Bian Changxi’s whole body jolted. She doubled over, as if she hadn’t yet realized what had happened, clutching her hollow chest in a daze. She stared at the dark ground, then slowly, ever so slowly, looked up at Xu Hong.

Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

A few strands of hair clung to her sweat-dampened face, adding a rare touch of vulnerability to this workaholic who’d never known the meaning of gentleness.

Xu Hong hesitated, a trace of guilt flickering in his heart, and the second attack he’d meant to launch stalled for a moment. He turned his face away coldly. “Sister-in-law, don’t blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for standing in Brother Zhu’s way. Only if you die can Brother Zhu rightfully marry Cai Jiangmei. Never mind that zombies and mutant plants and animals are getting stronger—just look at Xiangjiang Base. With the sea level rising, they have to move inland, and we just happen to be in their path. You think they’ll pass up the chance to loot us? They’re one of the three great bases. We can’t beat them head-on, and if we retreat, Tengyang Base is right behind us—we’d just get swallowed up. Our only option is to ally with Feitian Base.”

“Feitian Base is pretty strong, and their leader’s daughter, Cai Jiangmei, is a dual-type ice and psychic ability user—mid-eighth tier, incredibly powerful, and she’s head over heels for Brother Zhu. Brother Zhu is doing this for the greater good. If you were in his shoes, you’d make the same choice.”

Bian Changxi stared wide-eyed. “You… Zhu Yunhua planned all this?” She couldn’t believe her own husband would conspire with his trusted brother to kill her.

Yes, Xiangjiang was a threat from the front, Tengyang entrenched in the capital behind, and all around them, the increasingly dangerous mutant flora and fauna brought on by climate change. As a second-tier base, their living space was already tight—now they were truly caught between a rock and a hard place. More than half the upper management believed the base couldn’t be abandoned, that they had to strengthen internal defenses and form alliances with nearby bases to weather this crisis.

But alliances were never easy. The bases had argued endlessly these past days, unable to agree on a workable plan. Feitian Base, being weaker, had indeed proposed a marriage alliance, which got all the base leaders scheming. But Zhu Yunhua already had her as his wife—was Cai Jiangmei, a level-eight powerhouse, supposed to settle for being a concubine?

Bian Changxi had thought this had nothing to do with her.

Who could have guessed Zhu Yunhua had already set his mind on killing her!

A wave of sorrow washed over Bian Changxi, quickly replaced by deep hatred. “To kill me, you’d even bring in a beast tide? Quite the grand gesture.”

Xu Hong smirked. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. All the important supplies have already been moved, and all ability users above level five have been transferred out. Right now, the only ones left defending the city are your loyalists and those who refuse to follow Brother Zhu. In half an hour, Brother Zhu will ‘receive’ the news and rush back to ‘save’ the day. The base won’t suffer much.”

Bian Changxi instinctively reached for her empty left wrist. Of course—her jade bracelet farm had been borrowed by Zhu Yunhua that morning, supposedly as a bargaining chip for negotiations. But really, it was to use the farm’s space to move the base’s supplies, wasn’t it?

And now, using the beast and zombie tide, Zhu Yunhua could not only get rid of her but also eliminate dissenters, while putting the fifty thousand survivors of the base in mortal danger. On the surface, the base would appear to have suffered heavy losses, making it worthless to Xiangjiang as a target for plundering.

A brilliant feint! A perfect shell game!

What a scheme—so ruthless! Rage and shock warred in her heart. Seven years of marriage, five years as partners through thick and thin—even if there wasn’t much love, they were the closest of comrades. Yet the true face of that gentle, handsome man was so hideous!

He’d hidden it well—so very well!

Bian Changxi let out a bitter, piercing laugh.

Xu Hong’s eyes flickered. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Don’t hate Brother Zhu. Frankly, your ability is useless now. Medical technology has improved, agriculture is booming, and low-level wood powers are basically chicken feed. Besides, you’re only late-stage level six—no help to Brother Zhu at all. And you’re too strong-willed, too opinionated. Take this time for example: everyone wanted to stay and defend, but you insisted that the timing, terrain, and manpower were all against us, and that we should retreat north, even ask Tengyang for help if necessary…”

Suddenly, he glared at her with venom. “Everyone knows Tengyang’s leader Gu Xu is your old flame. Are you trying to cuckold Brother Zhu in broad daylight? Do you know how humiliated he felt?”

Bian Changxi’s laughter cut off. She snapped, “There’s nothing between me and Gu Xu!”

“Oh really? Who’s to say?”

Bian Changxi glared at him, then gradually sneered. “You’ll get what’s coming to you! Just wait—you’ll regret this soon enough!” She staggered backward, her back hitting the glass, now webbed with cracks from the fire blade. The entire window shattered with a crash. She took a step into empty air, falling backward, flipping halfway in the air before slamming face-first into the ground with a thunderous crash, sending up clouds of dust.

The panicked crowd nearby screamed. Xu Hong frowned—he’d tried to grab her but missed, and now everyone’s attention was on them. What now?

Forget it—dying in front of everyone was even better. He quickly put on a look of terror and worry, leaping down after her. At level eight fire ability, a six-story drop was nothing to him. He landed lightly and rushed to scoop up Bian Changxi. “Sister-in-law, what happened? Even if you’re desperate, you can’t just jump! What if you got hurt?”

As he shouted, he called to the crowd, “Quick! Call the medical team!”

Before he finished, a powerful sense of danger washed over him. Instinctively, he activated his ability, forming a shield around himself. A layer of fiery energy erupted from beneath his skin, bathing him in a red glow. But almost simultaneously, green vines burst from the ground and from Bian Changxi’s body, their sharp tips stabbing at him from every angle—his abdomen, the soles of his feet, his groin were pierced first, and two wooden spikes, cold and merciless, aimed straight for his eyes!

Xu Hong screamed, unleashing a pillar of fire two or three meters high, instantly incinerating the vines and spikes. But Bian Changxi, who’d been playing dead in his arms, sprang up, drew two small black pistols from her thighs, and pressed them to Xu Hong’s eyes without hesitation, pulling the triggers.

Bang—

“Ah—!”

Xu Hong hurled Bian Changxi away and rolled on the ground in agony.

Thrown far, Bian Changxi was engulfed in flames, her whole body like a fireball. She convulsed, but a faint smile played at her lips.

Xu Hong was finished.

In theory, an eighth-level ability user feared no conventional weapon except missiles or nukes. But her pistols were loaded with bullets fused with purified bone from a level-six mutant tiger—large caliber, high penetration, aimed at the weakest spot: the eyes. The bullets entered his skull, and the spinning vortex pulped his brain.

No brain, no heart—no matter how strong an ability user, death was certain, unless a level-nine wood user intervened in time.

How many level-nines were there in the world? Yunhua Base didn’t even have half of one.

Xu Hong had drugged her food to suppress her powers. She’d realized it when she tried to heal herself after the fire blade attack. That’s why he’d let his guard down. But he forgot—she was a wood user, specializing in healing. How could she not have countermeasures against poisons?

Give her even the slightest chance, and she’d be like a nail in the bone—relentless, unyielding.

But…

She suddenly remembered the year she’d turned down Gu Xu, the frost in his eyes as he left: “Zhu Yunhua is no good. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

She’d thought it was just sour grapes, never imagining it would come true.

If he heard about her end, would he sneer and say she deserved it?

Bian Changxi gave a bleak smile.

Her pupils dilated as she stared blankly at the oppressive sky above—no light, no warmth. In the distance, human screams and beastly howls never ceased, the air thick with suffocating odors.

This wasn’t the world she wanted. So, perhaps it was better to just let go.

******

Came up with an interesting plot twist, so I made some edits to this chapter."

"**Chapter 2, Long Review 2: Mastering the Fast Pace of Rebirth Novels — By Xianshi Kan**

""Miss Bian, Miss Bian, wake up… This won’t do, we need to get her to the hospital. Looks like she’s come down with the flu too.""

""Wait! Changxi just stayed up too late, don’t rush her to the hospital yet! Changxi, wake up!""

Someone was shaking her. Bian Changxi slowly opened her eyes, her head splitting with pain. But in the next second, she froze. What she saw was a room flooded with bright light, a solid wood bed, a snow-white mosquito net, a spacious but tidy dorm room—this, this was exactly what her dorm looked like before the apocalypse!

The person shaking her lit up with delight when she woke. ""Changxi, you’re finally awake! Thank goodness!""

Bian Changxi stared blankly. ""Shasha?""

Wasn’t the person in front of her her only roommate for two years in college, Chen Yisha?

Like herself, Chen Yisha was the pampered daughter of a major conglomerate in Jiangcheng. She was beautiful, kind, and well-liked—unlike Changxi, who was prickly and unkempt. In college, most people avoided Bian Changxi, but Shasha was willing to share a dorm with her. They weren’t particularly close, but after the apocalypse, the two of them had to rely on each other to survive.

Bian Changxi had always been frail, and her powers and jade bracelet space hadn’t awakened for ages. During those two months, if it hadn’t been for Shasha, who awakened water abilities and protected her at every turn, she would have died countless times. She’d always been grateful, but before she could make a name for herself, Shasha died a tragic death. Changxi had never gotten over it.

But how could she be seeing Shasha now? Wasn’t she killed by Xu Hong? Her heart had been pierced, then burned by an eighth-level flame. Even with the tenacity of wood-type powers, there was no way she could have survived. But now…

""Oh, you’re awake?"" Another person nearby put down her phone and picked up a thermometer, checking Changxi’s forehead. ""Hmm, no fever. Miss Bian, do you feel unwell anywhere?""

Changxi looked at the middle-aged woman in confusion. She wore a crisp suit, her rimless alloy glasses making her look stern and aloof, but there was a trace of concern in her eyes. Changxi shook her head.

After a moment’s confusion, she vaguely remembered—this was her sophomore-year counselor, Ms. Zhu. Strict and old-fashioned, but actually a warm-hearted person.

After the apocalypse, Ms. Zhu had decisively escaped with the first group. In the chaos, Changxi hadn’t seen a single classmate, let alone Ms. Zhu. Later, she heard that those who hadn’t escaped in time were mostly doomed.

""That’s good. Seems it’s not the flu. But you need to take care of yourself. How can you stay up late at a time like this? And drinking? If your immunity drops and you catch the flu, the hospital is the most dangerous place right now—who knows when you’d get out."" Ms. Zhu lectured for a bit, then noticed Changxi just staring blankly—normally, she’d be bristling and glaring by now.

Remembering the mess of Changxi’s family, Ms. Zhu sighed and said no more, shooed away the onlookers at the door, gave Chen Yisha a few more instructions, and left.

Changxi blinked. The flu?

That’s right. Before the apocalypse, a global flu outbreak had swept the world. People kept falling into comas, and scientists and doctors couldn’t figure out what kind of flu it was. No one knew what to do, and society began to fall apart. In truth, this flu was a warning—the people who got sick would become the first wave of zombies. The apocalypse would begin, and the flu would later be nicknamed the T-virus.

She looked at Shasha’s worried face and suddenly realized something. She shot upright, clenching her hands.

Something felt off.

She looked down—her fingernails were long and deep purple, and her hair was a mass of big, wavy curls. God knows how many beauty-loving women had died because of hair like this in the apocalypse. She’d learned her lesson and cut hers short with a knife.

All of this—this was what she looked like before the apocalypse!

And on her left wrist hung a mutton-fat jade bracelet—her mother’s keepsake, which contained a hidden farm. But after her death, the bracelet should have been destroyed too.

She gripped the blanket tightly, one hand covering her mouth, afraid she’d scream.

But her whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

Could it be… could it be…?

Her strange behavior made Shasha anxious. ""What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?""

Changxi forced herself to calm down, steadying her voice. ""Shasha, what time is it now?""

Shasha was puzzled, but pulled out her phone. ""It’s 9:11 a.m.""

Changxi glanced at the screen—May 20, 2013.

She stared hard at the date.

No one who survived the apocalypse would ever forget that moment—that unforgettable, world-shattering moment. Once midnight struck tonight, the whole world would be reshuffled. Humanity would face its harshest, cruelest trial.

Fifteen hours left.

She was back?

""Changxi, what’s wrong?"" Shasha asked worriedly. ""Yesterday was your birthday. You drank so much, even took out your treasured jade bracelet and put it on, laughing and crying. You really scared me. Are you okay?""

Having survived seven years in the apocalypse, Bian Changxi had formidable self-control. She quickly calmed down. Right now, only one thing mattered: with fifteen hours left, what could she do?

She shook her throbbing, hungover head, glanced at Shasha—whom she hadn’t seen in years—and suppressed the ache in her eyes. ""Have you seen my phone?""

Shasha gave a wry smile. ""You smashed your phone and our landline last night when you were drunk, saying they were bugged. Need to make a call? You can use mine—I’ve got plenty anyway.""

Changxi’s expression changed. She took the phone, thanked her, and fumbled to operate it—she hadn’t used one in so long. A minute later, she uninstalled an app.

""What’s that app?""

""If you install this on your phone, someone can listen in on your calls. Don’t be so shocked—with the power our families have, it’s normal for the elders to keep tabs on us.""

Chen Yisha’s face turned green. ""No way, my dad dotes on me!"" But thinking about it, she realized Changxi never joked about things like this, and grew uneasy.

Doting? Changxi shook her head. That means nothing compared to interests and power.

She took the phone out to the balcony, looking at the sunlit trees in the distance, her eyes burning. When the call connected, her heart surged.

""Hello? Who’s looking for the handsome Bian?"" came a cheerful, hip voice over rock music.

Changxi pinched her nose, steadying herself. ""It’s me, Bian the little beauty. Are you at the bar? I need a favor—can you talk?""

""Hey, Xiaoxi! Hold on."" The background quieted, then the voice returned, much more serious. ""Okay, go ahead. What is it?""

""I need a ticket to Sucheng. The earlier, the better—I have to arrive before nine tonight.""

""A plane ticket? With this flu outbreak, tickets are hard to get. Why do you need to go to Sucheng so urgently?""

""Just tell me if you can get one.""

There was a pause. ""I can get it, but you have to tell me why you’re going."" His tone was serious, almost lecturing. ""Don’t tell me you’re chasing after some guy again. Xiaoxi, it’s chaos out there—if you catch the flu, how will I explain to Uncle and Auntie? If you don’t have a good reason, I can’t let you leave Jiangcheng.""

Changxi’s nose stung. She whispered, ""Bian Kuang…""

Yes, why was she going to Sucheng?

After the apocalypse, many bases sprang up. The closest and safest to Jiangcheng was the Sucheng base, since Sucheng had always been a military and economic hub. Now that she was reborn, she could use her knowledge to secure herself. If she hurried, she could get a house or even just a hotel room. That would save her the risk of fleeing from Jiangcheng to Sucheng, and when the base was built, she could join in. With her seven years of experience, climbing to the top wouldn’t be hard.

But… did that really matter?

Was she reborn just to take shortcuts?

After reaching Sucheng and becoming someone important, would that be enough? Was that all life had to offer?

""Hello? Hello? Xiaoxi? Don’t be upset, I just—"" Bian Kuang sounded anxious.

Changxi smiled. ""You’re right. Traveling now is too dangerous."" Who could guarantee the apocalypse would start exactly at midnight? What if it came a few hours early? Forget planes—even taking a bus would be risky. And if she went to Sucheng, she’d lose her fifteen-hour head start. Facing the apocalypse unprepared was just stupid.

""Bian Kuang, can I trust you?"" she asked solemnly.

Bian Kuang was startled. ""Of course! In the whole Bian family, I only trust you, and you only trust me. Didn’t we agree on that ages ago?""

""Good. Then lend me all the money you have!""

Changxi hung up, returned to the room, and found Chen Yisha gone. She frowned, quickly guessing where she’d gone. She started packing whatever she could carry, but after her parents died two years ago, she’d played the part of a useless wreck to keep her relatives at bay—she didn’t even have decent clothes.

She threw on something, tied up her big curls, grabbed a sports backpack, and stuffed in her wallet, water, and some toiletries. She paused. She should tell Shasha the truth.

But how? She couldn’t tell her everything about the apocalypse, but leaving her in the dark…

Before she could decide, Shasha rushed in, clutching her phone anxiously. ""Changxi, I told my dad. He didn’t say anything, just said he’d send a driver to pick me up right away. Was I too impulsive? I just can’t believe…""

Changxi listened quietly. ""What are you going to do?"""