Chapter 2: Rebirth, The First Comrade

“Bian, Bian, wake up… No, this won’t do, we need to get her to the hospital. Looks like she’s come down with the flu too.”

“Wait, please! Changxi just stayed up too late, let’s not go to the hospital yet! Changxi, wake up!”

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

The person shaking her was overjoyed to see her awake. “Changxi, you’re finally up! Thank goodness!”

Changxi stared blankly. “Shasha?”

Wasn’t this her only roommate for two years in college, Chen Yisha?

Like herself, Chen Yisha was the pampered daughter of a powerful conglomerate in Jiangcheng. She was beautiful, kind, and well-liked—unlike Changxi, who was prickly and unkempt. Most people in college 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 survived together, relying on each other as they wandered.

Changxi had always been weak, and her powers and the jade bracelet’s space had never awakened. 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 repay her, Shasha died tragically. Changxi had never been able to let it go.

But why was she seeing Shasha now? Wasn’t she killed by Xu Hong? Her heart had been pierced and burned by eighth-level flames. Even with her wood-based powers and tenacious vitality, survival was impossible. So now…

“Oh, you’re awake?” Another woman nearby put down her phone and took Changxi’s temperature with a digital thermometer. “Hmm, no fever. Bian, do you feel unwell anywhere?”

Changxi looked at the middle-aged woman in confusion. She wore a sharp suit, and the rimless alloy glasses on her nose made her look stern and distant, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes. Changxi shook her head.

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

After the apocalypse, Ms. Zhu had quickly escaped with the first group. In the chaos, Changxi hadn’t seen her or even most classmates again. Later, she’d heard that those who hadn’t escaped in time had mostly met a grim fate.

“That’s good. Looks like you don’t have the flu. But you should take care of yourself—how could you stay up so late? And drink so much? If your resistance drops and you catch the flu, the hospital is the most dangerous place right now. Who knows when you’d get out again?” Ms. Zhu lectured her for a bit, but noticed Changxi just staring blankly. Normally, she’d have snapped back by now.

Thinking of the girl’s messy family situation, Ms. Zhu sighed and let it go, shooing away the crowd at the door and giving Shasha a few instructions before leaving.

Changxi blinked. The flu?

That’s right. Before the apocalypse, a global flu outbreak had begun. People kept falling into comas, and scientists and doctors had no idea what kind of flu it was. No one could do anything, and society started to unravel. In truth, this flu was a warning—the people who fell ill 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 sat up abruptly, clenching her fists.

Her sense of touch felt odd.

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

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

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

She clutched the blanket tightly, one hand covering her mouth, terrified she might scream.

Her whole body trembled 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, keeping her voice steady. “Shasha, what time is it?”

Shasha, still confused, pulled out her phone. “It’s 9:11 in the morning.”

Changxi glanced at the screen—May 20, 2013.

She stared hard at the date.

No one who lived through the apocalypse would ever forget that moment—that earth-shattering, world-ending moment. At midnight tonight, everything would change. Humanity would face its harshest, most brutal test.

Fifteen hours left.

She’d really come back?

“Changxi, are you okay?” Shasha asked worriedly. “Yesterday was your birthday. You drank so much and even took out that jade bracelet you treasure so much. You were laughing and crying—I was scared to death. Are you alright?”

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

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

Shasha gave a wry smile. “You smashed your phone and our landline in your drunken rampage, saying they were bugged. Do you need to make a call? You can use mine—I have plenty anyway.”

Changxi’s expression changed. She took the phone, thanked her, and fumbled with it—she hadn’t used one of these in years. After a minute, she uninstalled an app.

“What app is that?”

“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 them to keep tabs on us.”

Shasha’s face turned pale. “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. What did that matter in the face of profit?

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

“Hello? Who’s calling the handsome Bian?” a cheerful, playful voice came through, with rock music in the background.

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

“Hey, Xiaoxi! Hold on.” The background quieted, and the voice returned, much more serious. “Okay, I’m good. What’s up?”

“I need a ticket to Sucheng. The sooner the better—I have to be there before 9 tonight.”

“A plane ticket? With the flu outbreak, that’s tough. Why do you need to go to Sucheng so urgently?”

“Just tell me if you can get it or not.”

There was a pause. “I can, but you need to tell me why you’re going.” He sounded 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 am I supposed to explain to your parents? If you don’t have a good reason, I can’t let you leave Jiangcheng.”

Changxi’s nose stung. She whispered, “Bian Kuang.”

Right. Why did she want to go to Sucheng?

After the apocalypse, many bases were established. The closest and safest to Jiangcheng was the Sucheng base, since Sucheng had always been a military and economic stronghold. Now that she’d been reborn, she could use her knowledge to secure her future. If she got there quickly, got a place to stay—even just a hotel—she’d avoid the risks of fleeing from Jiangcheng to Sucheng. She could even help build the base from the start. With her seven years of experience, rising to the top wouldn’t be hard.

But… did that really matter?

Was she reborn just to take shortcuts?

Would everything be perfect if she became someone important in Sucheng? Was that all there was to life?

“Hello? Xiaoxi? Don’t be mad, I just—” Bian Kuang sounded anxious.

Changxi smiled. “You’re right. It’s too dangerous to travel right now.” Who could guarantee the apocalypse would start exactly at midnight? What if it came a few hours early? Planes, buses—any travel was risky. And if she left for Sucheng, she’d waste these precious hours of preparation, facing the apocalypse unprepared. That would be stupid.

“Bian Kuang, can I trust you?” she asked seriously.

Bian Kuang was startled, then quickly replied, “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 and went back inside. Chen Yisha was gone. Changxi frowned, quickly guessing where she’d gone. She started packing whatever she could take, but after her parents died two years ago, she’d played the part of a useless layabout to keep her relatives off guard—she didn’t even have proper clothes.

She threw on something casual, tied up her curls, grabbed a sports backpack, and packed her wallet, some water, and toiletries. She paused, thinking she should be honest with Shasha.

But how should she explain? She couldn’t tell her everything about the apocalypse, but she couldn’t let her stay in the dark either.

Before she could decide, Shasha came in, clutching her phone anxiously. “Changxi, I told my dad, and 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 do you plan to do?”"