Apocalypse World

An Yang stood off to the side with his rolling suitcase and An You, while Xiao Xueer was still busy paying fees and getting stamps. The two siblings chatted idly, at least in the eyes of others, they seemed to get along well.

"Xiao You, you're registering on the thirty-first, right?"

"What, it's not like I need you to come with me."

"Uh... I was actually going to say the same thing. I'll be pretty busy in a couple of days, so I can't make it on your registration day."

An You glanced at him dismissively, but inside, she felt a little bitter.

"Ha, if you don't want to come, just say so. It's not like I'd be upset. Why dress it up so nicely? You're just an unemployed older guy with nothing better to do, what could you possibly be busy with!"

It wasn't really about her feelings for An Yang. Honestly, she didn't care whether he showed up for her registration or not. But she was a proud person. No matter what, An Yang was still her biological brother. He came for Xiao Xueer's registration, but he wouldn't be there for hers—that made a difference.

What was that supposed to mean? Wouldn't that make her lose face!

"...Unemployed older guy!"

An Yang wiped the sweat off his cheek.

Xiao Xueer walked over holding an A4 sheet covered in stamps, smiling. "Finally done. You guys must have been waiting a while. Now we just head to the dorm."

An Yang nodded, pulled his suitcase, and followed behind Xiao Xueer and Xu Ling toward an old dormitory building.

The building looked aged on the outside. The painted walls were overtaken by moss, and one side was completely covered in ivy. Fiber optic cables were tangled in morning glory vines, their purplish-red flowers glowing brilliantly under the midday sun.

An Yang remarked admiringly, "Not bad at all. For a school this old, it really has a sense of history and artistry."

Xu Ling turned to look at him and smiled. "You're Xiao Xueer's brother, right? You're absolutely right. This dorm building has been around for years—they say it was built when the school was founded. Most of the girls living here are from the arts departments, like music and dance."

"Yeah, I'm An Yang."

An You clicked her tongue. "That old, huh!"

Xu Ling said, "Even though the building's old, the facilities inside are pretty good. It's considered one of the better dorms across Yizhou University of Science and Technology. Since our school leans toward the sciences and doesn't have many female students, the administration takes good care of them."

They entered the dorm and opened the door. Inside, a long-legged girl was already making her bed, with two plainly dressed middle-aged man and woman standing beside her—likely her parents.

The long-legged girl was cheerful. Hearing the door open, she immediately turned around, revealing a fair, delicate face. She skipped past An Yang and Xu Ling, who was wearing an ID badge, and sized up An You and Xiao Xueer. "Are you my roommates?"

"I am."

"I'm not. I'm just here to help Xueer register."

"Ah, I'm Wang Yu. We'll be spending three years together."

"I'm Xiao Xueer. Nice to meet you."

An Yang walked straight into the dorm with his suitcase, looked around, and took it all in. Standard university four-person room with combo beds, tiled floors, air conditioning, a water dispenser, a washing machine—pretty decent accommodations.

Yeah, way better than the boys' dorms at Yizhou University.

Wang Yu finished making her bed quickly and pointed at An You and An Yang. "This is your friend and your brother?"

Xiao Xueer nodded. "Yeah, this is my high school classmate Xiao You, and this is Brother An Yang."

Wang Yu's eyes went wide. "Wow, having a brother to help out is so nice..."

An You pursed her lips, feeling even more bitter inside.

An Yang smiled and nodded at Wang Yu's parents. Xiao Xueer and An You politely greeted them as uncle and aunt, then started getting the bed ready. Soon after, two more girls arrived one after another—one with a good figure and decent looks, named Wu Yalan, and the other sweet and cute, named Li Qian. Both were accompanied by their parents.

Wang Yu was in the dance department, Wu Yalan in music, Li Qian in fine arts—all art-related fields. Only Xiao Xueer was different... architecture!

By the time Xiao Xueer was settled in, it was already two in the afternoon. The parents of the other three girls in the dorm had already left. An Yang didn't linger either. Knowing the girls would probably go out for dinner that evening to bond, he told Xiao Xueer and An You to stay safe and left, claiming he had things to do.

Back at his rented place, An Yang immediately pulled out his phone and looked at the data on the screen.

Chosen One: An Yang

Physical Attributes:

Physique: 2.5

Strength: 2.1

Speed: 2

Intellect: 2

Unallocated Attribute Points: 1

Mastered Skills:

Mastery of Combat (Intermediate)

Firearms Mastery (Intermediate)

English Mastery (Beginner)

Military Literacy Mastery (Beginner)

Instrument Mastery (Beginner)

Driving Mastery (Beginner)

Melee Weapon Mastery

Skill points pending distribution: 2

Item abilities:

Portable Space (1 cubic meter)

Gate of Space (pending use)

Other abilities:

Kunlun Art (Level 3)

Heaven and Earth, Limitless; Cosmos Borrow Law (Level 3)

After nearly two months of cultivation, Kunlun Art had reached level three—not a slow pace. He already had a faint sense of qi, likely inseparable from his constitution and mental faculties, which far exceeded ordinary people.

And level three Kunlun Art brought him no small benefits: constitution increased by 0.2, from 2.3 to 2.5, though strength and speed saw no change.

After a moment's thought, An Yang took a Chinese war blade from the room and gently wiped it with a cloth.

This blade was a costly order from Cold Steel Company in the US, manufactured in Japan—the same one from online test videos. Overall, it was better than domestically produced versions.

Cold Steel's performance went without saying; paired with his speed and strength, it could easily decapitate a man.

Shwoosh!

The war blade vanished, replaced by a Cold Steel 26SXP folding knife, less than an adult's arm's length, which he also stored in his Portable Space.

By now, the Portable Space was nearly full, mostly with medicine, food, and the like—though a sniper rifle and pistol were indispensable.

"System, spend one skill point to upgrade Melee Weapon Mastery to intermediate."

"Distributing skill points... Distribution complete. Beginning information transmission..."

An Yang furrowed his brow. Once again, he felt countless pieces of knowledge—some he could sense, some he couldn't—flooding into his mind. But now, his physique and mental capacity were far stronger than before; his head only throbbed, with no urge to pass out.

Soon, the transmission finished. He felt thoroughly familiar with many melee weapons, wielding various techniques of force and leverage with ease. Even complex weapons moved as naturally as an extension of his arm, including ranged arms like bows and crossbows.

And the skills column had changed to:

Mastered Skills:

Mastery of Combat (Intermediate)

Firearms Mastery (Intermediate)

English Mastery (Basic)

Military Literacy Mastery (Basic)

Instrument Mastery (Basic)

Driving Mastery (Basic)

Melee Weapon Mastery (Intermediate)

Skill points pending distribution: 1

Entering an Apocalypse World that devoured people without spitting out bones, and losing the ability to know the plot in advance, An Yang was still solemn. He had made ample preparations.

At some point, Nie Xiaoqian appeared at the shadowy bedroom door, gazing at him with melancholy.

Over these two months, An Yang had trusted her deeply, never hiding anything from her. She had come to know he was no mere scholar, and was quite extraordinary, gradually learning some secrets.

"An Yang."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Nie Xiaoqian came over, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her head against his chest. "Where are you going? Can I come with you?"

An Yang paused, his eyes sharpening slightly. He lowered his head, stroking her long hair, and said, "Be good. I can't take you. Wait for me at home. I'll be back before long."

Nie Xiaoqian asked, "Why can't you take me?"

An Yang rubbed her head. "Well... because I'm going to another world. The spatial passage isn't very stable. I'm afraid something might happen to you. The system also won't allow it, saying your power would break the game rules."

Nie Xiaoqian was born in a feudal society, one filled with wonders and spirits, so her capacity to accept such things was stronger. "System? You mean that black phone? What are game rules? Can't I just not use my power?"

An Yang shook his head, speaking gently. "But the system doesn't trust you. More importantly, the spatial passage is unstable. I'll be fine, but you might run into trouble."

Nie Xiaoqian was stubborn. "I know, but the chance of... that happening... is very low, isn't it? Last time, nothing happened, right?"

An Yang was helpless, explaining, "Precisely because you've already made one transit, I'm even more reluctant to try. We were lucky last time. If misfortune strikes this time, I might never see you again."

Nie Xiaoqian hesitated, sorrow filling her eyes. "Then how long will you be gone?"

An Yang thought for a moment and said, "Not long. Don't worry."

In truth, he had asked the system. According to a long string of complex spatiotemporal formulas, the time ratio between Apocalypse World No. 94567 and the real world was 3:1. One year in the mission world roughly equaled four months in reality.

But how could he tell Nie Xiaoqian he'd be gone four months? The two of them—one human, one ghost—had only been together for a little over three months. Four months of waiting would be agonizing for her.

He had already decided: upon arriving in the Apocalypse World, his first task would be to check if the world had development value. If it did, he would unhesitatingly use the Gate of Space, turning this world into his own backyard first, so he could come and go freely.

Night, nearing midnight.

An Yang held Nie Xiaoqian in his arms, occasionally glancing down at the countdown on his phone.

Nie Xiaoqian's face was full of reluctance.

Finally, with less than a minute left on the countdown, An Yang gently pushed her away.

"Time's up. I have to go. Remember to wait for me at home obediently, and listen, got it?"

Nie Xiaoqian nodded, staring at him with pleading eyes.

An Yang glanced at his phone screen, then shot her a sidelong look. "Stay right where you are. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting—there's no way..."

Suddenly, the phone let out a beep.

Nie Xiaoqian's beautiful eyes widened, and in an instant, she transformed into a black pearl that shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

"Bang."

The pearl struck the wall, bounced off the floor tiles with a series of hops, and the room was left empty.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Nie Xiaoqian's figure appeared on the sofa. She looked helplessly at the spot where An Yang had stood moments before, lowering her head in silence.