Barren, desolate...

In the city, lush weeds had broken through the hard concrete, and bones littered the ground.

Lin An dragged his heavy legs along as he ran with great difficulty.

His lungs burned with pain, and every breath tugged at his broken ribs, sending waves of agony through him.

Behind him were hordes of snarling Zombies, their faces twisted into grotesque expressions.

He did not dare stop.

The moment he did, these resurrected dead would tear him to pieces and feast on his flesh.

Seeing the Safe House he had built getting closer and closer, hope appeared on his originally despairing face.

Bang, bang, bang!

Open the door! Hurry, open the door!

Lin An frantically pounded on the heavy Iron Gate. The Zombies behind him were less than a hundred meters away.

The stench of decay assaulted his nose.

I brought the medicine back! Open the door! Hurry, Tang Wan!

Inside the Safe House lived his fiancée's family of three.

Whoosh.

The window slid open, but the Iron Gate did not.

An eye peered at him through the narrow iron window, filled with concern.

Lin An recognized it. It was Tang Wan.

Tang Wan! It's me! Hurry, open the door!

Lin An cried out in anguish, and the wound in his chest was pulled wider.

The blood flowing from it drove the Zombies behind him into an even greater frenzy, and their speed suddenly increased.

After hearing his voice,

the eye behind the iron window shifted to the medicine in his hand.

It was the fever medicine Lin An had found at the cost of his life for Tang Wan's younger brother.

Lin An, I'll open the door right now.

The voice from inside was urgent, calming Lin An's panicked heart.

Once he got inside, he would be safe.

At the edge of the city, where danger lurked everywhere, this Safe House he had built with his own hands was his only home.

Pass the medicine in first. I'll lower the bolt.

Hearing this, Lin An's entire body went limp with exhaustion. He hurriedly forced the box of medicine through the iron window.

But a faint unease lingered in his heart.

Why... not just open the door?

The hand behind the iron window quickly snatched away the medicine box, yet still did not open the door.

Tang Wan?!

Lin An's incredulous voice cut through the night, sharp with despair.

His heart sank, and his entire body turned cold.

Why... hasn't she opened the door yet?!

He could already hear the Zombies right beside him.

Lin An, I saw the wound on your chest.

Tang Wan's voice paused. It was no longer filled with concern, but utterly calm.

She spoke as if she were talking to a stranger.

You may have been infected.

I won't let you in.

Lin An felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. The Zombies behind him had already pounced onto his body.

His flesh was torn and bitten.

Besides, I have something else to tell you.

The captain of the Safe Zone has already agreed. As long as I'm willing to sleep with him, I can enter the Safe Zone.

Of course, you have to die too.

Inside the house, Tang Wan casually brushed back her hair.

She was as calm as she had been when chatting with Lin An in the past.

Lin An could not believe it. Those words struck him like a bolt from the blue.

The pain of the flesh being ripped alive from his back was drowned out as well.

His voice sounded as if he were crying blood as he frantically questioned the person inside the window.

Why? Why did you betray me?!

His palm pressed against the door, leaving a scarlet handprint.

His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

He could feel his intestines being pulled out, while an overwhelming weakness surged through him.

Tang Wan's gaze remained calm, carrying a trace of mockery.

Because you're a good-for-nothing.

I don't want to go hungry and live in fear every day anymore.

He's strong. He's an awakened one.

You, on the other hand, are just an ordinary person.

Behind him, the Zombies frenziedly tore at Lin An's head. His spine cracked loudly as it was easily wrenched apart.

The Zombie's foul, sharp, rotting fingers dug into his eye sockets.

Daughter, why are you wasting so much time talking to that good-for-nothing?

Let him die somewhere farther away. Don't let him die at our door.

Inside the house, the lights were warm.

Tang Mother casually took the bloodstained medicine box and looked coldly out the window.

The three of them stood side by side. Only after Lin An's body had been completely devoured did they leave without worry.

Inside a brightly decorated wedding suite in Lin Jiang City.

Lin An, why haven't you called a few of your comrades to borrow money? What are you standing there for?

The speaker was Lin An's fiancée, Tang Wan.

Like someone struggling in the water,

Lin An suddenly woke up, gasping for breath.

The scene before his death overlapped with the person before him.

Was that a dream just now!?

His head throbbed violently, and he could still faintly feel the pain of his flesh being torn away.

The pain was real, as if it had happened only a second ago.

He hurriedly looked at his phone.

November 9, 2032

Lin An was shocked, his mouth dry and his tongue parched.

No... this isn't a dream!

He had been reborn.

He had returned to three days before the apocalypse erupted, to the day he proposed to Tang Wan.

Lin An, let me tell you this.

If you want to marry my daughter, the betrothal gifts must be increased by two hundred thousand.

Your younger brother-in-law, Tang Tian, is about to get married. As his brother-in-law, you can't possibly contribute nothing, right?

Tang Wan's mother gave her younger son a meaningful look, signaling for him to ask for money.

Brother-in-law, didn't those comrades of yours just leave the military?

Tang Tian sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his face full of impatience.

I heard veterans get quite a lot of money these days. It's just borrowing some money. What's there to be embarrassed about?

Seeing Lin An standing there blankly, Tang Wan could not help frowning.

She had thought that Lin An, having come from a military background, was honest and might also have some money. He seemed like a decent choice.

She had not expected him to hem and haw now, unable to produce any money at all.

It truly made her feel humiliated.

Weren't you close with those comrades of yours? What? You can't even borrow this little money?

Seeing that Lin An showed no reaction, Tang Mother let out a soft snort. She raised her chin and shouted:

Lin An, if you can't come up with this money, then you two can forget about getting married.

You don't have even the slightest sincerity. I thought you were decent before. Who would've thought you were just a stingy, penniless miser?

Tang Mother spoke with biting sarcasm.

Tang Tian seemed afraid that the situation was not chaotic enough. Hearing Tang Mother say they would not get married, he hurriedly spoke up:

Sis! Didn't some rich guy pursue you before?

I think you should forget about marrying this poor bastard.

Go find Director Wang. He's rich! Last time, he even asked me what kind of car I liked!

Amid the three people's endless chatter, no one noticed the Killing Intent filling Lin An's lowered eyes.

In his Previous Life, in order to fulfill his mother's wish, he had hastily married Tang Wan.

Although the marriage had been rushed, he could honestly say that he had done everything he should have.

He had bought a car and a house, and paid every cent of the betrothal gifts.

In the end, he had even swallowed his pride and borrowed money from his comrades to make up the rest of the betrothal gifts.

Yet the apocalypse erupted the day before the wedding.

With his military training, Lin An had struggled to keep his fiancée's family alive.

Until the very last day, when he was eaten alive, he had still been fighting desperately for that so-called family.

That Gate had cut off his chance of survival, but it had also shattered his foolish mercy and that so-called sense of righteousness.

The ear-piercing mockery dragged him back to reality.

Poor bastard, if you have no money, don't pretend to be someone you're not.

My sister is marrying you because she thinks highly of you. Plenty of people are chasing her!

Boom!

Lin An unleashed a devastating kick. The tremendous force struck Tang Tian in the abdomen and sent him flying three meters away.

Tang Tian's face flushed bright red. He vomited bile all over the floor, his body curling like a shrimp in the corner.

He could not believe it.

Tang Wan stared in shock at Lin An as he withdrew his foot. A chill shot straight up the back of her head.

It was the first time she had seen Lin An hit someone. She had not expected the seemingly honest and steady Lin An to strike with such viciousness.

Murder! Murder!

After recovering, Tang Mother shrieked loudly, repeatedly slapping her thighs with both hands.

You damned bastard, how dare you hit my son!

You penniless wretch, you have no money and still hit people! I'll make sure you regret it!

I'll call the police right now and have them arrest you! Don't even think about marrying my daughter!

Shut up, you old beast!

Lin An walked toward Tang Mother. Her sharp and despicable face made him extremely irritated.

He remembered those cold eyes.

Smack! Smack!

One slap followed another, a barrage of blows striking her face.

It was exhilarating.

Lin An showed no restraint. In the blink of an eye, he had delivered more than a dozen slaps.

After only a few blows, Tang Mother fainted, collapsing to the floor like a broom falling against a wall.

Lin An, have you gone crazy?!

Tang Wan stared wide-eyed in disbelief and screamed at the top of her lungs!

Crazy?

Lin An smiled cruelly, and his Killing Intent exploded in an instant.

He wanted this group of people to experience the agony of flesh being torn apart.

To taste the pain and despair he had suffered before death.

Lin An showed no hesitation as he crushed Tang Mother's brittle leg bones underfoot, then walked toward Tang Wan with a blade-like gaze.

Lin An!

What are you trying to do?!

What am I trying to do?

Lin An bent slightly, the coldness in his voice chilling the soul.

Tang Wan seemed to realize something. Her entire body trembled as she hurriedly hid in the room and locked the door from inside.

I called the police!

The police are right outside!

Shaking uncontrollably, Tang Wan turned on her phone's speakerphone. The chime signaling that the call had connected rang out.

On the eve of the apocalypse, accidents occurred one after another.

Faintly, the sounds of sirens and ambulances could be heard outside the window.

Hearing the call connect, Lin An stopped in his tracks. He stood there with a cold gaze, seemingly deep in thought.

He tilted his head and stared intently at the tightly locked door.

There were only three short days left until the apocalypse broke out.

Once he got entangled with them, he would inevitably waste a great deal of time.

Wasting time meant wasting his chance at rebirth.

Not worth it.

This bunch of scum wasn't qualified to delay his precious time.

Then...

Three days!

Lin An gave a cruel smile and slowly turned around.

Three days later, the apocalypse would break out.

He really wanted to see how those three useless people, Tang Wan included, would survive in this apocalyptic world without his desperate protection.

He hoped they could still keep those expressions on their faces when they were beneath a Zombie's jaws.

Death and That Gate had completely changed Lin An in this life.

In this life, he would only care about the people he cherished.

He would never again stubbornly cling to the old-fashioned principles he had upheld in his previous life.

Letting others use him!

Become stronger, then survive in this cruel apocalypse.

Since he had decided to kill them three days later, Lin An naturally wouldn't waste any more time.

After kicking open the flimsy Iron Gate, he strode outside.

Vaguely, Tang Wan heard the sound of him leaving.

As if she had come to her senses, she continued loudly cursing from inside the door while calling several bosses she believed to be influential.

It didn't matter anymore.

If Tang Wan wanted to call for help and cause him trouble, he wouldn't mind taking care of them all while passing by.

Lin An suppressed his hatred.

Pointless emotions would only affect his judgment.

For the time being,

he not only had to stockpile enough supplies before the apocalypse broke out,

but also prepare for the awakening of his talent.

Three days later, the Doomsday Game would descend.

The zombie virus would erupt, Demon Beasts would appear from a Different Dimension, and countless bizarre Supernatural Events would sweep across the globe.

People would also obtain data-based panels, just like in a game.

A small number of lucky ones would gain supernatural powers at energy nodes and awaken talents.

Having been reborn, he had to take his fate into his own hands.

In this life, he absolutely wouldn't allow himself to remain an ordinary person struggling humbly once more.

Moreover, energy nodes would only appear briefly after the apocalypse began!

In his previous life, Tang Wan and her family had dragged him down, causing him to miss the chance to become an awakened one.

Now, he would certainly change all of that!

The first step in changing his fate.

"Fengming Road 97!"