New Era, January 1

A week passed in the sweltering summer heat and the peaceful rhythm of everyday life.

Lin Yi's body, which had once been merely "healthy and regularly exercised," was quietly undergoing a transformation.

Amid the mundane, almost trivial routines that served as a carefully laid disguise, time moved silently and inexorably toward the moment destined to upend everything.

His bone density had quietly increased, providing sturdier support. His nerves had grown much quicker to react, and his five senses had become sharper.

Beneath his well-proportioned frame, his muscles had become more defined and supple, holding a restrained explosive strength.

If his physical condition had once been that of a high school student who loved sports, now he could rival a professional athlete.

On the outside, he was still that sunny, handsome young man. Inside, though, he was like a piece of refined steel, repeatedly hammered to remove its impurities, just waiting to be sharpened and taste blood.

The curtain was about to rise on a grand drama with life as the wager and the world as its stage.

[Saturday, July 24, 2027]—in other words, New Era, January 1, according to the date established in his previous life.

The morning sunlight carried a hint of oppressive heat as it spilled through a gap in the curtains and into the room.

Lin Yi opened his eyes. There was not a trace of post-sleep haze in them, only the stillness of an icy lake.

"Xiaoyi, get up! Today's your big day!"

His mother, Zhou Jinghua, called from outside the door, her voice brimming with joyful busyness.

"Coming, Mom."

Lin Yi replied evenly, then quickly got up, dressed, and washed.

The boy in the mirror still had a somewhat youthful face. He looked at himself and made a slight adjustment to the curve of his mouth, making sure his smile looked right for an eighteen-year-old.

A red congratulatory banner already glowed on the LED sign outside Fujin Hall at Hongfu Restaurant: "Warm congratulations to student Lin Yi on his outstanding exam results!"

It was just past eleven, and guests began arriving one after another.

"Xiaoyi! Congratulations!"

His maternal uncle, Zhou Jianjun, a sturdy, broad-faced middle-aged man with a resolute look, gave Lin Yi a hearty slap on the shoulder. The strength of a discharged soldier was no joke.

"Oh, look at you, growing more handsome by the day!" His aunt, elegantly dressed and wearing a gentle smile, took Lin Yi's hand and praised him.

His cousin Zhou Jieyu, a lanky boy who had just started junior high, excitedly circled Lin Yi. "Brother Yi, you're awesome!"

His younger cousin Zhou Mengmeng, an elementary schoolgirl with her hair tied into little pigtails, looked up at him enviously. "Big brother, once you go to college, do you get to stop studying?"

As he looked at the unfeigned smile on his uncle's resolute face, an image from his previous life suddenly flashed through Lin Yi's mind:

The stench of blood mingled with rot. In a narrow stairwell, his uncle had swung a fire axe with a chipped blade, roaring as he shielded Lin Yi and his cousin behind him. The axe whooshed down with a heavy rush of air, cleaving precisely into the neck of the Corrosive Abyssal Wolf lunging at him!

But his uncle had not dodged in time. The beast's counterattack tore off half his ear, and blood drenched one side of his face.

"Not at all. You have to study even harder in college." Lin Yi said little more. He just ruffled his cousin's hair, then laughed at her crestfallen face. "Uncle, Auntie, go on in and take a seat."

"Sure, sure. You go ahead and take care of things," his uncle said with a smile and a nod.

His uncle's family had barely left when a slightly affected voice cut in from behind them.

"Well, well, Xiaoyi, look at you making something of yourself. Tsk, tsk, Qingteng University. You've made the whole Lin family proud. Who knows? Maybe your uncle will be counting on you to look after him someday."

Lin Yi looked up. It was his paternal uncle, Lin Ruiheng, his aunt Liu Mei, and his younger cousin Lin Ran.

His uncle wore a somewhat forced smile, with a subtle air of distance. His aunt tugged awkwardly at his sleeve.

His cousin Lin Ran trailed behind them, looking ill at ease. He avoided Lin Yi's gaze as he called, "Brother Yi."

Looking at the family before him, Lin Yi felt a tangle of emotions.

He knew better than anyone that this very uncle, whose family had clashed with his on occasion and who was always making sarcastic remarks, would, six months after the apocalypse began and order collapsed, happen upon an opportunity and land a job managing supplies at the large Rock Shelter.

But when his uncle learned that Lin Yi's family was struggling to survive in another, smaller shelter, he had risked a lot to get an escort team to bring them emergency food and medicine. He had also sent word that he would try to secure them a place at Rock Shelter.

It was only after moving to Rock Shelter and putting his parents' safety concerns to rest that Lin Yi had been able to set out on his own expeditions and explorations with peace of mind.

"Uncle, Auntie, glad you could make it. Come on in!"

Lin Yi's smile did not change. He acted as if he had not caught his uncle's sarcasm and welcomed them warmly. His gaze fell on Lin Ran. "You came too, Ranran. Go on in and take a seat."

After seeing his uncle's family in, the next arrivals were his specially invited classmates.

Class monitor Zhou Yuxuan, tall and composed, handed him a gift box with a sincere smile.

"Lin Yi, congratulations."

"You're too kind, Class Monitor. Come on in."

Lin Yi's voice remained as steady as ever. Only he knew that his fingers had tightened around the gift box for an instant.

After the apocalypse, the only news he ever received about the class monitor was a single obituary:

"While covering the evacuation of Nanhu Shelter's residents, the entire shelter guard unit was killed in action, starting with its captain, Zhou Yuxuan."

"Brother Yi, you'd better have a drink with me today!"

His best friend Chen Yu slung an arm around Lin Yi's shoulders. His tall, beautiful girlfriend, Su Xiao, stood beside him.

Su Xiao's pretty eyes held a hint of lazy amusement as she raised an eyebrow at Lin Yi in greeting.

Lin Yi laughed and punched Chen Yu. "Don't even think about getting me drunk!"

He looked at his best friend and his girlfriend, privately quipping to himself.

Well, I don't have any particularly memorable stories about these two. They were out on a date when the apocalypse began and didn't make it past the first wave. You could say they died as a pair of star-crossed lovers.

"Lin Yi, congratulations."

The class beauty, Ye Qingyu, spoke softly. A faint blush colored her fair cheeks as she handed Lin Yi an elegantly wrapped gift. Her gaze lingered on his face for just a moment before darting away.

"Thank you."

Lin Yi took the gift, his fingertips accidentally brushing against hers. Her fingers were cool.

Ye Qingyu... What a shame.

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

Ye Qingyu hadn't been a particularly good student, and she happened to sit in front of him, often turning around to ask him for help with her studies. Some of their classmates had seized on it and teased them. At the time, he had been completely absorbed in studying and couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. He hadn't expected Ye Qingyu to never deny the rumors either. Before long, people were saying they were a couple.

Later, Ye Qingyu died.

The scene surfaced involuntarily in Lin Yi's mind.

A piercing alarm echoed through the dim corridors of the shelter.

A mineral water bottle had rolled into a corner. Compressed biscuits lay scattered across the floor. Ye Qingyu was sprawled in a pool of blood, still clutching a bag of food she had never gotten the chance to give away.

As a distant relative of someone in the shelter's management, she had been assigned to the logistics team, which received slightly larger rations. She had saved the food from her own share, intending to give it to him in secret.

She had not even managed a full cry for help before a Stealth Shadow Blade Beast ambushed and killed her.

There were things she had never managed to say, even before she died.

Not a single flaw showed in Lin Yi's smile. If anything, he looked even gentler. "Thank you for the gift, Ye Qingyu. Come on in and take a seat."

More friends and relatives arrived over the next while.

Lin Yi played the part of a young man genuinely caught up in the joy of the occasion, greeting each guest with just the right amount of excitement and warmly ushering them to their seats.

His father, Lin Ruiming, beamed as he welcomed familiar coworkers and older relatives.

His mother, Zhou Jinghua, bustled about with several female relatives who had arrived early, checking the banquet preparations. Her face radiated pride and delight.

Lin Yi watched his busy, contented parents, then let his gaze sweep casually over each familiar, living face.

These people, scattered or lost in his previous life, were now gathered in this small banquet hall, so vivid and full of life. Laughter and congratulations mingled, forming a warm, boisterous sea of sound.

He fell silent for a moment. Then a happy smile returned to his face.

Amid the bustle and lively conversation, time slipped quietly by.