Mag-log inChapter 1: A Cold October Morning On the morning of October 15, just as dawn broke, ominous thunder rumbled across the sky, followed shortly by a hailstorm. The temperature plummeted, dropping from over thirty degrees to just a few degrees within an hour. Caught off guard by the sudden cold, Liam Bennett and Jack Sullivan wrapped themselves in blankets and curled up on the sofa after breakfast. They switched on a tablet loaded with movies they had downloaded for offline viewing. After browsing for a while, they settled on an obscure independent romance featuring two male leads. The plot was decent, although some scenes were rather steamy. As they watched, neither man seemed able to sit still. By the time the protagonists on screen began getting intimate, Liam and Jack had already abandoned the sofa for their bedroom. Just as it had been during their university days, the two of them could never finish watching anything remotely suggestive when they watched it together. Honestly,
The new regulations issued by the command centre proved effective, but they also increased the workload and time required for rescue teams, causing a sharp rise in the risks they faced.Finally, on October 3, the central government broadcast an action plan via satellite, introducing a system of urban district management and organised rescue operations.The following day, Melbourne's authorities announced the implementation of the new system, dividing the city into five areas.Four were designated as control zones: east, west, south and north. The fifth was a central rescue command centre that also served as a supply depot, located between the four zones.The area where Liam Bennett and his group lived was designated as the West Zone. It included their residential complex, Harmony Court, and nearly ten other nearby communities of various sizes. Together, they would form the West Zone survivor settlement.The settlement command post was established on the ground floor of the property ma
The daily routine of two people living together tends to become predictable. Because they know each other so well, even the slightest change can be noticed without a word being spoken.Liam was making soup when he realised that the bathroom had been quiet for over ten minutes and Jack still hadn’t come out. He turned down the heat and walked over to knock on the door.“Jack, are you nearly done? Dinner’s almost ready.”“Yeah, almost.”Jack’s voice sounded subdued, which Liam found unusual, but he didn’t ask any questions.Rescue work wasn’t exactly uplifting. Constantly facing death and witnessing the darker side of human nature could leave anyone feeling miserable. It was only natural for Jack’s mood to be affected.Another ten minutes passed before Jack finally emerged from the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts that reached his mid thighs.He walked straight over to Liam, wrapped his arms around him from behind and leaned close as Liam worked at the stove.“Cooking can
Even Hannah, who already knew a little about Liam’s preparations, couldn’t help staring at the enormous pile of supplies.“Holy cow! Liam, you must have been a hamster in your previous life!”The other six finally snapped out of their daze. In perfect unison, they dropped to their knees.“Brother Liam, please accept my respect! Your brother, Jian Cheng, is at your service!”Jian Cheng had thick eyebrows, large eyes and a handsome, clean cut appearance. His gestures were exaggerated, but his expression was completely sincere.Lu Ningzhou, his usual partner, pushed up his gold rimmed glasses and immediately followed suit.“Brother Liam, same here! Your brother, Lu Ningzhou!”“Brother Liam, I’m Zhao Lei from northern Australia. I’d be honoured to serve as your right hand man!”Zhao Lei was a big man with slightly tanned skin and a rugged build. As the team’s deputy leader, he stood at an impressive 195 centimetres, making him the tallest among them. His broad shoulders and booming voice
Liam spoke casually, but his words made Jack pause halfway through his meal. His eyes lit up.“That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll bring it up with the leader of the official organisation. It could work in other places too. If we mark off the apartments that have already been cleared and sealed, we won’t have to waste time checking everything again when distributing supplies.”He added, “If you have any other strategies for surviving the apocalypse, tell me. I’ll pass them on to the authorities so we can avoid unnecessary losses.”The apocalypse had arrived without warning, plunging the entire world into chaos. Countries and cities were left struggling to survive on their own.The military was racing to establish rescue bases across the country, but such a massive operation would take time. The more people who survived until rescue arrived, the better it would be for humanity’s future. Once someone died, there was no bringing them back.“Alright.”Liam had already intended to share these id
Noticing Liam’s unease, Jack lowered his head and kissed his cheek, speaking softly.“Considering how cooperative I’ve been, will you tell me? Trust me, no one else will ever know.”He wasn’t trying to pressure Liam. He simply wanted to protect him better, and to do that, he needed to understand what Liam was afraid of.Liam looked up at him.“I’m afraid you won’t believe me…”Jack chuckled softly.“I believed your crazy dream story. What wouldn’t I believe?”“Sometimes, the truth is even harder to believe than a dream.”Liam sighed helplessly. After a moment, encouraged by Jack’s patient gaze, he finally spoke.“Jack, I died once.”His voice was calm, but Jack’s expression immediately changed.Before Jack could say anything, Liam continued.“…Like something out of those unbelievable novels. I died and was reborn. Everything that’s happening now… I’ve already lived through it once in my previous life.”“…”Jack looked at him with complete seriousness. This was certainly harder to beli







