SYSTEM ACTIVATED

My eyes flew open.

A violent, ragged gasp tore from my throat as I sat bolt upright, my hands instantly flying to my abdomen. My fingers pressed hard against my stomach, searching for the jagged tear, the wet warmth of gushing blood, the shredded meat of my organs.

There was nothing.

I looked around frantically, my chest heaving as if I had just surfaced from deep underwater. The scent of copper and rotting flesh was gone, replaced by the familiar, dusty smell of cheap lavender detergent and old textbooks. Sunlight streamed through a clean glass window, casting bright square patches on the floor.

I was sitting on the edge of my bed in my apartment. Across from me was a small couch, with a giant plush bear propped against one of the cushions.

With confusion and fear, I scrambled off the bed, my legs shaking so violently I nearly tumbled onto the floor. I hurriedly picked up my phone from the small wooden desk.

My thumb pressed the power button with a trembling force that nearly cracked the screen. The display lit up with a crisp, bright digital clock.

02:14 PM

September 20, 2026

Am… Am I reborn?

September 20th. Three days before the apocalypse. Three days before the global acid rain would fall, melting infrastructure, mutating livestock, and turning eighty percent of the human population into flesh-eating monsters.

My breath hitched in my throat. It wasn't a nightmare. I had actually come back. I was twenty-two years old again, sitting in my university dorm in Guangzhou, three full days before the world ended.

A crisp, metallic chime echoed directly inside my head, followed immediately by a translucent blue screen lighting up in midair right before my eyes.

Ding!

[Welcome, Host.]

I stumbled back a step, my spine hitting the edge of the wooden bed frame. "What... what is this?"

The blue screen pulsed with a calm, steady light, text scrolling rapidly across its surface.

[System initialization complete. Binding to Host: Ivy Collins.]

[Host Data Panel Loading...]

[Name: Ivy Collins]

[Age: 22]

[Current Status: Healthy (Pre-Apocalypse State)]

[Abilities: None (Unawakened)]

[Allocated System Abilities: Locked]

[Active Missions: 1]

I stared at the floating words, my heart hammering against my ribs. A system? In my previous life, I had heard rumors among top-tier base leaders about legendary survivors who possessed mysterious, game-like abilities. But I had never dreamed such a thing actually existed, let alone belonged to me.

The blue panel shifted, displaying a flashing red box at the center.

[New Mandatory Quest Activated: Break the Chains of Betrayal]

[Current Primary Objective: Settle the Karma.]

[Initial System Task Activated: Break up with the scumbag boyfriend, Ethan Hayes.]

[Task Description: The host has suffered a fatal betrayal in her previous life. Severing emotional ties is the first step toward absolute survival.]

[ Failure Penalty: Permanent loss of System binding.]

[Quest Reward: Unlock 10-Square-Meter Dimensional Storage Space (Time-stasis enabled).]

I stared at the text, a cold, ruthless smile slowly spreading across my lips.

A ten-square-meter dimensional storage space with time-stasis? In the apocalypse, a spatial storage capability was worth more than gold. In my past life, people fought to the death over a single canned meal. Having a secure, portable space where food would never spoil was the ultimate survival tool.

[Warning: The system is bound exclusively to Host Ivy Collins. System functions will expand as the Host completes tasks and collects resource titles. Host is advised to act swiftly. The Cataclysm begins in 61 hours and 46 minutes.]

"Sixty-one hours," I whispered to myself, my eyes hardening.

And all I had to do to get it was trash the scumbag who had murdered me.

I unlocked the screen, found Ethan's contact name—which I had embarrassing saved as 'My Everything’—and immediately hit the call button. I put it on speaker.

It rang three times before he finally picked up. His voice sounded arrogant, lazy, and completely dismissive.

"Ivy? Look, I'm kind of busy right now. If this is about lunch, can we raincheck? I'm hanging out with some guys from the fraternity."

In the background, I heard the faint, distinct sound of a woman's soft laughter. It was a sound I knew all too well now. He wasn't with his fraternity brothers; he was already messing around behind my back.

"Don't bother, Ethan," I said, my voice steady, cold, and razor-sharp. "I'm calling to tell you that we're over."

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line. "What? Ivy, what kind of joke is this?"

"It's not a joke," I said, a faint sneer on my face. "I'm breaking up with you. You're lazy, self-absorbed, and frankly, you disgust me. Never call me again, you pathetic scumbag."

"What?" His voice dropped its smooth tone, replaced by genuine shock and a hint of anger. "Are you out of your mind? Is this because I didn't text you back last night? Don't be so dramatic, Ivy—"

"I don't care about your excuses, and I don't care about you," I said, my words clear, sharp, and biting. "Don't call me, don't come to my apartment, and stay the hell away from me. We are finished, you cheating lying manwhore."

"Wait—Ivy! Are you insane?! You can't break up with me! Who do you think you—"

I pressed the red end-call button before he could finish his sentence, then immediately blocked his number, deleted his contact, and removed him from all my social media accounts.

Chloe, who had been listening to the entire conversation through the speaker, stared at me as if I had suddenly lost my mind.

“Ivy, are you crazy?!” she blurted out. “What the hell just happened? You actually broke up with Ethan? Your Ethan? The same guy you’ve been crazy about for years?”

I glanced at her, completely unfazed. “Yes. And I’d appreciate it if you stopped looking at me like I’ve grown two heads.”

Ding!

The blue screen flashed brightly in front of my eyes once more.

[Quest Completed: Break the Chains of Betrayal!]

[Reward Issued: 10-Square-Meter Dimensional Storage Space Unlocked!]

[Host status updated. Current Storage Capacity: 10m³ (Items stored do not decay or lose temperature).]

A thrill of pure excitement shot through my chest. I focused my mind, and instantly, a vast, shadowy dimensional pocket appeared in my consciousness. It was ten square meters of empty space, ready to be filled.

I looked around the room. The apocalypse was coming in less than three days. I had no time to waste mourning a scumbag or feeling sorry for myself. I needed supplies, fuel, weapons, and a secure base.

A sudden sensation took root in the back of my mind—a heavy, hollow expanse floating in a void, completely under my mental control. I looked down at an unopened bottle of coca-cola sitting on the student desk next to me. I willed it to enter the vault.

Swish.

The bottle vanished into thin air. A second later, with another thought, it reappeared right back on the desk.

It was real. The system was completely real.

I looked back at the blue system interface floating in front of me. Three days left. Sixty-one hours before the world dissolved into an apocalyptic hellscape.

I didn't have time to waste on bitter tears or petty arguments. I needed supplies, weapons, a secure stronghold, and massive amounts of food. I was going to use every single minute of these three days to prepare for the end.

I walked over to my desk, grabbed my handbag, and pulled out my stack of bank cards.

"Clara, Ethan, Jude, everyone who hurt and murdered me..." I whispered into the quiet room, my eyes burning with a dark, promise-filled fire. "Enjoy the next three days of peace. Because when the sky turns red, I'm going to make sure every single one of you pays interest on what you took from me."