Chapter 1

The land was bleak and desolate.

Thick weeds burst through the hard city concrete, and white bones littered the ground.

Andy Langford dragged his weary legs, struggling to run.

His lungs burned, each breath sending sharp pain through his broken ribs.

A horde of snarling zombies with grotesque faces chased after him.

Andy dared not stop.

If he did, those resurrected dead would tear him apart and devour his flesh.

December 2035.

Three years ago, the apocalypse erupted, plunging the entire world into hell.

As he saw the safe house he built growing closer, hope flickered in Andy's desperate face.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Open up! Open up!"

Andy desperately pounded on the thick metal door.

The zombies were now less than a hundred meters behind him. The stench of decay was overwhelming.

"I've brought the medicine! Open the door, Wilma!"

Inside the safe house were his fiancée, her mother, and her younger brother.

Swish.

A window slid open, but the metal door remained shut.

An eye, filled with concern, peered through the narrow opening.

Andy recognized the eye. It belonged to Wilma Twain.

"Wilma, it's me! Open the door!"

Andy's voice was raw with desperation.

The effort of shouting tore the wound on his chest wider. The spilled blood drove the zombies behind him into a frenzy, their pace suddenly quickening.

At his words, the eye in the window shifted its focus to the medicine in his hand.

It was medicine to treat Wilma's younger brother's fever, medicine Andy had risked his life to find.

"Okay, Andy, I'll open the door."

Her voice sounded anxious, calming Andy's fearful heart.

He would be safe once he was inside.

This safe house, which he built with his own hands on the outskirts of the perilous city was the only place he could call home.

"Hand me the medicine first, then I'll undo the bolt."

Andy felt the strength drain from him, but he forced himself to shove the box of medicine through the narrow window.

However, a feeling of unease gnawed at him.

Why couldn't she just open the door?

The hand inside quickly snatched the medicine away, but the door stayed shut.

"Wilma?!"

Andy's incredulous voice pierced the night, filled with despair.

His heart plummeted, and a chill washed over him.

Why wasn't the door opening?!

He could hear the zombies closing in behind him.

"Andy, I can see the wound on your chest."

Wilma paused. Her voice, no longer filled with concern, was eerily calm, as if she was talking to a complete stranger.

"You might be infected. I can't let you in."

Andy felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

The zombies behind him lunged at him. His back was being torn apart.

"One more thing. The leader of the safe zone promised to let us in if I sleep with him. But of course, you'll have to die."

Inside the house, Wilma casually brushed her hair back, as if she were just having a casual chat with Andy.

Andy was stunned. Her words struck him like a lightning bolt.

He could barely feel the pain from his flesh being ripped out.

He cried out, filled with anguish and rage, questioning the person inside.

"Why? Why would you betray me?!"

His palms pressed against the door, leaving bloody prints as he glared at her.

He could feel his intestines being pulled out. An overwhelming sense of weakness washed over him.

Wilma’s calm gaze held a trace of mockery.

"Because you're useless. I'm sick of going hungry every day. I'm sick of living in fear. He's strong and an Awakened, while you're just an ordinary guy."

The zombies tore at Andy's head. With a sickening crack, his spine was easily ripped apart.

The zombies' putrid, sharp fingers dug into his eye sockets.

"Stop wasting your breath on that loser, Wilma. Tell him to die somewhere else, not at our doorstep."

Inside, the lights were warm.

Wilma's mother casually took the blood-soaked medicine box from Wilma while looking out the window coldly.

The family of three stood side-by-side, watching Andy's body get completely devoured before walking away.

-

In a brightly decorated room in the city of Linden.

"What are you waiting for, Andy? Hurry up and ask your army friends if you can borrow money from them."

The speaker was Andy's fiancée, Wilma Twain.

Andy suddenly jolted awake, gasping for air like a drowning man.

The scene of his death overlapped with the image of the person in front of him.

Was it just a dream?!

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

The pain felt so real, as if it happened just a second ago.

He quickly glanced at his phone. It was November 9, 2032.

Andy was shocked. His throat felt dry.

No... it wasn't a dream!

He had been reborn.

He had returned to three years ago, back to the day he proposed to Wilma, three days before the apocalypse erupted.

"Listen here, Andy. If you want to marry my daughter, you'll have to give us $30,000. Her brother, Tristan, is getting married soon. You're his future brother-in-law, so you have to help him out, right?"

Wilma's mother gave her son a look, signaling for him to ask Andy for money too.

"Andy, didn't your friends just get discharged from the military?"

Tristan Twain lounged on the sofa, impatient.

"I heard they get a lot of money when they get discharged. You're just borrowing a little, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

Seeing Andy standing still, Wilma frowned.

She initially thought Andy, being an ex-soldier, would have an honest personality and some savings, which made him a decent choice for marriage.

However, it turned out Andy couldn't come up with any money at all.

He was an embarrassment.

"I thought you and your army friends were really close. Don't tell me you can't even borrow a little bit of money from them?"

Wilma’s mother snorted disdainfully at Andy's silence.

She raised her voice, "Andy, if you can’t come up with the money, then forget about the marriage. Not a shred of sincerity! I thought you were a decent man, but you turned out to be a stingy loser."

Her voice was full of contempt.

Tristan, with a reckless boldness, quickly added, "Wilma, what was the name of the rich guy who pursued you? George? Don't marry this broke loser, marry that guy instead. He has money! He even asked me what car I like!"

Amid their incessant chatter, no one noticed the murderous intent in Andy’s lowered eyes.

In his previous life, he had hastily married Wilma to fulfill his mother’s wishes.

Although the marriage was rushed, he believed he had done everything he was supposed to. He bought a car, he bought a house, and he gave Wilma's family the money they asked for.

He had to swallow his pride and borrow money from his old comrades for that.

However, the apocalypse broke out the day before the wedding.

With his military training, Andy managed to survive while protecting his fiancée and her family, though with much difficulty.

Until the day he was eaten alive, he continued to risk his life for this so-called family.

That closed door had ended his life, but it had also shattered his naive kindness, destroying the notions of righteousness he held.

A harsh taunt pulled him back to reality.

"You loser! Don't act like you have money if you’re broke. You don't know how lucky you are that my sister is willing to marry you. Lots of men are interested in her!"

Bang!

Andy kicked Tristan's stomach violently, sending him flying three meters back.

Tristan’s face turned crimson. His bile spewed everywhere. He curled up like a shrimp on the floor.

He was in disbelief.

Wilma stared at Andy in shock, a chill racing down her spine.

It was the first time she had ever seen Andy hit someone. He did not expect Andy, who seemed straight-laced and honest, to act so savagely.

"Murder! Murder!"

Wilma's mother screamed after she came back to her senses, her hands repeatedly slapping her thighs.

"You bastard! How dare you hit my son! I'll sue you until you go broke, you loser! I’m calling the cops right now! You can forget about marrying Wilma!"

"Shut up, old hag!"

Andy walked up to Wilma's mother. Her mean and bitter face irritated him to no end.

He remembered those cold, indifferent eyes.

Slap! Slap!

Andy unleashed a barrage of slaps on her face.

He struck without any restraint, quickly delivering more than a dozen slaps.

It felt good.

Wilma's mother fainted, falling to the floor like a broom sliding off the wall.

"Andy, are you crazy?!"

Wilma yelled, bewildered.

"Crazy?"

Wilma's words ignited Andy’s killing intent. He smiled cruelly.

He wanted these people to feel the agony of flesh being separated from bone, to taste the pain and despair he felt before dying.

Andy stepped on Wilma's mother's leg, crushing her brittle bones, as he strode menacingly towards Wilma, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"What do you want, Andy?!"

"What do I want?"

Andy bent slightly forward, his voice cold.

Wilma finally sensed that something was amiss. Trembling, she hurried into a room and locked the door behind her.

"I've called the cops! They're right outside!"

With shaking hands, Wilma activated the phone’s speaker to let him hear the 911 call connecting.

Accidents happened frequently in the days leading up to the apocalypse.

The faint sirens of police and ambulances could be heard faintly outside the window.

Upon hearing the call connect, Andy stopped in his tracks, seemingly deep in thought.

He tilted his head, staring intently at the tightly shut door.

The apocalypse was just three days away.

Dealing with them would waste a lot of time.

Wasting time was wasting away the golden chance he obtained from being reborn.

It was not worth it.

Trash like them were not worth his precious time.

Fine...

With a cruel smile, Andy slowly turned away.

In three days, the apocalypse would arrive.

Let's see how these three useless fools would survive the apocalypse without his help.

He wondered if they could maintain that same attitude when they were devoured by zombies.

Death, and that closed door, completely changed Andy.

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

He would no longer stubbornly adhere to his naive beliefs, allowing others to take advantage of him!

He must become stronger, then survive this brutal apocalypse.

Having decided to kill Wilma and her family three days later, Andy wasted no more time on them.

He kicked open the flimsy metal door and strode outside.

Wilma could vaguely hear the sound of him leaving.

Upon returning to her senses, she cursed loudly and proceeded to call some men whom she thought were rich and powerful.

Andy couldn't care less.

If Wilma really were to gather men to teach Andy a lesson, he wouldn't mind taking care of them together with her when he passed this place by three days later.

Andy suppressed his hatred.

Unnecessary emotions would only cloud his judgment.

Before the apocalypse arrived, he must gather enough supplies and also awaken his Talent.

Three days later, the apocalypse game would start.

The zombie virus would break out, monsters would invade from other worlds, and countless strange supernatural events would sweep the globe.

Humans would gain a digital panel as if in a game.

A few lucky ones would awaken supernatural powers at certain energy nodes.

In this life, he must take control of his own destiny.

This time, he would not allow himself to struggle as an ordinary person again.

Energy nodes would only appear briefly after the apocalypse began!

In his previous life, he missed the opportunity to become an Awakened because he had to take care of Wilma’s family.

It would be different this time!

And the first step in altering his fate was...

"97 Phoenix Road!"