SCORCHED EARTH APOCALYPSE: MY SPACIAL FARM &THE COLD GENERAL

Young’s POV°

“Let go of me! Please, Arthur—look at me!”

I choked on the dust as my knees slammed into the sun-baked, cracked earth. The heat struck my bare shoulders like an open furnace—well over a hundred and sixty degrees—but the ice spreading through my blood was colder.

Arthur did not look at me. He stood beside my assistant, Chloe, one hand resting easily on her waist. She no longer wore her lab coat. A light cold vest clung to her body, a wide-brimmed sun hat shaded her face, and a soft, satisfied smile curved her lips.

Behind them stood Arthur’s mother, Beatrice, along with his younger brother Elijah and his sister Clara. None of them met my eyes. Beatrice only sneered and fanned herself with a thick piece of cardboard.

“Arthur, please!” My voice cracked as I yanked against the heavy steel chains binding my wrists to the sacrificial pillar. “I gave you everything. My research. My life. My love. I built the drought-resistant seed strain. I saved us. Why are you doing this?”

“You didn’t save us, Young.” Arthur’s voice was soft, stripped of every trace of warmth he had used during the five years of our marriage. He finally glanced down at me. His eyes were dead. “Your agricultural breakthrough saved us. You? You’re just an orphan with no family backing.”

“Arthur, don’t waste your breath,” Beatrice cut in, her tone dripping with false pity. “She should be grateful that an orphan girl like her finally has a purpose. Sacrificing herself as a guinea pig for their experiment so our family can receive a shelter package from the military… it’s the most useful thing she’s ever done for us.”

“You monsters,” I whispered. Tears burned my eyes, but the brutal heat evaporated them before they could fall. “I cooked for your family. I cleaned. I paid off Elijah’s debts. I let Clara talk down to me at every dinner. I did all of it for you, Arthur.”

“And I asked you to endure it for the sake of peace, didn’t I?” Arthur gave a casual shrug. “You were always so desperate for a family. It was pathetic. Did you really believe a man like me could love a charity case?”

Chloe rested her head against his shoulder and let out a quiet chuckle. “Thank you for all the hard work in the lab, Young. Truly. Arthur and I couldn’t have secured the seed patent transfer without your master codes. But the lab doesn’t need two lead engineers. It only needs one… and that's going to be me.”

[GLOBAL SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

[TRIAL ZONE 09: SACRIFICE ACCEPTED.]

[OFFERING: HIGH-VALUE HUMAN LIFE — ETERNAL YOUNG ALEXANDER, AGE 26]

[REWARD ISSUED TO PARTY LEADER: ARTHUR CLARK]

[PACKAGE: TIER-3 OASIS SHELTER + 500 GALLONS PURIFIED WATER]

A blinding crimson light erupted from the prepared stone pillar beneath me. It felt like molten metal flooding my veins, tearing my chest open from the inside.

“Arthur!” I screamed as the red light swallowed my body.

He didn’t flinch. He simply turned away, taking Chloe’s hand. “Let’s get inside the shelter before the heat spikes again.”

“Wait—get the water barrels first!” Clara squealed happily, not even glancing my way as I burned.

As my eyes closed for the last time, one thought branded itself into my mind:

If I ever get another chance… I will never shed another tear for you.

═❈══❈══❈═

“Young! Wake up! Are you even listening?”

A shrill voice snapped me back.

I gasped. My hands slammed against a cool, smooth dining table. Clean air filled my lungs—no dust, no scorching heat, no smell of burning skin.

“Honestly, Arthur, look at her!” Clara whined from across the table. “She’s completely spacing out. I told you she doesn’t care about my engagement party. She thinks she’s too good for us just because she got another research grant.”

My hands were shaking. I stared down at them. Smooth. Unblemished. Free of dirt, burns, and steel chains.

The digital clock on the wall read:

JULY 14, 2026 — 6:30 PM

Three months before the Heat Apocalypse. Six months before the military took over and began researching survival in the apocalypse that requires exchange of human sacrifice as a guinea pig for survival products.

“Young, sweetheart.” Arthur reached over and patted my hand with that familiar, sickeningly gentle touch. “Clara is just excited. We need you to pay for the venue deposit. It’s only fifteen thousand. You have that extra bonus from the agricultural department, right? Family supports family.”

I turned my head slowly and looked at him. The same handsome face. The same polished smile. The same subtle greed glinting in his eyes—the exact face that had watched me burn without a second thought.

Beside him, Beatrice sipped her wine and eyed me with disdain. “An orphan girl should know her place when she marries into a good home, Young. Supporting your sister-in-law is your duty.”

In my past life, those words would have twisted my stomach with anxiety. I would have stammered an apology and handed over every cent just to keep the peace.

Not this time.

“Young?” Arthur frowned when I didn’t immediately agree. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” I said quietly. My voice came out steady. I pulled my hand free from his and reached for my glass of iced water instead. “Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking…”

[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]

[HOST DETECTED: ETERNAL YOUNG ALEXANDER]

[REBIRTH PROTOCOL COMPLETE. RETENTION OF FUTURE MEMORIES: 100%]

[BOUND TO UNIQUE CHEAT: DIMENSIONAL FARMING SPACE — LEVEL 1]

[CURRENT CAPACITY: 100 SQUARE METERS OF FERTILE SOIL + BASIC TIME-STASIS STORAGE VAULT]

[INITIAL REWARD: $1,000,000 SEED CAPITAL]

A glowing translucent blue panel hovered in front of my eyes. No one else at the table reacted. A soft chime rang in my mind as my phone vibrated in my lap.

I glanced down.

[BANK ALERT: $1,000,000.00 HAS BEEN DEPOSITED INTO YOUR PRIVATE ACCOUNT ENDING IN 8842.]

A million dollars. A pocket dimensional space. Three months before the world burned.

“So?” Clara demanded, crossing her arms. “Are you paying for the venue or what?”

I set my glass down with a quiet click. “My grant funds are locked in the university account until next week, Clara. Excuse me. I need the restroom.”

Before any of them could protest, I stood and walked out of the room.

I didn’t go to the bathroom. I walked straight out the front door into the cool evening air. I had no interest in wasting another breath on Arthur or his family. There was someone far more important I needed to reach.

I pulled out my phone with slightly trembling fingers and dialed a number I had foolishly neglected in my past life—my foster mother, Kendall.