Chapter 1: The Apocalypse

In the city shrouded by the twilight of the apocalypse, ruins stretched as far as the eye could see. Broken walls and fractured pillars lined the empty, desolate streets, surrounded by the decaying remnants of buildings.

The former prosperity and bustle had long since dissolved into dust. The air hung heavy with an oppressive silence and endless desolation.

The once clean and beautiful highway was now completely overrun by wildly growing weeds and vegetation.

Qi Qi was leading her three surviving teammates along this road, struggling forward after a grueling battle.

"Boss."

They had been taking turns carrying Mantou. Lao Yao had just handed Mantou over to Firecracker when he turned and saw Qi Qi's shirt, already soaked red with blood.

Qi Qi hadn't expected Lao Yao to notice. She quickly reached out and covered his mouth.

"I'm fine. It won't kill me."

Yet, she couldn't suppress the rising anxiety in her chest. "William, are you sure there's a car hidden here? If we waste any more time, Mantou isn't going to make it."

William was French. Before the end of the world, he had been a university teacher in the country.

Qi Qi stared at the bushes, which were nearly as tall as a person, her expression grave.

Although there had been no reports of high-level mutated plants in this area, she had felt an inexplicable sense of unease ever since they entered the thicket.

Moreover, she felt as if a pair of eyes had been watching them from the shadows.

"Everyone, stay alert. Be on guard."

They had no other choice. If they tried to walk back on foot, Mantou would surely die.

"Copy that."

The closer they got, the stronger Qi Qi's unease grew. However, what kept her going was the fact that she had not yet felt any killing intent. If they were careful, they should be fine.

After securing the keys, Lao Yao quickly got into the car and started the engine. Hearing the rumble of the motor, Qi Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She immediately urged them, wanting to leave this place as quickly as possible. "Quick, get in!"

Once she helped Mantou and William inside, Qi Qi pressed, "Go, Lao Yao! I have a very bad feeling about this place."

At her words, Lao Yao's expression turned grim, and the playful grin on William's face vanished instantly.

Qi Qi's sixth sense had always been incredibly sharp, saving them from danger more than once.

"Hold on tight!"

Before the words fully left Lao Yao's mouth, the car surged forward.

But they hadn't even driven a few hundred meters when a sudden, hair-raising sensation washed over Qi Qi. A furious, palpable killing intent locked onto them.

Oh no. Whatever had been watching them from the dark had been disturbed.

"Faster! It's coming!"

The Phoenix Flower.

The most terrifying existence among mutated plants.

Anyone who encountered it faced certain death.

Its flowers were poisonous. As its level increased, its branches could stretch further. With just a shake of its blossoms, toxic pollen would scatter into the air.

Once targeted by it, neither human nor beast could escape.

"It's a Phoenix Flower!"

"What?! Dammit, how did we run into that monstrous thing?"

Just hearing the name 'Phoenix Flower' was enough to make one's skin crawl. The redder the petals, the deadly it was. The flower pursuing them now was a red so deep it looked ready to drip blood. There was no telling how many lives it had already claimed.

"Cover your mouth and nose, quick!"

Just a moment ago, Qi Qi had thought that an instantaneous death might at least be painless. But when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an entirely unfamiliar environment.

Her first instinct upon sitting up was to check her chest, which had been pierced clean through by the Phoenix Flower.

There was no wound. Even the injury on her abdomen had vanished. And... were these her hands?

Qi Qi slowly raised her hands, staring at the fair, slender fingers. There wasn't a single speck of dirt or scar on them.

In the struggle to survive the apocalypse, who could possibly maintain such clean, delicate hands?

Only then did Qi Qi take in her surroundings. She looked around the room, which was far more luxurious than the quarters of the base commander or any high-ranking official.

This living room alone was larger than the living spaces of her entire team combined.

Qi Qi's first reaction was that she must be dreaming. No, even in her dreams, she had never seen such a beautiful sight.

Was she dead?

But the solid sensation beneath her feet told her this was no dream.

A moment later, the view outside the window caught her attention.

Qi Qi walked quickly to the floor-to-ceiling window. The scene before her was so beautiful it had previously existed only in her memories.

As she grew up and time wore on, she had begun to doubt if those memories were even real.

Yet here it was, suddenly laid out before her.

Towering skyscrapers, brilliant lights, and a steady flow of traffic. The city before her eyes was incredibly prosperous and vibrant. Looking at it, one could never have imagined that the ruined cities of the apocalypse had once looked exactly like this.