Chapter 9: Grudges of a Past Life

“Xiao Ye?” A faint voice called from outside the door.

“Ah, Aunt Lu, I’m in here.”

Li Ye, unusually relaxed, smiled and looked toward the doorway.

A figure in a red dress hurried out the door, rushing anxiously.

“Where is he? Keep calling.”

“Here! Don’t worry.”

After a few steps, Lu Xue Ning finally spotted Li Ye.

Seeing his right arm mangled and bloody, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

“All right, all right, just think of it as a porcupine’s quills—no serious injury. Why does such a strong woman like you always cry at the slightest thing?”

Hearing Li Ye’s teasing words, Lu Xue Ning quickly held back the tears about to fall, turning her head away without looking at him.

“You kid, what happened? Could there really be something strange in that red mist outside?”

Aunt Lu stood behind Xue Ning, also looking at Li Ye’s injured arm with concern.

“There really is,” Li Ye said, his expression turning grave.

“Hao, Xue Ning, Aunt Lu, what I’m about to say, you must listen carefully.”

The three of them grew serious.

“Just speak, Ye Zi. When have we ever dismissed what you said?”

Li Ye exposed his wound to the three of them and spoke softly:

“When the red mist swept across, the world had already changed.”

“From now on, you must abandon all your old beliefs and fight with all your strength to survive in this new world!”

A gentle light bathed Li Ye’s wound, and the mangled flesh began to heal and scab visibly before their eyes.

Not only were the three stunned, but Li Ye himself was mesmerized by the soothing sensation.

Many of the shallow wounds had already formed scabs that fell to the ground.

“Ye Zi, is this… a superpower?”

Suo Hao’s squinted eyes widened in astonishment.

Li Ye smiled and nodded. “It is indeed a superpower. More precisely, it’s an ability unique to us humans.”

...

After nearly an hour, Li Ye painstakingly convinced the three to accept the reality of the apocalypse.

Lu Xue Ning stared blankly at the black dragon mark on Li Ye’s arm, her voice tinged with bitterness.

“Xiao Ye, do you think we’ll have this ability too? What did you call it… the Chosen?”

Li Ye looked seriously at Lu Xue Ning’s delicate face. “Of course. You all will have it.”

Recalling his past life, Sister Xue Ning hadn’t even had time to say goodbye before losing her life because of that bastard Qin Wu.

That image of the red dress had been sealed forever in his memory.

---

Now reborn, Li Ye would never allow such a thing to happen again.

“That’s good.”

Lu Xue Ning finally smiled.

But she wasn’t relieved because she would gain this so-called “superpower,” but because she wouldn’t be left too far behind Li Ye.

“Really!? Ye Zi, what kind of ability do you think I’ll awaken?”

“Wall passing? Invisibility? Is there a chance to awaken some super powerful ability that shocks everyone at once?”

Suo Hao was excited, almost jumping up, completely forgetting Li Ye’s previous warnings about the dangers.

This was a superpower! Which man wouldn’t love that?

But hearing him, Li Ye’s expression grew odd.

If he remembered correctly, this childhood friend who grew up with him in the orphanage would indeed awaken a ‘special’ ability.

A mundane-type power called “Fragrance Palm.”

How to say it—just in terms of survival, this ability was absolutely top-tier.

After all, even zombies wouldn’t want to eat food that smelled like musk.

But in terms of combat, aside from making enemies pinch their noses to attack him, it was probably not very useful...

Li Ye forcibly suppressed a smile and looked at Suo Hao with solemnity.

“Your ability will definitely shock everyone. Believe in yourself.”

Suo Hao coughed twice and put on a serious face.

“Don’t worry, brother, no matter how powerful my ability is, I won’t forget you.”

“Mm-hmm, I believe you.”

Aunt Lu and Lu Xue Ning chuckled quietly.

Li Ye’s way of coaxing a child was obvious, but only Suo Hao, who was truly a child at heart, didn’t realize it.

“Ye Zi, does this superpower have rankings? Like the ABCD system in novels? Is there an S-rank too?”

Li Ye finally lost patience and slapped Suo Hao’s big belly, causing a ripple of flesh to shake.

“Do you think this is some online game? ABCD? Each Chosen’s ability is unique. How do you expect me to rank them?”

“What if the ranking is by destructive power? What about those good at survival and escape?”

“If they can’t beat you head-on, can’t they just avoid you?”

Suo Hao scratched the back of his head and grinned awkwardly.

“It’s okay. In a few days, once you awaken, go out and meet those mutants—you’ll understand.”

“The apocalypse is far crueler than you imagine.”

Li Ye reined in his smile, his eyes deepening.

...

After settling the three, Li Ye carefully felt the healing power of “Candlelight Guide” on his wound.

Having survived ten years in the apocalypse, he understood the importance of treatment. Countless people bitten by those zombie mutants had no chance to treat their wounds in time and could only wait in despair for death.

“Unfortunately, the zombies during the red mist phase are too abnormal. Once bitten, there’s almost no reaction time.”

Li Ye shook his head regretfully.

This red mist acted as a catalyst for all living things, including viruses, forcibly dragging the entire Blue Star rapidly into an apocalypse, catching humanity at the top of the food chain completely off guard.

After calculating the healing effect, Li Ye eagerly approached the mountain of meat in the warehouse.

After a day of life-and-death struggle, he was ravenous.

This time, he didn’t ration his meal but grabbed a pack of sausages and ham, chewing heartily.

After all, it would be very difficult to eat such things again in a few days.

Satisfied and full, Li Ye stretched and habitually went through a set of ancient martial arts stances.

After breaking a slight sweat, he ignored the workers still arguing in the factory yard and went straight to the water pump.

With the help of “Candlelight Guide” warming him, he took a hot shower.

In the apocalypse, not only could he fill his stomach, but also enjoy a hot bath—how could anyone bear such luxury?

At night, Li Ye had the others stay directly in the finished goods warehouse.

He used his powers to lock the doors and windows tightly and forced Aunt Lu and the others to close their eyes and enter a deep sleep.

Good rest helps regulate human neurotransmitters more evenly. In a few days, a good night’s sleep would become a luxury for most.

Moonlight gradually replaced sunlight, and the dim light made the surrounding red mist appear even thicker and more oppressive.

Artificial lights no longer clung to this planet like patches of skin.

The entire Jiangning, or even the whole Blue Star, fell into an unprecedented silence.

The first night of the apocalypse began in the silent terror of billions of people.

Lying atop piles of food, gentle moonlight bathed Li Ye’s now much-recovered right arm.

The healing power permeated, and the blurred flesh began to sprout new tissue.

Li Ye slowly drifted into sleep.

...

Darkness gradually faded, replaced by boundless light.

A vast, murky sea appeared beside Li Ye, without up or down, left or right, nor any definite form.

Li Ye suddenly opened his eyes wide, the unfamiliar environment making him instinctively wary to activate “Candlelight Guide,” but a pervasive weakness throughout his body left him stunned.

Where was this?