Chapter 1: Reborn Before the Apocalypse, Starting with SSS‑Rank Death Echo

The tearing pain in my chest still lingered in memory—icy, suffocating, the foul-smelling slime of the demonic beast seeming still smeared on my face.

Chen Mo flung his eyes open, but what met his vision was blinding sunlight streaming through the classroom window, casting a glaring spot across the open, blank physics exercise book.

Noisy chatter, the faint scratch of chalk on the blackboard, front-row classmates whispering about last night's variety show…

Everything was so familiar it felt suffocating.

He lowered his head, gazing at his clean, slender, unblemished fingers, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Not a dream.

The icy despair of having his chest pierced by claws, life force draining away, was vividly etched in his mind. He remembered how the sky had been stained a filthy blood-red, how buildings collapsed amid roars, the dying screams of humans, and… the monsters that crawled out of twisted spatial rifts, existing only in nightmares.

"There are… three hours left."

He unconsciously muttered, his voice dry and hoarse. The cheap electronic watch on his wrist clearly displayed—July 12, 2:17 PM.

The Apocalypse Game Origin would descend without warning, global datafication turning reality into a bloody purgatory—still a full 183 minutes away.

In his previous life, like everyone else, he struggled through the initial panic and chaos, relying on a bit of luck and merely ordinary talent, barely surviving three months amidst ruins and monster piles, only to die in a trivial scavenging mission, his death utterly meaningless.

And now, he has returned.

A massive emotional surge, almost tearing his soul apart—wild joy, fear, disbelief—settled into a cold, desperate resolve to burn his boats.

He shot up from his seat, the chair screeching against the floor and drawing a few surprised glances. Chen Mo ignored them, grabbed his nearly empty backpack, and strode out of the classroom.

He needed money, supplies, weapons! Even a little extra preparation could boost his survival odds by a notch!

As he rushed out of the teaching building toward the nearest ATM, an icy, emotionless voice exploded deep in his mind.

【Detected abnormal soul fluctuation in a compatible subject, meeting hidden conditions……authority unlocking……】

【Unique Talent "Death Echo" awakened.】

【Death Echo (SSS-rank Passive): Whenever you independently kill a unit (including but not limited to demonic beasts, fallen ones, mutants, etc.), there is an extremely low chance to randomly copy and permanently master one of that unit's skills, talents, or traits.】

Chen Mo's steps froze instantly, his breath catching.

SSS-rank talent?!

In his past three years, the strongest talent he'd ever heard of was merely S-rank "Elemental Affinity"! SSS-rank—that's something that exists only in legends and the daydreams of top-tier powerhouses!

Moreover……kill‑copy skills?

A thrilling ecstasy surged through him, nearly shattering the calm he'd just built. This talent was practically the ultimate cheat‑code tailor‑made for this slaughter‑filled apocalypse! As long as he didn't die, as long as he kept killing, he could grow infinitely strong, gathering myriad abilities into one.

Hope—a fire of hope never before seen—blazed to life in his chest.

He forced himself calm, took a deep breath, and kept charging toward the school gate. Time waits for no one!

However, just as he reached the school gate and collided head‑on with a figure rushing in——

"Bang!"

A soft touch, a faint fragrance like gardenia drifting into his nostrils.

Chen Mo's physique, honed over three months in his previous life, instinctively steadied his stance, while the person who crashed into his arms cried out and fell backward. He reflexively reached out to embrace them.

He lowered his gaze and met a face that was panicked yet still radiantly beautiful.

It was Su Yu, the school belle of the neighboring art class, a figure known to everyone on campus. Right now, her fair cheeks flushed abnormally, fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her autumn‑water eyes widened as she stared at him, filled with some indescribable… shock and urgency?

"Sorry—" Chen Mo began to apologize and leave, but Su Yu suddenly grabbed his wrist with a reverse grip, her strength astonishing.

Her lips trembled slightly, her voice pressed to a whisper, tinged with tears and disbelief: "Chen Mo? Is it you? … The system… the system prompted me to come find you! It said you are… the 'Key Node'!"

What?

Chen Mo's pupils contracted sharply.

System prompt? Coming to find him?

He instinctively focused his mind, trying to "inspect" her status as he had in his previous life—an ability that should only exist after datafication.

But at that very instant, as his eyes fell on Su Yu, a pitifully simple virtual panel—seemingly made of light points—actually appeared before his eyes!

【Name: Su Yu】

【Level: 0 (Not Datafied)】

【Condition: Minor abrasion; Extreme mental tension;??? (Locked)】

【Talent:??? (Locked)】

【Note: A special individual under the attention of an unknown entity.】

The panel's information was pitifully scarce, but that final note, plus the two glaring 【???】 in the status and talent fields, made Chen Mo's heart sink instantly.

Attention from an unknown entity? A special individual?

He stared intently at Su Yu, trying to glean a clue from her flustered eyes: "What system? Explain!"

"I don't know… just now a voice suddenly rang in my head…" Su Yu spoke rapidly, her voice trembling with lingering shock, "It said I was chosen as a 'Pioneer', given an initial mission: to find the 'Key Node' Chen Mo within three hours and keep him alive until datafication begins! The mission guide's cursor… points right at you!"

She lifted her other hand and pointed at Chen Mo, her fingertip shaking.

Pioneer? Mission? Ensure his survival?

Chen Mo's mind raced. In his previous life he'd never heard of the concept "Pioneer"! At the Apocalypse Game's launch, everyone was datafied simultaneously, starting on the same line. Su Yu's situation completely surpassed his understanding.

Could it be… that his rebirth and this premature awakening of an SSS‑rank talent weren't coincidental? Related to the "unknown entity's attention" on Su Yu?

A huge mystery loomed over him like dark clouds.

"Do you trust me?" Chen Mo locked eyes with her, his voice low and grave, "If you do, from now on follow my lead. If not, we can part ways right now."

He had no time for lengthy explanations, nor interest in playing riddles. Su Yu's abnormality might be an opportunity, but more likely a great danger. He needed an ally, not a burden.

Su Yu gazed at Chen Mo's eyes—deep and calm, belying his age—and at his face devoid of any jest, recalling the indisputable system prompt in her mind, she bit her lower lip hard, almost drawing blood.

"I believe!" she nodded firmly, a flash of resolve in her eyes, "That voice… it gave me a bad feeling. But I feel you won't harm me."

"Good." Chen Mo wasted no more words, grabbed her hand and turned to run, "Come with me, we'll talk on the way!"

He changed his original plan of rushing straight to the ATM, instead heading for the largest convenience store on the school's back street. Money mattered, but initial supplies—and a possible "safe point"—were more important.

He burst into the convenience store, ignoring the clerk's astonished stare, and began grabbing items outright. High‑calorie chocolate, compressed biscuits, bottled water, lighter, first‑aid kit, two sturdy‑looking umbrellas (better than nothing as weapons)…

Su Yu didn't understand why, but she imitated him, helping to stuff things into the shopping basket, her movements a bit frantic but efficient.

Just as Chen Mo threw the last first-aid kit into the basket, the convenience store's glass door was pushed open again, and three boys in basketball uniforms, drenched in sweat, came in shouting. The tall leader was Zhang Yang of the school basketball team; the other two were his lackeys.

Seeing Chen Mo and Su Yu, especially seeing Su Yu closely following Chen Mo, arms full of supplies, Zhang Yang froze for a moment, then his habitual, slightly roguish smile appeared: "Yo, Chen Mo? Su Yu, the campus belle? What are you up to? Eloping and bringing your own rations?"

His two lackeys joined in the laughter.

Chen Mo didn't even lift his eyelids, directly dumped everything onto the counter, and quickly told the flustered clerk: "Check out, hurry."

Su Yu furrowed her brows, instinctively shrinking back behind Chen Mo.

Seeing Chen Mo ignore him, Zhang Yang felt a loss of face, stepped forward, and slapped the counter, making the goods jump: "Hey, I'm talking to you, deaf?"

Chen Mo slowly lifted his head, his gaze calm as he looked at Zhang Yang.

His eyes held no emotion—no anger, no fear—only a deep, icy coldness, as if he were looking at a dead thing.

Zhang Yang's heart gave an inexplicable jolt at that gaze, and his provocative words got stuck in his throat.

Just then—

【Global data activation initiated……countdown: 10, 9, 8……】

That icy system prompt tone sounded again deep in everyone's minds, crystal clear and impossible to mistake!

Everyone in the convenience store froze; the clerk, Zhang Yang, and his lackeys all showed expressions of confusion and uncertain surprise.

Only Chen Mo, he suddenly turned his head to look out the window.

The sky was being stained, at a speed visible to the naked eye, with an eerie, unsettling dark red.

【3, 2, 1……《Epoch》 loading complete. Wishing all players……happy gaming.】

The moment the two words "happy" fell, a first wail so shrill it sounded inhuman came from outside the window!

"Ah——!! Monster!!"

The convenience store's lights flickered violently, unstable, then went out with a soft "pop"; only the eerie blood-red sky light seeped in, casting everyone's faces like those of evil spirits.

"What, what's going on?" one of Zhang Yang's lackeys stammered.

"What the hell……" the other also panicked.

The convenience store's glass door shattered with a boom! A huge monster, resembling a hunter dog but with rotting, pus-oozing skin and dripping green slime from its mouth, smashed the frame and charged in, its scarlet eyes instantly locking onto Zhang Yang, the nearest to the door!

"Roar!"

A fishy wind blasted in!

Zhang Yang was so terrified his soul left his body, his legs went weak, and he slumped straight to the ground, forgetting to dodge.

In the nick of time, Chen Mo moved.

He sprang out like a leopard, not choosing the two fragile umbrellas, but instead grabbed the metal display rack standing beside the counter, used to hang promotional goods! Its arm-thick steel tube ended in an irregular sharp triangle.

No fancy moves, only the instinct honed by countless life-and-death battles over three months in his previous life!

He shifted his weight, stepped forward, drove power from his waist, and thrust the metal display rack forward like a spear!

"Pfft!"

The tip precisely pierced the relatively weak side of the demonic hound's neck, emitting a grating thud.

Green foul blood spurted out, splattering Chen Mo's arm.

The demonic hound let out a painful howl, struggling to turn its head and bite Chen Mo.

Chen Mo's eyes icy, he wrenched his wrist hard, simultaneously kicked the demonic hound's belly hard, using the force to pull out the metal display rack.

The demonic hound staggered a few steps, then collapsed heavily, its limbs twitching, motionless.

【Successfully killed LV. 1 Demonic Hound, gained 10 experience points.】

【Death Echo triggered! Successfully copied skill: Corrosive Toxic Saliva (LV. 1)!】

【Corrosive Toxic Saliva (LV. 1): Active skill. Next attack will carry weak corrosion and neurotoxin, cooldown 30 seconds.】

A weak but clear surge of heat flowed in from the spot on Chen Mo's arm stained by the foul blood, instantly spreading through his body, finally settling into some abstract "skill slot".

Done!

Chen Mo felt certain in his heart, first skill in hand! Although it's just the lowest-level demonic hound skill, in this apocalypse opening, any attack skill is precious!

He shook off the viscous green blood clinging to the metal display rack, then turned around.

After a moment of dead silence inside the convenience store, panic erupted even greater. The clerk screamed and crouched under the counter. Zhang Yang and his two lackeys slumped on the ground, staring at Chen Mo as if he were a more terrifying monster, their faces drained of color.

Su Yu clutched her mouth tightly, her face as pale as paper, her body trembling uncontrollably, but her gaze remained locked on Chen Mo—those eyes complex beyond words, holding fear, relief, and a hint… of indescribable reliance.

Chen Mo ignored them, his gaze sweeping past the broken doorway toward the outside world shrouded in blood-red, familiar yet alien.

On the street, more shadows flickered in the red mist—howls, screams, crashes, explosions……rising and falling, weaving a brutal symphony of the apocalypse's descent.

The game, has begun.

He gripped the cold metal display rack in his hand, feeling the newfound weak yet genuine strength within his body.

This time, he would absolutely not live like a dog again.

His gaze swept over the still-shocked Su Yu, then over the two glaring 【???】 in her status bar.

This apocalypse seems far more complicated than he imagined.

"Come on," he said to Su Yu, his voice low but carrying undeniable force, "find a place, clean up first, then……survive."