Chapter 1: I Have Been Reborn

On December 15, 2012, Lin Chen opened his eyes; his phone displayed 7:03.

It was not the pain of being gnawed by zombies, nor the cold that froze bones to the point of cracking; it was the ceiling of a rental room.

He sat up as a system alert blared: [Apocalypse Survival System bound. Countdown: 30 days. Zombie outbreak on January 15, accompanied by a blizzard].

Memories from his previous life crashed into him.

Su Qing and Zhang Hao had stripped him of all supplies and shoved him into a horde of zombies,

leaving him to freeze into a solid block in the snow.

Relatives had shut their windows, friends had hung up on him; only Xia Nuan,

that girl who always left him hot coffee in the office pantry,

had secretly slipped him half a loaf of bread, saying, "Hold on,"

only for him to later hear that she had been trapped in a stairwell by zombies while searching for him.

"Main Mission: Locate Xia Nuan and ensure her safety within 24 hours."

"Reward: Physique enhancement, 10-square-meter storage space. Failure: Erasure."

Lin Chen did not hesitate; he threw on a jacket and rushed out.

His keychain clattered against the door with a jingle,

and he grabbed it before running out, bumping into Neighbor Aunt Wang in the hallway.

When she asked, "Going to work?" he did not look back, only shouting, "Urgent matter."

Downstairs, he mounted a shared bicycle; the chain was slightly stuck,

squeaking as he pedaled.

He stomped hard on the pedals, cold air rushing down his collar,

freezing his neck stiff.

A system panel floated before his eyes: [Xia Nuan's current location: Building 3, Room 502, Sunshine Community, Chengnan District].

In his previous life, he only knew Xia Nuan lived somewhere nearby, unaware of the specific address.

This time, the system marked the coordinates directly, like a navigation arrow piercing his retina.

Riding to the community gate, the security guard stopped him: "Register."

Lin Chen pulled out his ID card, slapped it on the table, and without picking up a pen,

used his fingernail to scratch his name onto the registration form.

The guard cursed, "Madman," but Lin Chen had already dashed into the apartment building.

The elevator stopped at the third floor; the doors opened to reveal an auntie carrying vegetables.

Lin Chen squeezed in and pressed the button for the fifth floor; the instant the doors closed,

he heard screams from outside—it came from the adjacent building,

where someone had fallen, spilling vegetables everywhere.

He paid it no mind as the system prompted: [Distance to Xia Nuan: 50 meters].

Upon reaching the fifth floor, the corridor lights flickered due to poor contact, dimming and brightening intermittently.

Door 502 was ajar; Lin Chen pushed it open

to see Xia Nuan squatting on the floor, packing luggage.

She looked up, her eyes filled with shock: "Lin Chen? How did you..."

"Don't ask." Lin Chen cut her off, scanning the room.

The suitcase was stuffed with compressed biscuits and bottled water,

while cold medicine and bandages were piled in the corner.

His heart sank; did she know as well?

"Did you dream it too?" Xia Nuan stood up, her voice trembling.

"I dreamed of so many people turning into monsters, snow falling, blood everywhere..."

Lin Chen did not respond as the system prompted: [Mission Progress 50%: Target contacted].

He grabbed her suitcase: "Let's go."

"Where to?" Xia Nuan shrank back slightly.

"My parents are coming back tonight; I have to wait for them..."

"They won't come." Lin Chen stared at her.

"In my previous life, on this very day, they went on a business trip out of town, got trapped there after the city lockdown,

and never returned."

Xia Nuan's face turned pale, her lips quivering: "How do you know?"

Lin Chen offered no explanation, grabbing her wrist and dragging her outside.

Her hand was ice-cold, as if dipped in freezing water.

Arguments between neighbors echoed in the hallway, likely over parking spaces,

as Lin Chen dragged her toward the stairs, their footsteps making the corridor rumble.

"Let go of me!" Xia Nuan struggled.

"Explain yourself first! What is going on?"

Lin Chen stopped and turned to look at her.

Tears mixed with fear and confusion filled her eyes.

He took a deep breath as the system prompted: [Time remaining: 21 hours].

"January 15, zombie outbreak, heavy snow," he said rapidly.

"Su Qing and Zhang Hao will steal my supplies and get me killed.

You will be trapped and killed by zombies in the stairwell while looking for me.

Now, come with me if you want to live."

Xia Nuan froze, tears clinging to her eyelashes.

Lin Chen didn't wait for her to react, continuing to pull her downward.

At the stair landing, a child ran over holding a toy gun,

nearly colliding with them; Lin Chen sidestepped to avoid the impact,

while the child's parent cursed, "Watch where you're going," which he ignored.

Upon exiting the apartment building, snowflakes began to drift down.

Lin Chen stuffed Xia Nuan's suitcase into the basket of a shared bicycle,

mounted another one himself, and gestured for her to sit on the rear rack.

She hesitated for a moment before grabbing the hem of his shirt and climbing on.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice pressing against his back.

"A warehouse in the suburbs," Lin Chen said as he pedaled. "I rented it; we can reinforce it."

Passing a supermarket, he turned inside, grabbed a shopping cart, and rushed straight to the food section.

Instant noodles, canned goods, chocolate—he grabbed whatever he saw.

Xia Nuan followed behind, tossing lighters and candles from the shelves into the cart.

The cashier's eyes widened while scanning the items; Lin Chen simply scanned his payment code

and walked out without waiting for change.

"Wait!" Xia Nuan grabbed heat packs from a shelf and stuffed them into the shopping bag,

"It will be very cold when it snows."

Lin Chen's heart stirred; in his past life, he had frozen to death.

System Notification: [Supplies Acquired: Heat Packs x20, Mission Progress 60%].

Halfway there, Xia Nuan suddenly said, "I have medicine in my bag for fevers;

last time you had a cold, I saw you searching for medicine in the office."

Lin Chen didn't turn around, merely humming in acknowledgment.

The system panel flashed: [Target Trust +10].

By the time they reached the warehouse, the snow had grown heavy.

Lin Chen opened the door, revealing steel plates and rebar he had bought the day before piled inside.

Looking at these items, Xia Nuan's eyes widened in shock: "You knew all along?"

"Mm," Lin Chen replied, moving the supplies inside. "The System."

Xia Nuan asked no further questions and began helping him organize the goods.

She arranged the cans in a row, sorting them by expiration date with swift, efficient movements.

Watching her profile, Lin Chen recalled how she had slipped him bread in his past life,

remembering the burn scar on the back of her hand, which she claimed was from cooking.

"Is your hand okay?" he suddenly asked.

Xia Nuan paused, glancing at the back of her hand: "It healed long ago."

System Notification: [Mission Progress 80%: Target safely entered the safe house].

Lin Chen walked to the corner of the warehouse, lifted a wooden plank, and revealed an entrance to a cellar beneath.

He turned on the light, revealing several cases of mineral water stacked inside:

"We'll stay here tonight; it's safer than upstairs."

Xia Nuan peeked inside and nodded: "I'll tidy up."

As she descended, the stairs creaked once.

Lin Chen followed behind her when he suddenly heard the sound of a vehicle outside.

He rushed to the window and saw Su Qing and Zhang Hao stepping out of a car,

heading straight for the warehouse entrance.

"Damn it," Lin Chen cursed under his breath.

System Notification: [Warning: Dangerous targets approaching, distance 100 meters].

Xia Nuan poked her head out from the cellar: "What's wrong?"

"Hide and don't come out," Lin Chen said, grabbing a steel pipe nearby.

"I'll handle this."

Just as he reached the door, Su Qing kicked it open and stormed in:

"Lin Chen, where have you hidden the supplies?"

Zhang Hao followed behind her, wielding a baseball bat.

Lin Chen said nothing, tightening his grip on the steel pipe.

System Notification: [Side Mission: Repel Su Qing and Zhang Hao.

Reward: Steel Pipe Enhancement (Hardness +5)].

"Speak up, have you gone mute?" Su Qing took two steps forward,

her eyes lighting up as she spotted the cans on the floor. "They're definitely here; move them quickly!"

Zhang Hao charged forward with the bat raised, but Lin Chen sidestepped to dodge,

A steel pipe smashed onto his arm.

Zhang Hao let out a miserable scream, the baseball bat falling to the ground.

Su Qing screamed and lunged forward; Lin Chen didn't dodge,

instead grabbing her hair and slamming her head against the wall.

With a loud "bang," Su Qing slid down the wall, blood flowing from her forehead.

Lin Chen picked up the baseball bat and smashed Zhang Hao's leg again,

the sound of bone cracking echoing out.

"Get out," he growled low.

Dragging his broken leg, Zhang Hao supported Su Qing as they fled outside,

the roar of the car engine loud before quickly vanishing into the snowy landscape.

Gasping for breath, Lin Chen heard the system prompt: [Side Quest Completed, Reward Issued].

The steel pipe grew heavier, its surface gleaming with a cold light.

Xia Nuan emerged from the cellar, her face pale: "Did you kill someone?"

"No." Lin Chen shook his head. "Just broke a leg."

She asked no further, walking to his side and handing him a piece of chocolate:

"Eat something."

Lin Chen took it, peeled off the wrapper, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The cloying sweetness spread, and suddenly he felt less cold.

Snow continued to fall; the warehouse door wasn't shut tight, letting the wind whistle in.

Lin Chen looked at Xia Nuan's profile as the system panel displayed: [Main Quest Completed, Reward Issued].

A warm current surged through his limbs; he clenched his fists,

feeling his strength increase significantly.

"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight," he said.

Xia Nuan nodded, tore open a heat pack, and stuck it onto his back:

"This will make you warmer."

Lin Chen remained still, listening to her breathing and the sound of the wind and snow outside.

The despair of his past life seemed to fade slightly; at least this time, he wasn't alone.

The system prompted: [Countdown: 29 days, 23 hours].

He knew this was only the beginning, but with Xia Nuan here,

it didn't seem so difficult anymore.