Chapter 1: The Death of a Salaryman and the Apocalyptic Start

Lin Mo’s final awareness lingered on the blinding blue glow of his computer screen and the searing pain tearing through his heart. After 72 straight hours of grinding to finish design blueprints, he had finally achieved his wish—he collapsed dead. Darkness swallowed everything—no life review, no gateway to heaven or hell—only cold, silent nothingness.

After an indeterminate time, an unbearable stench violently dragged him out of the void. It wasn’t disinfectant, nor formaldehyde from a morgue—it was the choking reek of rust mixed with rotting meat, dust, and some acrid chemical. He snapped his eyes open, coughing violently, curling up as every breath felt like swallowing sandpaper.

His vision blurred for a long while before finally focusing. Before him stretched a desolation so utter it crushed the spirit. A leaden sky hung low, devoid of sun, choked by murky clouds emitting a sickly glow. The earth cracked open, barren and lifeless. Twisted metal wreckage, like the bones of colossal beasts, littered the blackened ground, stretching endlessly into the gray haze beyond sight. A dry, scorching wind swept through, kicking up unknown white powders that stung his face.

“Where… is this?” Lin Mo’s voice was hoarse and dry. He struggled to sit up, but his body felt weak, as if dismantled and reassembled. He looked down at himself—he still wore the same wrinkled plaid shirt and jeans from before he died, now caked in grime. His cheap digital watch, its screen shattered, had frozen at the exact moment he remembered.

Panic seized him instantly. This wasn’t a dream! This wasn’t Earth! Not the Earth he knew!

At that moment, a cold, emotionless electronic voice echoed directly in his mind:

**【Detecting compatible soul resonance… Binding initiated…】**

【World Sandbox System initializing… 1%… 10%… 50%… 100%】

【Binding successful! Host: Lin Mo. Welcome to your Lordship journey.】

The new player gift has been delivered to system storage. Please collect it.

Lin Mo nearly jumped out of his skin. “Who?! What the hell?!” He scanned the surroundings—only the silent wind answered.

He forced himself to calm down, focusing his mind. Sure enough, a simple translucent interface appeared before him, like a game menu:

**Host: Lin Mo**

Status: Mild radiation contamination (+), Dehydration (++), Hunger (+++)

Territory: 【Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland Fragment - ID 0137】

Territory Status: On the Brink of Collapse (Contamination 85%)

Resources: None

Structures: None

Population: 1 (Yourself)

System Functions:

1. Territory Overview

2. System Storage (1 cubic meter)

3. Basic Blueprint Library (Unlocked)

Lin Mo’s heart pounded. System? Lord? Wasteland fragment? The information was overwhelming, but survival instinct drowned out shock. He immediately focused his mind on 【System Storage】—inside lay a few meager items:

* One bag of roughly five kilograms of shriveled, blackened tubers (label: 【Radiation-Resistant Potato Seeds (Low Quality)】x1)

* A rusted hatchet with a dull blade (label: 【Rusted Hatchet】x1)

* Several yellowed sheets of paper (label: 【Basic Survival Manual (Simplified)】x1)

* A crude device made of plastic tubes, rags, and activated charcoal (label: 【Basic Water Purifier Blueprint (Single Use)】x1)

* A small bottle of murky liquid (label: 【Soil Improvement Agent (Basic)】x1)

Looking at these pitiful items, Lin Mo wanted to cry. Was this the new player gift? Starting with a knife, a sack of potatoes, and scavenged gear?

He trembled as he picked up the hatchet—the cold weight gave him a sliver of false security. He opened the Basic Survival Manual. Rough line drawings showed how to navigate the wasteland, find water, avoid lethal radiation zones, and set basic traps. The text was blunt, almost cruel.

“Water… I need water…” The burning in his throat reminded him of his most urgent need. The manual warned that wasteland water sources were deadly—untreated rain or surface water likely contained lethal radiation and toxins.

He struggled to his feet, legs trembling. He scanned the surroundings, searching for shelter or resources. Not far away, a massive overturned subway car lay half-buried in sand, rusted, windows shattered, like a giant coffin. It was the only possible shelter nearby.

Lin Mo took a deep breath, gripped the hatchet, and trudged toward the subway car. Each step kicked up dust; the loose sand made every movement agonizing. The murky sky seemed dimmer now, the wind carrying a chilling edge.

Just fifteen meters from the car, a sound unlike the wind—deep, guttural, and horrifying—rose from the shadows on the other side, accompanied by a scraping, slithering noise. It dripped with hunger and savagery.

Lin Mo’s blood froze. He stopped dead, his heart pounding as if trying to burst from his throat. He clutched the hatchet so tightly his knuckles turned white, eyes locked on the source, his body trembling from fear and weakness.

In the shadows, two pale green lights—like ghostly flames—slowly ignited, locking onto his position.

**【Warning! High-threat lifeform detected! Mutated Radiation Wolf (Juvenile)! Host is advised to evade immediately!】**

The system’s alarm shrieked in his mind.

Run? Where? His legs were like noodles! Fight? With this rusted hatchet and his frail body?

The green lights moved. A low, emaciated yet unnervingly swift figure emerged from the shadows, baring jagged white fangs, reeking of rot, stepping forward with a low, threatening growl, its gaze fixed greedily on this “fresh” meal.

Lin Mo’s post-apocalyptic survival began—less than half an hour into his new life—with its first life-or-death crisis. He pressed his back against a cold metal ruin, with nowhere to retreat, his only weapon the rusted hatchet that might snap at any moment. Sweat soaked through his tattered shirt.