Her abilities were exhausted. Even her top-tier ice powers seemed inadequate under the overwhelming sea of flames.
Li Ge used the last of her strength to escape the fire, collapsing onto the ground as she clutched her chest, gasping for air.
Just when she thought she could finally relax, she witnessed a shocking scene—Bai Sui slowly raised a pistol, the dark muzzle aimed directly at her.
Li Ge’s pupils shrank sharply. Instinctively, she leapt to the side—only for a bolt of lightning to crash down from the sky right after her.
Clutching her injured arm, she stared in disbelief at the man and woman standing side by side before her, their posture intimate.
Bai Sui—the fragile girl she had once saved out of kindness.
Shen Yuyan—the base leader she had admired for five years.
“Why are you trying to kill me? The Zombie Emperor’s crystal core belongs to the base—I won’t keep it for myself.”
Bai Sui sneered, stepping hard on Li Ge’s leg that had been struck by lightning. She bent down and pried open Li Ge’s tightly clenched fingers one by one.
“The Zombie Emperor’s core does belong to the base—but you still have to die.” She toyed with the crystal core Li Ge had fought so hard to obtain. “As long as you’re alive, you’ll interfere with me and Yuyan being together—and everyone in the base will look down on him. Don’t you think you deserve to die?”
So this was betrayal—repaying kindness with cruelty.
Li Ge never expected that after five years in the apocalypse, she would still make such a basic mistake. She couldn’t help but mock herself.
“I must’ve been blind. I thought you were helpless and wanted to help you—but you wanted me dead.”
Shen Yuyan glanced down at her, unable to hide his cold sneer.
“Li Ge, don’t compare Xiao Sui to someone as vile as you. You’re the most selfish, heartless woman in this world. Your existence already threatens my position as base leader—this is where your story ends.”
“Heh! Looks like we’re not so different—you’re not any more noble than I am.” Li Ge laughed coldly. After everything she had done for the base and the apocalypse, he still chose to assassinate her. What was there for him to be proud of?
“You won’t kill me that easily.”
She suddenly rolled over, drew a dagger, and stabbed toward Bai Sui. Startled, Bai Sui instinctively stepped back. Taking advantage of the opening, Li Ge turned and fled.
To be safe, her ability squad—still unharmed—was stationed nearby.
“You think you can escape? How naïve.”
Bai Sui gave Shen Yuyan a nod. Immediately, lightning flashed wildly, as if a thunderstorm had descended from the sky.
No wonder Bai Sui and the others hadn’t acted earlier against the Zombie Emperor—they had been waiting here for her.
If her powers hadn’t been depleted, Li Ge would’ve already thrown ice blades at their faces.
For five years, she had thrived in the apocalypse—only to stumble at the very base she had built herself. After all, she was the second-in-command, the one who had obtained the Zombie Emperor’s core.
“Yuyan, I’m tired of playing cat and mouse. Let’s go back and eat.”
Hearing Bai Sui’s sweet, clingy voice, a bad premonition surged in Li Ge’s heart. Shen Yuyan’s level-five lightning ability was not something easy to withstand.
In the next moment, the lightning intensified, thicker than a bowl. Massive rocks by the roadside were reduced to dust upon impact.
There was no time. With one leg and one arm injured, and her abilities exhausted, she couldn’t reach her teammates before being struck.
Looking at the raging flames ahead, Li Ge gritted her teeth and ran straight into them. Even if she had to die, she wouldn’t die at their hands.
As the flames consumed her body, the hatred in her heart burned just as fiercely.
If she hadn’t accepted the invitation to join the Central Base…
If she hadn’t softened and saved Bai Sui…
With her level-four ice abilities alone, she could have lived freely for five years in the apocalypse.
But there was no such thing as a regret medicine. She was about to die.
The Zombie Emperor—its head pierced open where she had taken the core—had already noticed her.
That bloodthirsty man, like a demon from hell, defied the apocalypse’s rule that a zombie without its core must die. His flame-covered hand reached toward her.
She had schemed to take his core—now he would drag her down with him. Fair enough.
But the expected, bone-tearing pain never came.
A scorching force pushed her out of the flames. The Zombie Emperor, having exhausted his last strength, collapsed to the ground.
Li Ge widened her eyes in shock, a bitter smile appearing on her lips.
So… someone would save her after all.
No—he wasn’t human.
He was the Zombie Emperor who ruled all zombies in the apocalypse—the same one she had tricked and stripped of his core.
“Students, use the remaining time to review the key points. I’ll check them in the first lab session after the break.”
The middle-aged teacher repeated himself on the podium. The tail end of summer hadn’t passed yet, and the air felt as scorching as flames.
The rustling sound of note-taking suddenly stopped.
At the back of the classroom, a girl who had been writing with her head down suddenly lifted her head. Her numb expression was replaced by a flash of confusion.
She was an ordinary girl with a ponytail—nothing about her would draw attention, even if something seemed slightly off. Everyone else continued writing diligently.
The calendar on the wall showed the date: September 30th.
Looking around the bright, spacious classroom, Li Ge raised her hand and knocked lightly on her forehead. The pain reminded her that everything before her was real—not a hallucination.
Shock. Astonishment. Words couldn’t describe the turmoil in her heart.
She had died.
That Zombie Emperor had saved her—but after escaping the fire, she had been captured by the ability squad waiting outside.
Yes—her own squad. They had already defected to Bai Sui.
Her battered body couldn’t withstand the relentless attacks of multiple abilities. In the end, she was thrown back into the fire—destroyed without a trace.
And yet, she was alive again.
Her body was warm. Blood flowed through her veins. Pain stimulated every sense.
9:55 AM.
Time had reset—five minutes before the apocalypse began.
The confusion of rebirth lasted only a moment. Quickly assessing the situation was instinct she had honed over five years in the apocalypse.
“Teacher, I’m not feeling well. I need to go to the restroom.”
Ignoring her classmates’ surprised gazes, Li Ge grabbed her backpack and left the classroom five minutes before the bell rang.
Five minutes.
With a fire axe in hand, she climbed to the rooftop and locked the iron door behind her.
Ensuring she would be in a safe place when the apocalypse descended—this was the only thing she could do after being reborn five minutes before it began.
The two people she trusted most had killed her.
The enemy she had fought for years had saved her.
Given a second life, how could she not cherish it? How could she not take revenge—and repay the only kindness she had received?
10:00 AM.
The storm that swept across the world officially began.
The apocalypse descended upon humanity.
“Ahhh!”
Piercing screams rang out together with the school bell.
“Run! Someone’s gone crazy!”
“Don’t eat me—I don’t want to die!”
“Stop pushing—let me go first! Hurry up and run!”
Students who had already packed their bags rushed out of the classroom the moment the bell rang, colliding with others in the corridors and stairways.
The apocalypse came without warning.
Those who lost consciousness immediately lunged at the people beside them. Their four fangs elongated instantly, sinking into slender necks and draining life away.