The clouds glowed with the light of dusk, but the sky was not the usual orange-yellow. Instead, vast stretches of deep crimson stained most of the heavens an ominous blood-red, as though the apocalypse had arrived, sending chills down one’s spine.
This was Jiang Li’s first thought upon waking in a mass grave.
For the past six months, she had worked overtime until two in the morning almost every night. By the time she got home and lay down, it was already three or four o’clock. Then she had to get up again at eight to go to work. Her sleep had been severely compressed.
After finally finishing a project and gaining some time to rest, the moment her head touched the pillow, she found herself here.
The discomfort throughout her body clearly told her this was not a dream.
She had transmigrated.
Just like the protagonists in movies and novels, she had crossed into a strange new world.
Before her transmigration, Jiang Li’s parents had long since passed away. The grandmother who had raised her had also died several years ago. She had no family left and no one she was particularly attached to.
So even if she could never return, she could accept it calmly.
At the moment, her memories were in chaos. A segment of someone else’s memories had forcibly crowded into her mind.
What shocked her was that this world existed after a great catastrophe.
During the day, enormous monsters prowled hungrily.
At night, Gray Mist descended. Anyone exposed to it for long periods would become infected with Gray Mist Disease.
Gray Mist Disease caused the organs inside the human body to deteriorate until they ultimately failed.
The original owner of this body had suffered from a severe case of Gray Mist Disease and had been discarded in this mass grave.
And that wasn’t all.
At night, another terrifying existence appeared—Evil Wraiths.
These creatures fed on humans. Countless people had died at their hands, making them a source of terror for all.
Jiang Li took a deep breath, forcing down the panic and fear welling up inside her.
She had to stay calm.
Even if she had started with a nightmare-level scenario, she had to remain calm.
Otherwise, her fate would be certain death.
Just as she finally managed to regain some composure, a line of white text suddenly appeared before her eyes.
[One hour from now, the Gray Mist will cover the entire land. Players are advised to immediately seek shelter and avoid the Gray Mist’s invasion!]
A system?
Jiang Li was overjoyed, hope lighting up her eyes.
But after reading the message carefully, her heart sank.
One hour?
This was bad.
She had woken up too late.
Then she comforted herself.
At least she hadn’t woken up after dark.
Otherwise, the moment she opened her eyes, she might have come face-to-face with an Evil Wraith.
Jiang Li looked around.
The mass grave was located in a wild forest behind a village.
That’s right.
In this terrifying world, she wasn’t the only living person.
There were still survivors.
Technology had regressed, returning society to a primitive state, and the native inhabitants had developed their own systems for survival.
According to the original owner’s memories, humans had to rely on one another to survive.
For example, resisting Gray Mist required a special oil refined from disaster beasts. Once lit, it could disperse the Gray Mist and prevent infection.
Many other supplies also had to be obtained through trade.
Surviving alone was impossible.
However, Jiang Li had no intention of entering the village.
Villages had too many rules.
Besides, in an apocalypse, human nature was often at its weakest.
When survival was on the line, people could do anything.
First, she needed to follow the system’s instructions and find shelter.
Before transmigrating, Jiang Li had played a game.
After inheriting the original owner’s memories, she had felt that this world was remarkably similar to that game.
Now, after seeing the system prompt, she was almost certain.
The world she had entered was the very game she had once played.
The game had been extremely popular, and since she loved apocalypse-survival games, she remembered it vividly.
A beginner player’s shelter could resist Gray Mist for three days.
There was no need for an oil lamp.
“I need to hurry.”
This body’s condition was poor.
Although the Gray Mist Disease was gone, she remained frail, malnourished, yellow-faced, and frighteningly thin. Her stomach growled with hunger.
But she couldn’t afford to worry about that now.
Watching the crimson sun sink lower, she quickened her pace and headed down the mountain.
The village was not far from the foot of the mountain.
Gray Mist began spreading through the darkness left behind by the fading sunset.
The village wasn’t large.
The blood-red light of dusk seemed to have been splashed over it like a basin of blood.
Not a single person could be seen.
Jiang Li planned to build her shelter near the village.
That way, during the day, she could trade with the villagers for food.
After all, following the catastrophe, all normal plants growing in the soil had withered into extinction.
Even water sources had been occupied by disaster beasts.
To drink water, people first had to deal with the beasts.
Even after finding water, it still needed to be filtered and boiled.
As for food—
Stumbling her way down the mountain, Jiang Li suddenly spotted a cave near the foot of the slope.
Her eyes lit up.
She hurried toward it but stopped at the entrance.
Hiding behind a rock near the opening, she picked up a small stone and tossed it inside.
She waited.
Nothing happened.
Still, Jiang Li wasn’t reassured.
Even if a natural cave contained no wild animals, it might still harbor disaster beasts active during the day.
This wasn’t a game.
She only had one life.
There was nothing wrong with being extra cautious.
Just as she was wondering how to determine whether the cave was safe, another line of white text appeared before her eyes.
[Natural cave discovered. Depth: 8 meters. Front chamber width: 2.5 meters. Rear chamber width: 4 meters. Would you like to designate it as your shelter?]
Jiang Li’s eyes brightened.
“Yes.”
There was no dramatic flash of light, nor did the cave undergo a heaven-shaking transformation.
Instead, a crude wooden door appeared over the cave entrance, which stood about four feet tall. The door fit snugly against the oval-shaped opening, leaving no gaps. Above it was a palm-sized ventilation window.
Without hesitation, Jiang Li opened the door and crawled inside.
She didn’t close it immediately.
Using the remaining crimson light from outside, she examined the interior.
The game system had leveled the cave floor and coated the walls with a thick waterproof layer. The stone walls appeared denser and sturdier.
Other than that, the cave was completely empty.
The cave consisted of two sections.
The front area resembled a living room.
Passing through an arched opening narrower than the entrance led to a deeper chamber that was wider and longer.
It looked like a gourd cut in half lengthwise.
Though small, Jiang Li was very satisfied.
After all, shelters could be upgraded.
In the future, this cave could be expanded and enlarged.
Of course, that was a matter for later.
As the final trace of crimson sunlight was swallowed by darkness, Jiang Li quickly shut the door.
The door was crude and creaked loudly.
It wasn’t thick either.
It looked as though a strong kick could break it down.
But she wasn’t worried.
The first three days of a shelter’s existence were a beginner protection period.
During those three days, neither Gray Mist nor disaster beasts could threaten it.
As for Evil Wraiths, the ones encountered during the beginner stage were usually Knocking Wraiths.
Evil Wraiths were bound by rules.
They could not directly harm players.
Only when a player violated a rule would the wraith gain the right to brutally kill them.
The Knocking Wraith was one of the weakest types.
It would knock on the door, disguise itself as a human, and trick players into opening it.
The moment a player opened the door, they would trigger the Knocking Wraith’s death condition.
The purpose of this beginner shelter door was precisely to defend against such wraiths.
The tension in Jiang Li’s mind eased slightly.
She sat down not far from the wooden door and finally turned her attention to the system interface that had appeared before her.