Zhang Ren remained near Qian Wei’s gate until he heard the front door close.
The security system had recognized her fingerprint, which confirmed that the woman inside the villa was his partner. However, that did not explain why she had forgotten an entire year of her life or why she had behaved so strangely at the hospital.
He returned to his vehicle with a troubled expression.
Qian Wei’s condition might be connected to the data-terrorism case they had recently completed. Their suspects had used illegal neural technology, and although the police had confiscated every device found during the raid, no one could be certain that they had uncovered everything.
If the terrorists had secretly implanted something inside her, an ordinary hospital examination might not detect it.
Zhang Ren decided to report his concerns to their captain. Qian Wei would probably resent him for involving their superiors, but he would rather endure her anger than overlook a threat hidden inside her body.
He entered his vehicle and left the neighborhood.
A few minutes after he disappeared, the empty space near the corner of Qian Wei’s property shimmered.
A man dressed in black emerged from the distortion.
He had not been hiding behind a wall or tree. A thin layer of technology covered his clothing and reflected the surrounding environment, making him almost invisible.
Even Qian Wei’s enhanced senses had failed to detect him.
The stranger stood silently while studying the villa. His gaze lingered on the front door before shifting toward the upper windows.
After several moments, he touched a device near his wrist.
"Subject has returned home," he reported quietly. "Behavior appears unstable, but identity recognition remains intact."
A distorted voice answered through the device. "Continue observation. Do not make contact unless she attempts to leave the city."
The man ended the communication, activated his concealment again and disappeared from sight.
Inside the villa, Qian Wei had no idea that someone else had been watching her.
She began by inspecting every room.
The house contained a spacious living area, kitchen, study, two bedrooms and a basement. Nothing appeared disturbed, and she found no immediate signs that another person lived there.
Qian Wei opened cupboards, checked drawers and memorized where everything had been placed. If Zhang Ren returned and asked her to find something, she did not want to expose her ignorance by wandering around her supposed home.
Most of the appliances looked familiar, although almost everything operated automatically. The kitchen could prepare meals after receiving spoken instructions, the cleaning system moved quietly through the rooms on its own, and the wardrobe could recommend clothing based on the weather and planned activities.
Qian Wei stood in front of the wardrobe after it asked whether she wanted to activate automatic outfit coordination.
"No, thank you. I can still dress myself."
[Preference recorded.]
She stared at it. "I wasn’t asking you to remember that."
[Preference confirmation complete.]
Qian Wei stepped away before she found herself arguing with a wardrobe.
The house seemed designed to remove ordinary chores from daily life. She could understand the convenience, but relying on technology for everything might become dangerous once the apocalypse began.
If power and communication systems failed, many people in this era might not know how to cook a simple meal.
Qian Wei eventually entered the main bedroom.
A thin silver device rested on the desk. It was no thicker than two sheets of paper, and she almost mistook it for a decorative panel until a small symbol glowed when she touched it.
The device unfolded slightly, and a transparent screen appeared above it.
Qian Wei leaned closer.
It resembled the Zombie System panel, although the design was different. A series of icons floated along one side, and a search field appeared when she moved her hand toward the screen.
"At least the internet still exists," she murmured. "Some things truly survive every century."
When she did not know something in her original time, an online search had usually been the fastest place to begin. That principle appeared unchanged in 2326.
She searched for the country’s government, law-enforcement structure, economy and current political climate. After that, she studied common technology, communication systems, weapons regulations, medicine and food production.
Hours passed without her noticing.
Some discoveries amazed her.
Cancer was now considered a treatable illness regardless of when it was detected. Diabetes and several other chronic diseases had been nearly eliminated through genetic treatment and regulated nutrition.
Restaurants used scanners to evaluate customers before recommending meals. The system considered allergies, deficiencies and health conditions, although people could still choose whatever they wanted to eat.
Transportation, medical care and communication had advanced beyond anything Qian Wei could have imagined.
Yet, human nature had changed very little.
Crime still existed. Governments still competed for influence, corporations still fought over profit, and wealthy people continued searching for ways to become wealthier.
The tools were different, but the people using them remained human.
Qian Wei found that oddly reassuring.
She also discovered records connected to her own identity.
The future Qian Wei had graduated from the police academy with exceptional scores. Her marksmanship ranked first in her class, while her combat performance was second only to the current captain of her unit.
That explained why Zhang Ren had described her as a capable officer.
Her financial records showed that she owned the villa and a personal vehicle. The money in her account was more than she expected a young police officer to possess, but the transaction history explained it. She had received a substantial reward after helping resolve a dangerous case several months earlier.
The amount would allow her to prepare comfortably for herself.
It would not be enough to prepare an entire city for the apocalypse.
Qian Wei leaned back and rubbed her eyes.
In the novels she had read, protagonists often borrowed enormous amounts of money with no intention of repaying it after the apocalypse. Some tricked wealthy enemies into purchasing useless properties or sold assets that would soon lose all value.
She could not do that.
She was a police officer. Knowing that society might collapse in three months did not give her permission to commit fraud today.
"I need supplies, but I will acquire them legally," she decided. "If the future version of me sent me here to save humanity, I doubt she expected me to begin by becoming a criminal."
The system offered no opinion.
Qian Wei reviewed the available food products.
Standardized meals were common, but snacks, self-heating hotpots, rice dishes and preserved foods remained widely available. Those would be useful because they required little preparation and could last for a long time.
Her villa’s basement could hold a reasonable quantity of supplies. She also possessed ten cubic meters of system storage, although she did not yet know how to place anything inside it.
She had just begun searching for storage facilities when the familiar mechanical chime sounded.
Ding!
[New mission available.]
Qian Wei sat straighter.
After the previous mission, she did not trust the system’s definition of beginner difficulty.
"If you intend to make me resist the urge to bite someone again, you should know that I am currently alone."
The mission appeared.
[Beginner Mission: Establish Safe Storage.]
[Objective: Acquire a personal storage location measuring at least fifty square meters.]
[Time limit: Twenty-four hours.]
[Reward: Basic Inventory Function.]
[Failure penalty: None.]
Qian Wei read the reward twice.
"Is the Inventory Function different from the ten cubic meters of storage you mentioned?"
[Basic Inventory Function will grant Host access to existing system storage.]
"So, I already possess storage space, but you will not allow me to use it until I rent another storage location?"
[Safe external storage is necessary for survival preparation.]
"That does not explain why one function depends on the other."
[Mission requirements cannot be altered.]
Qian Wei sighed. "You could have said that from the beginning."
She examined the timer.
Twenty-four hours should be enough to rent a small warehouse, especially with the money available in her account. The greater difficulty would be navigating the city and completing a transaction without exposing how little she understood about this era.
Fortunately, her research had shown several real-estate offices nearby. If she could not find an available warehouse herself, an agent should be able to help.
She made a list of requirements.
The property needed secure access, enough space for deliveries and reasonable distance from her home. It should also avoid drawing attention when she began purchasing large quantities of supplies.
Qian Wei was about to leave immediately when hunger tightened her stomach.
This time, it felt more human.
She had not eaten since waking in the hospital, and her body needed ordinary food even if part of it craved blood.
Going outside while hungry would be foolish. She had no desire to begin another mission in the middle of a crowded office because someone’s heartbeat distracted her.
Qian Wei entered the kitchen and checked the refrigerator.
She found beef, vegetables and several sealed portions of rice. A specialized pan offered to prepare the entire meal automatically, but she declined.
After spending hours surrounded by unfamiliar technology, she wanted to do something that still felt normal.
She washed the rice, cut the vegetables and cooked a large pot of beef stew.
The familiar movements steadied her thoughts. For a short time, she could pretend she was preparing dinner in her original home while her mother complained that she never added enough seasoning.
When the food was ready, Qian Wei served herself a generous portion.
The first mouthful tasted normal.
She felt no disgust or rejection, and her body accepted the meal. By the time she finished the second serving, the ordinary hunger had disappeared.
The craving for blood remained faintly beneath it.
Qian Wei glanced at the system panel. "Can human food prevent the mutation hunger?"
[Ordinary food can maintain Host’s reconstructed human cells but cannot provide all energy required by the mutation.]
"What can provide that energy?"
[Insufficient authority.]
She placed her spoon down. "One day, I am going to receive a useful answer without having to complete a mission first."
The system remained silent.
After eating, Qian Wei returned upstairs, showered and changed into comfortable sportswear. She selected a shoulder bag from the wardrobe and placed her identification, communicator and several items she thought she might need inside.
It was only when she checked the time that she realized she had spent the entire night researching.
Morning light had begun appearing beyond the curtains.
Qian Wei stood near the front door and looked at the mission timer.
[19:42:16.]
She had less than twenty hours remaining.
Finding a warehouse would be her first deliberate step toward surviving the apocalypse.
She opened the door and left the villa, unaware that the concealed observer had already returned to the neighborhood.