“Really…?” Lu An clearly didn’t quite believe it. He had long since grown used to the injustice of this world.
But even so, he still couldn’t accept such a thing happening to his own family.
His gaze turned firm yet gentle as he clenched his fists.
“My younger sister is in the capital, Beijing. I must find her and protect her!”
Su Ruanruan was deeply moved. Since childhood, she had always wished for an older brother who would love and protect her.
But unfortunately, she was an only child.
“Don’t worry, our sister will be fine! I’m also going to Beijing—we can travel together!” she comforted him.
“Alright. We’ll go together,” Lu An replied, hiding away the last trace of vulnerability in his heart.
He believed his sister was definitely waiting safely for him in Beijing, and he would surely find her.
Soon, the young woman was taken away while still struggling, along with her biological parents.
The surrounding gazes varied—admiration, jealousy, disdain, contempt.
All kinds of eyes, all kinds of emotions.
This small incident quickly passed, but it gave Su Ruanruan and Lu An a shared destination and goal.
Beijing.
No one knew what would happen along the way.
At night, everyone sat around the fire on thick straw mats and slept there.
The following days were still endless walking.
Walking until their feet blistered, until their minds went numb, until their spirits dulled.
If not for chatting and joking with Lu An every day, encouraging each other, she would have gone insane.
Every day was either walking, sleeping, or sneaking into her space to eat.
And Lu An still didn’t know about her space. She had no intention of telling him yet.
She didn’t know how many days had passed when Su Ruanruan suddenly looked up and saw a highway sign.
“34 kilometers to An’gang City.”
She heard cheers erupting around her.
Everyone began to imagine: once they reached An’gang City, would this extreme cold disappear?
Would there be warmth, safety, and hot food waiting for them?
Su Ruanruan couldn’t bear to crush their hopes.
But she knew—the disaster wasn’t limited to Huicheng. It was global.
Still… it was better not to say it.
Let them keep their hope until An’gang City.
And then… have it completely shattered.
After seeing the road sign, everyone’s morale soared. Even the half-meter-deep snow was ignored.
They just kept pushing forward.
Today was November 10th, and the temperature had dropped to -35°C.
Humans had strong adaptability.
But Su Ruanruan’s brows had not relaxed since morning.
She was worried about tomorrow.
November 11th—the day of global mutation.
Not only animals and plants, but even humans would mutate in an instant.
And human mutations would go in multiple directions—
As she walked, she kept thinking: she and Lu An were still too weak.
They stood no chance against mutated beasts or plants.
They still needed a strong teammate.
By nightfall, the convoy finally entered An’gang City.
Everything here was no different from Huicheng.
A world of white snow stretched endlessly in every direction.
The streets were empty and eerily silent.
It was unclear whether everyone had died, or already evacuated.
The convoy continued forward until they found an empty residential complex.
That night, Su Ruanruan and Lu An randomly chose a two-bedroom apartment.
She went into the bathroom, changed all her gear, and sniffed herself.
A bit of sweat smell—but tolerable. After all, it was winter.
When she came out, Lu An was sitting in the living room, eyes closed in rest.
Su Ruanruan decided to give him a “vaccination” beforehand, so he wouldn’t be too shocked later.
“Lu An, have you noticed plants have been getting bigger recently?” she asked casually.
Lu An didn’t open his eyes.
“Didn’t pay attention.”
“….”
“Then keep an eye out tomorrow. I feel something unusual is going to happen.”
“And don’t sleep too deeply tonight. Meet me in my room at 4:30 a.m.”
Lu An always took her words seriously.
“Alright.”
They each went to their rooms.
Lying in bed, Su Ruanruan couldn’t help thinking back.
In her previous life, global mutation happened at around 5 a.m.—
While most people were still asleep.
That was when plants and animals mutated silently.
Many people were killed in their sleep by suddenly growing vegetation.
She forced herself to close her eyes.
Rest was necessary—only then would she have the strength to face what was coming.
She set an internal alarm for 4:30 a.m.
At 4:30, she opened her eyes.
Lu An also knocked and entered.
They sat on the edge of the bed in silence.
“Wait,” Su Ruanruan said simply.
Lu An nodded slightly, his tension rising.
They waited in silence for 25 minutes.
At 4:55, Su Ruanruan handed him a watermelon knife.
Lu An startled at the cold weight of it, turning to look at her in confusion.
But she was already staring out the window.
“Come,” she said, walking over and wiping the fog off the glass.
Lu An followed her gaze.
At 5 a.m., the moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the world.
The view outside became crystal clear.
They were on the sixth floor, overlooking most of the residential complex.
The bushes below—about one meter tall—suddenly twisted violently.
In just one second, they shot up to the height of the second floor.
The trees, originally only three stories tall, began to surge upward explosively.
They quickly surpassed the building they were in—and kept growing.
The trunk thickened rapidly, requiring seven or eight adults just to encircle it.
And this was just an ordinary ornamental tree.
“Th-this… this…” Lu An stammered, completely stunned.
“Global mutation,” Su Ruanruan said calmly.
Her gaze was steady as she looked into his eyes.
Lu An’s mind went blank.
“Global mutation… mutation…?”