After Tang Ye woke from her unconsciousness, the world gradually shifted from a hazy blur into clarity, as if a thin barrier had finally been pierced. Sounds and wind continuously rushed toward her.
The pain came belatedly. Her throat hurt as if it were about to split open, her head spun, and her chest felt tight. These were obvious symptoms of having inhaled excessive toxins from the air.
The wounds on her body, those bitten by poisonous insects as well as other injuries, began to burn with searing pain. Tang Ye felt that she could not even manage a simple movement like shifting a single centimeter.
Was she not dead yet? Perhaps she would be soon.
Tang Ye looked around. The place seemed somewhat familiar. She forced her toxin-sluggish mind to think, and slowly recalled that this was the very spot where her boyfriend, Wang Qiang, and her best friend, Zou Yu, had snatched away her gas mask. Wang Qiang had even, with a cold expression, fired a shot into her leg, taking away her last chance to leave this place. Not only had her best friend failed to stop him, she had even stepped forward and affectionately wrapped herself around the man’s arm, a faint trace of smugness in her eyes.
When she saw the two of them leave without even turning their heads back, Tang Ye felt as though her heart had been pierced through with countless holes in that instant. A fierce desire to survive and overwhelming hatred erupted at once.
From the very beginning of the apocalypse, the three of them had always been together, helping and supporting one another. Tang Ye had believed they would be her only two remaining family in this world, yet she had not even realized when the two of them had gotten involved with each other.
Tang Ye closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the pain and hatred in her gaze had gradually settled, and her eyes slowly lost focus. What a pity, she could not take revenge with her own hands.
“Host, you’re awake.” At that moment, an abrupt voice rang out in the quiet space.
The voice was somewhat unusual, like wearing high-end headphones with a 5D surround effect playing directly inside her head. It felt very close to her.
Tang Ye struggled to turn her head, wanting to see who was speaking, but the room was small enough that its entirety could be seen at a glance.
What made her back turn slightly cold was that there was nothing here, no people, no poisonous creatures. So who had made that voice just now?
Was she hallucinating because she was about to die?
Just as Tang Ye’s thoughts began to wander, the voice sounded again. “I know the host must have many questions right now. I will explain. At the moment of near death, you were bound to me. The system’s energy has preserved your life, which was on the verge of collapse. The injuries and toxins in your body are now being gradually expelled and restored. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Shelter System 1039, a system that travels between worlds on the brink of collapse to assist in establishing shelters.”
Tang Ye was so startled that she was momentarily speechless. Everything felt too surreal, what system, what shelter.
However, after what the system said, she did seem to feel her previously cooling body gradually warming up.
But her backpack, weapons, and gas mask had all been taken by Wang Qiang and Zou Yu. She was left with nothing. What could she possibly use to build a shelter?
“No need to worry, host. I will help you.”
The system’s voice startled Tang Ye again. Had she not just been thinking that in her head? How could the system hear it?
“The host and I communicate through brainwave transmission. Aside from the host, no other humans can hear my voice,” the system explained.
“But why choose me?” Tang Ye asked in her mind.
“The intense emotions you released at the moment of death attracted me. There is no need for the host to doubt yourself. I have a general understanding of your temperament and willpower. You are highly suitable to establish and manage a shelter,” the system continued. “Moreover, if the host refuses my proposal, then when I unbind from you, your body will revert to the state it was in before I arrived. Ask yourself honestly, are you truly willing to accept that?”
Tang Ye fell silent for a moment. Was this giving a sweet date first, then a slap after? But the system was right. She was unwilling. She had struggled so hard to survive, only to not die at the hands of zombies, but instead at the hands of the people she trusted most.
Why? What right did they have? Just because Zou Yu’s gas mask had a slight defect and risked leaking toxic gas, they had unhesitatingly taken hers and even cruelly left her to die.
“Alright, I’m willing to help you build the shelter.” At the thought that she might have a chance to take revenge with her own hands, Tang Ye’s voice in her heart became much more resolute.
“Pleasant cooperation, host. You may continue resting here until your body fully recovers. After recovery, your body will develop antibodies. The toxic gas and poisonous creatures in this world will no longer pose a threat to you,” the system said.
Tang Ye slowly closed her eyes. The exhaustion of both body and mind caused her to fall asleep again.
When she woke once more, the sky outside had completely darkened. Her body felt much lighter than before, and the burning pain had eased considerably.
Tang Ye coughed lightly. Her throat still carried a tearing pain, but it was within a tolerable range.
“You’re awake, host. Are you ready to begin constructing the shelter?”
Tang Ye nodded and replied in a hoarse voice, “I’m ready.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a 3D map appeared out of thin air before her. It was a map of the world she was in, marked with remarkable clarity. Streets and the former names of various shops were all labeled.
Tang Ye was originally from this city. She even saw the name of her own residential complex, as well as the old noodle shop downstairs that had been open for over a decade.
C City was the central city of this world, with a large population and vast area. Naturally, it also had the largest number of surviving survivors.
“Because the air and water sources in this world are polluted, and the atmosphere contains a large amount of radioactive substances, with clusters of mutated poisonous insects, mutated beasts, zombies, and more in certain dark and damp indoor or outdoor areas, the surface is no longer suitable for human survival. After evaluation, it has been decided to establish underground shelters in this world. Please choose a location to begin construction.”
Most shelters nowadays were built underground. The surface world had already become a wasteland, where nothing could be planted and survival was impossible.
Several points were circled on the map in front of Tang Ye, each blinking steadily. She looked at them and ultimately chose an abandoned park not far from the city.
In front of it lay a semi-enclosed city, and behind it was a large industrial park as well as the only intact national highway connecting to other cities.
It was a relatively advantageous location for attracting survivors in the future.
“Location selected. The host may proceed to the designated site once rested,” the system said. “To ensure the host can arrive safely, a weapon will be provided.”
As the words fell, a long blade appeared out of thin air before Tang Ye, gleaming with a cold light and engraved with simple patterns.
Tang Ye reached out and grasped the black handle. It felt heavy and solid in her hand. It was clearly a fine blade, at the very least far superior to the weapon that had been taken from her.
She swung the blade through the air a few times. The sound of slicing through the air came easily. It was extremely sharp and unexpectedly well-balanced. A faint smile finally appeared on Tang Ye’s lips.
The blood on her clothes had already dried, mixing with sweat and giving off an unpleasant odor. This state was normal during missions, so Tang Ye did not even frown.
The place she was currently in was an abandoned mall. Their original mission had been to gather supplies.
Before leaving, Tang Ye went to check the warehouse where they had previously found a small remaining stock of supplies. As expected, it had already been emptied, nothing was left behind.
Standing in the darkness, Tang Ye’s chest rose and fell sharply a few times. Then she forced herself to calm down. A cold smile tugged at her lips. No rush, she would take revenge personally.
After leaving the mall, Tang Ye came face to face with an ugly zombie. She instinctively gripped the blade with both hands and slashed diagonally.
There was no usual resistance when using a blade. Instead, it felt as smooth as cutting tofu. A second later, the zombie in front of her split into two halves. Because its head had not been destroyed, the severed halves still writhed, trying to move toward her.
The blade in Tang Ye’s hand was not stained with blood. Any bits of flesh shook off easily. This time, she was truly surprised.
There was still some distance to the selected location marked on the map, and nighttime was far more dangerous than daytime, so Tang Ye moved with extra caution, relying on her past experience to choose relatively safer routes.
The system would also issue warnings directly in her mind whenever danger approached.
Even so, she still encountered two small groups of zombies head-on due to a lack of places to hide, as well as two mutated rats the size of medium dogs.
It had to be said that with the long blade provided by the system, Tang Ye progressed much faster. She was hardly injured, though her recently recovered body soon began to feel fatigued.
It had been a long time since she had gone out without a gas mask. Tang Ye could breathe deeply without restraint. The air after the apocalypse carried a faint bitter taste, representing the toxins within it, but it was now ineffective against her.
After resting briefly in a temporarily safe spot, Tang Ye continued onward. She quickened her pace, avoiding danger, and after an hour, finally reached the marked location on the map.
This was a wide, open area. The grass and flowers beneath her feet had long since withered and rotted away, leaving only dark traces and the bones of animals and humans scattered about.
The moment Tang Ye arrived, she sensed that the air and wind in the area seemed to shift instantly.
“This will serve as the starting point of the underground shelter. Please wait ten minutes, host.” After speaking, the system’s voice temporarily disappeared.
Before long, a rumbling sound echoed, and the entrance to an underground shelter slowly rose from beneath the ground.
At that moment, Tang Ye could feel the ground trembling.
When the full entrance came into view, she could not help but feel stunned. A silver gate stood before her, and behind it was a structure shaped like a shell, forming the passageway entrance. It was grand and imposing, filled with a sense of modern technology.