On October 26th, the apocalypse arrived.
The world descended into chaos.
Jiang Mo sat on the sofa in her hotel room, forced to face two exhausted figures dressed in black and white. She spoke carefully.
“Um…”
“I’m still alive. There’s no need for the two of you big shots to personally wait for me.”
The White Impermanence, Xie Bian, held a white mourning staff. His official hat read “See Me, Bring Wealth.” Beside him, the Black Impermanence, Fan Wujiu, carried iron chains, his hat reading “See Me, Death Arrives.” The two leaned their heads together, furiously flipping through the Book of Life and Death.
Black Impermanence frowned. “She was just on the list.”
White Impermanence looked up. “Did you misread it? This girl is clearly a living human.”
“That’s impossible.” The fierce-looking Black Impermanence shook the book. “Look, it’s written right here.”
Jiang Mo, female, 21 years old, born in Su City, Jiang Province. Address: No. 21 Shantang Shang Street, Su City. Father: Jiang Zhilian. Mother: Yun Jianyue. Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University, Department of History. Currently has a boyfriend named Lu Yanci…
Cause of death: bitten to death by zombies.
Jiang Mo quietly raised her hand. “Um… I’m still alive, and I haven’t encountered any zombies. If you take me away now, that would be an injustice.”
The Black and White Impermanence exchanged a look and asked in unison:
“Go back and check first?”
They both nodded again.
“Yes. Let’s go back and take a look.”
Either someone who should be dead was still alive—or something had changed in the Book of Life and Death.
The moment their figures vanished, Jiang Mo’s straightened posture instantly collapsed. She slumped in relief, drenched in cold sweat, gasping for air.
The instant they appeared, she had clearly felt the oxygen thinning around her, the silence pressing in like something was tearing at her scalp.
Panicked, Jiang Mo pulled out her phone. A chilling death notification text stabbed into her eyes:
XX Year, July 26th. Do not go out. Remember—do not easily trust anyone. Wait for him in the hotel.
The message was very short.
It sounded like her boyfriend’s tone—but she had been on a call with him when she received it. If it really were him, he could have just told her directly. There was no need for such an extra message.
Besides, when she tried calling back, the number was invalid.
Jiang Mo was currently staying in a hotel in Anxi City that her father had temporarily rented for her. She was assisting her mentor in archaeological work at a newly discovered ancient tomb. The site was massive, and the burial artifacts could further complete the historical records of the Western Qin dynasty.
Because of its importance, the higher-ups had sent well-known professors. Her role as an assistant was only possible because of her status as a top graduate of Tsinghua University.
She took the job seriously, and her father, worried she wouldn’t be well taken care of alone, waved his hand and booked an entire five-star hotel along with three dedicated vehicles.
As a result, Jiang Mo became a well-known “little rich lady”—though the title only brought her trouble. People often ostracized her, as if wealth itself made her an outsider.
She had once complained about her father’s “glorious achievements” to her boyfriend, only to find out he was even more extreme—though not openly, he had privately visited all the professors involved.
She was so angry she ignored him completely.
Now, with the signal gone for two days and no external news, it truly felt like the end of the world.
A wave of helplessness and desolation surged up. Jiang Mo collapsed onto the sofa, curling into a corner and crying softly into a pillow.
In a sense, her father had been right. She was afraid of the dark, afraid of unfamiliar environments. Ever since she had been kidnapped as a child in retaliation against her family’s business dealings and nearly killed, Jiang Mo had become extremely timid. Unless pushed too far, she rarely spoke up or fought back.
She had few friends and spent most of her time studying, eventually becoming the top provincial scorer and the first in her family to enter a top university. Relatives often praised her as the “future of the Jiang family,” while behind her back they called her a silent, boring “stuffed bottle.”
Knock, knock, knock—
Someone was at the door.
Jiang Mo held her pillow and stayed silent for a long time before asking softly, “Who is it?”
A clear female voice came from outside.
“It’s me, Jiang Mo. Yan Ting.”
Yan Ting was also a teaching assistant under the same professor.
Jiang Mo had never really gotten close to her. Their personalities didn’t seem to match; she always felt uncomfortable with Yan Ting’s touch, and their relationship remained polite and distant.
Now, the professor had turned into a zombie wandering the corridor, yet Yan Ting had somehow dared to leave her room.
Jiang Mo cautiously opened the door a crack.
“What is it?”
Yan Ting was a classic cool-toned beauty. Compared to Jiang Mo’s striking features, she had less brilliance but more cold elegance.
“Professor Jiang has asked us to gather in the restaurant.”
“Oh, okay.”
Seeing Jiang Mo’s red-rimmed eyes, Yan Ting suddenly thought of someone and gently patted her hand on the doorframe.
“It’s okay. Don’t panic. We’ve already sent out distress signals. Once the authorities see them, they’ll send help.”
“The corridor is safe for now. You can move around, but keep quiet so you don’t attract zombies from other floors.”
Jiang Mo nodded softly. “I’ll be there soon.”
After Yan Ting left, Jiang Mo rummaged through the suite and finally found a fruit knife, slipping it into her sleeve. She scanned the room carefully.
Her gaze landed on the refrigerator.
At a time like this, food and water were the most valuable resources.
Her room was filled with supplies—sent by her boyfriend and her mother out of concern.
She quickly inventoried everything:
Cheese sticks, milk crisps, croissants, milk cakes (three packs each), two boxes of bread, one box of mixed nuts, five boxes of milk and yogurt, eight apples, a bunch of bananas, five tangerines, two boxes of cherries, one box of strawberries, one box of mangoes. Painkillers, cold medicine, fever patches, ointments…
Her mother had also sent bird’s nest, gelatin, red dates, brown sugar, vitamins, and various nuts—enough to fill a box.
The fridge also contained alcohol and bottled water from the hotel, plus milk-flavored ice cream, ice cream cakes, and other frozen desserts. Toiletries and skincare products were all new and unopened, and since she was staying long-term, she also had plenty of clothes.
She could easily survive for half a month on these supplies alone.
Jiang Mo knew how important food was in a situation like this. Her father had always lectured her about “not showing wealth,” and she immediately thought about hiding her supplies in case things collapsed further.
She stashed long-lasting food under the mattress and hid bottled water under the bed frame.
Only then did she hurry to the restaurant.
Inside, a dense crowd had already gathered. About two hundred people had been part of the expedition; over 130 had turned into zombies, leaving only sixty-six survivors.
Jiang Mo arrived a bit late. As soon as she stood beside Yan Ting, someone nearby sneered:
“Some people really act like spoiled rich ladies. She was the first to be notified and still shows up last.”
Jiang Mo turned her head, her almond eyes icy.
“If you don’t know how to speak, no one will think you’re mute.”
She turned away—and accidentally met Professor Jiang’s displeased gaze.