Mo Xiaobai was just one of the countless ordinary people in the world — a 28-year-old woman who was still single, a so-called “late-age unmarried youth.”
The thing was, she actually enjoyed being single. She belonged to that category whose parents had long since given up on “curing” them. Her looks were slightly above average; she made a modest living by streaming online, earning only a few thousand yuan a month — muddling through life with an odd mix of confusion and clarity.
That day was like any other. After finishing the last livestream of the month, Mo Xiaobai went home, washed up, read a few of the serialized novels she was following, and drifted off to sleep. But that night, she had an unbelievably vivid dream…
In the dream, it was a month later — the day of the summer solstice, June 21st — also her birthday. She had gone home happily to celebrate with her parents, had dinner, unwrapped gifts, and lay in bed too excited to sleep. Then, from the pitch-black sky outside her window, a streak of green light flashed across the heavens—
That single flash of green light changed the entire Blue Star.
While most people were still deep in sleep, an unknown object glowing with green radiance descended suddenly into the endless ocean. There had been no warning whatsoever; even the most advanced satellites of every nation had failed to detect a single sign!
Thus, disaster struck too suddenly for anyone to react.
A massive tsunami swept through coastal regions. Several island nations were instantly submerged, wiped clean off the map. The number of casualties reached into the hundreds of millions. Within hours, the entire Blue Star plunged into grief and chaos.
But that was only the beginning.
As nations scrambled to provide disaster relief, the coastal areas that had escaped the tsunami suddenly erupted in strange outbreaks of violence—people who had been normal one moment turned and attacked those around them the next.
They looked just like zombies from doomsday films: pale, twisted faces, feral fangs, devouring flesh and blood. Those bitten quickly transformed into the same kind of monsters. In an instant, countless cities fell, overrun by the infected.
Huaguo, as a vast and powerful nation, responded the fastest. The government immediately deployed police and military forces to suppress the riots and isolate the infected. Order along the coast was restored for the time being.
Yet within three days after the tsunami, similar outbreaks began to appear inland — chaotic, without any discernible pattern.
While the army continued suppressing riots, the government issued a call for all survivors to minimize going outdoors and lifted restrictions on bladed weapons, encouraging citizens to defend themselves. The nation’s situation remained relatively stable.
Until the seventh day after the tsunami.
That day, red rain began to fall across the globe. It poured for an entire day and night. Soon after, countless people — soldiers, police officers, government officials — began to develop fevers and fall into comas.
In the blink of an eye, social order completely collapsed. Zombies stood up everywhere, and the unconscious were devoured alive.
When the remaining survivors finally awoke, some discovered they had gained strange new abilities — powers that would later be called “special abilities.” Many others had turned into zombies, and the rest merely felt physically stronger, though they had no powers at all.
At the same time, animals began to mutate. Some gained intelligence and supernatural strength, while others became bloodthirsty beasts. Even plants mutated, hunting living creatures and zombies alike.
There were also zombified animals, spreading infection with terrifying speed.
Before long, less than one-tenth of humanity remained, struggling desperately to survive.
Ruined cities lay overrun by zombies; forests were filled with mutated beasts. The survivors could only band together, clinging to the faintest thread of life…
Early the next morning, Mo Xiaobai awoke with a jolt, suffocating under the weight of that nightmare’s oppressive atmosphere. When she opened her eyes to see her familiar bedroom, relief washed over her. It had only been a dream — but every detail remained crystal clear in her mind, like a high-definition documentary replaying frame by frame. It was so real it felt like she had lived through it.
“Damn it… have I been reading too many apocalypse novels lately? What a messed-up dream! My god, that was terrifying — I almost suffocated from fear!”
Grumbling under her breath, Mo Xiaobai got out of bed to take a shower, occasionally shivering as if to shake off the lingering dread clinging to her skin.
No, it was too scary. Just remembering that suffocating sense of despair made her heart tighten. She never wanted to feel that again.
But just as she sat up, a cold mechanical voice suddenly rang in her ear—
“Ding! Apocalypse Merit System binding successful. Host status: optimal. Apocalypse countdown confirmed—728 hours, 56 minutes, and 42 seconds. Please complete missions promptly to earn more merit points.”
Mo Xiaobai froze. System? Oh my god, I got the female lead script?! Wait—what kind of system? Apocalypse merit? What the hell?! Apocalypse countdown? You’ve got to be kidding me! That wasn’t a dream?! No! Please, no!
Before her eyes, a virtual interface appeared, displaying a bright red countdown timer at the top. She could almost hear the faint “tick-tock” of the numbers changing — an oppressive, suffocating sound that filled her with dread.
“Uh… system? You’re intelligent, right? You can hear me, right? That ‘apocalypse’ you mentioned — it’s not that kind of apocalypse, is it? Tsunamis? Red rain? Zombies? People with powers? Mutant beasts?”
Her heart pounded violently as she asked in a trembling voice. She didn’t even know whether she wanted a reply or desperately hoped for silence.
“Bingo!”“As expected of my fated host — you’ve already awakened your predictive-type ability! And it’s A-level! Wonderful! Together we’ll complete the ultimate mission: saving Blue Star’s civilization and earning countless merit points!”
The mechanical voice suddenly shifted into a soft, sugary baby voice. Then, right in the middle of the virtual interface, a cute little doll appeared — round and chubby, wearing a red bellyband, with a tuft of hair tied straight up and clapping its tiny hands with a giggle.
It looked exactly like one of those New Year’s “lucky baby” mascots you’d see on festive posters!
Mo Xiaobai stared blankly.
“(°ー°〃)… What the hell? My Apocalypse Merit System is… a Lucky Baby? And a chubby one at that?”
The sheer absurdity left her completely speechless.