Li Li listened quietly to every word spoken by the Spirit of Space, her thoughts gradually drifting back to the days before the apocalypse arrived. At that time, the world had still been immersed in peace and tranquility. Who could have imagined that in less than a week, the entire planet would be plunged into endless disaster and chaos?
The curtain of the apocalypse slowly rose with the appearance of a mysterious fog that swept across the globe. The mist spread everywhere like a thick veil, shrouding the entire world.
When the fog first appeared, countless people fell unconscious.
However, just as people were becoming confused and uneasy about this strange phenomenon, something even more terrifying happened. After conducting their research, scientists discovered that the dense fog contained a bizarre substance capable of altering the functions of the human body!
Since this substance had never been encountered before and possessed such unusual properties, the experts gave it a unique name: “Meng.”
Despairingly, no effective antidote for this substance had been discovered.
As time passed, people gradually realized that exposure to “Meng” produced different consequences in different individuals.
Under its influence, some people’s bodies underwent horrifying mutations. They lost their sanity and became monsters that knew nothing but devouring human flesh. These terrifying beings were named “Zombies” by the experts.
Others also underwent mutations, but they retained some of their consciousness and memories while gaining strength and abilities far beyond those of ordinary people. They came to be known as “New Humans.”
At the same time, a portion of the fortunate ones acquired extraordinary special abilities through the effects of “Meng.” These powerful individuals gained control over various supernatural powers and became known as “Ability Users.”
Nevertheless, in this world filled with danger, the largest group still consisted of ordinary people who had experienced no obvious changes.
And Li Li had been fortunate enough to awaken an ability in this survival-of-the-fittest game.
Relying on her dual Wood-type and Water-type abilities, she had struggled to survive in the apocalypse, repeatedly escaping danger only to suffer serious injuries. Every scrap of food she risked her life to obtain was taken back to her disgusting adoptive parents, while she herself survived on nothing more than a little compressed biscuit.
Moreover, the disaster was not confined to human society.
Under the influence of “Meng,” the plants and animals on Earth also began to mutate.
Animals that had once been docile and adorable became ferocious and savage, while plants grew to abnormal sizes and developed the ability to attack. Their intelligence also increased.
All mutated species could level up by absorbing the special energy found in nature or by obtaining the core sources of other mutated creatures of the same species.
The entire ecosystem was completely overturned, and the home on which humanity had depended became unrecognizable.
The bodies of these monsters that had turned to eating humans contained a substance on their outer surfaces. Once it entered the bloodstream of an ordinary person, it would cause them to become infected and transform as well. However, this substance had no effect on those with supernatural abilities.
This substance was “Meng.” Ability Users also possessed antibodies within their bodies.
The fog lasted for three days. During those three days, all the people affected by “Meng” fell unconscious, plunging industries and professions across the world into chaos.
After the world-shrouding fog finally dissipated, the sky returned to its former clarity, and sunlight once again shone upon the earth. However, this normal weather lasted for only half a month.
One morning, half a month later, people suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold sweep over them.
The readings on thermometers plummeted at an astonishing rate. Within just a few days, the temperature had dropped to more than seventy degrees below zero!
Howling winds carried raging snowstorms across the land, and the entire world seemed to have been frozen in a white, chaotic abyss.
The blizzard continued for a full six months. Snow piled up into mountains, bringing immense inconvenience and danger to people’s lives.
Just when everyone thought the winter had finally passed, the situation underwent another dramatic change.
The temperature began rising rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it crossed the scorching threshold of seventy degrees above zero!
The unbearably hot air made it difficult to breathe, and torrential rains soon followed. The downpour gathered into raging floods that submerged vast stretches of land.
Even worse, some of these rainstorms were accompanied by highly acidic substances that caused severe corrosion and damage to buildings, vegetation, and animals.
This terrifying rainfall continued for an entire year, leaving people trapped in unbearable suffering.
After enduring such extreme climate changes, it seemed that nature still had no intention of sparing humanity.
In the days that followed, the world first experienced three months of polar day, with the sun hanging high in the sky without ever setting, its scorching rays mercilessly roasting the earth. This was followed by a long and dark polar night, during which not a single ray of light could penetrate the endless darkness.
At the same time, all kinds of natural disasters arrived one after another. Swarms of insects swept across farmlands, devouring every last crop. A terrifying plague spread silently, claiming countless lives. Highly contagious epidemics ravaged the world like demons, leaving people unable to defend themselves. Raging floods burst through dams, submerging cities and villages, while violent earthquakes shook the earth, destroying houses and roads.
Faced with this succession of disasters, humanity seemed insignificant and fragile, yet people continued to resist nature with stubborn determination, desperately searching for hope and a way to survive.
After recalling all the disasters she had endured during her five years in the apocalypse, Li Li immediately took out a notebook and recorded everything to prevent herself from forgetting anything and to ensure that nothing was overlooked.
Once she had finished writing, she put the notebook away in her space for safekeeping.
Li Li glanced at the electronic clock on the table. It displayed September 30, 2121, at 1:26 a.m. Less than three months remained before the apocalypse.
After completing all these preparations, Li Li immediately picked up her phone and entered the number she knew by heart into the dial pad. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the call button.
A single beep sounded from the phone before a clear, pleasant voice came through the receiver.
“Xiao Li, what’s wrong? Why are you still awake so late? Are you feeling unwell? I’ll come to you right now. Don’t be afraid. I’m on my way. Xiao Li, don’t hang up.”
Lu Ling spoke nervously, his voice filled with concern as he tried to reassure her.
Listening to that anxious, cautious voice through the receiver, Li Li’s thoughts suddenly drifted far away, back to four months before the apocalypse.
Her adoptive parents had forbidden her from contacting him, telling her to devote herself wholeheartedly to preparing for an examination that would allow her to study abroad five months later.
They had claimed that only love sustained through a long separation could last, and that she needed to become more perfect to be worthy of him.
In truth, they had probably said those things because they couldn’t stand seeing her live happily and wanted to drive a wedge between her and Lu Ling.
How foolish she had been back then.
Because she had believed their words, she had never seen him again after that day, nor had she heard any news about him, until someone told her that he had been devoured by zombies while trying to rescue her.
It turned out that their love had never needed any of those unnecessary complications. Back then, they had only had each other, and their love had remained unwavering until death.
The roar of a car engine coming through the receiver pulled Li Li out of her memories.
“Brother Ling, I’m fine. I just really, really want to see you. I never want to be separated from you again.”
As she spoke, her voice was tinged with a sob.
Hearing her cry, Lu Ling’s hands trembled as he drove.
“Xiao Li, don’t cry. I’ll be there soon. We’ll never be apart again.”
After hearing his words, the ache in Lu Ling’s heart gradually eased.
The quiet street was crossed by a sapphire-blue supercar speeding along. It encountered green lights all the way and soon arrived at the small apartment building where Li Li lived. After driving into the parking lot downstairs, the driver parked the car.
A tall, well-built man wearing fluffy pajamas and plush slippers stepped out. He radiated a clean, refreshing aura, so much so that even his adorable outfit couldn’t diminish his striking presence.
Yet this man, who would ordinarily remain calm and composed in any situation, was now hurrying anxiously. He quickly opened the car door and jumped out.
He raced upstairs to the apartment, running all the way to the twentieth floor in one breath. Ignoring the stinging sweat dripping into his eyes, he frantically knocked on the door of Room 2001.
Fortunately, the apartment building had only two units per floor, and no one lived next door. Otherwise, the neighbors might have rushed out to complain about the noise in the middle of the night.
Inside the apartment, Li Li heard Lu Ling knocking on the door. She didn’t even bother to worry about her tear-streaked face or messy hair.
She ran straight to the entrance to open the door, having completely forgotten to put on her slippers.