The fifth year of the apocalypse.
Federal Teyun Autonomous State.
A convoy drove along a dilapidated highway, yellow sand whipping across the sky.
“Why’s the road this bad? Isn’t Teyun supposed to be rich? They can’t even fix the only main road into the state?”
Inside the minibus, the passengers complained as they were jolted about.
The driver comforted them while steering. “Alright, alright. You know how it is. With mutant beasts running rampant, even newly repaired roads get wrecked within months. It’s like this everywhere. Besides, Governor Jiang of Teyun passed away last month. The state’s been tied up—it’s normal they haven’t gotten to this stretch.”
A passenger exclaimed in shock, “Governor Jiang Junrong? She passed away?”
“Yeah. The top federal officials, every state, every base—they all sent people to pay their respects. You didn’t know?”
Another passenger said, “Good heavens, we really didn’t. We came to Teyun because we heard this governor was incredibly powerful, capable, and truly cared about the people. We came for her—and now…”
“So won’t Teyun fall into chaos after this?”
“No need to worry too much. Governor Jiang’s daughter—the newly appointed Jiang Fu—is said to be just like her mother. Strong and competent.”
The passengers immediately began discussing the new governor.
In the last row of the minibus, by the window, sat a woman in a cap and mask, wearing a gray windbreaker. She leaned against the glass, watching the sandstorm outside, coughing softly from time to time. Beneath the brim of her hat, her eyes were as calm as two pools of stagnant water—except for the faint ripple that appeared when she heard the name Jiang Junrong.
Just one month. Just one month more, and she would have been able to see her mother—perhaps even save her.
Jiang Fu clenched her hands, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
When she woke up in this era and realized the current date, she had nearly wanted to die on the spot from frustration.
Just one month!
Something shifted inside the large pocket of her coat. A tiny black kitten poked out its head.
As if sensing her thoughts, the kitten—an evil spirit in feline form—sighed. Only Jiang Fu could hear its voice.
“Don’t be upset. In reality, you could never return to a time when your mother was still alive. At the beginning of Part Two, she’s already dead. That’s when your character makes her first appearance.”
“For two versions of you to exist in the same period is already the limit. And you want to go back to Part One—where you don’t even appear—and share the same sky as your mother? The world would explode!”
Jiang Fu pressed her lips together and said nothing. She only needed a moment. Just enough to save her mother. If her mother would abandon revenge, Jiang Fu would kill herself immediately—she would be willing.
The black cat continued, “And if your mother doesn’t die, you wouldn’t inherit her position at this point. The younger generation of powerhouses wouldn’t rise to the stage of history. The plot of Part Two wouldn’t even unfold. Her death is the foundation of the second part!”
“Bullshit!” Jiang Fu snapped. “Since when was my mom that important?”
She didn’t even call her “Mother” anymore—just “Mom,” the way she had as a teenager.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Fu closed her eyes, unwilling to argue further with the evil spirit.
The little black cat, ignored, climbed out of her pocket, crawled up her arm, and perched on her shoulder, meowing by her ear.
“You really plan to meet the version of you here? If you two encounter each other, one of you will be injured. You just time-traveled back—you’re weak as hell. Don’t let it be that the moment you meet, you end up being counterattacked and killed by yourself.”
“…I’m going to pay respects to my mother,” Jiang Fu said after a moment.
At this time, because of “her own” shocking whim, her mother’s body had not yet been cremated.
Later, her mother’s remains would nearly be stolen. Though it ultimately ended without disaster, Jiang Fu feared that her return might create deviations. She would not allow anything to happen to her mother.
Moreover, what she was about to do next would go completely against her mother’s last wishes. She needed to report to her first.
Looking at the carcasses of beasts and zombie remains scattered across the wild outside the window, she gave a faint, mocking laugh.
“At this time, after I took office, I did something incredibly stupid. That’s when the title of ‘tyrant’ began. Since I’ve arrived right at this moment, of course I’ll stop it.”
She didn’t care about bearing the name of tyrant. But painstakingly eliminating threats for the people, benefiting the masses—only to be met with complaints?
That kind of thankless stupidity, she had no intention of repeating.
And she certainly wasn’t going to let another version of herself make the same mistake. What would that make her look like—some kind of masochist?
She closed her eyes to rest and fell silent.
After time-traveling back, for some reason she had regained a body—real flesh and blood. Her own body.
It was just a bit stiff. A bit uncooperative. As if it had been dead for a while. Her neck even felt half-broken, barely holding together—she didn’t know whether that had anything to do with her head being severed after death.
In short, she wasn’t fully alive, nor fully dead. Half-dead. Add to that the immense cost of time travel—and the world’s rejection of her, a person from the future—she felt uncomfortable and exhausted everywhere.
The only good news was that as time passed, the resentment within her was rapidly recovering, just as a normal person regains stamina while resting—only much faster.
She could faintly sense the existence of the so-called “Evil Bone” within her chest. It felt like the pillar of her life. Her resentment used it as a foundation, continuously restoring itself.
The fifty years of malice she had endured from the entire world had instead become the basis of her survival now.
A joke straight out of hell.
…
After more than three hours of travel—and several stops for repairs and refueling—the convoy finally halted.
Jiang Fu stepped off with the others and looked up.
Ahead stood the magnificent gate tower of a base. Beneath it, the main gates stood wide open, vehicles and people flowing in and out.
Above the gate were four gleaming golden characters:
Fu’an Base.
Jiang Fu stared at the four characters, nostalgia filling her gaze. She did not move for a long time.
Teyun Autonomous State was vast. After ten years of catastrophe and five years of apocalypse, its population had fallen to less than one-twentieth of what it had been in peacetime. Countless cities had become deserted as people migrated. Survivors were mainly concentrated in a dozen or so cities, some of which had established bases.
Her mother, Jiang Junrong, had governed Teyun for fifteen years—the de facto ruler and chief executive. However, the cities were far apart, transportation was inconvenient, and communications were often interrupted for various reasons. After the apocalypse, she had therefore delegated a degree of autonomy to each city and base.
The only base fully controlled by her mother was Fu’an Base. It was also the largest base and core region of Teyun, covering nearly two thousand square kilometers, with a permanent population of over five million.
The base’s predecessor had been Jin’an City. Logically, it should have been called Jin’an Base afterward.
But her mother named it Fu’an Base.
In her mother’s words: Let the world accuse her of nepotism or mixing public and private affairs if they wished. The best things should naturally be left to her daughter. Otherwise, what—raise someone else up, give them everything, and let them use it to turn against her daughter?
Wouldn’t that be insanity?
In troubled times, there was no inheritance better than power.
Fortunately, Jiang Fu had lived up to expectations and had always done well.
No one had expected her mother to leave so early. So suddenly.
At twenty-four, Jiang Fu inherited the position in haste. Many who had been exceedingly deferential before her mother jumped out in opposition, or secretly undermined her. She had no choice but to defend her authority with iron-blooded measures.
Jiang Fu withdrew her gaze and joined the queue to enter the base.
Entry procedures were strict. Fortunately, she had obtained identification papers on the road. When it was time for her photo registration, she removed her mask and used resentment to subtly alter her face, matching the woman on the documents.
“Alright. Take your temporary residence permit. Next.”
She put away her documents and, carrying her small backpack, passed through the long gate tunnel.
As soon as she stepped inside, she saw the entire city draped in white mourning cloth. The atmosphere turned heavy and solemn.
Her heart clenched violently.
She grabbed at her chest, bracing herself against the wall as she bent slightly, breathing with difficulty. Her already pale complexion grew even more bloodless.
The little black cat crawled out from her hat. “…You don’t have to be this grief-stricken, do you?”
Jiang Fu frowned. “No. It’s really… not right.”
The cat said, “Oh, I get it. You’ve stepped into another you’s territory and triggered rejection. But you just got here—this sensitive already? Also, maybe stand up straighter? The way you’re bending, I’m worried your head’s about to fall off.”
“…”
She shot the cat a look—but honestly reached up to touch the scarf around her neck, patting her head. It wasn’t falling off. Still firmly attached.
Straightening up, she walked into the base.
…
At the same moment, in the central district of Fu’an Base, inside a bright and imposing office building, a young woman was presiding over a meeting.
Suddenly, her heart twitched for no reason.
Her words paused. Her left hand quietly braced against the table.
“Governor?” her secretary asked softly, watching her closely. Others in the room glanced over, their gazes probing.
Jiang Fu straightened and continued steadily, “Have all the representatives who came to pay respects from various regions been properly seen off?”
“Yes. All have been escorted away.”
“Notify the representatives of each city and base to attend a meeting tomorrow to discuss the province’s affairs going forward.”
“And another thing—I don’t know about the other city bases, but the public security in Fu’an Base this month has been so poor that complaints have reached my desk. Yet I’ve heard that the police response rate at the various security offices hasn’t increased—in fact, it’s decreased. The number of inmates in detention hasn’t gone up either, and the courts have handled a full twenty percent fewer cases. When I conducted inspections, every department had people neglecting their duties. What, are you all tired of working?”
“Are you dissatisfied with me—or with the rice bowl in your own hands?”
She slammed the table and leaned forward slightly. The pressure of a high-level ability user radiated outward. “I’m giving you one day. Every department, every unit at every level—submit your typical cases to me! If I discover anyone concealing information or reporting anything inconsistent with the facts, I’ll start removing people from the very top.”
After the meeting ended, the attendees filed out in fearful silence. They exchanged glances. Like mother, like daughter. She had been in office for less than a month, and her ruthlessness was already unmistakable.
Jiang Fu returned to her lounge and sat down, pressing the heel of her palm lightly against her chest. What was that sharp pain just now? Had she been overworking herself lately?
A pair of long, fair hands reached out from behind and began gently massaging her shoulders. A warm, magnetic voice spoke softly, “Ah Fu, you’ve been working for over ten hours straight. Take a break.”
Jiang Fu withdrew all expression from her face, brushed away the hands behind her, and turned around. “How did you get in? Haven’t I said that idle people aren’t allowed in here?”
It seemed she really was too tired—her vigilance had slipped enough that she hadn’t even noticed someone else in her lounge.
The handsome man behind her put on a wounded expression. “Do I count as an idle person too? Xiao Fu…”
“Out!”
The man choked on his words but still tried to salvage the situation. “I just want to help you. With so many affairs to handle, how can you manage everything alone? You only need to sit in command and give orders. If you insist on handling everything personally, what are your subordinates for?”
Jiang Fu raised her head and looked at him carefully. Tall and slender, fair-skinned and good-looking, with bright, beautiful eyes and a clean, almost naïve air about him—exactly her type. Unfortunately, he was too stupid.
She didn’t like men who were too smart. Smart men were always self-righteous, always harboring restless schemes. She hadn’t expected even a fool to start harboring petty calculations.
She suddenly let out a light laugh. “Go see the housekeeper and collect your compensation. You won’t need to come anymore.”
The man’s face turned pale. “I was arranged for you by the governor…”
Jiang Fu voice turned cold. “Which of the people by my side weren’t arranged by Mother? Your predecessors did very well. When I said it was over, they obediently disappeared from my sight. That’s why the compensation they received was quite generous. Zhou Jia, do you understand what I mean?”
Zhou Jia wanted to say more, but under her steady gaze his face gradually drained of color. Cold sweat broke out, and he didn’t dare utter another word. Lowering his head meekly, he said, “Yes. I understand.”
Watching him leave, Jiang Fu let out a breath. Her mother was satisfied and proud of her in every way, convinced there was no one more outstanding than her daughter in the world. There was only one thing her mother worried about—that one day her daughter might fall for some worthless man’s tricks.
So ever since she had come of age, her mother had arranged men by her side. In her mother’s view, the best way to strip something of its mystique was to possess it. Once you’d seen enough men, you naturally wouldn’t find them rare or tempting.
Facts proved her mother was always right. Now she felt nothing but annoyance at the sight of men—especially those trying to edge close to her. Each one was either arrogantly self-important or transparently foolish. She was almost developing a physiological aversion.
Mother…
At the thought of her mother lying alone in an ice coffin, her brows lowered again.
She raised her hand. A blue-violet vial appeared in her palm, emitting a faint, eerie glow. Hesitation flickered in her eyes.
…
Elsewhere, Zhou Jia slipped out in disgrace and was stopped by someone.
“Well?”
Zhou Jia’s face burned with anger. “She kicked me out. She’s cutting ties with me completely.”
“You’re useless. She just lost her closest relative—this is when she’s most vulnerable. Whoever stays by her side now will be the one to enter her heart.”
Zhou Jia was speechless. That woman—vulnerable? Even if she had such a moment, would someone like him ever be allowed into her heart? In her eyes, what difference was there between him and a pet dog kept for amusement?
“Anyway, I followed your advice, and now I’m the one packing up to leave. You owe me compensation.”
The other person frowned in thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. Looking cautiously around, he lowered his voice. “Do you know where Jiang Fu kept the former governor’s body?”
Zhou Jia was shocked. “Wasn’t it already cremated at the funeral?”
“That was a fake! If they hadn’t staged that, how could they have deterred the covetous eyes of the world? Do you know how valuable the body of the world’s only ninth-tier ability user is? If we can get our hands on it, we won’t have to worry for the rest of our lives!”
Zhou Jia shrank back. “No, no. Jiang Fu will kill me!”
“You don’t need to do anything. Just tell me where Jiang Fu has been going most often lately.”
…
Translator’s Note 💬
In this story, two different characters share the same name, Jiang Fu. To make things less confusing for everyone, one of them will be written in italics throughout the translation.
I didn’t place this note at the very beginning of the book to avoid spoilers 😉 Thanks for your understanding, and happy reading! 📖✨