Chapter One: Awakening in the Apocalypse

Under the battered eaves of a ruined house in the small town, Xie Han, who had lain as motionless as a corpse, suddenly opened his eyes. Before him was chaos. Yellow scraps of paper, caught by the breeze, danced into the air and twisted gently as they fell. The dilapidated buildings were surrounded by broken wells and crumbling walls; shattered layers of concrete were scattered across the ground. An eerie silence hung in the air—where once there had been bustling prosperity, now only the sound of wind stirring the trees remained.

Xie Han’s mind was slow to comprehend his predicament. He could not fathom how he had gone from the bustling city of Chaoyang to awakening in such a strange place. The surroundings resembled the aftermath of the apocalypse; not a sign nor sound of human life could be detected. In panic, Xie Han sprang to his feet, surprised to find himself instinctively supporting his weight with one hand and flipping upright with agility, landing lightly on his feet.

“What…what on earth is happening?” Xie Han questioned himself. In his memory, he was merely an ordinary citizen of Chaoyang, fortunate enough, thanks to relatives, to secure a position in the Statistics Bureau in 2009—a typical government job. The daily routine consisted of arriving late by half an hour, brewing tea, and then surfing the internet. If a superior appeared, he would bury his head in the day’s newspaper, which was enough to satisfy any leader. In just two years, at twenty-four, Xie Han's body had grown frail from lack of exercise.

Previously, at his height of one meter seventy-eight, Xie Han—tall and slender—would be left breathless after just a few jumps, but his recent display rivaled that of trained athletes. He could hardly believe it. His physique was unchanged: no extra muscle, not a trace of robust strength, yet he felt surging power within, and his mildly nearsighted eyes could make out minute details hundreds of meters away.

On the nearby street, three cars lay haphazardly across the road, their windshields shattered into heaps of shards. Blackened liquid had coagulated on the car doors like dark blossoms. To the right of the vehicles stood a small market; its aluminum rolling door was riddled with finger-sized holes, and a wide breach had been blasted open in the center, leaving the interior shrouded in darkness. Scattered snacks littered the breach, and a trail of white rice stretched all the way to the middle of the street.

Xie Han felt his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. He could not explain why the word “blasted” so instinctively described the breach in the aluminum door. Had someone risked execution to use explosives just to rob a small market? Judging from the scattered snacks at the entrance, it seemed these thieves specifically targeted the food.

A breeze swept through, lifting scraps of paper once more. Several red hundred-yuan bills were caught up, finally settling before the market entrance. Xie Han’s mind spun. He could not understand why these thieves, apparently starving, would steal snacks and forsake the far more valuable cash. Amid the swirling papers, a fragment of newspaper was blown toward him, landing right on his forehead.

Reacting swiftly, Xie Han snatched the newspaper scrap and glanced at it. It seemed to report, in news format, the successful launch of an American spacecraft heading toward a target asteroid. The fragmented report contained only a few sentences, and Xie Han paid it no mind, tossing it aside. The town instilled in him a deep unease: the decrepit houses, the blackened congealed fluids everywhere, the pungent stench, and the lifeless streets all contributed to a profound sense of discomfort.

Xie Han noticed on his wrist a seamless watch, its olive-green casing glimmering with a peculiar light. He had no recollection of ever owning such a watch. Attempting to remove it, he found it perfectly fitted with no gaps—there was no way to take it off.

Everything here was saturated with oddity. Xie Han had no idea where he was and longed to find someone to question, yet the silence persisted. He habitually reached for his phone, but his pocket was empty. His phone was gone, and after searching himself, he found he possessed nothing but the strange watch and his clothes.

“Damn it, whose idea of a joke is this? If I ever find out, I’ll kick their head in for dreaming up such a brainless prank.” Though Xie Han raged inwardly, he could only press forward. If this were a film set, surely he would have encountered someone by now—some staff, perhaps?

The town was small, with only seven or eight streets. As Xie Han proceeded, his unease deepened. The houses lining the streets were either collapsed or lifeless, but without exception, their doors stood open, interiors ransacked, furniture and belongings scattered everywhere. What astounded Xie Han most was the abundance of banknotes, weathered by wind and rain, strewn across the streets and dancing whenever the breeze picked up.

He picked up a bill. Its tangible reality assured him it was genuine currency—not counterfeit. Xie Han gazed in disbelief; this was entirely unexpected. If this were a film set, why use real money? The scattered bills varied in denomination, totaling at least a million yuan. What film studio could afford such extravagance? Yet in his shock, Xie Han failed to notice the peculiarity: on the date printed on the bill was “January 1, 2050,” hinting at something significant.

Xie Han was not a greedy man, but faced with so much cash, he was tempted. Though the town was deserted, he was no stranger to modern society. In any shopping center, surveillance cameras were everywhere; any suspicious activity would land you in the security office for questioning. This thought prompted Xie Han to throw the money back on the street and continue forward.

At a crossroads ahead, he spotted an Agricultural Bank. The glass outside was shattered, debris covering the steps. He walked inside. The lobby was strewn with documents, chairs behind the reception desk overturned, and the once-bright white floor stained with black liquid, some of it trailing all the way to the door. The intense stench made Xie Han’s brow twitch. He suspected the black liquid’s nature, but desperately convinced himself it was merely a prop.

Looking toward the back of the front desk, he saw further chaos: computers knocked askew, documents and cash mixed in a jumble. It seemed a sudden riot had forced the staff to flee in panic, as the steel door stood open. Xie Han wondered what had driven them to leave without even closing the door—was this also a special requirement for the film set?

Standing at the crossroads, Xie Han looked around. Not a single staff member appeared. His unease grew into panic; he felt as though he had been cast into a forgotten world.

“Is anyone here? Is there anyone?” Xie Han shouted with all his strength. His voice echoed across the empty intersection, reverberating into the distance.

As if awakened by his shout, the entire town seemed to stir. Countless faint sounds arose: doors to residential buildings creaked open, iron buckets clanged as they were knocked over, papers crackled underfoot. The cars parked haphazardly along the street began to shake; their doors opened, and figures staggered out, gathering toward Xie Han’s intersection.

Xie Han could hardly believe his eyes. What was happening? Why had the residents hidden so well, evading detection until now? Still, he cared little for the reason—seeing people was better than the dead silence. Once he discovered where he was, he could find a way back to Chaoyang. Today should be Thursday, right? Hopefully his boss was out on inspection; otherwise, his absence for most of the day would ruin his monthly allowance.

As Xie Han regretted his predicament, a figure finally appeared in the distance—surprisingly, it was a fashionable young woman. Her chest was modestly covered by a few strips of fabric, perfectly concealing her alluring curves. Xie Han was not a lecherous man, but felt a pang of regret; had the woman dispensed with even those scraps, he would not have minded admiring her for a few moments. After all, what’s revealed is meant to be appreciated!

But before these thoughts could fully form, Xie Han’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets, and his whole body was seized by horror.

(ps: This is a new novel by Rainwater. I hope everyone will support it. No matter the quality, Rainwater will devote himself wholeheartedly to writing. The success of a new book depends on your clicks, votes, and favorites—none of these can be neglected. Please give me a little motivation. Thank you all.)