Chapter 1: Rebirth

Chapter 1: Rebirth

Gu Pan’s hands clutched the quilt tightly, beads of sweat covering her forehead. Suddenly, she sat upright, eyes wide open. As her vision shifted from blurred to clear, shock replaced calm in her heart. Wasn’t this the bedroom of her newlywed home before the apocalypse?

She quickly glanced at the bedside table. The digital clock read: September 16th, 2028, 8:46 AM. Outside, the wind howled, accompanied by the occasional sound of something striking against the building.

Jumping out of bed, she drew back the curtains. Though the gale raged outside, the streets below teemed with bustling traffic and vibrancy.

Gu Pan was bewildered. Hadn’t she died in the cannibalistic apocalypse? How had she returned? And why was she back seven days before the world ended?

Just then, her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She hadn’t used a phone in over three years; its sudden presence felt unfamiliar. She hurried to the bedside, picked up her phone, and saw her husband’s name on the screen.

Seeing that name made tears stream down Gu Pan’s face. In the third year of the apocalypse, this man died before her eyes, sacrificing himself to shield her from a knife. Of course, Gu Pan did not survive alone; she drove a dagger into her heart, following her husband, Lu Ruisheng.

She hadn’t failed to cherish the chance her husband fought for; it was just that he was her sole hope for survival in the apocalypse. When he died, she lost her reason to live.

Her fingers trembled as she pressed the answer button. A familiar, caring voice came through: “Panpan, the meteorological bureau says there’ll be an intense cold front and strong winds these days. Don’t go out today—order some takeout for lunch. I have a contract to sign with a client and will probably be home by evening. I’ve ordered some meat and vegetables—please accept the delivery later. When I get back, I’ll cook something delicious for you.”

Gu Pan listened to the voice that felt so real, choking out, “Honey, I missed you.”

Lu Ruisheng chuckled indulgently, “I missed you too. I’ll come home as soon as I can. Wait for me, be good.”

Her mind was still in chaos. She needed to think calmly. It was impossible to tell her husband that the apocalypse was imminent or that she had been reborn. Anyone hearing such things would either think she was joking or worry about her mental health. If he rushed home out of concern, the treacherous weather would be even more dangerous.

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She remembered from her previous life that her husband’s contract today was in a nearby county—not far, and he’d return safely by evening despite the bad weather. There were no real dangers along the road, so she didn’t want to complicate things.

She said quickly, “Ruisheng, the weather’s bad, please be careful.”

“I know. Don’t worry. Take care of yourself, too. Love you, honey.”

Gu Pan smiled and replied, “Love you, honey”—a habit from their five years of dating.

After hanging up, she sat at her vanity, quietly pondering everything. Suddenly, she noticed the pendant on her neck, a gift from her grandmother before she passed.

Her parents died young, and it was her grandmother who raised her. She had worn the pendant since she was a child. But in the second month of the apocalypse, a friend named Zhuang Jie, who had sought refuge at their home, stole the pendant and fled. His entire family vanished afterward.

In her final moments, Gu Pan glimpsed Zhuang Jie and his wife, overheard them discussing the spatial secret of the pendant, and realized it contained a hidden space. Their attack was orchestrated by Zhuang Jie.

In her previous life, Zhuang Jie used the pendant’s space to thrive with his family during the apocalypse, but he couldn’t rest easy with its original owner alive. Hence, he arranged their deaths to eliminate future threats.

Now, everything had restarted. Gu Pan vowed never to let those who had harmed her live well.

She took off the pendant, searching for the secret mechanism, but found nothing. Anxious, her hand was scraped and blood seeped into the pendant. Suddenly, she was drawn into a foreign space.

The space was empty and vast, larger than a football field, with swirling mist on the periphery. At its center floated an electronic panel displaying notes:

1. If the pendant is damaged, it cannot be inherited and will disappear with its current owner.
2. The initial usage time for the space is three hours; injecting gold extends this period.
3. The space has a preservation function, and the owner can control items inside with their mind.

Reading this, she understood Zhuang Jie’s concern in her previous life. He wanted to pass the pendant to his descendants without destroying it, but feared Gu Pan might discover its secret, so he plotted their deaths to ensure no future threats.

Standing within the space, Gu Pan fully accepted her rebirth and the reality of possessing this power.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knock at the door. Life in the apocalypse had made Gu Pan cautious and alert. She exited the space, went to the door, and peered through the peephole.

Seeing the visitor, Gu Pan instinctively went to the kitchen for a cleaver, but as she reached the door, she realized this wasn’t the apocalypse. There were laws, and she couldn’t kill at will.

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Moreover, killing him wouldn’t be the greatest revenge. Watching him suffer with his wife and child during the apocalypse, experiencing the hardships she and her husband endured, would be the truest punishment.

Soon, Zhuang Jie’s voice came from outside, “Sister-in-law, are you home? Open the door, I need to talk to you.”

Lu Ruisheng was an orphan, who built his business and assets from scratch and only married at thirty. Zhuang Jie, younger, had used his parents’ startup money to partner with Lu Ruisheng in a renovation company, so he called him Brother Lu and Gu Pan Sister-in-law.

Gu Pan steadied her emotions. “I just got up—it’s inconvenient to let you in. What do you need?”

With the weather so foul, Zhuang Jie’s sudden visit was definitely not a trivial matter.

Outside, Zhuang Jie said, “Sister-in-law, my wife always says your pendant is beautiful. Her birthday is next month, and I want to borrow it to order a custom replica as a surprise.”

The pendant? Gu Pan suddenly realized something. Did he also return from the apocalypse? Otherwise, why would he be so anxious and direct about borrowing it?

She refused immediately, “It’s my grandmother’s keepsake—not suitable for lending out.”

Zhuang Jie hadn’t expected Gu Pan, usually agreeable, to refuse so firmly. He pressed, “Sister-in-law, I just want to look at it. If you prefer, open the door and let me take a few photos.”

Gu Pan couldn’t open the door now—it would easily lead to conflict, and if she ended up in trouble with the law, she wouldn’t be able to use these last seven days before the apocalypse to stock up on supplies.

But she could see that Zhuang Jie was determined. If she didn’t agree today, he’d come back tonight with Lu Ruisheng, making things even more complicated.

She quickly formulated a plan and said to Zhuang Jie outside the door, “Let’s stop beating around the bush. Did Lu Ruisheng send you? Does he really not trust me, thinks there’s a man in my house, and sent you to test me? This marriage can’t go on. Stop pretending—I won’t open the door.”

(End of Chapter)