2: Chapter 2 Rebirth! Frenzied Eating!

Howling winds, cascading avalanches, the icy breath of death slowly swallowed the last trace of consciousness...

Darkness, endless darkness. Her body felt like it was falling into a freezing abyss; her senses gradually faded, breathing stopped, limbs stiffened, and consciousness was devoured by ice and snow.

The last trace of warmth in her chest was stripped away by the extreme cold, the sound of the storm in her ears faded away, and the world fell into dead silence.

Dead...

Filled with unwillingness, everything was over.

—Wait!

In the next instant, warmth enveloped her entire body, like falling from an ice cave into a hot spring. The familiar temperature awakened her numb nerves; her skin grew slightly hot, blood began to flow again, and her heartbeat accelerated crazily, roaring in her ears like a beating drum.

Ye Nanxing snapped her eyes open!

The chandelier on the ceiling came into view, its warm yellow halo stinging her eyes.

Her pupils contracted violently, and Ye Nanxing's breathing became rapid.

Everything before her was too familiar!

Her fingertips instinctively gripped the sheets. A soft quilt was wrapped around her, warm and comfortable; the familiar fabric rubbed against her skin, conveying a real touch.

This dream was too real!

Ye Nanxing grabbed the quilt, wrapped it tightly around herself, and pressed her forehead against the fabric. Her nose was filled with the faint scent of laundry detergent and the slight aroma of sunlight.

There was no smell of blood in the air, no stench of rotting zombies, no bone-chilling frost and mist from the extreme cold, only the faint woody scent in the room and the lingering warmth.

Her lips trembled slightly. She took a deep breath, her throat dry and aching, her eyes burning, and tears rolled uncontrollably into the quilt.

This dream was too beautiful!

However, could dead people dream?

Ye Nanxing suddenly sat up, her feet touching the floor; the smooth wooden floor transmitted a warm sensation.

Her gaze swept across the room: the familiar white wardrobe, desk, computer; in the corner, snack bags from last night were piled up; the curtains were half-drawn, and sunlight filtered in from outside, spilling onto the sheets, with light spots swaying, carrying a warm afterglow.

This was not a ruin, not a Shelter besieged by zombies, but her familiar rented apartment.

At this moment, her chest heaved violently, and her fingertips dug hard into her palms; the stinging pain made her mind completely clear.

This was not a dream!

She was alive, truly and genuinely alive!

Her gaze snapped toward the nightstand; her phone lay quietly there, its screen black.

She reached out to pick it up, her fingertips trembling slightly, and pressed the power button. The screen lit up instantly—

Date: September 18, 2037.

Exactly six months until the Apocalypse erupted!

Ye Nanxing's brain exploded with a roar, her blood ran backward, and her back stiffened instantly, as if struck by lightning.

At this moment, all emotions swept over her like a tsunami; fear, shock, ecstasy, and despair intertwined, and her chest felt like it was stuffed with a ball of fire, scorching her internal organs.

Not a dream! Not a hallucination!

She had been reborn! Truly reborn!

Before the shock could subside, her stomach suddenly cramped; hunger, like a wild beast tearing at her, caused her internal organs to twitch in pain.

Saliva production in her mouth accelerated, her throat bobbed, and there was only one thought in her mind—eat!

Ye Nanxing stumbled toward the kitchen, not even feeling the pain when her thigh hit the corner of the table.

She yanked open the refrigerator door; cold air rushed into her face, cool but not bone-chilling.

The scene before her made Ye Nanxing's mind go blank—

Clean, fresh food was neatly arranged in the refrigerated section, no different from when it had just been bought.

Milk, eggs, tomatoes, oranges, canned goods, bread...

In the most conspicuous place, there was half a cream birthday cake.

Ye Nanxing stared fixedly at that cake, her fingers trembling slightly.

—

This was a cake she had made herself.

Yesterday,

Right here in this room,

Ye Nanxing lit the candles, singing a birthday song to Zhou Yixuan with love in her eyes.

He said thank you with doting affection, his gaze so gentle it could drown someone.

And beside him, Zhao Yuanyuan, with just the right smile at the corners of her mouth, gently egged them on; there was absolutely no flaw to be found.

Her fingertips dug hard into the cake box,

Her chest heaved violently, as if a fire were burning, and anger roiled in her blood.

The cake she had once given away with a smile had now become her life-saving food in her most wretched moment.

How ridiculous.

But the hunger in her stomach would not allow Ye Nanxing to continue thinking.

She tore open the cake box fiercely; the sweetness of the cream instantly filled the air, mixed with a faint milky scent, familiar yet strange.

Ignoring any sense of ceremony, she reached out, grabbed a piece, and shoved it fiercely into her mouth.

The soft sponge cake was crushed by her teeth, the sweetness of the cream instantly enveloping her entire mouth; it was fragrant, smooth, delicate, light, and soft, so delicious it made her shudder.

The cake was so delicious, the sweet cream carrying the richness of the milk, melting in her mouth.

But the more delicious it was, the angrier she felt inside.

Her stomach was burning, her fingers were trembling, and her teeth were clenched tight, wishing she could swallow all of this along with the humiliation of the past.

The sweetness of the cake was like a knife, slowly carving away at Ye Nanxing's flesh.

She couldn't stop.

The last piece of cake was swallowed; the sweet taste of cream remained in her mouth, but her throat was dry and aching.

She grabbed the milk carton from the fridge, bit open the seal, and took a huge gulp; the cold liquid slid down her throat, carrying a rich milky fragrance, instantly washing away the lingering sweetness in her mouth.

But Ye Nanxing's body still felt it wasn't enough.

Her gaze shifted, and she grabbed an orange from the fridge, ripping off the peel; the orange-yellow flesh was exposed, and she tore off the segments with almost tearing force, shoving them directly into her mouth.

The flesh was juicy, sweet and tart; the juice burst in her mouth, the tart flavor stimulating her tongue, causing the cloying taste of the cake to completely dissipate.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed mouthful after mouthful, the juice dripping down her fingertips, falling onto the floor and splashing up tiny droplets.

After finishing the orange, her mouth was full of the scent of citrus.

Not enough!

Ye Nanxing's gaze fell on the canned goods in the refrigerated compartment; she reached out and grabbed one, applying a little force with her fingers, and the pull-tab was easily torn open, the sweetness of the syrup instantly spreading.

Ye Nanxing tilted her head back and downed it, a whole peach sliding down her throat; the sweetness of the syrup made her tongue slightly numb, but her body still craved more food.

Tomatoes and bread were all swallowed in a few bites.

Even the eggs were swallowed raw; Ye Nanxing seemed completely unable to feel the slight fishiness of the egg white and yolk, tilting her head back and swallowing them without any hindrance.

Almost everything edible in the fridge had been wiped out.

Only then did the hunger in her stomach subside slightly.

Ye Nanxing felt her inner self begin to calm down slowly.

Her chest no longer heaved, and her blood flow began to stabilize.

Alive.

Truly alive.

How good.

Perhaps even Heaven couldn't bear it, feeling she was too miserable, and that's why it let her start over once.

Her gaze swept over the remains of the cake packaging in the trash can at her feet, and Ye Nanxing curled her lips into a cold smile.

Those betrayals, she would reclaim them bit by bit!

Closing the refrigerator door, Ye Nanxing turned and walked toward the living room.