C1 We Really Are Reborn!

At 8:30 AM on December 20th, the 47th Male Dormitory Building at Y University in Hiekith was enveloped in silence. Y University, a prestigious institution globally recognized, is nestled in the northern suburbs of Janville, Hiekith's bustling international metropolis. Known for its stringent management, the university had already seen most of its students vacate their dorms for the classrooms.

Dormitory 47 was thus exceptionally quiet.

Room 4014 was still and silent. Inside, three bunk beds and a large storage cabinet filled the space. A couple of computer desks were strewn with laptops, and posters of beautiful women adorned the walls. The trash bin by the door was nearly overflowing with snack wrappers, emitting an odd odor, while several pairs of smelly socks under each bed contributed to the room's air pollution.

This was a quintessential college bachelor's room.

The gentle winter sun streamed through the window, illuminating the face of a handsome young man asleep. His name was Lin Chen, a senior at the Industrial Management College.

Lin Chen's face was contorted as if in the throes of a nightmare, his expression one of intense pain.

"Ah!"

He cried out, jolting upright with a piercing gaze that swept the room.

"Where am I? Is this what comes after death? But it all feels so familiar..."

Despite the calm surroundings, Lin Chen felt no danger. His gaze softened from its initial intensity, and confusion washed over his face.

"This place... it looks like my college dorm room?"

"Is this reality, or is it all a dream? Could a decade of apocalyptic life have been just a figment of my imagination? But how could any dream be this vivid?"

Memories of ten years in a post-apocalyptic world began to flood Lin Chen's mind.

He remembered the apocalypse starting at the stroke of midnight on December 22nd, 2022, and the ten years of tragedy he'd endured. Initially, he was paralyzed by fear, unable to confront the zombies and mutated beasts, missing his chance to evolve during those critical early days.

At Oldlight Base, he had a poignant reunion with his sister, Lin Ya. She was a student at another university in the city, blessed with the same striking looks inherited from their parents. At the time, she was a sophomore.

After the apocalypse struck, Lin Ya faced a dire situation at her school when the leader of the student self-rescue organization attempted to assault her. In a fierce act of self-defense, Lin Ya's latent wood-type Extrasensory Perception powers awakened, and she killed the assailant, subsequently rising to become one of the school's prominent figures.

Upon reuniting with her brother, Lin Chen found himself with few opportunities to fight due to Lin Ya's protective stance, which meant he couldn't trigger his own Extrasensory Perception abilities in combat. Lin Ya, determined to help her brother, managed to procure a zombie crystal nucleus for him, which awakened his wood-type Extrasensory Perception.

Female Extrasensory Perception users were a rarity, and Lin Ya's exceptional beauty made her the object of many admirers. Yet, she honored Lin Chen's advice on matters of the heart, a decision that tragically contributed to her later demise.

Devastated by Lin Ya's death, Lin Chen was consumed by grief and rage. He recklessly engaged in battles with zombies and mutated beasts, rapidly enhancing his Extrasensory Perception abilities. Through immense sacrifice, he eventually exacted revenge for Lin Ya.

Years later, Lin Chen returned to his family's home in Seamoor Province, only to discover that his father had developed Extrasensory Perception abilities but had perished in a conflict with other survivors two years post-apocalypse. His mother, a regular human, met her end at the hands of zombies shortly after his father's death.

This revelation shattered Lin Chen. He agonized over the thought that had he and his sister returned home sooner, they might have prevented the tragic outcomes. Overwhelmed by loss, Lin Chen's life lost its meaning. He wandered through his days listlessly, living without purpose, devoid of interest in anything.

Lin Chen eventually joined a mercenary group and took on a mission escorting a convoy to the Imperial Capital Base, where he settled into a hollow existence.

Ten years into the apocalypse, Lin Chen was part of a team exploring a vast ruin, where he covertly discovered an unusual, seed-like artifact. That evening, as he toyed with the peculiar black seed in front of his partner, a blade unexpectedly pierced through his left chest.

Betrayed, Lin Chen realized it was a comrade from his own mercenary group who had delivered the fatal blow from behind. Blood gushed from his mouth, staining the seed crimson. As his life ebbed away, he sensed the seed absorbing his blood. Turning his head, he caught sight of his betrayer circling around to embrace his woman and reach for the seed.

He caught sight of his woman, seductively leaning on his brother's shoulder!

In his final moments, a miraculous calm washed over him. 'I'm finally going to be free,' he thought. But when had they become a couple?

At that time, he felt no hatred.

Maybe it was because he hadn't valued his brother and his woman as much after his sister and parents passed away. Or perhaps he had already let go of all worldly attachments deep inside.

Yet, he never found a reason to end his own life. His life was a gift in exchange for Yaya's. He had to live on for her sake.

His final thought was, "Yaya, Dad, Mom, I'm about to join you."

His face contorted one last time, and he thought, 'God, you've really played me for a fool my whole life... If there's an afterlife... If I could start all over... Dad, Mom... Yaya...'

...

In Dormitory 4014, Lin Chen sat on his bed.

Tears had unknowingly filled his face.

After wiping away the tears and steadying his emotions, Lin Chen pondered a serious question: 'Was it all just a dream, or have I actually been reborn, like something out of a fantasy novel?'

Reincarnation seemed too far-fetched!

But to call it a dream? The last ten years of apocalyptic pain and despair felt too vivid, too real, even causing his heart to ache now.

With a flicker of thought, a wealth of combat knowledge and martial arts techniques surged through his mind, each detail as clear as if it were written before him.

Dreams don't just grant you combat experience and skills, do they?

Lin Chen came to a tentative conclusion: I might have actually been reborn!

Holding back the surge of ecstasy, Lin Chen fumbled for his phone to check the time.

'December 20th, 2022, 9 AM.'

"The apocalypse is set to start on December 22nd at midnight. I remember this morning, around nine, there was a 9.4 magnitude earthquake in the capital of Kedeania, causing untold death and injury, and prompting a quiet cheer among the outraged youth of Hiekith. Later, people would say it was a harbinger of the end times."

"If the apocalypse is indeed fated to occur, then breaking news of the massive earthquake in Kedeania would already be flooding the headlines!"

Lin Chen flung the covers aside and leaped out of bed, hitting the power button on his laptop in one smooth motion.

As the laptop booted up, Lin Chen hastily dressed himself, pulling on his clothes, shoes, and socks with a sense of urgency.

Once the laptop was ready, Lin Chen's hand shook as he gripped the mouse, clicking on the live news feed with bated breath.

"Today, at 7:57 PM, a 9.4 magnitude earthquake struck the capital of Kedeania."

The chilling headline screamed in bold, blood-red letters at the top of the page!

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Lin Chen let out three loud laughs, echoing eerily like a howl. His laughter quickly turned to tears as he clenched his fists and whispered to himself, "It's happening, it's really happening—the apocalypse is upon us!"

"I've truly been reborn!"

"To the Almighty, Buddha, the Venerable One, the Jade Emperor—whomever it may be, for whatever reason, I am grateful. Thank you for granting me this second chance!"

"Dad, Mom, Yaya, in this life, I vow never to lose you again!"

In that moment, his once icy veins surged with heat!

In that moment, his once silent soul was fervently reawakened!