Dead and back.

Shen Yuan stood in front of the reinforced glass wall, staring at the syringe in his hand. The faint bluish liquid inside swirled slightly as he adjusted his grip, his reflection merging with the cold, sterile environment of the lab. The vaccine he had developed—his life's work—was right here, the supposed answer to the zombie apocalypse that had ravaged the Earth for the last decade.

"Shen Yuan, you don't have to do this," a voice broke through the sterile silence of the lab.

He turned to see his colleague, Dr. Lin, standing at the doorway, her face pale with worry. The fine lines around her eyes deepened as she stepped forward, eyes darting from the syringe to Shen Yuan's face. "We can run more tests. We haven't exhausted all possibilities. You don't need to test it on yourself."

"I don't have time for more tests," Shen Yuan replied, his voice calm but resolute. "The virus is mutating faster than we expected. By the time we finish the tests, we could lose more than half the population."

"But you're not even sure this will work!" Dr. Lin's hands clenched into fists. "You could die."

"I'd rather die than let others suffer because of my hesitation."

For a moment, there was silence between them, the only sound the faint hum of machines around them, monitoring the various viruses and blood samples.

Shen Yuan glanced at the monitor behind him, displaying the statistical data of the vaccine trials. Out of the hundred lab rats injected with the vaccine, only twelve had shown signs of immunity. The rest... well, the rest hadn't fared so well. Their mutated DNA sequences appeared in sharp neon lines across the screen:

DNA Strand Compatibility: 32%Infection Neutralization: 65%Mortality Rate: 88%

It wasn't perfect. Far from it. But Shen Yuan had worked for years, pushing the boundaries of his own genius. His DNA analysis had mapped out every variation of the zombie virus, accounted for the immunodeficiencies and rapid mutations. Yet no human trials had been conducted. There was no time.

His hand shook ever so slightly as he stared at the syringe.

"If I don't try this now," Shen Yuan said quietly, more to himself than Dr. Lin, "we'll lose everything."

"Shen, please..." Dr. Lin's voice wavered, but Shen Yuan had already made his decision. He didn't want to see the look of disappointment or fear on her face anymore.

Before she could stop him, he injected the vaccine into his own arm. The cold metal of the needle slid into his skin effortlessly, and the liquid flowed into his veins with a sensation like ice threading through his bloodstream.

At first, nothing happened.

Shen Yuan let out a breath of relief. Perhaps he had done it. Maybe this would—

A sharp pain lanced through his chest.

His vision blurred, and his breath caught in his throat. His entire body seized up as waves of excruciating heat surged through him, opposite of the cold he had expected. His heart raced, pounding against his ribcage like it was trying to escape his body. Shen Yuan gasped, his knees buckling beneath him as he clutched at his chest.

"No… no… this… this wasn't supposed to happen!" His voice came out as a strained whisper.

He collapsed against the lab counter, the sterile white walls around him spinning wildly. Through the fog of his vision, Shen Yuan saw the DNA data on the screen—his own DNA now, mingling with the vaccine's.

DNA Rejection: 95%Mutation Speed: 120%Host Life Expectancy: 3 minutes

He had made a terrible mistake. A fatal mistake.

Dr. Lin's panicked voice seemed distant now, a muffled echo as she rushed toward him, but Shen Yuan couldn't stay. Not like this. He couldn't let anyone else suffer the consequences of his failed vaccine. He had to leave. Now.

Summoning all his remaining strength, Shen Yuan pushed himself off the counter and staggered toward the exit. His vision blurred, but he kept moving, his legs carrying him out of the lab, down the long corridors, and out into the night. The cool evening air hit his face like a slap, but the pain inside him was far worse.

He ran toward the mountains on the outskirts of the city, desperate and delirious. His mind was a haze of calculations and failure. The higher he climbed, the faster his heart raced, the closer death felt. In his hand, he clutched the remote detonator he had rigged years ago in case of emergency—if the virus spread too far, he had sworn to destroy everything.

Panting, he reached the peak and fell to his knees, gazing out at the sprawling wasteland below. This world, his world, was a ruin.

"I'm sorry," Shen Yuan whispered as he pressed the button.

The explosion tore through the mountain. For a brief moment, there was only fire, light, and silence. Shen Yuan welcomed it. He let go, expecting the sweet release of death to claim him.

But instead... he awoke.

----

When Shen Yuan opened his eyes again, everything was different. The first thing he noticed was the stillness—the complete absence of the chaotic noises of the apocalypse. No groaning zombies, no distant cries of desperation, no hum of machinery. Just… silence.

He blinked, trying to focus. The sky above him was a soft shade of orange, fading into deep purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. He wasn't dead. But how? Where was he?

Sitting up, he realized he was inside a tent, lying on a crude bedroll. The air smelled earthy and clean, like a place untouched by the horrors of the world he had known. His hands moved to his chest instinctively, feeling for the searing pain from the injection, but there was nothing—no wound, no scar. He felt… fine.

"You're awake," a disembodied voice said.

Shen Yuan jerked upright, looking around wildly. "Who's there?"

"Relax. I'm your system. Congratulations, Shen Yuan," the voice continued, ignoring his shock. "You have been chosen to lead a new world."

Shen Yuan blinked. "System? What are you talking about? Am I dead?"

"Technically, yes. You died in your world, but your consciousness was transferred here, to a new realm," the voice explained. "The Space and Time Bureau needs you to complete a mission: to create an empire and become an emperor."

An empire? Shen Yuan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "That's ridiculous. I'm a scientist, not a ruler."

"The Bureau selected you based on your IQ and EQ rankings after your death. You're the perfect candidate."

Shen Yuan couldn't help but laugh, though it was more out of disbelief than humor. "So you want me to build an empire in this strange world?"

"Correct. This world's reincarnation channel has been blocked, and the souls from your world need a place to go. You must create a kingdom where they can live, safe from the chaos."

The absurdity of the situation hit Shen Yuan like a freight train. An empire? Him? After everything he had failed to achieve in his own world? The irony was too much.

"And what if I refuse?" Shen Yuan challenged, leaning back on his elbows, trying to suppress a smirk.

"Refusal is not an option," the system responded flatly. "You're bound to this task now. Without your leadership, this world will descend into ruin. You will build an empire, and you will become its emperor."

Shen Yuan sat there in stunned silence. This had to be a dream, some bizarre hallucination brought on by his near-death experience. But as the minutes ticked by, reality settled in. He wasn't waking up from this.

"Alright, System," Shen Yuan said, finally sitting up straighter. "Tell me what I need to do."