Reborn Before the Apocalypse

Emily's consciousness gradually sharpened in the midst of the chaos, a faint light piercing through the darkness. She struggled to open her eyes, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washing over her.

Her hand twitched, then froze—Wasn't she dead?

The warmth of her surroundings told her this wasn't a dream. Instinctively, Emily pinched herself, and the sting confirmed that it was all real. She froze, her eyes scanning the room. Sunlight filtered weakly through a narrow window, warming a small corner of the space.

"This is my room in the Carter family home?" Everything looked so familiar. The room was small, cluttered with piles of random objects, and the old wooden bed beneath her creaked softly as she lay curled up on it, her limbs sore and too weak to move.

A wave of confusion and panic hit her all at once. Emily quickly reached under her pillow and pulled out her worn-out phone, turning on the screen: June 10, 2045, 6:45 AM.

Her heart skipped a beat—June 10, 2045, just two weeks before the apocalypse. She had been reborn?

For a moment, she was frozen in disbelief, but memories quickly flooded her mind.

On the night of June 25, 2045, meteor showers lit up the skies around the world, and no one knew the disaster hidden behind the beautiful spectacle.

Not long after, some people started running high fevers, and within two hours, their conditions worsened dramatically. Their skin turned pale and bluish, and when they awoke, they were no longer human—mindless zombies, driven by an instinct to bite and tear into anything living.

In the following days, the infection spread like wildfire, and anyone bitten transformed rapidly.

Then, on June 30, the red rain began to fall, bringing abrupt climate changes and a cascade of natural disasters—earthquakes, floods, typhoons. The world spiraled into apocalyptic chaos.

The memories surged through her like a nightmare, but Emily forced herself to stay calm. All of this had happened before, and by 2049, the survivors had barely managed to establish the last human sanctuaries—various fortified bases amidst the ruins of civilization.

And now, here she was, reborn.

After confirming the truth, Emily closed her eyes, her heart pounding so hard she could barely breathe.

In her past life, she had trusted Natalie completely, those seemingly innocent, angelic eyes never giving her a reason to doubt her sister. Out of gratitude for Natalie's "kindness," Emily had given her everything, held nothing back, only to discover the truth when it was far too late.

That outcome had been like a nightmare burned into her memory, one she could never forget.

Reflecting on her life in the Carter family, her status had always been that of an "adopted daughter"—a label the family used solely to maintain a good public image. She had lived in this cramped storage room, treated more like a servant, ordered around at will. The neglect and scorn she had once overlooked now seemed glaringly obvious.

Emily took a deep breath to calm herself and pushed her aching body out of bed. She walked over to the cracked mirror, lifting her hair and gazing at the reflection of her delicate face.

Her almond-shaped eyes, once full of warmth, now held a steely coldness, with a depth of hatred buried beneath. The slight upward curve at the corners of her eyes added a touch of distant allure, making her beauty both striking and icy, untouchable.

Her pale skin was marred with faint scratches, and her lips were dry and cracked from dehydration, giving her an overall appearance of exhaustion.

She stared at her reflection, her gaze drifting from her face to her tangled, unruly hair. Those disheveled strands seemed to symbolize the weakness and confusion of her former self. Without hesitation, she reached for the scissors nearby, grabbing a fistful of hair on her side, and cut off a large chunk.

Her eyes were resolute, the determination in them fierce and unyielding.

This time, she wouldn't make the same mistakes again.

The sunlight outside poured over the grassy lawn, dotted with vibrant little flowers. The branches swayed gently, and a few birds chirped happily atop the trees.

Although the breeze was a bit hot, as it brushed past the windowsill, it brought with it a refreshing coolness that temporarily cleared out the damp and stifling air that had settled in the cluttered room.

Emily gazed out at the scene, fully aware that this fleeting beauty was nothing more than an illusion.

In just two weeks, everything would be unrecognizable. The flowers and grass would either wither and rot or mutate into monstrous plants, reeking of a nauseating stench, and the once-fresh air would be thick with the scent of decay and death.

Her mind drifted back to the memories of the apocalypse—streets that had once been orderly would soon be drenched in blood. Abandoned vehicles, shattered and broken, stained with dark red splatters. Mindless zombies, staggering and swaying, would roam those streets, endlessly searching for human life, becoming the new rulers of the world.

Snapping back to the present, Emily's eyes locked onto her reflection in the mirror. The long, waist-length hair she had just ruthlessly chopped off lay in pieces, as if breaking a seal, revealing her cold yet soft features. Her expression was indifferent, but beneath it was an unwavering determination.

She knew she was just an insignificant adopted daughter in the Carter family. To pose any kind of threat to this family in such a short time was almost impossible.

But the apocalypse was coming. She had to be ready, stronger than she ever was in her past life.

"This time, I'm going to survive," she muttered to herself, her hand clenching into a fist as she slammed it down onto the wooden table.

But something unexpected happened—the tabletop split in two, right under her hand, and she felt no pain at all.

Emily stared at the broken table, her brows furrowing slightly.

Breaking a wooden table with one punch? That wasn't normal.

Puzzled, she turned and walked over to the wooden cabinet by the window. It was a large, heavy piece of furniture, usually requiring several people to lift. But now, Emily found herself effortlessly picking it up.

She was momentarily dazed, unable to believe the surge of power she felt coursing through her. She knew her Soul Nexus hadn't activated, which meant this wasn't a result of her supernatural abilities. So, where had this sudden strength come from?

Determined to understand, she continued testing the other pieces of furniture in the room, and the results were the same—items that once seemed heavy and immovable now felt as light as paper in her hands. Her vision had also sharpened dramatically; everything outside the window, no matter how far, appeared as if it were right in front of her. She could even hear the faintest sounds—the breeze, the birds chirping—clear and crisp in her ears.

Could it be that after her reborn, not only had time been reversed, but her physical abilities had also undergone a massive transformation?

Just as she was about to delve deeper into her thoughts, she picked up on the faintest sound of footsteps. Moments later, a rapid pounding on the door followed, mixed with the shrill sound of insults.

"Hey! Do you even know what time it is? Still lazing around in bed?"

"Breakfast isn't ready yet—are you looking to die?"

"You think just because people call you 'miss,' you can act all high and mighty? You're nothing but an outsider, a worthless bitch!"

...