Chapter 2: The Level 1 Apocalypse Roulette

Time was running out. Ye Zhongming rushed downstairs, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to a car rental agency. He maxed out his credit card to rent a beat-up pickup truck, then went to the bank to withdraw all his savings with the help of a distant relative. Next, he sped to the hospital, where he spent over 70,000 yuan on a large supply of heparin and other essential medications and medical equipment.

To onlookers, Ye Zhongming—carrying two large bags of medicine—looked like a madman.

Sure, buying from a pharmacy would have been cheaper, but Ye Zhongming didn't care. Hospital prices were steep, but at least the drugs were genuine. Besides, in a few dozen minutes, the beautifully printed bills that counterfeiters risked their lives to replicate would become utterly worthless.

After tossing the supplies into the truck, Ye Zhongming considered where to acquire weapons. Guns were out of the question—the country's controls were too strict. That left him with blades.

If he had more time, he could have gathered materials to make traps—a skill honed over a decade of survival. But with only twenty minutes left before the apocalypse began, he had to act fast.

He drove to a well-known outdoor equipment store and paid a premium for the owner's prized machete, along with a set of survival tools. The shopkeeper grinned from ear to ear as he counted the cash—enough to buy ten such machetes.

By the time Ye Zhongming finished, it was 4:32 PM. Eight minutes remained. He ignored Bai Shishi's call and sped toward the Dingsheng Haoting neighborhood near the school. His driving skills, sharpened by ten years of navigating apocalyptic wastelands, allowed him to run multiple red lights and dodge countless curses. He reached the upscale community in just five minutes.

Dingsheng Haoting was one of the city's most prestigious neighborhoods. Rows of seven-story buildings stood alongside ten elegant villas, complete with a man-made lake, gardens, an underground parking garage, a fitness center, and a supermarket.

But Ye Zhongming wasn't here for the amenities. The area had fewer people than the city center, ample supplies, and was close to a heavy truck fleet. Most importantly, it was the location of a Level 1 Exchange Roulette—a key to survival in the apocalypse.

The Exchange Roulette, also known as the Apocalypse Roulette, was a glowing, circular device that appeared after the catastrophe. It was humanity's only lifeline, offering food, water, clothing, weapons, tools, machinery, skills, abilities, bloodlines, and even futuristic equipment.

Without the roulettes, humanity would have been wiped out by zombies, monsters, and mutants.

In his previous life, Ye Zhongming had relied on the roulettes to survive, eventually becoming a Six-Star Evolver—a formidable rank among survivors. Unfortunately, his life had ended in a humiliating ambush by mutant insects.

As Ye Zhongming sped past the security gate, ignoring the guards' shouts, he couldn't help but smirk. The guards, riding electric carts and wielding batons, cursed at him, unimpressed by his pickup truck. Had he been driving a luxury car, they might have greeted him with smiles and bows.

Ye Zhongming parked near a pristine villa and leaned casually against his truck, watching the guards approach. When they arrived, panting and furious, he calmly pointed to the sky.

The guards looked up instinctively, only to see clear blue skies.

"Damn lunatic!" the lead guard, a burly man with a face full of anger, raised his baton, ready to strike.

But before he could swing, a deafening explosion shook the air. A massive mushroom cloud rose in the distance, and a colossal spaceship—straight out of a sci-fi movie—emerged from the smoke. Beams of light shot down, causing more explosions that rattled the soul.

Ye Zhongming squinted at the dark golden ship amidst the swirling black clouds.

He recognized it. The Golden Radiance, one of the ten rewards in the Level 9 Roulette, was among the most powerful equipment one could obtain.

The question that had haunted him before his rebirth resurfaced: What—or who—was behind this catastrophe? An advanced alien civilization? Or a race that had endured a similar attack and grown powerful through their own roulettes?

There were no answers, not even after ten years of survival. Humanity had never grown strong enough to leave Earth and seek the truth.

As Ye Zhongming stared at the imposing Golden Radiance, a fierce determination burned within him. He wanted to know who had turned their beautiful planet into a living hell. Who had taken away his comrades and loved ones. Who had subjected him to a decade of torment—and might do so again.

Flipping the ship off with a middle finger, Ye Zhongming grabbed his supplies and sprinted toward the villa. The guards remained frozen, their minds blank as they stared at the sky.

Ye Zhongming knew the attack wouldn't last long. In five minutes, the ships would vanish, leaving Earth forever changed. A deadly toxin would fill the air, mutating those without genetic resistance into zombies. Animals would undergo unpredictable transformations, becoming powerful predators. Humans would become their prey.

Across the planet, thousands of Dead Zones would appear, spewing out monsters and mutants, plunging humanity into despair.

At the same time, the Apocalypse Roulettes would emerge, scattered randomly across the globe. Each roulette was divided into ten sections, each representing a different reward. Spin the roulette, and the pointer would determine the prize.

But spinning wasn't free. Below each roulette were diamond-shaped slots of varying colors and numbers. Filling these slots with Magic Crystals—extracted from zombies, mutated animals, and monsters—granted a chance to spin.

Thus, the apocalypse became a never-ending cycle of slaughter between humans and the creatures that now ruled the Earth.

As these memories flashed through his mind, Ye Zhongming didn't slow down. He vaulted over the villa's fence, kicked open the ornate wooden door, and stepped inside.

The luxurious interior reeked of wealth, though the gaudy decor suggested the owner had more money than taste.

"Who are you? Get out, or I'll call the police!"

A woman in her early twenties appeared at the top of a wooden spiral staircase. She wore a thin pink nightgown, hastily thrown on after being awakened by the explosions. Her long hair was disheveled, and her eyes widened in alarm as she saw Ye Zhongming carrying his bags.

To her credit, Ye Zhongming's unthreatening appearance and the fact that he was lugging supplies made him seem less like a criminal. When she noticed his gaze lingering on her, she even shot him a look of disdain.

Ye Zhongming quickly averted his eyes, more focused on assessing her threat level—a habit ingrained by a decade of survival.

Satisfied that she was unarmed, he dropped his bags on the sofa and scanned the room. His eyes landed on the kitchen, where a soft glow emanated from the corner.

It was the sign of an emerging Apocalypse Roulette.

Ye Zhongming smiled. Though his rebirth was still a mystery, he had decided to face it head-on. The apocalypse had taught him to adapt and seize opportunities.

And now, a golden chance lay before him. With his memories and experience, he could rise to become one of the legends of the wasteland.

But deep down, he harbored an even greater ambition: to uncover the truth behind the apocalypse itself.