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At the moment his life ended, Ye Zhongming found himself thrown back ten years—to the afternoon when the apocalypse began.
Was this a second chance granted by fate? Or was it yet another punishment? Did he truly have to endure the brutal, icy horrors of the end times all over again?

Ye Zhongming was determined to survive. Not for himself, but for the comrades who had fought and bled alongside him, and for the love that had never abandoned him.
But survival wasn’t enough. He needed answers. Why had countless roulettes emerged from the void? Why had thousands of deadly zones descended from the skies? Who—or what—had transformed this once-beautiful blue planet into a blood-soaked wasteland of corpses and ruin?

The Roulette World

The roulette's pointer spun wildly before slowing to a stop on the Type 54 Pistol.

Ye Zhongming shrugged. The pistol, complete with two spare magazines, was technically the third-best reward on the wheel—behind the One-Star Enhancement Serum and the Mystery Card. The crossbow ranked fourth. By all accounts, his luck wasn't bad. Still, the absence of the serum gnawed at him.

"Your turn," he said, gesturing to Mu Xinfei.

At his nod, she eagerly slotted seven gray crystals into the roulette's base. Her hands trembled as the pointer began its dance. She clasped them together, lips moving in silent prayer.

The pointer slowed… and landed on the Mystery Card.

Of all the rewards, the card was the rarest—a prize he'd expected to chase through a dozen spins. Yet here it was, claimed on the third attempt. By Mu Xinfei, no less.

Future Nine-Star Evolver indeed, he thought. Even her luck is monstrous.

"What… what is this? A playing card?" Mu Xinfei groaned, her face falling. "I'm so sorry! I wasted your crystals on this junk!"

Ye Zhongming ignored her, snatching the card with trembling hands.

Primary Exclusion Skill (Upgradable):

Allows the user to exclude one unwanted option per roulette spin.

Ye Zhongming crushed the card instantly, absorbing the skill. On the surface, it seemed modest—a slight boost to odds. But in the apocalypse, where high-level Magic Crystals were as rare as hen's teeth, even a marginal advantage could mean the difference between life and death.

And this was just the primary version. What if an upgraded version allowed excluding multiple options? The skill's potential was staggering—easily on par with Level 2 or even Level 3 rewards.

"You did well," Ye Zhongming said, handing her the crossbow. "This is yours."

He kept the pistol for himself, holstering it with practiced ease.

Mu Xinfei stared, bewildered. "Wait, so the card… wasn't useless?"

Night fell over the apocalypse's first day.

Perched on the villa's rooftop, Ye Zhongming savored a can of fruit cocktail—a luxury he hadn't tasted in years. In his past life, such indulgences were traded for essentials: bullets, medicine, dry rations. Now, with the world freshly plunged into chaos, he allowed himself this small pleasure.

Below, scattered lights flickered in the neighborhood—signs of survivors. Yet Ye Zhongming felt no urge to help. A decade in the wasteland had taught him one truth: No good deed goes unpunished.

"Is that the One-Star Serum?" Mu Xinfei joined him, carrying two crystal glasses and a bottle of red wine. She poured a glass for him, her eyes lingering on the vial of pale green liquid beside him.

Ye Zhongming nodded. Earlier, he'd ventured out again, killing six more zombies. With the Primary Exclusion Skill active, Mu Xinfei had spun the roulette and landed the serum.

"That card you got—it disappeared from the roulette," she said, sipping her wine. "Now it only takes six crystals to spin. How does this thing even work? It's… incredible."

Ye Zhongming explained the roulette's mechanics. Rewards were categorized into tiers: Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. The Primary Exclusion Skill fell into the Epic tier—a non-combat ability with immense strategic value.

Epic and Legendary rewards shared a unique trait: once claimed, they vanished from the roulette. This exclusivity made them highly coveted. Yet rumors persisted of such rewards reappearing years later, as if recycled by some unseen mechanism.

Ye Zhongming had a theory: perhaps these rewards only reappeared after their previous owners died. But without evidence, it remained speculation.

"Why haven't you taken the serum?" Mu Xinfei asked, her gaze fixed on the vial. "Does it have side effects?"

Ye Zhongming smiled. "The task I need you for—it's time to begin."

Chapter 6: Primary Exclusion Skill