Ability Awakening

It took the girl a moment to realize that she was sitting on a soft bed and could feel pain in her body. The ability to feel pain was a clear sign that she was alive and not dreaming. A bold thought of being reborn suddenly flashed through her mind.

She lowered her head to look at her clothes and saw the cartoon pajamas she used to wear before the apocalypse. Her eyes widened in shock as the thought solidified in her mind.

Holding onto the bed for support, she staggered toward the desk. When her eyes landed on the calendar, she quickly picked it up and muttered hoarsely, "May 5th, 2188. I have actually returned to the day the apocalypse begins."

Recalling her last memories before she died, Jiao Lizhi clenched her fists tightly. Since the heavens had granted her a second chance, she vowed to take her revenge and survive the apocalypse this time.

With this thought, she dragged her weak body to the wardrobe and pulled out a backpack. Her weak physical condition did not allow her to carry heavy loads, so she could only pack a set of underwear and clean clothes. 

She also gathered all the medicine, food, and bottled water she could find in the room and packed everything into the backpack.

Once everything was packed, she removed her pajamas and changed into black joggers, a black T-shirt, and a pair of black sneakers.

As she walked past the mirror, her reflection caught her attention. Her waist length, long black hair swayed behind her as smooth as the night curtain. 

The moment she saw her hair, she immediately decided to cut it. Although she knew she would gain water-based abilities later and could wash her hair every day, long hair was impractical during the apocalypse since it would hinder her movement and sight during battle.

She searched the room for scissors for a long time before she eventually found a pair in the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she cut her long hair into a short bob. 

She didn't care about the uneven ends or the damage to her hair. As long as it didn't obstruct her vision or movement, any style would suffice.

When she finished, dizziness overwhelmed her, and she leaned against the wall for support. After steadying herself, she rummaged through the bathroom cabinet and found a digital thermometer. 

She put the thermometer into her ear and after a soft beep was heard, she looked at the screen and confirmed her suspicions. 

39.3 degrees Celsius, she was having a fever.

Jiao Lizhi sighed in frustration when she saw her feverish temperature. In her current state, leaving the dormitory was impossible. 

Her first priority was to take medicine and rest. Once her fever subsided, she would make her move. She had to get out of the university area before it was too late.

After she made a decision, she left the bathroom and grabbed a bottle of water and a loaf of bread from her backpack. 

After eating half the loaf and taking a few sips of water, she swallowed the medicine. Then, she packed everything back into her backpack and moved the desk to block the door.

Once she was sure that the door was secure enough to withstand a zombie attack, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

Not long after, she drifted into a light sleep. Unbeknownst to her, the mist in the air began to seep into her body slowly, as if being absorbed by a vortex.

She thought she wouldn't be able to sleep at all, but due to the medicine's effect, she slept more deeply than expected. When she woke up, the sky outside was still dark, and the occasional roars of zombies echoed faintly in the distance.

Sitting up in bed, she picked up the thermometer to check her temperature. Seeing that her fever had subsided to 37.8°C, she let out a sigh of relief.

Since she needed to leave the university as soon as possible, she took out her water bottle and the remaining half of her bread. After finishing her meal, she closed her eyes, trying to sense the energy within her body.

The next moment, her eyes open in surprise. She stared at her palm that was covered by a thin layer of water. As the water kept seeping out from her palm, it dripped from her fingers onto the floor.

"I actually awakened my ability this early," she muttered in disbelief and her voice was filled with delight.

In the apocalypse, aside from medicine and food, water was one of the most vital resources. 

With her newly awakened ability, she doesn't have to worry about water shortage. Once she advanced to level one, she would be able to produce up to two liters of water daily which was enough for her to survive. 

If she drank less water, she might be able to save some water to exchange it with food. As for using her ability to kill zombies, it would be impossible until she reached level five. 

This limitation made water abilities usually classified as an auxiliary ability. Only at level five would the water ability user have enough energy for them to manipulate the water they produce to attack.

A smile appeared on her face and she grabbed an empty bottle from her backpack. She placed her finger over the bottle's mouth. Channeling her energy, she focused it at her fingertips. 

Moments later, water began to trickle steadily from her finger into the bottle. Although the stream was no thicker than her pinky, it was better than she had expected. 

In her past life, the amount of water she could produce when she awakened her ability was only a few sips. She had barely managed to fill half a bottle after a whole day and exhausted her energy.

But now, even after filling the entire bottle, she didn't feel tired at all. She could feel that the energy in her body had only slightly depleted. The discovery left her stunned.

While she tried to find the reason for the differences between this life and her past one, her vision blurred.