Chapter 4: The Meteor Shower and the Tide of the Aberrant

Three months had passed. Sophia's life had settled into a routine, at least on the surface. The abandoned underground garage, transformed by her hand, had become a relatively comfortable and safe haven. The vegetables and fruits she had planted flourished, the purification system hummed day and night, providing clean drinking water. She had even managed to build a rudimentary solar power system using salvaged materials, powering her tools and giving her a sense of control. Her days followed a predictable rhythm: planting, watering, harvesting, maintaining her equipment, exploring new functions of the System… This regularity offered a semblance of comfort in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, a fragile haven in the face of chaos.

But this tranquility was temporary, fragile, like the calm before a storm.

When night fell and silence descended, a tide of loneliness would wash over her, threatening to drown her. She would hear the wind howling through the ruins, like the cries of tormented spirits, and from the distance, sporadic strange sounds—the scraping of metal, the rumble of falling stones, the whimpers of unknown animals. These sounds echoed through the empty wasteland, amplifying her fear and unease, making her feel surrounded by unseen threats, always on the verge of danger. She would gaze at the inky blackness of the night sky, imagining the once brightly lit city, imagining those she had lost, and waves of indescribable sadness and loneliness would wash over her—the pain of losing loved ones and her home, the suffocating solitude of the post-apocalyptic world, the wounds that refused to heal.

"Sigh..." Sophia sighed, setting down her tools and looking out at the dark sky. Moonlight filtered through the damaged roof, casting dappled shadows on the floor, like fragments of a broken memory. "If only I had someone to talk to..." she murmured, her voice tinged with an unmistakable loneliness. "Maybe... I should go out and see if there are any other survivors..." The thought flitted through her mind, but was quickly replaced by worry and fear. "Too dangerous... I'll wait..."

As if in response to her unspoken thoughts, the sky was suddenly ripped apart by countless shooting stars, like fiery serpents dancing across the heavens, like the angry lashing of a divine whip, illuminating the entire post-apocalyptic wasteland. The intense light swallowed the darkness, turning the world into a blinding white, a hellish day. This was no beautiful natural spectacle, but a harbinger of disaster, the prelude to a cataclysmic event. The intense light made her instinctively close her eyes, and a deafening roar filled her ears, like the end of the world. The ground shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.

"Oh my God!" Sophia cried out, clutching her ears, her body instinctively curling up into a ball, seeking shelter in the strongest corner of the garage, trying to shield herself from this sudden catastrophe. "What... what is happening?" Her mind was filled with confusion and terror.

When she opened her eyes again, the world had been irrevocably transformed. The air was thick with the acrid smell of sulfur and burnt flesh, mingled with the sickeningly sweet metallic tang of blood, the smell of death, the smell of the apocalypse. From the distance, a cacophony of strange sounds arose—the roars of mutated creatures, the clash of superpowers, the cries of the damned, the screams of despair. The world had changed.

"This is bad," Sophia whispered, scrambling to her feet, grabbing the weapon she had crafted—a spear made from salvaged metal, sharp and sturdy. A flicker of worry crossed her eyes, but was quickly replaced by determination. "I have to stay calm," she took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart, to maintain her clarity of mind.

She cautiously peered through a small window, observing the scene outside. Countless creatures had undergone an incredible transformation under the light of the meteor shower. Familiar animals had become grotesque monstrosities: their bodies grotesquely enlarged, their forms twisted and contorted, their skin hardened, their eyes blood-red, their strength amplified, their behavior maddened. They were like demons from hell, rampaging through the ruins, devouring everything, destroying everything, annihilating everything.

She saw a monstrous mutated dog, the size of a mammoth, with razor-sharp claws and incredible strength. It effortlessly ripped apart a car, as if it were a thin sheet of paper. "This... this is unbelievable!" Sophia exclaimed, having never seen such a massive creature.

She saw a giant mutated spider, the size of a car, with razor-sharp fangs and incredible speed. It easily caught a mutated rat and devoured it, as if it were a snack. "How... how did they become like this?" Sophia murmured, her mind filled with confusion and fear.

She saw many other mutated creatures, each with a different form and ability, but they all shared one common trait: they were incredibly powerful, incredibly dangerous, incredibly terrifying. They were harbingers of the apocalypse, symbols of death. "What... what is this meteor shower?" Sophia wondered, her mind reeling.

Even more terrifying, some humans had gained superpowers under the light of the meteor shower. She saw two humans battling each other, unleashing powerful energy blasts that destroyed everything around them, like the end of the world. Their power was incredible, their behavior insane. "They... they have superpowers?" Sophia murmured, filled with fear and unease. "And me... why don't I?" She began to ponder the source of these powers. "Maybe... it's some kind of energy in the meteor shower, activating some gene in their bodies?" she speculated. "And I don't have that gene, so I didn't get superpowers." "Or... maybe it's related to their mental state? Those who gained superpowers might have already been in a state of extreme anger, fear, or despair before the meteor shower, and this state might have made them more sensitive to the energy of the meteor shower, leading to the emergence of superpowers." She thought again, "Maybe... it's a viral infection? The meteor shower carried a special virus that infected humans and gave them superpowers." "But why are they killing each other?" she couldn't understand. "Maybe... superpowers themselves have some kind of negative effect, making people violent, bloodthirsty, and losing their minds." "Or... maybe it's related to the type of superpower? Some superpowers are offensive, while others are defensive, so those with offensive superpowers might be killing each other."

She saw some superpowered humans killing each other, vying for resources, vying for power, vying for survival. "This... this is hell!" Sophia whispered, filled with anger and helplessness. "Humans... they would actually kill each other for survival..."

She realized that the meteor shower did not randomly affect all living things, but selectively targeted those with specific genetic structures, triggering mutations or granting superpowers. She, by chance, belonged to the minority of humans without this specific genetic structure, and thus escaped the fate of mutation or superpower. This was perhaps a blessing, perhaps a curse. A blessing, because she had not become a mindless aberration or a puppet controlled by superpowers; a curse, because she had missed the opportunity to gain superpowers, and in the coming brutal struggle, she would face even greater challenges.

She gripped the spear in her hand, her eyes filled with determination and resolve. She knew this would be a difficult fight, but she was ready. "I have to survive," she whispered, her voice filled with unwavering strength, "for myself, and for... for everyone who might still be alive." She had to find other survivors, she had to unite all the forces she could, she had to survive in this world filled with danger and challenges, in this world filled with mutations and superpowers.