Rebuilding in the Wasteland Chapter 1: Riverview House

“Team Captain Yu, we’re sorry for what we did to you. But at that critical moment, besides you, who could have protected us from the disaster? We just thought that you were strong, almost inhuman, and instinctively… sigh, well, we should blame ourselves. But please try to understand us too.”

“Yu Qunqing! I’m not afraid to tell you, yes, I’ve been deceiving you all along, waiting for you to expose your true colors. Indeed, people rarely change their nature, and you have truly betrayed the sanctuary! In the book, you were the antagonist, and now, in reality, you’ve become the villain! Now, I have no choice but to act in the name of justice against my own kin!”

…

The dim sunlight penetrated through a small window and cast a light on the mirror in the bathroom. A pale hand wiped away the dust from the mirror, revealing a pair of chilling eyes.

However, after blinking a few times, those eyes gradually became confused. Wiping away most of the dust on the mirror, a haggard face finally emerged, along with some muscle definition but still a somewhat slender figure.

Indeed, he had returned to the past…

Such dark circles! So little muscle! He used to be able to take on ten opponents alone, but now others could easily overpower him!

A clearer memory flashed through Yu Qunqing’s mind.

“After saving up for five years, I can finally enjoy a happy single life…” Yu Qunqing stood on the balcony, took a photo of the river view, and shared it on his social media, subtly flaunting his joyful life to his peers.

As for the location tag for the photo, he hadn’t decided yet. After all, it was a river-view house with a down payment that took him five years to accumulate, located in a prime area in the city center. As soon as he stepped out of the residential area, he would be in the bustling city center, while inside the community, there were picturesque scenes every ten steps, separated from the city buzz by lush trees, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Some houses even offered breathtaking views of the city’s illuminated skyline. It’s just that the marketing wasn’t enough. Sigh, what if his friends on social media didn’t know how expensive this kind of house was?

Yu Qunqing continued scrolling on his phone when the latest news popped up at the top: “Recent Outbreak of Unexplained Sleeping Syndrome…”

The events that followed seemed like it was fast-forwarded. The brains of the awakened individuals burst, their limbs transformed into tentacles, and they grew into giant jellyfish. These giant jellyfish had immense strength, entangling innocent passersby, inserting their oral apparatus into their mouths, and implanting new offspring. Nocturnal moths, measuring up to a meter long, flew into countless homes, and underground thorns pierced water pipes. Enormous unknown creatures spewed clouds and destroyed cities as they passed through. Many people fell into a deep sleep, while more monsters awakened.

After research, experts predicted that on the day of the solar eclipse, a large-scale sleeping epidemic would erupt throughout the Blue Star. The triggering seeds of these monsters came from the depths of the universe!

Official records referred to these monsters collectively as “Disasters.”

Escape! Escape quickly!

Escape to the outskirts, escape to the suburbs, escape to the shelters provided by the Human Survival Research Center!

In an instant, the riverview house that Yu Qunqing had paid three million for as a down payment became worthless.

Chaos was everywhere. The streets were crowded with cars, and the bridges were packed with people. The voices of the city’s inhabitants had never been so loud, overwhelming the sounds of car horns and shattering glass, like a wave that could drown out the sky. Yu Qunqing was at home, packing emergency food and essential tools when he suddenly passed out.

He fell into a deep sleep.

In his previous life, Yu Qunqing slept for a full five days. Public records stated that the longer one slept, the higher the probability of turning into a disaster. If one remained rational, it meant their disaster abilities were stronger.

Ordinary people slept for two to three days. But Yu Qunqing slept for a prolonged period of five days, and his disaster abilities far surpassed others.

Therefore, as soon as he entered the shelter, he was given important tasks. And then…

Yu Qunqing’s head throbbed painfully. The more he tried to remember, the more he couldn’t recall how he died in his previous life. A heavy emotion weighed on his chest, unable to be relieved. After a while, Yu Qunqing decided to stop thinking about it. He wasn’t the type to dwell on things. If he couldn’t remember, he would put it aside for now. When disasters struck, staying alive was the best outcome.

He walked out of the bathroom and pulled open the curtains in the living room. The vast floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the devastation in the city center. The once clear Crocodile River was now filled with mud, broken steel bars, overturned vehicles, and uprooted trees. Only a few trickles of water indicated that it was still flowed. The honeycomb-like office buildings had chunks missing, as if bitten off by a black bear. The prominent landmarks in Jiangbei City were now nowhere to be seen. The city center was covered in a gloomy silence. The setting sun on the horizon appeared blood-red, witnessing the end of humanity.

Outside the residential area, clusters of trees appeared unusually green and had grown tendrils, making the forest appear denser. Inside the community, plastic bags and wooden boards were scattered around. The ground had cracked open with deep fissures, even causing a fountain to rupture.

The living room was littered with snacks, which Yu Qunqing had eaten as soon as he woke up. He was famished at the time, devouring a pack of shrimp chips in three minutes. On the coffee table, there was a phone connected to a fully charged power bank. Yu Qunqing saw that it was fully charged, so he turned on the screen to find out how long he had slept.

“Today: October 23rd.”

The solar eclipse had happened in July.

He had actually slept for a whole three months?

No wonder, no wonder he was so hungry…

Yu Qunqing couldn’t help but open a pack of Swiss rolls.

Then came the fragrant French pastries, the dense and delicious Sacher torte, crispy dried fruits and vegetables, matcha mochi, egg pancakes, and durian pastries. Finally, he had a self-heating hotpot. Yu Qunqing finally felt about 70% full.

After nourishing himself, Yu Qunqing focused and prepared to test his disaster ability.

Based on his past life experience, when ability users used their abilities, the radiation from their cells would greatly increase, causing varying degrees of damage to their bodies. If used excessively over a long period, the user would directly transform into a disaster. That’s why Yu Qunqing had gotten rid of most of the food without any reserves. He needed to maintain a high level of concentration to handle his ability.

After three months of deep sleep, what kind of dangerous ability would awaken? Yu Qunqing had no idea and could only prepare himself.

First, he needed to sense the areas of his body that felt warmer.

From his brain, spine, heart, to his hands… Yu Qunqing could sense that beneath these parts of his body, there seemed to be a hidden volcano. What he needed to do was to awaken this volcano safely.

His body grew hotter and hotter, but his heart began to beat slower. Every time the blood was pumped out from the atrium, it felt like corrosive liquid with deadly toxins.

Finally, as the scorching heat reached its peak, the veins on his hands instantly bulged, and pale sparks of lightning erupted between his palms!

Then, the lightning shot straight towards the wall-mounted TV in the living room. The pitch-black screen flickered and emitted a crackling sound of electricity.

His ability in this lifetime was the use of lightning? This pure elemental type of disaster ability was the most convenient yet was rare. And the power of the lightning just now was indeed fitting for a disaster ability awakened after three months of slumber.

However, Yu Qunqing still felt unease deep in his heart. He watched the continuously flickering TV screen warily.

Finally, with a “beep,” the indicator light on the screen lit up, and a 3D European and American-style animation unfolded slowly. Then a series of prompts sounded, but these prompts did not come from the TV; they rang in Yu Qunqing’s own mind.

“Ding-dong! You have bound to the ‘Leisure Games’ system. User identification is in progress. If this is your first login, the system will register a new account for you.”

“Player Yu Qunqing, welcome back! This beginner’s tutorial will continue to serve you. Please select your first game.”

What is this thing? A game system?

Yu Qunqing extracted a familiar game from his memory. “Um… ‘Raccoon City Crisis’?”

“We apologize, according to the relevant policies in the player’s region, this game does not support download services in the current area.”

Yu Qunqing: “Does it have to be so strict?”

“Ding-dong! Player’s selection time is too long. The system will provide you with a random game download. The system is accelerating the download for you. Please wait… Download complete! Enjoy your game!”

The screen of the wall-mounted TV displayed big block letters: “Mediterranean Butler Love Elimination.”

Yu Qunqing’s favorite pastime at work was playing games, ranging from 2D to 3D, covering all genres, and enjoying both domestic and international titles. He played mobile, PC, and console games, and he was no stranger to this famous casual game, “Mediterranean Butler.”

The term “Mediterranean Butler” referred to a butler from a Mediterranean country, not a specific hairstyle for butlers. The game’s storyline revolved around a butler who retired from the mansion of a wealthy bat tycoon in Belfry City and returned to his rented luxurious home. To his surprise, the owner was considering selling the residential building as there were no tenants. The butler quickly intervened, suggesting that he could renovate the building and attract more tenants. The owner found it troublesome, but if the butler took responsibility, the owner would reward him with a property. The butler confidently took up the challenge, as he knew best how to decorate a home to make it comfortable, pleasant, and safe.

So, how would he decorate it?

Of course, by utilizing the magical power of match-3 puzzles!

After a brief transition on the screen, the scene switched to a cracked fountain interface, where a perfectly arranged set of beautifully shaped and diverse stones awaited.

“Follow the instructions to swap the blue stone with the green stone, forming groups of three identical stones to eliminate them,” the game instructed.

However, there was no response from Yu Qunqing.

He was carefully observing these stones.

If he was not mistaken, 99% of these stones were disaster stones!

Disaster stones were a collective term for jade-like objects that were produced when a calamity was killed. Different calamities produced different types of disaster stones. Researchers in his previous life believed that disaster stones might be the emergency reproductive forms of calamities during crisis moments. As a result, they emitted strong radiation and should not be kept near the human body for long. They also had to be guarded against hatching.

At the same time, people discovered that when they used disaster stones to grind their weapons, it made the weapons sharper and more capable in dealing with calamities. Disaster stones could also help ability users break through certain levels of their abilities. The most widespread use of disaster stones  was as fertilizer for plants, which was a key factor in human survival amidst various calamities.

That’s right, this thing that was useful to all humans served as the elimination element in the matching game.

Yu Qungqing carefully followed the instructions and exchanged the two types of stones on the screen.

The game system continued speaking, “Great job! Watch the target next to it and move the stones within a limited number of steps to win this level!”

The game interface displayed a requirement of obtaining 15 white clam-shaped disaster stones.

Yu Qunqing swiftly completed the task, and the game interface erupted with the sound of crackling firecrackers.

“Now settling—You have obtained 220 gold coins and one hexagram star. Congratulations!”

Yu Qunqing tapped the screen, returning to the main page of “Mediterranean Butler Love Elimination.”

The entire game had a 3D Western style. The main screen showed a floor plan of a house, which bore a striking resemblance to Yu Qungqing’’s current residence. He moved the screen and discovered that in addition to his room, he could also see the neighboring rooms and the garden outside. However, the overall view was grayed out, indicating that the area was not yet accessible.

At this moment, the beginner’s tutorial continued.

“Ding Dong! The front door of this residential building is broken. If it’s not fixed quickly, there might be unwelcome guests entering.

Use the hexagram star (0/1) to repair the front door on the first floor!”

An exclamation mark appeared in the bottom left corner of the game interface. Upon clicking it, the game perspective automatically shifted, and Yu Qunqing could see that the sensor door on the ground floor of the residential building was wide open due to a power outage.

Outside the front door, several Cracked Mouth Dogs were prowling.

Cracked Mouth Dogs, commonly known F-class calamities.

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