Chapter Four: The Belle of the School

He glanced at his watch.

"Three hours left."

Chen Yi silently calculated.

If his memory served him right, the first time the red mist receded—that thing appeared around noon. The exact time and the source of its emergence could no longer be traced.

But Chen Yi knew better than anyone.

The next twenty years would be a complete reshuffling of order.

In this world, not only did the zombies evolve—even the animals did.

Humans are the most adaptable creatures. After the initial chaos and turmoil, they too discovered opportunities for evolution in the midst of desperation.

The mutated zombies and the slaughtered claimed over seventy percent of the world's population. Those who survived, as people would later say, were the chosen ones.

After the red mist dissipated, strange roulette wheels appeared across various places. The survivors obtained superhuman abilities through these wheels.

These people became known as Gene Warriors.

Unfortunately, in his previous life, until his death, Chen Yi had only been a minor figure with a mere second-level gene rating.

Facing zombies and savage beasts, mere survival required all his strength.

"This time, I won't repeat the same mistakes."

Chen Yi's eyes shone with determination.

In his former life, research by the United Nations revealed that all high-level Gene Warriors had gained their powers from the roulette lottery after the first retreat of the red mist.

Now, reborn, he already possessed the seed of power within him. Combined with the roulette draw, he was confident he could surpass even the strongest warriors.

Time flowed slowly.

The rooftop was shrouded in an eerie silence, with only the whisper of the wind breaking the stillness.

If it weren’t for the occasional howls of zombies, no one would have associated the current tranquility with the apocalypse.

But Chen Yi understood.

After the initial chaos, those who were doomed had mostly perished.

The survivors who managed to react quickly enough had made it through the most dangerous period and found temporary shelter. Only when the zombies completed their first round of evolution would the situation change.

Yes.

Evolution.

No one could have anticipated that these zombies, having lost everything, would undergo astonishing changes in the future.

While humans could find the opportunity for evolution in dire circumstances, those early-stage zombies, too, were rapidly evolving.

They would become increasingly similar to humans.

Their senses—smell, touch, taste—would gradually return, and, depending on their traits, each would undergo qualitative transformations, evolving into a new species beyond modern science’s comprehension.

Such beings were unmatched, even for humanity’s strongest.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Chen Yi opened his eyes.

He glanced at Pei Yurou and the others. After the initial terror, they had huddled together for warmth and now had fallen into a deep sleep.

Ignoring them, he stood up, stretched his limbs, and took a piece of chocolate from his pocket, letting it melt slowly in his mouth.

The urgency of his rebirth left him with little time.

There was no way to make full preparations; he could only make use of the high-calorie sweets at hand to replenish his energy just before disaster struck.

Even though he had tried to conserve his strength, the exhaustion from an entire day’s ordeal was catching up to him.

"Um... Chen Yi, could you spare me a piece?"

A girl's voice sounded behind him.

Chen Yi turned around with an impassive expression and saw it was another girl named Chu Yunxi.

She stood about two meters away, gazing at him timidly. Her large eyes were misted with tears, and though her body and school uniform were stained and torn by the day’s horrors, her beauty was in no way inferior to Pei Yurou, the class belle.

Chen Yi said nothing.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxi seemed anxious. She took a hesitant step forward but halted under his cold gaze, biting her lip.

"I can trade places with you," she said.

"Chen Yi, I know you used to like Pei Yurou, but I’m no less than her. Give me a piece of chocolate, and I’ll be your girlfriend. How about that?"

Chu Yunxi’s voice was pitiful, her appearance enough to elicit sympathy from anyone.

As she spoke, she spun around, confidently displaying her well-developed figure—clearly skilled at showcasing her charms before men.

"Just a girlfriend?"

A mocking smile tugged at Chen Yi’s lips.

Chu Yunxi froze at his words. Normally, not even gold or mountains of treasure could have moved a class belle like her, let alone a mere piece of chocolate.

Chen Yi expected her to leave in a huff.

But to his surprise, this campus beauty, whom he’d barely interacted with in his last life, proved to be quite something.

"Of course not just that."

Chu Yunxi blinked, then suddenly smiled.

Chen Yi was caught off guard. Then, before his eyes, he saw her lick her bright red tongue and lean closer.

Smack.

Chu Yunxi kissed him on the cheek.

He could even feel her moist tongue trace a circle across his skin.

A moment later, she pulled away, folded her arms, and took half a step back, her rosy face turned up towards him, her eyes sparkling with pure, captivating charm.

Interesting.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes. This woman understood her own value and never expected him to give without return—a smart one.

"It’s yours."

Without further comment, he tossed the chocolate in his hand to her, landing it precisely in Chu Yunxi’s grasp.

She smiled with eyes curved like crescent moons, but instead of returning to the others, she sat down beside Chen Yi, hugging her knees and nibbling at her food.

From time to time, her gaze flickered to the side of Chen Yi’s face, her thoughts unknown.

To his own surprise, Chen Yi didn’t chase her away.

"So shameless."

Just then, a soft mutter reached his ears.