Noah suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for air, as cold sweat instantly soaked his back. Instinctively, he reached under the pillow for a weapon, but found nothing but air.
Noah paused, then slowly started to look around at his surroundings. The familiar dormitory bed, the familiar anime posters...
"I was clearly dead, how am I in my college dorm?"
As if realizing something, Noah's pupils dilated, and he quickly took out his phone.
"2026, November 11th, 9:30 AM... I've been reborn ten years back??"
Despite feeling incredibly incredulous, the ten years of surviving in an apocalyptic world had made Noah resilient, and he quickly calmed down. With less than half an hour before the apocalypse, there was no time to ponder further. He hurriedly jumped out of bed to change and leave.
"Noah, grab me a meal, will you? I'll pay you next month for this and the previous times," one roommate said.
"Me too, Noah, thanks," another added.
"+1, me as well," chimed in another.
Noah ignored his freeloading roommates, took a watermelon knife from under the bed, and left without a word. Don't ask where the watermelon knife came from. There was no time to waste with the apocalypse approaching.
Once outside the dorm, Noah contemplated what preparations he could make before the apocalypse to increase his chances of survival. Stockpiling food and supplies was out of the question due to lack of time and financial resources.
Amassing weapons was even more ludicrous, as it would be difficult to obtain anything more lethal than a watermelon knife in such a short time. Securing a tactical advantage by occupying high ground was also impractical, given his current location in a densely populated university town, where the apocalypse would quickly turn many people into a horde of zombies.
There were simply no safe places to hunker down in the university town. After much thought, Noah decided to rely on the memories and experiences from his past life and take things one step at a time. With that, he swiftly made his way to the rooftop of the academic building.
After the apocalypse, hordes of zombies will appear out of nowhere, attacking and biting anyone they see. Those bitten will turn into zombies themselves, with the transformation taking anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 hours. At that point, the entire world will become a playground for the zombies.
Noah's reason for going to the rooftop of the academic building was not because its high elevation made it easier to survive. Rather, it was because, after the apocalypse began, a supply box would appear on the rooftop of the academic building, and it was the only one. Noah had survived the apocalypse in his past life by luckily finding this supply box.
Noah leaned on the railing, gazing at the campus. Young men and women in groups, some laughing and playing, others whispering together, presented a picture of peaceful times, blissfully unaware that in twenty minutes, this place would turn into a hell on earth.
Noah watched silently, enjoying this brief moment of peace. Ten years of living through the apocalypse had completely worn away his rough edges. He had become indifferent to both people and events. Having seen the ugliness of human nature, he knew that the only person he could trust was himself; even family and lovers would betray you without hesitation if it served their interests.
Noah paused, suddenly remembering his girlfriend. Her name was Su Xiaoyan, extremely beautiful with a stunning figure, a soft and sweet voice, and a knack for dressing well. She was undeniably the campus belle, with countless admirers.
Noah was able to be with Su Xiaoyan partly because of his good looks, but mostly because he was exceptionally good at flattering her. Su Xiaoyan was a true gold-digger, privately very vain, insisting on having the best clothes, bags, and phones. If she couldn't afford them, she would pester Noah to buy them for her, threatening to break up with him if he didn't comply.
Blinded by love, Noah had met all of Su Xiaoyan's demands.
Clothes? He bought them.
A new phone? He bought it.
A bag costing tens of thousands? He would deliver food just to afford it.
In his previous life, at the start of the apocalypse, not only did he survive, but he also managed to escape with Su Xiaoyan. Later, he would risk his life to search for supplies, all to find Su Xiaoyan's favorite snacks.
With his protection, Su Xiaoyan managed to survive the apocalypse, not only maintaining her weight but even gaining a few pounds... One could say that Noah was utterly devoted to Su Xiaoyan, licking her boots with all his heart and effort.
However, the affectionate fool was destined to end up with nothing. Three years into the apocalypse, Su Xiaoyan attached herself to the leader of a powerful faction, secretly betraying Noah without a word.
Ultimately, she even had someone chop off one of Noah's legs, leaving him to fend for himself. If Noah hadn't been strong, he would have died long ago. Noah could never forget the mocking look Su Xiaoyan gave him from her high perch.
Reflecting on the past, Noah took out his phone and called Su Xiaoyan. When the call connected, an impatient voice came through, "Hello? Noah, it's early in the morning, and I'm still catching up on my beauty sleep. Can't you be any more annoying?"
"Baby, can you come to the rooftop of the academic building?"
"What for? Are you sick?"
"Just come, baby. I've prepared a surprise for you."
"Did you buy the bag I wanted?"
"You'll know when you get here. I won't disappoint you."
"Fine, fine, I'll come now. It's really bothersome. Why can't you just deliver it directly to my dormitory..."
In less than ten minutes, Su Xiaoyan arrived at the rooftop, walking with graceful steps. Normally, if Noah invited her out, being an hour late was standard for her. But when it came to receiving gifts, Su Xiaoyan was punctual.
Su Xiaoyan looked Noah up and down suspiciously, "Where's the gift? I don't see it."
"Noah, if you dare to lie to me, we're through. I'm breaking up with you."
"I don't care about the gift. I hate being lied to the most."
"You're already deceiving me now. If I marry you, you'll probably end up abusing me."
Looking at the angry, beautiful girl in front of him, Noah felt somewhat dazed and couldn't help but reveal a warm smile. Then, he slowly approached Su Xiaoyan. Without a word, he grabbed her soft throat, and the gleaming watermelon knife slowly emerged from behind him. "How's this for a surprise?"
Upon seeing this, Su Xiaoyan immediately began to tremble in fear.
"...Dear, what... what are you doing?"
"Calm down, I was just joking. We're not breaking up, not breaking up. I love you, really love you, so much that I can never bear to leave you."
Noah's expression remained unchanged, his lips still curled in a warm smile.
"When you went to hotels with those men behind my back, did you think of me?"
"Oh, you must have, considering you took the money for the room from me."
"Is this what you call loving me?" "You haven't deleted the videos on your phone, have you?"
Noah initially didn't know about these things until after he had one of his legs amputated in his past life, and Su Xiaoyan herself told him. Su Xiaoyan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How... how did you know?"
"No... dear, listen to me, I had no choice, I was forced."
"Putting the facts aside, don't you think you did anything wrong at all? You promised to protect me, but when I needed you the most, you weren't there for me. Are you even a man..."
Noah shook his head helplessly: "Still throwing punches even when facing death."
With those words, he stepped back and swung his knife. A head rolled off. Flicking off the blood stains on his clothes, he casually lit a cigarette and continued to lean against the railing, waiting for the apocalypse to arrive. Having just killed someone, even his own girlfriend, Noah felt not the slightest ripple in his heart, as if the cold body on the ground had nothing to do with him, maintaining a lazy, indifferent demeanor. It was only a slight sense of enlightenment that touched him.
Just then, a thunderclap suddenly roared in the sky, and one after another, red beams of light shot down from the heavens. Countless zombies began to appear out of nowhere on the campus. The apocalypse game had arrived!