Chapter 1: The Survival Game Descends
A.D. 2070!
A sudden and unprecedentedly massive electromagnetic storm swept across the globe without warning.
As if an invisible giant hand had gripped the entire world tightly.
This event marked the official arrival of the apocalyptic catastrophe!
In an instant, the world fell into chaos.
Under the shadow of doomsday, human social order was completely destroyed.
Large-scale riots broke out one after another across various regions, and panic spread rapidly like a plague.
……
After a full year of riots.
Su Ning stood still, her eyes fixed on the winding line ahead that resembled a long dragon. Her throat was parched, and a deep sense of helplessness surged in her heart.
Most of the people in the queue had hollow, lifeless eyes, seemingly indifferent to everything happening around them, as if they had long become used to this kind of life.
In just one year, life on Earth had undergone a drastic transformation.
The globally shocking doomsday disaster announcement was still vivid in Su Ning’s mind.
And in the year since the apocalypse began, the things Su Ning had experienced were beyond anything she had ever imagined.
Rapidly changing extreme weather, constant social unrest, frequent riots, and scenes of smashing, looting, and arson everywhere in the cities.
What was once a harmonious and beautiful home had become shattered; people’s lives and property were under severe threat.
Even worse, Su Ning’s parents had tragically died in the chaos, leaving her to face this cruel world alone.
Her relatives showed their ugly faces, fighting over the inheritance her parents left behind while treating her with indifference and even verbal abuse.
All of this made Su Ning deeply feel the ugliness of human nature and the coldness of the world.
Once just an innocent and naive little girl, now she had no choice but to grow up quickly in this kind of world, learning to be strong and independent.
The arrival of the doomsday catastrophe brought humanity and society unprecedented survival challenges.
A full year of extreme temperatures.
Resources began to dwindle, the environment was harsh, and everyone struggled just to survive.
Every day, after finishing work at the shelter, Su Ning would line up at the relief point with other survivors at night to receive aid supplies.
After a long wait, the line finally reached Su Ning.
She stepped forward to collect her share of supplies for the day.
When she received it, she saw it was just one bottle of water and a compressed biscuit.
Just as she was quietly grateful to have something to eat, the aid worker spoke—future supply distributions would be further reduced.
“Reduced again? Just one bottle of water and one compressed biscuit a day—how is that enough to eat? Are they trying to kill us?” The old lady behind Su Ning couldn’t help but exclaim.
Su Ning said nothing and quietly accepted her supplies.
She felt helpless and knew the supplies were far from enough to sustain life, but what could she do?
She was just an ordinary girl who couldn’t change the situation, only do her best to adapt to this harsh environment.
However, Su Ning was not defeated by hardship.
She quickly learned various survival skills.
The old lady behind her still had the strength to yell—she must have some food stored at home.
After receiving her relief supplies, Su Ning quickly returned home.
Su Ning looked sadly at the somewhat empty house.
The once warm scenes at home still lingered in her mind—her gentle father sitting on the sofa watching the news, her nagging mother cooking in the kitchen. From now on, those scenes might only appear in her dreams.
Locking the door, Su Ning was already drenched in sweat.
Even at night, the extreme temperatures made it impossible to stay outside for long. The scorching heat was everywhere and inescapable.
Because of the extreme heat, everyone now rested during the day and only dared to go out at night.
This reversed lifestyle had continued for a long time, but people had long become accustomed to it.
Su Ning quietly placed today’s few supplies into the safe her father left behind.
Food was now extremely precious.
These items were the key to survival.
She took inventory of the rations she had saved from skimping.
Adding today’s items, she now had three 500ml bottles of mineral water, ten packs of compressed biscuits, and two sprouting potatoes.
Su Ning took out a pack of biscuits and slowly nibbled on them with water.
After eating, she checked the time—just a few more hours until dawn.
The daytime was even harder to endure.
Lying on the bamboo mat, Su Ning didn’t feel any coolness—only the burning heat scorching her skin from all directions.
Two months into the apocalypse, water and electricity had been cut off.
Just as Su Ning was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on her door.
Startled, Su Ning took a knife from under the mat.
She got up and approached the door.
“Who is it?”
“Xiao Ning, it’s Aunt Duan. I know you’re in there—please open the door and let me in.”
It was Aunt Duan, the neighbor. Before the apocalypse, their families had a decent relationship.
That was because Su Ning and Aunt Duan’s daughter, Zhang Li, were classmates.
But Su Ning and Zhang Li weren’t close—they kept up appearances to avoid making things awkward for their parents.
The problem came from being classmates—it naturally led to comparisons.
Su Ning had always dominated the school rankings. Her excellence was beyond question—not only was she beautiful, she also excelled in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education. She was the very definition of a “model child.”
Because of that, Zhang Li disliked Su Ning immensely.
Su Ning spoke hoarsely: “Aunt Duan, if there’s something, just say it.”
After a year of apocalypse and chaos, Su Ning had become cautious toward everyone—especially after that incident, her guard was even higher.
A flash of displeasure crossed Duan Meixia’s eyes.
But she still said:
“Xiao Ning, just now your Uncle Zhang and I were discussing… We saw you go pick up supplies every day. You know both your uncle and I are in poor health, and Xiao Li is still a child. The weather’s too hot—we can’t take it. So we were thinking, if you go tomorrow to collect aid, maybe you could pick ours up along the way too?”
Duan Meixia’s whole argument was about their poor health, not realizing Su Ning was the same age as their so-called “child” Zhang Li.
Su Ning let out a mocking laugh.
Discuss? With who? Did I agree?
What she said wasn’t a request—it was an order.
Clearly, the Duan family was just bullying Su Ning because they thought she wouldn’t resist.
An orphan abandoned by relatives was bound to be picked on.
She had no power now, but she also didn’t want to offer charity to others.
“Aunt Duan, everyone should handle their own matters.”
Just that one sentence left Su Ning’s throat burning with dryness!
Duan Meixia was caught off guard by the response.
She pounded the door twice angrily, snorted coldly, and went straight back home.
Soon after, shouting came from the Zhang household.
The outside temperature continued to rise.
As Su Ning drifted to sleep, half-conscious, a series of electronic notifications suddenly echoed in her ears:
[Ding! Scanning… Earth has officially entered the Doomsday Era. The Survival Assistance Game is now descending!]
[Ding! All citizens of Earth, please note: Congratulations! You have obtained player qualification for the Survival Assistance Game!]
[Ding! The game is about to begin!]
[Ding! This is not a drill. The game is about to start. Detection of infant and elderly players confirmed—these players will be bound to their family members upon entering the instance world.]
[Ding! Before the game starts, each player will be given one opportunity to awaken a talent.]
[Ding! Please prepare for awakening!]
As the voice echoed in her mind, Su Ning immediately jolted awake!
“Survival Assistance Game?”
She didn’t know what it was, but its arrival didn’t seem like a bad thing in the current world.
She looked at the data panel that appeared in front of her.
[Player: Su Ning]
[Talent: To Be Awakened]
[Skills: None]
Su Ning clicked on [Talent]—after all, the system had said she’d be given a chance to awaken one.
“What kind of talent will I awaken?”
Thinking about the upcoming game,
Su Ning felt a mix of doubt and anxiety—both anticipation and fear.
She could only silently pray that the talent she awakened would help her survive safely in this unknown adventure.
The awakening began. A pleasant chime broke the silence.
[Ding! Awakening successful! Congratulations, Player Su Ning, you have gained the Talent – Scavenger!]
Immediately, a talent description appeared before her eyes:
[Talent: Scavenger]
Scavenger’s Eye: Grants you sharp vision to identify items.
Scavenger’s Backpack: Provides a mysterious space to store various items.
“Scavenger talent…”
Before Su Ning could think further, the system’s voice came again.
[Ding! Game teleportation starting!]
In the blink of an eye, Su Ning’s figure was swept away by an invisible force—instantly vanishing without a trace.
