Planning

A towering building stood against the dark sky.

This was the library, an iconic monument of the school, once a proud symbol and now a fortress of knowledge. Its walls, made from the hardest stone bricks, had withstood the relentless attacks of monstrous invaders.

Inside, more than two hundred survivors huddled together. In normal circumstances, such a large group confined to one space would descend into chaos, but here, everything remained in perfect order. The floors were immaculate, and even the survivors themselves were shockingly clean, with no trace of grime or disorder.

"Cough!..."

In one of the rooms, a woman suddenly coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her slender fingers, pale as carved jade, trembled slightly. Whatever injury she had suffered was severe enough to drain all color from her face.

And yet, even in this fragile state, her beauty was undeniable. She was a graceful young woman, barely twenty, with striking, delicate features. More extraordinary than her appearance, however, was her presence.

She radiated a warmth, an aura so inviting that it felt familiar even to strangers. Hers was the kind of presence that made one instinctively want to hold her—not out of lust, but for the peace she seemed to offer through mere proximity.

Strange.

In a more peaceful world, a woman with such charm would have drawn countless admirers, perhaps even through something as simple as a livestream. But in this apocalyptic wasteland, such a quality was no gift—it was a curse. Without significant strength, she would be nothing more than a pet, claimed and owned by men like an ornament.

Her soul.

That was the source of her peculiar allure—an immensely powerful soul radiating an irresistible pull.

"Jing Yao, what's going on? Why are you coughing up blood? Did something happen to one of your clones? That's impossible! You've got three—one gathering food in the north, another scouting enemies to the south. Your clones have no combat capabilities, but their speed and stealth are unmatched. Most wouldn't even sense them. Wait… could the one on Yang Zheng have been detected?"

A young man in a linen shirt rushed to her side, his mind racing through the possibilities. In mere seconds, countless scenarios flashed through his mind like lightning.

His name was Xu Zhe, and the woman beside him was Liang Jingyao.

They were Professionals.

Xu Zhe's awakening had granted him a unique ability—the power to calculate at incredible speeds. While others might take minutes or hours to arrive at conclusions, his mind worked like a machine, generating numerous solutions in mere moments.

It was thanks to this exceptional talent that Xu Zhe had organized this small, confined haven with meticulous precision, leaving nothing overlooked.

Liang Jingyao opened her eyes, her brow dotted with beads of sweat, her breath ragged. Her face was ghostly pale, clearly showing the toll the injury had taken on her. She hardly dared move, knowing that even the slightest shift would send fresh waves of searing pain through her skull.

"Jing Yao, what happened?" Xu Zhe's voice was calm, his dark eyes gleaming like stars against the night. But despite the measured tone, there was a tremor beneath his words, betraying his concern.

Concern.

It was the kind of concern that came from the deepest part of the heart, a raw, aching worry that gnawed at Xu Zhe's very soul. To him, the woman before him was more precious than his own life.

They were childhood sweethearts.

From middle school to high school, and even into college, they had always walked the same path, attending the same schools, sharing the same dreams. Liang Jingyao had once dreamed of becoming a floral designer, drawn to the delicate beauty of flowers. Xu Zhe had been obsessed with comics, even publishing a few of his works during their school years, earning his first taste of success. Together, they had envisioned a bright, hopeful future.

But...

The apocalypse had shattered everything.

Monsters roamed the earth, the sky had darkened, and the world had twisted into something unrecognizable. Even their own bodies had been altered in ways that defied explanation, becoming strange, esoteric and beyond comprehension.

Suddenly, Jing Yao gasped for breath, her body convulsing as though she had just been dragged back from the edge of oblivion. Fear overwhelmed her, visible in the uncontrollable tremors that shook her frail frame.

Xu Zhe, ever observant, saw the terror in her eyes. He knew Jing Yao well—too well. Despite her delicate appearance, she had awakened a unique ability: the power to split her soul into three parts, transforming these fragments into ethereal, winged clones.

These spectral beings were masters of concealment. Unless they wished to be seen, no one could detect them. Through this skill, they had narrowly avoided several deadly disasters, always managing to stay one step ahead of the monsters that lurked outside the library's stone walls.

Jing Yao had seen countless horrors in the apocalyptic wasteland. She had sent her clones into the darkest corners of the world, places overrun with festering corpses and abominations that defied nature. Yet, she had never reacted like this. Never had she been so visibly shaken.

What unspeakable terror could have rattled her so deeply?

Liang Jingyao slowly raised her head, her breath heavy and labored. When she finally spoke, her voice trembled like the faint chime of a bell in a storm, fragile and unsteady. "Yang Zheng… he's dead."

"What did you say?" Xu Zhe's voice cracked with disbelief, his normally sharp mind struggling to comprehend. "Yang Zheng is dead?"

His eyes widened, his mind racing. Even with his extraordinary ability to calculate every possible outcome, he had never imagined that such a monstrous man could actually be killed.

It all came down to one terrible truth: the treachery of the human heart.

Qi Xue and Qi Yun—the two women who had once stood as defenders of the stronghold, sworn to protect it—had betrayed them. When they crossed paths with Yang Zheng, their resolve crumbled. He had enslaved their minds and bodies, seducing them into forsaking the two hundred survivors under their care.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

To please Yang Zheng, the twins had revealed the library's hidden location to him. The man, drunk on his own power and twisted desires, had set his sights on Jing Yao the moment he saw her. He had declared that she would be his, and there was nothing Xu Zhe could do to stop him. Only Xu Zhe's cunning and tactical brilliance had kept Yang Zheng from taking her by force—so far.

Xu Zhe's usually calm demeanor cracked. Despair gnawed at the edges of his heart like a ravenous beast.

Neither he nor Jing Yao were combat professionals. One was a scout, the other a strategist. If Yang Zheng had chosen to unleash his full strength, their meager defenses would have crumbled in an instant. No one within the library's walls could have withstood his monstrous power.

What could be more hopeless than knowing the woman you love is being hunted by a predator, and there's nothing you can do to protect her?

It was precisely this fear, this ever-present sense of danger, that drove Xu Zhe to devise a desperate plan—placing one of Liang Jingyao's spectral clones on Yang Zheng, monitoring him day and night.

And now...

The shadow that had loomed over them for so long had been obliterated—Yang Zheng was dead. Not merely dead, but brutally slaughtered, his life claimed by a force far more powerful.

Xu Zhe's mind reeled in disbelief. His expression reflected the shock that overwhelmed him; he couldn't reconcile what he was hearing.

Liang Jingyao, though pale and exhausted, steadied herself enough to speak. Her voice trembled, the words barely leaving her lips. "Yang Zheng is gone. Killed, torn apart… and that's when my clone was destroyed. It couldn't escape in time."

The weight of her revelation hit Xu Zhe like a hammer. He struggled to process what she was saying. After a long pause, he sighed deeply, "I never imagined someone out there was powerful enough to do that…"

His mind raced, frantically trying to piece together what kind of monstrous force could have accomplished such a feat. Yang Zheng had been untouchable.

Liang Jingyao took a shuddering breath, her expression clouded with complex emotions. After a brief silence, she furrowed her brow. "Xu Zhe, our food supplies are dwindling. The survivors are already whispering complaints. If we don't act soon, this place will descend into chaos."

"Yes, I know. The outside world is more dangerous than ever, and we can't fight like the others. Based on my calculations, we have about five days of rations left. Once that runs out, we're finished. But I can hear in your voice that there's something more. What are you really trying to say, Jingyao?" Xu Zhe asked, his sharp mind quickly catching her hesitation.

Liang Jingyao's gaze darkened. "The world is no longer what it was. Even if we wanted to help, we no longer have the power. To survive, we need to align ourselves with those who are strong. I believe... we should consider joining him. The man who killed Yang Zheng. From what I could gather, he's forming a new faction. We don't have brute strength, but our abilities? They would be of great value to him."

Xu Zhe's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

"I know it's dangerous. You're worried... worried that, like Yang Zheng, he'll see me only as something to possess, to use." Liang Jingyao said, her voice tinged with bitterness.

Xu Zhe hesitated. "I won't lie. Yes, I'm terrified of that. I've seen what men like Yang Zheng do. Your beauty, in this world, it's a curse more than a gift…"

Liang Jingyao let out a cold, hollow laugh. She brushed her fingers across her face, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "This face... Once, it might have been a dream come true. But now? It's a curse. You think I don't know that?"

Her gaze drifted, distant and haunted. "Tell me, Xu Zhe, was Qi Xue beautiful?"

Her question startled him, but he answered truthfully, "Yes. She was admired by many, envied by all the girls. She was one of the most beautiful women in school."

Liang Jingyao nodded, her voice soft but cutting. "Yes, Qi Xue was stunning. But in the end, it didn't save her. The moment that man decided she was his enemy, her beauty meant nothing. One swift cut to her throat... and she was gone."

She turned to Xu Zhe, her grip on his shoulders tightening. "Listen to me, Xu Zhe—if that man had seen me as an enemy, he would have killed me just as easily. My looks, my charm—they wouldn't have saved me."

Rising to her feet, a fire burned behind her pale eyes. "What we need now isn't to hide, clinging to a crumbling hope. We need to prove our worth. Only then can we stop living like rats, crawling in the shadows, and finally step into the light."