Love in the Apocalypse

Smack!" A direct slap on the back of my head. "What nonsense is this, you little brat?!" My father's angry shout echoed, and a tall and imposing figure strode out beside him.

My father was a soldier, a special forces soldier at that—quite a miraculous feat. After retiring, he started a security company and even owned an armored truck. Quite flashy!

"Stop hitting her! Look at how you're turning her into a boy, never serious all day!" My mother immediately came to my defense. Oh, Mom, please hug me; Dad is hitting me again.

Dad instantly raised an eyebrow, "I originally wanted her to join the military!"

Mom let go of me, took a step forward, her eyes widened, "What's good about being in the military? Is she really your daughter? Are you willing to let her suffer?"

"Through hardship to the stars! Only by enduring hardship can one become outstanding!"

"A girl should act like a girl! Singing, dancing, being an actress would be so much better! Look at our daughter, much prettier than those stars on TV. But now, she's always hanging out with boys, playing basketball, soccer, and even getting into fights! Oh, my heavens!" Mom fanned herself. Just mentioning my current situation made her dizzy.

"Fashionable female soldiers are so cool! Besides, nowadays, those so-called actresses are just around! Are you really her biological mother?"

"You've said enough! Our daughter is listening! Your words are too harsh!"

"I am a soldier! So I speak the truth!"

Facepalming, my parents started again. Dad wanted me to become a martial arts female soldier, fly planes, and preferably be chosen by the Aerospace Institute as a female astronaut! Mom hoped I would go into the arts, sing, dance, become an actress, and preferably be accepted as a leading lady by the Superstar Performing Arts Academy!

Oh, my goodness, so annoying! Let me escape from this world where I can't make my own decisions!

Suddenly, the wind picked up, and sand and dust swirled around us. Out of nowhere, the wind intensified, and a strange flash appeared in front of us. The glowing sphere grew larger and larger until it stopped growing when it reached the size of a door, rapidly rotating in the air and the whirlwind of sand.

"Dad! Mom! Come quick, look at the aliens!" I excitedly pointed at the suspended silver light ball. However, an immediate chorus of stern shouts came from behind me, "Stop messing around!"

I turned around, about to speak, and saw my parents staring in shock. They had seen it too.

With a triumphant smile, I said, "I told you there are aliens!" Suddenly, I felt a powerful suction force behind me, and my whole body was lifted off the ground. My parents ran towards me in astonishment, "Yvette Washington—""I was suddenly sucked into that light ball, and then I felt my feet being forcefully held by Mom and Dad. But in an instant, I vividly felt my shoes slipping off my feet, and I was suddenly pulled into this mysterious sphere, rapidly propelled forward.

No! This can't be!I felt like I was sliding down a vertical waterworld slide, tumbling and turning as I descended.

"Ah——————"Thud!" I landed heavily on the ground, feeling like my entire body had fallen apart. My chest felt crushed, and my heart contracted sharply, as if it had paused for a moment.

I was dizzy and unable to get up, my mouth filled with mud, a sour and bitter taste, and it smelled awful, like I had eaten dog poop from a dog that had eaten rotten eggs. Ugh! But I was too dizzy; I didn't even have the strength to vomit.

"Look! Boss! We've got ourselves a live one! A real gift from the heavens!" I faintly heard someone speaking.

"Looks like a radiation person, not wearing any radiation protection suit!"

"Hurry, capture her! We'll present her to the Asura King!"

What the heck… What's going on…

What radiation, what Asura King?!

Then, I felt someone pulling me up. I hadn't even had a chance to see what this place looked like before I was completely enveloped in darkness... What the hell is going on...

I woke up groggily, still being dragged. I slowly opened my eyes, and the ground beneath my feet was receding. I was being dragged by two people, each holding one of my arms, like dragging a dead body.

I blinked, my eyelashes covered in dried mud, dry and stiff. I groggily looked around, and in my swaying field of vision, I saw many cages!

The cages were on a dirty and strange vehicle, somewhat resembling... the trucks used to transport pigs. People inside the cages were clinging to the rusty iron bars, looking at me with faces filled with fear and trepidation. Each person was filthy, emaciated, and wearing tattered clothes. They seemed extremely impoverished, suffering from hunger.

I was a bit confused. Am I dreaming?

After watching too much 'The Avengers,' am I having such a strange dream? It feels like I've entered the lair of a terrorist organization.

"Thud!" Someone threw me into a relatively empty space, and I fell to the ground. My mouth was filled with sand; I spat it out, spat, spat. I forced myself to sit up, feeling as if my entire body had fallen apart.

Damn it, I'm so dizzy... I slapped my head. Can you get dizzy in a dream? How strange. Moreover, my whole body hurts! I supported my waist, finally not feeling dizzy anymore. I was still in my school uniform, blue and white, but the white part had turned black due to mud. And there was also strange red, accompanied by the same pungent and unpleasant smell."Are you a radiation person?" Suddenly, a male voice came from the cage, and the clarity and tone of the voice caught my attention. It was pleasant, clean, and crisp.

I looked over in confusion, only to find two other boys in this cage! What on earth is a radiation person?

One of them dressed as dirty as the others outside, wearing gray coveralls that resembled workwear, patched up in places. It had been a long time since I had seen patched clothes; they seemed like antiques.

He wore a relatively clean-looking scarf around his neck, though it was old and had a grayish color, making it appear dirty. The scarf seemed to be used for covering the face, as it was pulled longer at the front, making it convenient to lift and cover the face, like we use scarves as masks on smoggy days.

The boy, with a dirty face, had exceptionally dark, bright eyes. I had never seen such brilliantly dark eyes in boys of our age, as our whole class wore glasses. Such eyes I had only seen in younger kids, but those eyes lacked the vivid brilliance, like flames burning inside! Moreover, his eyes were filled with vigilance and indignation, making him appear unfriendly – a stranger should keep a distance.

He was the one speaking. Despite his dirty appearance, there was an inexplicable youthful and handsome aura about him. Some radiance that the clothes couldn't conceal, like a special forces soldier in training, rolling in the mud, hiding in puddles; even dirty clothes couldn't hide the unparalleled handsomeness emanating from him.

This boy... seemed like a warrior!

The other boy, on the contrary, dressed completely differently from the people here. He wore a very clean, white, long coat made of a seemingly high-quality material, stiff and well-defined. Delicate dark red patterns were embroidered on the collar, cuffs, and edges, and the white coat shimmered like silk. It looked like a trench coat and was quite handsome. However, this boy was curled up in a corner, holding his head and appearing very frightened. His face couldn't be seen clearly, and he seemed to be saying... don't eat me...

"Don't—————" Suddenly, I heard a girl's heart-wrenching scream. The boy who had been talking immediately stood up, angrily walked to the edge of the cage. I was also at the cage door, and I turned to look. Two dirty men with guns were dragging a girl past us, laughing as they walked by.