Chapter 2 - 1: Rebirth

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Rebirth

"Xiao Ru, when did you become so corrupted?"

"I haven’t, Cousin."

"What decent person dyes their hair pink? You look like a call girl."

The sound of conversation reached her ears, followed by the chaotic din of the city. In a daze, Xia Yu’s consciousness slowly surfaced from an endless darkness.

Opening her eyes, she saw rows of village houses outside the car window. The winter sun was faint and gentle, without a trace of harshness or arrogance. It embraced her body, soft and languid, making it hard to muster any energy.

Still groggy from just waking up, she followed the voices and looked around the bus.

It was a bus, route 333.

Including herself, there were 15 people.

Most of their faces showed signs of fatigue. Everyone looked either out of shape or downright unhealthy, and not one of them had a shred of vigilance.

’This scene is completely wrong. It could never happen in the Apocalypse, a world filled with blood, slaughter, and betrayal!’

’Am I hallucinating?’

Xia Yu was instantly jolted wide awake. The first thing she did was tighten her grip on the pen clipped to her book. She flicked her index finger, sending the cap flying off to reveal the sharp tip. Her gaze, like that of an Eagle Falcon, swept her surroundings as her muscles tensed, ready to explode into action at any moment.

’Something’s wrong.’

’The force is wrong. This pen is so fragile. Even when I was badly injured, I could have snapped it with a gentle squeeze.’

’And I’m not under any hallucinogenic effects!’

Having struggled to survive for ten years in the Apocalypse, Xia Yu’s observational skills were incredibly sharp. She made an instant judgment, but at the same time, felt a momentary confusion, as if her brain had stopped working.

’Didn’t *It* just glance at me before I died?’

’Is this my life flashing before my eyes?’

At the front of the bus.

"Didn’t you used to get good grades? What’s wrong with being a good student? How is this fair to your parents?"

"My grades are still good."

"Still talking back! I’m only saying this for your own good. Just look at yourself. Your studies are bound to suffer."

The cousins’ argument continued.

The people around them shot odd glances, muttering amongst themselves. "Schools don’t let students dye their hair like that, right? You can tell she’s a bad student just by looking at her, the kind who doesn’t listen to teachers."

"She looks like a bar hostess. Probably one of those schoolgirls who does *that kind of thing*."

"She’s not bad-looking, and has a great figure. I wonder if she’s expensive, tsk tsk."

...

The pink-haired girl lowered her head, on the verge of tears.

’She just liked the color pink.’

’Was that so wrong?’

In the back row.

A pair of best friends were whispering. "Xiao’ai, help me out here. I’ve been with my boyfriend for three years, and we have a great relationship. He’s a great catch in every way, and I’m really happy with him. We’re about to get married, but there’s this one thing weighing on my mind: I had an abortion for my ex-boyfriend. My current boyfriend is very controlling, and if he found out, it would probably ruin our relationship. What should I do?"

"You definitely can’t tell him. Not even during the honeymoon phase. That’s the one thing men can’t stand."

"But my boyfriend loves me so much, he’ll definitely come with me for the prenatal check-ups. Won’t he find out then?"

"Are you stupid? You can give birth at a high-end private hospital. Give the doctor a heads-up beforehand and make sure they protect your privacy."

"That makes sense. Xiao’ai, you’re truly my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you."

"You know it! We’re best friends for life. Our bond is stronger than gold!"

On this small bus, all of life’s dramas were on display.

These conversations and the surrounding scene triggered a memory buried deep in Xia Yu’s mind. In the next instant, her pupils contracted. ’Next, the person next to me is going to get up and leave the bus. An old pervert will take the empty seat, and then...’

Then, things unfolded just as she remembered. The muscular man with a buzz cut sitting next to her stood up to get off. An old man in his sixties or seventies took the seat, occasionally glancing at Xia Yu as he began to slowly lean his body toward her.

Xia Yu glanced at him, and the old man froze.

When she looked away, he started moving again.

At this moment, Xia Yu had no time to deal with this old pervert. She was certain of one thing: ’I’ve been reborn!’

Her face was a picture of disbelief.

Although many inconceivable things had happened after the Apocalypse began and the myriad realms merged, something like rebirth...

This was still far beyond anything she could have imagined!

For a moment, Xia Yu’s emotions were in turmoil. If not for the resilient mentality forged by ten years of survival in the Apocalypse, she would have long been unable to suppress her ecstatic joy.

’Right!’

’According to the timeline of my previous life, this bus is about to enter the Rule Mist and get caught up in the first Mist Event.’

Xia Yu whipped her head around to look at the time displayed inside the bus: Saturday, February 7, 2025, 14:44.

’This time...’

Her heart clenched. She whipped her head to look out the window. The bright sunlight from before had vanished at some point, replaced by a white mist.

It was very faint.

’There’s still time to get away.’

Xia Yu’s gaze sharpened. ’Once the mist thickens, there will be no escape.’

The white mist, also known as the Rule Mist, was a special fog generated when two dimensions merged. Before the Apocalypse began, the mist completely severed all contact between the inside and the outside. Those inside couldn’t get out, and those outside couldn’t get in.

Within it existed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power from a Different Dimension Space. Although far more diluted than in the Different Dimension Space itself, for the humans of Blue Star, who had always lived in an environment devoid of such energy, sudden exposure to the vast Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power could easily trigger all sorts of physical changes.

The vast majority of humans couldn’t adapt and ultimately wouldn’t make it through. They would turn into Mutants, gaining Power far beyond what they had before but losing their minds, becoming little more than walking corpses.

A small number of people could endure it and retain their sanity. Their physical constitution would improve to varying degrees, though far less than the Mutants, and they would become Spiritual Transformers. Some might even awaken a superpower and become a Spiritual Ability User—truly a cut above the rest.

The weaker the body’s reaction and the stronger one’s willpower, the easier it was to survive the process. Conversely, a stronger reaction meant a higher chance of turning into a Mutant.

’Truly intoxicating.’

’A pity. It’s still so diluted compared to before I was reborn.’

This familiar feeling made her realize that she was truly alive, truly reborn.

Xia Yu decided to stay.

In her previous life, at this very moment, she had been harassed by the old pervert. In a panic, she had gotten off the bus and run, managing to escape just before the Rule Mist completely sealed off the area.

To be honest, she was later very grateful to that old pervert, because everyone caught in the first Mist Event had died.

This life...

"What do you think you’re doing!"

A resonant, angry shout came from behind her.

SWISH!

All eyes shot toward them.

"You old geezer, have some respect for your age! What are you doing rubbing up against this young lady?"

The speaker was a young man named Le Fan. He looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, with a few pimples dotting his face. He had been trying to work up the courage to ask Xia Yu for her contact information when he saw what happened.

Hearing this, the crowd immediately turned to look at the old man next to Xia Yu with disgust.

"Don’t you go making false accusations, young man."

The old pervert, of course, wasn’t going to admit it. "With which eye did you see me touch her?" he retorted.

He’d done this many times. It was just a little rubbing, no harm done. Every time, the beautiful woman he targeted would choose to endure it, either for fear of her reputation or out of timidity.

And even if the beautiful woman before him didn’t choose to endure it and made a scene, he had plenty of ways to handle it: he could accuse her in return, claim the driver was being reckless and he’d lost his balance, or even pull the age card.

In short, he wasn’t afraid at all.

But as it turned out...

Who would have thought some busybody would interfere?

The worst part was, he hadn’t even managed to touch her yet!

"I saw it with both my eyes."

How could Le Fan miss a chance to show off in front of a beautiful girl? He argued forcefully, "Driver, take us to the police station! We have to get this old pervert arrested."

Unexpectedly, the old pervert wasn’t scared at all. Instead, he brazenly rubbed against Xia Yu again and said arrogantly, "Let’s go! Whoever chickens out of going to the police station is a coward."

Le Fan had never met anyone like this before. He was completely stunned, not knowing what to do.

"I recognize that old man. Last time, on this same bus, he molested a girl wearing black stockings. He got taken to the police station after."

"Now that you mention it, I remember him too. He’s a repeat offender. He’s over seventy, so they can’t detain him. They just give him a lecture and let him go."

"Come on, kid, just drop it. We have places to be. The young lady herself hasn’t even said anything, so why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

...

For a moment, many people on the bus started speaking up. A group of passengers, led by the muscular man from before, urged them on, not wanting their own time to be wasted.

"This... You people..."

Le Fan was even more at a loss for words.

The old pervert smiled, a smug and triumphant expression on his face.

However, he felt his head becoming dizzy and heavy. A painful sensation spread through his body, as if countless needles were pricking him.

"Miss, let’s call the police."

"Even if they can’t detain him, we can’t just let this go."

Le Fan was indignant.

The crowd’s gazes turned to Xia Yu.

"That won’t be necessary."

She shook her head, delivering a shocking reply.

Huh?

Le Fan was both embarrassed and anxious.

The other passengers had mixed expressions.

The old pervert, on the other hand, grew even more smug. He even leaned closer to Xia Yu again. Although he couldn’t feel anything through her thick winter clothes, the thought of the soft, tender skin underneath...

It made him feel fantastic.

"I can handle this myself."

Xia Yu said.

’How could a young girl like you possibly handle it?’

’If you’re not careful, he could just fall over and try to scam you.’

’So young and naive!’

The crowd shook their heads, and several even let out a sneer.

The old pervert wasn’t scared in the least. He just felt his body growing more and more uncomfortable, and thought: ’This is perfect. I can scam this girl for some money. I’ll get to have my fun and get paid for it.’

’I’ll get both the girl and the money!’

Only Le Fan saw Xia Yu adjust her grip on the pen. A bold guess rose in his mind, and his expression changed. He urged, "Miss, don’t do anything rash."

The crowd: "???"

SCHLICK.

The next moment, in full view of everyone, the pen disappeared completely into the old pervert’s temple.