Chapter 1: Awakening Once More

“Knock, knock…”

A sudden, urgent knocking echoed sharply.

The dilapidated wooden shack shook with the knocking, creaking and groaning harshly. Years of accumulated wood dust and debris stirred like startled moths, swirling downwards in a flutter.

“Cough, cough…”

The drifting dust entered her nostrils, provoking a fit of coughing from Cang Xingyu.

She opened her eyes and waved her hand to clear the irritating particles, but when she looked around, her expression was blank.

…Where am I?

Struggling to rise, she unlatched the door, and was immediately hit by an indescribable stench—an acrid blend of smoke and mold, mixed with the scent of biological decay.

Above, the sky was dim, and three distorted suns hung like sharp blades, radiating a blinding glare.

A haze of dust swirled around the ruined shantytown like a massive gray veil, shrouding everything in gloom and oppression.

Not far away on the street, several ragged figures leaned against the wall with malicious grins, as if eagerly awaiting a spectacle.

At the doorway stood a man—

Clad in a tailored suit that starkly contrasted with the squalor around him.

Pinned to his chest was a badge that gleamed coldly.

[Border Region Mutual Aid Alliance – Overseer]

Before she could speak, the man pushed Cang Xingyu aside.

He stepped inside, glancing around with a furrowed brow. “Qi Xue’s not here? Only this pathetic thing left behind?”

Qi Xue?

Cang Xingyu’s blank mind had no recollection of the name, but the man’s mocking tone and undisguised contempt suggested ill intent.

“You…”

She was about to speak but was interrupted by a violent coughing fit, a sudden metallic, sweet taste rising in her throat.

Reflexively, Cang Xingyu covered her mouth, feeling warm blood trickle down between her fingers.

“That girl finally realized you’re a burden and decided to ditch you,” the Overseer sneered, eyes glinting with scorn.

He roughly grabbed her collar and effortlessly lifted her off the ground.

Cang Xingyu felt a sharp tightness at the nape of her neck as her feet left the floor. She struggled in panic but was too weak to break free, swaying helplessly in the air.

Ignoring her, the Overseer casually pulled out his phone and made a call, his tone cold and detached, as if pronouncing a death sentence that sent chills down her spine.

“Number seventeen, the little brat, has run off. I recovered the ‘younger sister’ she left behind.”

A query came through the phone; the Overseer snorted derisively. “Mutated? Impossible. She’s barely alive, didn’t survive the first transformation. Using her as bait works just fine.”

He never glanced at her, yet another sharp pain stabbed through her chest as if invisible blades were repeatedly piercing her.

At first, it was a faint prickling, like a tiny needle piercing the skin.

But the next moment, the pain intensified sharply, as if something stirred in her veins, struggling to break free.

“Ugh…”

Driven by survival instinct, Cang Xingyu desperately clawed at the Overseer’s hand, her nails leaving bloody marks on his skin but barely moving him.

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