The Apocalypse Took Everything, This Time I Hoard It All First
Chapter 1: Rebirth

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Rebirth

"You can’t escape..."

Luna Dawson’s voice was hoarse, yet her words were unnervingly calm.

Her arms were wrapped like steel bands around Susan Vaughn’s waist. ’This woman, the one who killed Little Tiger... My most hated enemy!’

Beyond the distant sand dunes, a dense swarm of mutated lizards surged forward. Their bodies were covered in hard, dark green scales that glinted with a cold, metallic sheen.

Their crimson, vertical pupils flickered in the sandy haze, glowing with a bloodthirsty light.

Not far off, on a military truck that had already pulled some distance away, the Superpower Users were fighting to the point of exhaustion. Their nearly depleted superpowers and sporadic gunfire barely made a dent in the horde of several thousand giant lizards.

The scraping of thousands of claws on the sand created a piercing, continuous sound, like the drums of Yama heralding death, each beat pounding against Susan Vaughn’s nerves.

She struggled madly, trying to break free toward the convoy. Her sharp nails dug deep into Luna’s back, but in return, the hold on her only grew tighter, more suffocating.

"You crazy bitch! Let me go!"

Susan Vaughn’s shriek was sharp and distorted, but it was instantly swallowed by the hissing of the lizard swarm, leaving not even a faint echo...

Luna clearly felt the sharp teeth of the first mutated lizard bite clean through her calf, the pain sending her entire body into convulsions.

The two of them were slowly dragged toward the densest part of the swarm. More mutated Komodo dragons surged forward and began to feast.

"Didn’t... expect this, did you... To think you’d see this day..."

Luna’s words were filled with a sense of release.

"You... psycho! AHH! AHHH!"

Susan Vaughn’s agonized wails gradually faded into silence...

Cold, sharp teeth suddenly pierced Luna’s throat. In the chaos, blood soaked the jade pendant around her neck. An agonizing pain exploded like a thunderclap, and the metallic taste of blood instantly filled her mouth, choking her until she couldn’t breathe.

"Urk..."

The searing pain of her torn trachea spread through her body. Every spasm pulled at her shredded flesh, and air mixed with bloody foam escaped the wound with a hoarse gurgling sound.

Several lizards frantically tore at her neck. The sharp crack of breaking bone reached her ears...

Her consciousness rapidly sank into a vortex of suffocation and agony, with only the ultimate pain seared into her fading senses...

"Ah!"

With a terrified scream, Luna’s eyes flew open as she shot up in bed.

Hearing the sudden noise, Rollo lifted his head and tilted it, looking at her quizzically in the darkness.

Luna trembled all over, her hands clamped tightly around her neck. Her back was soaked with sweat.

Her mind was blank. The surroundings were pitch black, and she gasped for breath in ragged pants.

The blanket slipped from her arms. As she felt the cool air and smelled the familiar scent of her little dog, her pupils instantly dilated!

’This...’

’This is my room!’

After a moment of stunned shock, she scrambled and tumbled out of bed. The comforter slid to the floor with her movement. Sensing his owner’s distress, Rollo grabbed his peanut toy from his dog bed and waddled over to her.

Luna reached out with trembling hands. The moment her fingers touched his fuzzy fur, she threw her arms around Rollo and buried her face in his coat, taking several deep breaths.

"Rol... Rollo... You’re alive... Waaah..."

Rollo was full of canine confusion. He had no idea why his human was acting so crazy in the middle of the night, making such a racket. He just sat there quietly and let her hug him.

After crying her heart out for a few minutes, Luna sniffled, turned on her bedside lamp, and lit up her phone screen. She stared at the time displayed and froze.

August 26, 2035. 4:19 AM.

’I’m back... three months before the cataclysm?!’

After struggling for two years in that hopeless apocalypse and perishing together with her enemy, she was actually reborn?!

The memories of her past life flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. It took her a long moment to come to her senses. She shook her head and walked over to the bay window.

She pulled open the curtains. Little Tiger the cat was curled up in his bed, his two eyes glowing softly.

Seeing his owner approach, Little Tiger voluntarily rolled over to show his little belly. Luna eagerly scooped him up, pressing him to her cheek and nuzzling him relentlessly.

Feeling the real, warm touch in her arms, Luna finally, truly felt that she was alive again.

After a long while, Luna stood up and went into the bathroom to take a shower and clear her head.

She stood under the showerhead almost reverently, feeling the warm water wash over her body.

She looked at the fair, well-proportioned, and full figure in the mirror. She raised her hands in the stream of water, staring blankly. These hands were no longer the ruined, withered, and scarred hands from her past life.

Gazing at the strange yet familiar reflection, it felt as if the two precarious years in the apocalypse had just been a nightmare she’d had in the early morning.

Luna slowly raised her hand, subconsciously reaching for her neck, but she touched only empty air!

Huh?!

’Where’s the ruyi pendant I’ve worn since I was a child, the one I never take off?!’

Her hands searched frantically around her neck. Her right hand impatiently wiped the mirror, which was covered in a hazy film of steam, leaving a clear, wet streak where her fingertips passed.

Just as her fingers were exploring her neck, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her, and it was as if she had entered another world!

It was a small world shrouded in mist. Vaguely, she could see a dilapidated little courtyard with a wicker fence!

Outside the courtyard, tender blades of grass swayed in a gentle breeze. In the distance, there were mountains, water, and patches of what looked like very fertile black soil!

Luna shook her head. ’Could it be carbon monoxide poisoning?!’

’Saving my life is the priority! It wasn’t easy getting a second chance, I have to cherish it!’

She quickly turned off the shower and the gas valve, rushed out of the bathroom, changed into comfortable loungewear, and focused, trying to recall the scene that had just appeared.

Instantly, the little wicker-fenced courtyard appeared before her eyes again!

Luna was shocked as she took it all in! She felt like a creator, observing this vibrant little world from a first-person perspective.

Luna’s heart pounded like a drum. It felt as if she were underwater; the immense excitement and tension left her breathless.

Her consciousness quickly withdrew, entered, withdrew, and entered again, repeating the process several times.

Her heartbeat only gradually stabilized once she slowly began to relax.

Luna was ecstatic. To test her theory, she put on her glasses, walked out of the bedroom, and picked up the tissue box from the coffee table with slightly trembling fingers, trying to move it into the space.

As the object vanished from her hand, Luna murmured, "It really worked..." With a thought, she teleported into that small, isolated world.

The dog and cat, who had been milling around her, saw their owner vanish into thin air. Their ears shot up in surprise.

They scanned their surroundings, their little minds filled with big question marks.

The next second, Luna was standing on a vast expanse of grass. The mist-shrouded world seemed to stretch on without end.

"It’s huge!"

She murmured unconsciously.

Before her was a small courtyard with a wicker fence, backed by a cliff. A small river separated the grassland from the black soil.

The temperature inside the space was moderate and the light was ample, yet there was no visible sun. A ring of white mist surrounded the distant edges.

About ten meters outside the courtyard was an ancient-looking spring. The water gushing from its source was crystal clear.

Luna couldn’t help but cup a handful and drink it. The water had a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees. The sweet liquid slid down her throat, its bone-chilling cold instantly dispelling the fatigue from her rude awakening!

’It’s magical!’

Staring at the remaining droplets on her fingertips, tears of ecstasy welled up in her eyes. She, too, now possessed the legendary "golden finger"—a Spiritual Spring Space!

She continued to explore, stepping into the small courtyard enclosed by the bamboo fence. The house was empty except for a single wooden table in the center. On the table sat a small, ornate box.

She opened it curiously and was surprised to find her missing ruyi pendant lying quietly inside the box!

She subconsciously reached for it, but her hand passed right through. The feel of the soft velvet lining, however, was completely real. She just couldn’t touch the jade pendant...

’Forget it. Maybe the pendant was always meant to be here. No point dwelling on what I can’t understand. I need to sort out what’s in front of me first.’

’Reborn into a new life, I’m going to hoard supplies and fill this space to the brim!’