Chapter 1: The Dawning Cataclysm

When did this world-shaking catastrophe begin? For everyone on Blue Star except Neon Country, the answer was clear: it started the day Neon Country ignored global protests and dumped radioactive wastewater into the pristine ocean.

Three months after the nuclear wastewater began flowing out to sea, disaster struck Neon Country. A massive volcanic eruption buried the nation in volcanic ash, scalding magma, tsunamis and earthquakes. Fewer than five percent of the population managed to escape alive.

Before humanity could recover from the shock, dozens of volcanoes across Blue Star’s five continents erupted one after another. Ash contaminated all the fresh water, making it undrinkable. Months of acid rain followed, ruining agriculture and tipping the world into collapse.

Half a year after the eruptions, the air finally began to clear. Just as citizens of Hua Nation stepped outside to celebrate the end of disaster and start rebuilding, an even greater calamity crashed down.

A star eight thousand light-years away went supernova. For reasons unknown, an intense gamma-ray burst twisted directions, striking Blue Star—though it should have been far outside the danger zone.

In the span of a few seconds, a blinding ultraviolet flash swept over half the planet. An electron pulse engulfed Blue Star, frying communications on two continents and wiping out all electrical power. Every satellite in orbit was obliterated, severing contact with the surface.

People in the night hemisphere—waking in confusion—stepped outside, only to be overwhelmed by a storm of high-speed mesons. Any creature exposed had its cells pierced and DNA utterly destroyed. The world became a living hell.

The gamma-ray burst didn’t just wipe out most life on two continents; it also sent Blue Star’s magnetic field spiraling into chaos. Two mysterious elements appeared in the atmosphere. Hua Nation’s scientists soon named them Xiang and Yi.

Xiang: violence, butchery, and the draining of life itself.

Yi: thunder in the mountains, new life sprouting everywhere.

Empowered by these two elements, all living things on Blue Star underwent rapid, intense evolution. At the same time, they rose up to challenge humanity’s place at the top of the food chain. From that day, Blue Star entered full survival-hell mode.

Xia Qing’s mother died in the fourth year of catastrophe—claimed by a plague of insects. Her father perished in the fifth year during a beast horde.

Now, in the tenth year of disaster, Xia Qing is still alive.

“Bang!”

A stone slab, weighing over three hundred pounds, crashed to the ground. Old Zhong, the record keeper, startled and scarred by years of acid rain, raised his pitted face. He recognized the slender, dark-skinned woman standing before the slab, her green ID tag glinting. Swallowing his anger, he grumbled, “Take a break if you’re tired. Breaking the slabs won’t earn extra points.”

Wiping away sweat and dust with her sleeve, Xia Qing did something rare—she spoke. “Uncle Zhong, I’m heading out.”

Old Zhong hadn’t expected Xia Qing to talk to him. He quickly sprang up with a beaming smile. “Going hunting? When will you be back? Save a pound of good meat for your uncle? I’ll trade you at a rate of one and a half times the points.”

After the great evolution, human bones toughened and muscles strengthened. An extremely rare few evolved far beyond the norm, becoming Evolvers.

Evolvers gained access to better resources than ordinary people, who still struggled at the edge of survival.

Xia Qing is a four-times strength-type Evolver—in other words, her power is four times that of a normal post-evolution human. That might not be much compared to other Evolvers, but it’s enough to stir envy, fear and flattery among regular folk.

Evolver Xia Qing usually kept her face cold and silent to avoid situations like this.

But soon, she wouldn’t have to deal with any of it.

“Not hunting. I’m leaving the safe zone.” Xia Qing managed a smile, though it came out stiff from years of not using those muscles. To Old Zhong, it made her look downright frightening.

The ruined skin around his eye stretched, making his eyeball bulge as he stammered, “Are the evolver beasts coming again? Is the base about to fall? Didn’t they just announce yesterday that the dangerous beasts had been driven hundreds of miles away? Is another beast tide coming?”

The four workers following behind, hauling stones, were so startled by Old Zhong’s words that they dropped their loads. A massive stone nearly crashed down onto one of the men.

Xia Qing reacted instantly, grabbing the stone and setting it firmly on the ground. Dusting herself off, she explained, “No—I’m going to farm.”

Farm? Farm!

The radio had been squawking about this for days. Yet after clawing their way through ten years of apocalypse, everyone clung to life too tightly to volunteer. Rumors ran wild in the safe zone—that if no one stepped up to farm outside, ordinary people would be forced out to die next.

No one expected it would actually happen—much less that an Evolver would be the one.

Old Zhong hurried after Xia Qing, shouting, “Farming’s great! Don’t you remember my eldest son, Zhong Tao? He’s with the convoy. I’ll let him know—if you ever need help, find your brother Tao. He’ll take care of you.”

Old Zhong’s son, Zhong Tao, served with the Hui San Base’s military convoy—a team leader, no less. That was how the Zhong family got by so well in the safe zone, and the real reason Xia Qing spoke to Old Zhong today.

Xia Qing smiled. “Good, I’ll definitely trouble Brother Tao for help moving grain and game back in exchange for supplies.”

Old Zhong grinned until his pitted face practically bounced. “That’s his job, not a bother—no trouble at all. Which plot did you pick?”

“I haven’t picked yet—I’m on my way now.” Target met, Xia Qing wasted no time. She hurried to the task hall, weaving past crowds gawking at the electronic land registry and went straight to the service desk.

“Hey! You have no sense of order? Don’t you know how lines work?” A few people under the announcement board were irritated to see Xia Qing in first place. Rolling up their sleeves, they stormed over.

Xia Qing turned. The group froze when they saw her green badge.

She said simply, “If you want land, get in line.”

It was land distribution day, which explained the crowd of onlookers. Although these people hadn’t decided on a plot, they lined up obediently behind Xia Qing.

The two soldiers on duty, seeing no trouble, lowered their guns and returned to station.

Once a line formed, others rushed over from the board. Even those hesitant before hurried to take a spot—just in case.

The commotion drew attention from inside the hall. A woman wearing a green badge, two long scars on her face, came over and greeted Xia Qing. “You here to farm?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Sister Xu, you here for a mission?”

After her father’s death, Xia Qing had often joined the Dongyang Squad for missions. Xu Juan, always warmhearted, had come to treat Xia Qing like family.

Xu Juan glanced around, then leaned in to whisper—making sure no hearing-evolved were close. “Did you offend someone? Why not join us in Dongyang Squad?”

After all, which Evolver would willingly leave the safety of the base just for the fun of it? You only went out to farm if you couldn’t survive inside anymore.

Xia Qing shook her head. “No, I like it this way.”

But even if it’s her preference, why throw herself into danger?

Before Xu Juan could press, a screech of brakes and sharp clack of dress shoes rang out from outside. Ten years after the disaster, only a handful still wore patent leather in the safe zone. Xu Juan turned to see an impossibly fashionable woman enter—body-hugging leather, immaculately clean, exuding charm. She strode straight toward them.

This was Tang Lu—niece of Tang Zhengrong, the number-two at Hui San Base, daughter of Tang Sufeng, top dog of the Sufeng Squad. The most notorious woman in the safe zone; anyone unlucky enough to cross her, regretted it. Xu Juan used to be on her bad side, and now avoided her at all costs.

Xia Qing’s lips moved briefly. Barely audible, she said, “Sister Xu, go ahead and get busy. Let’s catch up sometime.”

Xu Juan nodded and hurried back to her squad.

The sharp click of Tang Lu’s heels echoed through the hall, drawing stares—everyone curious which poor soul she’d picked for drama this time.

Tang Lu, flashing her ordinary citizen’s yellow badge, looked bored as she marched up to the desk. Chin lifted, eyes narrowed, she inspected the green badge hanging on Xia Qing’s chest.

Xia Qing met her gaze for a moment, then quietly stepped back.

“Hmph.” Satisfied, Tang Lu swept into the first spot, waved her perfumed handkerchief dramatically in front of her face and sneered, “What’s that stink? Killing me. Don’t people wash around here?”

After nuclear pollution and half a year of acid rain, only purified water was safe to drink on Blue Star—and cleaning up was a luxury. You needed points just to buy bath water. For ordinary people, eating and drinking was enough of a struggle. Who could afford to waste life-saving points on a shower?

As an Evolver, Xia Qing could at least manage a rough scrub once a week. But today, she’d made herself extra dirty on purpose. She might still look pretty under the grime—even with her face smeared dark red—but it was best if the infamously jealous Tang Lu didn’t remember her. Even more important, she couldn’t let Tang Zhengrong or Tang Sufeng get a good look at her.