Jiang Chen didn't want to remember much about what had happened in the sewer that day.
All he remembered was that he threw up—violently and repeatedly.
Yao Yao had been there the whole time, gently patting his back, helping him out of his soiled clothes. Though it was hard on her too, she'd lived through enough of the apocalypse to not be unfamiliar with death.
Later, Jiang Chen had fired a bullet into a gas tank in the room.
As he watched the flames consume that filth, he didn't say another word.
Holding a trembling Yao Yao by the hand, they walked over the bodies and left that horrific place behind.
Sun Jiao's wounds had already stopped bleeding. By the time Jiang Chen returned, she was even able to walk.
She had taken three bullets to the abdomen and one to the shoulder. When she told Jiang Chen she had dug them out herself, he was more shocked than anything else.
This strong woman always did things that defied his understanding.
That night, back at the villa, Jiang Chen got drunk—almost finishing every last bottle of beer they had.
Sun Jiao had gone to bed early because of her injuries.
It was Yao Yao who stayed by Jiang Chen's side, helped him change into clean clothes, and guided him to bed.
She was sensible beyond her years. Though she was hurting too, the trauma of what they had seen nearly breaking her spirit, she knew Jiang Chen needed comfort more than she did.
That kind man... he still seemed like someone who'd just come out of a shelter.
Yao Yao remembered the first time she saw a pile of corpses—she'd fainted instantly. But when she realized that death was common even within survivor bases, she slowly grew numb.
Kindness was a luxury. To waste it freely was simply inefficient.
That was the cold truth of the wasteland.
It was naive... but also a little endearing.
She had heard of cannibals before—hiding in shadows, lurking in filthy sewers, worshipping deranged and perverse beliefs, and devouring human flesh without shame.
They were enemies of all human factions, despised even by mutant extremists. Even the Sixth District, which prided itself on freedom, had explicitly forbidden their presence.
Placing a damp towel on Jiang Chen's forehead, Yao Yao gazed at him with quiet concern, then turned and gently closed the door behind her.
"Is he asleep?"
Yao Yao was startled. Sun Jiao was awake, standing at the doorway in just her thin undergarments, her expression complicated.
"Mm... didn't you go to sleep?" Yao Yao asked quietly, puzzled.
"Couldn't fall asleep... never mind. If he's resting, I'll talk to him tomorrow."
Sun Jiao gave a bitter smile, scratched her messy hair, and turned to go back to her room.
"Are... your wounds any better?" Yao Yao gathered her courage and asked, noticing the bandages around Sun Jiao's waist.
"It's nothing serious. I've always been pretty confident in my recovery abilities," Sun Jiao replied with a faint but tired smile, waving it off.
"By the way..."
"Hm?" Yao Yao turned back, curious.
"...Thank you."
Yao Yao couldn't see Sun Jiao's expression in the shadows. She had already gone back into her room.
Yao Yao blinked, then smiled behind her hand.
Honestly, she had never been great at dealing with this bossy "mistress."
But now... she thought she was actually a pretty good person.
The Next Morning
Jiang Chen sat up in bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes. The sunlight outside was dazzling, making him squint.
Had the radiation clouds finally dispersed? It seemed like the weather was getting warmer—after all, it was midsummer.
The door creaked open and Yao Yao's petite frame slipped into the room.
"Um... time to wash your face," she said softly, placing a basin on the bedside table.
Seeing her cute, serious face, a gentle smile tugged at Jiang Chen's stiff features. He reached out and ruffled her fluffy hair.
"No need, I can do it myself. By the way, what time is it?"
"It's nine o'clock... but let me do it, okay?"
Yao Yao wrung out the towel and began gently wiping his face.
The sensation was so comforting that Jiang Chen didn't protest and let her care for him quietly.
"Feeling better?"
"Much better. Yao Yao, you're such a good girl."
His body still ached slightly, but it no longer restricted his movement.
"Hehe." Yao Yao gave a soft, fuzzy smile, pleased by the praise.
"You... feeling better?" Sun Jiao's voice came from the door. She looked worried but tried to keep it hidden.
"I'm fine now. What about your injuries?"
"I'll live... but there's something I need to explain to you."
Sun Jiao's face grew serious, prompting Jiang Chen to mirror her expression.
She might have been playful most of the time, but when it came to important matters, she was never careless.
But just as the air turned tense, she suddenly smiled and turned around.
"Let's eat breakfast first."
Breakfast was bountiful—at least by post-apocalyptic standards.
Bread and tomato paste.
Strangely, the tomato paste made Jiang Chen feel nauseated.
Sun Jiao noticed his discomfort and, with a sigh, removed the bottle from the table.
Normally a glutton, even she had no appetite this time.
It wasn't the cannibals that bothered her—she had seen worse.
What worried her was Jiang Chen. That had been his first real look at the apocalypse's horrors.
And she knew that what he saw... was only the tip of the iceberg.
"I… need to head out for a bit later. Might be gone for a month. We're running low on food."
He made up an excuse—explaining his true reason (dimensional travel) would be too complicated.
"Come back soon," Sun Jiao said softly, after hesitating for a moment.
"Let's eat together."
Jiang Chen forced a smile. He knew he must look terrible, but couldn't bring himself to act any stronger.
It wasn't just his body—his spirit was exhausted.
As they ate, Sun Jiao began explaining what had happened to Jiang Chen's body the day before.
Genetic enhancement serums, in theory, worked by lightly modifying the DNA of new cells to enhance muscle strength, bone density, neural reflexes—everything essential for survival.
If Jiang Chen were to open his EP (Environmental Processor) now, he'd see the changes in his physical stats over the past few days.
User: Jiang Chen
Physical Status:
Muscle Strength: 24
Bone Density: 25
Neural Reflex: 28
Cerebral Activity: 14
...
All three base stats had nearly doubled. By modern standards, calling Jiang Chen a "superhuman" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Yesterday… because of the rage you felt, you entered a berserk state."
Sun Jiao's cheeks turned slightly red at the thought that it had been for her he'd gotten so angry.
But she quickly composed herself and continued,
"Normally, the serum only enhances the three primary stats. But because it involves DNA modification, unpredictable mutations can happen... Some people, reportedly, even grew a second head."
"What the hell?! You gave me something that dangerous?"
Jiang Chen was so startled he dropped his bread.
"The odds are tiny—basically negligible."
Sun Jiao scratched her head, clearly a little embarrassed, but not about to admit fault. Instead, she changed the subject.
"Anyway, some people get beneficial mutations—useful abilities. Like me. I gained something called Tenacity."
She stood up and unbuttoned her shirt slightly.
"Cough! What are you—uh?"
Jiang Chen was flustered at first, but then froze in shock as he saw her slender waist.
"Your wounds…"
The tanned skin only bore three faint white marks—freshly healed scars. After a few days in the sun, even those might disappear completely.
"Tenacity," Sun Jiao explained, "basically allows accelerated cell regeneration when suffering non-lethal wounds. It heals you rapidly, but leaves you weak afterward. Using it too often can even lead to sudden death."
Sudden death.
The words made Jiang Chen swallow hard.
"Your ability is the same. You need to remember—this kind of life-force-burning skill shouldn't be overused. According to your EP, it's called Berserk, right?"
"Right." Jiang Chen nodded.
He'd already seen the new entry in the special abilities section of his EP: [Special Trait: Berserk].
"According to clinical reports, those who acquire it will undergo abnormal cellular activity when under extreme emotional stress. The body becomes stronger and faster. The exact effects differ from person to person. You can pull up your usage log to understand it better."
Jiang Chen blinked—he hadn't even known that was a thing.
Following Sun Jiao's guidance, he brought up the data:
Hidden Gene Code:
Berserk
Muscle Strength: +20
Reflexes: +19
Brain Activity: +17
Special Effect: Instinctive Slaughter – able to detect the location of a heart through any of the five senses.
Max Duration: 30 minutes
"It increases brain activity too? Makes me smarter?"
Jiang Chen was amazed.
"Let me remind you," Sun Jiao sighed, noticing his reaction,
"This ability comes with a price."
"Right…"
He remembered how he had blacked out—only waking up later in Yao Yao's lap.
"If you use it in a safe environment, it's fine. But in combat, there are too many unpredictable variables. If you go berserk and don't finish off the enemy before it ends… you're as good as dead."
Jiang Chen broke out in a cold sweat.
If Yao Yao hadn't arrived when she did yesterday, he might already be a headless corpse—or not even have a body left.
"But no need to panic. These abilities can usually be controlled. With the right medicine, you can trigger or suppress the ability at will. Over time, with training, you can learn to activate and end it with your own will. Like me—I don't need the drugs anymore."
She handed him two color-coded plastic tubes.
"Insert these into the empty slot in your EP. Match the colors, don't mess it up. When you need to go berserk, just press the button. The serum will be injected through the EP's nano-needle.
But seriously… don't rely on it too much."
"Got it." Jiang Chen nodded solemnly.
After breakfast, Jiang Chen finished packing. His bag looked loosely packed but felt heavy—it was full of several kilograms of gold.
Sun Jiao and Yao Yao stood in the living room to see him off.
Even though Jiang Chen insisted he'd be back soon, they still insisted on a proper goodbye.
He hugged Sun Jiao's hot, curvy body tightly. She pulled him into a passionate kiss—fiery and wet, something he would never tire of.
"All the food's in the freezer. Should be enough for six months. Eat the fresh veggies first. Go easy on the canned stuff."
"Okay, okay, can't you say something romantic instead?"
Sun Jiao rolled her eyes, but her beautiful eyes shimmered with affection.
After letting go of her, Jiang Chen gave Yao Yao a gentle hug.
"Take care of yourself. When I get back, I hope I'll see a cute Yao Yao waiting for me."
"Mm!"
She nodded hard. Jiang Chen smiled as he felt the little bump of her chin pressing into his shoulder.
"You… you have to come back."
Yao Yao bit her lip, gazing into his eyes with a pleading look.
Jiang Chen froze for a second, then smiled warmly to reassure her.
"Of course."
He reached out and patted her head. Just as he turned to leave, he felt a tug at his waist.
Confused, he looked down—Yao Yao was still holding onto him. Before he could ask what was wrong—
Her lips touched his.
A soft, fragrant kiss—light as a butterfly. She quickly turned red and ran away.
Stunned, Jiang Chen touched his lips... and noticed the killer look from Sun Jiao.
"This... this wasn't my fault!"
Watching Jiang Chen stammer and panic, Sun Jiao sighed, then pulled him into another embrace.
She whispered into his ear,
"No need to say anything... just come back soon."
"I will."
Jiang Chen opened his mouth to say more, but in the end, all he left behind was a simple promise.
As he walked away, Sun Jiao stood in the doorway, her expression unreadable.
Women were sensitive creatures.
She had a hunch—Jiang Chen came from a place much like the pre-war nations.
Only in a world with order would gold hold any real value. But as far as she knew, nowhere in this world still used gold as currency.
Would he ever return to this world?
She didn't know.
In the past, she might've tried to bind him to her side. That was how most people in the apocalypse treated things they liked.
But she didn't do that.
From the very beginning, she had seen something in his eyes—a kind of fearlessness.
Even when tied to a chair with a gun to his head, he had been scared—but not terrified.
All that nonsense about "allies" and "organizations" had been fake.
She didn't know what his real trump card was.
But it wasn't courage. It was security. He wasn't recklessly brave—he was confident. She even felt that if he had wanted to leave the Sixth District that day, no one could've stopped him.
She had briefly considered hiding the gold to make him stay… but in the end, she gave up that idea.
She chose to trust him.
He won't leave me. He'll come back.
That was what she told herself.
She could have followed him secretly and uncovered his secret—but for some reason, the desire just wasn't there anymore.
Strangely enough, this was the first time since the apocalypse began that she felt something resembling trust.
Yao Yao didn't know Jiang Chen's secret.
But the clever and sensitive girl had seen a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
She didn't know what caused it—perhaps the fight with the Gray Gu mercenaries, or the psychological trauma of the cannibal camp.
But that hesitation… might be the reason he paused the bank heist and chose to leave for a while instead.
Oddly, Yao Yao was relieved.
Though unclear, she had a feeling—
If Jiang Chen had gotten the gold from the vault right now, he might not have returned for a long time.
If he disappeared… it would break her.
She didn't want that.
And so, in that final moment, she followed her heart and kissed him.
For the same reason, Sun Jiao didn't stop her—even with her strong possessiveness.
At the very least, they wanted to give him something worth coming back for.
The heavier the bond, the harder it would be to leave.