Chen Yi Awakens
"Chen Yi… your mental barrier has been lifted. Do you want to wake up now?"
Hope's soft, patient voice echoed after a long pause.
"Wait a moment, Hope," Chen Yi replied, sitting up. "Besides increasing my attributes and teaching me auxiliary skills, does this artifact have any other special functions?"
"I'm just an auxiliary artifact. These are my only functions."
Chen Yi smiled, unbothered. I thought it would be one of those system-like things from novels—granting immortality, revealing ultimate cultivation paths, or bestowing powers beyond imagination. But even as a simple auxiliary tool, being able to start over in a new life… I'm satisfied.
"Alright, let's wake up, then."
"Okay. If you need me, just call me silently in your heart."
Call.
Chen Yi opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The lights were off, the curtains drawn. Absolute darkness surrounded him, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioner.
The air carried two subtle fragrances—one the scent of a young girl, the other refreshingly clean. The cool breeze stirred his senses, clearing the fog of his mind.
"Huh? What's this?"
Something soft and bouncy pressed against him. Chen Yi pinched it with his stiff fingers—and immediately realized something was wrong.
Wow.
A faint moan whispered in his ears. He felt a small, delicate body pressed against him, wrapping around him.
Why… is there a woman on my bed? Is this body… married? I'm only sixteen!
Chen Yi froze for a few seconds, then snapped out of it and gently pushed the woman away.
"Brother… are you awake?"
The girl blinked, coming to her senses, and sheepishly reached out to press the light switch.
This… must be my sister, Chen Yi guessed. After all, this body is sixteen. That fits.
He covered his eyes, adjusting to the sudden brightness.
"Brother, are you okay? The doctor said you're fine, so I brought you home to rest."
The girl leaned close on the bed, concern in her eyes.
"It's fine," Chen Yi replied, sitting up and squinting at his surroundings.
The bedroom was elegantly decorated: a dressing table, a computer desk, two wardrobes, a tea set, and a pink cradle swing by the window. Everything was painted in light pink and white, with an obvious sense of wealth.
The girl lying near the bed slowly approached him. Her fair skin glowed under the soft light, wrapped in a thin sky-blue quilt. She had a delicate, clever face—a mixture of innocence and mischief.
Why does this feel so familiar?
Chen Yi studied her: the half-exposed fair skin, the slender hand reaching for him, the pair of crystal-clear legs, and her sparkling eyes filled with joy.
Her small lips curled in a mischievous smile, revealing just a hint of her tiny, gleaming canine teeth.
The girl in the movie… the one who adores her brother… this is real?
Everything from the movie had actually existed—and now he was living it.
"Ah!"
The girl noticed Chen Yi's dazed expression and reached out to touch his forehead gently.
"Brother… your forehead is so hot! You must have a fever. Let's go to the doctor before the nearby clinic closes!"
Tearing off the cool quilt in haste, she scrambled to grab clothes from the bedside table and dressed quickly.
Meow? Chen Yi mused silently. No fever… let's calm down.
Her name was Li Miao'er, a girl whose adoptive mother had once kept a cat. Her adoptive father was allergic, so the cat had to be sent away. To commemorate it, her mother named her daughter Meower—Li Miao'er. She was Chen Yi's younger sister by one year.
"Brother! Your forehead is so hot—how could you not have a fever?" Li Miao'er complained, now wearing a small vest patterned with a mecha battle girl and black shorts. She reached out her small hand, her cute cheeks tinged pink.
Chen Yi looked down. He was wearing only shorts, patches of blush on his fair, attractive skin.
She wouldn't… do anything excessive, right?
Her rose-like imprint still lingered. She might take advantage a little—but nothing extreme.
"Meow… open the window for some ventilation. I just had a nightmare. I'll be fine after a short rest."
Chen Yi lay back against the headboard, inhaling the cool breeze. The whirlwind of recent events had left him tense. A brief rest was necessary to regain composure.
Hope, he thought silently. Scan Li Miao'er's information.
Name: Li Miao'er
Age: 15
Constitution: 17
Spirit: 15
Charm: 93
Favorability: 100/100
Women really are respected in this world… my younger sister is stronger than me already. No wonder men only marry women here, Chen Yi mused.
"Brother! It's raining red outside!" Li Miao'er exclaimed, pressing against the window.
"Don't touch it—this red rain is seriously polluted!" Chen Yi said, quickly putting on his trousers and white shirt. He rushed to the window.
No factories… no heavy metals… why is the rain red?
"The rain smells… fishy. Like blood," Li Miao'er whispered, clinging to his arm, rubbing softly against him.
This is no ordinary rain. Something bad is coming.
Chen Yi's gaze sharpened as he stared at the scarlet downpour. He barely noticed Li Miao'er's soft presence pressed against him.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Heavy raindrops slammed the roof, flowing down the eaves. The blood-red rain created a misty haze, like a scene from a dream—or a nightmare.
People ran in the distance, their shouts barely audible through the storm. Their figures blurred and faded into the crimson mist.
Rumble.
A streak of scarlet lightning tore across the sky, followed by a deafening roar.
"Brother! I'm scared!" Li Miao'er whispered, slipping into his arms. Her jade hands gripped his back, her slender legs clinging around his waist.
"Don't be afraid… I'll protect you," Chen Yi reassured, closing the windows and drawing the curtains. Their apartment was on the top floor of Building C in Piaoxue Community, a modest five-story building. Rain leaking from the roof was a minor concern.
"Woo…" Li Miao'er sighed in contentment. Brother's body smells so good… so comfortable!
Chen Yi gently stroked her black hair. She's always been scared of thunderstorms. Summer storms… she'd run to my room, and I'd hold her, telling her warm fairy tales until she fell asleep.
"Meow… have you eaten yet?" Chen Yi asked, settling her in his lap. It was already ten-twenty in the evening.
"No… we were going to Sister Qing'er's birthday party, but you fell unconscious this afternoon. The doctor said you're fine, so I brought you home. Brother… I'm hungry."
Li Miao'er nestled against his chest, her voice soft and slightly playful.
"I'll get you something to eat… I'm a little hungry myself," Chen Yi replied, kneading her soft, elastic cheeks.
In his previous life, he often cooked for himself abroad. Though there were nannies and chefs at home, he preferred simple dishes like pasta, especially when working late in the lab.
Suddenly, a news alert caught their attention.
"Big news! Blood is falling across the world! Dozens of top scientists are warning of a doomsday scenario!"
Li Miao'er sat on Chen Yi's lap, staring at the live news broadcast, her pink lips pursed. If this is really the end of the world… I must stay close to my brother, or I won't rest in peace.
"I don't know either," Chen Yi replied thoughtfully. "Don't go outside. Just stay put for now."
There was enough food and water at home—rice, vegetables, meat, eggs, and emergency supplies, including three barrels of pure drinking water, all delivered monthly by his adoptive mother's comrades-in-arms. Survival wasn't an immediate concern.
Hope, Chen Yi thought. What's going on with this red rain?
"This is the Rain of Destruction, also called the Rain of Evolution," Hope replied. "It is a planetary self-evolution mechanism.
"Any living creature drenched in it will become a zombie within two hours, compelled only to kill. These zombies can consume each other to evolve further.
"Technological weapons and products corrode rapidly in the scarlet fog. Network signals and communications fail. Zombies are extremely dangerous in direct combat. Evacuation is strongly recommended."
"Resident Evil?" Chen Yi muttered. "Is there no antidote?"
"It can be studied," Hope replied. "But this pathogen evolves automatically. Research will never outpace evolution."
"Humans… can't evolve?" Chen Yi asked, hope flickering in his eyes.
"They can. The Rain exists to strengthen—or destroy—life, to start a new cycle of civilization. Eating an evolved zombie can grant supernatural abilities or transform you into a super soldier. But there is a risk: self-destruction or zombification."
Chen Yi's lips curved into a confident smile. Fine. I'll evolve. If zombies want to fight me, they'll give me energy spars. I'll become the strongest man on the planet!