The edge of the safe zone was a place of abject backwardness—not just in its dilapidated streets and the crowds that lingered here, but in every aspect. Take education, the top priority of the United Government, for example.
The daily curriculum for seniors at Ju'an School consisted of tedious tales of ancient humanity's glory and outdated scientific theories. Once the key to college admissions and jobs before the apocalypse, this knowledge had become utterly worthless in today's world.
There was only one way to escape this fate: Awakening a Sequence Ability. Only with such power could everything change. Yet this backward school on the safe zone's edge offered no courses related to Sequence Abilities whatsoever.
Sequence Ability users were a rarity in this impoverished fringe. The teachers, all ordinary people, had never received relevant education—how could they teach what they didn't know?
Though Qin Siyang had no direct proof, he believed that after a decade of safe zone construction and five years of Sequence Awakening, the United Government must have established courses on Sequence Ability users. They just hadn't reached Ju'an School yet.
The lack of knowledge about the world's current system left Qin Siyang seeing no future here. Courses on Sequence Ability users weren't just for those who'd Awakened—they could benefit ordinary people too. The emergence of Sequence Ability users had undoubtedly spawned new industries and job opportunities; with the right education, ordinary graduates would have far more career options.
Ju'an School, however, had the worst resources and platform in the safe zone, leaving its students with an extremely narrow path forward: either compete for the handful of coveted college spots through the entrance exam, or get incredibly lucky and Awaken a Sequence Ability.
Over the past five years, luck had never smiled on Ju'an's students. Their only hope was to get into the colleges set up by the United Government for ordinary people, then land a clerical job in the government after graduation.
But based on past school performance, Qin Siyang—currently ranking around 100th in his grade—was a world away from meeting those standards. His past life as a corporate drone had taught him a lesson: don't waste energy on futile efforts. Sometimes, it's better to lay low and not torment yourself.
Qin Siyang bided his time, waiting only for lunch and dinner to grab extra portions from the cafeteria to last the weekend. Having skipped all his homework, he was scolded by every teacher. Li Jingwen and her girlfriends shared the same fate—they'd always copied Li Jingwen's homework, which Qin Siyang had done for her. By cutting off his "yes-man" services, Qin Siyang had broken an entire chain of dependency.
All day, Li Jingwen shot him resentful glances, but Qin Siyang ignored them. Her girlfriends, who'd also benefited from his compliance—getting him to buy things or fetch meals—were busy brainstorming ways to fix the situation.
"Jingwen, don't worry. Qin Siyang must have had something happen to put him in a bad mood," one girlfriend said.
"Yeah, he's been spacing out all day. He might have been traumatized by something."
Li Jingwen looked anxious: "Then what do we do? I told Zhou Yang I was sick and couldn't finish my homework when we planned to check answers today, but he said I didn't look sick at all. You know my grades—I can't do homework on my own."
"Zhou Yang's uncle Awakened a Sequence Ability a few days ago! If I can get together with Zhou Yang, I can help all of you too!"
Her girlfriends' expressions shifted instantly: "For your happiness, we have to think of something!" Their eagerness satisfied Li Jingwen. She'd been the first to hear about Zhou Yang's uncle's Awakening, convincing herself her relationship with Zhou Yang was already intimate. Still, Qin Siyang's sudden change of heart annoyed her.
Spurred on by Li Jingwen's words, her girlfriends grew even more determined to devise a plan—they were counting on her to climb the social ladder so they could ride her coattails.
"Jingwen, here's what you do. After school, stop him and say..."
When school ended, Qin Siyang left his books on his desk—his schoolbag was stuffed full of food. He'd been shamelessly greedy at the cafeteria that day, and Aunt Zhang had let him take as much as he wanted without scolding him. Now he had enough for three meals a day plus midnight snacks over the weekend.
His plan was to sleep near the safe zone exit with his food-filled bag over the weekend. As soon as a Sequence Ability hunting team returned, he'd seize the chance to test his God-Eater Sequence—sneak a bite of god flesh and see if it made him stronger. If it worked, he could keep hunting gods outside the safe zone, growing stronger until he became invincible, then return to dominate the safe zone.
Just as he left the school, feeling elated, Li Jingwen suddenly appeared andblocked his path. Qin Siyang frowned, confused.
Li Jingwen put on a charming expression: "Qin Siyang, I've been reflecting on myself today, listening to my heart. The truth is, I do have feelings for you. It's just that we're still young..."
"Get out of my way."
Qin Siyang cut her off coldly, stepping around her as if avoiding dog poop. Li Jingwen stood frozen in place, stunned. She'd swallowed her pride to apologize—never expecting such a response. Had Qin Siyang really changed?
She stood there for a long time before leaving dejectedly. Back home, Qin Siyang took a cold shower and went to bed. He'd originally planned to head to the safe zone exit that night, but exhaustion from a poor night's sleep made him change his mind. He'd rest well and leave early the next morning. Sleep first.
The next morning, an alarm clock woke him—Saturday had arrived. He pulled back the curtain; outside was still pitch black, but it was already seven o'clock. After a quick breakfast, he got ready to leave. He glanced at the calendar:
[Blue Star Era 2010, January 2nd]
[Gregorian calendar: Saturday]
[Lunar calendar: Year of the Ox (Jichou), 18th day of the 11th lunar month. Suitable for burials.]
"Suitable for burials? Guess today's lunar luck doesn't apply to me."
Without the sun, temperatures outside the safe zone plummeted to bitter lows. Qin Siyang put on several thick layers of clothes and set off with his food-stuffed schoolbag.
The safe zone had many exits; the nearest one was just a ten-minute walk from his home. But it was small, with few gods outside—hunting teams rarely used it. Fewer teams meant fewer chances for him. So Qin Siyang decided to head to the largest exit nearby: Exit 114514.
In the safe zone, only larger exits had numbers—for Sequence Ability users to coordinate and locate hunting parties. The smaller the number, the more gods lurked outside, attracting more hunting teams. Exit 114514 was fairly low-numbered, but it was better than no number at all—there would be Sequence Ability users here.
None of this was taught at school or in textbooks. Qin Siyang had learned it from a popular science post on Godslayer Camp during his half-hour internet session the previous day. He chuckled softly: "The apocalypse really changes things. Going to school is worse than surfing the web."
"Still, the internet's too expensive and doesn't include meals. School's free and gives two meals a day. If only we could combine the best of both." He thought for a moment, then added: "Well, I should still thank the United Government's tuition and meal waiver policy."
The walk to Exit 114514 took over two hours, but Qin Siyang was full of energy—this exit held the hope of escaping his current fate. Along the way, he passed nothing but dilapidated, mostly collapsed houses. The road, untended for years, was covered in gravel and dust. He clambered over fallen buildings and rocks, panting heavily by the time he neared his destination.
The journey was long, but he saw few living people. The occasional passerby hurried by, not a local resident. Four years earlier, several panes of anti-aircraft glass here had suddenly shattered—glass that served as the only barrier keeping gods out of the safe zone. With the barrier broken, residents lost their only protection. Countless gods poured in, attacking the area.
To contain the crisis, the United Government hastily dispatched a Sequence Ability army to eliminate or drive off the invading gods, then sent engineers to repair the glass. Luckily, the response was timely—no giant gods had entered, or the consequences would have been catastrophic. Still, the attack caused heavy losses: residents either died or fled. The government repaired the defense工事 but never rebuilt the streets or houses. Once a place was deemed unsafe, people would never trust it again—even with restored infrastructure, no one would move back. The government had wisely chosen not to waste its efforts.
The lack of people put Qin Siyang at ease—no one would steal the food in his bag. Most graduates from Ju'an School couldn't find a decent job, making public security poor here. For Qin Siyang, an empty street was far safer than a crowded one.
Finally, he spotted a two-meter-tall blue sign, painted white with the words "Safe Zone Exit 114514." "I'm here at last."
He tried to approach, but the exit was surrounded by a dense crowd. To see what was happening, he climbed a small mound for a better view. His eyes first fell on the protective gate—his first time seeing a numbered exit gate. Seven to eight meters wide and three to four meters tall, it was made of a special alloy, looking incredibly sturdy. The gate's anti-aircraft glass had so many layers that he couldn't see outside at all.
In front of the gate stood over a dozen people wearing transparent helmets and orange-and-white striped cold-proof suits. A single cold-proof suit cost over two silver coins—an astronomical sum in Qin Siyang's world, affordable only to Sequence Ability users.
Since the United Government's establishment, currency had been standardized into copper, silver, and gold coins (not actual precious metals, but alloys, to meet the needs of safe zones worldwide). Copper coins were the cheapest—low-cost to produce and mixed with various impurities. Generally, 10,000 copper coins equaled one silver coin, and 1,000 silver coins equaled one gold coin. But due to shoddy copper coin production and varying impurity ratios across mints, it often took 12,000 copper coins to exchange for one silver coin. For Qin Siyang, a silver coin was as unattainable as tens of millions of yuan in his previous life.
These must be the Sequence Ability users gathered here. They were in the minority, though—alongside them were over a thousand ordinary people, wrapped tightly against the cold. Qin Siyang was confused—he'd thought only Sequence Ability users gathered at exits.
Just then, two Sequence Ability users removed their helmets, seemingly returning from a hunt. Hundreds of ordinary people swarmed around them at once.
"Officers, won't you rest a while? We have top-notch foot massages!"
"Officers, I have exquisite dishes ready!"
"I have a luxury apartment for you to stay in for free—just take a few photos with me!"
"Officer, my daughter is unmarried! She saw how heroic you are and swore she'd only marry you!"
"Officer, do you want a wife? If you already have one, I'll be your concubine—no title needed!"
The crowd surged forward but tacitly kept a meter's distance from the two Sequence Ability users. They seemed accustomed to the spectacle, hurrying off after choosing a high-end restaurant and a comfortable hotel. The owners of the chosen establishments beamed with excitement.
Qin Siyang watched, dumbfounded. He knew Sequence Ability users were revered in this world, but he'd never imagined such adulation. Ordinary people hoped to latch onto a Sequence Ability user to escape their miserable lives and move to a better area—desperate to climb the social ladder, even if it was almost impossible.
This filled Qin Siyang with gratitude for his second chance—and strengthened his resolve. "Heaven has given me an opportunity. I must seize it."
He tried to push through the crowd to get closer to the remaining Sequence Ability users, but someone shoved him aside. "Get to the back of the line, kid! Stop cutting!"
"I'm not here for the Sequence Ability users. I won't steal your chances," Qin Siyang said. He only wanted to check for discarded god remains, not curry favor with the users. But no one believed him.
At his words, the crowd laughed. "Nice try—everyone says that when they cut in line."
Left with no choice, Qin Siyang waited at the outer edge. The protective gate opened and closed repeatedly, with Sequence Ability users coming and going. Gradually, the crowd thinned. By evening, he'd finally moved closer to the front.
Unlike the others, though, he paid no attention to the returning Sequence Ability users—only to where they took their god remains. They handed the remains to inspectors for verification; to Qin Siyang's surprise, all the remains were round. In the end, the inspectors took all the round remains—he didn't get a single scrap.
Just as he was about to give up for the day, another team returned. One Sequence Ability user checked his loot, then tossed an ear covered in wriggling worms onto the ground. "Must have gotten stuck in my bag during the fight. Ruined my bag," he complained.
Qin Siyang's eyes lit up. He planned to sneak over and grab it when no one was looking—only for a cleaner to sweep the ear into a dustpan and walk away. What the hell?! Did the cleaner just steal his chance?
Unwilling to give up, he followed the cleaner away from the exit. The cleaner, unaware anyone was interested in his trash, dumped the ear into a dirty garbage can at a street corner and left. Qin Siyang waited until he was out of sight, then hurried over. As he was about to open the can, a uniformed officer approached, glanced at the god remains inside, and jotted something down in a notebook.
Qin Siyang frowned: "Do they even record god remains in garbage cans? Is this even trash?" The officer paid no further attention, walking away after finishing his notes.
As soon as he was gone, Qin Siyang rushed over. Lifting the garbage can lid, a strong stench of blood hit him. But when he saw what was inside, he froze—there were dozens of god remains!
Qin Siyang's eyes widened, his heart pounding wildly. "This is... a feast fit for a glutton?!"