Song You’ai nodded, suddenly realizing that at some point, her daughter had become the family’s backbone.

Everyone had been on edge, but the sight of her daughter’s perpetually calm face somehow soothed their nerves.

"Grandpa, Grandma, please sit down first." Xie Ning helped the elderly couple sit down on the sofa. "You just saw the video. The situation outside is grim right now, but it’s temporarily safe here at the Song Family Pavilion."

"We haven’t heard anything from my aunt or uncle yet. But don’t worry—right now, no news is good news."

’Based on my last life, my uncle and his wife, as well as my aunt’s family, made it through the beginning of the apocalypse with some scares but no real harm.’

’It was Song Shijun, all alone in Su City, who was in grave danger.’

Song Yaoguo was calmer than his wife. "Ningning makes a good point. You shouldn’t worry so much."

"Junjun went to Su City with his teacher and classmates for a math competition. Is he in a lot of danger?" Song You’ai asked.

’He’s in extreme danger!’

Xie Ning didn’t know how to explain it to her mother and the others.

’Telling them the truth would only make them worry more.’

’The truth was, in her past life, Song Shijun had turned into a zombie. He never made it back home after the apocalypse started.’

’Xie Ning remembered it with perfect clarity. In her past life, it wasn’t until the fifth year of the apocalypse that she went on a mission to Su City with her team.’

’There, in an abandoned instant noodle factory, she had seen her poor brother.’

’He was just skin and bones, every rib starkly visible.’

’By then, Song Shijun had lost all consciousness, but he still stared at her, his gaze vacant.’

’His gray-white pupils were devoid of any light.’

’When the other zombies around him lunged at Xie Ning and her team, Song Shijun just stood there, watching her blankly.’

’The bright, cheerful boy she once knew was now filthy and disheveled, dressed in rags. His left hand was long gone.’

’Xie Ning had thought that after five years in the apocalypse, she had become hardened enough. But when she witnessed a teammate cut off Song Shijun’s head with her own eyes, she still broke down completely.’

’The fifth year of the apocalypse.’

’Song Shijun was gone, and Xie Ning had lost her last family member.’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’Strictly speaking, it was from that year on that Xie Ning truly transformed into an emotionless machine.’

’But now, there was still time.’

’I can’t panic. I have to do this step-by-step, in an orderly fashion.’

’I need to secure things here first, then go find Song Shijun.’

’If I stick to my current plan, everything can be salvaged.’

’I don’t want to live through the tragedies of the past again. Never again!’

"Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Mom, the Gold Ability I awakened isn’t very strong yet, but it should be enough to reinforce the courtyard without any major issues."

Song Kexin raised a small hand.

"Go ahead."

"Sis, how come you and my dad awakened superpowers, but the rest of us didn’t?" Song Kexin was in absolute shock. She had just seen her father single-handedly lift a heavy, square dining table with ease.

"Because our bodies went through a period of high fever beforehand." Xie Ning paused. "You, my mom, Grandpa, and Grandma didn’t go through that, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing."

"There’s one thing I have to make clear. Starting today, everyone except Grandpa and Grandma needs to start physical training."

"Whether you have a superpower or not, knowing how to run for your life is a skill. From now on, we’re going to run laps from the front yard to the back yard every day until we hit our limit."

The aunt-and-niece pair, Song You’ai and Song Kexin, both made wry faces, but they braced themselves and nodded. "Okay."