Chapter 8 - 6: Going Home

Chapter 8: Chapter 6: Going Home

A two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. One kitchen, one bathroom. A family photo. Badminton rackets in the corner of the balcony.

Xia Yu’s gaze swept over every corner of the room. A wave of familiarity washed over her, so strong it nearly dazed her again. A sense of peace settled in her heart.

"This... this is my home."

"In this life, I will protect it with everything I have."

Taking a deep breath, Xia Yu put the groceries in the kitchen, undressed, and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Her body’s transformation had expelled a large amount of impurities, and she was covered in sweat from the earlier fight. The sticky feeling was quite uncomfortable.

「Half an hour later.」

Xia Yu changed into some loungewear, dried her hair, and began to think about her current situation and her plans for the future.

Right now, she was a senior in college. She had already arranged an internship, which was supposed to start after the winter break.

After her rebirth, she naturally wouldn’t waste her time on a corporate internship. She needed to focus on preparing for the Apocalypse, which would arrive in four months.

Weapons.

Food.

A base.

And so on.

She needed all sorts of resources.

And to get them, she needed money. Lots of money.

This was a thorny problem for someone who relied on part-time jobs and scholarships to get through school. After all, this was an era of peace. In the face of the state apparatus, everyone had to obey the law and play by the rules.

Otherwise, there would be endless trouble.

’Loan sharks?’

’Or maybe a mortgage from the bank?’

Xia Yu mulled over how to get the money. Idea after idea flashed through her mind as she considered their feasibility.

But every method had its own set of problems. The most important one was this: because of the first Mist Event, she would soon be under scrutiny. Suddenly getting her hands on so much money would undoubtedly make her more suspicious.

If she was put under surveillance, she wouldn’t be able to participate in other Mist Events without exposing herself.

That didn’t fit into her plans.

BING.

Just then, a message arrived on her phone.

"Xia Yu, want to come over to my place for a get-together the day after tomorrow? I invited a few high school classmates. Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao will be there too."

Seeing the message from her high school classmate—Chu Quan—Xia Yu’s delicate brows rose slightly. A memory surfaced in her mind: ’The day after tomorrow, late at night, a rule-based mist will appear again.’

Time: 12:00 AM sharp. Duration: 30 minutes.

Location: A detached villa in the suburbs, which was Chu Quan’s family’s second property.

Personnel: Her high school classmates. Six people in total—four men and two women.

These classmates had a decent adaptability to Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. In the thin Spiritual Energy, none of them mutated. But that didn’t mean danger wasn’t coming.

A member of the Ghost Clan would appear there.

The specific details were unknown because she hadn’t attended that party in her previous life.

In other words.

The danger was unknown!

However, Xia Yu would not miss this event for anything. The reason was simple: a rule-based resource would appear there—a Servant Spirit Species.

By using it, one could choose a living being to become their Spirit Servant.

A so-called Spirit Servant was an intelligent, combat-capable living being that unconditionally obeyed its master’s commands, its life and death held in its master’s hands.

Of course, if a Spirit Servant’s Spiritual Ability Realm and soul strength completely surpassed its master’s, it could break free from their control.

"Okay."

Xia Yu replied with a single word.

Chu Quan: You’re as stingy with your words as ever, haha (^_−)☆

Xia Yu didn’t reply.

Chu Quan: Here’s my address (*￣rǒ￣)

Xia Yu didn’t even glance at her phone. Her mind was racing with a thought: ’If I could control a rich person, and if that rich person could also become a Spiritual Ability User in the future, that would be perfect.’

He could help her get all the resources she wanted before the Apocalypse, and then become her enforcer after it began.

Just as she was considering who to control, the door opened.

A fair-skinned, sunny young man in a school uniform appeared in her line of sight.

In that instant.

Even Xia Yu, with her resilient mindset, her mental preparation, and her constant self-reminders to always be cautious, was momentarily lost in a daze.

And it was only at this moment, seeing her living, breathing brother appear before her, that she truly believed she had been reborn.

Her brother hadn’t been taken by ’It’!

Everything was starting over!

"Little Tian."

Xia Yu’s eyes grew moist. If she didn’t struggle to control herself, tears would have surely streamed down her face, and once she started crying in a situation like this, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

"Sis, here are the clothes you asked me to buy."

"Didn’t you just buy one last month? Why buy another? It’s peak season now; down jackets are really expensive."

Xia Tian didn’t notice his sister’s strange behavior. He spoke as he changed his shoes, raising the bag in his hand.

"Huh?"

Xia Yu’s gaze fell on the bag. She quickly wiped her tears, took a deep breath to steady her emotions, and said, "Oh, that. I gave my old down jacket away."

"Gave it away?"

Xia Tian frowned, completely puzzled.

His pale face was enough to make one’s heart ache.

Even though Xia Tian was in high school—an age when he should be young and healthy—he had actually been frail and sickly since childhood. Because of this, his parents had always doted on him. But he was very sensible, always maintaining a positive attitude and facing life with a smile.

He gave off a sunny vibe, both inside and out.

"That’s right."

Xia Yu gave a rare, sweet smile that seemed capable of melting ice and snow. "I met a girl who was wearing very thin clothes in the dead of winter, shivering from the cold. I went up and asked, and it turns out her family is very poor."

"I asked her what she wanted, with the New Year coming up."

"She said she wanted a new set of clothes, a thick one, so she wouldn’t freeze when she went outside."

She knew her brother’s personality; this lie would definitely fool him.

And sure enough.

"So you gave her your down jacket? But your jacket wasn’t new, was it? And wouldn’t it be too big for her?"

Xia Tian grumbled.

"What do you mean, not new? Your big sis here only wore it for a few days! And what’s this about it being too big? It’s long enough to cover her knees, which will keep her warmer."

Xia Yu waved her hand dismissively and said domineeringly, "Enough with the nonsense. Stop with all the questions. I ask you to buy some clothes, and you make such a big deal out of it. Are you interrogating a suspect?"

She had thought their reunion would be tender, maybe even a little awkward, but she had slipped back into their usual sibling dynamic with surprising ease.

It was very comfortable.

Xia Tian said, "Sis, it’s not easy for you to earn money. This down jacket costs several hundred yuan. You can’t just be overly generous like this in the future."

’Overly generous?’

Hearing this, Xia Yu found it amusing.

She had killed countless people with her own hands. She was an out-and-out she-devil. And someone was actually calling her overly generous?

"I know, I know. You’re so annoying."

"Hurry up, wash your hands, and make dinner. I’m starving."

she urged, pretending to be impatient.

Xia Tian gave a helpless smile and didn’t say anything more. Instead, he neatly put away his sister’s carelessly placed boots, then noticed they were exceptionally clean. He couldn’t help but ask, "Sis, didn’t I just clean these boots for you yesterday?"

"Did you clean them again? Since when did you become so diligent?"

He was the one who did all the chores. His sister had told him that doing housework was good exercise and would earn him points with girls, so he wouldn’t have to worry about finding a wife in the future.

Heh.

His sister really knew what to say.

"Feeling bold now that your wings have grown, huh? Mind your own business and go make dinner."

Xia Yu knew Xia Tian was smart and didn’t want to keep making up lies, or she’d easily be exposed. So she decided to act like a rogue, arrogantly striding forward and grabbing his ear. "Or should I drag you there?" she asked.

"Okay, okay, okay! Let go first."

Xia Tian hurriedly begged for mercy.