Cold wind blew silently. A woman's thin body was shaking and looked like it would fall any second, but her feet stood firmly like they were rooted in the ground.
She instinctively waved out green light screens. They exploded among the dense crowd of zombies, blooming into bright sparks.
The cold wind carried the strong smell of blood and rot. Her eyes were numb and empty, her face pale to the extreme, and her legs wobbled uncontrollably. Her whole body was on the edge of breaking.
Her protective suit, its original color no longer visible, was soaked with large patches of black, giving off a disgusting stench.
Below the cold, black wall were scattered broken limbs. Black blood flowed like rivers, and the ground looked like a scorched wasteland where nothing could grow.
She stood alone on a high spot. The wind lifted her black hair. Her figure looked so thin it made people's hearts ache.
Suddenly, nine bolts of thunder slithered down from the foggy sky, exploding among the sea of zombies and stirring up a huge wave. Black blood mixed with pieces of flesh shot out and flew farther away.
As a familiar figure was blown away by the shockwave and started coughing up blood, her eyes turned red, her teeth clenched, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Despair rushed to her chest again and again. She held back her tears and looked back once. Blood spread at the corner of her lips. She didn't even get to say goodbye to her family and friends.
She glanced around again. Her numb mind gradually became clear.
So, the people she had been looking for had all died protecting the city.
As the last ray of sunlight disappeared from the horizon, she finally stepped forward firmly and took a deep breath.
"Little Yuu, looks like we won't make it..."
She gently touched the peony flower on her wrist. Her blood-red eyes held a deep determination.
"Sylvie lives, Little Yuu lives. Sylvie dies, Little Yuu will never live alone!"
A childish voice sounded in her ear. The bright peony flower on her wrist shook side to side, brushing against her skin and bringing warmth.
She wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes and suddenly laughed out loud.
"Okay!"
Suddenly, a massive green light shot into the sky. The dim sky instantly lit up like daytime. Green vines stretched forward through the city walls, ten meters, a hundred meters, a thousand, ten thousand, until they filled the land as far as the eye could see.
She gently stroked the lush vines, her throat choked.
"Little Yuu, next life... I'll definitely..."
The last two words, "find me," stuck in her throat. She couldn't say them.
A figure dashed into the sky. "Boom!"
The dark sky bloomed into dazzling fireworks. Sparkling lights fell like stars from the sky and disappeared in a blink.
"No!"
A piercing scream tore through the silent land and shot into the clouds...
Year 3035, garbage planet.
Sylvie lay on a bed, gasping heavily, struggling to wake up, when suddenly a wave of memories that didn't belong to her rushed in, making her head throb in pain.
She didn't know how much time passed before her foggy mind slowly cleared. A strong sense of unease forced her to open her eyes.
She stared in disbelief at her now smaller hands and feet. Her brain froze.
Was the apocalypse over? Did she get a second chance?
She curiously moved her arms and legs. Her body felt stiff and didn't respond well.
Sylvie sighed and gave up struggling.
It was the perfect time for her soul and body to adjust. She could also go through the original owner's memories.
The original owner was also called Sylvie and had a water-type power. No one knew when she awakened it.
Her memories before the age of ten were like a fog, unclear and hard to remember.
Maybe something went wrong during the fusion of memories because she resisted too hard?
But memories after age ten were all the same, boring and uneventful.
The original person lived a boring life, going back and forth between the garbage site and home, like a monk.
She died in a very unlucky way, just tripped while scavenging, hit her head on a rock, and passed out. What happened after that, she didn't know.
Sylvie guessed that maybe the patrol team found her, took her home, and even kindly treated her wound.
But the original body was so weak, she made it through one night but couldn't last, and that's how Sylvie ended up in her place.
While lost in thought, Sylvie felt like something was missing. Suddenly, a flash of realization hit her. She smacked her forehead. Damn it, how could she forget about Little Yuu!
"Little Yuu, are you there?"
Afraid someone might hear, Sylvie spoke through her mind.
"Sylvie, you scared me! I thought I'd never see you again, waaah…"
Hearing that familiar soft, childish voice, Sylvie nearly cried with joy.
She trembled as she lifted her sleeve and looked at her left wrist. To her surprise, the peony flower that used to be there had turned into four tiny green buds. They swayed gently, brushing her skin affectionately. If not looked at carefully, they'd seem like a four-leaf clover tattoo.
Sylvie couldn't stop touching and admiring it. Her face glowed with happiness at this unexpected reunion.
Now that Little Yuu was here, the personal space must be here too. With all the supplies she had in her past life, how could she not feel confident?
The anxiety she had about arriving in a strange world eased a lot. Just thinking about the countless high, medium, and low-level crystal cores and endless supplies made her whole body light up with energy.
As long as she kept a low profile and slowly leveled up, one day, she'd leave this trash planet for a spontaneous space adventure.
Sylvie rubbed her empty, sunken belly. Her stomach burned with hunger.
She was desperate to eat—no, to cultivate!
"Little Yuu, is the space still there?"
Sylvie put her hands together like she was praying, as nervous as a prisoner awaiting a sentence.
May the gods bless her!
"Sylvie, I have one good news and one bad news. Which one do you want first?"
Sylvie felt like lightning struck her. Her gut told her the space had run into some serious trouble.
This joke wasn't funny at all!
Without supplies, she wouldn't survive!
There was no way she'd go back to scavenging. Never in this life!
She rubbed her face, took a deep breath, and calmed down.
"Little Yuu, I want to hear the good news first to calm my nerves. I might faint if I hear the bad one first."
She clutched her chest, trying to convince herself it would be fine. Even without the space, the original body had some savings. She could hold on for a while.
"The good news is the space is still there."
Sylvie let out a small sigh of relief. As long as the space still existed, the supplies would come eventually.
"And the bad news?"
Sylvie covered her ears like a child, trying to pretend she didn't hear anything. If she didn't hear it, it didn't exist!
"The bad news is because your level is too low, everything in the space except for a few seeds is locked. Weapons, crystal cores, and other supplies can't be taken out."
Well damn, Sylvie could only shout in her mind: well damn!
Were they trying to kill her?
Her power dropped to a weak level one, fine, she could accept that. No access to supplies? She could force herself to deal with it.
But without crystal cores, how could she level up? Without leveling up, how could she fight monsters? Without fighting monsters, how could she go on that space trip?