The Last Wonton Noodles Before the End of the World

Lin Chen pushed open the glass door of the noodle shop, and the familiar smell of oily smoke, a mixture of pork bone aroma and fried food, wafted out.

The boss is still the same bald, round-faced Uncle Wang with wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles.

"Xiao Lin? It's been a while since I've seen you!" As soon as Uncle Wang looked up and saw him, he immediately put down the strainer in his hand and greeted him warmly, his smile as simple and honest as the broth in the bowl.

"Yeah, I went on a long business trip." Lin Chen replied casually, sitting down in his usual spot against the wall. "Same as always, a bowl of shrimp wontons, a plate of radish and beef brisket noodles, a plate of fried wontons, and a glass of chilled plum juice."

He had barely finished speaking when the familiar clanging of pots and pans and the sizzling of hot woks filled the kitchen. Soon after, four delicious dishes were served—

The wonton wrappers are as thin as silk, revealing the pink outline of the shrimp inside; when you bite into one, you'll find a whole, bouncy, and sweet filling.

The beef brisket is stewed until tender and flavorful, with dark brown chunks of meat immersed in the rich broth, and the aroma of star anise and hoisin sauce wafting through the air.

The fried wontons are golden and crispy. Dip them in a little special spicy sauce, and the aroma of the crispy outer skin and the tenderness of the filling burst in your mouth, bringing a simple sense of happiness straight to your head.

He ate extremely slowly, each bite as if it were a silent farewell ceremony.

After the apocalypse, all of these will become unattainable dreams.

This is no exaggeration. After the blood rain, water sources and farmland were contaminated, and the global supply chain completely collapsed.

Let alone a bowl of freshly made and cooked wonton noodles, even a pack of unexpired instant noodles would be enough to trade for a Glock fully loaded with bullets.

He witnessed a man strangle his ten-year-old brother to death with trembling hands over half a piece of bread covered in green mold.

Thinking of this, he picked up the last wonton in the bowl, gently put it in his mouth, closed his eyes, and chewed it carefully.

The delicious flavor spread across the tip of my tongue, as if I were swallowing the last warmth of a warm era that was about to pass away.

After eating and drinking his fill, he took out his wallet. Inside were only a crumpled 300-odd yuan in change.

"The money... is all gone after all." He forced a bitter smile.

In just over twenty days, the original 860,000 yuan in cash was exchanged for mountains of supplies in the supernatural space: a 10,000-ton grain warehouse, a complete arsenal, a ship full of fuel, and even several modern warships... but in reality, his pockets were almost empty.

How ironic—before the apocalypse, you can't get anywhere without money; after the apocalypse, banknotes will become worthless.

"Xiao Lin, are you done eating? Round it down, just give me thirty!" Uncle Wang said, wiping the table next to him with his usual generosity, his honest face full of sincerity.

Lin Chen did not refuse, but simply placed the thirty yuan on the table.

Before leaving, he paused, lowered his voice, and said to Uncle Wang, who was tidying up, "Uncle Wang, remember, on the 16th, don't go anywhere. Just stay at home and lock the door."

After saying that, before the boss could recover from his bewilderment, he had already turned around, pushed open the door, and disappeared into the bustling street outside.

Standing in the bright afternoon sun, he gazed at the still bustling food street before him:

Steam rises from the rice noodle roll steamer, the sweet aroma wafts from the dessert shop, clay pot rice sizzles on the stove, and double-skin milk pudding trembles gently in its bowl…

Each and every one of these is the last act of kindness and gift that the world can offer before the end of the world.

"If only I had some money," he muttered to himself, gazing at the dazzling array of stalls. "At least I could stock up on more of these cooked foods."

Unfortunately, reality is harsh—these delicious, heartwarming treats couldn't be bought for free, so he had to give them up with a heavy heart, leaving him with a sense of regret.

Turning to walk home, his steps seemed light, but his heart was heavy.

Only four days remain until the end of the world.

The old town area where he rented a place was less than one square kilometer in size, but it was densely packed with nearly 50,000 people.

The buildings are close together, windows face each other, and the alley is so narrow that two people side by side have to turn sideways.

In its previous life, this place became a breeding ground for zombies and a living hell the moment the blood rain fell, and it was completely overrun on the very first day.

If he hadn't been lucky enough to awaken the A-level earth-type ability "Earth Escape" at that time, he would never have been able to survive those initial chaotic and desperate 72 hours.

In this life, thanks to the existence of the Creation Pearl, he gained a more powerful spatial ability ahead of time, but he doesn't know if the "Earth Escape" that once saved his life countless times will still arrive as promised.

Guangzhou, a megacity with over 20 million people, was destined for a hellish start on the first day of the apocalypse.

According to memories from my past life, the blood rain that changed everything will last for three whole days.

Anyone touched by the raindrops will begin to show signs of turning into a zombie within five minutes to an hour, and within ten seconds they will be completely transformed into a zombie that only knows how to kill and devour.

Only a very lucky few will awaken their superpowers during this terrifying transformation, but the probability is less than one in a million, and the process is extremely dangerous, with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death.

A more reliable way to awaken superpowers is to hunt zombies, extract the grayish-white energy cores condensed in their brains, and consume them—this method has a higher success rate and relatively controllable risks.

In the early days of the apocalypse, humanity was completely unaware of this. By the time this experience, gained at the cost of countless lives, spread, it was already the third day of the apocalypse, and the most precious opportunity for development had been missed.

Later generations classified supernatural talents into seven levels, from low to high: F, E, D, C, B, A, and S.

Lin Chen was an A-level in his previous life. With the "Earth Escape" skill that he mastered on his own, he was able to survive in the perilous fifth year of the apocalypse.

The comprehension of supernatural abilities is closely related to an individual's comprehension, experience, and even obsession; a high level does not necessarily guarantee the comprehension of powerful abilities.

As for zombies, their levels are visually distinguished by the color of their eyes: black, white, blue, yellow, green, red, and purple.

The lowest-level Tier 1 zombies have black eyes, move slowly, and have low intelligence, but their physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary people. Only by destroying their heads can they be completely killed.

They can continuously evolve by devouring living people, mutated beasts, or absorbing the strange energy permeating the world.

The highest-ranking seventh-tier "Corpse Emperor" possesses purple pupils, a terrifying existence that Lin Chen first encountered before his rebirth.

Starting with the "Zombie King," high-ranking zombies possess some intelligence and can command zombie hordes; while the "Zombie Emperor" already possesses wisdom no less than that of ordinary people.

Even more frightening is that any food or water that has been directly contaminated by the blood rain or subsequently contaminated by polluted water sources will cause infection if consumed.

Although the blood rain only lasted for three days, it was immediately followed by a global "extreme cold and freezing period".

The following year, it seamlessly transitioned into a year-long period of scorching heat and barren land.

In the third year, sea levels began to rise wildly, and coastal cities around the world were submerged within a month. The sea level eventually rose by a thousand meters before stabilizing... Human living space was drastically compressed.

Every year, different and increasingly severe natural disasters ravage the land.

In addition to the endless zombies and mutated beasts on land, the deep sea is teeming with countless terrifying mutated sea monsters...

In such a time of great collapse, simply "living" was a form of torture.

Only the truly strong have the barely qualified to talk about "life".

What bothered Lin Chen the most was that, until the fifth year of the apocalypse, on the eve of his rebirth, humanity still had not figured out the source of this global catastrophe.

In this life, he not only wants to survive, but also to live long enough and strong enough to support him to witness the day when the truth is revealed!

He looked around the crowded, noisy, yet vibrant old town again, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Choosing this place as the starting point of the apocalypse? It's tantamount to willingly jumping into a high-speed meat grinder.

With his current strength, he is naturally not afraid, but there is absolutely no need for him to put himself in danger.

But completely avoiding densely populated urban areas isn't an option either. He needs zombies, the crystal cores in their brains, and he needs to rapidly upgrade his abilities and increase his strength.

A delicate balance must be found:

The population is relatively sparse, and the initial zombie density is controllable; it is close to the city, making it easy to obtain various resources;

The building itself is sturdy and easy to defend and modify;

Transportation needs to be convenient to allow for future expansion or relocation.

He sat back down at the old desk in his rented room, his fingers tapping the surface unconsciously. In his mind, a detailed electronic map of Guangzhou seemed to unfold, and he was thinking rapidly.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and his fingertip stopped at a certain point on the map—

East of the city, the university town!

The population structure there is unique. During the start of the school year, the large gathering of teachers and students will indeed create an initial zombie horde; however, if the horde can be cleared out, the surviving college students will be excellent labor and a valuable asset.

What's even better is that there's a newly built low-density villa area right next to the university town. It has a high greening rate, uniform and sturdy walls, and mostly consists of detached or terraced houses, offering good privacy.

It perfectly meets all his needs.

The advantages of villa areas are obvious.

The houses are sturdy and reliable, most of them have basements, and can be quickly converted into strong fortifications in special circumstances;

The community roads are well-planned and spacious, allowing vehicles to enter and exit without obstruction.

Being adjacent to the university town means having a controllable, initial "crystal core and labor supply point," which makes it easy to quickly retreat to a safe point to rest after killing zombies and obtaining crystal cores in the early stages.

Most importantly, the villa area itself is relatively spacious with a low population density, so the zombies were initially scattered.

It is perfect for a "visionary" like him to clear out each building one by one, develop steadily, and build this place into a solid initial base.

"That's it." Lin Chen stood up. He didn't have much to pack; there was nothing left in the rented room worth taking with him.

If he can find a suitable villa, he can simply move in with his bags.

Outside the window, the setting sun slowly sinks behind the rows of tall buildings, and the city lights begin to illuminate the city with dazzling colors.

On the streets, couples stroll hand in hand, children chase and laugh, and elderly people leisurely walk with their dogs... a scene of peaceful and idyllic life.

At this moment, no one knows that four days later, this bustling scene within reach will plunge into an endless hell.

Night fell. Lin Chen took a taxi to the outskirts of the villa area in the east of the city, which he had already identified.

He paid and got out of the car, his figure silently disappearing into the darkness beside the wall, like a drop of ink falling into water.

His doomsday fortress will begin to be built tonight, from here.