Chapter One: A Misguided Path

BOOM—!!!

With a thunderous explosion, a fireball suddenly erupted under the clear blue sky. In its wake, countless pieces of popcorn rained down from above, scattering across the empty street.

Qin Changsheng crouched in a shadowy alley by the roadside. The aroma of fresh popcorn drifted on the breeze, but he felt no hunger at all.

Because he knew that just a moment ago, these scattered popcorns had been a living, breathing person...

------------------------------------------------------------

2023, Hangzhou, China.

Five o’clock in the morning. In an internet café on the second floor of the university town at Qianjiang, a desperate soul was silently screaming.

It was all over!

Staring at the glaring numbers on the computer screen, Qin Changsheng felt a wave of dizziness, as if the light of his life had been snuffed out in an instant.

Today was the day the college entrance exam results were released. Once, he’d sworn he would get into Zhejiang University—a man with unshakable faith. He’d booked his usual computer at his favorite internet café before dawn, his eyes glued to the screen, waiting for that fateful moment.

At last, the results came out. He clicked to see.

For some reason, the internet was especially laggy that day, and the digits refreshed slowly, one by one, from smallest to largest.

The first number was a 9. Such a high start—it made his heart leap with hope.

Then came a 6. Was it 369? 469? At the very least, he’d made it into a regular university—maybe even a top-tier one!

Qin Changsheng was exhilarated, nervously awaiting the final digit.

But then, everything stopped.

The third digit stubbornly refused to appear. Qin Changsheng refreshed the page again and again, but nothing changed.

Sixty-nine. That was his total score on the college entrance exam.

In a split second, though the ceiling didn’t actually collapse, Qin Changsheng felt as if he’d been crushed to death.

He stood quietly, surrounded by the shouts and battle cries of various online games:

“Amumu’s stealing blue! Hurry, help in the jungle!”

“Bot lane AD has no flash! Dragon’s about to spawn!”

“Don’t come to my lane, I’m playing safe and scaling!”

The joys and sorrows of people never truly intersect. Qin Changsheng couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer.

He walked alone into the restroom.

The café’s restroom was a single stall, narrow, damp, and gloomy—just like his mood.

How had it come to this?

At the sink, Qin Changsheng splashed water on his face, staring blankly at his reflection.

Someone had scrawled a suggestive phone number on the mirror in lipstick, right beside his shiny, balding head.

Yes, at just eighteen, Qin Changsheng was already balding in a classic horseshoe pattern.

Years of hard study had cost him his hair but brought no improvement to his grades. Even his teachers kept advising him that he was different from most and that further study would lead nowhere.

But he refused to believe it.

Both his parents had died young. He’d been raised by his grandfather, a man who’d practiced calligraphy his entire life and now made a living inscribing funeral couplets for neighbors.

From his grandfather, Qin Changsheng seemed to see the outline of his own life.

Like his grandfather, his only real talent was a mediocre grasp of calligraphy. Without hard work, he had no chance at success.

Sadly, even hard work didn’t always bring rewards.

In the end, he had failed.

“Damn it!”

Qin Changsheng slammed his fist onto the sink. The sink was unharmed; his fist turned red and swollen.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, his thoughts wandered to anything but the throbbing in his hand.

What was he supposed to do now?

With results like these, he certainly didn’t want to go home. Was he destined to become one of those so-called “Sanhe masters” on the internet, living out his days in internet cafés?

The stench wafting from the toilet behind him dragged him back to reality.

Forget it, time to go.

Now that he thought about it, the floor had been trembling slightly for a while now. He remembered there was roadwork nearby, but could the vibrations really reach this far?

He turned and twisted the doorknob, opening the restroom door.

A blinding light struck his eyes.

What was going on? It was barely noon, and the stingy café manager never turned on the lights before sunset. Why were they on so early today?

As his eyes slowly adjusted to the glare, a new question arose.

Where was the internet café?

His view widened. Where two rows of computers should have stood was now an empty expanse, sunlight pouring straight down from above. Somehow, he’d stepped outside without realizing.

Qin Changsheng was stunned, blinking in confusion, unable to process the situation.

A cool breeze brushed his face. He looked down and realized he was standing at the edge of the second floor. The cement floor looked as if it had been sliced open with a sharp blade, exposing broken steel bars and wires that had once been buried in the walls.

Qin Changsheng paused for a moment, then drew a deep breath.

“What the hell is going on!!!”

All his suppressed emotions erupted at once. He was bewildered, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.

Where was the internet café? He’d just been inside, in that huge café!

He must be missing something.

Frantically, Qin Changsheng shut the restroom door and opened it again, repeating the process several times. But nothing changed.

A ridiculous truth smashed into his face—the internet café was gone.

In the time it had taken him to wash his face, the entire internet café had vanished, as if razed to the ground!

Not only that, the whole building had been torn apart by some unimaginable force. Other than the corner of the restroom where Qin Changsheng stood, everything else had disappeared!

Could it have been a gas explosion? A sudden sinkhole?

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, only to be dismissed one by one.

No explanation could account for what he saw before him.

Where were the other people from the internet café? Where had they all gone?

Suddenly, Qin Changsheng realized that the silence around him was unnatural.

Half a building vanishing out of nowhere would surely have drawn a crowd. But even on the nearest street, there was not a soul in sight.

Not just this street—glancing into the distance, he felt an overwhelming emptiness fill his heart.

Though he had no proof, he was almost certain: the entire city’s population had vanished.

There were no cars on the road, no trace of the world’s usual bustle. It was as if he alone remained in the entire world.

Was this some elaborate prank? Was there a hidden camera somewhere?

Qin Changsheng’s legs gave out and he sat on the jagged edge, speechless.

Was he really the only person left in the world?

Could this be a dream?

He pinched himself hard—so hard that tears sprang to his eyes.

Unable to contain himself, he cried out, “Is anyone there? Is there anyone else around here?”

The fear of utter solitude, mixed with pain, flooded his body. It didn’t matter who—it could be anyone at all. Right now, Qin Changsheng just wanted to find another living soul.

Just as despair was about to consume him, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him.

Who was it!?

Delighted, Qin Changsheng turned toward the source. He knew it—there was no way he was the only survivor in the world!

His eyes locked onto the rooftop of a nearby apartment building. Yet the spark of hope that had just ignited in his chest was immediately doused in freezing water.

There was someone on the rooftop, yes—but their face sent chills down his spine.

Was that really a person?

The figure wore a yellow jacket and a hood pulled low. Standing so high up, anyone would think they were cosplaying an assassin.

But under that hood was—

A meme face.