Chapter 3
Chen Mengzhou leaned against the cold wall, the dead silence of the ruins and the faint sounds of gnawing in the distance pressing against his eardrums. His fingertips still clung to the coarse wall dust he'd rubbed against from climbing, and... a faint, sun-baked scent of clean, green grass, from a future dream.
Two completely different touches intertwined at the fingertips, separated yet strangely coexisting.
She closed her eyes, not to rest, but to try to recall every detail of that brief "future dream": the words scrolling on the holographic bulletin board—"Safe Zone 7," "Gene Enhancement Agent Type III," "Contribution Points," "Space-Time Turbulence Warning"; the direction in which the panicked people fled; the layout of the buildings surrounding the square; even the blurry logo printed on the vendor's cart...
These fragments of information seemed so out of place amidst the sheer ruins and death, yet like faint fireflies in the darkness, they provided some kind of heart-pounding guidance.
[Future Dream: Information anchor recorded. Correlation analysis in progress…] The system's cold voice echoed again, but this time it seemed more functional. [A 0.3% similarity between real-world coordinates and dream fragment coordinates has been detected. Note: Dreams are not prophecies, but rather a possibility based on real-world variables. Your choices in reality will influence your future.]
Realistic variables? Realistic choices?
Chen Mengzhou opened her eyes abruptly, her gaze sweeping across the temporary hiding room. She had been so preoccupied with hiding that she hadn't looked closely. Now, she noticed a worn backpack lying in the corner, half buried under the collapsed wardrobe.
She walked over and laboriously dragged out the backpack. Dust fell. She opened it, revealing several packages of expired compressed biscuits, an unopened bottle of mineral water with a torn label, an ordinary multi-purpose military knife, and... a wrinkled local map stained with dark brown.
map!
Her heartbeat quickened. She unfolded the map and quickly ran her finger over the marked streets, parks, and commercial areas—most of which had been reduced to rubble in reality. Then, her fingertip stopped at an area in the western suburbs of the city.
The layout of buildings around the square in the dream... Although there have been huge changes in the future, the direction of the main roads and the outlines of several iconic terrains are highly consistent with the "Qinghe Cultural Square" and surrounding areas in the western suburbs on the map!
Seventh Safety Zone? Western Suburbs?
Is it possible that the future safe zone will be built in that direction?
And then there were the "contribution points"… She picked up the packages of compressed biscuits in her backpack. These expired foods might save lives now, but in a future world seemingly restored to order, they would likely be worthless. The future's hard currency would be "contribution points" and those so-called "gene enhancement potions."
And "time-space turbulence"... She subconsciously stroked her arm, where the palpitations of the space-shattering tear at the dream's final moment still lingered. It wasn't just a disaster in the dream; her awakened superpower was spatial! The horror foreshadowed by the future, the same source as her power, was a warning, or... a hint?
The clues of reality and the future suddenly intertwined at this moment, twisting into a faint thread.
She no longer felt the dream was a false comfort, but instead felt a deeper sense of urgency. Every action she took now, every zombie she hunted, every piece of supplies she gathered, every direction she chose, could, like the flapping of a butterfly's wings, ultimately influence the "future" she had glimpsed—would it lead to a relatively orderly and safe zone, or a complete slide into a hell ravaged by the rifts of time and space?
A particularly clear zombie roar came from outside the window, followed by messy footsteps and terrified cries of humans, approaching the building!
Real danger is never far away.
Chen Mengzhou's eyes glared, and she quickly stuffed the compressed biscuits, water, and saber back into her backpack. She carefully folded the precious map and kept it close to her body. She picked up the backpack and swung it over her shoulder with a quick and decisive movement.
When she reached the door blocked by the table, she did not immediately remove the obstacle, but stood quietly and concentrated.
The space-time energy within her body began to flow again. This time, she not only sensed the movements outside the door—about three or four zombies chasing a living person, getting closer and closer—but her consciousness also attempted to explore deeper.
Not a deep extension in space, but... a short extension in time.
The scene before her eyes swayed slightly, a fleeting double image appearing: a few seconds later, she "saw" the fleeing human trip over the threshold, desperately reaching out his hand. She "saw" the moment the zombies pounced...
Precognition? No, it's more like a highly accurate prediction of the next short period of time based on existing information! It's the most basic application of the time ability!
The double image disappears, but reality remains.
Chen Mengzhou took a deep breath and suddenly kicked open the table blocking the door!
Just outside the door, the fugitive tripped over the threshold and fell forward, just as she had seen him do. Three hideous zombies roared and pounced on him, their rotten claws almost touching his back!
Time seemed to be infinitely stretched at this moment.
Chen Mengzhou's eyes were cold. She didn't look at the desperate man begging for help. Her gaze was fixed on the three zombies. She clenched her right hand into the air, and spatial energy condensed.
Should I save this person now, perhaps gaining a temporary companion (but also possibly a burden), and changing a tiny variable in the future?
still……
She remembered the terrifying claws that tore through space at the end of the dream.
It takes practice. It takes more familiarity with the power. It takes... nourishment.
The corners of her lips curled up in a cold arc.
“Huh—”
The zombies' roar seemed to have just reached my ears.
The flash of a knife suddenly appeared.
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