Morning in Skyhaven City . The air was sticky, hanging heavy with humidity and heat.
I sat on the floor, staring at my "net worth."
A three-year-old laptop. An iPad that was still 80% new (I maxed out my credit card to buy it for Vivian's birthday last year, but she said the color was ugly and never took it). A mechanical watch with a broken strap. A few pairs of sneakers.
That was it. That was everything I could liquidate.
"You sure you want to sell all this?"
Shadow was squatting next to me, a toothpick in his mouth. (He thinks it makes him look cool. I have no idea where he found it). "That glowing slab... didn't you use it to look up info last night?"
"I can use an internet café for research," I said, wiping the iPad screen. "Right now, cash is king. Without money, we can't even afford food for these seven days, let alone prep for the next trip."
I opened a secondhand resale app on my phone called "Jump."
Physical stores are rip-offs. I figured online might be more transparent. Maybe I could squeeze a few extra bucks out of it.
"Alright, let's see what this slab is worth..."
I clicked "Free Quote." Checked the boxes: [Screen Perfect], [No Scratches], [Functional], [Never Repaired]. I treated this thing like a holy relic. It was practically mint condition.
The system buffered for two seconds.
[Quote Complete][Official Buyback Price: ¥250.00][Bonus: ¥5 Eco-Voucher included!]
I stared at the number. My blood pressure shot up to 180.
"Two-fifty?!"
I almost smashed the phone. "I paid over six grand for this! It's been a year, and you offer me two-fifty? Are you buying scrap metal? And a five-yuan voucher? Do I look like I need five yuan?!"
"Woof?" Shadow leaned in, looking at the number. "Two-fifty? Is that a lot?"
I blacked out the screen, face grim. "This app is a scam. It preys on honest people."
"Machines are unreliable," Shadow commented. "Find a living human. At least you can bite them."
"Good point."
I shoved the iPad into my backpack and hauled up the pile of junk.
"Let's go to the Digital City. No way a human is shadier than this app."
10:00 AM. Skyhaven Digital City.
The place was a chaotic mix of second-hand dealers and tech repair shops. The air smelled of solder and desperate haggling.
I navigated the crowded aisles, backpack heavy, Shadow on a leash (to avoid trouble).
I was angry, but honestly? I was nervous. The water in places like this runs deep.
"Boss, you buy iPads?"
I stopped at a counter with a sign that said "Ah Hao Comms." The owner was a young guy with a buzz cut and a gold chain, head down, playing a mobile game. Cigarette dangling from his lip, ash falling onto his pants.
"Yeah. Let me see." Ah Hao didn't look up, fingers flying on his screen. "Rules: No stolen goods. No iCloud locks."
"Personal use. Clean."
I handed it over.
Ah Hao finally put down his phone. Flipped the iPad over, checked the serial number like a pro.
"Condition is okay, but this model is old." Ah Hao pursed his lips. Standard lowball tactics initiated. "New ones are out. Battery health is probably shot, right? And the screen here... looks like a scratch."
That was a tiny mark from my fingernail last night because I was shaking. You couldn't see it without a microscope.
"Flat rate. One thousand five." Ah Hao held up five fingers, casual. "Fair price. Check that 'Jump' app online, they'd probably give you two or three hundred."
My mouth twitched. This guy knew his market.
"Two thousand." I countered, feeling bolder (1500 was way better than 250). "I just took the screen protector off. It's mint. Comes with the box and charger."
"Bro, business is tough." Ah Hao sighed dramatically, tossing the iPad onto the desk. "Tech depreciates fast. I have to sit on this stock. Sixteen hundred. Max. I'm only doing it because your dog looks cool."
That was when Shadow, who had been silent, made his move.
He slowly stood up. Put his front paws on the glass counter. His serious dog face was inches from Ah Hao's nose.
His golden pupils constricted. A low, vibrating sound rumbled in his throat. "Grrr..."
That wasn't a pet dog begging for a treat. That was the growl of a predator that had killed a dozen zombies last night. A creature that had tasted mutated blood. It was the stare of an apex predator.
Ah Hao froze. Looking into Shadow's cold, soul-piercing eyes, he felt a primal chill. He forgot to drag on his cigarette. The ash burned his finger.
"Ouch!" He shook his hand, laughing nervously. "Bro... your dog... intense eyes. Trained?"
I glanced at Shadow, suppressing a laugh. This guy was haggling for me.
"He says eighteen hundred." I lied with a straight face. "If it's a cent less, he won't leave. He has a temper. When he's hungry, he even bites me."
Shadow bared his teeth on cue, showing off fangs that were suspiciously white and sharp. He licked his lips, looking at Ah Hao like he was a giant piece of braised pork.
Ah Hao swallowed. It was a society of laws, but being stared down by a beast like that... "...Fine, fine! Eighteen hundred! Jesus, even the dog knows how to haggle."
Ah Hao scanned my QR code instantly, desperate to get this weird duo out of his shop. "Take the money. Go. Don't scare my other customers."
I pushed the laptop and the watch forward. "Boss, take a look at these too? I need cash. Urgent."
Thirty minutes later.
Walking out of the Digital City, my Alipay balance read: ¥5,800.
That was my entire life's savings liquidated. Not much, but for me, right now? It was startup capital for survival.
"Where to next?" Shadow asked. "Meat?"
"Business first." I dragged him toward a hardware store. "We need armor."
Inside, I picked through the shelves. The owner was a kind middle-aged woman, Auntie Chen.
"Young man, what's with all the duct tape and steel pipes? Renovating?" she asked while ringing me up.
I bought three rolls of industrial-grade duct tape, two riot-proof steel pipes, heavy-duty work gloves, and two sets of thick canvas construction uniforms.
"Yeah, fixing some pipes," I lied.
Truth was, I was making DIY armor. I couldn't afford professional Kevlar or stab-proof vests. But thick canvas wrapped in duct tape, padded with magazines? That was the poor man's armor. I learned that from a survival guide at the internet café.
"Three hundred twenty," Auntie Chen smiled. "Your dog is so well-behaved. Here, have a sausage."
"Thanks, Auntie!"
I watched Shadow accept the cheap ham sausage with a look of pure disdain (he only eats fresh meat now), forced to maintain his "Good Boy" persona. I almost laughed out loud.
Back home. Afternoon.
I dumped the supplies on the floor and started my "Boot Camp."
First, the arm guards. I rolled up expired fashion magazines, taping them tight around my forearms.
"Shadow. Bite me." I held out my arm.
"You sick?" Shadow looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Test the defense!" I insisted. "Use the force you use on bones! Come on!"
Shadow rolled his eyes. Opened his mouth. Chomp.
Crunch!
The tape and paper groaned under pressure. I felt massive crushing force, pain flared, but... no puncture.
"Not bad." Shadow let go. "Stops normal zombie teeth. But a Variant? Your arm would be gone."
"Normal is enough." I nodded, satisfied. "At least I won't get bit like a rookie next time."
For the rest of the day, I swung the katana in my cramped room. No fancy moves. Just repetition.
Chop. Slash. Stab.
I remembered the pressure of that massive zombie. The resistance of the blade hitting bone. I visualized it over and over, adjusting my angle.
One hundred reps. Two hundred. Five hundred... Sweat soaked my clothes. My arms screamed. But I didn't stop.
These seven days were my only chance to catch up.
"Over there, we are the law."
8:00 PM.
I was paralyzed on the floor, too tired to move a finger.
Ding-dong.
Phone notification. Name on screen: "Vivian."
First message since I came back. Since the "Not coming over tonight" text before the apocalypse started.
[Bai Shi, I came by to get my stuff. The iPad on the table is gone. Where did you put it? I need it.]
She came by while I was out? Good thing I hid the katana.
I stared at the message. Old me would have panicked. I would have typed out a paragraph explaining, apologizing, begging. Now? I felt... nothing.
The iPad? I paid for it. She rejected it. It gathered dust for a year. Now she "needs" it? After seeing a family of three eaten alive, after smelling the rot of the wasteland... the old me, the simp who crawled in the dirt for her, felt like a joke.
I sat up. Typed two words.
[Sold it.]
Sent.
Silence for a few seconds. She was probably in shock. Then, a long paragraph came through.
[Sold it? Bai Shi, I am so disappointed in you. That was a birthday gift. You sold it for a few thousand bucks? Are you that poor now?]
I could see her face. The frown. The disgust. Before I could reply, the next one came. Cold. Final.
[Bai Shi, let's break up.][I've wanted to say this for a while. We aren't on the same path. I don't see a future with you.][I don't want promises. I want a future I can see. But look at you. Selling my gifts for cash... I'm grateful for the last few years, but I can't wait for you to get your act together anymore.][The key is under the mat. Don't contact me.]
I laughed. Classic Vivian. Even a breakup had to be framed so she was the victim. It wasn't that she was heartless; it was that I was too poor, too hopeless. She was just "cutting her losses." To her, I was a sinking ship.
"Shadow."
I looked at the dog. He was watching the phone, sensing the mood.
"What? The female human?"
"Yeah." I showed him the screen. "Dumped me. Reason: I'm too poor. Can't give her a future."
Shadow glanced at it. Yawned. "Wise judgment. With your current pathetic state, you definitely aren't fit for breeding."
"...Can you be nice for once?"
I looked down at the chat. No pain. Just... relief. Like dropping a heavy bag I'd been carrying for miles.
I didn't beg. I didn't explain about the two million in gold I had stashed in the other world. The best revenge against someone who leaves you for being poor isn't throwing money in their face. It's ignoring them.
I typed one word.
[Okay.]
Sent. Tap profile. Block. Delete.
The world went quiet. No fighting. No drama. Just a dignified exit.
I tossed the phone aside and stood up, dusting off my pants.
"Clean slate."
I walked to the window. The neon lights of the CBD stained the sky red. Vivian went to chase her "better future." And I had my own road to walk.
"Shadow, look." I pointed outside. "Big city."
"So what?" Shadow snorted. "Concrete and steel. Can't even catch a rabbit here."
"Yeah," I whispered. "But here, there are rules. Laws. Order. But over there..."
I looked at my reflection in the glass. Eyes sharper. Face harder. The cowardly Bai Shi was dead in a basement full of zombies. The survivor remained.
"Over there, we are the law."