"Bastards! I curse every one of you to die miserable deaths!"
Jiangcheng University. Inside a dormitory.
Wu Bei suddenly shot upright in bed, as if he had just awakened from a horrifying nightmare.
A roommate who had been startled awake rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Hey, Old Fifth, do you know what time it is? Why the hell are you yelling?"
"Du Hao!"
Wu Bei stared at him, his face filled with disbelief. "You… you're not dead?"
"The hell are you talking about this early in the morning?"
Bang!
A bottle of Nutritional Express slammed into Wu Bei's chest, making his pupils contract sharply.
Pain.
Real, unmistakable pain.
I can feel it?
How is this possible?
Didn't Han Lingxue cut off my pain nerves long ago?
Wu Bei looked around in confusion.
Only then did he realize that the surroundings felt strangely familiar.
This was… his university dorm from five years ago.
A thought struck him like lightning. Wu Bei jumped off the bed and grabbed Du Hao by the shoulders. "What date is it today?"
"Old Fifth, come on. You've been rejected by the school belle for the ninety-ninth time. Is that really enough to drive you crazy?"
"I asked you—what's the date?!"
Wu Bei's distorted expression startled Du Hao. "Blue Star Calendar, December 18, 2012. What's wrong?"
December 18, 2012.
I…
I was reborn.
And not just that—I was reborn three days before the apocalypse descended.
At that moment, Wu Bei almost burst out laughing.
But when the memories of the past five years surfaced—those endless days of torment under Han Lingxue—hatred surged violently from his heart, his teeth grinding together.
On the day the strange descended,
Han Lingxue was transformed into a strange being by a mysterious force.
At the same time, Wu Bei awakened an SSS-grade talent: Infinite Evolution.
Because of the one-hour farewell period,
anyone who turned into a strange could return to being human by finding a human willing to sacrifice half of their lifespan to form a contract.
Han Lingxue used his genuine feelings against him.
She tricked him into giving up half his life.
Then she imprisoned him and forcibly plundered his talent.
Five full years.
He was tortured for five whole years.
Only after his talent was completely stripped away did death finally set him free.
"Han Lingxue… you'd never imagine that I'd be reborn, would you?"
"In this life, every drop of blood you owe me will be repaid."
Ding. Host's hatred has reached the activation threshold. System initializing…
Ding. Congratulations, host. Infinite Evolution System activated.
A system?
Wu Bei froze.
He couldn't believe it.
Not only had he been reborn, but he had also gained a system—and one that seemed to grant him the very ability he would only awaken after the apocalypse in his previous life.
"System, explain your functions in detail."
The Infinite Evolution System allows the host to devour any creature they slay, with a chance to obtain the creature's innate talents or attributes.
Ding. System data initialization complete.
Host: Wu BeiRace: HumanLevel: 0Strength: 5Agility: 5Spirit: 5Talent: NoneExperience: 0/100
Just like before.
The same talent as in the apocalypse.
But these base attributes were just as pathetic as ever.
They were worse than those of an average athlete.
With his current strength, killing Han Lingxue—who was secretly protected by bodyguards—was impossible.
Fortunately, the apocalypse was still three days away.
Three days.
Enough time to change everything.
With that thought, Wu Bei quickly got dressed, preparing to head out and strengthen himself.
"Old Fifth, what are you up to now? Don't tell me you're serious just because Han Lingxue said she likes men who own insect museums. Are you really planning to buy that insect museum that's about to go bankrupt?"
Wu Bei froze.
An insect museum.
That wasn't a bad idea at all.
Many insects were small, but their talents were terrifyingly powerful.
And that museum…
It belonged to Han Lingxue.
In his previous life, he had foolishly bought it at an absurd price.
This time, his revenge would begin there.
…
Ten in the morning.
Inside the insect museum.
A man in a suit looked at Wu Bei with a troubled expression. "My museum's been operating just fine. You suddenly wanting to buy it—aren't you cutting into my flesh?"
Wu Bei stared at him, hatred quietly boiling inside.
Jiang Hai.
Han Lingxue's cousin.
When Wu Bei had been imprisoned, this man had been one of his tormentors.
He had even slept with Han Lingxue right in front of him, mocking him and asking whether it felt good to watch.
And now he still dared to treat him like an idiot.
Fine.
You'll be the first to die.
"Money isn't an issue. I just want to take a look around first. That's fine, right?"
Jiang Hai had no idea that the man standing before him was no longer the same lovesick fool.
Seeing Wu Bei take the bait, he nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course. I'll show you around."
"No need. Just wait here. Don't leave."
Leaving those words behind, Wu Bei walked toward the mantis exhibit with a cold expression.
Among all creatures, mantises ranked near the top when it came to killing ability.
If he could obtain their blade-arm talent, it would be invaluable—now and in the future.
Soon, Wu Bei arrived at the mantis hall.
He had to admit it.
Han Lingxue had put real effort into building this place.
The variety of mantises on display was astonishing.
A rough estimate put their number at over a thousand.
"I wonder if this many will be enough…"
Wu Bei murmured as he reached into a display case and crushed a giant shield mantis to death without hesitation.
Then he asked calmly, "System, do I need to eat it, or what?"
You only need to silently think 'Devour.'
Wu Bei smiled.
Simple and efficient.
Just the way he liked it.
"Devour."
Ding. Host has devoured a giant shield mantis. Gained 1 experience point.
No talent.
Just like last time—talents were purely a matter of luck.
Fortunately, there were plenty more.
Ding. Host has devoured a green-spotted mantis. Gained 1 experience point.
…
Ding. Level up achieved. Gained 5 free attribute points.
Wu Bei's eyes lit up.
So fast.
And just like before—five free points per level.
At this rate, when the strange dungeons descend, he'll already be several levels ahead of the entire world.
If he plays it right, maybe this time…
He could stand at the very top and look down upon all beings.
His movements grew faster.
Colder.
But as the number of mantises dropped into the single digits, Wu Bei's expression darkened.
More than a thousand devoured.
Not a single talent.
When his gaze fell upon the final Chinese giant mantis, he couldn't help but mutter, "Come on, system… don't fail me now."
He reached into the display case.
At that moment, Jiang Hai's voice rang out behind him. "What are you doing?"
Ding. Host has devoured a Chinese giant mantis. Gained 1 experience point. Blade Arm talent acquired.
Blade Arm Talent: Allows the host to transform their arms into razor-sharp blades.
Finally.
Wu Bei turned around slowly, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at Jiang Hai.
"Come here," he said softly. "I'll show you exactly what I'm doing."