The office was quiet at this hour—too quiet.
Li Mu was still at his desk, the only source of light coming from the soft glow of his monitor. Stacks of documents were piled around him like miniature skyscrapers. He rubbed at the dark bags under his eyes, cursing himself for the hundredth time.
Why did he take on all these extra tasks?
He knew the answer:To make a good first impression.
Too bad his colleagues quickly learned to dump their work on the "eager newcomer."And now, here he was—again—working overtime to finish tasks that weren't even his.
His stomach growled.He dreamed of going home and boiling the last pack of noodles waiting in his cupboard.That tiny fantasy was the only thing keeping him awake.
Just as he began flipping through another page, the janitor pushed open the door. The old man paused, startled to see someone still there.
"…You're still working?"
Li Mu forced a tired smile and glanced up. "Don't mind me, I'm almost done. You know how it is… in an economy like this, we've got to put in the extra effort."
The janitor sighed deeply as he started sweeping."Young people these days. No restraint, no balance."
He muttered something else under his breath and continued working, clearly done with the conversation.
Li Mu didn't mind.He wasn't expecting a heart-to-heart at one in the morning anyway.
He turned back to the screen—
And the words blurred.
His vision wavered.His hand slipped.Suddenly, his head slammed onto the desk with a sharp thud.
The janitor dropped his broom."Hey! Kid! You alright?"
He rushed over, fumbling for his phone.
But it was already too late.
Li Mu's breathing had stopped.
His heart had already stilled.
And his consciousness drifted away into darkness.
Li Mu's eyes opened.
Blurriness, pain, and a strange dryness filled his mouth, as if he'd spent a night chewing on dust.
He groaned and pushed himself up slowly. His body felt weak—frail in a way he didn't recognize.
When his vision finally cleared, he froze.
All around him were mountains of rusted metal, shattered machines, ruined structures, and endless heaps of trash. The sky above was a bleak grey, offering almost no light. In the far distance, half-hidden behind the smog, floated a massive skyborne structure—an impossibly large city drifting above the wasteland. Neon billboards flickered along its underside.
Li Mu's jaw dropped.
"What… what is this…?"
He immediately slapped himself.
Hard.
Pain exploded across his face.Not a dream. Not a hallucination.
And right then, a flood of foreign memories surged into his mind like a tidal wave.
He fell to his knees, clutching his head, gasping as another person's life, fears, and final moments stitched themselves into his consciousness.
This world was called Neo-Verdia.
Two thousand years ago, humanity had been thriving… until a black mist rolled across the planet's surface, bringing with it horrifying beings known as demons. Each demon possessed strength far beyond anything humans had ever faced.
Bullets worked—for a while.Then stronger demons emerged.Nuclear bombs failed.Cities fell overnight.
Humanity stood on the brink of extinction.
Until one being appeared.
The Pioneer.
He drove back the demons alone, sealed humanity underground with a barrier, and left behind countless cultivation manuals and secret techniques… before vanishing just as mysteriously as he had arrived.
With time, humans grew stronger.Technology has advanced beyond imagination.Demons and humans eventually signed a fragile peace treaty.Average lifespans have now reached 200 years. And previous incurable diseases like cancer are now mere discomforts in this age. curable at birth
It was a new golden age.
But…
Not for everyone.
Li Mu— the previous li mu
Li Mu, whose memories now resided in his mind, was born into hell.
A slum known as the Rust District, where the weak had no rights.Orphans were prey.Survival meant scavenging in the ruins for broken tech to sell.
The past Li Mu had been bullied, robbed, and beaten repeatedly… until one day, his injuries became too severe. On that night, with no one around to help, he died alone.
Li Mu gritted his teeth.
"I'm… in his body now."
He clenched his fists.
"This place is far worse than anything on Earth. If I'm not careful, I'll die even faster."
His instincts screamed a warning.
Night was coming.
And in the Rust District, that meant one thing:
Death.
"Dammit, I need to move! Now!"
Memories flashed rapidly:
At night, the barrier around the slums weakened.Low-ranking demons could slip through.Every night, at least a dozen scavengers died.
Past Li Mu had a hideout.A small, hidden shelter.Ten minutes away.
Li Mu didn't waste another second.
He ran.
A Race Against Nightfall!
The path was treacherous.
Metal shards jutted out of the ground like razors.Dried blood stained the rust, evidence of past victims.The sky darkened rapidly as cold winds howled between the ruined scrap piles.
Demons began screeching in the distance.
Li Mu's heart pounded in terror.
"Hurry… hurry… hurry!"
His legs burned.His chest tightened.His lungs felt like fire.
Then—
"There! I see it!"
A faint outline of a rusted door appeared between two fallen metal beams.
With the last ounce of strength he had left, Li Mu dove forward, slamming his shoulder into the door. It creaked open, and he stumbled inside, rolling across the filthy floor.
He grabbed the handle and yanked it shut behind him.
The hideout was pitch-black.Silent.Safe—for now.
Li Mu tried to breathe…
But exhaustion hit him like a truck.
His vision dimmed.
And then everything went dark.