The night stretched endlessly over the broken highway, carrying with it a silence that felt heavier than noise. More than three hundred people had gathered along the roadside, forming a scattered convoy of survival. Cars stood in uneven lines—some dented, some barely functioning—while a few trucks had been turned into makeshift shelters. Electric bicycles leaned against guardrails, and others lay abandoned nearby, their batteries long dead.
Tents were set up wherever space allowed, stitched together from tarps, plastic sheets, and scraps of cloth. Some people slept inside vehicles, while others lay on the cold ground, too exhausted to care about comfort. The air smelled faintly of dust, sweat, and something distant—something rotten that no one dared to acknowledge.
No one spoke loudly anymore. There were no arguments, no laughter, no unnecessary conversations. Only the low murmur of tired voices and the occasional cry of a child broke the silence. Beyond that, the night belonged to something else… something unseen.
It had been twenty days since everything changed.
Twenty days since the world ended.
Inside a small, worn-out tent at the edge of the convoy, a young man lay awake, staring blankly at the fabric ceiling above him. A dim battery lamp flickered weakly beside him, casting unstable shadows that shifted like living things. His name was Li xuan 25 yeas old with black short hair and deep bown eyes wearing a black full hoodie.
But he wasn't paying attention to the light.
His thoughts had been the same for the past twenty days.
Sequence.
More specifically—
his Sequence.
He slowly raised his hand, staring at his palm as if something invisible was etched into it.
"Chaos Plunder…" he muttered under his breath.
Even now, saying it aloud felt unreal.
It was a strange ability. A dangerous one. Not something meant for direct combat, but something far more unsettling.
It allowed him to steal abilities.
But only from the dead.
And only within twenty hours after death.
Human. Monster. Even ghost.
He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes for a moment.
"At Sequence One… only five abilities…"
Five.
That was his limit.
He didn't know if those abilities could ever be replaced once taken. He didn't know if choosing the wrong one would ruin his future forever. And in this world, a wrong decision wasn't just a mistake.
It was death.
His thoughts drifted back to the moment everything began.
August 23, 2034.
Just one day before the apocalypse.
Back then, life had been simple—hard, but simple.
He lived alone in a small rented apartment on the seventh floor of an aging building. It wasn't much, but it was enough to survive. Every day, he streamed games online, trying to earn enough to pay rent, buy food, and keep going. It wasn't a dream life, but it was better than nothing.
That night had started like any other.
A long gaming session. A quiet room. The soft glow of the monitor lighting up the darkness.
Nothing unusual.
Until it happened.
In the middle of a game, a strange warmth spread through his body. At first, it felt comforting, almost relaxing. But within seconds, it turned into a sharp, piercing pain that ran through his chest and limbs.
He froze.
His hands stopped moving, even as the game continued on the screen.
The pain wasn't unbearable, but it was wrong. Completely different from anything he had ever felt.
It was as if something inside him had awakened.
Then came the feeling.
A strange awareness.
A voice—not heard, but understood.
Sequence Ability awakened.
Chaos Plunder.
He blinked in confusion.
For a moment, he thought it was part of the game. A sound effect. A glitch. A hallucination caused by exhaustion.
But the feeling didn't disappear.
It stayed.
He sat there for a long time, staring at nothing, trying to understand what had just happened. Trying to make sense of something that made no sense at all.
In the end, he let out a small laugh.
"Too much gaming…" he had muttered.
He turned off the stream early that night, lay down on his bed, and forced himself to sleep.
He forgot about it.
Or at least, he tried to.
Until the next morning.
The calm shattered.
Replaced by chaos.
A loud noise dragged him out of sleep—shouting, running footsteps, panic.
He opened his eyes, irritation flashing across his face.
"Seriously…?" he muttered as he sat up.
The noise came from outside his door. People were yelling, running, banging into walls. It was chaotic, messy, and far too loud.
He was already in a bad mood.
Now this?
He got up, ready to complain.
Ready to shout.
But the moment he opened the door—
Everything changed.
People rushed past him in the hallway, carrying bags, dragging suitcases, holding onto children. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with fear.
No one stopped.
No one answered.
No one even looked at him.
"Hey! What happened?" he called out.
Nothing.
Only footsteps fading into the distance.
A cold feeling crept into his chest.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He stepped out onto the balcony.
And what he saw—
Made his mind go completely blank.
The city was in chaos.
Thick smoke rose into the sky from multiple directions. Traffic clogged every road, cars crashing into each other in desperation. People ran in all directions, screaming, pushing, trying to escape.
And then—
He saw them.
Creatures.
Dogs—but not dogs.
Cats—but not cats.
Their bodies were twisted, enlarged, unnatural. Their eyes glowed with something wild and violent.
And they were attacking humans.
One of them leapt onto a man in the street, tearing him down in seconds. Another smashed through a car window with terrifying strength. Blood splattered across the road as screams filled the air.
His heart began to pound uncontrollably.
"What… the hell…?"
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't possible.
Then—
That memory returned.
Sequence.
He rushed back inside, grabbing his phone with trembling hands. The screen was filled with alerts—news notifications, emergency warnings, messages flooding in endlessly.
He opened one.
"Global emergency declared."
"Unknown phenomenon affecting all life forms."
"Animals and plants mutating at rapid rates."
"Ghost-like entities confirmed worldwide."
His breathing grew heavier as he scrolled.
"Evacuate densely populated areas immediately."
"Firearms effective against mutated creatures."
"Ghost entities immune to physical attacks."
"Some ghost entities avoid sunlight."
Then—
"Individuals with awakened 'Sequence Abilities' are urged to assist others."
His hands froze.
Sequence.
It was real.
The world had changed.
Completely.
He forced himself to calm down. Panic wouldn't help him survive. Only clear thinking would.
He looked around his apartment. Small. Limited. Unsafe.
He didn't hesitate.
Grabbing his travel bag, he quickly packed clothes, bottled water, and whatever food he could find. Every second mattered now.
Within minutes, he was ready.
He took one last look at the room that had once been his entire world.
Then he left.
The stairway was filled with people rushing down—some crying, some shouting, others completely silent in shock.
When he reached the ground floor, the chaos had already begun to take shape.
Vehicles gathered.
People organized themselves.
A convoy formed.
It wasn't planned.
It wasn't orderly.
But it was hope.
He understood immediately.
Staying alone meant death.
Moving with others meant a chance.
Without hesitation, he got on his electric bicycle and joined them.
He didn't ask questions.
He didn't look back.
And just like that—
He left his old life behind.
Back in the present, he slowly opened his eyes.
The dim light in the tent flickered again. Outside, someone coughed. Another shifted in their sleep.
Twenty days.
That was all it took.
From nearly a thousand people…
Only a little over three hundred remained.
Some died from hunger.
Some from exhaustion.
Some while searching for supplies.
And some…
Were killed by other humans.
He had seen it.
He had learned.
This world wasn't just dangerous.
It was cruel.
His gaze hardened.
"Strength…" he whispered softly.
He needed it.
More than anything.
His eyes drifted toward the darkness outside the tent.
Far away, something moved.
A faint, distorted sound echoed through the night.
Not human.
Not natural.
He didn't react.
Didn't move.
He simply watched.
And waited.
Because now, he understood one thing clearly—
This world no longer belonged to humans.
And if he wanted to survive…
He would have to become something else.
Something stronger.
Something beyond fear.
Something…
terrifying.