True Apocalypse Game

He bought several large locks for the underground garage, then used a welding gun to weld the car door completely shut. Still feeling uneasy, Shen Feng ran to a supermarket, bought a few cameras, and installed them in hidden spots around the courtyard before finally calling it a day.

No one usually came to this courtyard. Now that a prefabricated house was installed, showing it was occupied, it was even less likely that anyone would trespass.

Besides, petty thieves wouldn’t bother with a place in a half-renovated state.

After getting all that done, Shen Feng finally left the small suburban courtyard, took a taxi, and returned to his rented apartment.

It was almost ten o’clock. Shen Feng went straight to the bun shop downstairs, ordered a bowl of cold noodles with sesame sauce and a steamer of meat buns, and began to wolf it all down.

To think that just yesterday he was eating dried rats in the apocalyptic wasteland... today, the cold noodles and meat buns tasted like a gourmet meal.

After downing a steamer of buns, a small plate of spicy pickled radish, and cold noodles with extra sesame sauce, Shen Feng slumped back in his chair with a long sigh. He opened a bottle of sweet soy milk and began to sip it slowly.

Ah, pure bliss...

’This is the life.’

"Xiaofeng, eating late today? You’re eating like you’re starved. Were you up all night playing games?" the bun shop owner asked while clearing the dishes.

Shen Feng chuckled. "You’re sharp, Uncle Wang! You saw right through me! Haha, I was getting chicken dinners all night. Southeast Asia map. You can even make money from it. It’s awesome."

The owner smiled and shook his head, saying earnestly, "Don’t try to fool me. Since when did that chicken dinner game have a Southeast Asia map? You’re a senior now. You have to study hard. You can’t afford to slack off. One more year of hard work, and you’ll be set for life."

"I know, I know. Thanks, Uncle Wang." Shen Feng nodded obediently. When he went to pay, Old Wang tried to waive the last two yuan, but Shen Feng insisted on leaving the full amount before heading out.

’Time for school.’

Although it was technically summer vacation, there was no such thing for third-year high school students. The school had arranged for extra lessons, and from now on, they would only get one weekend off per month. (Finally managed to justify the classes during summer break...)

This time, he didn’t take a taxi. Instead, he dutifully took the bus, which swayed along until it reached the school at nearly eleven o’clock.

His classmates had all arrived long ago and were in the middle of math class.

Shen Feng told the teacher he was late because he wasn’t feeling well. It didn’t raise any suspicion; since he was usually a diligent student, the teacher just let him take his seat.

He pulled his textbook from his desk, opened it, and took a deep breath. He began to listen to the lecture, though his mind was a million miles away.

Although it seemed he had never left in real-world time, he had, in fact, lived through an unforgettable period in the post-nuclear wasteland.

’You’ve got money, you’ve got tech. What are you doing in class? Are you insane?’ Jingwei’s voice echoed in his mind, clearly baffled by Shen Feng’s behavior.

’It would be one thing if he had a crush on some girl at school,’ Jingwei mused. ’But based on the data we exchanged, this kid seems to get along better with boys. Like he’s gay.’

’Is he here to meet his boyfriend?’

Shen Feng, unaware that Jingwei was already judging him, replied with a mental eye-roll:

’If I don’t come back here for a few days, I really might go insane. Dude, I just got back from the apocalypse! The man-eating kind! An ordinary high school kid goes through that many human tragedies and epic struggles... it’s easy to get twisted. I need to feel normal again. Otherwise, I might launch a nuke myself before I even get a chance to stop the end of the world.’

There wasn’t a hint of exaggeration in his words.

He truly needed this normal life to mend the fractures in his psyche.

When you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes also into you.

After spending so much time in the apocalypse, he was genuinely afraid he would become mentally twisted.

For one thing, his current disregard for life already far surpassed that of an ordinary person. The darkness he had witnessed was also making his personality cold and distorted.

This kind of change was gradual, like the psychological stress from many high-risk professions. He needed to find a way to decompress.

Returning to his normal life was Shen Feng’s way of doing just that.

Besides, there was something else that had been weighing on his mind.

The bell ending class soon rang. It was time for lunch.

After lunch in the cafeteria, Shen Feng returned to the classroom to find a group of students crowded around Ji Xin, chattering excitedly about something.

"Old Shen, come check it out! My new Polaroid! Haha, wanna take a picture?"

Ji Xin, his face alight with excitement and a hint of pride, ran over and slung an arm around his best friend, beaming as he snapped a photo of them together.

’Old Shen seems to have something on his mind these last couple of days,’ Ji Xin thought. ’I’ll have to ask him what’s up later.’

The photo printed out instantly. Ji Xin held it in front of Shen Feng. "What do you think?"

Shen Feng glanced at it, his eyes flew wide, and he nearly spat out the mouthful of water he had just taken.

In the photo, his own expression was grave, while Ji Xin wore his usual carefree, beaming smile.

’This was the fucking photo from the body of that "Ji Xin" in the post-nuclear Death Forest!’

’A photo of the two of them!’

Shen Feng quickly composed himself and forced a smile. "Not bad, not bad. We both look sharp. I’ll keep this one as a memento."

Without waiting for an argument, he snatched the photo from Ji Xin’s hand and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Haha, as long as you’re happy." Ji Xin patted Shen Feng’s shoulder. "Old Shen, you seem to have something on your mind lately. If anything’s up, you have to tell me, okay?"

"It’s nothing, really. I’m just going to the restroom," Shen Feng said, immediately breaking into a light jog toward it.

He ran into a stall, took out a lighter, and immediately set the photo on fire, watching with his own eyes until it was nothing but ash.

’This thing... it’s a bad omen...’

"...Last night, a large number of victims of telecom and online fraud received refunds to their accounts, with the amounts generally matching what they had lost. It is speculated that this may be the work of a domestic ’red hacker’ organization. The act has received unanimous praise from netizens and has quickly become a hot topic of discussion online..."

Back in the classroom, the sound of a news report drifted from the phone of a student watching the news. Shen Feng couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

’What I did yesterday must have saved a lot of victims teetering on the edge of suicide, and saved a lot of shattered families, too.’

’This feeling of playing the hero while making money on the side is pretty great.’

’Those overseas "pig-butchering" scam rings don’t have any powerful backing. They’re pretty easy targets.’

’Maybe I can switch targets another day. How about hitting a predatory loan shark ring next time?’

Just as Shen Feng was thinking this, the voice from the news report continued:

"...a new type of infectious skin disease has appeared in North American Alaska. Patients are exhibiting symptoms of skin stiffening and hardening. According to Dr. Leon from the Mayo Medical Center, the infectious disease bears similarities to self-limiting acute hemorrhagic disease..."

Shen Feng shot to his feet as if he’d been electrocuted. At the same time, the "True Apocalypse Game" bracelet vibrated again...