"3,000 is the lowest I'll go. Take it or leave it." The old landlady glanced at Li Xiang with contempt, her voice dripping with arrogance.
"Forget it, then." Li Xiang shook his head. A shabby, simply furnished one-bedroom apartment like this, and the rent had skyrocketed to a shocking three thousand. And it wasn't even in the city center, but on the urban fringe.
Not wanting to waste his breath, he turned and walked away.
Behind him, the old landlady's mocking voice, thick with a local accent, drifted over. "Can't even afford 3,000 in rent, and you're trying to make it in the big city like everyone else. You have no idea how many people are lined up to see this place..."
The soft, melodic Wu dialect only sounded pleasant coming from a beautiful young woman. Spewing from the mouth of an old lady with such an intense sense of regional superiority, it was just jarring.
Li Xiang was already far away. He didn't know what else she said, nor did he care to listen. He pedaled a shared bike under the scorching autumn sun, navigating the bustling, traffic-filled streets as a flood of thoughts and tragic scenes from his past life surfaced in his mind.
Ten years from now, the world would be completely reshuffled.
The tiny Solar System, carrying the vibrant Earth, "traveled" through the boundless cosmos, never stopping.
In that year, who knew where the Solar System's "movement" had taken it, but the entire system was invaded by an endless darkness. The Sun vanished. Countless Demon Fiends and Exotic Beasts appeared in the void. The Moon Base and the satellites in the sky all lost contact. Time and space on Earth became turbulent, with spatial nodes popping up one after another...
City after city fell.
In just one year, Earth's population of over nine billion plummeted to two billion. A certain island nation to the east was hit particularly hard, its entire landmass nearly sinking. After another three years, Earth's population was less than one hundred million—not even one in a hundred survived.
If not for the sheer initial numbers, humanity might have gone extinct.
But where there is disaster, fortune may also be found. In that desperate darkness, mysterious Extraordinary Particles emerged. Humanity lit the "flame of hope." Extraordinary Beings and Abnormal Techniques appeared one after another.
Just as things were starting to look up for humanity, Li Xiang died in action during a mission. He fell in a canyon shrouded in black mist at the age of 39.
When he woke up, he had returned to the autumn of his 25th year, ten years before the Apocalypse.
At this very moment, the Eastern Great Power was prosperous and peaceful. The 25-year-old Li Xiang had graduated from university two years ago and was a "fated wage slave" in the big city.
When he was very young, he heard that "we are all successors," but so many years had passed, and no one had come to ask him to take over. With no other choice, he could only work his fingers to the bone every day.
To put it nicely, he was striving to put down roots in a first-tier city so his future children wouldn't lose at the starting line. To put it bluntly, he was just another beast of burden, a corporate drone.
If he wasn't a beast of burden, why was changing jobs called "jumping troughs"?
"Three thousand, four weeks, no weekends, no breaks... Stay up late, wake up early, right and wrong, all turned upside down..." From a distance, someone was singing a song filled with sorrow and helplessness. Li Xiang felt a pang of empathy.
The rent was so expensive, and buying a house was a distant dream. Besides, ten years from now, this city would be nothing but ruins.
'Might as well stop being a beast of burden. I'd rather go home and farm.'
No one understood the value of a piece of countryside land better than the Li Xiang of this moment.
Most importantly, his grandmother was already in her seventies. In his previous life, while he was struggling in the big city, his grandmother passed away. He had rushed back as fast as he could but still didn't get to see her one last time.
His parents had died early, leaving only his grandmother at home. Going back to care for her and let her live out her golden years in peace was the best choice right now.
Suddenly, a mysterious voice echoed in Li Xiang's mind: "Apocalypse System activated."
'What the hell?'
Li Xiang was so startled he almost rode the shared bike straight into a flowerbed.
He was not far from his apartment now. Spotting a return station nearby, Li Xiang returned the bike and started to ponder the Apocalypse System in his mind.
But after fiddling with it for a long while, there was no reaction at all.
After that one sentence, there was only silence.
If it weren't for the virtual panel that had suddenly appeared, he would have suspected he'd just been hearing things.
'An Apocalypse System? Don't tell me it's useless until the Apocalypse actually starts? Then what's the point of activating now?'
'Hmm, it's still somewhat useful. At least it tells me that, unworthy as I am, I've managed to land the role of a chosen one. With a system by my side, I can stand a little taller! I'll just lay low for ten years, cultivate my character in the countryside, and wait for the Apocalypse. Then, I'll soar to the heavens.'
Still, lying low for ten years... that was even more impressive than Sima Yi, who only stayed in the countryside for seven.
Li Xiang went up to his apartment building and let himself in. It was an 89-square-meter, three-bedroom apartment. He lived in the smallest room, about 5 square meters, but the rent was cheap at 800 a month. He had originally been sharing the place with two other couples, but the landlord was selling the property and their lease was about to expire, so they all had to move out.
The other two couples weren't home; they were probably out looking for new places, just like him. Since Li Xiang had decided to return to his hometown, he didn't have to worry about renting anymore.
He began to pack his things. Today was Sunday. Tomorrow, he would go to the company to process his resignation. After a brief handover of his work, he should be able to leave. He had only been at this job for less than three months.
Early the next morning, Li Xiang went to the company to get his manager to sign his resignation form.
"Found a new job?" the manager asked nonchalantly, glancing up at him sideways.
"No," Li Xiang replied calmly.
"Then why are you suddenly quitting?" the manager asked.
"I'm planning to go back to my hometown and farm."
"Pfft—" The manager couldn't help but chuckle, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips. With a few swift, decisive strokes, he signed the form. 'The economy's in a slump right now,' he thought. 'Quitting without another job lined up? He'll be unemployed for half a year. These young people just haven't been beaten down by the real world yet.'
Even though Li Xiang's performance was usually good, and as a newcomer, he was willing to do anything and worked diligently, the manager had no intention of trying to keep him. A three-legged toad is hard to find, but two-legged university graduates? You can grab a handful of them anywhere. The world would keep spinning no matter who left.
He still needed to get signatures from several other people, and Li Xiang intended to see the process through to the end.
After finally getting all the signatures and handing the form to HR, he went to his desk to pack his things. When he pulled open a drawer, he was taken aback.
"Holy crap, there's a whole box of instant coffee here." Li Xiang was speechless.
He had just been reborn yesterday, so some of his memories were a bit fuzzy.
'Drinking coffee at work? What the hell was I thinking?'
'Oh, right. When I get sleepy, I pay out of my own pocket to whip myself awake, just to be more efficient for the boss?'
'Even a donkey in a production brigade wouldn't do that.'
He turned on his computer, deleted some important but non-essential files that didn't need to be handed over, and was then surprised to discover he had even paid for a WPS Office subscription himself.
He immediately logged out of the account. 'Can't let the company get it for free!'
'I came here to earn money, so why was I paying for everything?'
Li Xiang really didn't know what to say about his former self.
In his past life, he had worked so desperately, dead set on staying in the big city. And for what? It was only after the Apocalypse that he had a stroke of luck, encountering some Breathing Techniques and Body Techniques that allowed him to step into the Extraordinary Realm.
"Li Xiang, go get a package for me from the front gate," a female colleague called out.
Li Xiang looked up as a long-lost memory surfaced. In his previous life, she had asked him to get a package, and he had gone. He'd assumed it was for the company, but it turned out to be her personal delivery.
And when he came back up, that same colleague had been leaning back with her legs crossed, sipping tea, cracking sunflower seeds, and chatting with the person next to her.
The reason she dared to order Li Xiang around was simply that she was attractive and was close to the manager. In terms of education or work ability, she was far inferior to Li Xiang.
But the old Li Xiang had been too agreeable and bad at saying no, so everyone tried to boss him around.
"I'm busy!" This time around, Li Xiang wasn't about to indulge her. He shot back a nonchalant reply.
The colleague was struck speechless. "..." Having no other choice, she had to go get it herself.
Less than three minutes later, another colleague walked over with a stack of documents and handed them to Li Xiang. "Make a copy of this. The boss needs it urgently."
Li Xiang snapped his fingers. "Approved!" 'If you need copies, then go make them yourself. Why are you asking for my permission? I'm not your boss.'
The colleague stared at him, completely baffled. "..."
Li Xiang gave a slight smile, glanced at the colleague, and walked away with his mug.
'The boss is in such a hurry, yet instead of getting it done, you delegate it to me? Am I your subordinate?'
'Oh, so I do the work, and you take the credit?'
It wasn't that the old Li Xiang didn't understand. It was just that when he first arrived, he would occasionally help everyone make copies, thinking it was a small favor. But over time, everyone started treating him like a tool.
Being a pushover gets you nowhere.
This kind of environment was toxic, extremely unfriendly to newcomers. It was a sick workplace culture. Having been reborn, Li Xiang felt it was necessary to shake things up a bit, to contribute "a ray of light" for the new hires who would come after him.
He headed for the breakroom. After being so busy, he was thirsty.
Just as he was about to get there, a colleague from a nearby desk who had been there three or five years longer than him raised his own empty mug, waving it in front of Li Xiang to block his path. The meaning was obvious: help me get a cup of water.
"Brother Zhang, you're too kind! Cheers!" Li Xiang lightly tapped his own mug against the other man's, knocking it aside, and continued toward the breakroom, leaving a bewildered Brother Zhang in his wake.
"Cheers? Was I asking for a toast? What's with this guy's train of thought?" Brother Zhang shook his head helplessly. 'These newbies nowadays have no sense. Not even willing to do a small thing like this.'
...
There are no secrets in an office. Before long, news of Li Xiang's resignation had spread.
"Did you hear? Li Xiang quit without finding a new job. Says he's going back to the countryside to farm."
"Can he even handle that kind of hardship? His university degree was a waste."
"Exactly. He worked so hard to escape the farm, and now he's going back. Is he nuts?"
"Maybe he wants to go back and become a social media influencer. Lots of people in the countryside are making short videos now. I hear they get a lot of followers."
"Get real, he's not cut out for that. Being an influencer isn't that easy. Do you know how hard it is to build an account from scratch these days?"
Someone came over to confirm it with Li Xiang. "Li Xiang, I heard you're planning to go home and farm. Are you really okay with going back?"
Li Xiang said calmly, "As long as I don't buy a car or a house, no one can exploit me."
"But the countryside is so grim. You probably won't even be able to find a wife if you go back."
"As if you can find one by staying here."
The guy almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood. That one hit him where it hurt.
This guy had been on countless blind dates, simped himself to death, and was still single.
At noon, Li Xiang treated his closest female colleague at the company to lunch as a farewell.
She was two years younger than him, a recent university graduate named Chen Huanhuan. She was also the person who would be taking over his work.
That manager was a real bastard, deliberately picking someone Li Xiang was on good terms with for the handover. If it had been any other colleague, Li Xiang would have just half-assed it, but he didn't want to screw over Chen Huanhuan. After all, her life wasn't easy either.
The two of them were quite close, often eating lunch together. Unfortunately, she wasn't his type, or perhaps something might have developed between them.
"Are you really going back to your hometown to farm?" Chen Huanhuan blinked, her reluctance clear.
"Yeah." Li Xiang noticed the affection in her eyes and could only say 'sorry' to her in his heart.
The girl fell silent.
Li Xiang took out a note he had written earlier and handed it to Chen Huanhuan.
"What's this?"
"My home address. If you ever run into any trouble in the future, you can always come and find me."
Chen Huanhuan was stunned, not understanding his intention. 'Even if things get tough, I'm not going to seek refuge with you in the countryside,' she thought. 'What would I do, follow you and become a farmer? I worked so hard to graduate from university; there's no way I'm ever going to farm in my life.'
Just before the end of the workday, the manager came in and announced to everyone, "Something urgent has come up. Nobody leave just yet. We'll all be working some overtime."
He glanced at Li Xiang and added, "Li Xiang, you stay too. Many hands make light work."