RHWHEG – Chapter 1 Riverside Apartment

“Captain Yu, we’re sorry, but the situation was urgent back then. Who else but you could take the hit for us? We just thought—you’re so strong it’s almost inhuman, so it was instinct, just instinct… Sigh, alright, it’s our fault. But please, try to understand us.”

“Yu Qunqing! I won’t hide it anymore. Yes, I’ve always been pretending to get along with you, waiting for you to slip up. As expected, a leopard never changes its spots. You really betrayed the Shelter! In the novel you were a villain, and in reality—you’re still a villain! Now I can only uphold justice, even if it means cutting ties with you!”

…

Dim sunlight filtered through a small window, landing on the bathroom mirror. A pale hand wiped away the dust, revealing a pair of cold, sharp eyes.

But after a few blinks, that cold gaze slowly turned confused. Wiping off more dust, the mirror finally reflected a haggard face and a thin body with faint traces of muscle.

So he had really gone back…

Dark circles this big! Muscles this few! In the past, he could fight ten men at once. Now? Ten men could beat him!

A clearer memory surfaced in Yu Qunqing’s mind.

“After saving for five years, I can finally enjoy a carefree single life…” 

Standing on the balcony, he had taken a photo of the river view and posted it on Moments, subtly flaunting his happy life.

As for the photo’s location tag, he hadn’t decided yet. After all, it was a river-view apartment he had scraped together five years of savings to pay the down payment for. Prime city center real estate—step outside the community and you were in the bustling streets. Yet inside, every few steps was a little garden, lush trees blocking out the noise, creating a rare tranquility. Some units even had stunning night views of the neon-lit skyline reflected on the river. Marketing hadn’t done the place justice. What if his friends didn’t realize just how expensive this place was?

While scrolling on his phone, a breaking news alert popped up: A mysterious wave of sleeping sickness has broken out recently…

After that, everything sped by like someone hit fast-forward.

People who reawakened from sleep had their brains burst open, limbs twisting into tentacles, growing into giant jellyfish. Those monstrous jellyfish were unimaginably strong, grabbing passersby, driving their mouthparts into them to plant new larvae. At night, meter-long moths dove into lit-up homes. Underground thorns burst through pipelines. Unknown colossal creatures spewed clouds and smoke, crushing cities as they passed. Many humans fell into deep slumber, while even more monsters awakened.

Experts predicted: on the day of the solar eclipse, a global mass sleep would erupt. These monster seeds came from the depths of the universe!

The authorities gave them one name: Calamities.

Run! Run now!

Run to the suburbs, outside the city, into the Shelter Capsules handed out by the Human Survival Research Center!

In an instant, the three-million-down-payment riverside apartment Yu Qunqing had fought so hard for became worthless.

Chaos everywhere. Cars jammed the roads, bridges overflowed with people. The roar of the crowd drowned out car horns and shattering glass, loud enough to split the sky. Yu Qunqing packed up emergency food and tools at home—then suddenly collapsed.

He had fallen asleep.

In his previous life, Yu Qunqing slept for five full days. Public records said: the longer the sleep, the higher the chance of mutating into a Calamity. If one remained sane, the stronger their powers would be.

Ordinary people slept two or three days. Yu Qunqing had slept five. His Calamity power was far beyond others.

That was why he was highly valued the moment he entered the Shelter. Later…

His head throbbed in agony. The harder he tried to recall, the less he remembered how he died in that last life. Grief pressed heavy on his chest with no release. After a while, he gave up—he wasn’t one to obsess. If he couldn’t remember, then leave it aside. With Calamities everywhere, being alive was already a blessing.

He left the bathroom and drew the living room curtains. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the city center’s devastation. The once-clear Crocodile River was now choked with sludge, twisted steel bars, overturned cars, and uprooted trees… only a few streams proved it was still flowing. Office towers that had looked like honeycombs now had chunks missing as if bitten by a bear. The city’s landmark buildings were nowhere to be seen. The downtown was gray and silent. The blood-red sunset on the horizon bore witness to humanity’s apocalypse.

Around the community, trees grew abnormally green with sprouting tendrils, the forest looking denser than ever. Inside the compound lay scattered plastic bags and wooden planks. Cracks several meters deep split the ground, tearing open even a fountain.

Snacks littered the living room floor—what Yu Qunqing had devoured the moment he woke. Starving, he had demolished a bag of shrimp chips in three minutes. On the coffee table, his phone was charging. Seeing it fully charged, he turned it on to check the date.

Today: October 23.

The solar eclipse had been in July.

He had slept a full three months?

No wonder, no wonder he was starving…

He tore open a Swiss roll.

Then came a sweet French bun, a dense sachima, crispy dried fruits, matcha mochi, egg pancakes, durian puffs, and finally a self-heating hotpot. At last, he was seventy percent full.

Now that his strength was back, Yu Qunqing held his breath, preparing to test his Calamity ability.

From past life experience, using powers caused cells to radiate intensely, damaging the body. Overuse turned users directly into Calamities. That was why he had just stuffed himself—he needed full focus to handle his ability.

Three months of sleep… what kind of dangerous power had he awakened? He wasn’t sure, so he prepared cautiously.

First, feel where the heat gathered.

Brain, spine, heart… then his hands. Beneath these organs it felt like dormant volcanoes. His task was to awaken them safely.

His body grew hotter, but his heartbeat slowed. Each pulse pumped out blood that felt like corrosive poison.

Finally, the heat erupted—blue veins bulged on his hands, and blinding lightning sparks burst between them!

A bolt of lightning shot straight into the wall-mounted TV. The black screen flickered, sizzling with static.

His power this life was lightning? A pure elemental ability—rare yet convenient. And judging from the strike’s force, it matched his three-month slumber.

But Yu Qunqing felt uneasy. He stared warily at the flickering TV.

At last, with a “beep,” the indicator light came on. The screen unfolded into a 3D Western-style animation. Then came a voice—not from the TV, but directly inside his head.

“Dingdong! You have bound with the ‘Leisure Mini-Game System.’ Detecting user ID. Since this is your first login, a new account will be registered for you.”

“Player Yu Qunqing, welcome back! This beginner’s tutorial will guide you. Please choose your first game.”

What… a game system?

Digging through memory, Yu Qunqing tried: “Uh… Raccoon City Crisis?”

“Apologies. Due to regional policies, this game is not available for download in your area.”

Yu Qunqing: “…Does it really have to be that strict?”

“Dingdong! Player took too long to choose. Random game will be downloaded. Accelerating download… Done! Enjoy your game!”

Large chibi-style characters popped up on screen: Mediterranean Butler Match-3!

At work, Yu Qunqing’s favorite pastime had always been games—from 2D to 3D, domestic to foreign, mobile to console. Of course he had heard of this world-famous casual game.

The “Mediterranean Butler” referred to a butler from the Mediterranean, not his hairline. Retiring from a billionaire’s mansion in Gotham City, he returned to his rented villa—only to find the landlord wanted to sell the building since no tenants lived there. The butler insisted the building could attract tenants if renovated. The landlord complained it was too much work, but said if the butler took charge, he’d gift him a house. The butler agreed—he knew how to make any home cozy, livable, and safe.

And how would he renovate it?

Through the magical power of match-3 puzzles, of course!

The screen played a story sequence, then shifted to a cracked fountain, neatly filled with stones of various shapes.

“Follow the guide. Swap this blue stone with that green one. Line up three identical stones to eliminate them.”

Yu Qunqing didn’t move.

He was carefully examining those stones.

If he wasn’t mistaken, these were 99% Disaster Stones.

Disaster Stones—so-called because they formed from slain Calamity corpses. Different Calamities produced different stones. Researchers once theorized they were emergency Calamity larvae, radiating so strongly they couldn’t be kept near humans for long, lest they hatch.

Yet people also discovered grinding weapons with Disaster Stones made them deadlier against Calamities. They even helped ability users break through levels. Most importantly, they served as fertilizer, enabling humanity to keep surviving under constant siege.

And now, these invaluable resources were just puzzle pieces in a match-3 game.

Cautiously, Yu Qunqing followed the tutorial, swapping the stones.

“Excellent! Now check the goal. Within limited moves, gather the required stones to win this stage!”

The mission asked for 15 clam-shaped white Disaster Stones.

In no time, Yu Qunqing cleared it. Firecrackers exploded onscreen.

“Stage clear—Reward: 220 coins, 1 hexagram. Congratulations!”

Yu Qunqing tapped back to the home screen of Mediterranean Butler Match-3.

The whole game was in 3D Western style. The main view was a floor plan of a house—uncannily similar to his own apartment. Moving the screen, he saw not only his room, but also next door and the garden outside. However, most areas were gray, locked away.

The tutorial continued.

“Dingdong! The building’s front gate is broken. If it isn’t fixed soon, unwanted guests might enter.

Use Hexagram (0/1) to repair the first floor’s gate!”

An exclamation mark popped up in the corner. When he clicked it, the view shifted—showing the lobby’s electronic doors wide open from a power outage.

And outside the doors, several Rift Hounds prowled.

Rift Hounds—common F-rank Calamities.