『"Apocalypse Survival Guide"』
(Contrast: Calculating X Passionate and Kind) My name is Jiang Miao. I admit that I have changed; I am no longer the naive Jiang Miao I once was. Before the apocalypse began, I was a teacher at Pucheng University. Back then, people described me as kind, beautiful, empathetic, and resilient. I accepted those labels and took pride in them. Until the apocalypse arrived, and everything changed. An unknown virus struck, causing a wave of human-to-human biting. Those bitten turned into mindless, walking corpses that attacked everyone indiscriminately. Pucheng slowly fell... I wasn't alone. I had a younger sister and parents. I took my family and fled, but we couldn't run forever. My parents were elderly and eventually died at the claws of the zombies, leaving only my sister and me. Along the way, I saw too many families destroyed. Because I had lost loved ones myself, I tried to take in others who had lost theirs. In the end, it caused my sister's death. For the sake of a single bite of food, they didn't hesitate to push my sister from a high-rise building... My sister didn't die at the jaws of a zombie, but at the hands of her own kind. How ironic... My sister's death nearly broke me. I began to wonder: In a world like this, do humans still have humanity? Can people still trust one another? I was left all alone. I lived almost self-destructively, running endlessly. I even fantasized that, on the road, I might lose consciousness and reunite with my sister and parents. But fate toyed with me; I survived. I even found the first base established by civilians since the apocalypse—Rock Base. At that moment, I found hope to keep living. I wanted to live well, carrying the dreams of my parents and my sister. But fate didn't let me go. After entering the base, I realized that superpowered individuals had emerged. They were the minority, so their status in the base was very high. We, the non-powered, were destined to remain at the bottom. Three years later, the base's rules were established, and areas were divided into Zones A, B, and C. Zone A is for the base leaders and superpowered individuals. Zone B is for researchers and technical staff. And Zone C is the domain of the non-powered. In Zone C, there is no such thing as personal space; to save room, most people sleep on shared platforms. Chaos frequently breaks out in Zone C. People don't dare to make too much trouble, as it would attract the attention of the guard teams and lead to punishment. Therefore, petty disputes are common. Here, it's either you rob me, or I rob you. You can barely keep anything; it will eventually change hands. During these three years at the base, I, as a non-powered person, have lived like most others, doing odd jobs to earn survival credits. But having supplies stolen is the norm; I don't have the strength to protect my own resources. I wasn't willing to accept this. I took on harder, more exhausting work to build my strength. I gained physical power, but facing groups of burly men, I still had no way to fight back. I could only watch helplessly as my belongings were taken. Starvation and injury were common. Some advised me to do some "easy work," like... using my feminine assets and falling into the same trap as them. I refused. If I had to live like that, what would be the point of coming here? I want to live with dignity and live better. So, I changed. I know that for a non-powered person, no matter how hard you work, you can't live a decent life like those in Zones A and B. Therefore, I decided to climb my way up. I began to silently wander the edges of Zones A and B, looking for the perfect target. Yes, I have my eye on you. You are like who I used to be—kind, foolish, and excessively empathetic. Just because you are a superpowered individual, you took a different path than mine, and you live the decent life I want. I know all too well what makes people like you soften... I don't want to rot in Zone C anymore. So, I must deceive you. I will make you pity me, sympathize with me, take me out of Zone C, and... fall in love with me. For that, I am willing to do whatever it takes.
"People... are bound to change."