Chapter 1: Tieyu Base
“Good morning, dear compatriots. Today, Tieyu Base remains peaceful and secure. Open your eyes, and you can see a fractured sky and a scarlet sun. You can also see that the walls and gates of Tieyu Base are still standing, that our fortress guns are ready to fire at any moment, that our nuclear bombs are being properly maintained, and that our great leader, No. 43 Li Peipei, has returned safely from the Ember District to continue protecting the people. Today marks exactly the 400th day of the calendar in the Ashes District. Exactly 400 days ago, the Ashes District opened, and the world entered the end times! Despite the terrifying alien monsters, humanity has shown tenacity. We have established strongholds and rely on the strength of Ashes Walkers to protect the fragile embers of civilization. May the human race endure forever, and may civilization persist forever! This is the Iron Rain Base Radio, and now we will broadcast the morning news...”
...
The voice from the television left Xia Lin dumbfounded. But he was clearly dumbfounded too early... because the real shock was yet to come.
“Name! I’m asking you a question! Hey!”
“Huh?” It took Xia Lin three seconds to respond before he came back to his senses and looked at the middle-aged man in formal attire in front of him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he scanned the surroundings, taking in the simple furnishings at a glance. The room resembled an office, furnished only with a table, two chairs, and the two occupants sitting on them.
One was Xia Lin, and the other was the man in formal attire.
Seeing Xia Lin’s bewildered expression, the man frowned.
“Huh? Name!” he repeated, emphasizing the question.
“Xia Lin,” Xia Lin obediently answered.
Both his self from before the time of the journey and the original owner of the body were named Xia Lin.
Hearing Xia Lin’s normal response, the man’s expression softened considerably. He picked up a pen and began writing, the strokes making a rustling sound on the paper.
“Gender, male?”
“Yes.”
“Age?”
“Twenty-three years old.”
“That’s enough.”
The man stopped writing, causing Xia Lin to raise an eyebrow.
This line of questioning seemed a bit too simplistic... But then again, Xia Lin, who had just arrived, didn’t fully understand what was happening.
The integration of the two sets of memories was incomplete, making it difficult for Xia Lin to access the original owner’s memories.
The man in a suit set down his pen, picked up another piece of paper from the table, and read in a monotonous tone.
“Xia Lin, male, 23 years old, joined Tieyu Base three months ago.”
“According to your account, your parents both died after the disaster. You are currently without parents, without a spouse or children, and living alone.”
“After joining Tieyu Base, you were assigned to work as a general laborer in Iron and Steel Factory No. 3. Due to your outstanding performance, you were selected as an exemplary worker by the factory and volunteered during this recruitment to enter the Ember District as an Ember Walker.”
“Am I right?”
No, you’re not!
I don’t want to go to the Ember District! I don’t want to become an Ember Walker!
I don’t want to fight monsters to the death! I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I don’t want to!
The memories belonging to the original owner of the body began to stir in his mind.
He screamed and resisted internally.
Scenes began flashing rapidly through Xia Lin’s mind.
His original home was shrouded in gray mist, his parents were torn apart by monsters, and he followed the main group on a thousand-mile trek to Tieyu Base.
He worked hard at his job but offended the foreman, who held a grudge against him. During the monthly conscription, the steel factory was required to fill four forced recruitment quotas, and he was one of them.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Am I right?”
The man in a suit asked again, staring at Xia Lin with burning eyes.
By now, Xia Lin was sweating profusely. The man’s words triggered the original owner’s memories, causing Xia Lin to recall more details.
The key issue was the Ember District.
Four hundred days ago, the Ember Zones appeared, and one entrance after another emerged from the ground—indestructible.
Ten days after their appearance, monsters, alien creatures, and other anomalies began pouring out of the Ember Zones, destroying the old world.
In a short time, the old order collapsed.
Fortunately, in desperation, humanity discovered a method to combat the Ashes.
They would enter the Ashes Zones, conquer them within ten days, and seal the entrances, thus halting the disasters at their source.
Those who entered the Ashes were collectively called Ashes Walkers.
Ashes Walkers possessed powers beyond ordinary human imagination and were granted significant privileges. It seemed like an enticing offer, but with a 95% mortality rate, most people were extremely reluctant to become Ashes Walkers—and the original owner of the body was no exception.
Perhaps the traumatic memory of his parents’ gruesome deaths left such a deep scar that he lacked the courage to face the Ashes and the monsters within.
And now, Xia Lin felt the same way.
“I...” Xia Lin suppressed the discomfort in his mind and had just begun to speak when the door to the room suddenly opened.
The man in formal attire turned towards the door and was the first to see who entered. He stood up in surprise, a flattering smile appearing on his face.
“Lord Yue, what brings you here?”
A somewhat pleasant female voice sounded from the doorway.
“Why haven’t you chosen anyone yet? Sister Peipei is getting impatient, so she sent me to speed things up.”
The man in a suit smiled obsequiously. “It will be done shortly.”
The female voice grew impatient. “You people are so inefficient. I’ll handle it myself.”
Xia Lin sensed a gaze from behind.
“He’s the first one.”
Before Xia Lin could turn around, a sudden chill rose from his heart. He found himself unable to move.
...
It was as if he had become a puppet. Xia Lin could no longer feel his limbs, but his senses remained sharp.
He stood up involuntarily, turned stiffly, and gazed at the source of the beautiful female voice.
It was a young, beautiful woman, her face full of arrogance.
Who are you?
What do you want?
What have you done to me?
Xia Lin felt a surge of panic, but these questions remained trapped in his chest, unspoken.
He walked mechanically towards the woman, step by step, stopping in front of her like a loyal guard.
The man in formal attire ignored this strange scene, continuing to apologize profusely.
“I’m sorry, Lord Yue. It’s my inefficiency that nearly delayed this important matter.”
“I will reflect on my actions! I will reflect!”
The woman, Lord Yue, merely snorted and turned to leave, with Xia Lin following closely behind.
...
Numbly trailing behind her, Xia Lin watched as the woman randomly selected five other unlucky individuals. Together with Xia Lin, they formed the Unlucky Sky Team.
The group of seven eventually arrived on the eighth floor of the building.
Pushing open an ornate solid wood door, three women and one man came into Xia Lin’s view.
The most striking figure was undoubtedly the woman seated at the head of the table.
She appeared to be the same age as Xia Lin, her face exceptionally beautiful, but her eyes exuded a fierce intensity, making her seem heroic.
The original owner’s memories surged again, informing Xia Lin of her identity.
She was the supreme authority of Tieyu Base and its strongest warrior: Human Race Serial No. 43, Li Peipei.