Su Family
1348 Words
Although the Su Family's Divine Tree didn’t guarantee a 100% awakening success rate, it still greatly boosted their power, allowing them to annex multiple factions.
While they couldn’t compare to Free City, they were undoubtedly the dominant force in the southeastern region.
However—
Two years into the apocalypse, the Divine Tree awakened its own consciousness.
It turned out to be a demonic tree.
Its strength was terrifying—ordinary Awakened were no match for it.
And to make matters worse, Su Mingshuo had placed it within the heart of his own headquarters.
The battle that ensued completely crippled the Su Family.
The base Su Mingshuo had painstakingly built was reduced to ruins.
His elite forces—both military and Awakened warriors—were decimated.
But the true horror of the apocalypse was never just the monsters.
With the Su Family controlling the most resource-rich territory in the southeast, their sudden downfall invited countless predators.
Like a pack of wolves pouncing on a wounded lion, the surrounding factions descended upon them.
From then on—the once-glorious Su Family fell from grace, never to reclaim its former prestige.
A truly tragic downfall.
But Shen Chen had chosen the Su Family for a reason.
First, Su Mingshuo was a capable man—a ruthless leader with the potential to be a valuable ally.
Second, Jiang City’s location in the southeast was strategically crucial.
With its natural terrain advantage, it was easily defensible.
And more importantly, it was not far from Dongdu.
If he could bring the Su Family under the Shen Family’s control, Jiang City would become a strategic buffer zone.
Any faction or monster horde attempting to invade Free City from the southeast would first have to breach Jiang City.
This would give the Shen Family crucial time to prepare a defense.
And third—
If Shen Chen remembered correctly, Su Mingshuo had a daughter named Su Mengning.
She was the best friend of a woman named Huang Yuehan.
And Huang Yuehan’s father—Huang Shao—was a name that held little significance in the empire right now.
But in the coming apocalypse—
That name would shake the world.
Huang Shao would become the supreme ruler of Qingdu, one of the largest superpower factions in the Southwest.
He would also lead the Southwest United Council.
A man who stood at the pinnacle of the human hierarchy in the apocalypse.
With all these factors in mind—Shen Chen came to Jiang City.
“In my past life, Su Mingshuo fell because of that demonic tree.”
“In this life—our Shen Family will deal with it before it becomes a disaster.”
As this thought crossed his mind, Shen Chen gazed into the dark night sky.
He still remembered—in his past life, it was around this exact time that he arrived in Jiang City under his father’s orders to form a political alliance with Su Mingshuo.
Back then, their focus was still limited to mere politics.
But this time—
Their ambition stretched far beyond that.
This time—
They were setting in motion a plan that would shape the future of humanity itself.
Shen Chen's gaze shifted toward the east, where a faint glow of streetlights flickered.
That was the Jiang City Governor’s Mansion—Su Mingshuo’s stronghold.
“Young Master.”
A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
From behind him, Lan Xi gently wrapped her arms around Shen Chen.
The moonlight cascaded through the glass windows, illuminating her ethereal beauty.
Under its glow, her silver-hued strands shimmered like cascading silk, rendering her utterly otherworldly.
“It’s late, Young Master…” she murmured.
Shen Chen turned, reaching out to trace the delicate features of her face.
Her beauty was something few men in this world could ever hope to lay eyes upon.
Even in his past life, she had remained his most loyal attendant, dedicating herself fully to his service.
In the apocalypse, beauty was often a curse.
But Lan Xi had been fortunate.
She belonged to the Shen Family.
And more importantly—
She belonged to him.
Jiang City Governor’s Mansion.
Inside the Su Family Estate.
Within a lavishly decorated chamber, a young woman suddenly bolted upright from her bed.
She had angelic features, dressed in a flowing white gown, with eyes as bright as the stars and moon.
Her skin was flawless, pale as snow.
In Jiang City, there was no man unfamiliar with her name.
Su Mengning.
The cherished daughter of Governor Su Mingshuo—the woman hailed as the Jewel of the Southeast.
With a kind heart and peerless beauty, she was the dream of countless noble youths.
Every wealthy heir and influential figure in the region sought to win her favor.
Not only for her heavenly beauty, which could make men lose their minds—
But also for her lineage.
As the daughter of Jiang City’s most powerful family, she was one of the most influential women in the entire empire.
Her father, Su Mingshuo, wasn’t just Jiang City’s governor.
He was one of the empire’s key political figures, a man whose influence could shape the fate of an entire region.
Many men dreamed of becoming her husband.
Through her, they could join the ranks of the elite.
But—
Despite countless suitors, Su Mengning had never shown interest in any man.
Yet tonight—
She sat there pale-faced, her delicate hands trembling.
Her star-like eyes wavered with panic and fear.
But more than that—
There was something else.
A deep, unfathomable confusion.
After a long silence—
She slowly leaned against the headboard, eyes tightly shut, her face drained of color.
A bitter smile formed at the corner of her lips.
No one could have imagined the chaos raging in her mind.
Her very soul felt like it was trembling.
But not from fear—
No.
It was from overwhelming joy.
Because—
She finally understood the truth.
She had been reborn.
Reborn before the apocalypse began.
The sheer impossibility of it all almost made her burst into tears.
Fate had given her a second chance.
A chance to return to the moment before her greatest regret.
Her body shook violently, tears rolling down her delicate cheeks.
Then—
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, her voice trembling as she whispered a single name.
“Su Qingying…!”
Her elder sister.
The eldest daughter of the Su Family.
If anyone else had been present, they would have been utterly shocked.
Because Su Mengning was known as the kindest soul in Jiang City.
To the world, she was a pure-hearted angel.
So how could she show such deep hatred?
And toward her own sister?
But they did not know.
They did not know what five years in the apocalypse could do to a gentle heart.
They did not know that Su Qingying’s betrayal had left her to suffer beyond imagination.
Su Mengning inhaled deeply.
And then—
Her eyes darted toward the clock.
This moment—
Suddenly, her expression changed.
There was still time.
He hadn't arrived yet.
Even with her past life’s cold and detached heart, the realization filled her with pure exhilaration.
Because she had just remembered the single greatest opportunity she had ever thrown away.
Her voice trembled.
She whispered his name.
“Shen Chen…”
Her eyes glistened, her lips quivering.
This life—
This time—
I will never let you go.
- Writer
