Apocalypse Showdown: Carrier Conquest

"Ah!" Zhou Lin jolted upright in bed, his breath ragged, hands trembling, eyes wide with lingering terror. The sensation of plummeting from a thousand-foot cliff, bones shattering upon impact, still gripped his mind, his consciousness trapped in the agony of that final struggle. A few seconds passed before he finally steadied himself. Then, he gave his own cheek a sharp slap. Pain. But more than that—ecstasy! "Rebirth! I've actually been reborn!" Running his hands over his youthful, whole body, Zhou Lin snatched up his phone from the bedside table and glanced at the time: June 27, 2023, 09:18 AM. "D*mn it!" A curse burst from his lips. If his memory served him right, the cataclysmic event that heralded the apocalypse—the eruption of Mount Shifu—was less than three days away! Three days. What could he do? What could he change? Stockpile supplies? Weapons? With his current financial resources, how much could he really gather? Or should he simply indulge himself for three days and end it all before the nightmare begins? That would spare him some suffering. But... several faces flashed through his mind. Ai Bing, Tang Yili, Cao Bowen, Zhang Keqin… Among them, the one that made his blood boil with rage was Ai Bing—his so-called girlfriend. Or rather, the girl who had never even acknowledged their relationship. The thought of how he had poured his heart out for her, only to be just one of her many backups, made him want to slap himself again. Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen—what a coincidence. Ai Bing. "Sleeping in again? Didn’t you say yesterday you’d take me shopping today?" That voice. Two lifetimes, and he would never forget it. Could never forget it. He remained silent, but in his mind echoed another voice—hoarse and cold from desperation: Push him down. He’s nothing but skin and bones. Not even worth the firewood to cook. The same voice. The same lips. A bitter smirk tugged at Zhou Lin’s lips. Meanwhile, Ai Bing’s voice continued, oblivious: "I’m hungry, Zhou Lin." "Why aren’t you saying anything?" "Baby, are you not feeling well? I’ll come over once I’m done. Wait for me, okay?" Every word sounded perfectly natural, laced with an undeniable warmth, as if she truly cared for him. B*llsh*t! All lies. All deception! Last night, he had indeed invited her for a date today—dinner, a movie, the usual. She had declined, saying she had plans with her best friend. What a joke. Best friend? More like a rich playboy. And they hadn’t just hung out—they had ended up in bed together. She had told him herself. Even bragged about how, when she had called him, she had been sitting in that b*st*rd’s lap, doing things that made Zhou Lin’s stomach twist with fury. His hands clenched into fists, his jaw tight with rage. He wanted to destroy her. Right now. But he held himself back. Forced his voice to sound normal. "Alright, come over." Let her come. He wouldn’t kill her. That would be too easy. No, he would let her live. Let her watch as the world crumbled into chaos. Let her feel her own body rot away, piece by piece. Let her drown in despair, struggling with every ounce of strength, only to remain trapped in endless suffering. Only when he decided she had suffered enough—then she would be allowed to die. Hanging up, Zhou Lin suddenly felt a searing pain deep in his mind. He gritted his teeth against the agony, and when it finally faded… he laughed. A glowing orb floated within his consciousness. He knew exactly what it was. It shouldn’t have appeared for another five years in the apocalypse. An Ability Core. When the world fell apart, people had fantasized about evolving like characters in novels, gaining supernatural powers. But for five long years, no such miracles had occurred—until the first ability user emerged. Then came the first wave of evolution. Most abilities were minor enhancements, barely more than support skills. But ability users always evolved, making them vastly superior to regular evolutionaries. They became the highest echelon of the apocalypse. And the weakest? The ones with neither abilities nor evolution. They were called Mortals—fodder, slaves, and, in the worst cases… living food. Zhou Lin had died as a mere Mortal. Meanwhile, Ai Bing, with her beauty and cunning, had not only gained an ability but had also successfully evolved. Now, seeing the Ability Core in his consciousness, any last shred of doubt vanished. The apocalypse was inevitable. "If only it were a space ability..." he murmured, staring at the rotating orb, heart pounding with anticipation. He reached out with his consciousness. The moment they connected, images flooded his mind— Vehicles. All kinds of vehicles. "This is…" A realization struck him. His ability: Symbiosis. [Symbiosis – Level 1] (Can only bond with inanimate vehicles. First bond has no restrictions.) ... Ten minutes later, Zhou Lin exhaled deeply, digesting what he had learned. Symbiosis had four core aspects: He could control bonded vehicles with his mind. Bonded vehicles were stored in a special space. While stored, vehicles could be modified. Using and modifying vehicles required resources and energy. What excited him most was that unique storage space. Though it couldn’t hold anything except bonded vehicles, it didn’t restrict what could be stored inside those vehicles. A perfect mobile storage system. Perhaps this was fate compensating him for past losses? Initially, he had only wanted a small, fuel-efficient ride for convenience. But now, he had a far grander idea. What if… a container truck? A standard shipping container was about 12.2m x 2.4m x 2.9m—roughly 80 cubic meters of space. 80 cubic meters might not seem like much, but at a density of 0.8, it could hold 100 tons of rice. If he ate a kilogram a day, that would last him 273 years! Even if he only planned for a normal lifespan, he’d need just 28 tons—leaving plenty of room for other supplies. And that wasn’t even counting the truck’s cab storage. If needed, he could attach a trailer— Wait. A trailer? Zhou Lin’s eyes gleamed. Then, he smacked his forehead. What a fool he was! If he could attach a trailer, why not bond with an entire train? A single freight train could carry 50 cars. With two containers per car, that meant 100 containers—8000 cubic meters of storage! His heart pounded with excitement. He needed to get a train! But… Reality hit moments later. No. It wouldn’t work. Modern trains ran on electricity. After the apocalypse, where would he find power? Without electricity or tracks, a freight train would be nothing but a massive, immobile storage unit. Besides, he didn’t have nearly enough resources to fill an entire train anyway. Unless there was no better option, trains were out of the question. "The first bond has no restrictions. I need the best possible vehicle…" Just then, his phone screen lit up. He thought it was Ai Bing. But no—it was a news alert. One glance, and he couldn’t look away.