Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Jingjing’s sacrifice brought tears to Tang Mo’s eyes—or it would have, if her conscious form had any.

Jingjing was different from the Jade Pendant. The Jade Pendant had always been pure energy; even after it developed its own consciousness, it had only ever done one of two things: hang around Tang Mo’s neck or reside in her Sea of Consciousness.

But Jingjing was a living being. No matter how harsh the apocalyptic environment was, it was never affected. It lived a happy life, made friends, and was loved by many.

It had already seen how beautiful this world could be. To have something and then be forced to give it up is a cruel thing, whether for a mutant beast or a human.

But what was done was done. Even if she stopped now, Jingjing couldn’t go back.

Soon, Tang Mo pulled herself together and resumed manipulating the energy to repair her Sea of Consciousness.

With the addition of Jingjing’s energy, the rest of the process went smoothly.

After all, Jingjing’s energy was of high purity and highly compatible with Tang Mo, making it the most suitable energy for repairing her Sea of Consciousness.

Although, at this moment, Tang Mo couldn’t feel a shred of joy about this suitability.

Time passed bit by bit. Outside, Qin Ling had been guarding Tang Mo’s side for a full day without eating or drinking, refusing to leave no matter who tried to persuade him.

The faces of everyone outside were etched with sorrow. They all likely thought that Tang Mo’s chances of survival this time were slim to none.

And they no longer had any chance to do anything more for her.

If there was anyone left who still believed Tang Mo could pull through and wake up, it was probably just Qin Ling.

A day and a night, then another day and another night…

Tang Mo knew this would be a major undertaking, but she hadn’t expected it to be this complex.

The framework had been constructed early on. But even with enough energy to fill it, she still had to perfect the details bit by bit, ensuring every last wisp of energy flowed in its proper place.

Only by doing her utmost to bring it to a perfect state could it exert its greatest effect.

This reconstruction of her Sea of Consciousness was a blessing in disguise for Tang Mo. With energy from multiple sources, her Energy Value had increased significantly. Compared to before, this meticulously constructed “house” was far, far sturdier.

Tang Mo’s heart grew steadier. She knew it was a success!

All that was left was the final refinement. She still had to perform the Five Beads fusion later, so the better and sturdier her Sea of Consciousness was now, the more it would help with the fusion.

After Tang Mo had been working with single-minded focus for three days, the very last wisp of energy was smoothed into place. Suddenly, she felt her entire Sea of Consciousness erupt in a golden light.

In an instant, all the rampaging, uncontrollable energy within her Sea of Consciousness grew docile and returned to its proper place. Soon, it began to circle in a brand-new sequence.

The four Attribute Pearls were finally liberated. They scattered to stand guard in the four cardinal directions of her Sea of Consciousness.

Tang Mo watched the docile energy, her heart filled with a mix of emotions. If this energy hadn’t gone on a rampage, spiraling out of her control, Jingjing wouldn’t have had to be sacrificed.

Tang Mo sighed. But before the sigh was even finished, she saw a small, golden beast leaping about within her Sea of Consciousness. It darted around the Attribute Pearls, full of life.

The small, golden beast was very young and looked incredibly cute.

Most importantly, it was the spitting image of a miniature Jingjing.

It turned out that while her Sea of Consciousness had used up most of Jingjing’s energy during the repair process, a small portion had been left behind, remaining within it.

And that remaining portion of energy had re-formed into a miniature Jingjing.

Tang Mo stared at the small, golden beast in joyful surprise.

The little beast seemed to feel its master’s gaze and looked up, its eyes full of the same fondness and intimacy that had always been in Jingjing’s.

Jingjing’s consciousness was still there. Its memories were, too.

This realization made Tang Mo even more overjoyed.

Then, her repaired Sea of Consciousness gave her a gift: a set of memories, showing everything that had happened at the base after her consciousness left her body.

Tang Mo saw how worried her mother, Lin Yi, had been, tirelessly washing her body every day.

She saw how Uncle Wen, the Sect Leader, and Lin Yu had forgotten to eat or sleep as they tried to come up with a solution, staring into the distance day after day, waiting for Qin Ling to return with the Agility Pearl.

Then she saw Qin Ling. She watched as he emerged from the Illusion World, the expression on his face shifting from initial excitement to doubt, then to tension, and finally, to gravity.

She saw how Qin Ling had chosen her without the slightest hesitation. She saw how he had cooperated with everything in his efforts to save her.

She saw Qin Ling take her mother’s place, watching over her. She saw him holding her hand, occasionally kissing her cheek, and even helping to wash her body…

Wait a minute!

Washing her body???

Tang Mo was stunned. ‘Why would he do something like that for me?!’

Tang Mo lost her composure. She had been looking forward to waking up and seeing him, but now…

‘Why do I have to face something like this the moment I wake up? Life is so hard,’ Tang Mo wept silently.

But then, Tang Mo saw how Qin Ling had stood firm against all opposition, resolutely choosing her just as the plan was about to begin.

She saw Qin Ling say, “I believe in her.”

Tang Mo’s heart felt like an ancient temple bell, struck with immense force.

All the things she had been uncertain about, all the answers she had chased but refused to believe—at this moment, they all dissolved like bubbles.

The answer had been there all along, just waiting for her to discover it herself.

Seeing how Qin Ling had watched over her day and night for the past few days, her earlier embarrassment was thrown to the back of her mind.

Right now, Tang Mo only wanted to wake up as quickly as possible, hold her darling tight, and tell him that his choice was not wrong—that believing in her was the most correct decision he could have made.

Unfortunately, Tang Mo couldn’t do that just yet.

Although her Sea of Consciousness was repaired, her consciousness had been separated from her body for too long. The Sea of Consciousness was just starting to operate again, and everything needed time to readjust.

Gazing at the sight of Qin Ling tightly holding her hand, Tang Mo told herself, ‘It won’t be long.’

Soon, another two days passed. During this time, Tang Mo worked hard to adapt to her new Sea of Consciousness and the new sequence of energy circulation. She could feel that she had grown stronger.

This was a good thing, but stronger energy required more time to integrate.

Two days was the fastest she could manage, even by giving it her all.

And so, two days after her Sea of Consciousness was fully repaired, Tang Mo finally, slowly, opened her eyes.

Having been in darkness for so long, her eyes were extremely sensitive to the light. Tang Mo squinted as a stinging pain shot through them.

But the light she perceived through the narrow slits of her eyes still made her incredibly excited.

She was back.