Chapter Two: Starting Anew

The bright lights in the classroom were almost blinding, and the room was silent. Yang Fan stared blankly at everything around him. He was back. He had really come back. His talent had truly returned him to a month ago, to his senior year of high school, just before the college entrance exam. Around him, his classmates still wore their innocent, youthful faces.

At the front of the room, the homeroom teacher, Hu Shufang—whose menopause seemed to have arrived early—was currently in the middle of a tirade.

“What are you all reading? Reading? Ha! The money your parents give you would be better spent raising piglets in the countryside—you’d make a fortune!” She repeated this line, one she’d said countless times before, as she berated some of the stubborn students in the class.

Hearing her voice again, Yang Fan felt nothing but disgust. This Hu Shufang was a petty, envious woman, and shamelessly snobbish. She despised poor kids more than anything. When Yang Fan had first arrived at this school, a minor mistake had led to him being forced to stand all day as punishment, while others who’d done the same were let off with a few meaningless scoldings.

Worst of all, Hu Shufang had once falsely accused him of theft. Without any investigation, she had slapped him several times and reported the matter to the entire school, subjecting him to public criticism and disregarding his dignity. The real culprit was found later, but she never apologized. Instead, she pointed at him with disgust and said, “A dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix, and a rat’s son will dig holes. I may have wronged you, but don’t expect an apology. You might not have done it this time, but who’s to say you won’t in the future? I’m just getting a head start on your crimes.”

Because of this fabricated charge, Yang Fan bore the stigma of being a thief—hounded and shunned at school. Even the few friends he’d had in the dormitory kept their distance. Other students stopped talking to him, and as for the girls, well, that was out of the question.

So Yang Fan’s heart was full of loathing for Hu Shufang.

But he didn’t seek trouble with her now. Instead, he took out his nearly unfamiliar phone and checked the date and time.

December 1st, 20XX, 11:33 AM.

He was back—exactly one month ago, without a single mistake.

Yang Fan suppressed his excitement and whispered, “Status.” Instantly, a window of information appeared before him.

Era: Age of Peace
Planet: Earth, MZ1001 Solar System
Region: Southern Huaxia
Name: Yang Fan
Class: None
Constitution: 5 (relates to resistance and recovery ability, about 50% of an average person)
Strength: 6 (relates to attack and carrying capacity, about 60% of an average person)
Agility: 4 (relates to reaction and movement speed, about 40% of an average person)
Intelligence: 3 (relates to special areas and calculation speed, about 30% of an average person)
Skills: None
Equipment: None
Combat Rating: F (Ranks: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F)
Apocalypse Coins: 700
Talent: Save Point, God-tier Talent. Description: Can create a save point at any time, like in a single-player game. After saving, a 7-day cooldown is required. After seven days, time will be counted, and the system will randomly send the user back 1 to 30 days prior. (Currently, cooldown: 7 days.)

This was his status. Yang Fan was stunned to see he now had 700 Apocalypse Coins. In his previous life, he only earned 70 coins a month. Was it because he’d used the save point talent, and it multiplied his coins tenfold?

The thought made him even more excited.

In the apocalypse, nothing was more important than Apocalypse Coins. They could buy anything—strength boosters, equipment, special items—absolutely anything. Right now, Yang Fan wished he could find a merchant immediately and buy eight or ten bottles each of Agility, Strength, and Intelligence potions. Who would be able to stand against him then?

After a moment of excitement, Yang Fan closed the status window. He stretched his neck and limbs, then set his gaze on a handsome boy in the front row—Qin Ziwen.

This was the bastard who had tied him to a chair not long ago. His own dorm leader, the schemer who wanted to steal his girlfriend.

Bai Su, the school beauty, was his childhood friend, growing up together from the village elementary school to the county middle school, and then both entering this top-tier high school. Their relationship was good at first, but it soured over time. Yang Fan knew the breakup wasn’t really his fault, but because of another man—a student from another school. Their friends had set them up as a couple, and Yang Fan had known for a long time. Qin Ziwen, foolishly believing he could win Bai Su, instead found a girl to cling to Yang Fan and took photos to show Bai Su, trying to provoke a breakup so he could swoop in.

But that wasn’t how it happened. Bai Su was just looking for an excuse to refuse Yang Fan. Still, Yang Fan hated Qin Ziwen for his actions. After the apocalypse began, Qin not only failed to help him but also joined others in exploiting and framing him. Now, back a month earlier, Yang Fan wanted nothing more than to kill him.

The bell rang, breaking his thoughts. Hu Shufang finally stopped yelling, set her things on the podium, and slumped into her chair.

“Oh, class is over.”

“Freedom at last!”

“Thank heavens, we can finally relax. Come on, let’s go to the restroom.”

The classroom, built with white tiles, was neat and clean, with blackboards at both the front and back. The desks and chairs were arranged impeccably. At the sound of the bell, students started to rise, eager to leave, but Hu Shufang slammed a notebook onto her desk with a thunderous bang.

“Sit down—all of you! Who said you could move? Sit down!”

She exploded with rage.

Immediately, everyone sat down, terrified. No one dared challenge her.

But at that moment, someone suddenly stood up.

“Thief Yang, you in a hurry to pee? Didn’t you hear me?” Hu Shufang’s sallow face twisted with disgust as she berated Yang Fan, using the nickname she’d given him—Thief Yang—which made some students snicker quietly.

Now all eyes were on Yang Fan, curious about what he was doing. It was Hu Shufang’s class, after all. How dare he stand up? Was he really just desperate for the bathroom?

Yang Fan, pale and thin, stood tall despite his frail frame. His short hair couldn’t hide his eyes—eyes burning with hatred and fury. He stared straight at Hu Shufang.

The mood in the room shifted instantly. Everyone sensed something was wrong.

“What are you looking at, Thief Yang?” Hu Shufang, feeling his angry gaze, wasn’t intimidated in the slightest—she’d never feared a student in her life.

“Say that name again if you dare,” Yang Fan replied, his voice calm but seething with anger.

The class fell into stunned silence. Everyone gasped.

“What, you want to hit me?” Hu Shufang exploded, her spittle raining down on the desk below, the very image of a shrew.

Suddenly—a book flew through the air and smacked Hu Shufang right in the face. For a moment, everyone was dumbstruck. They all knew—something big was about to happen...