The effects of the meteorite’s energy were gradually accumulating within people’s bodies, and zombification and the awakening of superpowers occurred almost simultaneously. In a sense, zombie transformation could also be viewed as another direction of superpower evolution—a form of corruption.

Within a day or two, over sixty percent of the global population collectively began showing signs of zombification, degenerating into mindless beasts driven solely by the urge to eat. Just as water does not boil completely until it reaches its critical point, those on the verge of becoming zombies—before they completely lost consciousness—were simply thought by their families to be ill. If hospitals are overcrowded, just rest at home.

Who could have imagined that upon waking, hearing strange noises from the living room, and opening the door, they would see the twisted, hideous faces of their own loved ones? With over 60% of the population transforming into zombies simultaneously within a few days, it was enough to ignite the final fuse.

People finally realized that this chaos wouldn’t simply pass by waiting, nor was it a localized natural disaster like an earthquake or flood. In the final moments when the internet was still functioning, social media—particularly short-video platforms—was flooded with horrific, gory footage: aerial shots from high-rises showing zombies chasing pedestrians, and scenes of them tackling people and devouring them alive were no longer just special effects from movies or TV shows.

The wealthy, who just a couple of days ago were posting videos boasting about the tight security and ample food supplies in their mansions, were now being pounced upon by mutated “chefs” behind their kitchen counters, all captured on live stream.

A blogger who had been optimistically documenting his daily life at home left a suicide note and took his own life after going two days without posting. Despair loomed, and the apocalypse raced toward them with unstoppable force.

At this time in his previous life, Jiang Le was still in his rented apartment in Hai City, trembling as he sensed the city’s atmosphere growing increasingly thick with the scent of death.

Cities—the most densely populated areas of modern society—represent convenient transportation and logistics, superior amenities, and abundant resources; yet when disaster struck, the dense population became a curse.

The emergence of superpower users coincided with the zombie outbreak. Most of them quickly realized they were different from ordinary people. A sense of superiority—believing themselves to be a cut above the rest—led them to proclaim themselves the darlings of the new world. They even promoted this ideology online, taking the lead in flouting all kinds of rules and becoming yet another threat to the lives of ordinary people.

The very night he witnessed the zombies, Mao Xiaofei developed a high fever and fell into a coma, not regaining consciousness until the following evening.

He tried to sit up by holding onto the edge of the bed, but when he gently squeezed the bamboo bed, it unexpectedly emitted a crisp cracking sound.

Mao Xiaofei was startled. He looked from the bamboo bed to his hand.

Given the obvious changes in his body and some recent online discussions he’d seen, it took Mao Xiaofei a moment to realize he might have awakened a superpower.

But unlike the frenzy surrounding superpower users in the corners of the internet, Mao Xiaofei’s world was small. He had lived in these mountains and forests since childhood. Abandoned by his parents as a child, he was raised by his grandfather and grew up in poverty. The secret to Mao Xiaofei’s smooth life had always been to not overthink things and to find contentment in what he had. He had no grand ambitions; earning enough to get by and passing the time on his phone whenever he had a spare moment was his definition of a good life.

Now, all of that has come crashing down, leaving Mao Xiaofei feeling nothing but confusion and a sense of being at a loss.

Online, people are cheering for the arrival of the “New World,” calling on those who have awakened to their supernatural abilities to unite and actively embrace the new order.

Mao Xiaofei instinctively felt this wasn’t right, yet he had no idea what to do next. Until—

With a creak, the door swung open. Jiang Le walked into the room and, seeing Mao Xiaofei sitting there, said, “Hmm, awake?” 

Mao Xiaofei’s voice was hoarse: “Brother Jiang, I’m…”

Through the half-open door, the aroma of fresh food wafted in. Braised pork was simmering over low heat, mixed with potatoes that had already become incredibly tender, along with the refreshing scent of cold cucumber salad and stir-fried seasonal vegetables. The aroma made Mao Xiaofei’s stomach growl.

Actually, even before Mao Xiaofei’s mutation, Jiang Le had planned to have the farm hire him as an employee, but at that time, Mao Xiaofei hadn’t fully mutated yet. The farm’s system indicated that Mao Xiaofei’s status was unstable and didn’t meet the recruitment criteria.

Now that his mutation was confirmed, the words “Hireable” finally appeared above Mao Xiaofei’s head.

“You’re a superpower user now,” Jiang Le told Mao Xiaofei bluntly. “What are your plans? Do you want to go out and make your mark?”

If Mao Xiaofei had any thoughts of going out into the world to make his mark like other superpower users, Jiang Le wouldn’t stop him, though he would immediately disable the farm’s reality simulation function and find another place to continue farming.

Mao Xiaofei shook his head immediately: “I—I don’t want to!”

He didn’t want to, but he also had no idea what to do next or how to find his place in the world and make a living.

Jiang Le stared at Mao Xiaofei for a moment, then pulled a piece of paper from behind his back: “Then stay at the farm and keep working. Sign this employment contract.” Mao Xiaofei froze.

Jiang Le’s tone was simply too matter-of-fact, and the mention of an employment contract felt so much like peacetime that, for a moment, Mao Xiaofei almost believed the chaos outside had never happened.

He took the paper in a daze. The first line bore the bold words: “Farm Employee Code of Conduct.” First: Without the farm owner’s consent, employees may not disclose the farm’s existence to the outside world.

Second, the farm will distribute workloads fairly based on the number of employees.

Third, employees will be paid in farm coins, which can be used to purchase necessary supplies from the farm’s vending machines.

Fourth, the farm provides room and board; employees must keep their living quarters clean and sanitary. 

Fifth, employees are not permitted to remove farm property from the premises without authorization; violators will be severely penalized.

Sixth, employees may not leave their posts without prior approval; violators will be severely penalized.

Seventh, employees can gain experience through their work. Accumulating sufficient experience allows them to upgrade their employee status and unlock more benefits!

……

Mao Xiaofei was completely bewildered. Finally, the last line was blank, replaced by “Employee Signature Area.”

Although this “employment contract” was quite different from what Mao Xiaofei had originally imagined, and he was still a bit confused by it, a sense of certainty gradually settled in his heart. He wasn’t without a place to go—he could still work at Brother Jiang’s farm!

The plump little piglets in the pen had grown significantly under his care; he collected plenty of eggs every day from the old hens; he’d harvested several batches of water chestnuts from the pond, and the lotus roots were nearly ready to be picked; and there were the strawberries he’d planted a while back—Mao Xiaofei was looking forward to picking them in a few months, too.

These little details of daily life served as anchors, helping to weather the storm of doom.

Mao Xiaofei didn’t hesitate at all; he took the pen from Jiang Le’s hand and swiftly signed his full name on the paper.

Jiang Le took the paper, turned around, and the paper dissolved into specks of light, vanishing from his hand. The system promptly emitted a notification sound, speaking in a voice only he could hear:

“Congratulations, Host. You have successfully acquired your first employee: Mao Xiaofei, age 21, a Strength-type superpower user, currently Level 1.”   

“The employee signing bonus has been issued, and the corresponding infrastructure has been provided. Please check your inventory.”

“A farm with employees is now considered an official farm. Please name the farm and upgrade its appearance.”

A barrage of notifications filled the screen before Jiang Le. Under the “Personal” tab, a new “Employee” section had appeared alongside the pet information. Here, he could view Mao Xiaofei’s physical stats in real time, and even his mood was displayed—for instance, Mao Xiaofei’s current status read: “Starving.”

This was followed by a string of broken-heart emojis. Jiang Le: “…”

It was understandable, though. While strength-type superpower users possessed several times the strength of ordinary people, their appetites were also several times greater. Plus, due to a high fever, Mao Xiaofei had been lying in bed all day without eating.

Jiang Le turned to Mao Xiaofei and said, “Let’s eat first.”

Mao Xiaofei immediately leaped off the bed and hurried into the main room in two strides.

Jiang Le ate a light meal, leaving Mao Xiaofei at the table to devour everything in sight. He then returned to his room, entered the system interface, and began analyzing the information conveyed in the system’s earlier series of announcements.

One was about rewards and benefits for hired employees, and the other was about officially naming the farm and upgrading its appearance.

In the corner of his personal panel, a small cursor in the shape of a gift icon was flashing—it must be the employee reward the system mentioned. Jiang Le clicked on it, and a new page opened.

“Congratulations, Host, on successfully hiring your first employee, taking your farm management to a new level. You are rewarded with 5,000 gold coins and 1,000 personal experience points. Employee facilities are as follows: Supply Vending Machine x1, Staff Dormitory x1, Employee Cafeteria (Cannot be activated yet due to insufficient staff.)”

In addition to the text, 3D thumbnails of the supply vending machine and staff dormitory floated in mid-air.

The supply vending machine was the most common modern model, though the dispensing slot appeared larger; it was unclear exactly how many different supplies it would provide.

The staff dormitory is a small two-story building. Jiang Le circled it to examine it closely and discovered that, in addition to three rooms that looked like carbon copies of each other, there was a bathroom—though it lacked a faucet and was equipped with a hand-pump well instead.

The employee cafeteria, which was not yet activated, was a small single-story building with white walls and gray tiles, giving it a rather retro look.

Naming the farm was simpler. A text box appeared before Jiang Le, waiting for him to type and hit Enter to confirm. Below the text box were several system-recommended farm names: “LeLe Farm,” “Jiang Le Farm,” and “Jiang Family Courtyard.”

Jiang Le silently dismissed that row of suggested names; they had nearly driven him to distraction.

After pondering for a while, Jiang Le finally typed a few words into the text box: “Peace Farm.” If chaos in the post-apocalyptic world was inevitable, then having a corner of peace was the best Jiang Le could hope for.

“Congratulations, Host! You have successfully named your farm. Now, please select an appearance for it that you like!”

Several different 3D thumbnails appeared before Jiang Le, each featuring a gate, a fence, and the four large characters “Peace Farm.”

This so-called “appearance” essentially set boundaries for the existing farm, using bamboo fences and gates to distinguish the interior from the exterior. Jiang Le chose the design with the most subdued colors—the one that blended most seamlessly with nature. Just as he was pondering how these rewards would actually manifest in reality, a system notification popped up:

“The construction crew has already set out and will arrive at the farm in about half an hour.”