Prologue

Inside an empty lab, there was a woman in her fifties armed to teeth, which was a norm in the apocalypse era. Today, she looked sober and alert when she usually had a bottle of alcohol in hand, drinking to ease the tearing pain in her heart.

Time heals all wounds was a lie.

Someone entered the lab but she did not raise her head, already knowing who it was. Steady footstep approached before stopping beside her. There was a scent of strong bathing perfume coming from the newcomer, doing so to remove the heavy scent of smoke from his heavy smoking.

"It's ten years," the low timber voice belonging to a man echoed in the silent laboratory.

Today was their daughter's death anniversary, and also the day where their hard efforts for many years became futile.

The woman stared at the faded picture of a family of three in her hands. Her finger rubbed the hole on her daughter's face. "I tried, so damn hard, to remember her face, her voice… but I'm forgetting her."

The man's aged face softened at his wife's hoarse voice that was damaged from her heavy drinking. "Suzie…"

Both of them choose their own poison to bear with their loss, disregarding how damaging it was to their body. They did so as if it will help shorten the day to reunite with their daughter.

The door to the lab opened again and a man with completely white hair, including his eyebrows, entered the room. His lab coat looked two sizes larger on his thin frame and it was dirty, a violation of the lab rule, but in this apocalypse era, being clean was a luxury.

The scientist moved at a turtle-like pace while his mouth was busy drinking the nutrient liquid packet to supply energy for himself. Food was scarce and it had been a long time since he tasted real meat.

Facing the couple, who were also among the best fighters mankind ever have, the scientist went straight to the point. "I don't know if this will work, but we have to try. We received news that those normal humans in the winter country got attacked. It’s unknown how many survivors there are, but we can guess the casualties are at a staggering amount. Humans are going extinct soon."

"We need to know who is behind all these and why," Suzie Yap said, still irritated they had been in someone's control for more than ten years without knowing.

"And then we will f*ck up those motherf*ckers, and make them regret being born," Charles Wong cursed with a heavy tone.

The scientist laughed like a person that got released from a heavy burden for a long time. He resumes drinking the nasty tasting liquid in a better mood. "I don't know how far I can send both of you back. No matter what time it is, please… get those sons of the b*tches." His word ended with a choked sob, which no one scorned him for. Everyone had lost too much in this doomsday.

What they needed was time to search for the one that caused this apocalypse. All this time, they had foolishly thought this was an act of unavoidable nature until they caught a reformed rat that told them something which had them starting to suspect the true source of the virus.

They had blindly believed their daughter's death was predetermined and they failed to change her fate. They believed the devil's lies and even helped them.

"Try to get us back ten years ago. It will be even better if it's before the outbreak in Malaysia," Suzie Yap requested.

The scientist scoffed at her impossible request. "I just passed and have not even familiarized myself with my power. I could have sucked myself dry even before sending both of you back one minute to the past."

"We will give you all our energy," Charles Wong said. "Sent our mind back instead of our physical body should take less of a toll on you."

The scientist was about to erupt at the second request that was even more impossible than the first.

"We are running out of time," Charles Wong added. His piercing gaze challenged the young man to achieve this impossible achievement.

"...Okay." The scientist relented. This was actually their last plan to change the tide.

Suzie Yap and Charles Wong placed their hand on the scientist's chest and channeled their energy to him without holding back.

The scientist grunted in pain from the process channeling their raw power to his for use. Taking a deep breath and clearing his mind from unnecessary thoughts, he sought his power that gave birth to this suicidal plan to rescue mankind. Placing his hand on their head, his body trembled from pulling out every drop of his power, and his body visibly grew thinner until his meatless skin stuck terrifyingly onto his bones.

It was painful, but the scientist did not stop until he completely exhausted all his vitality. It was torturing to feel his life being sucked away, but it was worth it.

If his younger brother… his father… his friends… if they have the chance to survive, sacrificing his life was worth it. Besides, his younger self will be with them.

A team member searched for them when they did not appear on time and saw two dead bodies that had lost all their flesh, along with a pile of ashes under the dirty lab coat.