Deep in the Mountains at the End of the World

Cheng Feng was an ordinary actor who survived three years in an apocalypse only to be betrayed and killed by the novel’s protagonists, Jiang Yun and Shen Ke. After falling into a zombie pit, he regains his memories and is reborn one year before the catastrophe. He discovers he possesses a spatial storage ability linked to a jade pendant, which he activates by sacrificing his blood. Unlike the female lead’s expansive, upgradeable space, Cheng Feng’s initial space is small and limited, but it serves as a crucial tool for his survival strategy. He immediately terminates his entertainment contract, sells his assets, and retreats to his grandfather’s remote mountain home to prepare for the coming disaster.

While Cheng Feng focuses on stockpiling supplies, he learns that Shen Mu, the second male lead and rival to Jiang Yun, has also been reborn. Shen Mu, who died ten years into the apocalypse in his previous life, sells his shares in the Shen Group and liquidates his assets before the crisis hits. He activates his own spatial ability through a matching jade pendant, which he later discovers is connected to Cheng Feng’s. The two men, though unaware of each other’s true nature initially, exchange warnings about the impending apocalypse. Cheng Feng provides Shen Mu with essential supplies, including weapons and food, while Shen Mu secretly observes Cheng Feng’s contributions through their linked spaces.

As the apocalypse approaches, Cheng Feng expands his storage space by unlocking a second, larger dimension that allows for unlimited vertical storage. He spends his time gathering wild vegetables, hunting animals, and reinforcing his mountain fortress. Meanwhile, Jiang Yun and Shen Ke, deprived of their original pendants, struggle to liquidate assets and awaken weaker abilities. They become increasingly desperate and hostile, particularly toward Shen Mu, whom they blame for their misfortunes. Cheng Feng, now a dual-ability user with plant affinity and the power to identify mutated plant properties, begins cultivating mutated crops to sustain himself and trade with the local flora.

On the eve of the apocalypse, a global fog descends, causing widespread mutation and zombie outbreaks. Cheng Feng awakens his abilities safely in his fortified home, while Shen Mu and the antagonists awaken in their respective locations. The world plunges into chaos, with sixty percent of the population turning into zombies. Cheng Feng uses his affinity ability to communicate with mutated plants and animals, securing his perimeter and gathering resources. He establishes a sustainable food supply by farming mutated vegetables, which serve as fertilizer and attract friendly flora. The story sets the stage for Cheng Feng to survive independently while Shen Mu prepares to confront the original protagonists, whose plans are now disrupted by the rebirths and the loss of their stolen advantages.

The narrative explores the shift in power dynamics as the original protagonists lose their fate-driven advantages. Jiang Yun and Shen Ke, now ordinary ability users without their spatial artifacts, must rely on brute force and manipulation, which contrasts with Cheng Feng’s strategic preparation and Shen Mu’s calculated revenge. Cheng Feng’s connection to Shen Mu’s space hints at a deeper link between their fates, suggesting that their combined efforts may alter the course of the apocalypse. The story concludes with Cheng Feng settled in his mountain stronghold, ready to face the new world with his accumulated resources and abilities, while Shen Mu begins his own campaign against those who wronged him in the past life.