Reborn in the Apocalypse: Picking Up a Corpse King as a Bodyguard

Mu Cheng is a woman who has been reborn after dying at the end of the apocalypse. In her previous life, she was a naive and trusting young woman who gave everything to those around her, only to be betrayed by her husband Cheng Jiang, her best friend Lin Mi'er, and her own family. They murdered her parents, stole her spatial storage ability, and ultimately hung her on a city wall as bait to attract zombies, smiling as she was torn apart. Reborn six months before the apocalypse begins, Mu Cheng retains her memories and her spatial storage artifact, a bronze ring that contains a vast independent world with fertile land, a house, and a hot spring whose water can suppress zombie virus toxicity. Her primary goal is revenge against those who wronged her, while ensuring her own survival and eventual rise to power.

The story begins on a hot summer day in a university classroom. A professor is lecturing when a student begins coughing violently and vomits blood, collapsing into convulsions. Mu Cheng, sitting quietly in the corner, observes the scene with cold detachment. She recognizes the symptoms as the onset of the zombie virus. While the professor and other students panic, Mu Cheng leaves the classroom and heads to the Mu family old residence. She recalls her past life: her parents were killed by Cheng Jiang's father, Cheng Hongwei, who orchestrated a car accident after convincing them to call off Mu Cheng's engagement to Cheng Jiang. Mu Cheng had lived with the Cheng family for seven years, only to die by their hands. Now, she plans to strip the Cheng family of their wealth and power before the world falls apart.

That night, the apocalypse descends. Zombies rise from the dead, and chaos engulfs the city. Mu Cheng, having spent the past six months training in martial arts and learning to cook, prepares for the coming days. She retrieves her modified Land Rover from her spatial storage and begins looting shopping malls and the local police station for weapons and supplies. During her raid on the police station, she discovers a corpse-mutated human in a prison cell. This individual is Tang Nuo, a captain from the elite Flying Eagle Special Operations Company and the childhood friend of Mu Cheng's deceased brother. Tang Nuo is in the midst of a painful transformation, struggling between his humanity and his zombie instincts. Mu Cheng recognizes him and decides to save him, using the medicinal spring water from her space to suppress the virus in his body.

Tang Nuo awakens with multiple abilities: strength, lightning, and ice. He is grateful to Mu Cheng and agrees to travel with her, though he is troubled by her ruthless actions, such as her execution of the prison inmates who witnessed her powers. Mu Cheng warns him that in the apocalypse, kindness is a liability, and she will not tolerate anyone threatening their safety. Their journey is interrupted by the appearance of a nine-tailed fox named Xiao Jiu, which shatters their car's bulletproof glass. The fox, a powerful spirit beast, recognizes Tang Nuo and obeys his commands, hinting at a deeper connection between them. Mu Cheng suspects that Tang Nuo may become the Zombie King she encountered in her previous life, but she decides to keep him close for now, viewing him as a useful ally and a potential tool for her revenge.

Mu Cheng reunites with Cheng Jiang, Lin Mi'er, and their group at a shopping mall. She pretends to maintain her old friendly demeanor, but internally she is cold and calculating. She brings Wang Xintong, her only true friend from the past life who died saving her, into her circle of protection. As the group travels toward the capital, tensions rise. Cheng Jiang and Lin Mi'er continue their affair openly, testing Mu Cheng's patience. Yang Fan, a member of the group, becomes suspicious of Mu Cheng's knowledge of zombie weaknesses and her ability to kill them efficiently. Mu Cheng reveals that she knows zombies are vulnerable to head shots, earning the gratitude of some but the resentment of others who feel she is withholding information. The group faces numerous challenges, including traffic jams caused by panicked survivors and zombie hordes. Mu Cheng and Tang Nuo prove to be the most effective fighters, leading the group through dangerous situations. Despite her outward cooperation, Mu Cheng is biding her time, waiting for the right moment to strike at her enemies and claim the power she was denied in her previous life.