Amid the deafening explosion, Clara Valencia clearly saw the Insect Emperor blown to bits by the energy wave of her self-destruction—completely and utterly dead.

And her own fate? Not much better.

Her crystal core was shattered, and her organs were torn apart by the energy blast. Surviving that? Yeah, not a chance.

Before her consciousness faded into pitch black, she heard a familiar robotic voice in her head, panicked and frantic.

"Xiaoyu, hey Xiaoyu, are you still with me?!"

Clara wanted to respond—but her body wouldn’t let her. The system assumed she’d already died, letting out a soft sigh.

Hearing that sigh, Clara really wanted to tell System-1 not to grieve. She’d taken out the Insect Emperor. That alone had bought the remaining survivors some breathing space—shouldn’t that be something to smile about?

But then, in a split second, that robotic tone shifted into a smooth, feminine voice.

“Well, everyone, my target is finally dead.”

The voice was way too relaxed and cheerful.

“Damn, Vivian Carter, you really are cold-blooded,” a deep, magnetic male voice chuckled. “Ten years of companionship, and I thought you’d at least feel something. Turns out you felt nothing at all, huh?”

“She’s known in the business world as the Ice Queen. What feelings could she possibly have for a low-tier Water Blue Planet human?” another male chimed in with a sardonic tone. “Still, I didn't expect that lowbie to last this long. I thought she'd go down first, honestly.”

Vivian let out a short laugh. “Sure, there were some feelings. But when you put them next to actual gains? Yeah… not really worth it.”

Then she flatly announced, “Now that Xiaoyu’s out of the game, I officially declare this hunt over. Clara Valencia survived the longest, killed the most zerg, leveled up higher than anyone else, turned in the most crystals, and even took down three Insect Emperors. So, the winner of this hunting match is me.”

“Any objections?!”

“None!”

“Nope!”

“All good!”

“Then, as agreed—”

“Rewards will be delivered shortly.”

“I’ll gladly accept, then,” Vivian laughed boldly.

Just then, a calm voice cut through the air.

“Everyone, you seem to be forgetting something. That Interstellar Treaty we all signed? Yeah, that’s not just for show. And neither is the Royal Court.”

“As members of an advanced civilization, not only did we skip providing humanitarian aid to Water Blue Planet, we even pushed forward the Great Evolution that led to human extinction. Have y'all considered what’ll happen if this leaks?”

“Victor Dale, what’s that supposed to mean? You gonna rat us out?”

Some of them sounded tense now. Victor laughed under his breath.

“Relax. If I agreed to join the hunt back then, I clearly wasn’t planning to spill anything now.”

“I’m just saying—game’s over, but how we wrap it up matters. Get sloppy, and we’re in deep.”

“Fair point. If word gets out that we caused a full planetary wipe, the Royal Court won’t let it slide. I say we go full scorched-earth. Bomb the planet. No survivors, no evidence.”

“That works for me!”

“Same here!”

“Agreed!”

“Well then, Colonel Nathan, the bombing of Water Blue Planet is on you.”

“No problem. I’ve got a fleet stationed in the Milky Way. Sit tight, and I’ll bring back the good news.”

“…”

Clara was losing it. Was any of this real? Hallucinations? Wishful thinking?

Because... if this was just her mind playing tricks—then why… why did it feel so damn clear?No, this wasn’t some strange dream—everything that happened was real.

One familiar yet distant scene after another flashed before Clara Valencia’s eyes like a broken slideshow. It wasn’t until now that she finally saw the truth—Bluewater Star didn’t just naturally fall into a doomsday crisis. It was pushed into it, all by design.

The so-called “Great Evolution” came a hundred years too early, like forcing a newborn to run before it could even crawl. The result? Total devastation.

Humankind got wiped out.

And Clara, hailed as humanity’s last hope, the so-called savior thanks to her system, turned out to be just another pawn in their game.

They—the higher civilization players like Vivian Carter—had strung her along from the start. Every move she made, every hope she gave to humanity, had all been part of their messed-up hunt.

The systems they handed out weren’t miracles. They were bait. Tools to lead pawns deeper into the trap. When all the pawns fell, when humanity was down to its last breath, Clara—the “war god” worshipped by survivors—was no longer useful.

Game over.

That’s when the system handed her its final mission: kill the only remaining tier-nine Insect Emperor to give the survivors a last-ditch chance. The prize? Three years’ worth of survival gear for all the remaining humans.

Clara, desperate and believing this was the last hope, threw everything into it. She went out with a bang—literally—trading her life for the Insect Emperor’s.

She thought it was worth it.

Turns out, she couldn’t have been more wrong.

Her sacrifice didn’t save anyone. There was no gear, no reprieve. All she got in return was a cold, brutal orbital strike from those high-and-mighty beings.

Humanity, gone. For real this time.

Clara stared helplessly at Bluewater Star as it was obliterated, her rage boiling over, eyes burning with disbelief and fury. When the darkness swallowed her and her consciousness slipped, she made a silent vow—if there was such a thing as reincarnation, she would come back, and she would get payback.

...

Sunlight poured through the glass window, warm and almost blinding—Clara snapped her eyes open.

At that moment, a silver-white bee appeared out of nowhere and zoomed toward her head.

Her reflexes kicked in faster than thought. She raised a hand instinctively, blocking the tiny thing. The metallic bee changed trajectory, hit her hand, and vanished into her skin.

[Hello, host. Binding to Doomsday Survival System now.]

That robotic voice—familiar and unnervingly calm—returned. But this time, it wasn't echoing from deep inside her head. It came from her hand.

Clara lowered her eyes. She picked up a phone from the round table and checked the date and time. Then, she glanced out the window—the sun was shining, trees outside still lush and untouched.

It was the same moment as last time. The exact moment the system first invaded her mind, back when she was clueless and thought it was some heaven-sent cheat code meant to save Earth.

She’d followed every prompt, prepared for the end, and somehow survived the chaos. She even became the only female war god among the Twenty-Eight.

She honestly believed she was leading humanity to survival—that she could fight until the end and win, all thanks to the system.

What a joke.

The system she once saw as an ally had always been the enemy.

The enemy of all humans on Bluewater Star.

She had sworn an oath—if she got another shot at life, she’d make whoever orchestrated this pay one by one.

Thank the heavens. Someone up there was listening.

She got her second chance.

Alright, then. Let the game begin.

Clara’s lips curved into a slow, cold smirk. "Doomsday Survival System?"

[...Yes, host. I’m your Doomsday Survival System.]

She let out a low “oh” and said flatly, “So you're saying our world is heading toward the apocalypse?”

[Exactly, host. That’s why I’m here.]