Doomsday Judgment Against the Sanctimonious Lovers

I died once.

The pain of being torn apart by zombies still burned in my veins, and Madison's hypocritical face still lingered in my mind's eye. She cried and said I had "a duty to save everyone," then watched me being pushed into the horde of zombies.

Fools think they're smart.

It is 8:17 AM on March 15, 2024, 28 hours and 43 minutes before the CDC's X-type virus leak. I am sitting in a lecture hall in the Stanford University Chemistry Building, looking at the professor on the podium who has no idea that he will die tomorrow, and I have only one thought in my mind.

This time, I'm going to make those saintly couple die a more miserable death than I did.

"Ethan, are you listening?"

Madison's voice came from behind me on the left, sickeningly sweet. I turned around and saw that angelic face smiling at me. Long blond hair, blue eyes, perfectly proportioned features—in my previous life, every boy was captivated by this face.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming just now." I pushed up my glasses, pretending to be a shy bookworm.

"The professor is talking about the molecular structure of organic compounds. Can I borrow your notes?" she asked, blinking her innocent-looking eyes. "I promise I'll return them to you."

I'll borrow your sister's money.

In my previous life, after she borrowed my notes, I wanted to please her, so I volunteered to organize all the chemistry formulas for the entire semester. That week, I only slept four hours a day, and in the end, I got the highest score in the grade on the final exam. She smiled and praised me, saying, "You're such a useful tool."

Useful tools.

"Of course." I handed her the notebook, deliberately touching the back of her hand with my finger.

Instead of dodging, she returned an even brighter smile. This manipulative woman thought she had hooked another sycophant.

I pulled a coin-sized recording device from my pocket and stuck it to the back of her chair while she looked down at her notes. I bought it from the electronics market last night; it has a 72-hour battery life, enough to record all her next conversation.

"Thank you, Ethan. You're so thoughtful." She hugged the notebook to her chest, looking extremely grateful.

If I hadn't been reborn, I might have actually been moved by this performance. But right now, all I want to do is vomit.

The bell rang, and I packed my bag to leave. Madison followed behind me, chattering away, but I didn't hear a word she said. My attention was entirely focused on the emergency exit of the chemistry building—tomorrow at 2:30 pm, the CDC transport truck would have an "accidental" leak there.

"Ethan, are you free tomorrow?" Madison suddenly grabbed my arm.

I stopped and looked into her blue eyes. In my past life, my heart would have raced, my face would have blushed, and I would have stammered, "I'm free, I'm free." But now, all I wanted to do was strangle her.

"Tomorrow? Is there something wrong?"

"Taylor said she'd take me to the movies, but I think it'll be boring to go alone." She bit her lower lip, putting on a pitiful look. "Could you come with us? Be a third wheel?"

You're such a jerk.

In my previous life, she used the same method to lure me out of the dorm. The movie theater was in the city center, 20 kilometers from campus. When the virus broke out, I was trapped there and almost died in the first wave of infection. If I hadn't been lucky enough to steal a motorcycle, I wouldn't have survived until she killed me.

"Sorry, I have an experiment to do tomorrow." I shook my head. "Let's do it another day."

Her smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "That's such a pity. But it's okay, there will be other opportunities in the future."

There won't be another chance.

I turned and walked towards my dorm. My footsteps echoed in the corridor, each step a countdown to my revenge. In 28 hours, the world would be completely changed. And in that new world, I would personally send that despicable couple to hell.

Back in my dorm, I drew the curtains and pulled a huge suitcase out from under my bed. It was filled with supplies I had hastily purchased over the past day: military MRE rations, water purification tablets, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a walkie-talkie, and a Glock pistol I bought on the black market.

I barely slept last night, running around to every safe spot I knew on campus and gathering all the supplies here. The advantage of being reborn is knowing what becomes precious.

I checked the supplies list to make sure nothing was missing. Then I sat down at the table, opened my laptop, and began to devise a detailed revenge plan.

Step 1: Patience. Pretend to still be that easy-to-bully nerd, so that Madison and Taylor will lower their guard.

Step Two: Gather evidence. Record their true colors to prepare for their subsequent public execution.

Step three: Wait for the opportunity. Strike decisively when they need me most.

I wrote these three points on a piece of paper and then lit it with a lighter. The flames licked at the paper, just like the hatred burning within me.

The cheerful laughter of students drifted in from outside the window; they were unaware that the apocalypse was imminent. They had no idea that by this time tomorrow, the campus would be awash in blood, filled with the screams of the infected.

But I know.

I know where will fall first, I know which places are relatively safe, I know who deserves to be saved, and who should die.

Most importantly, I know how Madison and Taylor will die.

My phone vibrated; it was a text message. The sender was Madison.

"Ethan, thank you for lending me your notes today. You're such a nice person. Goodnight "

A very good person?

I deleted the text message with a cold laugh. She said the same thing in my past life, praising me as a good person while pushing me into a pit of fire.

Now it's my turn to define what a "good person" is.

I turned off my phone, lay down on the bed, and closed my eyes. When the sun rises tomorrow, the world will begin its doomsday countdown. And I will rise again from the ruins, becoming the judge that everyone fears.

Madison, Taylor, enjoy your last night.

Starting tomorrow, I will set the rules of the game.