Chapter 1 — The 100x System

My younger sister and I unexpectedly acquired two strange systems. One was a magnification system that could enlarge anything a hundredfold, while the other was a miniaturization system that could shrink things by the exact same margin. Giggling with delight, my sister snatched the magnification system for herself, leaving me with no choice but to accept the remaining one. Three days later, a cataclysmic downpour brought about the end of the world. Torrential rains flooded the streets, trapping everyone indoors, utterly immobile. In this desperate scenario, resources became the ultimate currency of survival. Thanks to the magnification system, I had managed to multiply our meager rations a hundred times over, allowing us to ration our food carefully and ultimately weather the harrowing tribulation alongside my sister. To my utter astonishment, the moment the endless rain finally ceased, the very sister I had saved shoved me off the high-rise balcony.

If you had not stolen the magnification system from me, I could have used it to enlarge food and save Lu Sinh's entire family! Sister, you were good at everything, but you were just too selfish!

Awakening in a second life, my sister moved with lightning speed, grabbing the magnification system before I could even blink. The instant she did, a chilling realization washed over me: she had also been reborn. A faint, bitter smile touched my lips. I casually invoked the miniaturization system, shrinking enough provisions to last me five full years, and then shrank my own physical body as well. In an instant, I vanished completely from the sight of everyone around me.

Please select your respective systems.

That voice... why did this exact scene feel so hauntingly familiar? My head was still spinning with a dizzying fog. Had I not just moments ago... been ruthlessly pushed to my death from the upper floors by my own flesh and blood? It took several long moments for me to recover my senses from the terrifying sensation of weightlessness. Across the room, my sister stood frozen for a single second before her face lit up with greedy triumph. She slammed her hand down onto the interface.

I want the magnification system!

Very well, the system has been successfully bound to you.

My sister cast a smug, sidelong glance at me, her eyes overflowing with a malicious joy she didn't even bother to conceal. A cold wave of understanding swept through my chest. So I truly had been granted a second chance at life, thrown backward in time to the exact day my sister and I were forced to choose our fates. In the quiet depths of my heart, I let out a dark, cynical laugh. Fine. If you love your precious Lu Sinh so deeply that you despise the very older sister who once saved your ungrateful life, then this time... I will not lift a finger for you.

I looked at her beaming, triumphant expression and spoke with absolute calm. Then I will choose the miniaturization system.

Very well, the system has been successfully bound to you.

Eager to test out the boundaries of her newfound power, my sister grabbed a tiny teacup sitting on the nearby table and casually willed it to grow a hundred times larger. In the blink of an eye, the delicate cup morphed into a colossal vessel.

Ah! It really worked! The magnification system is truly mine!

I stared at her with an icy gaze—this was the very person I had risked my life to protect in our past timeline. Back then, when the apocalyptic deluge had struck without warning, trapping humanity indoors and cutting off all supply chains, our apartment still held a few boxes of instant noodles and stale bread. Using the magnification system, I had transformed those meager scraps into an endless mountain of provisions, allowing us to scrape by through five grueling years of unending rain. My sister's childhood sweetheart, Lu Sinh, lived directly across the hall from us. My sister had wept and begged me to help them enlarge their food supply as well, but I had flatly refused, knowing all too well the viciousness of human nature when pushed to the brink of starvation. Without my assistance, Lu Sinh's family naturally could not endure five years of absolute scarcity, and they had perished of hunger long before the end. I had fought tooth and nail to survive the apocalypse, only to meet my end at the hands of the sister I had sacrificed everything to shield. How deliciously ironic.

Sister, the magnification system belongs to me now. Aren't you even a little jealous? After all, I can enlarge anything I desire whenever I please. As for your useless miniaturization system... it doesn't seem to have any practical use at all.

My sister narrowed her eyes, probing me for any sign that I might share her memories of the past life, a lingering thread of suspicion hidden deep within her gaze. I let out a slow, steady breath, pasting on a mask of utter indifference as I smiled softly.

What difference does it make? It is just a system. If you like it, keep it. I am fine with whatever.

Seeing that I showed not a shred of interest in or envy of her power, my sister finally relaxed, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. I knew her patterns intimately; this time around, she would undoubtedly rush to rescue the family of her beloved childhood sweetheart. But once word of such a miraculous power leaked out during an apocalypse, she would never find a moment of safety. Every desperate soul in the city would hunt her down.

Radiating excitement, my sister bolted out of our front door and pounded frantically on Lu Sinh's door. Lu Sinh opened it, his expression bewildered. Long Jiajia? Why are you here?

Without missing a beat, my sister threw her arms affectionately around his arm, completely ignoring the visible discomfort on his face, and beamed up at him. Brother Lu, let us go inside and talk.

The moment the opposite door clicked shut, I pulled out my phone and checked the date. The fourteenth of the month! There were still three full days before the catastrophic rainstorm would begin! There was still time!

Without a moment's hesitation, I drove my car to the nearest wholesale supermarket and systematically swept the shelves clean of every edible item, beverage, and essential supply in sight. Instant noodles, preserved bread—anything with a long shelf life. I bought mountains of toilet paper, combs, mirrors, thick blankets, pillows, and every daily necessity I could lay my hands on. I even purchased massive sacks of rice, flour, and a wide variety of vegetable seeds. To ensure I would have fresh meat whenever I pleased, I went so far as to acquire a large batch of healthy chicks. Not stopping there, I hurried to a furniture outlet and handpicked a complete set of sturdy tables and chairs. I was determined to meticulously construct a brand-new, self-sufficient sanctuary entirely for myself.

Our apartment was located on one of the upper floors. In the previous timeline, even the most violent storms and rising floodwaters had never posed a genuine threat to our dwelling. I had no intention of abandoning this apartment; rather... I intended to live out the coming disaster in an entirely different manner.

I shopped with a frenzied, relentless determination until my bank account was completely drained to the last cent. By contrast, my sister—despite knowing full well that a devastating deluge was barreling toward us—did not harbor an ounce of worry or make a single preparation. Relying on her belief that the magnification system could multiply food a hundredfold at a moment's notice, she felt no panic whatsoever, nursing instead a fluttering, romantic anticipation. I understood her mindset all too well; she was eagerly waiting for the moment food shortages peaked so she could make a dramatic, heroic entrance, saving Lu Sinh's family and sweeping the young man off his feet. I had once naively believed her obsession was merely a fleeting crush, but it turned out she was a hopeless fool whose brain was entirely consumed by foolish romance.

That evening, my sister returned home with stars in her eyes, looking as though she had already drowned herself in a river of passionate infection alongside Lu Sinh.

Sister, if I manage to save Brother Lu's family, do you think... he will fall in love with me?

She radiated an intoxicating, dizzying happiness, tinged with a delicate, girlish shyness. I gave her a cold, unyielding response. No.

That is impossible! Brother Lu is bound to love me! Sister, tell me the truth, do you secretly harbor feelings for Brother Lu as well? But you are two whole years older than him, so you might as well stop daydreaming!

I didn't even deign to grace her words with a reply, keeping my head bowed as I continued browsing online for a few final necessities. Having died once at her hands, I would never allow such a tragic foolishness to repeat itself. This time... she could reap whatever sow she chose to plant.

Sister, do you have any spare cash? Can you lend me a few tens of thousands? I want to buy a few things to eat.

My sister asked with an ingratiating, sweet smile, but I merely hardened my expression. No. I just bought a brand-new refrigerator, and it wiped out all my money.

Her face contorted in sudden shock, and she shrieked hysterically. Why on earth would you buy a refrigerator?!

I frowned, feigning annoyance. I wanted to upgrade my old refrigerator. Is that a crime? Why are you reacting so violently?

Realizing she had slipped up and exposed her agitation, my sister hastily reined in her emotions, forcing an awkward, girlish laugh. No... not at all. I was just surprised, hehe. Oh, by the way, Sister, I remembered there were still a few snacks left in your room, so I went ahead and gave them away to the lonely elderly folks living in our neighborhood. They have such difficult lives anyway, so you won't be angry with me, right?

She beamed brightly, as if expecting me to shower her with praise for her boundless benevolence and kindness. Little did she expect that, having been reborn, not only had she claimed the exact magnification system she desired, but she had also casually given away my final emergency rations to strangers. It was an unmistakable attempt to drive me into a dead end! If I had not retained my memories, lacking any system of my own, I would have had zero chance of surviving the apocalyptic floods.

Looking at her radiant, smiling facade, a wave of profound disgust churned within my chest. I had always believed I treated her with absolute devotion. Our parents had passed away when we were young, leaving me—as the older sister—to shoulder their responsibilities, dropping out of school early to toil away and fund her education. Her academic performance was mediocre at best, yet I had never once scolded her. Her living allowance had always far exceeded that of her peers, and every single coin of that money was wrung from my own blood and sweat. Later on, when she failed the university entrance exams, I had relied on sheer grit and relentless labor to purchase an apartment in the city, immediately bringing her up to live with me.