In a drought-ravaged apocalypse, I kept our entire apartment block alive with my “watermaker” ability.

But when I grew weak, my neighbors shattered my limbs and turned me into a living water source.

Later, when raiders stormed in, they dragged me out to take the blade for them, only to realize that even my severed arms could still produce water.

So, they shouted about “saving humanity,” then shoved me into the crowd and fled in the chaos.

People rushed forward one after another, tearing at my flesh.

But I didn’t die.

What was left of me fell into the hands of a monster, and I was subjected to inhuman torment day after day.

Ten years later, when the apocalypse finally ended, that monster tossed me into an incinerator.

Only then did I die.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the moment I first awakened my ability, just as my neighbor knocked on the door, begging for water.

“Apple, I'm about to die of thirst. If you have any water, please just give us a little.”

The familiar knock from my neighbor, Brian Lane, snapped me upright.

On the floor lay a stark, human-shaped puddle.

I realized at once that I had been reborn, back to the moment I first awakened my ability!

“Apple, why aren’t you saying anything? If you don’t open up, I’m breaking the door down!”

Brian started slamming against the door.

This time, I couldn’t let them discover my ability!

I quickly absorbed the water from my clothes, then dragged the fish tank with all my strength and shouted, “Don’t open the door!”

Before I could finish, the door burst open.

Crash.

The massive fish tank shattered over the puddle.

Brian’s mother, Jane Lane, who had barged in, saw the water on the floor and flew into a rage.

“So, Apple, you’d rather spill the water you’ve been hiding than give us a drop? I’ve never seen anyone as vicious as you!

“And here I was thinking of looking after you after your parents died. What an ungrateful wretch!”

“Mom, what are you saying?”

Brian tugged at her, disapproving.

“I’m sorry, Apple. I’ve got a fever, and the baby has no water to mix formula. My mom didn’t mean it. But…”

His tone shifted as his eyes quietly swept the room.

“There’s still so much water left. You must have some way of getting it, right?”

He forced a bitter smile.

“I can survive even if I have to drink my own urine. But look at my family—the kids, the old folks are all dying of thirst. Please… just tell me.”

If I hadn’t seen the cruelty with which he electrocuted me before, I might have fallen for his act.

In my past life, I was soft-hearted.

I charged the others in food for my help, but I never asked the Lane family next door for anything.

I gave to them for free.

I never expected them not only to be ungrateful, but to curse me for it.

“That’s it? You call that enough? What, you expect us to beg for it?”

“I think you’re just trying to let us die of thirst, you heartless thing!”

Francie Stone sneered at me, her tone dripping with mockery.

“Don’t think I don’t know. You’re trying to seduce my husband. How shameless.”

At first, Brian even put on an act and apologized.

But once he realized his lightning ability made him untouchable, he showed his true colors, knocking me unconscious and locking me up.

I tried to escape a few times.

The outcome never changed. Brian would snap my limbs and confine me to a fish tank, keeping me as his personal water source.

The memory ignited a surge of hatred in me.

He hadn’t awakened yet. This was the best chance to kill him!

But reason won out. I couldn’t take on so many people alone.

After a brief standoff, I lowered my head in feigned shame.

“I’m sorry, Brian. I found the water at the city park, but there’s not a drop left now. Really! I figured once you awakened your ability, you wouldn’t be lacking food or water anyway…”

Brian had been about to leave, but the latter half of my words made him stop short.

“Awaken an ability?”

“I heard it from others. If you run a fever, you’ll awaken an ability. You’re about to become someone important!”

I grabbed onto Brian, my expression pitiful.

“I didn’t mean to hide water. Please don’t be angry with me. Your wife has to feed the baby. It’s not easy for her. As long as you give me a sip of water…”

“Ah!”

Francie’s expression changed instantly. She slapped me hard across the face.

“Apple, have you no shame? Flirting with my husband right in front of me?”

Brian’s expression flickered. I threw my arms around him, looking up at him with pitiful eyes.

“Brian, I’m not trying to compete with your wife. I just want to serve you in her place.”

“Crazy bitch, get off!”

Francie flew into a rage, kicking me to the ground before dragging Brian away, cursing under her breath.

I immediately followed and knocked on their door.

“Please, Brian, just take me in!”

Under the blazing heat, my voice echoed through the entire apartment block.

When people came to watch the commotion, I grabbed onto them, wailing and rolling on the ground.

“Ma’am, will you give me some water? Sir, what about you?”

“No. Go ask someone else.”

I went door to door, begging the other neighbors for scraps of supplies.

But every single one said they could barely take care of themselves.

Only one person was “kind” enough to tell me to try the reservoir on the outskirts.

By the time dusk fell, my lips were cracked and bleeding.

Muttering that I was about to die of thirst, I staggered toward the outskirts.

“Damn it. Everyone knows the water out there’s already been taken. They just want me to die out there. What a bunch of beasts.”

The moment I stepped out of the building, the sorrow vanished from my face.

“Good thing I hid some water. Now I get it all to myself.”

In my past life, who among them hadn’t benefited from me?

Yet when Brian imprisoned me, every one of them stood by and watched.

Later, just to fight over a piece of skin that could “produce water,” they tore me apart like mad dogs.

This time, I wouldn’t save a single one of them.

I headed straight for the wastewater treatment plant in the west of the city.

In the corner of my vision, a shadow flickered past.

When I arrived, I switched on my flashlight and climbed down into the trash filtration grate.

Soon, I hauled myself back up, clutching a bottle of water.

I twisted it open and gulped it down greedily, letting out a long, satisfied breath.

“Idiot, Brian. I just stirred Francie up enough to drag you away. Did you really think I’d ever like you?

“Filthy creep. If he awakens his lightning ability, I’d be the one suffering. No… I have to kill him early, ah—!”

A sudden scream tore from my throat as I collapsed, my body convulsing violently.

“Who’s there?!”

A man with a dark expression stepped slowly out of the shadows.

“Brian? Y-you… what are you doing here?!”

Dragging my numb body, I scrambled back in terror.

“You bitch. You dare look down on me? I’ll kill you right now!”

Brian seized my throat with a vicious grip, clawing at my clothes like a madman.

My face flushed red as I choked.

“Let go—cough—I know… I know the secret behind your ability!”

Brian’s eyes darkened. His filthy shoe came down hard on my chest.

“Talk! How do you know I’ll awaken a lightning ability?”

I changed my expression instantly, coughing violently as I spat back, “You filthy freak, you bald pig! You make me sick just looking at you. Keep dreaming. I’d rather die than tell you, ah—”

Another surge of electricity slammed into me. I writhed on the ground, screaming in pain as I begged,

“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! Just stop shocking me!”

“Too late!”

Enraged and humiliated, Brian yanked at his belt and lunged at me.

In that split second, already rolled to the edge of the grate, I grabbed his leg and heaved with all my strength.

Brian vanished into the opening.

Before I could even feel a flicker of relief, a hand shot up and clamped onto the spiked metal grate, already hauling itself back out.

I turned and ran.

“I’ll kill you!”

Brian roared in fury as another bolt of lightning struck toward me.

But I pressed my hand against the railing and smiled—a strange, twisted smile.

Realizing something was wrong, Brian tried to pull back, but it was too late.

The high-voltage current passed through me and struck the control switch of the grate mechanism without missing.

The machine roared to life.

Clinging to the opening, Brian was dragged in instantly, leaving behind only a twitching hand.

“Ahhh—!”

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night.

“Hah… hah…”

When the machine finally stopped, I curled on the ground, gasping as I waited for the searing pain of the electric shock to fade.

At the same time, my skin began pulling in the moisture suspended in the air, channeling it through my palms into an empty bottle.

No one would have guessed that the clear water filling the bottle had once been Brian’s blood.

Brian’s lightning ability was devastating—an ordinary person would have died from a single strike.

But I was different.

From the moment I awakened, I had possessed powerful regenerative abilities.

Still, remembering how I couldn’t even die when I wanted to in my past life, I let out a bitter laugh and twisted the cap tight.

Suddenly, faint footsteps broke the silence of the night.

“Where are you, honey?”

“Son, are you in there?”

My heart skipped.

I kicked Brian’s severed hand back down into the pit and turned, clutching the water.

“Apple! Stop right there!”

Several beams of flashlight snapped onto my face.

Francie, leading seven or eight members of the Lane family, surged forward and surrounded me in an instant.

“Why are you running? Where’s my husband?”

The moment they saw the three-liter bottle in my hands, the Lane family lit up with excitement. They snatched it away and started drinking without hesitation.

“I knew it. Our son was right. This woman’s been hiding water!”

Francie grabbed me by the collar.

“I’m asking you. Where’s my husband? You lured him out for hours. What filthy things did you do, huh?”

I watched as they drained the bottle, a faint, unreadable smile curling on my lips.

Francie slapped me hard, her teeth clenched.

“I said stop smiling. Answer me!”

I couldn’t dodge in time and took the blow head-on, my expression darkening.

From behind, someone kicked the back of my knees. I dropped to the ground with a thud.

Hands seized me, wrenching my arms behind my back.

“Talk! Where did you take my son? He left with you!”

When I stayed silent, Jane’s face turned grim as she kicked me again.

“Not talking? Fine. You two. Get over here. Beat it out of her!”

“Wait, I’ll talk!”

Just as I spoke, Brian’s father, David Lane, suddenly leaned forward, sniffing the air.

His expression changed.

“There’s blood in the air.”

The others froze, then swept their flashlights around. When the beam hit the grate, their legs went weak.

“Is… Is that blood?”

“Did she push my son down there?”

Panic spread through the Lane family as they rushed toward the opening, ready to climb down.

Thinking of that severed hand, a chill ran down my spine.

If they found it, I would be finished.

Francie stared at me, her eyes narrowing. She yanked me up and slapped me again.

“You bitch. What are you hiding? What did you do to my husband?”

My heart pounded like it was about to burst out of my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm, spitting out a mouthful of blood as I snapped.

“With a body like mine, what do you think I could possibly do to Brian? You idiots! Can’t you see the blood’s already dried and crusted? How could it be his? Instead of wasting your energy climbing down there, go check the city park!”

Jane slapped her thigh.

“That’s right!”

“Brian just awakened that. What was it? His ability is called Lighting Strike. One hit would’ve killed her!”

“You two, get up here. Let’s head to the city park!”

I let out a quiet breath and edged backward, holding it in.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The low voice brushed against my ears, and my heart lurched.

David signaled to his nephews, and they quickly tied up my hands and feet.

“She tricked Brian into going to the city park, then came here herself. She’s too scheming. Take her back. We’ll make her talk.”

“You think you can just grab me?”

I struggled violently, shouting in fury, “If Mr. Kane comes tomorrow and can’t find me, he’ll skin every one of you alive!”

“Mr. Kane?”

The Lane family frowned.

“That’s right. He’s the one who left me the water last time he came. He’s a powerful ability user—he can manipulate metal. He runs the next city over. Anyone who crosses him ends up dead.”

I lifted my chin, arrogant and unyielding.

“Don’t believe me? Fine, go ask around. Victor Kane. He’s got a buzz cut and a scar through his brow. See if that sounds familiar.”

The ropes binding me loosened slightly.

“What’s your relationship with him? Why didn’t we know he came here?”

David frowned, suspicion in his eyes.

“Of course I’m his girlfriend.”

I let out a cold, contemptuous snort.

“Does Mr. Kane really need to report his every move to nobodies like you? Now untie me.”

The nephews hesitated, their hands starting to loosen the ropes.

“Wait.”

My heart skipped.

Francie stepped in, stopping them.

“Apple, if you really belong to Mr. Kane, why didn’t you say so earlier? Why were you flirting with my husband? You think he’d allow his woman to cheat on him?”

She stared straight at me.

“You’re lying.”

My mind raced as I lifted my chin and shot back, “Because you’re not good enough for Brian. The lot of you, what makes you so sure I was the one seducing him?

“Maybe you’re just too dull to keep a man, and instead you blame someone younger and prettier. What kind of logic is that?”

“You bitch!”

Francie’s anger flared.

She raised her hand to strike me, then lowered it, her expression turning to mocking contempt.

“I get it now. Mr. Kane’s wife couldn’t tolerate you, could she? That’s why you were so eager to find your next man.

“A cheap slut pretending to be above it all. Who do you think you’re kidding?”

My face flushed red as I snapped back defiantly, “Fine. Then go ahead and take me. When Mr. Kane shows up tomorrow, we’ll see whether he deals with me first, or slices all of you into pieces.”