City S.
Hubert Wang strolled down the street with his hands in his pockets. At twenty years old, he looked more like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old due to his round face, chubby cheeks, and big eyes that made him look younger than his age. His attractive appearance made him popular with both boys and girls.
Hubert had just left a hotel with a girl and was heading home. He felt good and refreshed, as usual, and was ready to get back to work. He had dropped out of school at eighteen to focus on his career as a prominent streamer. Hubert was a gaming enthusiast, especially in virtual reality games. He played every game and live-streamed his experience to his fans, who were numerous and dedicated.
Suddenly, Hubert noticed a person on the street dressed in black from head to toe, with long hair covering their eyes, and holding an eye-catching sign that read: "Virtual reality game, the world of the undead."
Hubert had played numerous virtual reality games before, such as heroic swordsmen and high school girls, but had never played this game, so he became curious and approached the person.
"Hey, are you selling a virtual reality game about the undead?" asked Hubert.
The person nodded and replied: "Only one copy is available."
"No one has bought it?" inquired Hubert.
"People are afraid to play because this game was set in the apocalyptic world two thousand years ago." explained the person.
Hubert shuddered at the thought of the post-apocalyptic world, which he had heard about and seen on TV many times. However, he knew more about it than anyone else because his ancestor was the one who brought light to the dark world two thousand years ago. The apocalypse was still a haunting memory for humanity, an endless fear that penetrated deep into their sleep. Two bright suns illuminated the sky, and the undead roamed the world. Although Hubert was afraid, he was more curious than anything. What was the apocalyptic world two thousand years ago really like? He wanted to find out.
"Okay, I'll buy it." said Hubert.
"It's two J coins." replied the seller.
Compared to the discs he had purchased before, this one was cheap, so he handed over three J coins as a tip. The value of money was vastly different from two thousand years ago. It was now 4200, over a hundred years after the apocalypse and two thousand years after the reconstruction of everything. The smallest denomination was the F coin, with one hundred F coins equaling one J coin and one hundred J coins equaling one Z coin. Hubert ran home with the disc, eager to see how the game would be. He immediately opened the game system, inserted the disc, and within minutes, everything around him suddenly lit up. The sound echoed like Google Translate.
"Welcome to the post-apocalyptic simulation game in the year 2060. From then on, you have entered the world, and thirty-six billion people will have to play with you. The game will never end, and only you can create a new world and wipe out the apocalypse behind you.
"Hubert, please choose your buff."
Hubert heard a buzz in his head. Was this still a game? Thirty-six billion people playing together, what was this?
"It means the real world will fall into a real apocalypse, and only one billion out of ten billion people will not become zombies, among which only one billion will have special abilities. Hubert, you opened the door to the apocalypse, so only you can receive the game's buff. After receiving the buff, you will have a way to enhance your different abilities, making you stronger."
"Is it... because of me that the apocalypse happened?" Hubert asked.
"Please don't think that way, Hubert. The apocalypse will happen again in a few thousand years because humans have caused too much destruction, depleting the Earth and creating side effects that turn humans into the undead. Only by destroying the old and rebuilding the new can the Earth be revived. The task of saving the Earth is now entrusted to you."
Hubert was still confused. Was it not his fault?
"Please choose your buff, Hubert:
1. Single crystal. Fast training, an absolute power of a single crystal.
2. Seven crystals. Much slower training, initially very inefficient, but diverse management.
Once you have chosen your buff, your physical state cannot be changed, but in terms of training speed, you will be much faster than average."
Hubert is a gamer who has played countless games, so he naturally would not choose an ordinary buff like the first one, so he decisively chooses the second one.
"Second buff, please."
After making his choice, the sound of Google Translate rings out again.
"Buff selection complete. Congratulations to player Hubert on successfully entering the game. After the total solar eclipse on June 15th, the apocalypse will begin, so please prepare carefully. The game developer gives you a hundred square meters of space, increasing by another hundred square meters each time you level up. Use this space to store supplies.
Also, the game developer secretly gives you a hint that sex is the best way to cultivate and achieve good results."
What? Sex?
"Because Hubert likes sex, if you want to level up quickly, you just need to sleep with others and use them as a guide to level up."
Is this too cruel? Isn't it the same as draining someone's energy?
How could he do something so insidious? Although he likes sex, he won't ignore other people's lives and deaths!
"Hubert, don't worry. The other party will not be harmed. Moreover, this is a "shortcut" method of cultivation. If you don't use it, it doesn't matter because this is the game developer's support for players who open the game like you."
Hubert nods. It's good that no one will be harmed. This is just a supplementary cultivation method so that he can use it or not.
"Congratulations, Hubert, on successfully logging into our game's "Simulation of the Apocalypse in 2060" destruction system. From now on, the system will not appear again. We wish you to bring the dawn of life to the world and say goodbye for now."
After the white light faded, Hubert's room returned to normal. He opened the window and looked outside, and everything appeared normal to the point where he couldn't believe what he had just heard was true. However, after confirming his ability to summon space, he knew everything was true.
Hubert waited until the evening when Mr. and Mrs. Wang returned home before he ran down and explained everything, except that he bought a disc to replace the dream that the Wang family ancestor had.
He also summoned space, causing the house air to become cold. The apocalypse of 2060 still felt like it had just happened, and now it had genuinely returned without warning.
Hubert lay on his bed, tossing and turning, feeling incredibly bored. The task of collecting supplies had already been taken care of by Mr. Wang and his two older brothers, but he still wanted to do something yet lacked the motivation. News of the apocalypse had already spread throughout the country since Edward Wang, Hubert's father was the Minister of Defense, and whatever he said, the people believed without question.
Hubert checked his space, which already contained enough food, clothing, and necessary tools. As for weapons, Edward Wang had taken care of them. Only the people in the house knew about his additional space. Hubert thought that even though he can practice by absorbing the energy of sex, he never spoke about it and was always viewed as the baby who needed protection. However, he still had a younger brother and sister, why was he still being pampered like this?
"Hubert, come downstairs for breakfast."
"No, I'm not hungry."
The person who just called was his older brother, Canis Wang. The door was open, and as soon as he looked out, he saw him standing there with a stern look, someone who always treated he with strictness and had admonished he many times before. He was also the person Hubert hated the most but also pitied. Canis was the family's eldest son and naturally had to study hard and polish himself, as he was designated to replace Edward Wang as Minister. He was now twenty-seven years old and held the position of Vice-Minister in the military, under one person among thousands.. To achieve his current status, Canis had no leisure time, no time to go out or find a girlfriend, as a single man that any girl would want to climb into bed with.
"The apocalypse is coming, and you need to prepare well. Who else can protect you when the end comes?"
"I can protect myself."
"With only the space you have?"
Hubert didn't want to argue with this person. Canis had never liked him, so he covered himself with the blanket and didn't listen.
After a long silence, Hubert thought Canis had left and uncovered himself, but he was still there staring at him.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"Hubert..."
His voice was softer than usual, with a hint of confusion.
"You may have a spatial system that can't turn you into a zombie, but who in this house can't be turned into one? Who will protect you when the end comes?"
"I already said I can take care of myself."
Hubert jumped out of bed, pushed Canis back, and tried to push him out and close the door to reduce the noise. But Canis was like a pillar, impossible to move, and he grabbed Hubert's hand. He even wanted to punish him by making him kneel, but who at twenty years old still kneels?
"Hubert, what will you do if I become a zombie?"
The sudden question caught Hubert off guard, and he hadn't thought of an answer yet. If Canis turned into a zombie, would Hubert kill him, or would anyone in the house do it? As a family, what would happen if he was the only one who didn't turn into a zombie?
"For twenty-seven years, I've never lived for myself even once, but Hubert, maybe you can, so please try your best." Canis said.
"You always say the same few things, and I don't want to hear it!" Hubert retorted, then walked away.
"Where are you going?" Canis asked, grabbing Hubert's hand with a dark and impenetrable look.
"It's none of your business! Just leave me alone!" Hubert pushed Canis away and stormed out.
Canis watched him leave, and his mind filled with worry. The Wang family had been immune to the zombie virus for generations because their ancestors were superhumans with supernatural powers from the elements. But Canis was an adopted son, and he feared that he would turn into a zombie and attack his own family. Primarily Hubert, his beloved younger brother, even though they were not blood relationship.