Bang! Bang! Bang!
The violent thuds reverberated through the entire girls' dormitory, and the sound of frenzied growls echoed as the zombies clawed and battered at the door. The once peaceful building was now a den of chaos, with no mercy shown by the creatures outside.
Jiang Yi's face was ashen, his body pressed against the door with every ounce of strength he had left. The trembling wood beneath him rattled with each strike from the zombies, but his grip remained firm, holding the door shut with desperation.
"Bastard! You coward!" His voice broke through the panic, raw and full of fury. The situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations—what was supposed to be a simple supply run had ended in betrayal.
Jiang Yi's mind replayed the moment of his downfall—just minutes ago. He'd been caught off guard by the forceful impact against his back, knocking him to the ground. When he looked up, he saw a face twisted with mockery. His so-called "teammate" had coldly abandoned him to the mercy of the zombies, vanishing into the hallway without a second thought.
His gaze dropped to his arm, where blood had already stained the fabric. Despite narrowly escaping the grasp of a handful of ravenous female zombies, his arm bore two deep slashes, dark nails having torn through flesh like paper.
The scent of fresh blood had only served to excite the zombies outside. They slammed against the door with even greater force, their mindless assault showing no sign of stopping. The wood groaned under the pressure, creaking with each new blow.
Jiang Yi's body was growing weaker with each passing moment—panic, blood loss, and exhaustion took their toll. In his final moments of strength, he managed to slide the bolt across the door, securing it just before it gave way to the onslaught. His legs buckled, and he collapsed beside the door, a bitter smile tugging at his lips as the dark blood dripped from his fingertips.
"Damn this apocalypse, why did it have to come to this..." A chill ran through him, though whether it was real or just his own dread, he couldn't tell. He shuddered instinctively, as though the very air had turned colder.
All of this madness started ten days ago—back then, everything had been ordinary.
After a late-night cram session with his roommate, Jiang Yi had slept through the morning, missing his date with his girlfriend, Chen Jiazi. He hadn't known it then, but that morning, Dragon City was about to be struck by a storm—one that defied all reason.
The rain had come without warning. It was as if someone had opened a massive showerhead above the Earth itself, drenching the world in an unexpected downpour. No one was prepared for it. The rain swept over the globe with terrifying speed, even reaching the most arid deserts.
At first, it seemed like a minor inconvenience. People who happened to be outside were left soaked, caught by surprise with nothing more than a free, cold shower. No one paid it much mind.
But when Jiang Yi was dragged out of bed by a fuming Chen Jiazi, he learned that this wasn't just some freak accident. The storm had come suddenly, like a force of nature beyond comprehension.
The next day, Jiang Yi's girlfriend, who had been drenched in the rain, came down with a fever. It didn't stop there. Within a short time, nearly a third of the students at Long Province University were struck by the same illness.
The panic spread, and soon it was clear that the fever wasn't just local—it was global. As Jiang Yi rushed to take Chen Jiazi to the hospital, he found that it had already reached capacity. There were no beds left for new patients.
In the face of this crisis, the government reacted swiftly, issuing disease control measures and mobilizing medical resources.
Fortunately, the results were not as dire as everyone feared. The fever was identified as a common flu strain—harmless for most, requiring only rest and some medication. Within a few days, those affected would recover.
But the weird part? Every single person who had fallen ill had been exposed to the strange rain. Jiang Yi, who had avoided it, had not caught the disease, even after being in close contact with infected individuals.
The realization brought some comfort to the public, but more questions arose. What had caused that rain? Why had it come and gone so quickly? And why was it so acidic?
Conspiracy theories began to spread—some claimed it was a biochemical weapon unleashed by a foreign power, others pointed fingers at a terrorist group. There were even some who believed it was a divine warning, a sign that the end times were approaching.
Jiang Yi wasn't interested in these speculations. He had more pressing concerns—chief among them, caring for his feverish girlfriend. For three days and nights, he stayed by her side, watching as she recovered. But the toll it took on him was evident—he looked gaunt, worn out by the endless hours spent at her bedside.
Then, just as things were starting to settle, a horrific report came in from the hospitals: many of the severe flu cases had suddenly died.
This death came without warning. Just moments ago, the patients had been breathing steadily, only for every single one of them to suddenly drop dead! There was no time for the doctors to even attempt resuscitation… It was undoubtedly a disaster of unprecedented proportions.
Preliminary estimates revealed that in just that single day, the death toll in Long Province had surged into the terrifying range of millions!
The sudden and incomprehensible transformation had forced even the world's mightiest nations to abandon all attempts at concealing the event. Global panic set in—every corner of the world was gripped by sheer terror. Nearly every industry plunged into despair, and the surviving populace scrambled to hoard whatever supplies they could, leading to chaos and violent riots in the streets!
Jiang Yi didn't know what was happening in other countries, but fortunately, China's response had been swift and decisive. The government quickly calmed the populace, issuing various measures that barely managed to keep public unrest at bay…
But this was just the beginning. Before the country even had a chance to breathe, an even more horrifying event unfolded—one that left all powerful forces utterly helpless.
The zombies had erupted.
A shocking ten percent of those who had died from the flu in the previous days came back to life less than twelve hours later, their once-still bodies suddenly revived. But the first thing they did upon awakening was to lunge at the living, those who had come to handle their remains!
There was no time for anyone to react. The world was suddenly plunged into a terrifying, nightmarish apocalypse.
Jiang Yi was undeniably lucky. With his girlfriend's condition improving, the two had gone to the cafeteria for a meal when the zombie outbreak started. Trapped inside, they avoided the initial wave of chaos.
The cafeteria had ample food supplies, and over the next few days, more and more survivors from the university flocked to the safe haven…
But something even more extraordinary happened. Among the survivors, Jiang Yi was shocked to discover that some of them had awakened extraordinary abilities!
Yes, just like the powerful abilities one reads about in apocalyptic fiction!
In a cafeteria that housed barely a thousand people, over a hundred had developed strange powers.
But contrary to what most imagined—controlling the elements, bending nature to their will—most of these "evolved" individuals only had enhanced physical abilities, like super strength or speed. Only a few of them exhibited more unusual powers.
What thrilled Jiang Yi the most was that his girlfriend, Chen Jiazi, had developed a water-based ability—she could create fresh, clean water out of thin air!
This power not only made Chen Jiazi stand out in the crowd, but it also brought Jiang Yi unexpected privileges, as her boyfriend…
As his thoughts wandered, Jiang Yi suppressed the pain in his arm, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a crystal, no larger than a quail's egg. His expression darkened.
This small, translucent orb came from the skull of a zombie.
As more abilities began to emerge among the survivors, clever university students began speculating about the existence of similar "crystals" within the zombies' skulls—something that could be absorbed for power.
At first, some brave souls had cracked open the skulls of a few zombies, only to be disappointed—no crystal, no "core" had been found. Gradually, the idea was abandoned.
Then, just a few days ago, during another round of chaos after a new group of survivors had barged into the cafeteria, leading to another zombie encounter, Jiang Yi had stumbled upon a crystal—this time, it had fallen from the shattered skull of a zombie!
Jiang Yi wasn't foolish. Without drawing any attention to himself, he discreetly hid it away. In fact, he hadn't even told Chen Jiazi about the crystal, keeping it a secret.
The cafeteria, already crowded with survivors, now buzzed with excitement and curiosity about the newly discovered "zombie cores." The survivors, led by those with powers, had begun to experiment, figuring out how to use these mysterious objects.
The cores were the source of energy for the evolved zombies. Regular zombies didn't have them. Only those that had reached the first stage of evolution carried these precious crystals. Even after ten days of the apocalypse, the entire cafeteria had only accumulated fewer than ten cores.
Their purpose was simple: to enhance the powers of those who already had abilities.
As for ordinary humans who dared to consume the cores… the result was always the same. They died, only to turn into zombies themselves.
Jiang Yi had initially intended to clean the crystal and give it to Chen Jiazi, but in the end, he hadn't done so.
Now, as he felt the numbness spreading through his arm, Jiang Yi bitterly smiled, a flash of malice flickering in his eyes. "Shen Tong, Wang Hai! If I ever catch you alive… I'll make sure to tear you apart, piece by piece, so that even the zombies won't want to have anything to do with you!"
With those venomous thoughts in mind, Jiang Yi raised his head and swallowed the crystal whole.
It melted instantly, dissolving into a clear liquid that slid down his throat. Almost immediately, he felt a surge of heat spread from his stomach, radiating outward. The heat flowed through his veins, spreading across his body in a strange, almost unnatural manner.
Jiang Yi reveled in the pleasant warmth… but then, the heat erupted into a violent surge! A massive wave of energy exploded inside him, and his body felt as though it were being torn apart, his skin threatening to split open under the strain.
"Ah!" Jiang Yi screamed in agony, rolling on the ground in desperate convulsions! The pain from his skin was unbearable, but the real torment was the excruciating agony of something sharp and searing, as though countless blades were slicing through his blood vessels and tendons…