When Li Tian woke up, he could've sworn he was still in some kind of bad dream. The world around him was in flames. Well, more like a lot of charred wreckage from the meteor that had just obliterated the horizon. The ground was shaking, the air thick with the acrid smell of burning trees, and the distant screams of survivors echoed through the ruined town.
"Okay, I get it. The universe has decided to play a cruel prank on me," Li Tian muttered, wiping the ash from his face. He wasn't sure why, but something about the whole situation felt… wrong. He felt... different.
Looking down at his hands, he froze. His fingers were skeletal, with patches of grayish-blue skin barely clinging to the bone. His nails had turned sharp, and there was a faint smell of rot. His whole body felt heavy and sluggish, like it was refusing to cooperate. The last thing he remembered was—well, nothing really. Just that explosion.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Li Tian shouted, panic rising in his chest. "Am I—am I dead?"
He looked down at his body, trying to move his fingers. They twitched slightly, but there was no response. Panic set in for a moment, but then something clicked—his eyes widened in realization. His body, it was… it was undead.
"Okay, maybe I'm not dead in the traditional sense. But still... this is not a good look," he muttered, staring at his decayed hands. "How is this even possible? Did the meteor somehow reanimate me as a zombie?"
He ran his tongue across his dry, cracked lips, hoping for some sort of normality to return. And yet, all he could sense was the gnawing hunger at the back of his mind—the overwhelming urge to bite into something warm and squishy. Great. A zombie craving for brains. Just what I needed.
But before he could spiral into despair, something unexpected happened.
DING!
A blue screen appeared in front of his eyes, blocking his view of the disaster-ridden world. He froze, blinking as the familiar system notification materialized in front of him. His heart skipped a beat. Finally!
"System?" he muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse. "It's about time."
The screen crackled and then displayed:
---
[System Initialized]
Name: Li Tian
Level: 1
Species: Undead
Cultivation Realm: [None - Initiate Undead Evolution]
Stats:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 1
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 0 (Hey, no one's going to want to be friends with a zombie)
Luck: 3
Skills:
Basic Undead Physiology (Passive) – Increases resistance to physical damage and weakens over time without nourishment.
Memory Manipulation (Active) – Allows the user to alter, steal, and change memories of others. The strength of the target will determine the time it takes to manipulate their memory.
---
Li Tian stared at the screen, confused. "Okay, so I'm an undead now. But... 'Initiate Undead Evolution?' What's that supposed to mean? Am I supposed to level up like a game character? And why does my intelligence stat suck so much? I have a system now, shouldn't I be OP right away?"
He wasn't sure how it worked, but the Memory Manipulation skill caught his attention. So, that's what I've got now... a weird skill that lets me mess with people's memories? He glanced around at the ruined town, his gaze falling on a nearby survivor, a woman who was running in sheer panic.
Let's test this out, Li Tian thought, his inner snark returning. There's no better time than now to experiment on the living.
He focused on the woman, narrowing his eyes. The system screen glowed faintly, and the next moment, Li Tian felt his consciousness extend outward. His eyes locked onto hers, and he reached into her memories.
Skill Activated: Memory Manipulation
The woman froze in her tracks. Li Tian could feel her fear, her confusion, and her thoughts. With a simple push, he altered them.
The woman blinked, her face softening as she looked around, now thinking she had wandered into a safe part of the town. "Everything's fine... just need to get home," she murmured.
Li Tian grinned, watching her walk away, now with no memory of the chaos and destruction. She was safe for now, but Li Tian's mind was buzzing. So, it's not instantaneous. I need a bit of time depending on how strong they are. Not bad.
He shifted his focus back to his system screen. It was time to take stock of his situation.
---
[System Update]
Evolution Process:
Level 1: Undead (Soul Bound)
XP Required to Level Up: 50
Undead Evolution Ready: [Yes]
Current Progress: 0%
---
"So I need to evolve, huh?" Li Tian muttered, rubbing his bony chin. "Well, looks like I've got time to kill... figuratively, of course. But first, let's figure out how to get myself some serious power."
He glanced at the town, and his hunger pangs grew more intense. "Right, zombies need to eat, too. Guess it's time to find some brains."
---
Li Tian wandered through the ruins of the town, his mind racing with thoughts of his situation. He was in an unknown world, and just as he'd suspected, the meteor strike had unleashed a wave of chaos. As he wandered, he realized that there was something different about the atmosphere—something... more. He had to get stronger. Fast.
And that's when the spaceship appeared. It came from the sky, a sleek vessel that seemed to hum with power, descending slowly towards the town.
"Well, that's a bit on the nose," Li Tian muttered, gazing up at the ship with an eyebrow raised. "Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder."
The ship's landing caused a tremor in the ground, and several humanoid figures stepped out, all dressed in futuristic armor. They looked human, but their presence was... unnatural. Their eyes scanned the ruins, locking onto Li Tian as they approached.
Before Li Tian could process the situation, the tallest of them spoke in a commanding voice. "This planet has been discovered. We are the Galactic Human Empire. Prepare to be recruited."
---
To be continued...