"How could this happen?" Bai Yi exclaimed in frustration, holding firm against the door. He had never anticipated that a routine supply search would lead to such betrayal from those he considered allies.
His mind replayed the moment of impact just moments earlier when he had come face-to-face with the zombies. Falling to the ground, Bai Yi looked back at a "companion" who took advantage of the chaos, abandoning him and fleeing down the hallway without a second thought.
Now, he stared at his blood-stained arm, his face pale as he realized how fortunate he was to have escaped into an unoccupied dormitory before being overwhelmed by the numerous zombies. However, he couldn't ignore the two deep scratches left by their sharp claws.
The scent of blood heightened the frenzy of the zombies outside, who pounded relentlessly on the door, which had already been weakened by the assault.
Exhaustion from panic and blood loss began to take its toll on Bai Yi. Summoning his remaining strength, he managed to bolt the door just before it could be breached. As he sat beside the wooden door, a bitter smile crossed his face as he watched dark blood trickle from his fingertips.
"This is what the end times have come to…" he muttered to himself, feeling a chill envelop him as uncertainty loomed.
The onset of this disaster began ten days prior on an unusually sunny day.
Bai Yi had overslept after a late night with friends, missing a planned outing with his girlfriend, Meng Zhu. It wasn't until noon that she arrived, drenched, to rouse him from bed. It was then he noticed an unexpected downpour that had blanketed Bongcheng.
This heavy rain arrived out of nowhere, and commentary online suggested it felt as if the entire planet was under a vast shower head, with regions usually dry experiencing unexpected rainfall.
While the rain quickly subsided without major disruption, it did catch many off guard, leading to a considerable amount of conversation on social media.
What he could not have predicted was that the following day saw Meng Zhu come down with a fever. Astonishingly, it was not just her; nearly a third of the students at Long Province University of Technology were similarly afflicted.
As the news spread, concern grew globally. When Bai Yi attempted to take Meng Zhu to the hospital, he learned it was overwhelmed with patients and was no longer accepting newcomers.
In response, the national government swiftly implemented disease control measures to mobilize medical resources effectively. Fortunately, the situation proved less dire than initially feared; the fevers were largely attributed to mild flu viruses, and most patients could recover at home after a few days of rest.
What was strange, however, was that nearly all those infected had been caught in the rain that day, while those who had avoided it remained unharmed, raising questions about the nature of the precipitation.
Doubt began to cloud public opinion—speculative theories surfaced online suggesting the rain was a covert biological weapon or even a divine warning.
Regardless, Bai Yi remained focused on caring for Meng Zhu, who gradually recovered after several sleepless nights.
Just as she appeared to improve, alarming news broke: a number of severe influenza patients had inexplicably passed away, with reports indicating they had died mere moments after being stable. This catastrophic turn of events resulted in a staggering death toll in Guanglong Province.
The ensuing chaos gripped the world; panic ensued, and society descended into turmoil as individuals rushed to acquire supplies, leading to widespread disorder.
While conditions were dire elsewhere, China's swift actions helped stabilize the populace. However, the situation continued to deteriorate, with an even greater threat emerging.
The outbreak of zombies commenced, with approximately one-tenth of those who had succumbed to influenza suddenly reanimating within hours of their deaths, lunging for the living nearby.
Bai Yi considered himself fortunate; despite the turmoil, he and Meng Zhu were able to find refuge in the cafeteria, which became a safe haven as survivors gathered in the wake of the initial outbreak.
Amidst this gathering, it became apparent that a select few among the survivors exhibited unusual abilities reminiscent of those found in apocalyptic literature.
Bai Yi was particularly intrigued to learn that Meng Zhu possessed water-manipulating abilities, granting her a unique status among the survivors and favorable treatment.
As he contemplated this, Bai Yi concealed a crystal the size of a quail egg in his pocket, its origins sinister—extracted from a zombie.
The emergence of special powers inspired discussions of whether zombies contained energy sources, likened to crystal cores in fictional narratives.
While many had initially been disappointed by the absence of such cores, Bai Yi had serendipitously acquired one amidst the chaos and had kept it secret, even from Meng Zhu.
He observed the core carefully, aware that as the number of survivors in the cafeteria blossomed, more individuals were beginning to unlock the potential of these unusual finds.
These cores served as an energy amplifier for those with special abilities, yet for regular individuals, consuming one could result in death and subsequent zombification.
Initially, he planned to clean the core and present it to Meng Zhu, but ultimately refrained from doing so.
Feeling the weight of his decision, a mixture of resignation and rage filled Bai Yi as he thought of those who had betrayed him. He vowed, "If I ever encounter Xiao Dan or Ming Tao again, I will ensure they suffer immensely for their treachery."
With that determination, he swallowed the core, feeling the hard substance dissolve and transform into a powerful warmth that coursed through his body.
Yet, this solace quickly escalated into an overwhelming wave of energy, threatening to tear him apart as he experienced excruciating pain, feeling as though countless blades cut through his veins.
"Ah!" Bai Yi cried out, collapsing to the floor in agony, struggling with the intense sensations that coursed through him, both terror and the flicker of newfound potential igniting within him.