On the pockmarked highway, abandoned vehicles lay scattered everywhere. A grotesque, tattered zombie wandered aimlessly along the road, emitting feeble growls—likely searching for food.
But two years had passed. Where could fresh prey possibly remain for them to feast on?
Wait!
The zombie suddenly froze, catching a scent in the air that ignited an overwhelming craving. It immediately began shrieking with excitement. Yet just as it turned toward the source, a gleaming bullet exploded through its skull.
Thud! The zombie, its cranium blown open, collapsed twitching before falling still.
A nimble figure emerged from behind a car. Clad in Hard Material Armor, he carried a large sniper rifle and a Blood-colored Battle Blade on his back, two pistols strapped to his thighs, and a pair of daggers sheathed at his calves—armed to the teeth.
This was none other than Bai Wen, who had descended from the mountains. Ever since learning that the Crystal Nuclei inside zombies were actually crystal ore, he had geared up and made his way here. Though he'd already slain dozens of zombies, not a single crystal had been found.
Drawing a dagger, he calmly sliced open the zombie's chest—only to find it empty. Still no crystal.
But he wasn't discouraged. In his past life, he'd known that zombies carrying crystals were rare.
As dusk approached, Bai Wen spotted a relatively intact RV on the highway, its exterior stained with blood—evidence of a zombie siege during the initial outbreak.
Pistol in hand, he forced the door open and stepped inside cautiously.
The RV's interior was a disaster, covered in dried blood—a gruesome sight. Its former occupants had likely either turned into zombies or been devoured by the frenzied horde. A tragic end.
"Grahh!" An excited snarl erupted from within as a naked, emaciated female zombie with purplish-gray skin lunged at him.
Bai Wen pulled the trigger without hesitation. Pew! Pew! Two shots obliterated her skull, splattering more foul green ichor across the already filthy RV.
This place was clearly uninhabitable.
Having survived five years in the apocalypse during his past life, Bai Wen knew zombies well. Nighttime was their active period—their speed and lethality multiplied. To stay alive after dark, one had to hunker down. Venturing out was suicide.
But the RV was a lost cause. He needed another shelter.
The highway was littered with vehicles of all types. Soon, he found a spacious SUV—clean inside. During the outbreak, its occupants must have fled on foot, likely due to the massive pileup blocking the road ahead.
After boarding and locking the doors, he settled in the backseat, removing his sniper rifle and battle blade.
Bai Wen caressed the one-and-a-half-meter-long sniper rifle, unable to put it down. After all, this was a modified version of the Ghost's C10 shotgun rifle by the SCV, its power unmatched by any current sniper rifle in service.
Then there was the Hard Combat Suit he wore, along with pistols, grenades, combat knives, and daggers—all crafted by the SCV. With this equipment, he was certain he could survive in this brutal apocalypse! And more importantly, prevent the tragedies of his past life!
The night sky was exceptionally bright, as if the planet, freed from human destruction, was gradually recovering.
The night passed without incident.
By dawn the next day, Bai Wen was already on the move. By eight o'clock, he had arrived at the outskirts of a village—a necessary route to City S. It was likely teeming with Zombies, making it far more dangerous than the open road.
He could have bypassed it, but he was here precisely for the Zombies. Along the way, he had killed over a dozen of them without obtaining a single crystal. Today, he refused to leave empty-handed.
Stealthily, he infiltrated the village and soon spotted a Zombie.
The Zombie's face was twisted, its eyes lifeless, its skin shriveled—appearing weak. But Bai Wen knew better. The moment it caught the scent of a human, it would turn ferocious, lunging recklessly to bite. Even a dog or a rooster—any living creature—wouldn't be spared.
Of course, infected livestock and animals were common, even insects weren't immune to the virus.
The moment Bai Wen saw the Zombie, it noticed him too. Just as it was about to let out an excited snarl, Bai Wen pulled the trigger of his pistol.
"PiuPiuPiu~" Three shots rang out—two hitting the chest, one blowing the Zombie's head apart.
He rushed over, ensuring no other Zombies had noticed, then swiftly drew his dagger to dig into the Zombie's chest. To his delight, this one did contain a crystal—about the size of a date pit.
At last, his efforts weren't in vain!
Encouraged by this success, Bai Wen pressed deeper into the village, dual pistols at the ready. Before long, he had killed several more Zombies and obtained another crystal. His total count had finally surpassed one unit—though it was still pitifully low.
But something felt off. The village had far fewer Zombies than expected. After scouring most of it, he had only eliminated a dozen or so. This wasn't right.
He continued searching, only to find the streets eerily empty—not a single Zombie in sight.
What was going on?
Just as he was about to leave, a sudden sound caught his attention—a Zombie tearing into something inside a two-story house. The noise was unnervingly distinct in the silent village.
Quietly, he approached the house. Peering through the window, his eyes twitched involuntarily at the sight.
In the living room, a Zombie was frenziedly ripping into something. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, mingled with green, viscous fluid and scattered human organ fragments—a gruesome scene.
But its prey wasn't a human. It was another Zombie.
Yes, one Zombie was devouring another.
Bai Wen watched as the Zombie devoured its prey, its previously withered muscles visibly swelling at an alarming rate. Its body rapidly grew taller and more robust!
This was...
The Zombie was evolving?!
There were so few Zombies in this village—had it eaten all the others?
Suddenly, the Zombie stopped feeding and slowly turned its head. Its deathly gray eyes locked onto Bai Wen, letting out an excited, ear-piercing screech.