Volume One, Chapter Nine: The Arrival of the Apocalypse

Feeling the active energy of her ability within, Yu Yue clenched her fists, a hint of disappointment crossing her face.

"Only such a small improvement after half a month. It is a pity that the apocalypse has not yet arrived; the elemental energy in this world is not yet active, making it even harder to absorb than in the Peach Garden space. Without the aid of zombie nuclei, cultivation is indeed much slower."

Muttering to herself, Yu Yue licked her lips, which felt parched from the long hours of cultivation without water. There was not a trace of fear in her eyes when she mentioned the approaching apocalypse; instead, they were filled with excitement and a restless eagerness.

She shifted her gaze to the golden egg beside her. Over these past days, she could sense the little creature inside absorbing elemental energy from the space just as she was, and the patterns on the shell had grown increasingly vivid. She could feel that once the energy reached a certain threshold, the little one would likely break out of its shell.

Cultivation requires a balance of work and rest. Yu Yue was in no rush to break through at this very moment and left the Peach Garden space. She walked to the window to admire the quiet nightscape of the city; this was the last Christmas Eve.

As the tip of her tongue touched her canine tooth, Yu Yue felt her blood surging. She looked up at the bright, white moon hanging in the sky. At this moment, perhaps no one but her noticed that a strange, eerie red glow was faintly emerging from within the brilliant moon.

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky. People in their sleep could not know that upon waking, they would face a living hell. With a look of anticipation on her face, Yu Yue lay back down, closed her eyes, and enjoyed this final moment of peace.

August 16, 2024, 5:30 AM. Before the first light of dawn broke in the distance, most people, still deep in their slumber, suddenly developed high fevers.

Before long, those with the fevers began to convulse. Their skin turned an eerie, bruised black, and sharp fangs and claws sprouted. They opened their eyes suddenly, their pupils protruding and pitch-black. At this moment, their partners sleeping beside them did not know that their loved ones had turned into bloodthirsty monsters. Tragically, most of those still asleep were bitten in the throat before they even understood what was happening. Even those who managed to wake up in time were often too stunned to react to such horrific monsters. The world instantly devolved into a hell of wailing and gore.

The apocalypse had arrived!

At 8:00 AM, Yu Yue opened her eyes on schedule. She rose from the bed with measured movements and, after a quick wash, walked to the window to pull back the curtains. It should have been a bright, sunny summer day, but the sky was dark and heavy, and an atmosphere of oppression and panic permeated the world.

Opening the window, she took a breath of the decaying air unique to the apocalypse. Downstairs in the apartment complex, a dozen or so listless zombies wandered about, searching for the scent of the living. Not far away, ordinary people who had not yet realized what was happening were being chased; the number of zombies below was not small, and soon, they tackled a man, howling and tearing at his flesh.

Such horrific scenes were visible almost everywhere, with countless people wailing and struggling.

"Ahhh! What are these monsters? Stay away!"
"Save me, save me! I’ll give you a hundred thousand—no, five hundred thousand! Save me!"
"Ahhh! Stop biting, it hurts, it hurts! Help!"
"Mom, Mom, where are you..."

The sounds of crying, wailing, tearing, and roaring—this terrifying symphony unique to the apocalypse—reached Yu Yue’s ears, but it only ignited a sense of fanaticism and anticipation in her heart. For the first time in half a month, her cold, phoenix-like eyes burst with eagerness. A devilish smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Welcome to the apocalypse."

After a simple breakfast, she stored the remaining supplies in the room into her space, changed into a sleek black outfit, strapped on a travel backpack, and tucked a specially crafted steel Tang dao into her waistband. Yu Yue stepped out of her home.

The moment she opened the door, she heard scratching and hissing roars coming from across the hall. Yu Yue understood immediately; her cheap neighbor was likely done for.

She moved slowly downstairs, keeping a wary eye on her surroundings. But just as she reached the second floor, a zombie lunged from her blind spot. Seeing those disgusting fangs and claws aiming straight for her face, she calmly stepped aside to dodge the lethal strike, pulled out her Tang dao with one hand, and slashed at the zombie’s neck, decapitating it in a single strike.

She kicked the body blocking the stairs aside. She felt her reflexes were a bit sluggish; even though she had kept up with some training, the lack of actual combat had made her instincts dull. Recalling the two years she had spent being tortured in a laboratory, betrayed by her "good" sister, a dark shadow passed through her eyes.

When she reached the ground floor, she could see bloodstains that had not yet dried, along with severed limbs and body parts. The sudden, sweet scent of a living being in the air immediately attracted the zombies that were chasing a boy in his underwear.

Yu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly and charged forward with her blade. Zombies in the early stages of the apocalypse were relatively weak; their speed and strength were essentially half that of a normal adult. The only trouble was their lack of fear of pain and their suicidal nature, but even an ordinary person with a weapon and some wit could easily kill them.

With her awakened ability and recent training, Yu Yue’s physique was incomparable to before. She surged into the zombie pack like an agile leopard, reaping heads as easily as cutting vegetables. A zombie’s core lay in its head, and decapitated zombies essentially died on the spot. It was a pity, however, that the apocalypse had just begun; these creatures, having only just transformed, had not yet formed nuclei in their brains.

She not only dealt with the zombies attacking her but also wiped out those chasing the boy. It wasn't that she was kind-hearted; the zombies were simply blocking her path.

As Yu Yue prepared to sheath her blade and leave, the boy who had been chased grabbed her sleeve and shouted, "You can't leave! You have to stay here and protect me!"

Yu Yue coldly shook his hand off. "Why should I?"

Zhou Yangjia was a spoiled rich kid used to getting his way. His father was one of the top entrepreneurs in Jiangcheng, and he had always been pampered as the only son; this was the first time anyone had dared to reject his demands with such a cold face.

In truth, it was a coincidence that Zhou Yangjia was even in this run-down apartment complex. If not for the class beauty he was currently pursuing, he would never have stepped foot in such a slum in his life.

Who could have expected that he would wake up to find the soft, beautiful girl in his arms had turned into a monster? After scrambling downstairs, he realized the whole world had changed. It wasn't just the class beauty who had turned; the world seemed to have been conquered by rampaging monsters. He had almost been torn apart by them just moments ago.

Fortunately, this handsome youth had appeared. Seeing that this seemingly powerful "thigh" to cling to was about to leave, Zhou Yangjia was immediately displeased.