Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Apocalypse Survival System “So hungry. How can I be this hungry? Didn’t I just fall asleep after eating my fill?” Xu Yi opened his eyes and glanced around. Then his body instantly went rigid. He discovered that he was surrounded by corpses and blood that was almost congealed. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of rot and blood. “Is this the end of the world?” He had merely gone to sleep, and the entire world had undergone a catastrophe? Xu Yi wanted to vomit, but his body did not react at all, as though it had already gone numb. “Ding. Apocalypse Survival System activated successfully. Soul fusion in progress.” As a voice rang out in his mind, Xu Yi immediately lost consciousness. When he woke up, he understood that he had transmigrated to another spacetime. In this spacetime, a global catastrophe had occurred seven days ago, ushering in the apocalypse. The global catastrophe had struck at around seven or eight o’clock on Saturday evening. At the time, he had been cleaning the school’s second-floor cafeteria as part of his work-study job. He, several classmates, and some cafeteria workers had hidden in the kitchen and survived the initial outbreak, so they had not been bitten to death by the infected. But once their food ran out, everyone had no choice but to come out together in search of food. Unfortunately, before they could even leave the cafeteria, they were attacked by infected that suddenly appeared. Every one of them was bitten to death by the infected. Xu Yi had been reborn only because he had transmigrated here. Otherwise, he would have been another corpse. Looking at the corpses covering the floor, Xu Yi’s breathing grew heavier. This had truly become a world that devoured people! There was no food, no water, no weapons, and no shelter. Surviving would be incredibly difficult! Fortunately, he had obtained a system! The Apocalypse Survival System! He could perform a check-in anywhere, and after completing it, he would receive all kinds of rewards. According to the system’s introduction, the rewards he received were directly related to the location where he checked in. Besides that, he could also obtain Survival Points, which could be used to upgrade his possessions. This meant that he would not only be able to survive, but also live exceptionally well—living better than anyone else in the apocalypse. Who else could live better than him? Thinking of this, Xu Yi could not help but rub his already sunken stomach. Dealing with his hunger was his first priority. “System, check in.” Xu Yi repeated the command in his mind. “Ding. Check-in successful. Obtained one serving of food.” “Survival Points +2.” The instant he heard the system notification, Xu Yi saw a meal tray appear in front of him. It was just like the food served in the cafeteria before the apocalypse: meat, vegetables, fragrant rice, and a bowl of meat soup. Xu Yi, ravenous with hunger, quickly grabbed it and leaned over to take a bite of rice. He was simply too hungry. Eating as he walked, Xu Yi reached the disinfection cabinet and took out a pair of chopsticks. Then he quickly shoveled rice into his mouth. Every so often, Xu Yi heard screams coming from somewhere in the distance. Clearly, a survivor had been found and bitten to death by the infected. The infected in this world had become walking corpses, somewhat like zombies, but they were also different from zombies. First, the infected’s appearance regressed, making them resemble ape-men. Second, the infected only ate the hearts and brains of normal humans. They did not eat any other parts. Moreover, not every human who was bitten or scratched by an infected would transform into one. Only around twenty percent of people would become infected. The infected accounted for sixty percent of the total population before the catastrophe. By now, the outside world belonged to the infected. The survivors could only struggle on in desperate conditions. To live—to live well—was Xu Yi’s most basic wish at present. Only by staying alive would he have the right to pursue anything else. He quickly finished all the food on the tray, even licking it clean. This body was simply too hungry. “Now I only have one check-in opportunity each day. I have to treasure it and can’t check in randomly.” “Still, the system was quite generous at the beginning, giving me three check-in opportunities.” Xu Yi stood up. He could check in only once at each location, so he could no longer check in at the cafeteria hall. However, the kitchen and storage room were separate spaces, so he could check in at both of them. Some words appeared in the upper-right corner of Xu Yi’s vision, so he took a look. 【Xu Yi】 【Survival Points】: 2 【Remaining Check-ins】: 2 (1/10) (Note: After completing 10 check-ins, the number of daily check-ins can be increased.) After reading this, Xu Yi could not help asking, “System, can Survival Points be used to improve my combat power?” “No. Survival Points can only be used to upgrade physical items used in reality, such as weapons, materials, vehicles, shelters, and other tangible objects.” Xu Yi nodded. With this upgrade function, his chances of survival would be much better. Another scream came from outside. Xu Yi walked over to the place where “he” had fallen earlier. Some items were scattered there. He picked up a kitchen knife from the floor and prepared to use it as his first weapon. Of course, a mere kitchen knife would not be enough. Fortunately, he could use Survival Points to upgrade it. With a thought, a line of text appeared above the kitchen knife. 【2 Survival Points can be used to upgrade this kitchen knife into a Refined-Steel Machete.】 “Upgrade.” Xu Yi upgraded it without hesitation. Without a weapon, he truly felt uneasy. Although he had never used a machete against anything before, having a weapon gave people a sense of security. “Ding. Upgrade successful.” Xu Yi discovered that the kitchen knife in his hand had instantly transformed into a forty-centimeter-long machete. It looked extremely sharp. “The system’s advanced technology is incredible. It can even do this!” After taking a deep breath, Xu Yi felt much more confident. If he still could not survive after obtaining the system, then he would truly be useless. “I can’t stay here for too long. Although no infected have appeared yet, that doesn’t mean they won’t come back.” “The fourth floor is the fitness center. I’ll go there and check in first. Maybe I can obtain something that will strengthen my physical abilities.” “There might even be other survivors on the fourth floor. Before I have enough strength, it would be better to find some strong people and team up with them for mutual support.” Soon, Xu Yi picked up a mask and put it on. No one had dealt with the corpses, and they were giving off a nauseating stench. His body had been in this environment for seven days and had already grown somewhat accustomed to the foul air. Still, wearing a mask would lessen the smell. Xu Yi carefully made his way outside. Over the past seven days, people had already identified some of the infected’s characteristics. The infected were extremely sensitive to the smell of blood and could detect it from a great distance. Their sense of smell was average, and their hearing was about the same as a human’s, but their eyesight had weakened considerably. The infected had incredibly powerful bites, like wild beasts. They also had sharp claws that could easily tear open a survivor’s body. In addition, their strength had increased greatly. Fortunately, their speed had not improved; instead, it had decreased somewhat. Their stamina was lacking, making them unsuitable for long-distance pursuits, and their explosive power was only average. Their strength, however, was formidable—probably twice that of an ordinary human, and perhaps even more in some cases. Humans could rely on their advantage in speed to evade attacks from the infected. The prerequisite was that the infected were few in number and had not surrounded them. Therefore, after reaching the doorway, Xu Yi did not hurry outside. The infected made a faint “click-click-click” sound, which could be used to determine whether there were any infected nearby. Leaning against the wall beside the doorway, Xu Yi listened for any movement.