2 The start of everything (2)

Bai Lang only just arrived at home returning to get his research equipment. Just as Bai Lang was eating dinner a voice came out of the sky.

" Hello maggots, your life as you know it is over. Your planet has been lost in a gamble by your God. So, I am the new owner of what you guys' call 'your home'. I have been watching you and I must say guys I am very disappointed by what I have seen. Except for a very rare few of you, everyone else is a weak and useless wastrel. I decided that I have had enough."

"I chose a few of the rare ones which aren't wastrels and gave them bonus points. Too everyone else it depends on luck. So, remember luck is a big part of this game. So good luck and don't die because this is just the beginning."

"So have fun my dear test subjects and don't forget to survive! ohyeah I just remembered. Be careful because the world outside needs a week to completely sync up, going outside during this time makes everything five times harder than the normal stage of the beginning trials. So enjoy the world I created for you, which is named 'Paradise'."

After the voice finished Bai Lang looked at the clock in the dining hall. It was exactly 19:00, on March 1st, 2020. Time seemed to stop for a moment, and he felt a buzz travel through his body. It was like he got dunked in a tank full of ice-cold water.

Lucky it didn't take long, and the feeling left him within 5 mins. Bai Lang was happy to find out that he didn't seem to feel any different. If anything, he felt his field of vision had widened and his eyesight was sharper, like he could think more clearly and see objects from a distance with more accuracy then should be humanly possible. Bai Lang figured out he would do some tests on it later since after all he had studies medicine for some time.

This train of thought however soon got derailed by the shouts which came from outside. If Bai Lang was outside at the moment, he would have realized that everyone showed a look of fear and shock after the voice stopped talking. After the cold shower buzz the air was soon filled with screams of agony and fear.

Bai Lang ran to the door and locked it. He quickly made his way up the stairs, taking a gun out of the safe (which is the one time he did appreciate the background of his family) and looked outside through the window. This one look showed Bai Lang that the world as he known it was no more and that everything had changed.

Bai Lang was surprised by what he saw outside. Some mountains seemed to have popped up out of nowhere. Up in the air there were some gigantic birds' mid-flight. On the ground some humans seemed to be turning or were already turned into zombies. Some of the already turned zombies started to attack the people who didn't regain their senses yet from everything that was happening.

In the streets some caves had popped up. Out of which you could see some little green dwarfs appear. No, Bai Lang thought to himself: "those are definitely not goblins". "Goblins don't exist": he screamed inside his head!

The zombies seemed to be the humans who the god had dubbed 'unlucky test subjects'. Luck is really that important thought Bai Lang? Why do I suddenly feel like what's to come next is a lot harder than it could have been if it didn't depend on luck? Bai Lang muttered out loud: "Well that reduces my chances to survive, since I never felt particularly lucky in my life....".

Bai Lang decided to be optimistic though. Bai Lang hypnotized himself to think that: "since I was never lucky before the start of paradise, it means that I never used up any of my luck, which must mean I will be lucky from now on". It's sad that Bai Lang only would figure out in the next little more than 25 years that this wasn't really true sadly enough.

Before Bai Lang could get over the surprise of everything what happened some fellow humans which were attacked by the goblins or zombies seemed to be able to fight back. Some humans screamed while they got devoured by zombies or goblins. Other people suddenly seemed to be able to form ice or a fire wall which kept the zombie and or goblin away from themselves. Other conjured a sword out of nowhere but were too scared to use it and threw it down and started running away. But where could they go? The whole world was chaos.

From his window Bai Lang could see a husband pushing his wife into the mob of zombies to get away. At the other end of the street a child's crying was attracting the monsters, therefore the mother decisively put down the child turned away and ran.

Bai Lang was stunned is this what the world really has come too? For once Bai Lang was happy for his upbringing. Bai Lang was raised knowing the cruelties of war and the sacrifices it required. While also being taught that not every human could bear these responsibilities and burdens. Bai Lang always considered that to be true, but right now Bai Lang could see with his very own eyes what happened when people were made responsible for their own safety and the safety of others and what choices people would make when bearing this responsibility under the threat of life and dead. Bai Lang quickly realized it would turn most people in actual monsters although still being human.

It would make people ruthless, because people were absolutely terrified and able to do almost anything to ensure their own safety. Bai Lang realized of course there would be some exceptions to this rule. People who would die trying to save and protect their family members. Bai Lang however did realize that these people would be in the minority. Besides these 'good people' who sacrificed themselves died, which would mean that even if there would be still 'good human beings' they would be in the vast minority after the start of Paradise. This was especially the case since people with an actual good heart were even scarce to find before the start of Paradise.

Before Paradise started a stranger might lend you a helping hand. After Paradise started however it wouldn't take long that a helping hand would quickly become a thing of the past. No human would help another at the risk of their own safety. Realizing this Bai Lang was warry of what the future would hold.

Bai Lang thought about everything what happened after the world changed. He recalled the feeling of being dunked in a big tank of ice-cold water. During this experience Bai Lang also registered screams coming from outside during this time. Bai Lang made the assumption that this feeling was in some way related to powers some people got. However, what about the zombies? Are they the humans who failed to go through this transformation and therefore became 'failed test subjects' aka zombies? The more Bai Lang thought about it the more plausible it felt to him that this was the indeed the case.

With the world changing drastically around him Bai Lang was worried. Not for himself and his own safety. No, what Bai Lang was most worried about was the safety of Mitzuki. Mitzuki never spoke of his missions in the military because they were Top Secret. Bai Lang having grown up in a military family however knew very well how dangerous missions could be, especially Top-Secret ones. Every time Mitzuki left Bai Lang was worried that he couldn't wait for Mitzuki' return and that all what awaited him would be a message of Mitzuki's death.

Knowing this Bai Lang was terrified thinking that Mitzuki would experience the change of the world most likely in hostile territory. This territory would have been dangerous enough on its own and now the danger had at the very least tripled.

Bai Lang worried that he would never see Mitzuki again. Bai Lang also wondered what Mitzuki wanted to say before he left. Bai Lang grabbed the dog tags which still hung around his neck and promised himself that he would believe in Mitzuki. He would keep his promise and await Mitzuki' return. Knowing there was a God, even though this god seemed malicious Bai Lang send up a silent prayer for Mitzuki's safe return.

Bai Lang kept reminding himself constantly that Mitzuki would be fine. That although Paradise would turn most humans into monsters. Most humans would become monsters because of carrying a burden and responsibility they were unable to carry. Most human wouldn't be able to carry this responsibility and burden because they weren't trained for it or because they just didn't have the right character qualities. The soldiers who were with Mitzuki however were trained to carry this heavy burden and responsibility every single day. These soldiers would have Mitzuki's back and Mitzuki would have theirs even in Paradise. This gave Bai Lang the greatest confidence to be able to believe that Mitzuki would return to him safely. Bai Lang didn't even notice at that moment that he muttered out loud: "make sure return to me safely" and even if he noticed he wouldn't have realized how heavy the meaning was of the phrase "return to me".