Ambition

The Third Day of the Apocalypse.

The temperature dropped by 8 to 10 degrees. Light snow fell as monsters began their brutal battles.

Chen Feng sat with his notebook—his only possession. The written record helped him track the changes that unfolded daily. In just three days, the temperature had plummeted. In the middle of May, snowflakes drifted down, an unnatural occurrence that foreshadowed the chaos to come.

The apocalyptic storm had thrown the seasons into disarray. One moment, the skies were clear; the next, torrential rain poured down. This erratic weather would persist for about half a year before gradually returning to some semblance of normalcy.

The streets grew emptier by the day.

After three days of slaughter, humanity had come to understand its new reality. Countless murderous creatures now infested every corner of the city. The survivors, driven by fear, began to hide.

What was once a bustling city had turned into a dead zone. Luxurious shopping malls stood abandoned, and expensive jewelry and accessories lay scattered on the ground—items that just days ago had been coveted and guarded, now discarded like trash.

Three days had changed everything. The world order had been upended. In this new world, food and power were the true treasures, far more valuable than the gold and authority of the old civilization.

A roar echoed in Chen Feng's ears. He turned his head, catching a glimpse of the scene outside.

A massive creature appeared before him. It looked like an orangutan—similar to those that lived in tropical rainforests. While an adult chimpanzee could grow up to two meters, this beast stood a towering three meters tall, its muscles bulging like solid rock. Its palms were the size of millstones, and sharp fangs jutted out from its mouth, exuding a savage aura.

Bronze-level.

This was a creature that had undergone atavistic evolution, mutating into a new life form during the apocalypse, much like the hellhound.

It rampaged through the streets, unstoppable. A giant rock beetle hiding in a corner tried to resist, but with one punch, it was smashed into a bloody pulp. The orangutan crouched down, grabbed a chunk of the flesh, and shoved it into its mouth. Blood and brain matter dripped from its chin—it was clearly a carnivore.

As humans went into hiding, monsters, now deprived of food, turned on each other.

Insects and zombies, feral beasts and dimensional creatures, and other bizarre entities...

The entire city had become a hunting ground where killings occurred every minute.

The law of the jungle.

Creatures that had preyed on humans just moments before might find themselves devoured by airborne predators the next.

Such was the new normal.

The monster merely passed by. Compared to the decrepit old folks' home, the "food" on the streets was its real target. In the blink of an eye, it was gone from Chen Feng's sight.

The Dretch had been banished to the abyss.

In its battle against the tentacle monster, it had sustained heavy injuries. After the fight, Chen Feng had fed it the corpses of several monsters, including two tentacles.

The Dretch needed time to recover, but it wouldn't be long. Once it had absorbed the corpses, it would return to full strength.

Devour.

The dretch, a mass of decaying flesh, gained power by consuming corpses. During the devouring process, it had a chance to assimilate the traits of the consumed bodies, and even acquire special abilities.

The appearance of the dark elf had saved Chen Feng a lot of trouble. Over the past few days, countless cannon fodder had fallen at her hands, including a Bronze-level zombie.

There was no need to worry about the corpses downstairs. The streets were filled with scavengers eager to feast on such easy meals.

The zombies had begun to mutate.

Some zombies, after consuming large amounts of flesh, would undergo mutations as their strength reached a certain threshold. Like insects, zombies came in many forms—some specialized in strength, others in agility or spellcasting. Some even had the ability to control other zombies.

Commanders.

These creatures didn't have high combat power, but they possessed a certain level of intelligence. Unlike ordinary zombies, they could even employ basic tactics to hunt their prey.

Gunfire and explosions frequently echoed in the distance.

All species had been given time to adapt, and after a few days, the military forces had begun to counterattack. With the help of professionals and their weapons, they were trying to reclaim the city.

It would be a long process.

In the peaceful era, humans had grown soft and complacent, their bodies weakened by comfort. But soldiers, whose training was several times more intense than that of ordinary people, had a higher chance of awakening as professionals. Their superior physiques, weapon mastery, and sense of duty to obey orders set them apart.

Soldiers.

Like young tigers, they were beginning to show their teeth and claws.

Chen Feng needed a military identity.

Unlike ordinary soldiers who had to climb the ranks step by step to earn food and weapons, powerful professionals were granted military status and privileges right from the start.

Most professionals began as corporals, their ranks certified through secret methods recognized in all military camps.

Moreover, by completing missions issued by the military, their ranks could steadily increase.

The military's greatest asset was its prestige.

In this transformed world, with power and transportation systems in disarray, widespread paralysis had occurred. The days when one could travel hundreds or even thousands of miles in a day were gone. Many ordinary people would never leave the few dozen kilometers around their homes for the rest of their lives.

Prestige was also graded.

While some new churches and gangs might have a prestige level around F, the military's prestige had already reached B+, or even A.

Chen Feng knew that individual strength had its limits. To live safely in this world, power was an indispensable prerequisite.

Chen Feng first needed to establish a legitimate identity. Once that was in place, building his own force would be much easier. As long as he avoided large-scale slaughter and oppression, the military would impose few restrictions on him.

Strength determined survival, but intelligence decided how high one could rise.

In this twisted world, every choice had the potential to reshape one's future.

Chen Feng hadn't had a choice before. As a rookie summoner, his only assets had been worms and skeletons, which garnered little attention. But now, with a dretch and a dark elf at his side, he could command far greater authority than ever before.