Departure

Before leaving, An Xia was still asleep.

An Jingtian was also unconscious in his room, but he looked much better.

Barring any surprises, he would wake up soon.

To be cautious, Lin An used his Eye of Judgment to scan An Jingtian's information, confirming that the pendant was indeed suppressing the zombie virus.

He then moved several zombie corpses to the entrance to mask the human scent and blocked the doorway with debris.

Only then did Lin An feel reassured.

It seemed there were other survivors nearby.

While moving the corpses, Lin An's keen hearing picked up sounds from the apartment across the hall.

Someone was cautiously observing him through the peephole, thinking Lin An hadn't noticed.

Lin An paid it no mind.

Instead, he picked up a zombie head and, in front of the peephole, crushed it with one hand.

The head burst like a water balloon, the hard skull shattering into fragments.

"Ah!"

A scream came from the opposite apartment, clearly shocked by Lin An's intimidating display.

Immediately, the sound of the door being locked came from the other side.

Lin An smiled faintly, pleased with the effect.

A blatant show of force.

While the repaired door was enough to keep out ordinary zombies, it couldn't stop people.

In the aftermath of the apocalypse, human nature became unpredictable.

Lin An had witnessed too much ugliness in his previous life.

People fought over food, turned on each other, betrayed their loved ones.

To ensure An Xia and An Jingtian's safety, Lin An didn't mind getting his hands dirty.

He had even considered killing all the residents of the building.

Had he not been unsure if An Xia and An Jingtian knew any of the neighbors, there would only be two living people left in the building.

However, as long as they didn't encounter mutated zombies or human malice, Lin An wasn't too worried about ordinary zombies threatening the siblings hiding inside.

There was enough food and water stocked inside to last a month.

As long as they stayed inside, the zombies wouldn't be able to break through the reinforced door.

Even if something happened to him, they could survive for a while.

The supplies inside were all things Lin An had instructed An Jingtian to buy before the apocalypse.

A variety of items, mostly military rations.

This reminded Lin An of the supplies he had pre-purchased.

Those were worth over two million in cash, enough for three people to survive for five years.

Weapons, equipment, medicine—everything was included.

He just didn't know if the logistics company had delivered the supplies to the designated location after he fell unconscious.

If those supplies were still there, he could easily use them to gather a team and establish a safe zone in the early stages of the apocalypse.

In the doomsday game, it was hard to survive alone.

Only by forming his own force could he secure a foothold.

Lin An sighed.

Being unconscious for three days had disrupted many of his plans.

There were also many rare items and equipment he hadn't acquired yet.

But it wasn't too late to get them now.

...

At the main gate of the He Yuan residential area.

Lin An carefully held his breath, moving along the wall.

His enhanced physical condition allowed him to hold his breath for up to five minutes.

Although he had no fear facing ordinary zombies with his current abilities as an awakened one, a large number could attract mutated zombies.

And his main task now was to deal with the [Stitcher] in Wanda Plaza.

He needed to avoid any unforeseen events along the way.

The [Stitcher] was far stronger than the Licker he had previously encountered.

The Licker was only a first-tier mutant.

The [Stitcher] was second-tier.

Each tier of mutant presented a significantly greater threat.

Lin An's current strength could only barely handle a first-tier mutant.

Encountering a special type of mutant could still put his life at risk.

So facing a second-tier mutant now would be suicide.

Along the way, Lin An had already planned his next steps.

The first six days would be spent searching for special supplies and equipment from his previous life's memories, killing a mutant to level up first.

Rushing in without enough strength would be futile.

The remaining three days would be reserved for dealing with the [Stitcher].

So...

First target, Xingyi Flower Shop!

From his memory, this flower shop on the city's edge once had an extremely rare "psychoactive plant."

"Psychoactive plants" were similar to in-game buff items.

They usually appeared as plants, fruits, or foods, though plants were the most common.

Both players and zombies could consume them to gain permanent attribute boosts.

In the doomsday game, where players could only gain one attribute point per level, the effects of "psychoactive foods" were tremendous.

Each attribute point significantly increased a player's strength.

Those lucky enough to acquire such fruits in his previous life became powerful figures.

However, these special items only existed for a short period before the apocalypse and disappeared within a month after it started.

As an ordinary person, Lin An only knew this information thanks to the "chat channel" six months after the doomsday game began.

Unlike the chat channels in regular games, where everyone could speak freely, the chat channel in the doomsday game required consuming a lot of energy and stamina.

In other words, it consumed precious food.

Therefore, most ordinary people like him, struggling with basic survival, could only silently watch as the powerful awakened ones occasionally shared some information or chatted!

In Lin An's memory, he hadn't seen such messages in the "public channel" for a year after the apocalypse began.

So if he didn't seize the opportunity now to get some psychoactive food, it would be almost impossible to find it later.

"Eye of Judgment!"

To observe the surroundings.

Lin An activated the Eye of Judgment again, a golden flash flickering in his pupils.

His already excellent vision enhanced further, and information flowed in like a data stream.

After confirming there was no danger.

Lin An deactivated the Eye of Judgment.

Although the Eye of Judgment didn't consume much mental energy, its continuous use would still accumulate to become a burden.

No special mutants nearby.

Number of zombies: 678.

Survivors: 122.

In what was once a community of a thousand people, only about ten percent remained alive.

The brutality of the apocalypse was evident.

First, he needed to find a motorcycle.

After observing the route, Lin An made up his mind.

The journey to the city was long, and although the number of zombies wasn't as terrifying as in the city center,

it wasn't insignificant either.

Just dealing with the zombies along the way,

without a vehicle, would waste too much time.

Currently, heavy trucks were hard to find in the old town.

Regular cars would malfunction after hitting just a few zombies.

In comparison, a nimble motorcycle was a good choice.

If conditions permitted later, finding an armored vehicle and modifying it into a mobile fortress would be ideal.

After a night had passed, many zombies had gathered again at the community gate.

The ground was stained dark red with bits of internal organs and blood.

Zombies, not leaving any flesh uneaten, had gnawed the bodies clean, leaving only a pile of stark white bones.

It seemed that many people had tried to escape last night, or maybe tried to get in.

Over a hundred zombies wandered aimlessly, occasionally raising their heads to let out ear-piercing screams.

Lin An seized the moment and dashed out.

His target was a spot not far away surrounded by a small group of zombies.

There was a black motorcycle lying on the ground with the key still in it, ready to start.

Next to the motorcycle was a skeleton, gnawed clean.

It appeared to be the former owner of the motorcycle.

Lin An's right foot exerted force, cracking the old ground, and he instantly dashed to the front of the zombie group.

"Downward Slash!"

The Nepalese curved knife, half an arm's length, cut through the air with a piercing whistle.

The knife was from An Jingtian's collection.

An Jingtian, also a retired soldier, had a hobby of collecting weapons.

Although the spine of the Licker far exceeded alloy weapons in quality, it was not handy without processing.

The blade was sharp, and Lin An's single slash cut through two zombies nearest to him.

Like laser cutting, the wounds were smooth.

The bodies split in two and slowly fell apart.

"Roar!"

The zombies, sensing the presence of a living person, instantly went berserk.

Their rotting arms frantically reached for Lin An.

"Side Kick!"

Lin An quickly changed direction.

With speed beyond human limits, he twisted his body rapidly, exerting force from his waist.

"Bang!"

The zombie leaping at him with a roar was kicked so hard that its upper body was torn off, its white spine hanging stubbornly from his foot.

"Round Slash!"

"Power Burst!"

"Buzz."

The unique energy wave of an Awakener's power activation emanated, the golden energy like water merging into his body.

Lin An's expression was cold as he swiftly spun around, holding the knife in one hand.

The sharp blade easily sliced through the zombies' necks with the added strength.

"Shh."

The knife cut through flesh and bone.

Seven zombies' heads were simultaneously decapitated.

With one swift move, Lin An efficiently killed the remaining seven zombies.

"Holy crap!"

In a room on the third floor, a twenty-something man with a scruffy beard widened his eyes, exclaiming in shock.

His face was full of disbelief.

It was like a scene from a movie, appearing in real life, making it hard for him to believe.

Who was this person?

His knife skills were fluid, and his physical abilities were freakishly strong.

Could he be one of those legendary hidden masters? An ancient martial artist?

The man's eyes widened, bloodshot.

When the apocalypse broke out, it happened to be the weekend, and he was home alone, which allowed him to survive.

But the zombies outside trapped him inside, rendering him unable to move.

With little food in the house, he had long been accustomed to ordering takeout when hungry.

The last pack of instant noodles had been eaten clean.

Having watched many apocalypse movies, he quickly realized he might face starvation if this continued.

He had tried to go out.

But seeing the burly man riding a motorcycle home last night, who didn't last even three seconds before being surrounded by zombies, made him abandon the idea.

Thus, sleepless through the night, he had just been about to check the situation outside when he witnessed Lin An slaughtering the zombies.

Seeing Lin An's terrifying strength,

he quickly realized Lin An might be able to help him.

The man's heart raced with excitement, hurriedly trying to open the window to shout.

But he had forgotten that he had locked the window tightly in fear last night.

Panicked and flustered.

By the time he managed to open the window and stick his head out, Lin An had already sped off on the motorcycle.

Regardless of whether Lin An could hear him or not, the man shouted loudly, trying to leave an impression on Lin An.

What if this powerful man came back?

"Big brother! My name is Liu Shiming!"

"I live in Building 3, Unit 2, Apartment 302!"