Chapter 1: Claiming Red Envelopes in the Apocalypse

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Huaxia.
May 8th, 2018.
Evergreen High School, Senior Class 3.
Before class.

Luffy gripped a black fountain pen in his left hand, head lowered, writing intently.

The classroom was abuzz with noise—some students read, some played games, others roughhoused.

Suddenly, someone rushed to Luffy’s side and snatched the blue paper from beneath his pen. With a mischievous grin, the culprit dashed to the podium, holding the paper in both hands against his chest. He glanced down, then announced with mockery:

“Ha! Everyone, look—Luffy is writing a love letter!”

A gasp rose. Luffy jumped, the pen slipping from his hand as he glared furiously at Chen Hu, that scoundrel.

“You bastard!”

Chen Hu, a tall brute, held the letter aloft, reading aloud in a booming voice:

“Just be yourself; someone else has already been taken.
I like…”

Two of Chen Hu’s cronies blocked Luffy in front of the podium, preventing him from snatching back the letter.

Laughter erupted among the classmates. No one expected the usually silent and reserved Luffy to pen so sweet a love letter.

“Luffy, who’s it for? Why didn’t you write her name?” Chen Hu’s voice rose in mockery.

“Who do you like?” others joined in, jeering.

Luffy’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth in anger and returned to his seat without a word.

The girl he liked was, of course, the class president and school beauty, Belle Qin—a secret he thought no one knew. She was the transfer student who’d become his deskmate a month ago, the girl whose dimples appeared whenever she smiled, the one who charmed everyone.

Fortunately, she wasn’t in the classroom.

A few boys approached, eager to press him for answers, but Luffy bolted from the room and fled into the restroom, wishing he could beat Chen Hu to a pulp for his cruel prank. But knowing he was no match for Chen Hu, hiding in the restroom was his only option.

Suddenly, feeling the urge to relieve himself, he stepped aside and unzipped.

The sound of running water echoed.

Abruptly, the world fell silent, the ground trembling ever so slightly.

Luffy’s stream was cut short in fright as he looked up toward the window. In the sky, a black fissure appeared.

From that inky rift, something black sprayed forth, spreading outward in all directions.

The world seemed submerged in that black energy.

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“What…what’s happening?”

Luffy stared at the fissure, heart pounding in terror, eyes wide. He hadn’t even zipped his pants before dashing out of the restroom.

Ding! The apocalypse has begun!

Ding! Activating the Apocalypse Red Envelope System. Current system level: Beginner. Each refresh produces a random 1-4 apocalypse red envelopes! Refresh time and location are random! Range does not exceed 30 meters.

Ding! Activating host attribute panel.

Host: Luffy
Level: None

Ding! Apocalypse red envelope has been refreshed. Please find the red envelope within a 30-meter radius in the next thirty minutes; after which it will disappear.

What the hell is going on?

Luffy, who had been about to rush out of the restroom, froze in disbelief. Under a nearby stall door, he spotted a large red envelope.

Vividly red.

He’d snatched red envelopes in WeChat and QQ groups before, but never imagined such a magical thing could appear in real life.

There was no time to ponder what apocalypse the system meant or question if he was dreaming. First, he’d see if the red envelope was real.

He lunged forward and pushed open the door—

Right before his eyes, pale, rounded flesh—the exposed backside of someone.

A woman screamed.

Luffy blinked in shock. Was his luck too wild? Why was there a girl in the boys’ restroom?

Setting aside questions, he reached out to tap the red envelope, only to find a countdown.

Ding! Red envelope opening. Five seconds: 5, 4, 3, 2…

Ding! Red envelope opened successfully! Congratulations, host, you have obtained one Dragon Blood Pill, now stored in your temporary inventory. Note: items in the temporary inventory last only five days and will disappear afterward!

A glowing window appeared before Luffy’s eyes, displaying a row of inventory slots, one holding a fiery-red, round pill.

Smack!

The girl, not yet dressed properly, hurriedly pulled up her skirt and swung a slap at Luffy.

He dodged aside, avoiding the blow.

“I—”

Luffy hadn’t even had a clear look at the girl when her expression suddenly twisted. Her body convulsed, her face turned deathly pale, her skin shriveled—she transformed into a grotesque monster.

Anyone who’d seen a horror film would recognize it instantly: she’d become a zombie.

With a terrifying howl, she lunged forward.

Luffy, trembling in terror, darted aside. Was this the apocalypse the red envelope system had warned of?

He barely dared to breathe in the dark, foul-smelling restroom. He slipped into a stall and shut the door.

The zombie woman rammed against it furiously.

Luffy was paralyzed with fear.

What had happened to this world?

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How could a cute girl suddenly turn into a zombie?

He braced his feet against the door with all his might, terrified the creature might break in.

What do I do? What do I do? Am I going to die? Am I going to die?

Cold sweat drenched Luffy, soaking his back with a clammy chill.

He recalled the mysterious system—suddenly, a glowing window appeared again. The fiery-red Dragon Blood Pill was in his inventory.

He tapped it, and a line of text appeared:

Dragon Blood Pill:
Ordinary people who consume it gain tenfold strength and a trace of dragon’s blood.

At the prompt, Luffy focused his will. The Dragon Blood Pill flew out, and he shoved it into his mouth. Whether good or bad, real or fake, he had to try—perhaps it could save his life.

Suddenly, a wave of heat surged from his stomach through his limbs and veins.

He felt a surge of strength fill his body. Even as the zombie battered the door, he now sensed his vision and hearing growing sharper.

He sprang to his feet and, summoning his courage, tried to grab the broken door to hurl at the zombie. To his surprise, he tore the door right off with ease.

Is this what ten times human strength is like?

Amazed, he swung the door at the zombie’s head.

With a thunderous crash, the door shattered, and the female zombie collapsed, her head crushed.

Luffy stared in shock at her ruined form.

Then he turned and dashed out of the restroom. In the third-floor hallway, zombies shuffled about, moaning and howling hideously.

Luffy recoiled in horror. How could this be? All his classmates had become zombies!

It was too terrifying. Was his family safe?

He had no idea how to face such a nightmarish world. In the blink of an eye, his ordinary classmates had all become monsters.

****

Author’s note:
With over four million words of writing experience, this book is easy to read, never abandoned, and full of surprises. Please give it a perfect five-star review, bookmark, and reward. Join the “Huai Student Key Nine Book Club,” group chat number: 528477166.