Chapter 2: Terrifying (?ó﹏ò?)
“Ah…”
Luffy stared at the world before him, terrified, stumbling back into the restroom. Cold sweat drenched his body, and he trembled uncontrollably—was this truly the end of the world?
Why had that black energy pouring from the rift in the sky invaded this world? Why had everything become so horrifying?
He collapsed to the floor, his vacant eyes fixed on the sky outside the restroom. Not even the stench or the gloom inside could affect him now.
After a long moment, he finally came to his senses. No matter what this world had become, he must survive—because there was someone he had to save. He forced himself to stand, taking a deep breath, and spotted a red packet lying nearby. He immediately went over and tapped it.
“Ding, red packet opening—five seconds required. 5, 4, 3, 2…”
“Ding, red packet successfully opened. Congratulations, host. You have obtained a message, now stored in the temporary inventory.”
Luffy paused in surprise, never expecting a red packet could contain information. How bizarre.
With a thought, a holographic window appeared before his eyes. He tapped the message, and its contents flooded into his mind:
A burst of dark cosmic energy has occurred. Earth’s living beings have been struck by this darkness—those with latent or existing illnesses will turn into zombies. Those unable to withstand the energy will also become zombies. Insects and plants will mutate on the second day. Do not let a zombie break your skin, or you will become one yourself. There are crystal nuclei in the brains of zombies, which can be exchanged for items in this system.
“So the explosion of dark cosmic energy is causing mutations. I didn’t expect to get a cheat in the apocalypse right away,” he thought with surprise.
Remembering the system had mentioned there were between one and four red packets within thirty meters, he figured there must be two more yet to be found. He needed to get his hands on these crystal nuclei, but he’d also need a weapon—how else could he dig the crystals from zombies’ skulls? Using his hands would be revolting, and he’d risk infection.
There were no more red packets in this restroom. Thinking of the adjacent women’s restroom, he wondered if there might be a red packet there, and hurried over.
His speed was now so great that he didn’t attract the attention of any zombies, and he entered the women’s restroom where he saw two female zombies gnawing savagely on a girl. The sight was brutal and sickening.
Luffy had barely entered when the two zombies turned towards him, pieces of flesh still dangling from their mouths, blood dripping everywhere—a nauseating sight that nearly made him retch.
A red packet lay quietly to the side. If he wanted to claim it, he’d need to deal with these two zombies first. Fear gripped him, but survival left him no choice.
He tore a door from its hinges and charged at the two grotesque zombies, heart pounding. His speed was much greater than before, and with a mighty swing, he smashed the door into one zombie’s head, twisting it grotesquely.
The other zombie lunged at Luffy, jaws opened wide and hideous.
With a start, Luffy barely managed to dodge its bite—he had no combat experience and nearly got bitten. But now, with tenfold human strength, his reflexes were astonishing.
His clothes were torn by a swipe, but he ripped off another door and brought it crashing down on the second zombie’s skull. The door shattered, the zombie fell lifeless.
He stepped aside and tapped the red packet.
“Ding, red packet opening—ten seconds required. 10, 9, 8…1, 0…”
“Ding, red packet successfully opened. Congratulations, host, you have obtained a Tier-One Azure Edge Sword, now stored in the temporary inventory.”
With a thought, Luffy summoned the inventory window—a row of slots appeared, and inside was a long sword, its blade clear as autumn water, razor-sharp.
He willed the Azure Edge Sword into his hand and gripped the hilt—it felt perfect.
Without hesitation, he turned and pried the crystal nuclei from the two zombies’ skulls, a nauseating task as brain matter oozed out.
Two bloodstained blue gems were placed on the ground. Luffy marveled at them—these must be the crystal nuclei.
With another thought, the two nuclei vanished, and a status window appeared:
Host: Luffy
Level: Zero
Weapon: Azure Edge Sword
Crystal Nuclei: 2
Shop open; categories: Weapons, Rune Inscriptions, Cultivation Methods, Bloodlines…
Luffy scrolled curiously, but with only two nuclei he could only see basic weapons, armor, and runes. Cultivation methods and bloodlines were still locked.
He washed his hands by the sink, only to see a bloodied female classmate stagger in. “Help me,” she cried desperately.
Luffy darted over and slammed the door shut. “Are you… are you alright?”
“Ding, this woman has been bitten and infected by a zombie. She will soon transform. It is best for the host to deal with her.”
“What?” Luffy was stunned—she would become a monster any moment, and he had no way to save her.
“Ding, you may release her from her suffering.”
“How can I…” Confronted with a living person, he found himself unable to act. His hand on the Azure Edge Sword trembled.
“Please… help me,” the woman crawled toward him.
With a stifled roar, Luffy finally swung the sword—her head flew, blood splattering everywhere.
He collapsed, drenched in cold sweat. Killing was more terrifying than he had imagined.
Suddenly, a guttural howl—something hurled itself from the doorway.
Startled, Luffy dodged, seeing that the girl who’d been half-eaten by the zombies had now turned herself, launching herself at him, her face covered in blood as she missed and crashed into the sink.
With a swift strike, Luffy decapitated the zombie girl and retrieved the crystal nucleus.
Afterward, he washed his hands once more. His face was pale—he was, after all, still a child. Even with tenfold strength, the trauma of such brutality left its mark.
He slumped to the ground, unwilling to move. The world outside was overrun with zombies; if he left, he might be surrounded and killed.
He didn’t know what to do or how to rescue Qin Bailing. Where had she gone? Why wasn’t she in the women’s restroom?
Suddenly, a red packet appeared before him.
“Unbelievable—just sitting here and a red packet appears?”
Though exhausted, he felt a surge of excitement and anticipation as he tapped the packet.
“Ding, red packet opening—ten seconds countdown. 10, 9, 8…”
“Ding, red packet successfully opened. Congratulations, host, you have obtained a vision.”
Once more, Luffy was stunned—could the system even grant visions?
He activated it, and a torrent of images and information flooded his mind:
The apocalypse has descended. The survivors live in constant fear, yet some are gifted, destined to become Masters of the Stars.
As the message ended, an image appeared in Luffy’s mind—a near-perfect woman, her back to him, stood atop the starry sky, wielding a longsword. Expressionless, she swung her sword, and with a single stroke, the very stars were extinguished.
That silhouette was so familiar.
The vision was staggering.
Luffy’s eyes widened—how could that woman so closely resemble Qin Bailing? Was she destined to become a supreme power, capable of cutting down the very stars with her sword?
The thought was terrifying—if he found her before she became so powerful, and made her his woman or his subordinate, wouldn’t he profit immensely?
Excitement surged within him. Perhaps this vision was a hint from the system: find the woman with the perfect silhouette.
He returned to the boys’ restroom, extracted the crystal nucleus from the zombie he’d killed earlier, and then considered venturing out to look for survivors. But first, he’d have to clear the corridor of zombies.
He hid in the restroom, sweat pouring off him amid the stench, uncertain how to break through. There were more than ten zombies in the hallway—he was outnumbered and could easily be overwhelmed.
Taking a deep breath, he began to devise a plan.
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