Awakening

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Lin An struggled to his feet, his head splitting with pain.

The air was thick with the stench of burning.

The once orderly lanes were jammed solid.

A dense chorus of horns and screams blended into one.

"Bang!"

Lin An's pupils contracted sharply as a cargo-laden truck roared past him.

He hurriedly dodged aside, and the sight before him made his heart skip a beat.

The out-of-control truck had smashed through the guardrail and overturned.

Its cargo spilled everywhere.

The flaming cab had flung open its door during the rollover.

Its skull caved in, the driver—who should have been dead—rapidly crawled out through the wrecked door.

Bright red handprints trailed across the ground.

With injuries like that, an ordinary person would have died long ago.

Was that... a Zombie!?

His mouth went dry.

Lin An hurriedly pulled out his phone, and the time on the screen made his heart sink.

November 16, 2032, 16:22.

Three days had already passed.

There were eight minutes left until the Doomsday outbreak.

His eyes nearly split with rage.

The horrors of the day Doomsday broke out in his memories overlapped with reality.

Lin An had no time to consider why he had been unconscious for three full days after obtaining the ring.

It had completely disrupted his original plans.

Now, he had to rush to the residential area where his comrade lived immediately.

At this moment, there were only two hours and eight minutes until An JingTian underwent complete Corpse Change!

And City Center, where he was, was still a considerable drive from An JingTian's residential area.

"Roar!"

The Zombie crawling swiftly across the ground let out a hoarse shriek and had already rushed in front of Lin An.

A front kick downward!

Driven by fury and urgency.

Lin An delivered a standard kick, and the hard sole of his shoe instantly crushed the shattered head of the half-bodied Zombie.

"Ding. Zombie kill detected."

"Apocalypse Player Template activated ahead of schedule!"

"Savior Template activated."

A screen of light instantly appeared in the center of his vision.

"Apocalypse Player Information: Lin An (Awakener Tier 0, Player Level 0)"

"Attributes:"

"Strength: 12 (10+2)"

"Agility: 12 (10+2)"

"Physique: 12 (10+2)"

"Willpower: 14 (12+2)"

"Equipment: Doomsday Ring (Special)"

Awakener Talent: Strength Burst (Greatly increases physical abilities for a short time. Repeated use causes a weakened state.)

"Tier 0: All attributes +2 (The maximum value for each attribute of an ordinary human is 10. The first Awakening raises all attributes to their maximum values!)"

Savior Template: Gain an additional special skill (Eye of Judgment, unlocked after completing the first mission)

"Mission activation countdown: ???"

Lin An froze, his breathing gradually quickening.

The Player Template was originally supposed to appear only after Doomsday began.

He had not expected it to appear now.

Not only that, but the Awakener Talent he had longed for in his previous life had appeared as well.

That saved him the time of rushing to an Energy Node.

As for the Savior Template that had appeared, he had never heard anyone mention it in his previous life.

Its attached skill had not even been displayed yet. It looked like he would have to wait until the Doomsday outbreak to find out what it was.

All these changes were likely due to obtaining the Doomsday Ring early.

In his previous life, the Doomsday Ring had only been taken after the Zombie outbreak.

And according to the Survivors' recollections, nothing unusual had happened then, much less anyone falling unconscious for three days.

Remembering the strange occurrence when he took the ring.

Lin An could not help feeling lingering fear.

Something had clearly been trying to break free from within that black fissure.

Suppressing his thoughts.

A special force surged into his body after the notification rang out. The muscles throughout his body suddenly tightened, and his original height of 1.8 meters inexplicably increased by a few centimeters.

Lin An took a deep breath, the muscles in his right arm tensing.

He threw a punch.

Twisting his waist to drive the force, his arm shot forward with a tearing whistle toward the thick car door.

"Bang!"

The car body jolted violently. The metal door instantly caved in, and the several-ton sedan scraped black marks across the ground as it slid straight sideways by half a meter.

Lin An stared fixedly at the power of his punch.

His heart was filled with shock.

Was this... the power of an Awakener?

The force of a single punch was no less than three tons!

If it landed on an ordinary person, it would probably smash them into pieces.

Lin An was overjoyed.

From now on, he had the capital to struggle on through Doomsday.

His right foot exerted force as he stepped forward.

The asphalt cracked.

His body shot up like a cannonball, easily leaping onto a car roof, which dented beneath him.

Standing at a higher vantage point, Lin An carefully observed the route ahead.

Not far away, some ordinary people with weaker constitutions were gradually transforming into Zombies.

Having lost all reason and retaining only the desire to feed, the Zombies crazily devoured every living thing they could find.

With his enhanced Willpower, his thoughts raced rapidly while his mind remained utterly clear.

In just a few seconds, Lin An swiftly mapped out a route.

Linjiang Avenue, City Center Square, HuanCheng Expressway, HeYuan Residential Area...

This was the shortest route to An JingTian.

Linjiang Boulevard, where he currently stood, was already in complete chaos.

More than a hundred chain-reaction car crashes had completely blocked the boulevard.

He had to cross the most chaotic part of the urban district on foot, then find a way to drive over.

Otherwise, relying solely on his legs, it would be difficult to reach there within two hours.

Brother...

You have to hold on!

Without giving it further thought.

Lin An bent his knees and leaped onto the roof of a Bentley again.

The vehicle shook. The Zombie that had been feeding on the driver inside the cab caught the scent of living flesh.

It stopped feeding mechanically, then clutched a chunk of meat in its right hand as it pounced toward the roof.

Lin An could not be bothered with the disturbed Zombie. His legs exerted force again.

As if springing off a trampoline.

Relying on his powerful physical abilities, he forcibly crossed the obstacle created by the car crashes in just a few dozen seconds.

Not far away, a middle-aged man stared in shock at Lin An as he jumped down from the car roof.

Lin An's terrifying jumping power looked just like something from a movie.

For a moment, he even forgot that dozens of Zombies were chasing him frantically from behind.

"Help! Me!"

He stumbled.

The man staggered as he tore at his vocal cords, crying out as though he had spotted a lifeline.

Hearing him, Lin An slightly raised his head and looked over.

Seeing that Lin An had noticed him, the man's face filled with wild joy.

"Save... save me!"

Lin An looked at the man fleeing for his life, on the verge of collapse, and could not help frowning slightly.

He did not want to waste time saving anyone.

There were too many Zombies.

There were only six minutes left before the virus outbreak.

Most of the Zombies appearing now had either been physically weak people or humans killed in car accidents.

Once the virus officially broke out, sixty percent of Lin Jiang Urban District's population would turn into Zombies.

Another ten percent would transform bit by bit, like hidden Time Bombs.

And Lin Jiang Urban District alone had a population of more than three million!

He was not some Holy Mother who saved everyone he encountered.

The two passed each other.

The man's gaze shifted from hope to despair, his lips trembling.

His strength was nearly spent, and his legs went weak from exhaustion.

Once he stopped, the Zombies behind him would devour him clean.

Desperate and helpless.

The doll he had instinctively kept tightly clenched in his hand while fleeing fell to the ground.

It was a birthday gift he had bought for his daughter.

Lin An remained expressionless, his peripheral vision sweeping over the doll.

His original route shifted slightly.

Rushing Fist!

Lin An charged head-on into the Zombie closest to the man, his right fist thrusting straight out like a sharp sword.

Flesh and blood splattered.

The tremendous impact pierced straight through the Zombie's chest, boring through it from front to back and leaving a clear hole.

After pulling his hand back, Lin An simply yanked out the Zombie's spine and used it as a weapon.

The bones of Zombies strengthened by the virus were incredibly tough!

They were often used as weapons during the Apocalypse when supplies were scarce.

Backhand Downward Chop!

The ghastly white bone sliced through the air with a mournful howl.

With one strike, the Zombie to his right was split open from the head down, its two halves swaying before collapsing to the ground.

The middle-aged man behind him had thought he was doomed.

When he saw Lin An choose to act after all, his expression became extremely agitated.

Watching Lin An charge through the Zombie Crowd like a tiger among sheep, displaying strength far beyond anything he could imagine.

The man's mouth went dry, and he felt as though he were looking at a monster.

He watched the people in the distance constantly being pounced on by sprinting Zombies, and the city that resembled Doomsday.

With his wealth of life experience, a thought instantly sprang into his mind.

This world was finished!

Follow him!

He could survive!

He could save his daughter!

"Thud!"

The man suddenly dropped to his knees, his expression humble as he tore out a shout toward Lin An, who was charging through the Zombie Crowd.

"Please, save my daughter! She's still at school!"

Lin An's expression was cold. Solving the nearest Zombies was already the limit of what he was willing to do.

Save people?

Then who would save his brother!?

Lin An did not look back.

After clearing the Zombies blocking his way, he left without hesitation.

"Run!"

"Survive! Then rely on yourself!"

After hearing Lin An's parting words, the middle-aged man wore a bitter smile.

Watching the Zombie Crowd gathering again not far away, he could only quickly pick up the doll from the ground, turn around, and flee.

City Center district, Wanda Shopping Plaza.

Lin An was covered in blood, thick blood dripping from the tips of his hair.

He stood quietly atop a residential building, silently gazing toward the shopping center.

Doomsday was about to begin. When it did, a Mental Storm would sweep across the globe.

Under the Mental Storm, people would lose their senses for a brief moment.

If he was disrupted while traveling, it would be far too dangerous.

No matter how anxious he was, he could only hide for now.

The parking lot in front of the building was a complete mess.

The humans hiding inside their cars were like delicious canned food.

Perhaps car doors could stop Zombies, but fragile windshields could not.

Zombies, left with only the desire to feed, were like wooden fish, fearlessly and rapidly smashing their heads against the windows, again and again, oblivious to pain.

In just a few seconds, the windows shattered.

The swarming Zombies opened the cans and feasted on strips of flesh.

First floor of the shopping center.

The crowd hiding behind the iron shutter helplessly watched a sedan in front of the entrance.

Zombies crawled all over the silver-white vehicle.

They greedily stretched out their hands, grabbing into the car.

Inside, a beautiful woman dressed in professional attire screamed in despair.

Holding onto the roof, she continuously kicked at the nearest Zombies with her long, fair legs.

Her sharp heels kicked plenty of rotten flesh from the Zombies' heads, but it was not fatal.

"Save me...!"

"Please, save me!"

The scenery beneath her skirt flashed into view.

The pretty woman repeatedly turned her head, her eyes pleading with the crowd separated from her by only one door.

"Don't open the door!"

"The door can't be opened!"

Several patrolling security guards instinctively moved to open the Iron Gate, but many people loudly stopped them.

"If you open the door, we won't be able to stop the Zombies! Are you trying to get us killed!?"

A burly man farthest from the entrance anxiously shoved aside the nearest guard and glared at him as though he were an enemy.

If it had been any ordinary day,

he would not have minded playing the hero and saving a beauty.

But in front of Zombies,

he only wanted to preserve his own life.

Crying, chewing, screaming, until there was no sound left.

The crowd behind the iron bars could only watch helplessly as she was slowly torn apart, yet no one dared go outside.

The security guards holding rubber batons stood numbly in place, their legs weak.

Even the few tall fitness coaches merely lowered their heads, not daring to look again.

The crowd fell silent.

Yet beneath their panic and grief, there was a trace of relief.

Relief that they had entered the building in time and securely locked the iron grating.

Not only was this place safe, it also had plenty of food.

From the residential building, Lin An took everything in.

Looking at the numb crowd protecting themselves, he could not help but sigh softly.

It was not because he lamented that no one dared go out to save her.

In the Doomsday, protecting oneself was normal.

There was nothing to criticize.

What he lamented was the people inside the building.

By now, nearly thirty thousand people had crowded into the shopping center.

The dense crowd was packed together like sardines in a can.

And now, only ten seconds remained until the Doomsday outbreak.

When the time came, the power would fail, and the viruses lying dormant within human bodies would erupt at the same time.

This place would recreate the tragedy of his previous life and become Hell.

"Buzz!"

Ten seconds passed in an instant.

A high-pitched, piercing buzzing sound rang out.

Suddenly, a mocking and brutal voice echoed in everyone's mind.

"Doomsday has descended. The game has begun!"

"Welcome to the Doomsday Game, little bugs."

"Struggle to survive in this game!"

Without any warning,

the sky instantly darkened, violent winds rose, and the Earth trembled.

An invisible Mental Shock swept across every person.

The violent Mental Shock hammered into the depths of their souls like a sledgehammer.

For a brief moment, everyone lost their senses.

Countless terrifying, heart-pounding wails rang out, piercing straight into the fear buried deep within people's hearts.

A global mutation occurred at the same time. Humans in hospital beds, on the streets, and walking down the road stood frozen in place.

One second later, the Zombie Virus erupted!

As if their souls had been ripped away.

The eyes of humans transforming into Zombies bulged outward.

The skin all over their bodies festered and peeled away, revealing bright-red muscles.

Their pupils vanished, leaving only a bloodthirsty gleam.

And at that moment,

inside the crowded mall, the panicked crowd dropped the shelves they had been using to barricade the entrance.

"Snap."

The lights at the top of the mall went out, and in the darkness, tens of thousands of densely packed crimson eyes lit up.