Awakening

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

The air was thick with a scorched stench.

The once orderly lanes were jammed solid.

A dense chorus of honking mixed with screams into one continuous roar.

Bang!

Lin An's pupils constricted sharply as a cargo truck loaded to the brim hurtled past him.

He hastily dodged aside, and the sight before him made his heart stop.

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

Its cargo spilled everywhere.

The blazing 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 this... 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 apocalypse broke out.

His eyes nearly split apart.

The horrific scenes from the day the apocalypse began in his Previous Life overlapped with reality.

Lin An had no time to think about why taking the ring had made him unconscious for three whole days.

It had completely thrown his original plans into disarray.

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

At this moment, there were only two hours and eight minutes before An JingTian completed his Corpse Change!

And the City Center where he was stood a considerable distance from An JingTian's residential area.

Roar!

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

A front kick downward!

Driven by anger and urgency.

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

"Beep. 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 (Awakened One, Rank 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)"

Awakened One Talent: Strength Burst (Greatly enhances physical abilities for a short period. Repeated use causes a weakened state.)

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

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

"Mission activation countdown: ???"

Lin An was stunned, his breathing gradually quickening.

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

He had not expected it to appear now.

Not only that, the Awakened One 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 seemed he would have to wait until the apocalypse broke out to learn what it was.

These changes were presumably caused by obtaining the Doomsday Ring early.

In his Previous Life, the Doomsday Ring had only been taken after the Zombie outbreak.

Moreover, according to survivors' recollections, nothing unusual had happened then, much less a three-day coma.

Remembering the strange occurrence when he took the ring.

Lin An could not help but feel a lingering dread.

Something had clearly been trying to rush out from within that black fissure.

Suppressing those thoughts.

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

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

He threw a punch.

Twisting at the waist to generate force, his arm shot forward with a tearing whistle and slammed straight into the thick car door.

Bang!

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

Lin An stared fixedly at the power of his punch.

His heart was filled with shock.

So this was the power of an Awakened One?

That punch carried no less than three tons of force!

If it struck an ordinary person, they would probably be shattered into pieces.

Lin An was overjoyed.

From now on, he had the means to struggle onward in the apocalypse.

His right foot exerted force as he took a step forward.

The asphalt cracked.

Like a cannonball, he easily leaped onto the roof of a car, which caved in beneath him.

Taking advantage of his elevated position, Lin An carefully observed the route ahead.

Not far away, some ordinary people with weaker constitutions had already begun gradually transforming into Zombies.

Having lost their sanity and retaining only the urge to feed, the Zombies madly devoured every living thing they found.

With his enhanced willpower, his thoughts raced at high speed while his mind remained perfectly clear.

In just a few seconds, Lin An had 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 was, had already descended into chaos.

More than a hundred chain collisions had completely blocked the boulevard.

He had to cross the most chaotic part of the city on foot, then find a way to drive there.

Otherwise, relying on his legs alone, it would be difficult to reach the place within two hours.

Brother...

You have to hold on!

Unable to spare another thought.

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

The car shook, and the Zombie that had been gnawing on the driver inside caught the scent of living flesh.

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

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

Like bouncing on a trampoline.

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

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

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

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

"Save... me!"

He stumbled.

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

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

Seeing that Lin An had noticed him, the man was overjoyed.

"Save... save me!"

Lin An looked at the man, who had nearly collapsed from exhaustion after fleeing for his life, and could not help frowning slightly.

He did not want to waste time saving people.

There were too many Zombies.

Only six minutes remained until the virus outbreak.

Most of the Zombies appearing now were transformed from people with weaker constitutions or humans who had died in car crashes.

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

Another ten percent would gradually transform later, like hidden Time Bombs.

And Lin Jiang City alone had a population of over three million!

He was not some Holy Mother who would save everyone he encountered.

The two brushed past each other.

The man's eyes turned from hope to despair, his lips trembling.

His strength was nearly exhausted, and his legs had gone weak from fatigue.

If he stopped, the Zombies behind him would devour him completely.

Desperate and helpless.

The doll he had instinctively clutched tightly while running fell from his hand.

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

Lin An remained expressionless as his peripheral vision swept over the doll.

His original path shifted slightly.

Rushing Fist!

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

Flesh and blood splattered.

The tremendous impact pierced directly through the Zombie's chest, punching through its front and back and leaving a transparent hole.

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

The bones of Zombies, strengthened by the virus, were extremely hard!

They were often used as weapons when supplies were scarce in the apocalypse.

He swung downward with his backhand!

The stark 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 as they fell to the ground.

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

Seeing Lin An choose to act after all, his expression became extremely excited.

Watching Lin An charge through the Zombie Crowd like a tiger among sheep, displaying strength far beyond his imagination.

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

He watched the distant crowd being continuously pounced upon by sprinting Zombies, along with the apocalyptic city.

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

This world was finished!

Follow him!

I can live!

He can save my daughter!

Thud.

The man suddenly dropped to his knees, his expression humble as he screamed toward Lin An, who was cutting through the Zombie Crowd.

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

Lin An's expression was cold. Taking action to deal with the nearest Zombies was already the limit of what he could do.

Save people?

Then who was going to save his brother!?

Lin An did not look back.

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

"Run!"

"Stay alive! Then rely on yourself!"

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

Watching the Zombie Crowd gathering again in the distance, 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 liquid dripping from the tips of his hair.

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

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

Under the Mental Storm, people would briefly lose focus.

If he was disturbed 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.

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

Within seconds, the windows shattered.

The swarming Zombies opened the cans and enjoyed their strips of meat.

First floor of the shopping center.

The crowd hiding behind the iron gate helplessly watched a sedan outside the entrance.

The silver-white vehicle was covered in Zombies.

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

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

Gripping the car roof, she repeatedly kicked at the nearest Zombies with her long, straight, snow-white legs.

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

"Save me...!"

"Please, save me!"

The scenery beneath her skirt flashed into view from time to time.

The beautiful woman kept turning her head, her eyes pleading with the crowd only a gate away.

"Don't open the gate!"

"We can't open it!"

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

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

A burly man standing farthest from the gate anxiously shoved aside the nearest guard and glared at him as though looking at an enemy.

On any ordinary day.

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

But in the face of Zombies.

He only wanted to preserve his own life.

Crying, chewing, screaming, until there was no sound at all.

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

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

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

The crowd fell silent.

Yet beneath the panic and sorrow, there was also a trace of relief.

They were relieved that they had entered the building in time and locked the iron bars shut.

This place was not only safe, but also well-stocked with food.

From atop the residential building, Lin An took in everything.

Watching the numb crowd protect themselves, he could not help but sigh softly.

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

In the apocalypse, protecting oneself was normal.

There was nothing to condemn.

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 a can of sardines.

And there were only ten seconds left until the apocalypse erupted.

When that happened, the electricity would fail, and the virus lying dormant within human bodies would erupt at the same time.

This place would recreate the tragedy of his Previous Life and become hell.

"Bzzzz!"

Ten seconds passed in an instant.

A high-frequency, piercing buzz rang out.

Then, a mocking and brutal voice suddenly echoed in everyone's minds.

"The apocalypse has arrived. 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 heavy sledgehammer.

For a brief moment, everyone lost focus.

Countless terrifying, soul-chilling wails rang out, striking directly at the deepest fears within people's hearts.

Mutations occurred across the globe at the same time. Humans in hospital beds, on the streets, and walking along the roads froze where they stood.

One second later, the Zombie Virus erupted!

As though their souls had been ripped away.

The eyes of the humans transforming into Zombies bulged outward.

The skin all over their bodies festered and peeled away, exposing bright-red muscle.

Their pupils vanished, leaving behind only bloodlust.

And at that moment.

Inside the packed shopping center, the panicked crowd dropped the shelves they had been using to block the entrance.

"Crack."

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