Chaos

Dodging another zombie attack, Ye Zhao was drenched in sweat. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and she could no longer run. She had to find a place to rest and recover her strength, or she would inevitably become food. She was lucky enough to follow a few others into a hotpot restaurant. Because the virus had broken out in the morning, the restaurant hadn't opened yet, and most of the staff hadn't arrived. When the incident began, there were only three women inside washing vegetables; they had locked the front door and were shivering in the back, so Ye Zhao and the others had to climb in through a window.

She kicked away several zombies trying to crawl through the window, slammed it shut, and stacked two tables against it. Only after a long while did the frantic pounding finally cease.

The people in the room finally let out a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the floor with pale faces.

"How could this happen? How could this happen..."

"It's so terrifying! Those people are eating people! Is everything in chaos outside?"

"What should we do? My son is still in elementary school, and I can't get through to the school's phone. Could something have happened there too?"

"Is it just like in the movies? Has the apocalypse arrived?"

"..."

The hotpot restaurant was temporarily safe. Ye Zhao scanned the room and saw no corpses or blood. She climbed to the second floor, caught her breath, and pulled a bottle of mineral water from her backpack, gulping it down. Looking at the chaotic street below, she saw a dozen zombies swarming over a corpse. The screams rose and then vanished; within moments, the zombies dispersed, leaving only a pool of blood on the ground.

She couldn't help but retch a few times, afraid to look any longer.

Thinking about the journey ahead, she studied the map for a while, and after a long moment, she took out her phone to check the situation in City X.

The map software was glowing red across the board; traffic conditions were dire, and driving was no longer an option.

Ye Zhao opened a social media platform to check the situation elsewhere. To her surprise, no matter how she searched for terms like "City X zombies," "cannibalism," or "City X chaos," she couldn't find any relevant information on either Weibo or Douyin. Instead, news about celebrities and influencers remained at the top of the charts. At a glance, it looked as if the world was at peace, and the hell on earth outside didn't exist at all.

She frowned and posted a few Weibo entries about "cannibal zombies appearing in City X, the whole city in chaos," but they disappeared the moment she hit send. After posting a few more, her account was banned entirely. When she tried to check anything else, even the internet connection vanished.

Was the outside world suppressing the news of City X's fall? Were they afraid of causing a panic?

Suppressing the doubt in her heart, Ye Zhao opened her Game Panel to study it. She had scanned quite a few things along the way—mostly vehicles: cars, vans, SUVs, jeeps, and even police cars, fire trucks, and buses.

However, her creation level hadn't increased, and she only had 80 Creation Points.

She spent 40 points to create four rings with +1 speed, wearing them on the ring fingers of both hands, and kept the remaining 40 points just in case.

[Speed +1 Ring, Durability 100.]

Thinking of the Prophet's vision, Ye Zhao felt that the best course of action was either to leave the city as soon as possible or find a place to hide and survive for ten days. With her Golden Finger, surviving ten days shouldn't be a problem.

But her intuition told her that staying in the city would be dangerous, and leaving City X was the optimal choice.

Although Ye Zhao was unlucky—even having her soul mis-reaped by mistake—her intuition had always been spot on.

The hotpot restaurant's kitchen was on the first floor, and Ye Zhao planned to go there to find a suitable weapon.

The restaurant had a rich supply of food. Ye Zhao's eyes lit up as she walked through the kitchen twice, scanning everything: the frozen goods in the freezer, fresh fruits, vegetables, beef, the freezers themselves, cutting boards, pots, pans, and even the gas stove and tanks—which could be used to cook a meal in a pinch.

There were plenty of knives, too—long ones, short ones, and bone cleavers. She finally settled on a watermelon knife; it was long, sharp, and easy to handle. Most importantly, it allowed her to maintain a safe distance from the zombies.

"No, you can't take that! That belongs to the restaurant! Right, Sister Wang?" The middle-aged man called out to Sister Wang, a staff member. Being put on the spot, she stammered, "Right, th-th-this isn't for sale!"

Ye Zhao glanced at the man; she couldn't beat him. She took two packs of biscuits and two cans of fruit from her backpack—she wasn't short on food anyway. "I'll trade these for it."

The man hesitated for two seconds before nodding in agreement.

She set the items down and walked away immediately.

Although it was indeed dangerous outside and hiding was the best choice, the chaos was still in its early stages. There were plenty of other "bait" on the main roads besides her, which made it easier for her to slip through the cracks. If she waited until City X had completely fallen, it would be even harder to get out.

The rest of Ye Zhao's journey was significantly more difficult. Her watermelon knife had developed nicks after hacking at several zombies, but fortunately, creating a new one only cost 1 point, which was well within her means. Not long after, she encountered a squad of police officers on a rescue mission. They were being chased by zombies and were protecting a dozen civilians as they ducked into a residential complex.

Because they had fired their guns, they attracted most of the heat. Ye Zhao followed behind and took out a few zombies, but her knife was completely ruined. She had to climb to the second floor of a roadside shop while being pursued. She hung onto the balcony, locking eyes with the few people hiding inside.

Ye Zhao: ...

"Sorry to bother you, I'll be on my way once I've rested."

Since it was still the beginning of the apocalypse, people still maintained a sense of decency. Although she looked a bit dangerous, they didn't stop her from entering. However, they isolated Ye Zhao in the corner of the balcony, even using a chair to block her off. She didn't mind; she took off her mask, pulled a bottle of water and some biscuits from her backpack, and replenished her energy.

After a few bites, she saw the bloody zombies below and couldn't help but retch again. She placed the biscuits on the balcony, pressed her palms together in prayer, and whispered in her heart: Lord Ghost Messenger, please come and save me!

The noodle shop owner and the others had been observing her for a long time. Seeing that she hadn't mutated and was still praying for divine protection, they couldn't help but press their palms together and join in. Their guard lowered slightly as they asked, "Miss, what's the situation outside? Has everyone turned into this? The phones don't work, the internet is down, what are we supposed to do now?"

Ye Zhao said, "I came from City X University. Along the way, it's just like what you're seeing—it's the same everywhere..."

As soon as she said this, a woman holding a child couldn't help but cry again. The child, affected by the mother's emotions, started to wail. Fearing the noise would attract zombies, the woman quickly shoved a lollipop into the child's hand and coaxed them through her tears until the child finally stopped crying and smiled.

The mood in the room was somber. Ye Zhao silently finished a pack of biscuits and hid behind the window to observe the zombies below. Perhaps because of the earlier commotion, the entire street was now filled with wandering zombies. It would be quite difficult for her to leave without being noticed.

However, through her preliminary observations, she discovered that these zombies were exceptionally sensitive to sound and the scent of blood, while their vision was somewhat lacking. Their movements were stiff and slow. As it stood, as long as they didn't make any loud noises, the zombies wouldn't detect their presence.

Just then, the phones of everyone in the room vibrated simultaneously. Ye Zhao opened the message from the City X government: [Dear fellow citizens, an unknown virus has swept through City X. Please do not be afraid, do not run around, try your best to find a safe place to hide, and wait for rescue...]

[Preliminary tests show that zombies are very sensitive to sound and the scent of blood. Those bitten have a high probability of being infected. Only by severing a zombie's head can it be completely killed...]

[Please do not go outside, do not go outside, wait for rescue! Wait for rescue--]

[Please rest assured, we will never abandon any citizen!]

[Let us stand together, overcome these difficult times, and unite to weather this storm!]

[Please believe that we humans will ultimately achieve victory over this disaster!!!]