1 Doomsday

Lin Chao was puzzled the moment he woke up.

The rotten stench in the air had disappeared and without it, breathing became much easier when air did not smell like it was out of the ordinary. Compared to the wild assembly area or even the city center of a Class B Base, the fresh air was much more superior!

Where is this?

Lin Chao immediately opened his eyes.

A foreign room of more than ten square meters greeted his sight. It wasn't that spacious but the interior was luxuriously equipped. There was a soft bed from the past, an electrical hanging lamp, a computer that only genetic researchers were willing to purchase along with other nicknacks. The room was exaggeratingly clean as well. Forget bloodstains and any traces of a stench, there wasn't even a speck of dust!

What's going on? Wasn't I killed by The Awakened?

Lin Chao's memory still lingered at the final moment during his previous life…

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Lin Chao was a Doomsday Survivor from year 167 of the Dark Era. His parents died early, forcing him to learn how to hunt when he was only six years old. His daily life consisted of him fighting rotten-clawed rodent offsprings. To ensure he did not starve, he fed off the lightly rotting remains and lived by curling up at dark corners of the wild assembly area.

It was a challenge for an orphan to survive in the wild. Many of his peers had either died of starvation in forgotten corners or were eaten by zombies while searching for food outside. Meanwhile, some were caught by wild mobs and were turned into food…

Lin Chao went through his growth in caution and hardship. One of the days when he was sixteen, he was blessed by Lady Luck. He had surprisingly caught a special zombie and became an Evolved using the energy in its body.

From the lowest Level F Evolved, he had progressed to Level A within three short years! Just as he was about to kill a rare, Level A special zombie in the wild that he was tracking, he met an Awakened who fought him. Without a single shred of doubt, Lin Chao was crushed without even the slightest chance to escape and died at the tender age of nineteen.

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The Awakened is too strong…

Lin Chao freed himself of his trance with a lingering fear, knowing that he would be unable to defend himself.

Buzz!

Fragments of unknown memories abruptly spilled through his mind as he recollected his experiences, colliding violently against his own memories. It felt as if his brain was going to explode as the agony he experienced caused cold sweat to trickle.

Who's this? Is his name also Lin Chao? Nineteen years old; a freshman; living in the year 2017...

Lin Chao was a little lost. He looked down at himself and realized that his body matched the memory fragments he had within him. This was not his body as a Level A Evolved. This was the body of freshman Lin Chao!

They shared the same name and the same age. One was an obedient and hardworking student while the other was a Level A Evolved who survived nineteen years after doomsday dawned.

I didn't die but I've taken over this person's body…

Lin Chao was astonished. He had actually arrived at the olden times before the Dark Era. There were no mutants, no zombies, and no monsters here. The fiercest animals on land were said to be lions and tigers that had yet to mutate. These were pitifully weak and could be easily killed by any kind of gun. Humans were the sole rulers of the Earth!

During this period, humans were able to have three square meals a day, light up their nights with lamps, and shower as they wished… All these luxuries were mere fantasies during the Dark Era!

Hold on!

It's the twenty-first of December today?

Lin Chao stirred from his sweet dream with a start. If he had remembered it correctly, the calamity would erupt tonight; the world would go into the long chaotic Dark Era after sunset…

The source of the disaster was a terrifying bout of a pandemic. The virus was airborne, spreading more than thirty-six times faster than the speed of sound and pervaded the whole world instantly. Ten percent of the global population was infected in the first wave and, the infected became berserk, rabid zombies. Anyone who was bitten or had come into contact with them would be infected and become one of the mindless corpses!

There was still half a day before disaster would strike.

Instead of panicking, Lin Chao swiftly calmed himself down. He used to hear from knowledgeable elders that the zombies and monsters during the when doomsday dawned were nothing to be frightened about, only being two to three times stronger and faster than a regular person. Based on Lin Chao's Grade A3 in marksmanship, and his years of experience with survival skills, he could definitely handle the situation if he practiced a little more caution.

I'll definitely cherish this second chance at life now that I'm given it!

Lin Chao vowed to himself before considering his next preparation. The most important thing to prepare for after the pandemic erupted was food. When famine struck, a pack of instant noodles could buy a life!

With the feeling of starvation deeply etched within him, Lin Chao knew that one would resort to any insane stunt when one was famished to a certain extent.

What followed after food, were weapons!

Too bad the firearm controls here are too stringent, unlike the United States where you can see firearm stores on busier streets. Of course, you'd need a permit to buy one. A pistol is out of the question for now. It'd be best if I could purchase a spear or an ax, a knife would be fine as well.

Lin Chao had been trained in white arms1 when he was a child with a spear that was nine feet and nine inches in length. Bullets for a pistol were too expensive in the Dark Era. How could he buy bullets when he could not even feed himself adequately before evolving? He could only practice with cold weapons2 that were relatively cheaper.

Among the many white arms available, his favorite was the spear!

If he could get his hands on a spear, his survival capability would largely increase.

Lin Chao pulled a top over himself and went out immediately. There were bank cards and a few hundred worth of cash in the wallet sitting in his pocket. It totaled tens of thousands that could buy him quite a lot of food if he were to spend it all.

First and foremost, he would need water!

After the catastrophe, the water supply system was damaged. Even if there were water treatment plants that remained intact, the tap water could not be consumed – who knew how many corpses were steeped in the reservoir?

Lin Chao went to a drinking water company and purchased twenty containers of drinking water. He then put down the delivery address with his elder sister being the recipient.

Freshman Lin Chao's parents were elite scientists but they had passed away in an unexpected failed experiment, leaving behind the two-year-old him along with his eight-year-old sister back then. His elder sister was a victim of that unfortunate experiment as well with her physical growth stopping at that very same year. Because of this, she would forever maintain the appearance of an eight-year-old child.

He was brought up by his sister. She handled all their meals, laundry, and education. It was in luck that the siblings were not impoverished as their parents had left a considerable amount of wealth.

Since I've been revived by occupying your body. I'll protect your sister for you… Lin Chao promised quietly.

After purchasing water, he went on to source for rice, vegetables, and non-perishable processed food. He also bought an abundance of sweets, instant noodles, and chocolates; items that could fill one up with their high energy content.

Despite the time taken, Lin Chao managed to complete his shopping list. The next box to check was his weapon.

Roaming more than half of the city, he was unable to buy a spear or a sharp saber. In the end, he could only get by with a steel bar. Other than that, he got himself some throwing knives. He was the best at them after the spear as he used to throw stones at zombies when he was younger. When he later became an Evolved, he made himself a set of throwing knives and upgraded his skill with it to Grade A1.

Finally, he bought a pair of binoculars and two maps, one of the city and one of the country. These were as crucial as a firearm because knowing one's geography and whereabouts when the internet was down during doomsday times was equally significant.

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Binjiang Estate, ninth block, sixteenth floor, first unit… A girl who looked like she was about seven to eight wearing a black dress sat atop one of the few containers of drinking water piled at the door. Her brown hair was worn in a braided ponytail while her fair cheeks framed in black plastic glasses were puffed up in anger. She was like a bucket of explosives that were about to explode after being lit.

Lin Chao saw her as soon as the elevator doors opened. It was his elder sister, Lin Shiyu!

"Are you crazy?" Lin Shiyu had obviously used up her patience waiting for him as she sprinted over once she saw him. Her childlike voice was brimming with fury, "Why did you buy so much water and rice? Are you going through a famine? This place is stuffed!"

"Sis!" Lin Chao rubbed his nose. He felt awkward calling out the address. Since he could remember things, he had never spoken to anyone in such a gentle tone.

"What? How dare you sound so fierce?" Lin Shiyu glared at him with inflated cheeks despite her height.

Lin Chao chuckled dryly to himself. This is fierce? He coughed and softened his voice even more. "Sis, let's talk about it inside."

"Hmph!" The scowl on Lin Shiyu faded a little after hearing his tender tone.

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The sun had set. Lin Shiyu who was seated at the dining table scanned the rice and drinking water taking up the majority of space in their house. The vein on her forehead pulsed as her eyes were dead set on Lin Chao as she asked, "Can you explain?"

"I can. But… can you drop the knife first?" Lin Chao looked back at her and said.

With a huff, Lin Shiyu dropped the chopping knife in her hand and said through gritted teeth, "I'll freeze your bank card if you don't give me a logical explanation!"

Thinking about the money that was completely spent, Lin Chao was indifferent about her threat. He looked at the time. The sun had now set, and the pandemic was fast approaching. It should not matter if he were to come clean. Gazing at her seriously, he asked, "Do you believe me if I told you the world's about to end?"

Three seconds ticked by as Lin Shiyu stared at him before she picked up the phone and dialed three digits.

"Hello, is this 120? My younger brother is sick…"

Lin Chao grabbed the phone promptly and hung up, replying helplessly, "You'll know that I'm speaking the truth in a few hours' time."