Eclipse of Tomorrow

Chapter 2 Preparation and the Evolution of the Soul

JOE racked his brain but couldn't figure out what was going on. He decided to head out with a massive bag on his head to buy supplies."First, we need rice and noodles," JOE said to himself. "How much should I buy? Let's go with twenty bags of each." This decision raised the eyebrows of the store owner when he reached the grocery store. Nervously, JOE added, "What's up? I'm just here to steal some veggies!" The store clerks gave him suspicious looks...Having learned his lesson, JOE decided to go to the wholesale market."Alright, load those ten boxes of canned meat onto the truck," JOE said, wearing a proud expression. He thought, "Alright, food reserves for the apocalypse are secured. Now, I just need to find..." A minute later, JOE's face went pale. "Oh heavens and earth! How could I forget to find shelter?" He was startled by a crow's caw..."Okay, here's the key to the small house. Take it. The first floor is the living room, and the second floor is the bedroom."JOE breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken him three hours to search between houses and find a sturdy one. Finally, as the people waiting at the truck grew impatient, JOE discovered a small two-story building. With some reinforcement, it would make an excellent fortress.By the time the people unloading the goods from the truck were finished, it was already dark. JOE collapsed onto his bed, exhausted. He had spent one million on buying the house and another five hundred thousand on food, daily necessities, and appliances. Now, JOE was going for top-tier items, which earned him a middle finger from Fatty. "Xing-ge, you're really showing off!"He also spent five hundred thousand on bricks and other items that could be converted into points. However, once he reached a million points, it seemed these items lost their effectiveness. In total, JOE had only obtained one million points, which he was now ready to use.First, he ruled out magical legends and high-tech weapons. They were too expensive and not very practical in the early days of the apocalypse. Imagine using a machine gun to mow down zombies and attracting even more of them. Cars were an option, but they were everywhere during the apocalypse.Daily necessities were already taken care of, so that left bloodline techniques. JOE set his sights on the Nine Yin Manual and the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. As for bloodlines, he wasn't in a hurry. JOE selected the first level of the Nine Yin Manual, which conveniently used up all his points. It also came with the Nine Yin White Bone Claw as a bonus.JOE couldn't wait to start practicing. He felt a flow of energy circulating from his dantian throughout his body, completing a full circuit. After ten full circuits, JOE slowed down. He noticed that apart from intelligence and mental strength, all his physical attributes had increased by two points. This discovery thrilled him."Alright, let's test the Nine Yin White Bone Claw," JOE thought. He focused his qi into his hands, forming them into claw-like shapes. With a sudden burst of energy, he struck the wall. JOE realized that aside from some redness and slight pain in his fingertips, his body was fine. But looking at the wall, JOE's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! The Nine Yin White Bone Claw is incredibly powerful!"Apparently, it had left ten shallow craters in the wall, which was typically impervious even to bullets. JOE couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment, though he quickly realized the downside. "Wait a minute, hitting a zombie with this might cause my hand to get stuck in its skull. I'd be doomed. Never mind, it's getting late; I should get a good night's sleep."The Next Day:JOE turned off his annoying alarm clock. "Stupid alarm clock! It kept me from sleeping well. What's the point of setting an alarm? It's Saturday, April 17, 2018! Why did I even set an alarm? Fatty!!"Unfortunately, Fatty was having a rough day. First, JOE had left, and now he was suffering from a high fever that had been burning for three days. Initially, he hadn't told JOE, thinking he'd be fine. Now, it had come to this. JOE's frustration grew as he encountered a traffic jam on the road, likely due to the increasing number of infected individuals. JOE panicked and abandoned his car, racing towards Huaxia University...At Huaxia University, it was 11 a.m. Due to the presence of many students and teachers who had fallen unconscious due to fever-like symptoms, the university had mobilized all its doctors and nurses to care for them. However, the virus was beyond Earth's current medical technology, and the medical staff could only diagnose minor fevers. They were unable to identify the true cause.Fatty was among those patients. His face was deathly pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He looked like he had seen a ghost. In fact, things were dire. No one who had been infected had survived so far, let alone become an evolved being. This situation was unprecedented but far from the last of its kind.JOE finally reached Huaxia University, and it was 11:45 a.m...JOE entered his familiar dorm room and called out, "Fatty! It's me, Xing-ge! Fatty?" He quickly stopped a passing student and asked about Fatty's whereabouts. The student's response left him in despair. "Wang Tian? He's got a fever and was taken to the medical office with many other students and teachers." JOE's eyes grew vacant. "How many in total?" He had no choice but to grasp at this last straw. However, the student's words crushed his hope. "Fifty in total. Including the teachers, it's seventy-eight."On April 17, 2018, at 11:55 a.m., seventy-eight students and teachers perished. President Feng was furious. "What? Seventy-eight students and teachers dead! Compensate their families immediately, and organize grand funerals for the deceased! I don't care how much it costs; Huaxia University's reputation must not suffer! Otherwise, I'll have your heads!"One of the people nearby sighed. He had only gotten this job by pulling some strings. Huaxia University was great in many ways, but President Feng was a nightmare. He unzipped a body bag, preparing to place a corpse inside. Suddenly, he thought he saw one of the bodies move. He rubbed his eyes to check if he was seeing things.He shook his head with a bitter smile, crouching down to collect the body. Unexpectedly, one of the bodies suddenly clamped its teeth onto his neck artery. He wore a look of disbelief as he fell to the ground. The zombie licked the blood at the corner of its mouth and began feasting on the corpse. Behind this zombie, other bodies slowly stood up, one by one...