僵尸启示录

无标题第 1 部分

Chapter 1: The Day Before the Apocalypse

Imbecile!
Chuhan couldn't help but silently curse. Who was this person, shouting so loudly without fearing the attraction of the zombie horde?Cease your clamor!Chuhan abruptly opened his eyes, a glimpse of ferocity flickering within them. He contemplated silencing these individuals!However, the next moment, the ferocity in Chuhan's eyes was instantly replaced by astonishment.There was no dim sky, no thick scent of blood, no zombie's howls, no dismembered limbs strewn about...Gentle sunlight streamed in through bright glass windows. Four beds, four square tables, two engineering students clad in striped shirts excitedly sat in front of their computers, saliva and spittle flying as their hands incessantly tapped on the mouse and keyboard.The environmental conditions that had vanished a decade ago assaulted Chuhan's retinas. Filthy clothes strewn everywhere, towering stacks of foul-smelling instant noodle boxes, a chaotic environment that made him deeply nostalgic; distant memories were once again stirred.Fang Rong, Deng Weibo... his university roommates!"Why do you wear such a bewildered expression, still half-asleep?" Deng Weibo, seated across from Chuhan, spared a moment to raise his eyes. He possessed an unremarkable face, adorned with a pair of glasses with a whopping five hundred diopters. He awakened to an ability but perished during the zombie onslaught."Is Chuhan awake? Damn it, lost again!" Fang Rong smacked the Q key several times. He had a slightly sleazy appearance, also meeting his demise during the zombie siege.Chuhan rubbed his eyes vigorously, something in his mind growing increasingly vivid, causing his excitement to tremble throughout his body.If his conjecture was correct, he must have traveled back to ten years ago, before the outbreak of the zombies, when his three good friends were still alive!Fang Rong shut down the computer. "Chuhan, Old Deng, we're leaving. It's already ten o'clock. Old Deng, hurry up and pack; you might miss the flight!"Ten o'clock? Flight?What day was it today?Chuhan sprung up from the bed, pushing Deng Weibo, who was closest, aside and reaching for the mouse to click on the calendar in the bottom right corner."What are you doing? Hey, this is my computer!" Deng Weibo grumbled at Chuhan.Ignoring Deng Weibo's protests, Chuhan's gaze fixed tightly on the numbers on the calendar.July 3, 2015, ten o'clock in the morning.Had it really gotten this late?!The day the zombies erupted was tomorrow, darkness would fall at six in the morning, and the sun would reappear at noon, after a full six hours of darkness, everything would collapse, and the great reset would commence.With only a day left, Chuhan felt a sense of urgency, his heart pounding frantically!"Move aside quickly; I'm almost done packing up the computer," Deng Weibo said, carrying a large bag.Chuhan stepped aside, swallowing the words that almost slipped out, forcefully suppressing his inner excitement and said instead, "I heard there's been a recent outbreak of a highly contagious virus. You two should advise your families to stock up on food and mineral water and refrain from going out for a few days.""A virus?""Where did you hear that from?""The news." Chuhan knew these two never paid attention to the news."You actually pay attention to the news?" Deng Weibo chuckled. "Noted. We'll be off then!""Safe travels," Chuhan suppressed the nostalgic reunion in his heart. Leaving Mingqiu City before the apocalypse was even better for the both of them.Both Fang Rong and Deng Weibo hailed from Shangjing. They had already completed their exams and booked a flight for noon today. Despite the dense population and numerous zombies in Shangjing, it was the safest place among all cities due to the protection of the military, at least for the first two years after the apocalypse.Thus, Chuhan didn't say much. He knew the rough trajectory of the next ten years; these two wouldn't encounter any trouble for several years to come.Another roommate, Fan Hongxuan, had returned to his hometown in Nandu. He died a year after the apocalypse, victimized by human malice. This had always been a knot in Chuhan's heart; in his previous life, he could never uncover the murderer.Nandu also had a military district, receiving military protection soon after the outbreak of the apocalypse. Chuhan temporarily felt reassured, but it was imperative to go to Nandu to find Fan Hongxuan. In this life, he wouldn't let Fan Hongxuan fall into danger.His current priority was to figure out how to navigate through this chaos first, then grow stronger. Only strength could help the three brothers survive the crisis; otherwise, it would be a dead end no matter where they went.In the apocalypse, survival was paramount!After Fang Rong and Deng Weibo left, the suddenly empty dormitory once again made Chuhan's heart skip a beat.*Ding-*Suddenly, an urgent phone ring echoed.*Smack!*Chuhan abruptly hung up the call, ignoring the three missed calls on the screen, and dialed his home number.*Dial tone-dial tone-*After two rings, Chuhan's mother's voice came from the other end with joy, "Chuhan?"Hearing the long-lost voice, even Chuhan, whose heart was as hard as iron after enduring ten years of darkness, couldn't help but choke up slightly. His parents had lost contact since the outbreak of the zombies, and they hadn't been found for a whole decade.What had happened, he dared not think...Suppressing his excitement, he said, "Mom, Dad?""Here, what's wrong, son?" Chuhan's mother detected something amiss in Chuhan's tone."Mom, Dad, you must follow what I'm about to say!" Chuhan's tone was serious, so serious that his mother on the other end remained silent for a moment."I have a classmate here from Shangjing, yes, Fang Rong. His father knows some inside information, saying there's a new type of virus spreading in the country, highly contagious and fatal. Hurry and stock up on food and mineral water at home, as much as possible. Go buy now; the virus is already spreading." Chuhan knew that talking about zombies was too terrifying; his parents wouldn't believe it. Therefore, he could only fabricate a lie.His parents were in Anluo City, while he was in Mingqiu City. There were no direct trains or flights between the two cities; the distance was too far. Even if he had a day's time, he wouldn't make it back in two days. So, he could only let them prepare there first, minimizing the danger.In this second chance at life, he must go to Anluo City to find his parents!"Oh dear! What should we do?" Upon hearing about potential fatalities, Chuhan's mother was momentarily at a loss, especially with the memories of the 2005 SARS epidemic fresh in her mind. She didn't doubt Chuhan's words at all."Mom! Don't worry; just stay indoors with Dad," Chuhan quickly reassured her. "But make sure to stock up on plenty of food. We don't know when this virus will pass.""Alright, I'll go prepare with your dad right away," his mother immediately agreed. "You take care over there. Do you need more money? I can send you some. Make sure to stock up on food.""No need, I have enough here. You two stock up more, but make sure to buy everything before today ends. Don't go out tomorrow, anywhere, just wait for me in Anluo City!" Chuhan instructed. His parents were in their fifties, facing zombies would be too much for them.After hanging up the phone, the call he had previously disconnected rang again. Chuhan mercilessly hung up once more, then dialed Fan Hongxuan's number, repeating the fabricated story he had told earlier. Although Fan Hongxuan seemed puzzled, he still agreed to follow Chuhan's instructions.After completing all this, Chuhan immediately put on his coat, checked the cash in his wallet, and hurried to the door. He needed to buy supplies.The more, the better; the faster, the better!Just as Chuhan was about to step out of the door, he suddenly halted his steps, turning back to survey the items in the dormitory. His eyes gleamed with determination. The computer, along with various peripherals like tablets and speakers strewn around, could fetch a good amount of money. Although not all of them belonged to him, they had all become useless junk after the apocalypse.Chuhan's heart raced faster and faster. Now was not the time for recklessness; he needed to minimize the risks as much as possible. Family, friends, supplies, and-weapons!Chuhan quickly began to tidy up the valuables in the dormitory. It wasn't until he had emptied everything of value that he stopped. Dragging a huge box, Chuhan walked along the paths of Mingqiu University's campus. Two hours had already passed, and he was drenched in sweat from the scorching summer day."Chuhan, where are you going? Don't you have an exam at twelve?" someone behind him exclaimed in surprise.Chuhan turned around, momentarily unable to recognize the person, so he casually brushed it off, "I probably won't pass anyway. I might as well skip it and retake the course next semester."Exams? With the apocalypse looming, who cared about exams!"At least you're self-aware," another voice, dripping with disdain, chimed in.Chuhan squinted; this person was dressed in an expensive white T-shirt and trendy black pants, with shoes Chuhan didn't even recognize.Encountering Duan Ming at a time like this was truly remarkable!"Duan Ming, you have quite the fitting name," Duan Ming, short life.

Duan Ming clearly didn't understand Chuhan's meaning and glanced at him inexplicably several times. Chuhan didn't spare him any additional attention and simply dragged the large box towards the school gate, with his vibrating phone incessantly buzzing in his pocket.After finding a shop that purchased second-hand electronic products, Chuhan sold off the entire big box of items for four thousand yuan. Adding the original one thousand yuan in his wallet, he now had a total of five thousand yuan. Chuhan's mind raced; the prices from ten years ago were blurry in his memory, and he wasn't sure what he could buy now.First and foremost, he needed a weapon, the most important item of all. Zombies could only be killed by smashing their heads, so the weapon needed to be lethal. Military hammers were out of reach, and ordinary hammers were inferior to axes, although axes were prone to getting stuck and required significant skill.Entering a weapons store, the shopkeeper frowned instinctively upon seeing such a young person walk in. "This is a shop for crafts, if you're not buying, please don't disturb my business," he said gruffly.Chuhan was clearly a college student, dressed in ordinary attire. The shopkeeper didn't believe Chuhan could afford anything in his store.