Zixin stood by the window, watching the red lights dance across the sky, twirling and shimmering above the village. It was honestly a beautiful sight. The strange colors reflected across the rooftops and mountains, making the entire nightmarish landscape look almost magical. Yet there was something deeply eerie about it, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand despite how beautiful it looked.
"Bao… just nod if what I'm about to say is right." Zixin glanced down at the little white snake angrily coiled around his neck. The snake deliberately turned his head away from him, clearly refusing to cooperate.
"Come on, Bao. Please."
The tiny snake's ruby-red eyes narrowed in annoyance before he finally gave a reluctant nod.
"The next stage is much more dangerous, and we'll be fighting much more dangerous zombies, right?"
Bao nodded again.
"H-How will I protect Lin Jing?" Zixin mumbled, his gaze falling on his younger brother, who was fast asleep nearby. The poor kid had fallen asleep almost immediately after Bao had been turned into a snake. Perhaps the exhaustion and stress from waiting for his brother for so long had finally caught up with him. Whatever the reason, at least he was sleeping peacefully now.
"That is why I asked you to level up as soon as possible," Bao hissed softly.
As Zixin thought about it, his status window suddenly appeared before him.
This time, it was much more detailed than before.
[PLAYER STATUS]
Name: Yu Zixin
Race: Human
Level: 3
Trial: 01 — Zombie Apocalypse
HP: 78/100
Stamina: 61/100
Mental Stability: 64/100
Strength: 17
Agility: 19
Endurance: 16
Perception: 21
Willpower: 24
──────────────────────────────────
[ABILITIES]
⚡ Thunder Claw — Lv.2
Generates concentrated electrical energy through
the hands and arms.
Warning:
Excessive usage causes damage to the host's body.
👃 Enhanced Scent Tracking — Lv.1
Allows the user to identify and follow the scent
of specific individuals.
──────────────────────────────────
[REWARDS]
🍄 Growth Mushroom
──────────────────────────────────
[WEAPON]
☠ Baby-Killer Broomstick
Type: Special Weapon
Durability: 81%
Effect:
Highly effective against infected creatures.
Special Property:
Damage increases against evolved monsters.
──────────────────────────────────
[PASSIVE]
Monster Resistance — Lv.1
Slight resistance against infection and mutation.
──────────────────────────────────
[CURRENT CONDITION]
Physical Injury: Minor
Mental Fatigue: Moderate
Infection: None
[SYSTEM EVALUATION]
Survival Probability: Increasing
Evolution Potential: HIGH
"So I can evolve too?" Zixin raised his brows as he stared at the Evolution Potential section. "I won't become a monster like those things outside, right?"
"What did you think? That you'll grow a tail or sprout claws?" Bao asked, his tiny tongue flicking out as he spoke. "No. Your body is inherently human. You will evolve as ancient humans did. You might develop abilities that were once present in human DNA but were lost over countless generations."
He shifted around Zixin's neck before continuing.
"Like Thunder Claw. It must have already existed somewhere within your DNA sequence. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for you to acquire such a unique ability."
Zixin rubbed the snake's tiny head with one finger. "Ancient humans were powerful? Were they like aliens or something?"
"They were quite powerful. Very powerful," Bao replied. "But over time, they stopped passing those abilities down to their descendants. Generation after generation, those abilities disappeared, slowly degrading until humans became what they are now."
His ruby-red eyes turned toward the red lights outside.
"Right now, the evolution lights are helping awaken whatever potential remains in human ancestry. Those who have the potential will evolve and regain abilities that have been dormant within their bloodline. But those who don't…" Bao paused briefly. "They simply end up becoming mindless monsters that crave the flesh of others."
Zixin's expression slowly became more serious.
Bao silently looked at him for a moment before adding, "You and your brother must have inherited that evolutionary potential from your father, because your mother turned immediately after…"
Zixin squeezed his eyes shut at the mention of his father.
The poor man had been mauled to death. He hadn't even been given a proper death.
And his mother…
His mother was still out there.
His gaze slowly fell toward the apartment door.
Strangely, there was no sound outside.
The silence was almost unsettling after all the chaos that had been happening only moments ago.
Frowning, Zixin walked closer and pressed his ear against the door.
"Why is there no sound outside?" he whispered. "Where did they go?"
Bao immediately moved closer as well, his tiny body tightening around Zixin's neck while he listened.
His ruby-red eyes suddenly widened.
"Something is happening outside."
Zixin looked at him.
Bao's expression turned serious.
"The zombies have all reduced…"
He paused, listening carefully.
"Someone is killing them."
Zixin stood beside the door, taking a slow, careful breath. Someone—or something—had to be stronger than him. There was no other explanation for how all those frantic, rapidly evolving zombies had been dealt with so quickly.
"Zixin…" Bao's voice suddenly came from beside his ear, unusually tense.
Zixin glanced down at the small white snake curled around his neck. Bao was staring toward the door, his ruby-red eyes narrowed.
"Something is not right. I don't sense anyone alive outside." His scales slowly rose along his tiny body, making him look almost spiky. "That could only mean…"
He stopped.
Zixin's expression tightened. "Mean what?"
Bao looked at him seriously.
"You need to leave this village, Zixin. You need to leave. Your level is not enough. It's really not enough." He repeated the words as if saying them more times might somehow make Zixin suddenly grow ten levels.
Zixin stared at him for a moment. "You think repeating it will magically give me a higher level?"
Bao hissed irritably. "If only it worked that way."
Zixin didn't waste any more time arguing. He hurried over, picked up his younger brother, and pulled Lin Jing tightly against his chest. The boy stirred slightly but remained asleep, exhausted from everything that had happened.
Zixin carefully opened the door.
The hallway was empty.
He stepped outside, his eyes immediately scanning every corner.
The zombies were gone.
But the sight left behind was worse.
A few severed limbs and bloody organs were scattered across the ground, some of them crushed almost beyond recognition. Dark blood smeared the floor and walls, and several bodies had been torn apart so violently that Zixin couldn't even tell which pieces belonged to which zombie.
His expression slowly hardened.
This definitely hadn't been done by a human.
Even if someone had possessed a powerful weapon, killing so many zombies in such a short amount of time would have been difficult. Whatever had come through this village hadn't simply killed them.
It had torn them apart.
Something had been here, hunting the other zombies like prey.
Zixin tightened his arms around Lin Jing, instinctively shielding the sleeping child against his chest.
"This…" he whispered, staring at the bloody remains. "This was done by another zombie?"
A soft hiss sounded beside his ear.
Bao's tiny body stiffened, his ruby eyes fixed on the destruction ahead.
"That zombie isn't simply killing them," Bao said quietly. "It's trying to evolve, Zixin."