"Bang, bang, bang…"
The sound of two zombies running was urgent and heavy. Their faces, mottled with rot, were a sickly shade of dark blue and black. Their bulging eyes glowed an eerie red, and drool constantly dripped from the corners of their mouths.
Had it not been for nearly a year of survival in the apocalypse, during which countless zombies had become a desensitizing sight, Luo Hou would have turned and fled at the first glance. Any person of sound mind would be paralyzed with fear at such a sight.
However, in this new world ravaged by the apocalypse for a year, even the most timid of souls had hardened their nerves. In this grim reality, either humans became food for zombies, or zombies were hunted by humans.
Closer, closer! It was happening now!
Luo Hou kicked off a nearby abandoned off-road vehicle, using the recoil to lower his body. He darted under the outstretched arm of one zombie lunging at him, and with a swift movement, he found himself beneath the second zombie.
His right arm swung with all his remaining strength, and dark, congealed blood splattered in all directions. He severed the second zombie's right leg just below the knee, sending its body staggering forward before crashing beneath the off-road vehicle. At the same moment, the first zombie collided with the vehicle, its outstretched arms smashing the window into pieces.
Luo Hou, charging too recklessly, lost his balance and crashed onto the rough concrete floor. His elbows and knees scraped against the harsh ground, sending a fiery pain through his limbs — likely the skin had been torn open.
There was no time to check the wounds. Luo Hou quickly rolled to his feet, spring steel machete at the ready, and eyed the first zombie, which had already turned to face him.
This zombie, clearly enraged, had its arms scarred from the collision with the car window, black-red blood dripping from its wounds onto the street. It opened its gaping mouth in a silent growl, charging toward Luo Hou with frightening speed.
After the brief, intense battle, Luo Hou, already weak from hunger, felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. His body began to tremble slightly, a sign that his strength was running out.
Faced with the rapidly approaching zombie, Luo Hou had no choice but to sidestep, narrowly avoiding the zombie's fast but clumsy lunge. He then struck at its back with his machete.
This time, Luo Hou's strength had waned, and the blow only left a shallow mark across the zombie's back. For a creature that felt no pain and feared nothing, the injury was insignificant.
The zombie quickly pivoted and lunged again, relentless in its pursuit. Meanwhile, the zombie whose leg had been severed had crawled out from beneath the vehicle. Though it could no longer stand, it used its arms to move swiftly, and the two zombies together formed a deadly trap around Luo Hou.
Sweat began to bead on Luo Hou's forehead as he relied on abandoned vehicles to maintain his distance, using the zombies' lack of agility to his advantage as he fought in a guerrilla style.
At this point, if he tried to escape, the one-legged zombie could not keep up. However, Luo Hou wasn't willing to let go of his prey, especially since his dinner for the night was still uncertain.
After a few minutes of this cat-and-mouse game, Luo Hou's strength was almost depleted, his face drenched in sweat. Thanks to the cover of the cars, the one-legged zombie had been left behind by about ten meters, no longer a threat for the time being.
Now, the moment had come!
Against the relentless zombie, Luo Hou refused to confront it directly. He sidestepped once more, striking the zombie's back with his machete. This tactic, learned through countless battles with zombies, had always proven effective.
Yet, after so much fighting while starving, even Luo Hou's robust body was beginning to feel the strain. His movements had slowed, and his strike was not as swift as before.
This time, his machete sank into the space between the zombie's ribs, but when he tried to pull it out, the blade got stuck.
A sharp shock ran through his mind. Before he could attempt to free the blade, the zombie suddenly spun, sending Luo Hou stumbling, and his grip on the machete was lost.
His heart pounded wildly. With a reflex born of instinct, Luo Hou ducked under the zombie's flailing arm and, as his body lurched to the left, he kicked fiercely at the zombie's knee. A dull thud resonated as Luo Hou's leg slammed into the zombie's knee, causing an excruciating pain that made him grunt aloud.
The zombie fell, but it immediately began crawling again, determined to rise.
Luo Hou let out a fierce yell and launched himself at the zombie, knocking it back to the ground. Gripping the machete's hilt, he yanked it free, uncaring for the blood that sprayed onto him. With a swift stroke, the zombie's head was severed, rolling a few meters away.
Exhausted, Luo Hou fell to his knees, using his machete to support himself, breathing heavily as if all the strength had drained from his body. He didn't want to move another inch.
But now was not the time to relax. The one-legged zombie was still crawling toward him. With great effort, Luo Hou stood up, dodged its wild swings, and drove his machete into its skull. A sharp twist, and the world was finally quiet.
Wiping the blood from his face, Luo Hou took a deep breath and used his machete to split open the skull of the final zombie. He then extracted a small, irregularly shaped white crystal, about the size of a finger, from its forehead.
Luo Hou smiled silently, wiping the crystal on his torn clothes before placing it into his bag. He did the same with the other two severed zombie heads, collecting three white crystals in total.
After all this, Luo Hou could no longer hold on. His muscles trembled uncontrollably as he collapsed onto the ground. He rested for about ten minutes, his breathing slowing slightly. When he finally caught his breath, he pulled out the three white crystals and smiled widely.
"Three white crystals. Looks like I have money for tonight and tomorrow's meals!"
In this new world ravaged by the apocalypse, the RMB had become as worthless as scrap paper, with only gold retaining any semblance of value—though its worth had significantly decreased. Survivors mainly bartered for goods, but the widely accepted currency in the market was what Luo Hou held in his hand: "Origin Crystals."
These Origin Crystals, formed from the pure energy of "Origin Power" that permeated the world, were the key to becoming an evolved being. To harness this power, one must first be able to sense the flow of Origin Power, absorb it, and refine their body, surpassing human limits.
All mutated creatures, including zombies and monstrous beasts, possessed a crystal in their heads containing concentrated Origin Power. These crystals were known as "Origin Crystals." Due to the higher concentration of Origin Power, they were much easier for evolved humans to absorb.
As such, Origin Crystals became the currency in this new world. The white Origin Crystals from regular zombies, like the ones Luo Hou had just collected, were the lowest grade, containing minimal power—enough only for a simple meal, certainly not gourmet.
Even so, Luo Hou was thrilled to have gathered three of these white Origin Crystals. After all, he was just an ordinary person who couldn't even sense Origin Power. The thought of obtaining higher-grade crystals was beyond his wildest dreams.
Placing the crystals in his pocket, Luo Hou sat down to rest for a moment longer, content with his haul, before preparing to head back to his settlement. But just then, he was struck with a sudden realization that made his blood run cold.
His arms and legs felt as if they were paralyzed, and he could barely summon even a fraction of strength. His exposed skin had taken on a sickly bluish-gray hue, with his elbows and knees turning dark purple. The wounds on his knees and elbows, from earlier scrapes, were now oozing black-red blood.
Luo Hou's face turned pale as he trembled uncontrollably. He knew, deep down, that he had been infected by zombie toxins. The source of the infection was clear: his elbow and knee wounds, which had come into contact with the blood of a zombie.
With a bitter laugh, Luo Hou mumbled to himself, "Is this how it ends? And worse, will I become one of those disgusting zombies? After struggling for a year in this apocalypse, I thought I could survive, but now… I can't escape this fate."