Boom!
Lin An hit the ground hard, rolling out of his rooftop jump. The psychic storm had passed, leaving only a faint dizziness.
The Doomsday Game had begun. Which meant his brother's life was now a countdown.
Twenty-three minutes left.
If he didn't reach An Jingtian in time, there'd be no saving him. He needed transport—no man, awakened or not, could outrun millions of zombies on foot.
Linjiang Suburbs.
A red Dongfeng heavy truck plowed down the street, crushing corpses beneath its wheels.
Bang!
The cab door burst open. Lin An hurled himself out, hit the pavement in a roll, and rose unscathed—his awakened body shrugging off the impact.
Behind him, the driverless truck smashed through a wall. Its steel frame bent, dripping gore, with a half-torn zombie still chewing the bumper. Smoke hissed from the ruined engine before it crashed to its final stop, flattening another knot of corpses into bloody paste.
Lin An didn't slow. He'd halved the three-hour trip already. But the clock was still ticking.
The old town streets twisted like a maze. Anti-theft windows turned every home into a prison. Screams leaked from behind steel bars as shadows flickered past cracked glass.
Lucky the outbreak hit while most were away. If the full population had been home, even I wouldn't make it through here.
He sprinted along the wall, weaving between shamblers. When they blocked his way, his fists broke skulls clean.
At the gates of a villa, a fat businessman dangled shirtless from a sixth-floor railing, sweat pouring.
"Save me!" he screamed, forcing a grin through his terror.
Lin An ignored him, caving in another zombie's head.
"I'll give you money—one hundred thousand! No—one million! Five million!"
His voice cracked as a zombified woman gnawed at the window bars, the stench of her rot flooding his nose.
"That was my—my cherry mouth!" he babbled in despair.
Lin An didn't look back. Money's worth nothing in hell.
The man's shouts turned to curses as Lin An vanished down the street.
Then Lin An froze. Not because of the bribes, but because of what blocked the road ahead.
A monster, three meters tall, skinned red like raw muscle. Its claws punched through metal like paper.
A Licker.
Mutated. Fast. Regenerative. A single one could level a safe zone.
Lin An ducked behind a truck, heart thudding. Even awakened, he was only level zero. This thing outclassed him.
The Licker dragged survivors from cars like candy, chomping through flesh and even gnawing on zombies. No wonder the streets were so empty.
Then—
Buzz.
Lin An's phone vibrated. He killed the volume and opened the message.
"Brother Lin… this is Anxia. Jingtian—he's coughing blood… his eyes… he's looking at me like… like he wants to eat me—"
Static cut the voice short. Sent five minutes ago.
Lin An's grip tightened, knuckles whitening. His hands, steady even in oceans of blood, trembled now. Jingtian was slipping faster than expected.
He couldn't waste another second.
Lin An straightened, abandoned stealth, and ran.
Boom!
The Licker's head snapped up, nostrils flaring.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It lunged, charging like a freight train. Cars exploded aside as its claws tore through steel.
The distance between hunter and prey collapsed in an instant.