The hallway outside the infirmary was unusually quiet.
Mo Yankong walked slowly along the corridor, his footsteps echoing faintly against the polished floor. Students passed by occasionally, chatting, laughing, complaining about homework or gossiping about teachers.
To them, this was just another ordinary school day.
A peaceful day.
Too peaceful.
Mo Yankong stopped near the window and looked outside.
Fujimi Academy stood on top of a small hill overlooking the city. From here, the view stretched far across streets, houses, and distant buildings bathed in warm afternoon sunlight.
Cars moved along the roads.
People walked along sidewalks.
Everything looked normal.
Yet Mo Yankong's eyes slowly narrowed.
"Still calm…" he murmured softly.
But he knew.
That calm would not last much longer.
Because Mo Yankong possessed a secret that no one else in this world knew.
He wasn't originally from here.
His soul came from another world.
A world where stories like this were nothing more than fiction—anime, manga, and novels consumed as entertainment.
One of those stories was called Highschool of the Dead.
And this world…
Was that very story.
Mo Yankong exhaled slowly.
"A zombie apocalypse," he whispered.
The outbreak would begin soon.
Very soon.
Within a few hours, the entire world would fall into chaos.
Civilization would collapse.
The dead would rise.
And humanity would become prey.
Most people inside Fujimi Academy had no idea that their peaceful lives were about to end.
But Mo Yankong knew every detail.
He knew when the outbreak would begin.
He knew how the infection spread.
He even knew who would survive the first day.
Yet strangely…
There was no fear in his eyes.
Instead, there was a faint hint of excitement.
Because unlike everyone else—
Mo Yankong had something special.
A power that shouldn't exist in this world.
Suddenly, a faint mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[System Activation Complete.]
Mo Yankong's lips curled slightly.
"It finally activated…"
He had been waiting for this moment since the day he awakened in this body.
A translucent interface appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.
---
[Evolution System Initialized]
Host: Mo Yankong
Race: Human (Upgradeable)
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Vitality: 7
Energy: 6
Ability: None
Evolution Points: 0
---
Mo Yankong examined the interface calmly.
"So it really is a system…"
In many of the novels he had read in his previous life, protagonists often possessed a system that allowed them to grow stronger by completing missions or evolving their abilities.
Apparently, he had received something similar.
Just then, the interface changed again.
A new notification appeared.
---
[First Mission Issued]
Mission: Survive the initial outbreak.
Objective: Devour your first infected target.
Reward: Vampire Evolution.
---
Mo Yankong raised an eyebrow.
"Vampire…"
That sounded interesting.
Before he could think further, a loud commotion suddenly erupted somewhere inside the school building.
Shouting.
Footsteps.
The distant sound of something crashing.
Mo Yankong turned his head slightly.
Right on time.
A moment later, a terrified scream echoed through the corridor.
"Ahhhhh!"
Students froze.
Several of them turned toward the direction of the noise.
"What was that?"
"Did someone fall?"
"Maybe a fight?"
Then—
Another scream.
But this time it was different.
It sounded more desperate.
More horrifying.
A girl suddenly ran into the corridor, her face pale with terror.
"Run!" she screamed.
Everyone stared at her in confusion.
"Run?!"
"What are you talking about?"
But before she could answer—
A figure staggered into view behind her.
At first glance, it looked like an injured man.
A school security guard.
His uniform was soaked in blood.
His movements were slow and unnatural.
One of the students frowned.
"Hey… what happened to him?"
The guard raised his head.
His face was deathly pale.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
And his eyes…
His eyes were empty.
Then suddenly—
He lunged forward.
"AHHH!"
The nearest student didn't even have time to react.
The guard slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.
And then—
CRUNCH.
Teeth sank into flesh.
Blood splattered across the floor.
The corridor exploded into chaos.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"RUN!"
Students began screaming and pushing each other as they rushed toward the stairs.
Some fell.
Some were trampled.
Panic spread like wildfire.
The security guard kept biting the student on the ground, tearing flesh from his neck.
The victim's screams quickly faded.
Within seconds…
He stopped moving.
Mo Yankong watched the entire scene without panic.
Without fear.
Instead, he slowly stepped forward.
Because right at that moment—
The mechanical voice in his head spoke again.
[Target Detected: Infected Human]
[Devour to Begin Evolution.]
Mo Yankong looked down at the corpse on the floor.
The dead student's fingers twitched.
Then suddenly—
The body jerked violently.
His eyes snapped open.
Empty.
Lifeless.
Just like the security guard's.
The boy slowly stood up.
His neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
Blood dripped down his chin.
Another zombie had been born.
The creature turned its head.
And its empty gaze locked onto Mo Yankong.
For a moment—
The hallway became silent.
The zombie staggered toward him.
Step by step.
Mo Yankong didn't move.
Instead, he smiled faintly.
"Perfect timing."
The zombie suddenly lunged at him.
But in the next instant—
Mo Yankong moved.
His hand shot forward like lightning.
CRACK!
His fingers pierced straight through the zombie's skull.
The creature froze.
Its body twitched violently.
Then it collapsed to the floor.
Silence returned.
Students who were still hiding nearby stared at Mo Yankong in shock.
They couldn't believe what they had just seen.
Mo Yankong ignored their stares.
Because the system notification appeared again.
---
[First Infected Devoured.]
[Evolution in Progress.]
---
Suddenly—
A burning sensation exploded inside Mo Yankong's body.
His heart pounded violently.
His blood began to boil.
His vision darkened.
Sharp pain spread through every nerve in his body.
Mo Yankong clenched his teeth as the transformation began.
Fangs slowly emerged from his mouth.
His eyes turned crimson.
His heartbeat slowed…
Yet his strength was rapidly increasing.
The system voice spoke once more.
---
[Evolution Complete.]
[New Race Unlocked: Vampire]
---
Mo Yankong slowly lifted his head.
His crimson eyes glowed faintly in the dim corridor.
Outside the window, the sun was beginning to set.
The world was falling into chaos.
And in the middle of it all—
A new predator had just been born.
Mo Yankong licked the blood from his fingers and smiled.
"Now…"
He looked toward the screaming city beyond the school gates.
"Let the evolution begin."