Liven pushed the zombie away, got up from the ground, and tore off the fabric of his left sleeve that had been ripped open. Beneath it was a piece of iron shaped like a wrist guard, which was why the zombie's teeth hadn't pierced through his body.

"You have killed a zombie. Total count: 1."

"You have killed a zombie. Total count: 2."

"You have killed a zombie. Total count: 3."

At the same time, the voice that had announced the arrival of the apocalypse now announced Liven's achievements.

This was crucial. Others might not know, but Liven was well aware that this would be the foundation of his future strength. Of course, as he had said before, it would only matter if he could board the Death Train.

Liven didn't bother looking at the corpses on the ground and simply walked through the alley.

Chaos, utter chaos!

When the bizarre events first unfolded, everyone's initial reaction was confusion and helplessness, as they couldn't comprehend what was happening.

But what came after that?

Of course, it was to flee!

The most fundamental instinct of all living beings is survival!

People on the streets were running for their lives, with ferocious zombie predators chasing after them.

However, zombies weren't the most dangerous threat. What was even more dangerous were the stray cats and dogs.

These seemingly harmless creatures were currently the apex predators. Their small size made them hard to attack, and unlike the slow-moving zombies, they were incredibly fast.

Most importantly, these stray cats and dogs also carried the virus. A single scratch could lead to infection.

Blood, screams, and roars!

This was what everyone welcomed in the new year—nothing beautiful, only terror.

Liven walked slowly, trying to move as lightly as possible. The zombies relied on sound to locate their prey. Those who ran would be the first to be chased, while Liven's quiet steps made the zombies ignore him.

"Food and water," Liven muttered, looking up at a convenience store. "Although I won't need these once I find the Death Train, I should still prepare some for now."

Liven quickly slipped into the convenience store, closing the door and windows, then pushing shelves to block the entrances.

But at that moment, a faint rustling sound reached his ears. Though it was subtle, Liven immediately noticed it.

He turned around and shouted, "Who's there?"

"It's... it's me..."

A soft voice came from behind the shelves, and a girl in a school uniform emerged. She was around fifteen or sixteen, in the prime of her youth.

"Please don't kill me..." the girl begged. "Please don't kill me."

The girl had mistaken Liven for one of the zombies and was pleading pitifully.

Liven glanced over the girl's body and saw no bloodstains, which meant she likely hadn't been injured and wasn't infected with the virus.

However, in that instant, Liven noticed a faint black line on the girl's calf. It was thin but seemed alive, slowly creeping up her leg.

"An initial zombie!" Liven was shocked.

Initial zombies referred to the first batch of infected.

When the apocalypse suddenly arrived and zombies appeared out of nowhere, where did they come from? Initially, the virus couldn't have spread through zombie bites.

Thus, the first zombies were called initial zombies. These zombies carried the virus from the very beginning and could turn into zombies at any moment when the virus erupted.

In fact, these people suffered even more. Those infected through bites turned into zombies after being killed by them, but initial zombies would watch their flesh rot while still alive, enduring immense pain as they helplessly transformed into monsters.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Liven's hand slowly moved toward the dagger at his waist. Although the girl looked pitiful and harmless, she would eventually become like the zombies outside.

Bang!

At that moment, a loud crash came from the door, and the shelf blocking it shook violently.

The girl jumped in fright and instinctively hid behind Liven.

Liven, however, kept his eyes fixed on the door.

In theory, zombies couldn't break through the door. Those creatures were mere walking corpses. Even if they bumped into the door, they would only move forward instinctively, not push with their hands or use tools.

Crash!

But then, the sound of shattering glass came from the window, and a dark arm reached inside. Unlike ordinary zombies, this arm was covered in fine scales.

In the next moment, a head followed. It was bald, with blood-red eyes and a crimson tongue hanging out.

Liven was startled. It was a Phantom!

Phantoms were a mutated form of zombies, the lowest level of mutation.

But for mutated zombies to appear so soon after the apocalypse began was not a good sign.

At the same time, the window made another crashing sound as the Phantom broke through the glass and tumbled into the convenience store.

Without hesitation, Liven grabbed a nail gun and pulled the trigger.

Thud, thud, thud...

Nails were fired one after another, piercing the Phantom's body. However, the Phantom was much tougher than ordinary zombies. The nails only penetrated its skin but didn't go all the way through.

Roar!

The Phantom opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth. A foul stench emanated from its mouth, and saliva dripped incessantly.

Click!

The nail gun made a sound—it was out of nails.

Liven immediately tossed the nail gun aside, kicked the Phantom in the chest, and toppled a shelf onto it.

Bang, bang, bang...

Shelves in the convenience store were knocked over one after another. But with a roar, the Phantom pushed them all aside and charged at Liven again.

Liven kept retreating, then suddenly grabbed the girl's shoulder and pushed her forward.

Thud!

The Phantom's arm shot forward, its sharp nails slicing through the girl's chest. Its entire arm pierced through her, and bright red blood quickly soaked her clothes.

The girl turned her head in disbelief, staring straight at Liven.

"You were going to die anyway. Rather than turning into one of those monsters, it's better to die quickly," Liven sighed. "Don't blame me. This is the apocalypse."

As he spoke, Liven gave the girl a final push, sending her body crashing into the Phantom.

In the next moment, Liven reached over the girl's corpse, drew his dagger, and stabbed it into the Phantom's neck.

Thud!

The sound of tearing cloth echoed as half the dagger plunged into the Phantom's neck.

The Phantom struggled wildly, trying to throw Liven off. Liven used all his strength, gripping the dagger with both hands and slashing fiercely.

"If you're dead, then stay dead!"

Liven roared, and the dagger completely severed the Phantom's neck. The same tearing sound from before echoed again, followed by a spray of blood that splattered across the floor and stained half of Liven's body red.

The Phantom continued to struggle, but its movements grew weaker and weaker. Finally, its flailing arms drooped and fell to the ground. The Phantom was completely lifeless.