Night fell, and the city lights came on.

Kris dragged his exhausted body out of the company's front gate.

The long overtime hours had left dark circles under his eyes and a fog in his head.

He sighed, These damn KPIs are going to kill me.

No bonus this month. What bad luck!  Kris muttered, tightening his jacket collar as he hurried to the subway station.

Without warning, a blinding light flashed, and Kris instinctively shut his eyes.

When he opened them again, he didn't recognize the scene in front of him.

The familiar street was gone, replaced by a road in terrible shape.

The tall buildings around were still there, but they looked broken and decayed, like they had been gnawed on by some monster.

Cars of all kinds lay scattered and overturned on the road. Some still emitted black smoke.

The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning and the sickening scent of blood.

Most terrifying of all, some slow-moving, rotting monsters wandered the streets.

They let out deep howls, and their empty eye sockets glinted with a bloodthirsty glow.

"Good Lord! What kind of place is this? Is this some kind of movie set?"

Kris looked around in horror, then pinched himself hard. "Ouch! It hurts! This isn't a dream!"

Just then, an icy mechanical voice rang out in his mind:

Welcome, players, to the Doomsday Game: Endless Abyss!

Kris shuddered, nearly jumping up. "Who's there? Who's talking?"

"I am the system of this game," the voice said, emotionless.

"Simply put, you've been chosen to play this survival game."

"Survival game? What do you mean? I didn't sign up for any stupid game!" Kris forced down his fear and demanded, his voice loud and clear.

"Unfortunately, you have no choice."

"This game world is over a hundred times larger than Earth itself. It's currently overrun by zombies and various mutated beasts, with incredibly harsh living conditions. Your goal is to survive in this world."

"Wait, are you saying we're no longer in our own world?" Kris quickly picked up on the crucial point.

"That's right, this is the Endless Abyss, a real parallel world," the System replied.

"Let me also remind you that if you die in this game, you'll die in reality too."

"What?!" Kris's face turned pale in an instant. "This is murder! I want out! I want to go home!"

"I'm sorry, but once the game starts, there's no quitting halfway," the System coldly shattered his hopes.

"If you want to survive, you'll have to make it in this world."

Kris wanted to ask more questions, but the icy robotic voice cut him off: "Now, I'll explain the basic rules and important points you need to know. Pay attention—it could mean the difference between life or death."

Even though Kris resisted the idea, he had no choice but to brace himself and listen.

"First, killing zombies gives you energy. Energy is the most important resource in this world, and you can use it to get different supplies, talents, and skills."

"Second, resources in this world are very limited, especially clean water and food. Drinking dirty water or eating rotten food can make you sick. In severe cases, it could lead to death or even turn you into a zombie."

"Third, every player has a gathering skill. You can use it to collect various resources, but it will take time and energy. It might also attract attention from zombies or other players."

"Fourth, this world has many dangers. There are zombies and mutated creatures, bad weather, traps, and some players who might want to harm you. Be careful at all times and don't trust people easily."

"Fifth, there is a 'blood moon' once a month. At that time, zombies and mutated creatures become more violent and there are many more of them. Please get ready ahead of time."

"Sixth, resource points and safe houses will appear randomly on the game map. Players must explore to find them."

"Seventh, players can get rich rewards by completing system missions. The more difficult the mission, the higher the reward.

Eighth, there are in-game chat channels. Players can use them to communicate."

"Ninth, this world has many powerful mutated creatures and bosses. You can get rare materials and equipment by killing them, but it's very dangerous."

"Alright, introduction complete," the system announced coldly. "The game begins now. Good luck to all players!"

"Wait! I still have questions..." Kris shouted urgently, but the system had vanished as if it had never been there.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

There was no response.

Damn it! 

Kris swore under his breath.

What kind of game was this?

Was it supposed to throw people into this hellish place with no tutorial or guidance?

Suddenly, a series of low growls echoed in the distance, breaking his thoughts.

Kris quickly turned his head to see several zombies shambling towards him from down the road.

Their rotting bodies reeked, and their empty eye sockets glimmered with a bloodthirsty light, like animals that had found prey.

Kris's pupils contracted sharply, and a chill shot through him from head to toe.

He realized then that everything the system had said was true. This wasn't a prank but a brutal survival game!

What do I do? What do I do?! 

Kris's mind raced.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he began to survey the environment around him.

He stood on a broken road with ruined skyscrapers all around. Scrapped cars were parked in all directions on the street.

Not far away, the zombies were getting closer by the minute.

I need to find a place to hide! 

Kris's eyes quickly scanned his surroundings for any potential hiding spots.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a supermarket sign.

The supermarket was at the corner of the street, and the sign was mostly intact. He could just make out the words "Haoyueduo" on it.

As soon as he looked at the supermarket, a line of bright text appeared before his eyes:

Supermarket:

* 46 zombies inside

* 3 basic supply chests

* 1 intermediate supply chest

What's that? 

Kris was taken aback for a moment before realizing it must be what they called a "golden finger" cheat.

There was no time to think about it.

He turned his attention to a gym next to the supermarket and his eyes showed another message:

Gym:

* 6 zombies inside

* 2 boxes of food

Kris's eyes lit up.

This cheat was going to be extremely useful!

He could clearly see the number of zombies and resources in each place.

This information greatly improved his chances of survival.

But for now, the most important thing was to escape these zombies.

The supermarket had too many zombies, making it too dangerous.

The gym, though with fewer zombies, still had six, which was more than what Chris felt he could handle.

He needed to find a safer place!

As Chris's gaze continued to scan the area, he spots a hardware store in the distance.

A notification immediately appears before his eyes:

Hardware store:

* No zombies

* 1 Basic supply chest

No zombies!

And there's a basic supply chest!

This is like a perfect opportunity handed to him!

Excitement surges through Chris. Unable to think of anything else, he races towards the hardware store.

The zombies behind him seem to sense his plan, their growls turning more urgent and their steps quicker.

Chris runs faster, heading straight for the hardware store.

The wind howls in his ears as his heart pounds in his chest.

Go faster! Faster!

As he sprints, he glances back to keep an eye on the zombies' movements.

These guys may be slow, but they don't tire out. Getting caught by them would mean certain doom.

"Damn it, you pieces of trash!" Kris muttered under his breath, glancing out of the corner of his eye at a flipped-over car on the road.

Next to the car, a sharp iron rod covered in dark red blood lay quietly on the ground.

In the sunlight, it reflected an icy glare.

This could be a godsend!

Kris dashed over in a leap, bent down, and snatched up the iron rod.

On impulse, he also grabbed a seemingly intact motorcycle helmet from nearby and put it on his head.

Now I feel much safer!

As he ran, Kris hefted the iron rod in his hand, feeling considerably more confident.

Though he had no fighting experience, having a weapon was far better than being unarmed.

He finally reached the hardware store's front door, which stood tightly shut, with a rusted iron lock dangling from it.

Without hesitation, he swung the iron rod at the lock.

With a loud clunk, the lock shattered.

He rushed through the open door, ducked inside the store, then quickly shut the door behind him and bolted it with a chain.

"Huff... huff..."

Kris leaned against the door, gasping for air.

Sweat streamed down his face, soaking his shirt collar.

His legs felt like lead, heavy and painful with every move. The wild sprint he'd just made had drained all his energy.

But Kris didn't dare relax even a little.

He forced his exhausted body to keep going, searching the store for something he could use to fight off the zombies.

Soon, he found a huge toolbox.

The box was taller than a person and made of steel all around, looking very sturdy.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kris walked over to the box and tried to push it.

The box was very heavy. Kris used all his strength, but still managed to only move it half a meter.

"Heave ho! Heave ho!" Kris cheered himself on, gritting his teeth and digging in all his strength.

Fortunately, the desk wasn't far from the front door.

After a few minutes, he finally pushed it into place, blocking the door tightly.

Having done that, Kris finally let loose a long breath and plopped down onto the ground.

"That should be safe enough... I think..."

Wait a minute...!

Recalling the game rules the System had mentioned earlier, Kris suddenly remembered there was a chat channel available in this world!

Eagerly, he opened the chat channel, wanting to see how other players were doing.

As soon as Kris entered the chat channel, it was flooded with messages.

Help me! I'm surrounded by zombies. Who can save me?!

Looking for a group? I have a lot of supplies. Let's share!

Zombies are eating people! Where is a safe house? Help me. I'm hiding under my bed. I'm too afraid to come out!

I saw someone get killed! Everyone be careful!

Are you sure you're not joking? The game just started. How could someone be killed already?

It's true! I saw it with my own eyes. It's so scary!

"..."

The chat channel was filled with all kinds of messages: calls for help, people looking for groups, sharing information, and making revelations.

Kris quickly skimmed through these messages, feeling conflicted.

He had thought that in this apocalypse, everyone would come together to fight against the zombies.

But he didn't expect that so soon, people would start killing each other.

In the apocalypse, what's most terrifying are not the zombies, but people's hearts.

Kris decided to stay out of the spotlight for now and observe what would happen next.

He closed the chat channel and began to think about his next plan.

Although he was safe for now, he couldn't stay hidden in this place forever.

Kris needed to find more supplies as soon as possible.

This would help him get stronger and survive in this world.

Wait, supplies!

Kris suddenly remembered that, according to his cheat ability, there should be a basic supply chest in this hardware store!

This thought gave him new energy. He got up right away, ready to search the store.