It was July, around eleven in the morning, the peak of a sweltering summer's day. I was hiding indoors, glued to my screen, completely immersed in the game I had been dying to play—《COMMANDO》—with a cracked version that included all unlocks and saved files. Just when I was about to enjoy my long-awaited gaming session, a series of blood-curdling screams echoed from outside my window.
Curious, I leaned out to take a look—holy crap!
Downstairs, the street was in complete chaos. Blood-soaked people were staggering around, their hollow eyes and erratic movements sending a chill down my spine. A few of them were chasing a young man, and the moment they caught up, they tore into him like rabid animals. Blood splattered three feet into the air, painting the pavement a gruesome red.
My first thought? Could this be Resident Evil? The zombie apocalypse I've always fantasized about? Every modern-day gamer dreams of one day waking up as the protagonist of their own Resident Evil scenario. Annotation:①"Resident Evil"(it is a survival horror video game franchise which is well known for its zombies and apocalyptic settings)；②"Zombie" (a reanimated corpse)
Excitement surged through me as I grabbed a kitchen knife and bolted downstairs. The moment I swung open the front door, three zombies lunged at me with terrifying snarls.Annotation:"front door (a security door common in Chinese residential buildings)"
"damn".
Scared the shit out of me, I immediately closed the front door again.
My heart was pounding. Seeing zombies up close wasn't nearly as cool as I had imagined—it was downright terrifying. The surrounding air turned ice-cold, my adrenaline spiking. Just as I exhaled in relief, I heard a creak behind me.
The door to apartment 101 slowly swung open.
Out stepped an old woman, her face pale, eyes lifeless, and her mouth contorted into a feral snarl.
A old zombie.
Crap.
Instantly, I was in a dilemma. I was trapped. The zombies outside were clawing at the door, their guttural growls echoing in the narrow hallway, while an elderly zombie shuffled toward me, arms outstretched as if she wanted to… hug me?
Damn！
I quickly assessed my odds—three zombies outside, one inside. If I had to pick my battle, I'd take a single one over a team of multiple people. Steeling myself, I raised my knife and prepared to strike—
Until two more figures emerged from apartment 101.
Two hulking men, covered in blood, their glassy white eyes staring straight at me.
Oh, all right ! I know these guys!
They were elderly zombie's sons. Just yesterday, I saw them bringing her groceries, all smiles and small talk. Now, they were shuffling toward me like mindless corpses.
The odds had just shifted from 3 vs 1 to 3 vs 3. Not good.
I needed to get out. But charging outside with just a kitchen knife? That was practically handing myself over as a zombie lunch.
No time to think. I reared back and kicked the front door open. The zombies outside weren’t expecting it and were sent sprawling. I seized the moment, darting past them and sprinting down the street.
As I ran, I spotted a green-dressed girl ahead of me. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, sprinting for her life. Behind her, a zombie was chasing her down, its eyes filled with a terrifying hunger.
A girl in danger ? A perfect chance for a hero moment!
At that instant, I imagined myself as Superman, Spider-Man, and every action hero rolled into one. My body tensed with newfound courage as I roared, “Don't worry, I'll save you!”
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I glanced around—surprisingly, no zombies were after me yet. Perfect. I tightened my grip on the knife and charged toward the creature.
Just as I raised my weapon to strike, the zombie suddenly lunged at me first!
Its rotten, yellowed teeth snapped inches from my face, and—goddammit—there were bits of meat stuck between its teeth. I shuddered in disgust. Before it could sink its teeth into me, I smashed the knife’s hilt into its face over and over. (Fortunately, since I had been mid-swing when it grabbed me, my hands were still free.)
Meanwhile, the girl I was trying to save didn't even spare me a glance.
She just kept running.
I stared after her, watching her figure disappear into the distance. Well, that was a waste of energy. Frustration boiling over, I channeled all my rage into bashing the zombie's skull in. I kept smashing until its head was nothing but pulp, and the body finally stopped moving.
But just as I was catching my breath, more zombies started closing in.
I quickly counted—eight.
Eight zombies, forming a perfect encirclement around me.
What the hell? Did these zombies read the I Ching ? This was a freaking Eight Trigrams Formation!Annotation:①"I Ching (the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, referenced here as a symbol of mystical prophecy)"②"Eight Trigrams Formation (a mystical battle formation from Chinese mythology, symbolizing cosmic balance)"
Despair washed over me. Was this how it ended? Would I be devoured alive and turned into one of them?
As I braced myself for the inevitable, ready to give up, something unexpected happened.
A small orb of light rose from the zombie I had just killed. It hovered for a moment before suddenly shooting into my chest.
A deep, commanding voice echoed in my mind—!!!
A sudden message popped up in my mind—“Level Up! You have gained 1 skill point. You can now learn and upgrade skills.”
I froze.
Wait, what?!
Suppressing my shock, I immediately opened the skill menu. Two skills were available for me to choose from:
1. 18-Stroke Dragon-Slaying Technique
• Effect: Slash yourself eighteen times, using extreme pain to unlock hidden potential. While active, you will experience continuous bleeding, both during and after the skill's duration.
• Duration: 90 seconds.
• Cooldown: 3 hours.Annotation:"18-Stroke Dragon-Slaying Technique"(a fictional martial arts skill from Chinese fantasy novels).
What the hell?! Isn't this just self-mutilation? Who in their right mind would use this?!
2. Sunflower Manual
• Four ominous red words. I didn’t even bother reading the description. Anyone with a decent knowledge of martial arts novels knows what this means…
Compared to the first skill, am I really supposed to pick this one? This has to be a joke!Annotation:"Sunflower Manual"(a fictional internal cultivation technique from Chinese Wuxia novels, requires a man to cut off his genitals，known for its controversial requirements)
I was trapped between two equally horrifying choices. Was I seriously supposed to pick a self-harm technique or that?
As I hesitated, a green-dressed girl—the one I had just risked my life to save—suddenly appeared, wielding a sturdy wooden stick she must've found somewhere. Without hesitation, she smashed a zombie's head in, then turned to me and yelled:
“What are you standing there for?! Run!”
Her sudden courage snapped me out of my daze. Without a second thought, I turned and bolted toward the escape route she had cleared for us.
From everything I'd seen in zombie movies, the most logical course of action right now would be to raid a supermarket—secure food and water, and survival would be much easier.
But that was a problem.
Supermarkets were all located in the commercial district. And where there were more people… there were more zombies.
Just how did this cataclysm even start? Why did so many people suddenly turn into zombies?
As we ran, I turned to her and asked, “Where do you live? Do you have family there? Is it far? Is it safe?”
I half-expected her to be too panicked to answer, but to my surprise, she responded calmly and logically:
“I just escaped from home. My grandparents turned into monsters. There's no point in going back. What about you? Did you also run out of your place?”
I quickly explained my situation.
She stared at me for a few seconds, then sighed, her gaze filled with disbelief. “You… are braver than I thought.”
Translation: You’re an absolute idiot.
Yeah… even I had to admit that what I did was beyond stupid. I had been completely safe at home, yet I chose to run out, and now I couldn't go back. Worse, I had a bunch of zombies chasing after me, eager to “kiss” me with their rotting mouths.
Frustrated, I suggested, “Maybe we should go back to my place? I kicked the front door open when I left, so the hallway should still be clear. It's worth a try, right?”
She gave me a look, are-you-stupid? Looked at me and said,
“If we go back, the zombies chasing us will follow. The hallways are narrow—if we get trapped inside, we're dead.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then realized… she was absolutely right.
Annoyed, I asked, “Alright, genius. Got a better plan?”
She crossed her arms, gave me a pointed glare, and replied, “No.”
I was speechless.
With no other options, I turned back to my damn skill menu. 18-Stroke Dragon-Slaying Technique or Sunflower Manual—which one was worse?