As a third- tier city, Xincheng was situated deep within the inland area of China; in the province of Sichuan.

Sichuan, a province well-known for tourism, had a diverse landscape and a population of more than eighty million.

The province's population could definitely be ranked top five in the whole country.

Mountain ranges, fertile plains, crisscrossed rivers and other features like hot springs could all be found here.

The Sichuan basin has always been known for its fertility and as a major agriculture centre, has feed numerous people throughout history.

In this place, the han people and various ethnic groups have mixed and intermingled for a long time; therfore the cultural complexity was not so easy to figure out.

Within Sichuans rugged landscape, Xincheng was still a very special place.

The city of 300,000 is enveloped by majestic mountain ranges; their peaks often shrouded in mist throughout the year.

There were not many roads leading to the city; the few that did, ran through narrow mountain passes.

This made the city secluded and relatively unknown.

The natural barriers created an aura of seclusion, adding an air of mystery to little Xincheng.

Green was born and raised here; in such an unknown place, where even birds didn't shit.

After graduating, he didn't wish to leave his hometown and looked for a living within Xincheng city.

Unfortunately, in these times, a diploma is not as valuable as used tissue paper.

Each year, there are as many college graduates entering the workforce as there are dogs on the streets, and competing with so many people was too overwhelming.

Green recalled a particular job interview, where the interviewer insisted on two years of work experience for the job.

[ Your mother ! How can a fresh graduate have two years of experience? ]

Green really wanted to curse them and storm out at that time.

But what's the use? Even if he did that, a hundred more will jump and anxiously sharpen their heads to replace him.

Unless a person had some sort of personal connection within the company, this situation would not change much.

Bǎi rén yī kǒu, literally a hundred people crossing on a single plank. Green felt that this idiom really described the situation perfectly.

Facing such a brutal reality, he gave up on the useless diploma and decided to lay flat.

To solve his practical, immediate needs, he simply started working various jobs and his last one was delivering take-out for a fast food restaurant.

Sometimes, while sitting on the e-bike, Green would feel ashamed, reflecting on his late father's hard work in putting him through school and university.

But what could he do?

This was reality.

Many people were also walking down such a path, but breaking free from the predicament seemed too difficult.

Green sighed and sat up on the bed.

Looking out the window, the entire world was shrouded in darkness, and the rain poured down with great intensity.

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The other buildings in the gated community were covered in rain, and he could hardly see them.

'Great Harmony Apartments'

This was the name of the place where he was.

The community was medium-sized and had five buildings, each with over ten floors.

His building specifically had thirteen floors, with thirteen units on each floor, totaling 169 units for the whole apartment.

The remaining four buildings had a similar design and almost the same number of units.

In between the buildings, there was a little garden courtyard, and the entire community was enclosed by a two-meter tall wall of concrete.

Around 1200-2000 people lived in this community, which was situated on the outskirts of Xincheng.

Even though this place was on the city outskirts; where the prices were not as outrageous, Green still wouldn't have been able to afford renting here with his delivery job.

Fortunately, his late father left some money, and he also took a small loan. Together with the money he earned over the last two years, he barely managed to pay the deposit.

Such a method of demolishing the east wall to repair the west wall, Green couldn't help it either.

When he dreamt of the ominous prophecy, he desired a more suitable place; the small ten-square-meter room in the middle of the city wouldn't suffice.

Green rented here for only 5 or 6 months, and his money was almost running out before the apocalypse struck.

Green felt fortunate for making the difficult choice now.

The area outside the city was not as populated as the inner city, and in the apocalypse, the most miserable place for a survivor would be in the city centers.

Thinking about the sea of zombies that would roam deep in Xincheng city, Green broke out in cold sweat.

_________

Day 32

In the dark morning, the weather carried a sense of gloom and depression.

The thunder roared, and lightning flashed as large raindrops fell intensely. The entire city was engulfed in the rain.

Green stumbled through the dark room with the help of the screen light.

The phone's battery was already very low, and he didn't know when it would run out of power and become a useless brick.

The electricity had gone out in the second week of the apocalypse. The water was fine until the third week, but now it's gone too.

Green didn't know what would happen if he ran out of water. He had hoarded enough to last another two to three months, but then what?

Would he need to go outside if he runs out?

While walking in the dark, lost in deep thought, Green accidentally bumped his toe against the wall and let out a muffled curse.

He was already very tired from the dungeon business last night. His body felt worn out and he was fighting the urge to close his eyes and sleep.

As he thought about the dungeon, his eyes showed confusion, and his face stiffened.

He trudged through the tunnels for six hours, tirelessly searching for the giant rats, but it seemed like they had completely vanished from the dungeon.

In the end, he only caught eight giant rats after such a long night, lowering his record for experience gain in a single dungeon summoning.

The dejavu feeling was truely intense.

Didn't the spiders vanish just like this before? Now, he couldn't see a single spider in the dungeon.

But why?

As he leveled up, the dungeon appeared to swallow the lower-level monsters into the dark abyss.The spider went first, and now even the giant rats have disappeared.

Green couldn't help but conjure up some whimsical ideas in his mind.

Was the dungeon just another monster?

And if so, was he running around the stomach of some unimaginable beast?

Green dismissed the thoughts, grabbed a wet towel, removed his clothes, and proceeded to wipe himself clean.

With the water gone, it's best to save.

No more nice showers.

He ate an energy bar and lay on the bed.

[ Status, ] he called out.

Green (Warrior)

HP 87/95

Level 4

Stamina 150/150

Attack 25

Defense 55+10 (65)

Gold 18

《Battle log》

Items: Lv 1 armor

Equipment shop

He stared at the blue screen for a while before closing it and shutting his eyes.

The rain outside didn't seem to stop for a single moment; it poured down as if the sky had been pierced through.

_________

Green opened his eyes slowly and saw the bright light filling the room. The sun had already come out, and the heavy rain had stopped at some point.

His rested mind felt fresh and agile.

" ahhhh~ " He yawned and stretched lightly before putting on some clothes.

After he opened the window curtains, he looked down and saw a few zombies moving around.

The zombies seemed different, moving more nimble and slightly less mechanical. Maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks.

Green ignored the zombies and closed the curtains.

He went to the kitchen and cracked an egg for a nutritional breakfast; he brewed some tea, and sat down.

" aaahh!! " A muffled scream echoed.

Before he could start his meal, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the corridors, along with the cries of a person and the groans of a zombie.

Green jumped up and looked outside.

He was startled by what he saw: a woman in a white t-shirt, a teenage boy, and a middle-aged man were being chased by a zombie.

Green recognized the zombie; it was actually the bald middle-aged man who had been stumbling around the corridors since the beginning of the apocalypse.

But he had changed; his speed was faster, and his eyes had turned completely white from black.

Green also recognized the lady in the white T-shirt. She was a middle school teacher who lived on his floor.

They had interacted once or twice in the hallways, nothing much, just simple peasantry.

He remembered her because she was one of the few people he had interacted with in the building.

And Green also thought that her face seemed to resemble the photo of his deceased mother to some extent.

What was her name again?

Zhang Yuling?

The ferocious zombie charged up the stairs like a hungry beast released from a cage.

Zhang Yuling, who was carrying supplies, was startled and fell to the ground after tripping.

She felt fear enveloping her as she looked at the incoming zombie; her eyes were filled with tears.

The middle-aged man had a square face, with wide brows furrowed and a tense expression as large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead

He was already anxious and he clenched the wooden stick in his hands, intending to block the zombie coming up the stairs.

" Jiahao, take her into the house!" He turned his head and quickly shouted at the teenager who had the same features and looked eight points similar.

The rough, hurried voice woke up the shocked teenager, he bent down to help the terrified Zhang Yuling .

The ferocious zombie jumped at the vulnerable duo, but the middle-aged man blocked it with his body; he used the wooden stick and all his might to push it back.

"Quick!" He turned his head to look but was disappointed.

Zhang Yuling had sprained an ankle and couldn't move fast enough.

The middle aged man's face fell and he turned to the zombie, focusing closely on its movements.

He shielded the slowly retreating duo; showing his strong resolve to stick with the bald zombie, ready to face it at any cost.

Green was very impressed by the middle-aged man's bravery.

However, the noise had surely startled some zombies in the building.

And Green knew that the courageous man alone would not be able to fight back the zombies that were on their way.

Sure enough.

" urghhhh!!! "

" groan~~"

Eight zombies emerged from both up and down the stairs.

They converged to surround the three survivors, growling with menacing intent.