Chapter 3: System Activation
1044 Words
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Brian's in deep trouble.
Every second wasted could mean the difference between life and death. Right now, Brian's got no choice but to rely on intimidation to protect himself.
Facing the panicked students, Brian raises his baton and coldly barks, "Get out of the way!"
He's taking a gamble.
People have a natural instinct to avoid danger, only facing it head-on when they've got no other choice.
Brian's speed is enough to catch the students off guard. He's betting they'll choose to dodge.
And sure enough, the students scramble to avoid Brian's baton, leaving him a clear path.
He called it right!
Even though these students have lost their minds, their instinctive reactions are still intact.
With his baton in hand, Brian smoothly passes through the crowd, shouting, "Behind us are zombies! If you don't wanna die, follow me and run!"
Hearing Brian's voice, the students turn to see the horde of students and dozens of zombies charging towards them!
The terrifying sight leaves some students paralyzed on the spot, while others join Brian in fleeing for their lives.
Brian's call isn't out of kindness; he's got his own agenda.
Faced with the apocalypse, he needs to reach the rooftop ASAP, but he can't do it alone. These students are just tools to improve his odds of survival.
The more people he has, the better his chances of making it out alive.
He's got to keep pushing forward, even if fear grips his heart. Stopping now would be the beginning of the end.
Only by pressing on can he find a glimmer of hope.
Whoo!
With a swift swing of his arm, Brian's baton whistles through the air, smashing down on the first zombie's head, splattering blood everywhere.
One hit, one kill. Brian shudders with adrenaline. But just as he's riding this high, a prompt rings out in his mind.
"Killed a regular zombie, earned 1 point. Current points: 1."
"Ding! System activated!"
"Ding! System binding in progress...."
"Binding progress: 1%.... 10%.... 30%.... 60%.... 100%."
"System successfully bound. Newbie gift package issued. Would you like to open it?"
Brian's heart races with excitement. The system's finally activated!
"Open!" he commands without hesitation.
Whoo!
With his baton in hand, Brian's stride grows firmer. The system's appearance boosts his confidence, turning his fear into exhilaration.
Kill!
Brian swings his baton, and within seconds, seven or eight zombies are wiped out. The students trailing behind him stare in awe and fear.
Are zombies terrifying? Definitely.
Are they powerful? Brian doesn't think so.
"Killed a regular zombie, earned 1 point. Current points: 8."
"Ding! Newbie gift package opened. Received 1 random ability card, 1 random weapon card, and 1 100-cubic-meter space ring."
Ability card? Weapon card? Space ring?
Excitement flashes in Brian's eyes as he immediately uses the ability card.
"Ding! Ability card successfully used. Ability extraction in progress. Congratulations, host, you've obtained the Lightning ability. Would you like to integrate it?"
"Integrate!"
Now's not the time to hold back.
"Ding! Lightning ability integrating."
After integration, Brian feels a surge of electricity coursing through his body, enhancing his physical abilities.
"Ding! Lightning ability integration successful. Current level: Lv1."
Lightning ability integrated successfully!
Roar!
"Run, don't block the way up ahead!"
"Wait for me! Wait up!"
Brian hears the roars behind him but doesn't look back, just keeps sprinting forward.
Even though he's gained an ability, he knows he's not invincible yet. Faced with a horde of zombies and students, he's still far from strong enough.
So, the best choice for now is to run, get stronger, and then come back!
After integrating the Lightning ability, Brian feels incredibly light on his feet, swiftly arriving at the staircase with the wind at his back.
Students rush down the stairs in a chaotic frenzy, pushing and shoving each other. Brian watches, his face darkening. He knows the stairs are no longer the safest escape route. With students crazily rushing down, he wouldn't stand a chance against dozens or even hundreds of them, let alone the unknown number of zombies behind.
Heading to the rooftop via the stairs would be suicide!
After a moment of thought, he decides to change course and head to the adjacent administration building. There's a sky bridge on the third floor that leads directly to the activity building. Compared to the teaching building, the area near the administration building is safer!
Roar!
The zombies in the corridor ahead roar, and Brian realizes he needs to test the power of his Lightning ability. With a flick of his arm, lightning shoots out, turning the oncoming zombies into charred corpses.
Delighted, Brian swings his arms, becoming the Lightning Overlord, as arcs of lightning burst forth, annihilating the zombies.
"Killed a regular zombie, earned 1 point. Current points: 9."
"Killed a regular zombie, earned 1 point. Current points: 10."
...
As he rushes forward, the sky bridge is littered with blood and bodies. Seeing this, Brian understands.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, several zombies spot Brian and charge at him. Brian squints, feeling the surge of lightning within him, but accompanying it is a sense of weakness.
"System, what's going on? Why can't I use my Lightning ability?" he urgently asks the system.
"Host, your Lightning ability is only Lv1, and the power of lightning isn't unlimited. Your frequent usage has depleted the lightning power, making it impossible to release," the system explains.
Hearing the system's explanation, Brian relaxes. He realizes he's been a bit reckless with his lightning power along the way.
Roar!
The zombies' roars echo again. Brian tightens his grip on his baton, ready to face the zombies blocking his path. Even though he can't use his lightning power, there's no problem with his physical abilities.
Whoo!
With a swing of his baton, the air hums, and the zombies are quickly dealt with.
As he rushes along the sky bridge, which is dozens of meters long, he encounters numerous zombies, some freshly bitten.
Reaching the end of the sky bridge, Brian stands at the entrance of the administration building. With a thought, a random weapon card appears in his hand.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you've obtained a cold weapon, the Peerless Blade [Stealth]. The item has been placed in the system space."
- Writer
