Chapter 1
"Bang~"
In a small, shabby rental apartment of barely ten square meters, a man in his twenties, his face contorted with rage, slammed a bottle of alcohol onto the floor. The glass shattered into countless fragments, one sharp piece slicing across his cheek, leaving a trail of blood.
Just as the blood was about to drip, it froze in place.
Ignoring the crimson streak on his face, the man's eyes, filled with venom, turned to the gleaming knife on the table.
“Ma Yuan, you slut! I’ll make sure we both go down together!” Yang Xiu hissed as he grabbed the knife, clutching it tightly. The veins in his hand bulged.
Yang Xiu, a graduate student at an ordinary southern university, specialized in energy and power engineering. He had an extraordinary talent in this field, and over the past few years, he had designed a high-performance engine.
For a graduate student to design an engine, his talent could only be described as exceptional. After consulting experts to evaluate the design's value, he learned it was worth at least a million yuan!
For a student who had spent over two decades studying, this sum of money was an unimaginable fortune. Every night, he dreamed of using this money to improve the lives of his elderly parents, finding a good match for his willful younger sister, and maybe even purchasing a modest home of several dozen square meters in a small county, bringing his parents to live out their years in peace.
But just as he was preparing to file for a patent for his design and include it in his thesis, his work was stolen.
By his own mentor—Ma Yuan.
Ma Yuan had even threatened him, claiming no one would believe that a graduate student could have come up with such a design. If he wanted to graduate smoothly, he had to keep quiet about the design and agree not to speak of it again. She promised to introduce him to a good company after graduation.
The more Yang Xiu thought about it, the angrier he became. A man who had diligently studied for nearly twenty years had finally snapped. His fury surged, his chest heaving. He, who never drank, poured himself several shots of liquor.
The cramped room was a mess, littered with discarded design drafts and used tissues.
Yang Xiu pulled out the phone he had bought from a classmate for two hundred yuan, unlocked the screen, and was immediately bombarded with a slew of sensational news articles, many about people eating other people. For days, the headlines had been filled with this grotesque subject.
He had no time or interest for such news now. Instead, he focused on preparing a farewell letter to send to his sister.
His trembling thumb hovered over the “send” button for a long time, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to press it.
“I’ll go threaten her first. If that woman dares to keep my work, I’ll go down with her!” He stuffed the phone back into his pocket, wrapped up a few design blueprints, and concealed the knife inside. He donned a cheap jacket, bought for just a few bucks, and tucked the weapon into his sleeve before heading out.
Just as he locked the door behind him, a figure appeared in front of him.
Yang Xiu flinched, his heart racing. With his guilty conscience, he instinctively pulled his arm, holding the knife, behind him.
“Sir, excuse me, are you Mr. Yang Xiu? Your package,” said the delivery man, whose face was pale, his eyes dark-rimmed, as he handed Yang Xiu a package the size of a palm.
“Package?” Yang Xiu was puzzled. When had he ordered something? He, a poor man, rarely bought anything online—sometimes going months without purchasing anything. But without thinking too much, he accepted the package, noticing his name and number written on it.
It was a small, hard box. Without further thought, he stuffed it into his pocket and continued on his way. His mind was focused solely on confronting Ma Yuan, punishing her, and reclaiming his stolen patent.
What he didn’t notice was that after he left, the delivery man spat out a mouthful of black blood, collapsing to the ground. Not long after, the man’s body eerily stood up, his pupils, once white, now pitch black...
In the southern heat of May, it felt like summer had arrived early. A scorching wave of heat slammed against his face as sirens wailed in the distance. Pedestrians on the street murmured in hushed tones, their expressions fearful.
Yang Xiu walked the ten minutes from his modest rental apartment to Ma Yuan’s upscale apartment building. In that brief time, he reflected on his mundane life. Every time he thought of the engine design that could have changed his life being stolen, his rage grew ever stronger.
“Blood of the common man can spill three feet high when pushed to wrath.”
Yang Xiu arrived at Ma Yuan’s door on the sixth floor. The door was slightly ajar. Usually, no matter whether the door was open or not, he would knock politely. But this time, he pushed the door open without hesitation, hearing shouting from inside.
“Bastard! Coming after my wife behind my back! I’ll kill you, you scumbag!”
“Stop! You’ll kill him!”
“Shut up, you slut! You’re defending this pig? We’re getting a divorce as soon as this is over!”
Inside, Yang Xiu saw a long-haired man and an overweight guy wrestling violently, while a beautiful woman tried to intervene from the side, clearly too frightened to get close.
The woman’s clothes were in disarray, her heaving chest nearly spilling out with every desperate move. This woman was Ma Yuan, Yang Xiu’s mentor.
“Stop it! Someone’s here! He’s recording a video!” Ma Yuan shouted in a panic, grasping at anything that could end the fight. She pointed at Yang Xiu the moment she saw him.
Surprisingly, the two men stopped fighting at once.
As Yang Xiu listened to their exchange, he quickly understood the situation. He had already started recording on his phone upon entering.
“Give me back my patent, or I’ll send this video to the school!” Yang Xiu felt as if fate was on his side, giving him this chance. Scandalous behavior was a serious offense in the school, and once exposed, Ma Yuan would surely be dismissed.
He didn’t believe she would risk her entire career for a million yuan. For people like her, a million wasn’t small, but she knew the stakes well enough.
And, after all, the patent was his.
“Mr. Yang, I’ll testify that this vile woman stole your patent!” The long-haired man rose, speaking with a dark intensity. Bloodshot eyes glared at the overweight man and Ma Yuan. Evidently, he knew about the patent theft, too.
Both the overweight man and Ma Yuan’s faces paled.
The long-haired man was none other than Ma Yuan’s husband, Zhang Zhe, an artist. His flowing hair made it clear he was an artist rather than a commercial model for shampoo.
Zhang Zhe wiped the blood from his mouth with a cold sneer, straightening his clothes. He walked to the sink, filled a cup, and took several big gulps of water.
“Zhang Zhe, you bastard! Don’t you dare go too far!” Ma Yuan screamed in despair. If this video were posted online, her career would be finished.
“Smack!” Zhang Zhe turned and hurled his cup to the floor. “Too far? You make me laugh! Were you thinking about ‘too far’ while crawling like a dog at this pig’s feet?”
His fury reignited as he picked up a knife from beside the sink and charged at the overweight man.
“Thud!”
Before Zhang Zhe could get close, the overweight man kicked him back. Zhang Zhe tumbled, crashing into a table, and lay struggling on the ground, writhing in pain.
Life is not a TV drama—people aren’t bulletproof and resilient beyond reality. The average human body is far more fragile than one might imagine.
The overweight man, blood oozing from his face, grabbed a chair and advanced on Zhang Zhe. “Damn it! That hurt like hell! I let my guard down, but let’s see you keep mouthing off now, weakling. I’ll finish you off!”
Zhang Zhe, though tall, was gaunt, his frame little more than skin and bones, as if he’d been through a severe illness—a testament to his indulgent lifestyle.
“Li Ruiming, what are you doing!” Ma Yuan cried, trying to push the overweight man away and crouching down to help her husband, Zhang Zhe.
“Get lost, you wretch!” Zhang Zhe regained enough strength to push Ma Yuan aside, his teeth bared, brushing his hair behind his ears to reveal a dark shadow around his eyes.
He forced himself upright, grabbed a kitchen knife from the sink, and once again charged at Li Ruiming, driven by an unbearable sense of humiliation. “You scumbag! I’ll die fighting you!”
Zhang Zhe had lost all reason, just as Yang Xiu had moments before.
Li Ruiming’s body quivered, instinctively raising the chair to defend himself from the approaching knife.
“No!” Ma Yuan covered her eyes, unwilling to witness the impending bloodshed.
“Thwack!”
The chair, with its greater reach, struck first, slamming down on Zhang Zhe’s head before the knife could make contact. Blood streamed from Zhang Zhe’s nose as he crumpled to the ground once more.
“Trash! I’ll finish you off!”
Li Ruiming, perhaps shaken by the knife attack, now cared only about “neutralizing the threat.” He raised the chair once more, aiming for Zhang Zhe’s head.
“Ah!” Ma Yuan screamed, trembling in fear.
“Bang!”
The chair missed, crashing to the floor and splintering, leaving Li Ruiming’s hand trembling from the impact, as half the chair clattered to the ground, bearing a fresh footprint.
Li Ruiming glared at the newly arrived Yang Xiu. “You brat, you want to die?”
It was Yang Xiu’s sudden kick that had diverted the chair from Zhang Zhe’s head.
Ironically, Li Ruiming was now relieved. If he’d struck Zhang Zhe’s head with full force, there would’ve been serious consequences. However, pride compelled him to scowl, looking Yang Xiu up and down with a mocking sneer. “Do you know who I am? You must be a student—this weakling here called you Yang Xiu, right? Well, I work for the local education bureau. If you want to graduate smoothly, delete that video.”
Yang Xiu lowered his head, his body trembling.
Li Ruiming’s bloody lips curled into a smug smile as he observed Yang Xiu’s quivering frame. He reveled in the thrill of using his authority to threaten and trample others, just like he did with Ma Yuan.
Li Ruiming stepped closer, reaching out to grab the phone from Yang Xiu’s hand.
In that instant, Yang Xiu snapped his foot up, delivering a brutal kick to Li Ruiming’s groin. A piercing, pig-like scream reverberated through the apartment.
Yang Xiu wasn’t trembling from fear—he was shaking with rage.
Threats—again with the threats!
He had worked tirelessly, endured hardships, all for the chance to graduate, to bring a better life to his aging parents!
Why did these bastards always threaten him like this?
Clutching himself in agony, Li Ruiming broke into a cold sweat, gasping, “You’re finished… you’re… fin—”
“Smash!”
Yang Xiu raised his foot and drove it into Li Ruiming’s face.
Blood sprayed from Li Ruiming’s nose, tears streaming from his eyes in pain.
Yang Xiu’s fury reached its boiling point. “To hell with you! I came here ready to go down with all of you! Forget school—let’s all die together today!”
Consumed with anger, Yang Xiu unleashed kick after kick on Li Ruiming. He had spared Zhang Zhe earlier to prevent his death—he still needed Zhang Zhe to testify for him about the stolen design plans.
Seeing Zhang Zhe still moving, Yang Xiu ignored him for now, pouring his fury into the corrupt, self-proclaimed education official.
Hearing Yang Xiu’s ominous words about dying together, Li Ruiming was frightened, clutching his head and screaming in pain.
“Stop right there!” Yang Xiu’s furious voice boomed as his bloodshot eyes locked onto Ma Yuan, who was trying to slip away.
Ma Yuan froze at his shout but then quickened her pace, bolting toward the door. “Help! Murder!”
Yang Xiu’s heart thumped as he lunged forward, grabbing Ma Yuan just as she was about to open the door. He threw her to the ground, pressing his foot onto her chest. A blade gleamed in his hand, pressing against her throat. “Make another sound, and I’ll cut you right here.”
Ma Yuan’s open mouth clamped shut, her body freezing in terror. Her pupils shrank, her beautiful face etched with horror. Seeing the knife in his hand, she knew now—Yang Xiu was here for vengeance. A yellow stain spread across the pristine floor beneath her.
Yang Xiu looked down at her with utter contempt, stuffing the bundled plans wrapped around the knife into her mouth. He stripped her single remaining shirt, tied it into a makeshift rope, and used it to bind her wrists as he kneeled, pinning her back to the ground.
Finished with Ma Yuan, Yang Xiu’s forehead was damp with sweat—not from exhaustion, but from the heat.
Oddly, a strange exhilaration bubbled within him as he replayed his violent actions in his mind.
Was this the satisfaction of vengeance?
Taking a few breaths, he tossed Ma Yuan into the corner. She seemed to want to say something, but Yang Xiu ignored her. He straightened and made his way to Zhang Zhe.
Just as he was about to step away, he turned back, looming over her with an icy glare. He barely restrained himself from going further; if not for the legal consequences, he might have let his wrath loose entirely.
Li Ruiming was still writhing in pain, crying out beside him.
Ignoring him, Yang Xiu focused on Zhang Zhe, who lay curled on the floor in an unnatural spasm. “Mr. Zhang! Mr. Zhang!”
He and Zhang Zhe didn’t have much interaction. Their only encounter was when Yang Xiu had run into him at a bar where he was working part-time. Zhang Zhe had been with two female art students, and he’d paid Yang Xiu a thousand yuan to keep his mouth shut.
The only reason Yang Xiu was helping him now was because Zhang Zhe had offered to testify about the patent theft.
Zhang Zhe was married to Ma Yuan, so he must have known about her scheme to steal the patent, perhaps even colluded with her.
But none of that mattered now. Zhang Zhe was on his side.
Zhang Zhe’s body jerked slightly, his face hidden behind his long hair, as though he was fighting off immense pain.
Yang Xiu felt a pang of alarm. What was happening to Zhang Zhe?
He couldn’t afford for something to happen to him now. He quickly took out his phone to call an ambulance, but strangely, the line wouldn’t connect.
The call was marked as “busy”?
He tried the police next. As long as Zhang Zhe testified for him about the design plans, he wouldn’t have to resort to extreme measures. His earlier threats of murder had been a bluff to scare them.
Oddly enough, the police line was also busy.
What was going on?
How could the lines be down?
“Breaking news—” Suddenly, the martial arts show on the television screen cut out, replaced by a familiar female news anchor.
Yang Xiu looked up instinctively, surprised. It was the first time he’d seen an emergency broadcast interrupt a program like this.
“Breaking news: A virus has suddenly spread worldwide. Infection by this virus turns people into creatures resembling zombies from films. Avoid being bitten and refrain from drinking tap water. Please stay inside, secure yourselves, and await government assistance…”
Before the announcement ended, the screen displayed the words, “No Signal.”
Yang Xiu froze. Zombie virus?
Tap water?
Wait!!
He recalled seeing Zhang Zhe drink tap water moments ago!
Before he could think further, a dark shadow lunged at him from the side, knocking him to the ground.
