Chapter 12: Awakening to the Apocalypse

“Brother, wake up!!!”

‘He’s shirtless in my room. Could it be…?’

“What’s going on? Why won’t he wake up? Should I give him CPR? No! I’ll call for help instead.”

“The emergency number isn’t connecting, and I can’t reach the police either. What in the world is happening?”

“I’ll just go out and find someone for help!”

Through a hazy fog, my sister’s voice incessantly rang in my ears.

I strained to open my eyes, but they refused to obey. Yet, the instant I heard her declare she would go outside, my mind jolted fully awake.

Keeping my eyes closed, I abruptly reached out and grabbed her wrist as she attempted to shift my body.

“Oh my god, Brother! You scared me half to death!”

My sudden movement startled my sister, but the sheer relief in her voice brought a warmth to my heart.

For ten years in the apocalypse, everyone around me had sought only to exploit me. Pure, unadulterated concern like my sister’s was a rarity now.

“I… I’m fine. Don’t… don’t go out.”

Having only just emerged from the throes of a high fever, my body remained weak. I couldn’t even open my eyes, so I had to speak up immediately to prevent her from leaving.

By now, the world outside was likely overrun with zombies.

“What’s wrong, Brother? Just now, there were people howling outside. I thought it was some ruffians causing trouble, and I was about to go chase them away!”

My sister’s words made my brows furrow deeply. I was incredibly fortunate to have woken up at such a critical moment; otherwise, if she had gone out, it would truly have been too late!

Although those with awakened abilities wouldn’t be infected if bitten by a zombie, my sister’s powers hadn’t yet manifested. If she went outside now and encountered zombies, she would undoubtedly be devoured.

The key to awakening abilities lay in absorbing the crystal cores found within zombie heads.

Only by absorbing the energy from these crystal cores could one’s abilities fully manifest.

Furthermore, continuous absorption of crystal cores would lead to a constant increase in power. Thus, in the apocalypse, crystal cores were the sole circulating currency.

“Don’t go out yet. Go look out the window yourself.”

After resting for a while, my physical condition improved significantly. Only once I could speak without effort did I tell my sister to look outside.

Though I had hesitated earlier about exposing her to zombies so soon, I knew I couldn’t keep her sheltered forever.

If I continued to withhold the truth, it would be tantamount to sending her to her death in this apocalypse. My sister couldn’t remain a hothouse flower her entire life; given that her abilities had already awakened, she was destined to endure a baptism of blood and fire.

I couldn’t protect her endlessly…

“Brother, what… what in the world is that? Ugh…”

My sister’s words were cut short as she frantically darted away from me, rushing straight to the bathroom to retch.

Though my eyes were still closed, I knew she must have seen the zombies.

The apocalypse had finally arrived.

I let out a soft sigh, then forced my eyes open.

Once light filled my vision, I slowly pushed myself to my feet and walked towards the window.

As I passed the mirror from earlier, I glanced sideways at my reflection. There was no longer any black discoloration on my upper body.

Normally, the black spots on one’s neck would only appear during a high fever caused by infection, vanishing once consciousness returned.

However, my situation had been unique; the black spots had spread across my entire upper body.

I had even lost consciousness during the process, so I couldn’t be sure if the darkness had extended to my lower body as well.

“Brother, what on earth is going on? Outside, how could… Ugh…”

My sister emerged from the bathroom, her face pale. As she spoke to me, the memory of what she had just witnessed seemed to flash before her eyes, and she couldn’t hold it back, rushing straight back into the bathroom.

I chuckled and shook my head. If she couldn’t even handle a sight like this, a full zombie horde would surely scare her to death.

Just as this thought crossed my mind, I finally reached the window.

Looking down, I saw that the zombies had indeed appeared.

The streets teemed with them, relentlessly chasing after any living person they could find. Once they caught someone, they would gruesomely tear the body apart and devour it. Some victims, before being fully consumed, were swiftly infected by the virus and instantly transformed into zombies themselves.

Those who had only been gnawed a few times could turn into zombies and continue the pursuit of the living. However, those severely mauled could only lie there, eyes wide open, waiting for more living prey to stumble upon them.

My sister must have been terrified by the sight of them eating people.

I watched the scene outside with an impassive expression. The bloody spectacle did not stir a single emotion within me.

Witnessing the zombies feast on humans felt as commonplace to me as any daily occurrence.

After all, the apocalypse had only just begun; this was merely the prelude.