Chapter 64: The Secrets of Awakening

“After the mysterious virus outbreak, not only did zombies emerge, but some humans also awakened special abilities.”

“Brother Bai, what exactly does it mean to awaken a special ability?”

As I was explaining the concept of ability users to my sister, Little Seven, who was sitting beside us, suddenly spoke up, their voice tinged with confusion, asking about the awakening process.

I cast a sidelong glance at Little Seven. After a brief internal debate, I decided to enlighten them.

After all, these three hadn’t abandoned me and fled when I was confronting the [Intelligent Zombie]. Instead, they had chosen to remain by my side. For that, I didn’t mind answering their questions at all.

I had always been generous with those who showed a willingness to learn.

“When the mysterious virus erupted, humans weren’t just transformed into zombies by the infection. In fact, some were also infected by the virus but, instead, awakened unique abilities! The tell-tale signs preceding an awakening are a high fever and black spots on the neck. Anyone exhibiting these symptoms can be confirmed as an unawakened ability user. Afterward, absorbing the energy from a single core will allow them to successfully awaken their ability.”

“In that case, it’s no wonder I awakened my ability after Brother gave me a core.”

“What? Sister Bai also awakened an ability?”

“’Sister Bai’?! What kind of blasphemy is that?”

“Brother Bai’s status in my heart is akin to a god. Calling you ‘Sister Bai’ would imply you’re on equal footing with Brother Bai, so I had to add the ‘Little’ prefix.”

“Curly, I’m going to beat you to death.”

Curly answered my sister’s question with utmost sincerity, yet his words clearly failed to satisfy her. As my sister nearly lunged at Curly, I quickly intervened and stopped her.

My sister was now an awakened ability user. Not only did she possess healing capabilities, but her physical attributes had also improved across the board, granting her significantly more strength than an ordinary person.

Just look at Wang Lili, still unconscious in the back seat, a testament to my sister’s unexpected power!

“Stop messing around; I need to continue… Humans who awaken abilities are collectively known as ability users. Since ordinary humans can only rely on firearms and other tools, they can’t inflict substantial damage on zombies. Therefore, various ability users are the core strength in combating zombie monsters, and cores have become the sole circulating currency in the apocalypse! Cores can be used to buy and sell goods, food, and so on, but their most crucial function is to help ability users advance their levels.”

“Brother Bai, where do cores come from?”

“Cores are found within the brains of zombies. However, currently, hunting zombies doesn’t guarantee that every one will have a core in its brain. But… the three enhanced zombies I just killed were already Level 2, so they definitely have cores.”

“Only Level 2 zombies are guaranteed to have cores in their brains?”

“No, once a zombie reaches Level 1, it’s 100% guaranteed to have a core. However, because the abilities of ability users vary, cores above Level 1 also have elemental attributes. They are divided into three types: [Heaven], [Earth], and [Human], corresponding to red, yellow, and blue colors.”

“Wow! This sounds so exciting! It’s just like playing a game!”

“Right! Ability users, cores, and everything else have appeared—it’s absolutely fantastical!”

“I want to become an ability user too, and use invincible abilities to instantly kill zombies.”

As I recounted what I knew about the apocalypse, my sister, Big Gold Tooth, and the others listened with rapt attention. From time to time, as the content of my explanation shifted, they would involuntarily let out exclamations of surprise.

Watching their enthusiastic reactions, I couldn’t help but shake my head with a sense of helplessness.

They had only heard about the intriguing aspects of the apocalypse, but they had yet to experience its true horrors.

In the apocalypse, humanity was driven to the brink by zombies, left with no place to survive and forced to endure the threats of hunger, cold, and disease. Furthermore, the conflicts between people made living even more arduous… They hadn’t experienced any of these hardships, so their minds were still incredibly naive.

They only imagined the thrill of a game, oblivious to the fact that there was no ‘reload save’ function now. Death was final.

“Both zombies and ability users can level up. However, for zombies, leveling up is indicated by protruding black bumps on their foreheads. If one appears, it’s a Level 1 zombie. Two black bumps signify a Level 2 zombie… and so on. Their level can be determined by counting the black bumps on their foreheads. However, if one interacts with zombies for a long time, they can usually discern a zombie’s level even without counting the bumps.”

“That’s how you check a zombie’s level, but what about an ability user?”

“Unlike zombies, an ability user’s level is displayed on their neck. The number visible on your neck, or mine, indicates our respective levels.”

“So that’s how it works! I understand now!”

“Brother Bai knows so much! It’s as if… he’s an old veteran who has lived in the apocalypse for many years.”

“Hehehe, maybe Brother Bai was reborn from the apocalypse, just like in those novels where a powerful individual is betrayed or killed, then reborn into the past to seek revenge on those people…”

“Little Seven, you’ve definitely read too many novels! How could something like that happen in the real world?!”

“Exactly! If I could be reborn, I would have already gone back to become a gang boss!”

After I finished speaking, Big Gold Tooth and the others joked, speculating whether I had been reborn from the apocalypse.

Those who spoke had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Big Gold Tooth and the others’ words now felt like a sharp dagger, silently piercing my heart.

My previously smiling expression quickly froze, and I sat stunned in my seat, a rapid succession of countless memory fragments flashing through my mind like a revolving lantern.

Just as Little Seven had said, I truly had been reborn from ten years in the apocalypse.

And indeed, my death had been unjust.

Could it be that the intense resentment in my heart when I jumped from the top of that ten-story building prevented me from truly dying, instead sending me back ten years?

I pondered for a long time but couldn’t arrive at a conclusion.

If it truly was because of the overwhelming resentment within me that I was reborn ten years into the past… then, starting from this life, I would absolutely never repeat my past mistakes.

I would become powerful, so strong that no one could ever threaten me.

Only then could I protect myself, my family, and my friends!

“Brother Bai, we’ve arrived at our destination!”

Just as I was secretly resolving to become stronger, the car abruptly halted. Immediately, Big Gold Tooth turned his head from the driver’s seat, informing me that we had reached our destination.

The time to settle accounts with Brother Li had finally come.