Chapter 3. Eclipse

It’s 7 a.m. on June 15 in S City.

Only three hours until the solar eclipse. Predictions suggest the eclipse will last three hours from beginning to peak and then end. However, the eclipse two thousand years ago lasted eight hours. No one knows what will happen or whether the person next to them will turn into a zombie and attack.

Based on the situation from the zombie pandemic two thousand years ago, Minister Wang already had a plan. During the eclipse, the transformation from human to zombie occurs. Regular people and power users won’t change, but zombies will gradually stiffen, unable to move or speak. They’ll growl at the peak of the eclipse.

During this time, those nearby can notice and quickly isolate them or go to a prearranged area for power users and regular people. Regardless of the relationship, the priority is to run or kill the zombie, as there is no cure, and antibiotics are ineffective.

Two thousand years ago, the Wang family ancestor discovered a vaccine against the zombie mutation. Everyone has received it, but no one knows if it works. Therefore, preventative measures are crucial.

Hubert sighed deeply. He was the only one at the power user assembly point. The sky was blood-red as if signaling the end of the world.

Hubert alternated between sitting and lying down. Everything was prepared meticulously and thoroughly at the power user assembly point. He looked out the window at the sky. It was almost noon, but the sky was getting darker, and the blinding sun was dimming. The solar eclipse was starting. Soon, all light disappeared.

Hubert took out a flashlight, unsure how long the eclipse would last or how many people would come afterward. But out of thirty-six billion people, only ten billion wouldn’t become zombies, and only one billion were power users. Not to mention, those bitten by zombies would gradually turn into zombies. As Hubert pondered, a bright yellow light suddenly flashed in the sky. By the time he noticed it, it was close to the ground.

Not even ten counts had passed when an object, akin to a meteorite, plummeted heavily onto the ground. It wasn’t close to where he was, but it triggered a significant tremor. The assembly area for the superpower users suffered considerable losses as a result. Even though he couldn’t see it, he knew the barrier had been shattered, making this place unsuitable for dwelling.

What exactly was that plummeting thing? It certainly wasn’t a meteor shower with just one piece. But after it hit, it emitted an unbearably foul odor, causing Hubert’s body to feel intensely uncomfortable until he eventually passed out.

He had no idea how long it took, but Hubert eventually awoke due to the roaring sounds outside. He stood up and looked through the window. The sky was brightly lit and scorching hot, and far away were dark, indistinct blobs.

He tried to squint at them, and to his shock, the distant images suddenly magnified. It wasn’t that they had become more extensive but that he had somehow developed far-sightedness, allowing him to see things hundreds of kilometers away. His hearing followed suit, as he could hear the distant sound of running water.

"What’s going on? Why…"

While he was mumbling in confusion, the sound of Go*gle translation resonated in his ear, and simultaneously, a small screen that he had never seen before appeared before. The system rebooted, stating:

"Hello, Master Hubert, I’m back. The apocalyptic virtual reality game has been fully launched, so please be ready to fight. First, withdraw your extended sight and hearing, then try to salvage anything useful from the devastated assembly area. This area, devastated by last night’s meteorite, can’t longer be a refuge."

“What… What will happen to the people who can’t find shelter?” Hubert curiously inquired.

“Of course, they’ll be torn apart by the zombies, then become zombies and continue hunting. Your mission as a superpower user is to save people and prevent the apocalypse.”

Hubert fell silent. He was the one who started this game, so he should be responsible for it, a deadly game that had been put into reality.

He tried to retract his sight and hearing. Last night’s falling object had obliterated the superpower assembly area, and he had no choice but to scavenge for valuable items and stuff them into his crowded space.

“Grr… Grr…”

Suddenly, a growling sound resonated. Bending over, Hubert saw a black cat under his feet, its red eyes threatening. It slowly approached, apparently intending to attack him. The mutation phase had just begun, so the cat was not as agile as usual.

Hubert didn’t hesitate to kick it away, but whether it was a human or an animal, once it became a zombie, it would yearn for a living. Hence, the cat didn’t give up on Hubert and continued to pounce. Hubert quickly dodged, pulled out a knife from his space, and remorselessly stabbed the cat’s head, making it let out a few growls before it fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to be this way either!”

Hubert has always been fond of cats, but in the current state of the world, it has become a survival of the fittest. He couldn’t trust even humans, let alone an irrational animal. Now, if Hubert doesn’t kill the cat, it will kill him.

Just as he was about to leave, the cat on the ground suddenly emitted a circle of white light. The ethereal beauty of this white light startled Hubert, compelling him to reach out and touch it. When his hand made contact, the light shrunk and slipped into his fingertip, leaving a mild throbbing sensation.

“What on earth?” Hubert wondered.

Soon enough, he had his answer. His fingernails suddenly elongated by about ten centimeters, resembling cat claws. It dawned on him: killing a mutated creature and claiming its white light gave him the creature’s abilities.

This phenomenon was not recorded in the ancient apocalypse book two thousand years ago. Could it be due to the fallen meteorite?

Hubert struggled to retract his claws, still unfamiliar with this new change to his body. Controlling the nails would take some time.

Suddenly, he felt hot, and sweat started to bead on his face. Looking up, he saw an additional sun in the sky. The apocalypse was not as simple as it was two thousand years ago.

How was he going to save the world? Would the ancestors of the Wang family guide him?

He pulled out a giant baseball bat from his spatial bag. The knife he had earlier was too short, and he might encounter more agile zombies.

According to the ancient book, zombies take about three to four days to adapt fully, so they are weak initially. Even ordinary people without supernatural powers could handle them. But would those ordinary people, terrified as they were, be capable of fighting the zombies?