Screams, roars, and the howls of zombies intertwined and merged together, each louder than the last, eventually forming a deafening cacophony.
No one could make out what anyone was actually shouting.
People were simply overwhelmed by the terrifying noise, consumed by fear until they lost all rationality and joined in the screaming themselves.
There were simply too many people.
As a famous tourist attraction and social media hotspot, the shopping center was filled not only with people who could actually afford luxury goods, but also with endless influencers and men who had come purely to admire attractive women.
The six-story shopping center maintained a constant flow of over 7,000 visitors at all times.
If the crowd outside in the plaza was included, the number easily exceeded ten thousand.
Adding to the problem was the mall’s extremely open layout.
The plaza and the interior of the shopping center were both broad and unobstructed.
As a result, the survivors had nowhere to hide.
The entire mall had become a giant buffet for zombies.
People screamed as they fled.
Zombies roared as they pursued them.
Yet amid the chaos on the fourth floor, there existed a zone of death that zombies could not approach.
A young man wielded a long blade.
Like a warrior who had stepped out of a martial arts novel, he swung his weapon with effortless precision.
Whether human or zombie, anyone who dared approach was met by a flash of dazzling ice crystals.
The next moment, they were reduced to severed corpses.
Slash.
Cut.
Slice.
Hack.
Sever.
Cleave.
Sweep.
Lift.
Thrust.
Chi You knew no profound blade techniques.
However, under the enhancement of Max-Level Blade Mastery, these simplest and most fundamental movements were more practical than any top-tier sword art.
[Experience +2]
[Experience +2]
[Experience +2]
Notifications flashed endlessly.
“Just two more zombies until I level up.”
Chi You brought his blade down.
An ice-blue line extended from the zombie’s skull all the way to its groin.
A moment later, the body split apart to either side.
With a flick of his blade, Chi You stepped through the gap between the corpse halves and continued forward.
Only after he had walked several meters away did the frost coating the wound gradually melt, releasing thick black blood.
This was one of the main reasons he had loved Ice Jade so much in his previous life.
Besides Ice Jade, he had obtained another Sub-Legendary evolvable weapon and even a Legendary-grade saber.
Compared to those two, Ice Jade’s attributes were slightly inferior.
However, its Frost Power temporarily froze wounds after a kill, preventing foul zombie blood from splattering everywhere.
That advantage alone was enough to make it his favorite weapon.
Avoiding contact with zombie blood was extremely important in the apocalypse.
It wasn’t merely a matter of disgust.
Zombie blood contained a large concentration of the zombie virus.
If it splashed into your eyes, entered your mouth, or even remained on your hands before contaminating your food during a meal, you could still become infected.
Chi You had even seen people covered in zombie blood who absentmindedly put their fingers into their mouths while sleeping.
By the time they realized what they had done, it was already too late.
To prevent such accidents, many survivors developed habits like loosely tying their hands while sleeping or wearing a clean face mask.
Those were considered standard precautions.
“Roar!”
A zombie lunged from the side.
Chi You’s blade swept upward with perfect precision, slicing through its neck.
[Level Up]
The notification flashed briefly.
Immediately, Chi You felt his body become lighter.
He did not rush to open his status panel.
Time didn’t stop while viewing menus.
Checking his panel while surrounded by zombies was no different from seeking death.
Besides, he already knew what the results would be.
Every time a player leveled up, all four basic attributes increased by 5 points.
Additionally, they received one free attribute point.
Each free attribute point could increase any chosen attribute by 10 points.
Without hesitation, Chi You allocated it to Agility.
Spirit was practically useless during the early stages and could be ignored entirely.
Normally, players prioritized Strength and Constitution.
Strength increased damage output and made everyday tasks easier.
Constitution was even more valuable.
It improved stamina, resistance to illness, and overall physical resilience.
At sufficiently high levels, it could even grant regenerative abilities.
Both attributes were excellent.
However, they shared a fatal flaw.
At low values, they were almost powerless against zombie hordes.
There was a saying that overwhelming strength could crush all techniques.
But one free attribute point was nowhere near enough to reach that level.
Besides, with Ice Jade in hand, adding a little extra Strength wouldn’t change anything.
He could already kill ordinary zombies instantly.
Agility, on the other hand, was different.
It increased his attack speed.
It improved his reaction time.
It enhanced his movement speed.
As the saying went, discretion was the better part of valor.
After surviving in the apocalypse for so many years, Chi You had absolutely no concern for pride.
Was staying alive embarrassing?
Of course not.
If he couldn’t win and couldn’t kill them all, why shouldn’t he run?
The moment he allocated the point to Agility, a warm current burst from his heart and flowed throughout his limbs.
His body immediately felt lighter and faster.
“Roar!”
Three zombies attacked from different directions.
For most people, it would have been a hopeless situation.
But Chi You merely lifted one foot.
In the next instant, he moved like a gust of wind and appeared beside the zombie directly ahead.
Only after its corpse collapsed to the ground did the other two zombies finally arrive.
Chi You dodged the pounce from the zombie on the left.
One slash eliminated the zombie on the right.
Then a horizontal sweep cut the remaining zombie cleanly in half at the waist.
There was no path ahead.
A metal door blocked the way.
Turning around, Chi You saw a trail of corpses behind him.
In less than five minutes, he had forced his way through a raging zombie tide, carving a path from the restroom all the way to the stairwell entrance.
He raised his leg and kicked the metal door.
Whether it had been locked originally or locked by someone hiding inside, the result was the same.
The door rattled violently but remained shut.
It didn’t matter.
Chi You raised Ice Jade with both hands.
Brilliant ice-blue light surged across the blade.
[Frost Strike]
Ice Jade came crashing down.
With the sharpness of the blade and the immense boost in power, the metal door offered no more resistance than tofu.
It split neatly into two halves.
Amid a series of crashing sounds, Chi You stepped over the fallen metal door and entered the stairwell.
The interior was dim.
There were no windows.
Only a small light bulb cast a faint yellow glow.
The apocalypse had only just begun.
Power had not completely failed yet.
However, it would not be long before the city’s electrical grid was destroyed.
The shopping center’s stairwell was surprisingly spacious.
Five people could walk side by side without feeling crowded.
Several people were hiding on the stairs.
Their eyes were wide with shock.
They clearly had not yet processed how the sturdy door had suddenly been cut cleanly in half.
Their gazes followed Chi You as he moved.
Just as he was about to disappear around the next landing, one person suddenly snapped out of his daze and shouted in a shrill voice, “You think you can destroy this place and just walk away?!”
Chi You stopped.
He turned and looked at the man who had spoken.
Why did this person have the courage to shout at him?
Chi You found the question genuinely interesting.
Did the man think he was easy to bully?
Probably not.
After all, Chi You was carrying a massive blade.
Then was he simply stupid?
Or perhaps the destruction of what he considered a safe refuge had filled him with anger and stripped away his ability to think rationally?
There was also another possibility.
Maybe he hoped that by acting this way, he could make Chi You feel guilty and take responsibility for restoring their safety.
Chi You didn’t know which possibility was correct.
But he knew one thing.
In the apocalypse, only fools shouted and screamed.
His gaze shifted briefly toward the doorway.
Then he turned away and continued downstairs without another word.
“Get back here!”
The man hurried forward, trying to chase after him.
However, before he could even take a step, a hideous face suddenly appeared right in front of him.
While everyone had been focused on Chi You, a zombie had slipped through the entrance that had become a blind spot in their vision.
The chaotic sounds of the shopping mall had masked its footsteps.
No one had noticed that death had already arrived.
“AAAAHHHHHH!!!”
Hearing the sudden scream behind him, Chi You chuckled softly.
Accompanied by the heart-rending cries echoing through the stairwell, he continued descending the stairs without looking back.