Many people overseas were closely following Huaguo’s (China’s) news broadcasts. After all, it had been proven that Huaguo’s prediction was correct. During this catastrophe, nearly every country had suffered losses — some more, some less — and even island nations like Country R had been completely submerged. Only Huaguo, apart from a few evacuated cities, had remained almost entirely unscathed.
In addition, all of Huaguo’s recent measures had shown that this mysterious nation was not only the safest place in the world, but also the fastest to respond to the apocalypse.
For a while, countless foreigners began applying to immigrate to Huaguo, hoping to find refuge there.
Even leaders of many countries reached out directly, asking for special immigration channels to be opened and for trade routes to resume.
But all were declined with the explanation that Huaguo was still in the middle of self-rescue operations and could not yet help others. Still, the nation promised that once domestic stability was restored, it would provide aid as soon as possible.
Three days passed. During those three days, isolated cases began appearing across various regions — people either infected and turning into zombies, or awakening as ability users.
At the same time, the symptoms that signaled whether someone would become a zombie or awaken an ability were made public. It always began with a high fever.No matter what methods were used — fever-reducing drugs, IV drips, hot compresses, cold compresses, or home remedies — nothing worked. The fever persisted, and after an extended period of unconsciousness, the outcome was decided: the person would either awaken as an ability user and regain consciousness, or die and transform into a zombie.
Fortunately, Huaguo had already been widely promoting knowledge about zombies and how to deal with them. So when zombie incidents occurred, the resulting chaos was quickly contained.
Still, some people couldn’t bring themselves to kill their zombified family members. Instead, they tied them up or locked them in bedrooms, hoping the government would soon develop a cure.
In response, the authorities issued an emergency announcement urging everyone to destroy zombies immediately upon discovery, or at least report them to local officials — but never to keep them confined at home, as zombies would continue to evolve over time, making them impossible for ordinary people to kill later.
Meanwhile, experts at the national research institute confirmed that a high fever was the sign of zombie virus infection.However, if one’s latent potential could be triggered and the person awakened as an ability user, they would survive and become immune — as long as the zombie virus did not directly enter their bloodstream.
Those who became zombies, on the other hand, were already dead, reanimated by the virus. They were no longer human but walking corpses controlled by infection.This meant that even if a cure for the zombie virus were discovered, it could not resurrect those who had already turned.
In short: zombification was irreversible.
The government also encouraged citizens to monitor one another — to report or eliminate zombies immediately to prevent further spread.However, if anyone used the excuse of “killing zombies” as cover for committing crimes against others, they were to be executed on the spot once discovered.
Awakened ability users were urged to register promptly and report to the nearest ability training camp for guidance and control.Their families would be relocated to secure residential areas within the military zones for protection.
At the same time, ability users stationed in each Safe Zone began patrolling nearby cities — destroying zombies on sight and escorting any newly awakened ability users and their families back to military bases.
Huaguo remained calm and orderly.
But across the rest of Blue Star, chaos reigned.
In many coastal nations that had been flooded, the situation worsened.Unlike Huaguo, which had immediately retrieved and burned the corpses from the sea, these countries had not done so in time — and now, corpses in the water began turning into zombies.
Countless zombies crawled from the ocean onto the land, following instinct toward densely populated cities.
By the time people realized what was happening, entire cities were surrounded by hordes of zombies.When their governments sent armies to rescue survivors, even more people had already been devoured — swelling the zombie ranks.
Facing tens or even hundreds of thousands of zombies, some nations were forced to resort to nuclear strikes, obliterating their own cities.
In just three days, countless countries had fallen into chaos and despair.
Huaguo, though stable, could offer no aid to others.The Red Rain was about to arrive.A new era was dawning, and all they could do was let fate take its course.
On June 24, when many people woke up, they found that the sky, which had been gray since the 21st, had suddenly turned red.The air reeked of blood and decay — the same stench carried by zombies.
Those who reacted quickly immediately understood: the concentration of zombie virus had intensified!They hurriedly shut their windows and doors, called government hotlines, and turned on TVs, radios, or the internet — all tuned to the national channel, awaiting news.
They didn’t have to wait long. The official broadcast began:
“Attention, all citizens of Huaguo: please remain indoors.Experts have confirmed that the zombie virus has entered a stage of massive outbreak.Heavy rainfall is expected today, and the rain will contain mutated zombie virus particles.Exposure to the rain will carry a very high risk of infection. Citizens who have been caught in the rain or made contact with rainwater must immediately self-isolate.If a fever develops, do not give up — have the courage to fight the virus.A fever does not necessarily mean zombification; there is also a chance of awakening as an ability user. For families of those with fevers, do not panic. It may signify an awakening.Report it immediately, and secure the patient by binding them and keeping them isolated.Seal the windows and doors to prevent harm in case of zombification. Regarding this rainfall — do not be overly alarmed.Ability users have been deployed nationwide to patrol and assist as needed.Should any emergency arise, nearby ability users will respond promptly.Please remain calm and stay inside your homes.If you require help, contact your local authorities immediately.”
Every channel broadcast the same message in a continuous loop, gradually easing the panic that had gripped the populace.
People in other countries who followed Huaguo’s news did the same — sealing their homes and waiting anxiously indoors.
Of course, there were always thrill-seekers.Some people decided to take their chances and stand in the rain, gambling on the fifty-fifty odds.After all, if the fever led to awakening instead of death, becoming an ability user might be their only hope for survival in this new world.
When the noon bell rang, the red rain began to fall.
All ability users mobilized, patrolling their assigned districts — killing any zombies on sight and escorting those showing fever symptoms into isolation.
In truth, abilities themselves were a by-product of the zombie virus — energy mutations triggered by the virus stimulating the body’s latent potential.Thus, for ability users, the red rain actually contained faint traces of absorbable energy.
So in the end, who could say whether this Red Rain was a disaster or a blessing?
Safe Zone No. 1 — The Leader’s Villa
Inside, the national leader sat with Elder Luo, Section Chief Lin Yushan, and Research Director Zhang, sipping tea as they watched the red rain outside the window.
“Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new era,” the leader sighed.
“Yes,” Zhang nodded, eyes gleaming. “Crystal cores should start appearing on a large scale soon. Those are precious materials! Energy fluid, intermediate gene serums, even new energy sources — all of them depend on the power contained in crystal cores. I’d bet many of the incredible items in Little Bai’s Merit Mall are tied to that same energy.”
“Old Zhang, you never change,” Elder Luo said helplessly. “The moment research is mentioned, you lose yourself in excitement.”
“Crystal cores…” the leader murmured softly. “Perhaps they’re the only thing worth looking forward to in this apocalypse.”
“Once tomorrow passes, we should be able to start relocating people into the Safe Zones,” Lin Yushan said, rubbing his thinning hair. “We’re about to build a whole new social order — everything needs to be planned properly. Ah, I swear, I’ve been losing more hair lately!”
The leader glanced at him and chuckled, patting his shoulder. “You’ve worked hard, Yushan. You always take on too much. Try delegating more — let the young ones learn. Don’t wear yourself out.”
“It’s my honor to serve, sir. For the people, I don’t feel tired!” Lin Yushan straightened up and saluted seriously.
The leader smiled and raised a hand gently. “Once we’re through this period, everything will return to order. Sit down — things will get better.”
At those words, everyone lifted their heads to look at the red rain still falling outside the window.
Yes… everything would get better.