1: First Kill Zombie System Now Available

Chapter 1: Three Systems, The Spark on the Rooftop

When the cold, crimson rain lashed against Lin Zhou's face, he was lying prone on the edge of a rooftop atop a crumbling residential building, clutching a rusted Fire Axe. The streets below had long since turned into ruins, with snapped rebar piercing the asphalt. Dark brown blood mixed with rainwater, forming winding streams in the potholes. The rising and falling roars, wrapped in a thick scent of blood, drifted into his nostrils with the wind, making his lungs ache.

Three days ago, he had still been practicing shooting at the firing range of a veteran training base. After a sudden bout of dizziness, he had tumbled into this parallel world overrun by zombies. There was no cell signal, all communications were cut off, and the once-familiar city had become a man-eating hunting ground. Relying on the fighting skills he had honed during his service, he had barely managed to crawl to this rooftop to survive.

"Gurgle... Heh..."

A dragging sound of footsteps came from the rooftop entrance. A rotting zombie was clumsily climbing upward. Decaying fingers clawed at the concrete steps, dark green pus dripping from between its knuckles. Half of its cheek had fallen off, revealing pale white gums, and its cloudy eyeballs were fixed intently on Lin Zhou in the center of the roof.

Lin Zhou's eyes sharpened. The moment he flipped and leaped up, the Fire Axe was held firmly in his grip. He didn't choose to hide; instead, he strode forward to meet the zombie—in this world, running away only led to a faster death.

The zombie roared and lunged, its rotting claws swiping at his neck with a stench-filled wind. Lin Zhou sidestepped to avoid it, his wrist snapping with force. The Fire Axe let out a sharp whistle as it split the air, precisely cleaving into the zombie's skull.

Splat!

Thick, foul blood splattered all over him, but he didn't care. He pulled the axe out with a backhand motion and kicked the zombie's corpse off the roof. The dull thud of the body hitting the ground echoed through the street. In the next second, three cold mechanical voices exploded in his mind one after another:

[Ding! Killed Tier 1 Zombie ×1, gained 10 Experience Points. Zombie-Slaying Leveling System bound successfully!]

[Current Level: 0→1, Free Attribute Points +5, Constitution +3, Strength +2, Spirit +0]

[Detected host in contact with rusted metal (Fire Axe). metal Devouring Upgrade System activated! Devoured trace amount of rusted iron, metal points +1, Fire Axe Durability +5, Sharpness +1]

Lin Zhou's whole body shook as a warm current instantly surged through his limbs and bones. His muscles, sore from days of fleeing, suddenly tightened. A sense of power like never before came from the hand holding the axe, and even his vision cleared up. He looked down at the Fire Axe in his hand and saw the rust on the blade receding at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing a cold, silvery-gray metallic luster underneath.

Before he could digest these two surprises, a fourth mechanical voice followed, carrying a distinctly different, heavy metallic texture:

[Detected host killing a zombie. Energy fluctuations meet the startup threshold. Red Alert Base Vehicle System binding... Binding successful!]

[Initial Resources: metal 0, power 0. Note: metal points can be directly converted into Red Alert Base resources; power requires building a power Plant to obtain.]

Three systems, not a single one missing!

Lin Zhou's breathing suddenly quickened. He was a veteran red alert player and a retired soldier who had spent years in the field; tactical layouts and individual combat were second nature to him. Killing zombies to level up himself, devouring metal to strengthen equipment, and the red alert system to build a base—the three were perfectly linked, a tailor-made tool for survival in the apocalypse!

He suppressed his excitement and quickly sorted out the system connections: Kill zombies to earn experience and level up, using attribute points for constitution and strength to improve survival; devour metal to earn metal points, which can both strengthen weapons and supply the red alert system; and use the red alert system to build Barracks and produce troops to form a large-scale combat force.

"First, get metal points and build a power Plant." Lin Zhou's gaze swept across the corner of the roof, where several discarded iron trash cans and some broken rebar were piled—all "treasures" that could be devoured.

He walked over with the Fire Axe and reached out to grab a rusted piece of rebar.

[Devoured medium amount of rusted iron, metal points +15. Current metal points: 16]

[Convert to red alert system resources? Yes/No]

"Yes!"

[Resource conversion successful. red alert system metal: 16, power: 0]

[Available basic buildings: power Plant (metal 20, power 0), Barracks (metal 30, power 5), Ore Refinery (metal 50, power 10)]

He was 4 metal points short of building a power Plant. Lin Zhou's eyes fell on the solar water heater on the other side of the roof. The metal frame and copper pipes of that thing would be just enough to make up the difference.

He rushed over in a few steps, split the water heater's plastic casing with a few swings of his axe, and grabbed the hot aluminum alloy frame. Rain fell on it, making a sizzling sound.

[Devoured aluminum alloy frame (medium amount) + copper piping (small amount), metal points +9. Current metal points: 25]

[Convert to red alert system resources? Yes/No]

"Convert!"

[red alert system metal: 25, power: 0]

Enough! Overjoyed, Lin Zhou immediately issued a command in his mind: "Build power Plant!"

[Consumed metal 20, remaining metal 5. Please select a construction location.]

Lin Zhou looked around. The rooftop had a wide field of vision and was easy to defend but hard to attack, making it an excellent base location. He selected the open space in the center of the roof. In the next second, a pale blue light descended from the sky and landed on the concrete floor. As the light dissipated, a small diesel power plant occupying ten square meters appeared. Its dark body exuded a cold industrial aura, and faint black smoke rose from the chimney.

[power Plant construction complete, power +10. Current power: 10 (Stable Supply)]

[Available buildings updated: Barracks (metal 30, power 5)]

Still 25 metal points short. Lin Zhou looked down at the street filled with traffic, where dozens of abandoned cars were parked. The steel shells and the copper coils in the engines were all metal that could be devoured.

But just then, the roaring sounds from below suddenly became denser.

Lin Zhou leaned over the edge of the roof and looked down. At the end of the street, a dark mass of zombies was crawling toward the residential building—at least a hundred of them. And in front of the zombie horde, a lithe figure was desperately fleeing—it was a woman in black tactical gear, holding a military dagger, with three extremely fast Speed Type zombies following behind her.

The woman was agile, her dagger flashing as she pierced a zombie's skull, but the Speed Types were too fast, and her arm was still slashed with three bloody gashes. Seeing her about to be cornered against the wall of the residential building, Lin Zhou's pupils constricted.

His veteran instincts made it impossible for him to just sit by and watch.

More importantly, a system notification suddenly rang out:

[Detected surviving human. Recruiting survivors can earn Faith power. Faith power can strengthen red alert buildings and units!]

Lin Zhou no longer hesitated and leaped onto the rooftop railing. The height of the third floor was nothing more than a light jump for him now that his constitution had doubled. He landed with slightly bent knees to absorb the impact, and at the same time, his Fire Axe swept out, directly severing the neck of a Speed Type zombie lunging at the woman.

[Ding! Killed Tier 1 Mutated Zombie (Speed Type) ×1, Experience +20. Current Level 1 (30/100)]

[Devoured trace amount of mutated bone metal, metal points +2]

The sudden help caught the woman off guard for a moment, but she reacted quickly, stabbing her dagger into another zombie's eye socket. Lin Zhou didn't stop; the Fire Axe danced in his hands like a flash of cold light. He utilized his veteran fighting skills to the fullest—sidestepping a claw, cleaving open a zombie's chest, and following up with a kick that sent the last Speed Type flying.

After dealing with the zombies in a few moves, Lin Zhou finally looked at the woman. She was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a cold face and eyes as sharp as knives. Her tactical gear was covered in blood, but her posture remained upright. She stared warily at Lin Zhou, her hand gripping the dagger without loosening in the slightest.

"Who are you?" The woman's voice was hoarse, but it carried an unquestionable vigilance.

Lin Zhou grinned, shook the Fire Axe in his hand, and pointed to the roof above: "Lin Zhou, veteran. There's a place up there to take shelter from the wind and rain. You coming?"

The woman followed his finger and looked at the roof, where the pale blue light had not yet completely faded. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the military uniform on Lin Zhou and his steady eyes, before finally nodding.

"Su Mei, former Special Forces Captain."

Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat. Special Forces? This was a real treasure!

He was about to speak when he heard an earth-shattering roar from the distance. Looking up, he saw the zombie horde at the end of the street surging toward them like a black tide.

And on the rooftop, the light from the power Plant was still flickering. He was still 23 metal points away from building a Barracks.

The crimson rain was still pouring down, and the scent of blood grew thicker. Lin Zhou tightened his grip on the Fire Axe, and Su Mei beside him also tensed her body, her dagger flashing coldly.

Their journey to survive the apocalypse had only just begun.

And that small power Plant on the rooftop was like a faint spark, about to ignite a prairie fire of steel amidst this sea of corpses.