Without wasting time, Huang Wei immediately distributed his five free points. Three points went to Strength, one to Stamina, and one to Agility. The same strategy as before—prioritize attack power, endurance, and evasion ability. He could no longer rely on luck.
Instantly, he felt that now-familiar warm sensation spreading throughout his body. His strength increased, his breathing became deeper, and his reflexes sharpened dramatically. Even the pain and fatigue that had been haunting his body lessened slightly, providing a much-needed reset.
=====
[STATUS SYSTEM]
Name: Huang Wei
Gender: Male
Age: 20
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 12 Stamina: 9
Agility: 8 Endurance: 10
Vitality: 6 Mana: 0
Free Points: 0
[TALENT]
Innate Talent : Weapon Mastery
[SKILLS]
Passive Skills: Serenity
=====
Huang Wei nodded with satisfaction at his new stats. But that satisfaction didn't last long when the reality of his situation hit him again like a cold wave.
He was trapped in his dorm room that had become a mass grave, with ten infected corpses sprawled across the floor, plus Lei Jiang's body under the blanket. The putrid, sweet, nauseating smell now stung his nose, clinging to every corner of the room. Even with his Serenity skill stabilizing his mental state, Huang Wei knew he couldn't stay here much longer. This was a place full of bitter memories and danger.
'I need to find food and somewhere safer,' he decided, his voice hoarse. 'But I also need to recover my strength first.'
Huang Wei ate a bag of chips that crunched between his aching teeth and drank half a bottle of water, feeling the cold liquid soothe his dry throat. He saved the rest—every drop and crumb was precious. While eating, he began forming a plan.
'This entire dorm must still have plenty of infected, but also lots of food and water supplies in other rooms. I could explore this dorm floor by floor, clearing out infected and gathering supplies.'
The plan was high-risk, but it also promised great rewards—food, better shelter, and most importantly, the chance to collect more points by killing infected. Every point meant power, and power was the way to survive, the way to make amends for the promise he'd broken.
After finishing his meal, Huang Wei stood up slowly. His body still ached and felt stiff, but not as badly as before. He picked up his baseball bat, now dented and rusted in several places.
'This weapon won't last much longer either...' He knew he needed something stronger, more permanent.
Huang Wei began preparing for his first expedition outside his room. He checked his shoes, making sure they were tied securely. He also took his backpack that had previously contained useless textbooks, emptied it, and replaced the contents with the remaining water and food.
After brief preparations, Huang Wei carefully pushed the wardrobe away from the door, the painful sound of scraping wood echoing. He peered into the dark, silent dorm hallway. Empty, at least for now. A deceptive silence.
With the baseball bat in hand and backpack on his shoulders, Huang Wei stepped out of his room for the first time since the disaster began. He paused momentarily at the threshold, looking back inside.
"Lei Jiang," he whispered softly, his voice choking. He gazed at the blanket covering his friend's body, Lei Jiang's last smile still haunting his memory. "I'm leaving... Goodbye, friend." He drew a long breath, weighted with regret that would never fade. He'd never been able to protect him, and now that burden was part of him. With a resolve colder than before, he turned his back on the room and walked away.
---
One Week Later
Huang Wei stood in front of the bathroom mirror in one of the dorm rooms on the fourth floor. His face was soaking wet, water dripping from his chin into the sink, mixed with sweat evaporating from his body after recent action. His gaze pierced through the glass—no longer the look of a frightened man from seven days ago, but eyes that were sharp, cold, and calculating.
In the mirror's surface, his reflection looked different. Not just because of the gaunt appearance and slight bruises, or his pale skin. Now his jaw appeared firmer, his shoulders broader, and there was a subtle muscle density visible in his arms—silent proof of his evolution. He was no longer an ordinary, forgettable college student. There was an aura of threatening violence, hidden beneath the calm provided by Serenity.
Seven days had passed since he first dared to leave his room. Seven days filled with brutal fights in narrow corridors, the never-ending sound of growls, the sticky smell of blood in the air, searching for supplies in empty rooms, and hiding from screams heard in the night. Every day was a struggle, every hour a threat. The entire experience had worn away his fear, replacing it with an almost stone-like toughness, a survival instinct now deeply rooted.
In the mirror, Huang Wei observed himself for a moment before wiping his face with his hand. There was no more doubt in his eyes. Only cruel certainty. The world had changed, and so had he. He was a product of this apocalypse, shaped by blood and death.
His statistics showed staggering progress:
=====
[STATUS SYSTEM]
Name: Huang Wei
Gender: Male
Age: 20
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 22 Stamina: 15
Agility: 14 Endurance: 20
Vitality: 9 Mana: 0
Free Points: 0
[TALENT]
Innate Talent : Weapon Mastery
[SKILLS]
Passive Skills: Serenity
=====
Eighty-four infected—that meant he had collected and used forty free status points during the past week, including his first ten kills. Yet despite killing so many infected, Huang Wei still hadn't reached level 2. Apparently, the level system required more than just killing to advance.
Huang Wei walked out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed—a dorm room on the fourth floor that had become his temporary base. Unlike his original room, this place was much larger and had two entrances, providing escape routes if needed.
In the corner of the room sat a large backpack filled with food and drink supplies he'd gathered from throughout the dorm—enough to last at least two weeks. Next to it was a sports bag containing clean clothes and basic medical supplies.
His weapons had been upgraded too. The dented aluminum baseball bat had been replaced with a solid iron club he'd found in the gym. Heavier, but far stronger and more lethal. As backup, he also had a large kitchen knife tucked into his belt, cold and ready for use.
But Huang Wei knew he couldn't stay in this dorm forever. Food supplies, though abundant, were still limited. Besides, he needed to find out what had happened to the outside world, whether there were other survivors, and maybe find more permanent shelter. He had to move, not just to survive, but also to seek answers, to understand what had befallen this world—and perhaps, find a way to make amends for all he'd done, for the promise he'd broken.
"It's time," he murmured to himself, his voice quiet but filled with newfound authority.
Huang Wei decided to leave tomorrow. He wanted to see if there were other humans who'd survived and evolved like him, or if he was the only one in this sea of living dead. This was no longer mere curiosity, but a strategic necessity.
The decision was made. Tomorrow morning, when the sun rose, Huang Wei would leave the dorm that had been his domain for the past week and face the uncertain world outside.
Huang Wei approached the window once more, gazing at the reddish evening sky, colored by dust and smoke. In the distance, black smoke still billowed from several parts of the city, burning the horizon. The faint sounds of infected growls drifted up from below, a constant reminder of the cruel new reality, a melody of death that had become the soundtrack of his life.
"I will survive," he promised himself, his grip tightening on the iron club in his hand, feeling the cold metal that had become an extension of his resolve. "And I will become stronger. Whatever the cost."
As the sun set on the western horizon, Huang Wei's long shadow reflected on the room's floor. The silhouette of a young man who had changed—no longer an ordinary student, but a tough survivor, carved by the horrors of a world that had ended.
That night, Huang Wei carefully prepared all his equipment, ensuring every detail was perfect. Tomorrow, his true adventure would begin, and he was ready to face whatever this new world would throw at him.