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Chapter 4: Am I Doomed to Die Young?
🕑 Added 2024-12-17 11:23:36 +0000 UTCBang!
The leg bone struck heavily against the zombie’s mangled head. The fleshy orb inside its skull burst apart instantly, and a faint mist of blood-red energy emerged from the zombie’s body, flowing into Feng Qi.
Weak Zombie: Feng Qi
Strength Level: Unranked
Prefix Title: Weak (Body strength reduced by 30%)
Bloodline: Human (Basic)
Bloodline Evolution Points: 13/1000
Prefix Title: Weak (Upgradeable): Phase 1 (39%)
Prefix Title First Milestone: Killing zombies grants evolution points and increases evolution percentage.
At this point, Feng Qi had already killed 13 zombies in total.
He now had answers to his earlier theories.
Just as he had suspected, there were specific conditions to gaining bloodline evolution points in this strange dream realm.
For example, in his first dream, he earned 10 bloodline evolution points. When he reentered the dream, he had to kill 10 zombies first to match his previous record. Only starting with the 11th zombie would he earn additional evolution points.
It worked like a milestone system. Feng Qi needed to surpass his previous milestone to gain further rewards. Until he broke his last record, the system simply retained his current progress.
Continuing eastward, Feng Qi’s efficiency in killing zombies steadily improved.
He had already figured out the most effective method for taking them down.
The zombies were not particularly strong. They had no intelligence or combat skills and could only sense living creatures within roughly 15 meters of their position, at which point they would launch an attack.
After gauging their detection range, Feng Qi no longer found himself overwhelmed or surrounded by groups of zombies.
To stay safe, he specifically targeted zombies with missing limbs—those that were already broken and easy to deal with.
As his bloodline evolution points increased, Feng Qi noticed something unusual happening to his body.
The decayed, rotten surface of his body was slowly sprouting pinkish flesh buds. Each time he gained an evolution point, his body underwent subtle changes.
If he continued this path of slaughter, Feng Qi felt that he might eventually restore his body—and perhaps even become human again—within this eerie dream world.
Walking along a road paved with skeletal remains, he saw scattered zombies standing still ahead of him. They looked like scarecrows swaying gently in the wind.
Feng Qi pressed forward, his killing spree relentless. Despite the continuous high-intensity combat, he felt no exhaustion. On the contrary, as his bloodline value rose, he felt increasingly energized.
“Die already!”
Swinging the leg bone with force, Feng Qi smashed it against the head of a broken zombie. The impact destroyed the fleshy tumor inside its skull, and another blood-red mist surged into his body.
This time, after absorbing the mist, Feng Qi felt a more noticeable change in his body—much more significant than before.
Curious, he summoned the attribute panel to check his stats. Sure enough, there had been an update.
Normal Zombie: Feng Qi
Strength Level: Unranked
Prefix Title: Normal (No positive or negative effects)
Bloodline: Human (Basic)
Bloodline Evolution Points: 34/1000
Prefix Title Milestone:
Normal (Upgradeable): Phase 2 (1%)
Prefix Title Second Milestone: Killing zombies grants evolution points and increases evolution percentage.
Seeing the updated attribute panel, Feng Qi realized something significant: changes to his prefix title directly influenced his physical condition.
Previously, when his title was "Weak," he had constantly felt a pervasive sense of frailty, as if he were burdened by invisible chains. Now that his title had upgraded to "Normal," that weakness was entirely gone, leaving him feeling light and unrestrained.
Testing his enhanced body, he jumped and clenched his fists, familiarizing himself with his newfound strength. Feeling confident, he prepared to continue hunting more zombies.
But just as he was about to move, a string of text suddenly appeared in his mind.
[You turn toward your 3 o’clock position and notice a strange black stone stele standing in the distance. Intrigued by its eerie presence, you decide to approach and investigate!]
Feng Qi: …
Following the narrator’s prompt, Feng Qi turned his head toward the 3 o’clock direction. Sure enough, about a few dozen meters away, near a locust tree, stood a two-meter-tall black stele.
He stepped forward cautiously, stopping in front of the stele to examine it closely.
The stele had clearly endured the passage of time, with its surface showing signs of erosion and wear. The inscriptions on it were faded, but Feng Qi could still make out the faint words carved into the stone:
“Star City Shelter”
Wait, Star City?!
Seeing the inscription, Feng Qi froze in shock.
Star City was the very place where he lived in the real world. Yet as far as he knew, there were no records of any "Shelter" being established within the city.
Although the real world, increasingly eroded by domains, was dangerous, the nearest domain field to Star City was still 500 kilometers away. This distance meant that Star City was far from being at risk of being covered by a domain and was classified as a safe zone. There was no reason to establish a Shelter here.
Feeling puzzled, Feng Qi examined the stone stele closely, hoping to find some answers.
[You notice a blood groove at the base of the stele. It seems designed to activate via a drop of blood. You bite your finger and let your blood drip into the groove.]
“Why should I listen to you? You tell me to bite my finger, and I just go ahead and do it?”
[Then… how about trying your toe?]
Feng Qi: …
In the end, he begrudgingly followed the narrator’s suggestion. He bit into his near-rotten right finger. A wave of nauseating stench rose as thick black blood oozed out, dripping into the groove at the base of the stone stele.
After a brief wait, a mechanical, synthesized voice echoed from within the black stele.
“Bloodline detected… Human… Access to Star City Shelter granted!”
The black stone stele slowly shifted aside, revealing a passageway. Illuminated faintly by moonlight, the passage appeared to be constructed from metal, but it was covered in rust, as though it hadn’t been used in years.
Curiosity piqued, Feng Qi stepped into the passage. As he advanced, lights along the metal ceiling flickered on one by one, illuminating the path ahead.
The passage extended about 100 meters and sloped downward. Upon reaching the end, the space opened up to reveal a sprawling underground plaza.
The plaza was filled with various mechanical devices. Surrounding it were numerous iron doors, all securely sealed shut.
[You spot a massive machine at the center of the Shelter. Intrigued, you decide to approach and investigate!]
“Fine, fine, whatever you say!”
[If you’re so cooperative, how about cutting off your...]
Feng Qi: …
If the narrator had a physical form, Feng Qi would have rolled up his sleeves and fought it to the bitter end.
The massive machine at the center of the underground plaza resembled a giant brain. In front of it stood a control console, and beyond the console was a large display screen covered in layers of dust.
Feng Qi approached the console, his attention drawn to a bright red “Activate” button prominently displayed on the panel.
[That’s the one! Without hesitation, you press it!]
Shrugging, Feng Qi pressed the button. The machine rumbled to life, shaking off a layer of dust. Lights flickered on the display screen, revealing multiple menu options:
[Star City Historical Database]
[Domain Creature Database (Real-Time Updates)]
[External Environment Monitor]
[Shelter Resource Status]
[Resident Health Records]
[Cultivation Techniques]
[Spiritual Arts Information]
As Feng Qi browsed through the menu, his gaze fell on a timestamp displayed in the top-right corner of the screen.
[Current Date: March 28, 3528]
Feng Qi: …
In the real world, it was the year 2023. Yet, the Shelter’s system showed the date as 3528—a difference of over 1,500 years.
At that moment, a chilling realization began to take shape in Feng Qi’s mind.
Had he traveled into the future through this dream realm?
Determined to confirm his suspicion, Feng Qi turned his attention back to the display and started searching the database for information to compare with reality.
The database featured a search bar. After some thought, Feng Qi entered his own name.
Within moments, detailed information appeared on the screen:
[Feng Qi (Galaxy Research Institute – Grade D Researcher)]
Date of Death: June 1, 2032
Age at Death: 27
Cause of Death:
A mishap occurred during the creation of a new cultivation technique, causing spiritual energy to flow backward. The resulting damage led to ruptured meridians and profuse bleeding from all seven orifices. Despite rescue efforts, he died on-site.
Lifetime Achievements (Honors):
Researcher at the Galaxy Research Institute
Grade D Human Excellence Medal
Outstanding Graduate of Star City High School
Grade B Assistant in Cultivation Technique Research
Evaluation:
A highly promising cultivation researcher, rated as a Grade B potential researcher by the Galaxy Research Institute. However, his competitive nature led to a critical error during a high-risk project, bringing his life to an abrupt end at the age of 27.
Above the text, there was even a photograph—a man bearing a striking resemblance to Feng Qi, but with a more mature demeanor and resolute eyes.
Staring at the photo and the accompanying details, Feng Qi was utterly dumbfounded.
The “Galaxy Research Institute” mentioned in the description was the very same institute affiliated with the Galaxy Academy, the school he planned to apply to. It was also his ultimate dream.
This information’s accuracy quickly rose in Feng Qi’s mind.
“So… I’m destined to die young?”
“I don’t believe it!”
[Neither do I!]
The narrator chimed in at just the right moment, offering a rare word of encouragement.
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