Chapter 2: School Apocalypse

The moment Lin Yi opened his eyes again, a sharp pain pierced the back of his head like a needle, as if he had been struck by a heavy flowerpot.

He raised his hand to feel the area, but strangely, his fingers found no trace of any wound.

Lin Yi endured the pain, struggling to crawl up from the filthy ground.

He looked around and found himself in a narrow, gloomy alleyway.

The alley was piled high with disorganized, discarded junk, and the air was filled with a foul odor of dampness and decay.

Deep within the alley, a faint line of light could be seen; that was the exit.

The chirping of rats echoed from time to time as they scurried through the dark corners, adding a sense of gloom and eeriness to the silent alley.

Lin Yi gently brushed the dust off his clothes, trying to shake off the indescribable feeling of discomfort.

He scanned his surroundings, but all he saw were piles of trash. This corner, forgotten by the world, seemed to have long been treated as a natural dumping ground by the local residents.

Just as Lin Yi was about to pinch his nose and leave this nauseating place, he suddenly felt the sword-shaped brand on his hand become exceptionally hot.

He subconsciously looked down and saw the pale blue text from before reappear, dancing before his eyes like a ghost.

The content of the text was as follows

Entered World: Highschool of the Dead

World Difficulty: LV.2. Hard (This difficulty is the Hunter’s trial difficulty.)

World Source: 0% (World Source will increase as the Hunter explores or interacts with characters in the current world. It will be calculated alongside task difficulty upon world settlement to form the final rating.)

World Introduction: Apocalypse; Zombies; Chaos.

Main Mission: Resolve the source of the "Dead" outbreak.

Side Mission: None.

Warning: Do not mention anything regarding the 'Reincarnation Paradise' in this world. If the warning is ignored, you will be forcibly executed!

Tip: As this is the Hunter's first time entering a world, the language of this world has been automatically mastered for a duration of (seven natural days).

World, start!

"How could it be this world? This is troublesome."

Lin Yi’s gaze fell upon the prompt from the Reincarnation Paradise, and his expression instantly turned grim.

As a martial artist, Lin Yi did not have much fear of fantasy worlds possessing supernatural powers.

In those strange worlds, while extraordinary powers were indeed strong and full of unknowns, for the general public, they were often merely spectators; the direct impact of those powers on them was relatively limited.

However, this realistic world was completely different.

Once the apocalyptic catastrophe descended, the entire world would fall into an abyss of disorder and disaster.

What worried Lin Yi most was that, with his ordinary human physique, he appeared particularly vulnerable in this environment.

If he were accidentally injured by the "Dead," the risk of infection would be extremely high, and he could even become one of those walking corpses in a very short time.

This zero-tolerance survival environment placed immense psychological pressure on Lin Yi.

To secure a glimmer of survival in this cruel world, he had to maintain a high level of vigilance and calmness at all times.

Lin Yi took a deep breath and began to carefully check his clothing.

He had already noticed that what he was wearing now was not the martial arts uniform he had on when he entered this space, but a typical Japanese school uniform.

This change made him realize that this so-called "Paradise" would never do anything without a purpose; there must be a special meaning behind such an arrangement.

After a careful search, Lin Yi finally found a neatly folded piece of paper in the pocket of his school uniform trousers.

With a mix of curiosity and anticipation, he carefully unfolded the paper.

The handwriting on the paper was clear, and the content was easy to understand.

The paper was essentially a welcome letter to Lin Yi, congratulating him on becoming an exchange student at Fujimi Academy, with words that revealed expectation and goodwill toward him.

At the bottom of the paper, the principal’s and the school’s seals were prominently stamped, appearing formal and solemn.

Looking at the paper, Lin Yi already had a plan in mind.

Lin Yi looked at the brand on his hand, and several lines of text appeared before his eyes.

1. Personal Information.

2. Missions.

3. Storage Space.

4. Skills.

5. Equipment.

Rank too low, other functions not unlocked...

Aside from the first item (Personal Information) and the second item (Missions), Lin Yi had no use for the others for the time being.

Opening the mission option, the specific details of the main mission appeared before Lin Yi’s eyes.

[Main Mission: Resolve the source of the "Dead" outbreak]

Difficulty Level: LV.3.

Mission Introduction: Behind every disaster, there is always an unknown secret. The outbreak of the virus also has its source.

Mission Information: You must use all available resources and means within the limited time to find the source of this "Dead" virus outbreak.

Mission Duration: One week.

Mission Reward: Hunter identity fully activated.

Failure Penalty: Brand stripped, Hunter loses Contractor qualification.

Opening the personal interface, Lin Yi’s personal information was as follows

Contractor No. 18018. (To protect the Hunter, this is a false number; no means can lock onto the Hunter.)

Name: Lin Yi (Hunter Reserve)

Level: LV.1 (First Rank. Every 10 levels constitute one rank. Leveling up provides no attribute bonuses; it represents the Hunter’s authority within the 'Paradise' and corresponds to world difficulty, mission difficulty, etc.)

Health: 100% (This attribute cannot be fully digitized; it changes according to the degree of injury.)

Mana: 50 (Intelligence × 10. Current mana recovery rate: 3 points per hour.)

Strength: 6 (Related to attack power, carrying capacity, etc.)

Agility: 7 (Related to movement, attack speed, etc.)

Stamina: 6 (Related to health, defense, resistance to abnormalities, etc.)

Intelligence: 5 (Related to spell damage, mana, perception, etc.)

Charm: 5 (Related to social interaction, summoning, etc.)

Luck: 1 (Related to opening items, crafting, etc. This attribute is extremely difficult to increase; please cherish opportunities to improve it.)

Note: The standard attribute for an adult male is 5 points, and Luck is 1 point.

Growth Talent: Redeemer. Every time you heal a target, you can drain 1-10 points of health and 1-5 points of mana from the target's body.

This talent can drain a maximum of 200 health and 100 mana per world.

[Personal information is for the Hunter to estimate their own strength and is unrelated to true combat power. The level of attribute values affects the Hunter’s physical fitness, but combat is not determined solely by physical fitness. Please be cautious, Hunter.]

After familiarizing himself with the many functions of the brand on his hand, Lin Yi straightened his Japanese school uniform and stepped out of the dim alleyway.

As soon as he reached the street, he was immediately drawn to the scene before him.

Many residents were standing still, watching, their eyes locked tightly on a huge screen in the center of the plaza.

On the screen, a news anchor was reporting on the emergence of a new type of infectious disease in a serious tone, solemnly urging citizens to minimize outdoor activities to reduce the risk of infection.

Lin Yi’s heart stirred, and he secretly pondered, 'Could it be that the infection has already started to break out in some places?'

He quickly asked passersby for the specific location of Fujimi Academy while closely monitoring the media reports on the surrounding televisions.

From the blurry images and the tense tone of the anchor, he keenly sensed that small-scale "Dead" infections had already appeared in certain places.

Lin Yi knew the severity of the situation; this virus would likely break out completely very soon, and by then, the entire world would fall into unprecedented chaos and suffering.

In order to find the source of the "Dead" virus as quickly as possible, Lin Yi quickened his pace and hurried toward Fujimi Academy.

If Lin Yi’s memory was correct, then Saya Takagi’s father—Soichiro Takagi—choosing to live in a villa in the countryside far from the hustle and bustle of the city despite being a politician, did indeed reveal something unusual.

Against the backdrop of an impending apocalypse, Soichiro Takagi’s status as a politician meant he was in close contact with high-level government officials and elites from all walks of life.

Such a status likely gave him the opportunity to come into contact with secrets that were inaccessible to ordinary people.

Lin Yi speculated that it was highly probable that Soichiro Takagi had learned of some information regarding the upcoming catastrophic event in advance.

This information might be related to the outbreak of the "Dead" virus, or perhaps even involve key information about the source of the virus.

Soichiro Takagi’s choice to stay away from the city and live in a countryside villa was likely out of foresight and precaution against the coming disaster.

(End of chapter)