"Did I… reborn?"
Alex crouched on the ground, rubbing his head with one hand.
After digesting the memories of this unfamiliar body, the truth finally sank in—he really had transmigrated.
And worse, he had landed in a post-apocalyptic world crawling with zombies and mutated beasts.
Centuries ago, the apocalypse had descended. Countless humans turned into zombies, while animals twisted into savage monsters. Just as human civilization teetered on the brink of annihilation, Evolvers appeared—extraordinary humans who built cities and fought to protect the remnants of mankind.
Alex gave a bitter laugh. "Great, transmigrating into the apocalypse is bad enough, but why the hell did I have to spawn in the City of Death?"
The City of Death was once a thriving human settlement. Now it was nothing more than a paradise for zombies and beasts.
"Arghhh…"
A bone-chilling roar echoed in his ears. Alex's head snapped up, and his face drained of color. Two zombies—creatures he'd only ever seen on TV—were staggering toward him, claws outstretched.
His pupils contracted. Instinctively, he held his breath as fear gripped every inch of his body. He tried to retreat, but his back hit a wall. No way out.
"What do I do? Am I… am I going to die here?"
Alex trembled, despair setting in. Against two zombies, what chance did an ordinary human like him have?
Then—
Ding!"God-Tier Evolution System activated. Binding host…"
"Binding complete."
A cold, mechanical voice rang out in his mind.
As a teenager from the 21st century, Alex instantly knew what this meant. A system… it's the golden cheat for transmigrators!
Ding!"Evolution points detected within five meters of host. Absorb?"
At the same time, glowing orbs appeared around the zombies.
"Absorb!" Alex shouted in his heart.
Ding!"Absorption successful. Strength +10 Evolution Points."
Ding!"Absorption successful. Strength +5 Evolution Points."
Ding!"Absorption successful. Defense +10 Evolution Points."
Ding!"Absorption successful. Speed +8 Evolution Points."
Ding!"Host's personal attribute panel unlocked. Displaying now."
A virtual screen materialized before his eyes:
Strength: 115 / 100
Speed: 108 / 100
Agility: 100 / 100
Defense: 110 / 100
Spirit: 110 / 100
Skills: None (Note: The average adult male's attributes are 100 across the board.)
Alex clenched his fists. Sure enough, he felt a surge of raw power coursing through his body.
"Graaahhh…"
The zombies lunged. Alex rolled to the side, narrowly dodging their attack. His eyes landed on a brick nearby—his heart leapt. He snatched it up and smashed it down on one zombie's skull.
With his newfound strength, the brick strike was devastating. The zombie collapsed instantly. But Alex didn't stop there—he knew how stubbornly hard to kill these things were. He hammered the brick down again and again until its head was nothing but pulp.
The second zombie pounced. Alex repeated the move, bashing its skull until it stopped moving.
Two glowing orbs floated out of the corpses.
Ding!"Absorption successful. Gained 10 Experience Points."
Ding!"Absorption successful. Gained 10 Experience Points."
"Experience points? What the hell are those?"
Before he could wonder further, the system replied:
"Experience points can be used to upgrade host's skill levels."
Alex frowned slightly. Sure enough, his status panel had a line for Skills, but right now it only showed: None.
For the moment, the experience points weren't much use to him.
"System, does your ability mean I can absorb the attributes dropped from zombies to make myself stronger?"
Alex asked silently in his heart.
"To be precise, not just zombies. Any living being—or even objects—may contain evolution points. The host can absorb them all."
The moment the system replied, Alex's eyes lit up with excitement.
That meant he didn't need to grind day and night like others, training bitterly for every scrap of progress. He could grow stronger just by picking up attributes. Wasn't this the ultimate cheat?
"This City of Death must be crawling with zombies, right?"
A bold idea flashed through Alex's mind. Since he had the system, why not use it to the fullest? With strength, he could not only survive this apocalypse—but live brilliantly within it.
Resolving himself, Alex stood up.
He was in a narrow alley, but as soon as he stepped out, the scene opened up into a street where a horde of zombies shuffled aimlessly. At a glance, there were at least thirty.
Their grotesque faces, rotten flesh, and the glowing orbs drifting beside them made Alex's blood boil with anticipation. It was as if countless attribute points were waving at him, calling him over.
"Hey! Fresh meat right here—come and get it!"
He roared at the horde.
Every zombie instantly turned its head toward him. The moment they caught the scent of living flesh, their dull eyes flared with madness. They howled and charged.
Alex didn't run. Instead, he strode forward.
When the distance shrank to five meters, he shouted in his heart: "Absorb!"
Ding!"Absorption successful. Strength +10."
Ding!"Absorption successful. Strength +10."
Ding!"Absorption successful. Speed +8."
Ding!"Absorption successful. Defense +12."
…
The emotionless mechanical voice echoed endlessly in his mind, yet to Alex it was sweeter than music.
On the virtual panel before him, his stats surged upward in real time.
"Graaahhh!!"
The thirty-odd zombies rushed him in a frenzy. Alex showed no fear. He gripped the brick in his hand and swung with brutal precision, smashing skulls again and again.
Every strike was aimed at the head. Every swing carried explosive force.
With his strength, speed, reflexes, and defense all multiplied several times over, even surrounded by thirty zombies, Alex fought like a beast unleashed—relentless, unstoppable.
Ten minutes later, the last zombie collapsed with its skull shattered.
Alex stood among the corpses, breathing hard, but his face was bright with exhilaration. He quickly pulled up his status panel:
Strength: 350 / 100
Speed: 280 / 100
Agility: 240 / 100
Defense: 300 / 100
Spirit: 200 / 100
Skills: None EXP: 320 (Note: A normal adult male averages 100 in each stat.)
In just those ten minutes, his attributes had nearly doubled.
His strength especially—now triple that of an ordinary man. In other words, with one punch he could unleash over 300 kilograms of force.
Three hundred kilos! In his previous world, even professional fighters only punched around two hundred. His raw strength alone was enough to crush a human skull with ease.
"At this rate, it won't be long before my stats rival those of an Evolver."
Alex couldn't help but laugh aloud.
Evolvers, the apex of humanity, averaged around 1000 points in each attribute.
He wasn't even halfway there yet—but soon, very soon, he believed he would stand among them.