The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

After turning a few corners, a sign flashing red came into view.

"Aijia Sporting Goods Store"—seven characters, white background with red lettering, flashing on and off.

Below the sign is a glass door, through which you can see various items on the shelves inside: rackets, shoes, sportswear, and a few baseball bats standing in the corner.

Wu You quickly walked over.

When he reached the door, he reached out and pushed it open—

There was no progress.

He pushed it again, but it still didn't move.

The door was locked.

Wu You glanced inside. The lights were on, the shelves were neatly arranged, and there was a steaming teacup on the counter, but no one was there.

The boss had something come up unexpectedly?

He stood at the door for two minutes, but no one came back. He then peered through the glass and saw that there was indeed no one there.

Wu You shook his head, turned around and left.

Never mind, let's go to another one.

He remembered that there was a sporting goods store not far from here, next to the residential area.

That shop has been open for several years and should still be there. It's only about a ten-minute walk from there.

The early summer evening breeze was slightly cool, but not too cold, just right. The sycamore trees along the roadside were full of leaves, and the light from the streetlights leaked through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Wu You walked along the sidewalk.

There weren't many people on the street at this time. Occasionally, a few people would walk their dogs, and delivery riders would whiz by on electric bikes. In the distance, a few shops were still open, their lights on, wafting out the smells of barbecue smoke and cumin.

As Wu You walked, he passed by the entrance of a small alley.

The alley was narrow and dark, and it was impossible to see how deep it was. On both sides were the walls of old residential areas, which were covered with vines, and the leaves swayed gently in the night breeze.

Just as he stepped across the alleyway—

A slight movement of coolness stirred within my body.

The feeling was all too familiar. It was as if something had reached out from the shadows and gently touched him, and then immediately, a cold, sticky sensation surged from all directions, like water, slowly enveloping him.

Wu You's hair stood on end instantly.

Corpse species.

There are corpses nearby.

And this cold, sticky feeling—is a prelude to being dragged into that eerie black mist space!

He instinctively took a step back and reached for his waist.

I found nothing.

No sword.

Wu You's mind raced.

Without a sword, how much of your full strength can you unleash? Fifty percent? Probably less than that. Basic swordsmanship may be at a minor level, but it's still just swordsmanship; you need a sword to use it.

Poking with your finger? I almost ruined myself last time I tried.

But the next second, he froze.

wrong.

Why haven't we been pulled in yet?

Based on the previous experience, once that force came around, you would be pulled into that black mist space almost instantly.

But now, that chilling feeling is still there, like a thin film enveloping him, but he just doesn't move.

Wu You frowned and carefully sensed it.

Then he realized something was wrong.

When the middle-aged man pulled him into the black mist space, the force was overwhelming and unstoppable, like a giant hand grabbing him directly, and he couldn't resist even if he wanted to.

But this force now...

weak.

too weak.

If last time it was an adult pulling a child, then this time it's a child pulling an adult. Wu You could even clearly feel that as long as the cold air in his body rushed in, this cold force would immediately shatter.

He recalled the faint ripple of cool air he had just felt.

Ordinary corpse type?

The kind you first encountered?

Wu You stood there, hesitating for two seconds.

That chilling feeling was still spreading through him, little by little, a feeling that he couldn't be pulled away from but was unwilling to give up.

He can break free at any time.

But if you break free...

The experience points are gone.

The thought that had just crossed Wu You's mind flashed back: Ordinary zombie species, 10 experience points.

Although it's only 10 o'clock.

But he desperately needs experience points right now. The basic sword technique requires 100 proficiency points to advance from the initial stage to the next stage, and he only has 21 points right now.

I don't know what level of basic swordsmanship I need to reach to go from level 1 to 2.

And if he really is an ordinary corpse species, with his current strength—

Even without a sword, they should be able to handle it.

While caution is necessary, refusing a gift from heaven will only bring misfortune. One should not let go of anything that can improve oneself.

After a moment of thought, Wu You calmed the chill in his body.

The cold, viscous power, now free of resistance, surged up instantly, engulfing him like a tidal wave.

The next moment, the scenery changed dramatically.

The residential buildings disappeared, the streets disappeared, the streetlights disappeared, and even the smell of barbecue wafting from afar disappeared.

Instead, black fog replaced it.

The boundless, thick black fog surged around us like a living thing. It was grayish-black and so thick that it was impossible to see or hear anything inside.

It's that eerie space again.

But unlike last time, Wu You could clearly feel this time that the black mist wasn't as heavy as before. It was thinner, lighter, and gave him much less of a sense of oppression.

In this world of black fog, the only light comes from ahead.

A dark alley.

It was narrow and deep, with mottled walls on both sides, somewhat like the alley I'd been to before. But there were no streetlights at the entrance, only a faint light coming from somewhere, barely enough to make out the outlines inside.

Wu You squinted.

After being cleansed by the cool air twice, his physical condition was far superior to that of an ordinary person, and his five senses were much more acute. This glimmer of light was enough.

He saw the situation in the alley at a glance.

A single figure.

No, that's not right—it's a zombie species.

He stood there swaying, dressed in ordinary clothes, his face contorted, his eyes crooked, his mouth stretched to his ears, revealing jagged triangular teeth, just like the infected zombies from before.

A person was lying on the ground in front of it.

A young girl.

Wearing a blue and white school uniform, Wu You remembered that it was the uniform of Lanhe No. 1 Middle School.

The girl's hair was scattered on the ground, her face was turned to one side, making it impossible to see what she looked like, and she was motionless, it was unclear whether she was unconscious or...

Wu You did not hesitate.

He raised his hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together to form a sword-finger gesture.

Push off with your feet.

A figure flashed by.

The next second, he was already standing behind that corpse.

Before the corpse could even turn around, its distorted face still bearing the same expression, its entire body scattered like sand, turning into wisps of black mist that drifted away.

A familiar vibration echoed in my mind:

Allocable experience points +10.

Wu You withdrew his hand and glanced down.

My finger wasn't broken and it didn't hurt.

really.

For him, these ordinary zombies are just walking experience points.

He turned to look at the girl on the ground.

He was still lying there, motionless, his school uniform covered in dust, his hair disheveled, and although his breathing was light, his chest was still rising and falling slightly—he was still alive.

Wu You glanced at her but didn't pay her any more attention.

After the monster dissipated, the dense black mist around it also began to recede. Like the receding tide, it gradually faded and thinned from the edges until it disappeared completely.

The familiar streets are back, with streetlights, walls, the smell of smoke from barbecue stalls in the distance, and the occasional electric scooter passing by.

Wu You returned to the real world.

He stood still and glanced back at the alleyway.

The girl was still inside, but Wu You had no intention of going in.

He turned around and continued walking towards the sporting goods store, all the while he was thinking.

Even ordinary corpses can pull people into the black mist space.

What exactly is that black mist space? Why can only the Corpse Species open it? These ordinary Corpse Species were formed by the source infection, but where did the source come from?

A bunch of problems.

No one can answer that.

He shook his head: Never mind, let's go get a sword first.

-

But what Wu You didn't realize was...

Just as he turned to leave, the unconscious girl in the alley twitched her finger.

Then there are the eyelids.

Trembling, as if using all her strength, she finally opened her eyes.

Vision is blurred.

She couldn't see anything clearly, only a blur of light and shadow. She blinked hard to focus her vision.

Then she saw a figure from behind.

A figure turning away.

It's not particularly tall, but it's very stable.

She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to him.

But no sound came out of his throat.

The figure walked further and further away, finally disappearing from the narrow view at the alley entrance.

Her vision went black, and she fainted again.