Chapter 2: New Beginnings

“Ah, it hurts! It’s killing me!” At this moment, Jiang Yi felt as if he could ‘see’ inside his own body—the meridians connecting all his organs were being torn apart, then brutally reshaped by this terrifying energy.

Jiang Yi didn’t want to die, but he truly saw no other way. Over the past week, everyone injured by the zombies had without exception succumbed to death and transformation. If he didn’t act, his wounds would doom him to the same fate.

The only idea he could grasp was a theory proposed earlier by a biology professor. The professor had said that ordinary people couldn’t consume the corpse cores because the difference between them and the empowered was that the latter had been exposed to that acid rain.

The empowered and zombies shared the commonality of surviving that acid rain, so perhaps this was why their genes were similar, or even identical.

Then, might it be possible for an ordinary person to first harbor the zombie virus internally and then consume the corpse core? Perhaps that could eliminate the virus—or even grant supernatural abilities.

It was just a hypothesis, and the lack of precious corpse cores meant it couldn’t be tested.

Still, the professor’s unorthodox theory caused quite a stir. Until yesterday, while out scavenging for supplies, that biology professor had unfortunately died and never returned to the cafeteria.

It was precisely because of this that Jiang Yi, clutching a corpse core, swallowed it in desperation, barely considering the consequences.

Even prepared for zombification, he hadn’t anticipated the excruciating pain this process would bring. His agonized screams only sent the zombies outside into a frenzy. The fragile dormitory door even began to shake.

Jiang Yi no longer cared whether the zombies would break through. His consciousness wavered between clarity and delirium. His injured left arm, with two wounds, felt like it had been branded with searing hot iron—he ached to tear the arm off.

“Ah!” When the pain peaked, veins bulged across his body, his blood visibly surging through his vessels. A desperate scream left him utterly drained, yet in the next moment, drenched in sweat, he laughed—a chilling, eerie laugh.

With a heart reborn from death, Jiang Yi collapsed to the floor, laughter uncontrollable. “Ha ha, I succeeded! I’m not dead! And I haven’t turned into a zombie!”

Now he felt a strange energy coursing through his revived body, replenishing his drained strength.

Amid the zombies’ furious pounding, Jiang Yi struggled to rise. This was no time for celebration. If he couldn’t deal with the threat outside, even if he truly became empowered, he would still be torn apart by the zombies.

Yet, he wasn’t too worried. Having endured the extreme pain of evolution, he clearly retained the knowledge of his new abilities and how to use them.

“So this is what it means to be empowered? Incredible!” Jiang Yi clenched his fist tightly, feeling stronger than ever before. Though still fatigued, he seemed to have returned to the peak of his health.

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