Chapter 1: The Initiation Trial Begins (Please Support with Comments and Follows)

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Yu Jiang carried a large plastic bag and looked ahead at the endless stretch of asphalt road.

On both sides of the road stood withered yellow weeds over a meter tall, with only a solitary camphor tree standing lonely.

Desolate and vast.

Why had she been brought here?

[Survivor 2333, you have entered the post-apocalyptic highway survival game. Please complete the novice trial: survive the monster’s attack.

Monster: common infected (tracks target scent within 2 kilometers)

Countdown: 00:30]

The glowing screen ahead, the countdown echoing in her ears, and the zombies running in place about a hundred meters behind her left her no time to think.

00:25

Just run first!

00:05

Yu Jiang ran a good distance without daring to look back until the countdown ended, then glanced behind.

The zombies were running toward her at a speed comparable to professional athletes, both arms swinging so fast they left afterimages!

“Damn!”

Yu Jiang shouted, clutching the plastic bag as she sprinted at the fastest speed she’d ever managed on the flat road.

But within mere seconds, the zombies had closed most of the gap.

She was physically weak—there was no way she could outrun them for 2 kilometers.

Just as Yu Jiang thought she was done for, she suddenly saw objects spaced out along the asphalt road ahead.

A. Solar-powered balance scooter, speed 15 km/h.

B. A second-hand bicycle with a storage basket, speed 10–20 km/h (zero energy consumption; as long as you have strength, you have unlimited range!)

C. An old but usable motorcycle, speed 60–80 km/h, fuel consumption 4 liters/100 km.

D. A rudimentary fully enclosed three-wheeled vehicle with a canopy, speed 20–35 km/h, max range 80 km.

These words floated in midair, while the zombies were only a few dozen meters behind her.

In this critical moment, Yu Jiang’s mind was remarkably clear.

The balance scooter and bicycle were closest, so she could grab them before being caught.

Definitely not an option! That would be courting death.

The solar balance scooter looked unreliable at a glance.

The bicycle had no energy worries, but it was too heavy; she might not be able to pedal it while the monsters could still run.

Take a gamble—turn the bike into a motorcycle!

Yu Jiang made her choice almost instantly and ran toward the farthest three-wheeler.

The motorcycle was fast and might even outrun the deadly zombies, but she didn’t know how to drive it—one fall would mean instant death.

As she ran, the zombies drew nearer, their snarls nearly brushing her back.

She sprinted all the way and finally, at the last moment, jumped onto the three-wheeler, kicked a zombie away, and slammed the door shut.

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The zombies lunged at the vehicle, scratching the window glass, pounding twice on it; the plastic-bodied three-wheeler shook as if it might topple over at any second.

Yu Jiang quickly started the engine. Thinking about the risk of flipping over, she didn’t speed up recklessly but calmly stabilized the vehicle first, then increased the throttle.

The zombies’ shadow gradually receded until it vanished, and Yu Jiang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“That scared me to death.”

She had just gotten off work, stopped by a snack store to stock up for a happy weekend, but as soon as she paid and stepped outside, the environment changed.

She thought she was dreaming but hadn’t expected this survival game to be literally life-or-death!

[Congratulations player for passing the survivor trial. The novice gift pack has been delivered. Recite “game panel” to view more information.]

At the same time, a number appeared on the glowing screen in bright red: 463.

[Unfortunately, 463 players in this region failed the trial and lost survivor qualification.

Please be advised: death in the game means actual death. Be sure to carefully read the game rules and strive to survive.]

The screen quickly flashed images of some failures.

On the same highway scene, some shouted they wanted to go home; others disbelieved the danger and instead of running forward, turned back to see what was going on, only to be bitten through the neck by zombies.

Some hesitated over vehicle choices, wasting too much time and getting caught.

Others drove motorcycles too recklessly, lost control mid-air, spun like a Thomas the Tank Engine, and landed with their shoes flying off.

All manners of death.

Confirming the monsters behind wouldn’t catch up, Yu Jiang stopped the vehicle, calmed herself for a moment, and quickly accepted reality.

If she wanted to survive, fear was useless; better to think about practical matters.

She looked up and carefully read the game guidelines on the split screen:

[1. To survive on the endless highway, please travel forward along the road (going backward or against traffic over 50 meters will disqualify you). Do not leave the highway within a 2-kilometer radius.

2. Various supplies and currency can be found on the road. Unexpected dangers and quests may also appear. When encountering service areas, players may choose whether to enter.

3. Vehicle choice is binding and cannot be changed, only upgraded.

Players must complete daily tasks; completing them means no monsters will actively attack at night.

The novice protection period lasts 3 days, during which no encounters with other players on parallel roads, extreme weather, or side quests will occur.

4. Unsafe driving endangers family and friends!

No speeding, no fatigued driving, no drunk driving! Night driving requires lights; violators bear all consequences!

5. When player health drops below 50 points, life value also decreases! Fatigue over 80 points risks fatigued driving! (Fatigue increases twice as fast at night).]

After reading twice and taking notes, Yu Jiang checked her mission info.

[Current Location: China Region 002

Weather: Clear, Temperature: 26°C, Humidity: 90%, Southeast Wind Level 1

Mission: 0/50 km]

Yu Jiang clicked to take out the green backpack matching the three-wheeler’s color from the temporary storage slot.

This was the novice gift pack.

Opening it, she found a bottle of mineral water, a compressed biscuit, and a can of peas—nothing else.

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Not even a lighter.

She should feel lucky she hadn’t dropped anything while running.

So now she still had three self-heating hot pot packs, five packs of instant noodles, two packs of river snail rice noodles.

Also half a pound of five-spice beef jerky, eight pieces of Sachima (a type of Chinese snack), ten individually wrapped bread rolls, one bag of sausage, and four hot dog sausages.

Because she bought in bulk during a promotion, she also got a noodle pot and two vacuum-packed braised eggs.

No worries about hunger in the short term; water was the big problem.

She had four 200ml bottles of fresh milk and two bottles of fruit tea but no mineral water.

Then Yu Jiang silently recited “game panel,” and a blue screen displayed her personal profile:

[Player: Yu Jiang (23 years old)

Nickname: Can be set (cannot be changed after setting)

Life Value: 100

Health: 75 (long-term late nights have taken a toll on hair and blood vitality)

Fatigue: 20

Overall Fitness: 6 (no particular athletic skill, so it is indeed 6)

Agility: 5 (even a 60-year-old woman runs faster)

Attack: 2 (a truly astonishing stat)

Defense: 1 (hard to evaluate)

Combat Rating: F (couldn’t be any higher)]

Yu Jiang: ???

No, why is it insulting me?!

She then looked at the vehicle info below.

[Vehicle: Rudimentary fully enclosed electric three-wheeler (Battery 100%)

Wear Level: 0 (cannot start if over 80%; requires repair to restore)

Defense: 12

Attack Bonus: None]

Apparently, vehicles had health bars too.

Since this was the novice guide, no battery or wear had been deducted yet.

Yu Jiang thought for a moment, then clicked to set her nickname.

She couldn’t let anyone know her real identity.

[‘The Great King Sent Me to Patrol the Mountain’ nickname set successfully.]