I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

Under the cold and clear moonlight, a figure slowly stood up from a pile of withered bones.

Looking down at his nearly rotting body and the arm that exposed stark white bones, Feng Qi's expression was one of utter shock.

He vividly remembered that just moments ago, he had been attending Old Wang's history class. As drowsiness surged like a tidal wave, he couldn't hold on and had fallen asleep, slumping over his desk.

When he opened his eyes again, this was the scene before him.

Dark clouds hung low, and piles of bones were heaped like mountains all around him. He had stood up from one of those piles.

What made him even more uneasy was his own body. For reasons unknown, it had decayed to the point where he could clearly see the shriveled, rotten gray organs inside his chest and the rib bones full of scratch marks.

This didn't feel right. It had to be a hyper-realistic dream.

Smack!

No pain. Hmm, yep, it's definitely a dream!

But the real problem is… how the hell am I supposed to get out of here?!

Just as Feng Qi was racking his brain, a low growl came from his right. He turned his head and saw a rotting corpse that had been lying in the bone pile slowly rising from the ground.

Since the corpse's right shin bone was missing, it struggled to stand. Just as it tried, a crisp sound of bone dislocation echoed, and the corpse ended up doing a full split right on the spot.

Feng Qi almost felt like applauding the performance. However, the corpse suddenly let out a raspy growl, reaching its emaciated right arm toward him.

Startled, Feng Qi immediately took two steps back, avoiding the corpse's attempt to grab him.

However, the corpse was relentless. Crawling and dragging itself toward him, its constantly opening and closing mouth seemed eager to sink its teeth into him.

"If this is just a dream, the details are way too realistic."

Stepping back another two steps, Feng Qi turned his head and noticed a skeleton hanging from a dead tree behind him. Without hesitation, he grabbed the skeleton's right shin bone.

"Borrowing your leg for self-defense!"

With a strong tug, he ripped off the skeleton's right leg bone hanging from the tree.

Turning back to the corpse, which was now dangerously close, Feng Qi didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and smashed the leg bone hard onto the corpse's head.

Crack!

The sound of breaking echoed, and the bone in his hand shattered in two.

"Seriously? Osteoporosis even before death?"

Looking at the half-broken bone in his hand, Feng Qi couldn't help but complain.

Fortunately, this graveyard wasn't lacking in bones. Picking up another one from the ground, he struck the corpse's head again.

This time, it worked.

The corpse started trembling violently.

Under the moonlight, Feng Qi could clearly see a small orb inside the cracked skull of the corpse. It was pulsating slowly, almost like a beating heart.

When the bone had grazed that orb earlier, it seemed to trigger the violent spasms. Feng Qi guessed that the orb might be the corpse's weak spot. Lifting the bone high, he aimed carefully and smashed it down on the orb with all his strength.

Splatter!

The orb shattered. The corpse instantly froze, all movement ceasing. At the same time, an overwhelming stench hit Feng Qi, so foul that he nearly threw up his nonexistent internal organs.

Wait, what? Why can I smell this? Isn't this supposed to be a dream?

Just as Feng Qi was lost in confusion, a small crimson light emerged from the corpse and floated into his body.

The next moment, a stream of information appeared in his mind.

Weak Zombie: Feng Qi

Strength Level: Unranked

Prefix Title: Weak (Body strength reduced by 30%)

Bloodline: Human (Basic)

Bloodline Evolution Points: 1/1000

Prefix Title Milestones:

Weak (Upgradable): Phase 1 (3%)

Prefix Title Milestone: Killing zombies grants evolution points.

After processing this information, another line of text appeared in his mind:

As someone who has just unlocked your bloodline evolution, you are filled with countless questions. Determined to grow stronger, you decide to explore the secrets of this world!

What the hell is this?!

The sudden narrator in his mind caught Feng Qi completely off guard.

But he had zero intention of following this narrator's suggestion to grow stronger. All he wanted right now was to go back to reality and end this nightmare.

You turn east and notice several zombies moving in the distance. To collect bloodline energy and start evolving, you prepare to slaughter them mercilessly!

Feng Qi: …

No, no, I don't want to do that.

Throwing aside the leg bone in his hand, Feng Qi turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Feng Qi took a few steps forward, but soon realized that the western area was shrouded in a dense, heavy mist. Shadowy ghostly figures seemed to flit through the fog, their movements barely visible. If he listened carefully, faint, intermittent murmurs could be heard, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Feng Qi wasn't someone who shied away from challenges, but for now, he decided not to take any risks. He turned around and headed toward the zombie-infested area in the east instead.

Even now, Feng Qi didn't want to admit the reality that he might have transmigrated.

Just a few minutes ago, he had been a cheerful, good-looking young man on the brink of graduation, ready to embrace a bright future… or face society's harsh lessons.

But no matter how grim that future might have been, it was undoubtedly better than his current situation. Now, he had become a thinking zombie—a hideous, smelly, and utterly grotesque creature. Feng Qi found it hard to accept.

He didn't expect to transmigrate into a life of soaring swords and immortality, nor did he fantasize about women throwing themselves at him or owning a harem of three thousand beauties. He didn't even dream of being the disgraced genius of some powerful family, complete with a cheat-like golden finger to start his comeback story.

But at least let me start out as a human, okay?

Looking down at his broken and incomplete body, Feng Qi couldn't bear to look. His expression was filled with disgust.

Out of curiosity, he took a cautious sniff at the stench emanating from his body, only to nearly pass out from the overwhelming foulness.

This was truly a hell mode start.

Transmigrating like this, Feng Qi had no motivation to become stronger. At this point, he felt that dying might actually be a better option.

But even if the thought crossed his mind, Feng Qi couldn't bring himself to actually go through with it. For now, he was desperate to figure out where he was and why he had ended up here.

As he continued forward, the path was covered with bones. Every step produced crisp "crack" sounds as his feet crushed the brittle remains. Occasionally, his feet would sink into the bone piles, forcing him to struggle for a while just to free himself and move forward.

Not far ahead, dozens of zombies stood motionless, their bodies swaying gently in the wind.

The sight was chilling, but thanks to his strong nerves, Feng Qi managed to stay relatively calm—though he couldn't deny feeling just a tiny bit nervous.

Deciding to test the instructions that had appeared in his mind earlier, Feng Qi resolved to kill a few zombies and observe the changes in himself afterward.

As he approached the zombies' location, Feng Qi halted his steps.

The zombies were packed too closely together. To avoid unnecessary risk, Feng Qi picked up a bone from the ground and hurled it toward the nearest zombie, aiming to draw its attention.

The bone arced through the air, landing with precision behind the closest zombie and making a clear sound as it hit the ground.

Yet the zombie remained still, as if it hadn't noticed the noise behind it.

Seeing this, Feng Qi quickly realized that these zombies seemed unable to perceive their surroundings. His confidence grew, and he boldly picked up another bone. After testing its sturdiness with two taps on the ground, he cautiously moved several steps closer.

Just then, the dozen or so zombies ahead of him collectively turned their heads. Their hollow, empty eyes locked onto him.

A chorus of low growls filled the air as the zombies began shambling toward him, their stiff limbs twisting unnaturally with every step.

Oh, crap!

Feng Qi, who had been ready to fight, immediately abandoned the idea and turned to run at full speed.

However, he had barely taken two steps when he heard a sharp "snap" from beneath his foot. His body suddenly sank as his left leg broke through a pile of brittle bones and got stuck.

Damn it!

Feng Qi, having neglected to watch his footing, had stepped on a fragile bone that had shattered, trapping his left leg. For the moment, he couldn't free himself no matter how hard he tried.

Meanwhile, the group of zombies was closing in. Feng Qi's heart raced as he frantically tugged at his leg, desperate to stand up.

But the zombies had no intention of giving him a chance. They lunged at him, their decayed hands clawing at his body as they began to bite into his rotting flesh with abandon.

Even though Feng Qi couldn't feel pain, the psychological damage to his fragile heart was catastrophic.

p~tui!

Eating your own kind? What a bunch of bastards!

If you've got guts, come fight me one-on-one! What's the point of ganging up?!

Am I seriously going to die right after transmigrating? If I reincarnate again, can I at least get a newbie starter pack next time?!

As his consciousness began to blur, Feng Qi vaguely heard the crisp sound of chewing near his ears. Then, his vision faded into complete darkness.

Smack!

A piece of chalk drew a graceful arc through the air, landing precisely on Feng Qi's head.

"Feng Qi! Get up and answer the question! Did you hear me?!"

Feng Qi's eyes snapped open. Slowly lifting his head, he found himself back in a familiar setting.

In front of the blackboard stood Old Wang, the history teacher, his face full of righteous anger. Beside him was his desk mate, dorm mate, and best friend, Mo Fei, still pinching Feng Qi's thigh in an attempt to wake him up. Around them, their classmates looked on, their faces filled with shock.

Even the air felt sweet and refreshing.

I'm back!

Just as Feng Qi was basking in relief, a chalkboard eraser flew through the air and smacked him square in the face, leaving a streak of white chalk dust as it slid off.

"Feng Qi! This is the last time I'm telling you—stand up and answer the question!"

Glancing at Old Wang, who had grabbed the edge of the lectern and was slowly lifting it, Feng Qi had no doubt that if he didn't respond soon, the entire lectern might come flying at him.

Deciding not to risk it, he waved off Mo Fei's hand, which was still pinching his thigh, and stood up straight.

"Teacher Wang, I'm here!"