My Perfect Apocalyptic Life

To put it directly, it was like “Jiang Xiaqiu has joined the team.”

However, Meng Xu didn’t pay much attention to Jiang Xiaqiu joining. He was busy extracting the zombie crystal.

This head was indeed tough, much harder than the earlier mutant zombie. After considerable effort, Meng Xu finally pried out a yellow crystal.

“Yellow?”

Meng Xu was a bit surprised; he hadn’t expected this evolution crystal to be yellow.

【Primary Evolution Crystal (Constitution Type)】

【Description: ……】

The description was identical to the previous ruby, except this one was for constitution while the ruby was for strength. Another difference was the prompt indicating that swallowing the ruby wouldn’t enhance his attributes, but swallowing the yellow crystal had a probability of increasing his Constitution by 1 point.

“Wow.”

Meng Xu couldn’t help but exclaim, “With just a 30% chance, I could improve my Constitution by 1 point!”

A seventy percent chance of turning into a zombie? Only an idiot would eat it!

Meng Xu scoffed, pocketing the yellow crystal, then turned abruptly to find Jiang Xiaqiu staring at him intently, her red eyes filled with desire.

Being stared at like that by a beautiful woman, Meng Xu felt quite flattered.

But Meng Xu knew well that Jiang Xiaqiu was eyeing the evolution crystal in his hand, not himself.

However…

Meng Xu paused, suddenly thinking of many things.

“Zombies’ eyes appear in gray and red. Are there differences between these two types?”

Though not a scientist, Meng Xu’s keen observation led him to ponder this phenomenon.

Ordinary zombies almost all had gray eyes, with only a few having red eyes.

But mutant zombies like Jiang Xiaqiu and Li Xiang had red eyes, while the mutant zombie he just killed and the constitution-type mutant zombie on the roadside earlier had gray eyes.

What’s the logic here?

Is it like the saying ‘Get a fungal nail infection, and you’ll infect two others?’

But then…

Meng Xu suddenly got an idea and bent down, standing before the headless, blood-oozing corpse. He started testing the constitution-type mutant zombie’s defense with his fire axe.

“Bang!”

He swung down, the axe sinking into the flesh but not very deeply.

Meng Xu could feel the impact hitting the bone, but it didn’t sever it.

“Hmm?”

Surprised, Meng Xu thought: With such force, an ordinary zombie would have been split in two.

With that thought, Meng Xu gripped the axe tightly and, using all his strength, swung it down onto the mutant zombie’s arm, feeling his palm numb from the effort.

Looking again, he noticed the arm had finally been severed.

“Seems like the defense is indeed strong, but it’s not invincible.”

Meng Xu mused, feeling more certain about his observations.

Spirit, constitution, strength, agility.

These are his four attributes.

And from the information he gathered, he’s seen constitution-type mutant zombies, strength-type mutant zombies, and agility-type mutant zombies, each with different colored evolution crystals in their brains.

It’s becoming clear that mutant zombies primarily follow these four attribute paths.

Their mutation tendencies align with this too. constitution-type zombies have an incredible defense, probably capable of withstanding bullets even at a basic Level 1.

Strength-type zombies, which Meng Xu had encountered, would have been challenging to deal with if not for their weaker defense, which allowed him to run them over with the car.

As for agility-type zombies, their movements were indeed swift. If Meng Xu weren’t extraordinary, an average person trying to open a door would have been instantly tackled and bitten by Jiang Xiaqiu.

Having encountered three types of mutant zombies, Meng Xu was now left wondering about the elusive fourth kind—the spirit-type mutant zombies. He wondered if this journey would offer him the chance to meet one of these mystifying spirit mutants.

After all, things related to the mind are often quite profound.

The concept of “spirit” wasn’t as straightforward as constitution, strength, or agility. You could infer the gist of those three just from their names.

Who knows what color the evolution crystals of agility-type and spirit mutant zombies would be?

Snapping back to reality, Meng Xu decided to get back in the car. Jiang Xiaqiu followed him silently, her striking red eyes intently fixed on him, almost as if pleading, “Please give me an evolution crystal.”

“Oh right, I almost forgot about you.”

Seeing her earnest gaze, Meng Xu casually grabbed a bottle of Qiansuishan mineral water from the storage, a prize from a previous lottery draw, and took out a tissue from the car. He soaked the tissue and started cleaning the grime off Jiang Xiaqiu’s face.

The bloodstains and filth were quite terrifying to look at.

She had been quite a beautiful zombie in need of a bit of grooming. This way, having her follow him wouldn’t be too off-putting.

Meng Xu had learned his lesson from Li Xiang previously. Having an unsightly zombie following you ruins the company image.

In no time, Meng Xu had wiped her face clean. She looked strikingly beautiful, reminiscent of Liu Shishi, though the scar on her forehead was noticeable. There wasn’t much he could do about that since he had made it with a wrench himself.

After cleaning her face, Meng Xu noticed her clothing didn’t quite fit either… Should he change her outfit?

“I’m a gentleman; I shouldn’t be dirty-minded.”

Meng Xu shook his head, then spoke seriously, “Alright, let’s see if we can get an opportunity. If we do, we should ask for your permission first. If you don’t agree, we’ll forget about it. But if you remain silent, I’ll take it as consent.”

With that, Meng Xu casually opened the car’s rear door and pointed to the back seat, “Get in, and only get out when I tell you to.”

Jiang Xiaqiu didn’t move at all.

Sighing, Meng Xu took out the yellow crystal from his pocket, “Get in there!”

Seeing the yellow crystal, Jiang Xiaqiu momentarily lost control, briefly showing a desire to pounce on it but managed to restrain herself. She obediently got into the back seat and sat still.

Meng Xu closed the car door. Through the window, Jiang Xiaqiu stared coldly at him.

If one didn’t know she was a zombie, her gaze might have given off the impression of an aloof beauty.

Unfortunately, she was a zombie.

Meng Xu clicked his tongue, then got into the driver’s seat, started the engine without hesitation, and sped off towards Taoxian.

……

At the junction between Taoxian and Qinnan District lies a university town.

It hosts two universities: Nanjiang University (Heqing Campus) and Nanjiang First Medical University.

Though there are only two universities, their student populations are large, totaling over fifty thousand students. Including faculty and staff, there were no fewer than seventy thousand people in the area.

Due to the large populace, many businesses flourished nearby—accommodations, internet cafes, food courts, and so forth. The area, though not vast, had a population of nearly two hundred thousand.

It was truly a massive crowd.

When the zombie outbreak occurred, it turned this place into a living hell.

Although the self-rescue committee was short on armed forces, they did dispatch units to this area, attempting to rescue the talent concentrated in the two universities. However, various reasons led to failure, and the last attempt even triggered a wave of tens of thousands of zombies, prompting the closure of routes between Taoxian and the university town.

However, this also resulted in a drastic reduction in zombie numbers in the university town. Compared to the initial outbreak, the situation had improved significantly.

Zhou Qing stood on the top floor of a nearby shopping mall, looking around with mixed feelings.

He felt somewhat fortunate that he went out on a date with his girlfriend the night before the apocalypse.

Otherwise, he might have been trapped in his dorm, living a fate worse than death.

He could hardly imagine what the state of his dormitory was now. Suddenly, a voice broke through his thoughts, “Zhou Qing, brother Wang wants you to join us on a supply run today. What are you doing here?”

“Ah, are the supplies I brought already used up?”

Zhou Qing was astonished. That was over a hundred and twenty pounds of supplies. How could they be used up so quickly?

“Isn’t that obvious? We have seven people; a hundred and twenty pounds of supplies can only last so long!”

The voice, filled with irritation, pushed Zhou Qing, “Hurry up. Let’s find some fresh ones this time, not the old and tough ones!”

Zhou Qing nodded quickly and then smiled, “Don’t worry, brother Wang knows his stuff. This time out, we need to capture at least two, keep one as a backup.”

“We better hurry then. The more we catch, the fewer there will be. After all, the total number is limited… And you, kid, are ruthless enough to bring one in yourself. Brother Wang thinks highly of you! Looks like you’re the next Chosen One.”

“Haha, I haven’t been here long. I bet the next Chosen One will be Brother Lu!”

“Thanks for the good words, bro. If I become the Chosen One, benefits will come your way too!”

“…”

The two laughed as their voices faded away.

Soon, a group of four emerged from the building, carrying various weapons, heading out through a narrow alley.

Their destination was unknown.

……

In a small clothing store on the outskirts of the university town, two clearly hacked-to-death zombies lay at the entrance, while two figures stood inside.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman, quite pleasing to the eye.

However, their clothes were rather odd.

The woman’s attire was merely somewhat disheveled and bloodstained.

But the man was dressed in what seemed like a blood-soaked outfit, almost cosplaying as Li Huowang.

Unlike Li Huowang’s pure spirit state, Meng Xu’s mind remained stable, able to distinguish reality.

“Do you like this one? If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as… never mind, I don’t like this one. Let’s pick another.”

Holding the axe, Meng Xu casually picked a dress, comparing it to Jiang Xiaqiu, but found it unsuitable, so he shook his head and decided not to change into that one.

His requirements weren’t high, just one criterion.

They needed to be easy to move in and, ideally, look good too.

With that in mind, Meng Xu browsed several nearby clothing stores and eventually picked out suitable clothes for Jiang Xiaqiu.

All were casual and sporty.

Meng Xu was most intrigued by a shop that offered cosplay outfits. After all, who wouldn’t be interested in cosplay?

However, considering that these cosplay outfits were impractical for movement, he decided against them.

Next was the part Meng Xu found most interesting… or rather, most reluctant.

Though he was somewhat unwilling, his hands moved without hesitation.

【Undressing a girl without permission might be considered sexual harassment. I know you’re eager since you don’t have any close female friends, but listen to me—don’t rush… yet.】

The sudden appearance of a golden line of text made Meng Xu frown, “Get out of here, causing trouble at a crucial moment! Where were you earlier? If you didn’t speak up before, doesn’t that mean you were okay with it?”

Acceptance doesn’t imply consent.

But silence doesn’t imply refusal either.

Besides, this could be seen as Chairman Meng being down-to-earth and personally helping a subordinate change clothes!

Logically sound.

In an instant, the golden line of text disappeared.

Meng Xu reached out, unbuttoned her clothes, and slowly removed them, feeling the smooth skin beneath. He remained expressionless, only briefly assessing the fit, and considered changing into something more intimate but then dismissed the idea.

“Forget it, can’t make sense of it.”

Although her beautiful body was a sight to behold, Meng Xu didn’t feel particularly impulsive. After all, in this day and age, who hasn’t seen lingerie ads on TV?

Still, it was the first time Meng Xu, a lifelong bachelor, saw an alluring female body in real life (online encounters didn’t count).

Jiang Xiaqiu, for her part, merely blinked her red-tinted eyes, showing no reaction, just a look of desire without any emotion.

After appreciating the view for a moment, Meng Xu quickly dressed Jiang Xiaqiu in clean clothes. He then used the remaining half bottle of Qiansuishan mineral water to wash her hands, leaving her looking quite refined.

Looking at Jiang Xiaqiu, one would hardly think she was a zombie. Her long, straight black hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her face was delicate and beautiful. The only thing that seemed out of place were those eerie, glowing red eyes.

【Strangely, despite such offensive actions, Jiang Xiaqiu did not develop any resentment towards you. It seems you’ve got your own way with these matters.】
【You have achieved the Hidden Achievement: Gentleman.】
【Achievement rewards: Yuan +5000, Spirit +0.5.】

Nice, an unexpected bonus.

Meng Xu nodded in satisfaction, but just then, he heard a scream.

“Ah!”

It was a girl’s scream, sharp and filled with terror.

Meng Xu paused, unsure.

Another person is surrounded by zombies, no doubt.

Initially, Meng Xu hadn’t planned to intervene, but considering the proximity to a medical university and Nanjiang University, there could be valuable talents nearby. Even medical students who hadn’t graduated yet would have considerable medical knowledge.

Thinking this, Meng Xu popped his head out, looking in the direction of the sound.

However, the nearby zombies were more eager, already moving towards the source of the noise.

Meng Xu followed behind the zombies, occasionally dispatching those who noticed him with a swift axe swing before they could raise the alarm.

Meng Xu quickly realized an issue.

If Jiang Xiaqiu continued using her claws to kill zombies, the effort of changing clothes would be pointless, as they would quickly become bloodied again.

That would be a headache.

She needed a weapon, something handy.

While lost in thought, Meng Xu reached the source of the sound and found a girl tied up, lying in a pool of blood, her eyes filled with terror.

She was already dead.

And not killed by zombies.

Meng Xu frowned, noticing four figures nearby, fighting off zombies around the girl’s body.

What was going on? An internal conflict?

Meng Xu was puzzled but quickly overheard some complaints along the lines of, “We should’ve lured that bitch back to kill her. Why kill her here?”

These remarks quickly made things clear to him.

“You stay here and set an ambush, got it?”

Meng Xu whispered to Jiang Xiaqiu, “When I give the signal to attack, jump out and help me fight, understood?”

【Trap set successfully.】

Satisfied by the golden line of text, Meng Xu acted without hesitation. He climbed over the wall and joined the zombie-slaughtering team.

There weren’t many zombies, perhaps about a dozen.

His sudden appearance caused some confusion among the group.

Once they finished off the zombies, they breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to rest, looking quite exhausted.

Zhou Qing, holding a machete, leaned against a pillar and said to his companion, “Weren’t we supposed to be chosen? Why are these zombies still attacking us? Something’s not right.”

“Because we are the Chosen, these creatures meant to be eliminated attack us”, a man in a black trench coat among the group coldly replied. He continued, “That’s enough for today. Let’s deal with this girl—”

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly frozen.

Looking around, he became confused.

Why were there four people besides himself on the scene?

When did an extra person join?

Seeing the man suddenly falter, Meng Xu seized the moment to speak up

“Why stop now? I was listening.”

The Chosen?

That sounded familiar.

Hearing Meng Xu’s words, all eyes instantly turned to him.

At that moment, a single thought arose simultaneously in the minds of the four.

Where did you come from?

—

Get a fungal nail infection, and you’ll infect two others – is a saying in China. It’s a metaphorical expression used to describe how a problem or issue, once it starts with one person, can quickly spread to affect others