Volume 1 Chapter 1: The Arrival of the Apocalypse

Shanghai.
The School of Fine Arts.
The women's dormitory was in a state of absolute chaos, with various articles of clothing scattered haphazardly across the floor. A lacy skirt of unknown origin, hanging from a wardrobe, swayed rhythmically.

Xiao Fanchen was drenched in sweat, his heart pounding with anxiety. Beside him, two female students looked on with expressions of utter disdain.

"Ahhh!"
"Put some effort into holding the door!"
"If you can't handle it, get someone else to do it!"

The door shuddered under heavy, rhythmic thuds. A head, pulsating with black veins, was wedged firmly in the gap, preventing the creature from forcing its way in further.

"You’re truly useless. A grown man and you can't even hold a door shut?"
"How embarrassing. What good are you?"
"Push harder, you weakling!"

As the monster prepared to break through, the two girls offered no help, only incessant, condescending mockery. Fury ignited within Xiao Fanchen.

"Shut up!"
"Find me a knife, now!"

Xiao Fanchen roared. The wooden door was far from sturdy; under the creature’s relentless assault, it was already on the verge of splintering. If he didn't act now, it would be all over!

"Are you stupid? How could there be knives in a girls' dorm?"
"Exactly. Aren't you men supposed to protect us? Isn't that your job?"
"Besides, with one phone call, I could have a dozen simps here to save me. Being here is your privilege."

Listening to these two entitled princesses, coddled by their sycophants, the veins on Xiao Fanchen's forehead throbbed with rage. Had he not just been reborn, with a deep blood feud yet to be settled, he would have gladly opened the door and let the monster tear these two airheads to shreds!

Suddenly, Xiao Fanchen spotted a pair of high heels on the shoe rack. He snatched them up and slammed the heel into the monster’s bulging eye.

*Squelch!*

As fluid sprayed everywhere, Xiao Fanchen struck again and again, hacking away until the creature’s skull was shattered, at which point he slammed the door shut with all his might.

"Ah! You… you killed someone!"
"You bastard, do you know how expensive those heels were?"
"Those were the latest GZ ladies' collection, worth over ten thousand! Do you even know that, you pathetic loser?"
"Pay me back! Or I’m going to Twitter tonight to expose you pathetic misogynists!"

Xiao Fanchen took a deep breath.

*Slap!*

A crisp, sharp sound echoed through the room. Without a second’s hesitation, he delivered a resounding slap across the face of the girl who had spoken. The other girl shrieked in terror.

"Ahhhhh!"
"You dare hit us? You’re insane! I’m reporting you to the counselor!"
"I’ll have you expelled! I’ll have you thrown in jail!"

Seeing this, Xiao Fanchen struck again.

*Slap!*

"I was so busy hitting her, I forgot about you, didn't I?"

The girl who had been slapped wept, her eyes brimming with tears. "Hitting a woman? Is that all you’re capable of?"

Seeing she still wouldn't stop, Xiao Fanchen raised his hand and struck her with such force that she was sent flying several meters, collapsing on the ground and writhing in pain. The other girl stood frozen, instinctively covering her head with both hands, daring only to emit faint, whimpering sobs.

"Two morons."

Xiao Fanchen grabbed them both by their hair and dragged them toward the window, pressing their faces hard against the glass. Below the dormitory building, the scene was one of total devastation. Amidst a faint, bloody mist, most of the students had transformed into zombie-like monsters, chasing down those still fleeing.

Some survivors didn't even get the chance to be infected; they were swarmed by zombies who tore them apart, disemboweling them on the spot. Several monsters were crouched over a survivor, tearing off massive chunks of flesh and devouring them alive. The stench of blood was nauseating, and the air was filled with blood-curdling screams.

Seeing this, the two girls turned deathly pale, trembling uncontrollably. They couldn't help but cling to Xiao Fanchen’s arm.

"W-weakling… Xiao Fanchen, you have to protect us."
"Besides, I remember you work part-time as a campus security guard. You take the school’s money—you have to be the one to stand at the front when there’s danger!"

Xiao Fanchen sneered. "Are you brain-damaged? I make fifteen hundred a month; you think I’m going to throw my life away for you?"

He was an orphan. To pay his tuition, he had to work endless odd jobs. Aside from security, he also delivered food on campus. Normally, men weren't allowed in the women’s dormitory, but international students were the exception. The school had intentionally built the women's dorms and the international student dorms in the same building—a testament to the fact that the school’s leadership had the weakest knees in the world.

Therefore, one could easily enter the women's dorm by coming down from the roof of the international student building. Xiao Fanchen had spent his days weaving through the hallways carrying bags of food, often mocked by those around him. It was a cruel reality: some are born in Rome, while others are born as beasts of burden.

"Get lost."

Xiao Fanchen shoved them to the ground. As someone who had been reborn, he was no longer the naive, gullible student he once was. He was a seasoned veteran who had survived and struggled for decades in the apocalyptic game.

"Damn the Li family. If it weren't for their treachery… I never would have died in the jaws of those monsters!"

Xiao Fanchen’s eyes burned with infinite murderous intent, his fists clenched tight. It had taken him years to obtain a crucial apocalyptic artifact, and he had thought he could defy his fate. Instead, the young master of the Li family had set his sights on it, using every underhanded, vicious tactic to seize it.

As one of the three great clans of the Dragon Kingdom, the Li family still commanded a small army of loyal, brainless hounds even after the apocalypse began. From that point on, it had been a relentless, day-and-night manhunt.

If the Li family had only wanted the item, that would have been one thing. But what set Xiao Fanchen’s blood to boiling was that the Li family had long been colluding with forces from the East, foolishly believing that only the East could lead the survivors of the Dragon Kingdom into the future.

"Disgusting!"

Just thinking of that vile family made Xiao Fanchen grind his teeth. In this life, he would make those wretched beasts pay the price!

Just as Xiao Fanchen slammed his fist onto the table, a mysterious, mechanical voice echoed in his ears.

[Congratulations, Host, you have unlocked the Apocalyptic Beauty Codex.]
[The apocalypse has arrived, the population is plummeting. Subdue beauties to receive system rewards.]
[Unlock various "Combat Suits." When a beauty wears a "Combat Suit," the host receives a random superpower.]
[Unlocked Host-exclusive ability: "Chosen One."]
[Chosen One: Gain one resource point per second. Resource points can be used to exchange for various supplies in the shop.]
[Newbie Gift Pack is being distributed...]
[System Inventory (Unlimited)]
[.44 Caliber Desert Eagle (Common)]
[.44 Magnum Magazine x10]
[Apocalyptic Game Panel unlocked prematurely!]