Chapter 20: The Secret to Survival

Time rewound to just over an hour ago. Before Sosuke Kitahara completely lost consciousness, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed from the depths of his soul. "Objective achieved. Fifty zombies eliminated within twelve hours. Time used: five hours and ten minutes." "Apocalypse System Activated." "Host data scan initiated." An intense sensation, like being stripped naked with nowhere to hide, surged through him. Sosuke had already fallen unconscious, but his subconscious remained vividly active in his mind, though unaware of what was happening outside. Soon, the mechanical voice returned--- "Warning mysterious virus detected." "Full-body infection confirmed." "Activating emergency protocol---prioritize preservation of the species, initiate self-destruction." "Countdown starting---" "10" "9" Still in shock, Sosuke hadn't expected the system to jump straight into a countdown, as if it was about to annihilate him. Panicked, he cursed frantically within his mind. "Residual pharmaceuticals detected in host body." The voice continued, leaving Sosuke stunned. He couldn't remember taking any medicine he certainly didn't need the blue pills at his age. "Large-scale analysis complete. Probability of virus eradication: 5%. Searching database---" "Combat method matched. Checking remaining points. Commencing forced acquisition---" "Forced learning: Breathing Technique---" Within a flurry of automated commands, Sosuke's consciousness fully faded into darkness. ... What was that thing? Future tech? Sosuke glanced at Utaha Kasumigaoka ahead, temporarily setting aside his confusion. Either way, he survived, thanks to this mysterious high-tech system. What he now wanted to figure out most was why his body had residual pharmaceuticals, and why they had a slight chance of eliminating the virus. "Sosuke, go check the master bedroom. I noticed something odd earlier when I was looking for the storage box." Utaha Kasumigaoka stood at the doorway, unwilling to enter. The master bedroom was a mess, as if someone had rifled through it from top to bottom. Papers were scattered all over the floor. Sosuke never stored anything of his in there these were undoubtedly his father's belongings. The computer on the desk was still on. "That guy in the black suit and his partner probably did this," Sosuke muttered, recalling his immediate suspicion upon seeing the man. They had likely come to collect or destroy something. The recently cleared zombies downstairs? Almost certainly their doing. But why would someone injured by a bite hide in his house? That remained a mystery. Were they perhaps trying to take him out too? Sosuke's gaze darkened. What did his father know that made them want to eliminate him as well? He skimmed the desk quickly. All USB drives and hard disks were gone. Nothing substantial remained on the computer. "Anything valuable was taken," Sosuke sighed, leaning back in the chair. "I haven't heard from my father since he left for a business trip a month ago." "You didn't report it? It's been a month. Weren't you even a little worried?" Utaha Kasumigaoka looked at him with disbelief. "You've got nerves of steel." "I got used to it. It's not the first time. My father's work in biological research is highly confidential." Sosuke forced a bitter smile as he logged into his email. "But you saw it yourself on the rooftop. Those kids from elite families were all picked up by bodyguards well in advance. Do you really believe they didn't know what was coming?" "Then why didn't they warn everyone? If they had, so many lives could've been saved." "Who knows..." Sosuke shrugged and frowned. "Maybe they wanted to avoid mass panic, or maybe the virus had already infected everyone, and people only turn into zombies after death." Utaha's eyes widened in shock. "That would mean you and I are infected too?" "Possibly. Just speculation." Sosuke smiled faintly. In his previous life, he never learned the virus's origin, but he was certain of one thing everyone was already infected. He sometimes wondered if humanity's evolution into possessing supernatural powers was linked to the virus. After all, even zombies would eventually evolve, shedding their human traces to become fully distinct creatures, while retaining their bloodthirsty nature. He thought of the mechanical voice. Calling out in his mind, a translucent screen immediately appeared before him. Utaha showed no reaction the screen was visible to him alone. Suppressing his curiosity, Sosuke focused on the interface. Name: Sosuke Kitahara Physical Status: Normal (Growing) Ability: Breathing Technique (Basic) These were his basic stats, listed on the left side. On the right were several other panels. At the bottom right, his points balance displayed: Points: 0 (Earn points by killing zombies. Points can be used to acquire and upgrade abilities.) "What abilities are available?" As soon as the thought surfaced, the screen shifted, opening a menu. Abilities (Available for Unlock and Upgrade) There were many categories. The Breathing Technique he had learned was already listed. It had automatically been exchanged by the system, costing him five points. He immediately opened the detailed description. Breathing Technique: Created by a mysterious Sengoku-era swordsman. Enhances lung and heart function, allowing the bloodstream to absorb large amounts of oxygen in a short period, drastically improving physical ability beyond human limits. Temporarily suppresses injuries (Upgradeable). The upgrade tree was clearly laid out. Two of the highest-level abilities caught his attention: one required 200 points to unlock "Demon Mark," but the side effect was (Death before age 25). What the hell? The stronger you get, the faster you die? Sosuke's forehead twitched. Who would choose that? The ultimate tier was even more absurd: "Transparent World," requiring 500 points to unlock, with a chance of failure points non-refundable. Seriously? Pay-to-lose mechanics? He immediately decided he would never unlock those. The system's self-learning capability must have pulled these designs from some gacha game. In his past life, he had also gained an ability. Beginner abilities were similar to the Breathing Technique enhancing the body to unleash brief bursts of immense power, but often at significant cost. This Breathing Technique, though, was different. It only consumed minimal stamina, which could easily be replenished with food. He knew all too well how dangerous the apocalypse would soon become. As time passed, Tier 2, Tier 3, and even higher-level zombies would appear, and most humans would only awaken abilities after surviving a Tier 2 zombie encounter, usually at great sacrifice. But now, with this system, Sosuke could grow by killing zombies to earn points, giving him a massive head start. "Hey, check the recycle bin. There's a new email flagged as spam." Utaha blinked and nudged him. Sosuke quickly closed the system screen and turned to the computer. "There really is one and it's from my father." The email had been automatically sorted into spam, sent from an unfamiliar account on a scheduled delivery. The message read: Sosuke, if you're alive to read this, stop looking for me. Just focus on surviving. I know you have many questions, but there's no point. I'll keep this short. A year ago, the company discovered a strange virus on a meteorite. I joined the research team. The virus had astonishing reproductive power and could reactivate dead cells, but it was extremely contagious to humans and animals. The infected became highly aggressive, losing all reason and transforming into bloodthirsty monsters. We attempted to develop vaccines, but all trials failed. Even with pre-infection inoculation, survival rates were dismally low. Stranger still, antibodies extracted from survivors couldn't provide protection. The virus mutated rapidly, rendering vaccines quickly obsolete. The company deemed the project unviable and shut it down. I regret it deeply, but I was powerless. When I disposed of the lab materials, I secretly kept one sample. I intended to continue studying it. But a month ago, I received an urgent summons, and I realized things had taken a dire turn. Before I left, I slipped a sedative into your drink and injected the sample into you while you slept. I don't know what the outcome will be, but I hope... "Huh? That's it?" Utaha nudged him to scroll down. "Looks like that's the end." Sosuke scrolled to the bottom. It was blank. He frowned. "Maybe something happened suddenly while my father was writing, and he had to send it before finishing." "No prior warning, and they shut down the vaccine trials for such a stupid reason? Bunch of greedy monsters..." Utaha clenched her teeth but quickly added, "I don't mean your father. He probably had no choice. And the virus leak isn't his fault... at least the vaccine saved you." "It's fine." Sosuke felt helpless. The tangled web of events was far more complex than he expected, but since his father had played a part, it meant he was likely still alive. Perhaps vaccine research had resumed. But that wasn't his priority right now. "It's getting late, and I'm starving. Let's eat." He stared intently at Utaha, remembering what she had promised earlier. "I'll go cook..." Flustered, Utaha tried to flee, but Sosuke caught her arm. As she turned to glare at him, he flashed a mischievous grin. "Change your clothes first. We'll talk about dinner later..."